For review and radio play consideration:
Please send vinyl (preferred), CD, or cassette releases to MRR, PO Box 3852, Oakland, CA 94609, USA. Maximum Rocknroll wants to review everything that comes out in the world of underground punk rock, hardcore, garage, post-punk, thrash, etc.—no major labels or labels exclusively distributed by major-owned distributors, no reviews of test pressings or promo CDs without final artwork. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!
Politicized garage punk from Vermont. The A-side has three good traditional garage punkers, while the flip contains seven much accelerated tracks that nevertheless retain an awkward garagy flavor. The lyrics are unusually thoughtful for this style of music. Recommended.
Another classic. A five-song thrasher that’s delivered like a one-two punch. The lyrics are good, whether political or just downright ridiculous. Check out “I Hate My Toes” because “they’re dirty, they stink… they’re ugly and pink.” Really hilarious.
Three slices of garage psychedelia from San Berdoo, all of them instrumentals. The songs themselves are too mellow and repetitive, but WINDOW PAIN showcase some nice textured guitar in “Mind Bender,” as well as a nifty fuzztone and mind-expanding energy lead in “Underworld.” They need Wheaties for extra energy, though.
A 15-song tape that isn’t for sale. At times, it reminds me of Fresno’s CAPITOL PUNISHMENT, with its extremely gruff vocals and all-out thrash attack. Unrelenting and excellent, so wait for future releases.
Like WHITE CROSS, YOUTH KORPS have that extra umph that thrash bands need to stand out in this day and age. Most of the tracks here are really intense thrashers, but there’s one anguished metallic cut that sounds a lot like BLACK FLAG’s “Damaged” (“Need a Fix”). This is real strong, so I hope they release it on vinyl.
Clever, medium-weight pop with occasional psychedelic effects and annoying vocals. Some of the songs are subtly appealing, some are driving and straightforward, some are innovative, and a few artsy numbers are best avoided. A little better than the BONGOS, not as strong as the SHOES.
Seven NYC bands cram cuts into this 7″er put out by Javi of Big City zine. All are either current, or recently split-up, and all thrash out to the max. The bands include XKI, the BETRAYED, ULTRA VIOLENCE, NO THANKS, the ARMED CITIZENS, FATHEAD SUBURBIA, and SAVAGE CIRCLE.
Columbus, Indiana, that is. There are four bands here, KILLING CHILDREN being the most proficient and thrashed-out. The others—the PATTERN, ANDROPOV’S ASSASSINS, and studio group COLBY—are definitely on the garage side of life. They have that unmistakable Midwest flair, best exemplified by the PATTERNS’ classic “Burger Palace of Death.”
A compilation of ’60s Texas punk and psychedelic bands. There’s lots of good stuff here, including some real obscurities like the GREAT BELIEVERS, A-440, the THINGS, etc. If by chance you’ve already picked up Mindrocker vol. 4, then pass this up because there’s only a four-song difference, and the sound quality isn’t as good on this.
A great collection of San Diego-area bands. Some are current, some are long gone, some are punk, some are thrash, all are raw. The bands include 5051, CATCH 22, BATTALION OF SAINTS, SACRED LIES, the MORAL MAJORITY, the INJECTIONS, the SKULLBUSTERS, etc.
Sorry, Mykel, but at best (worst) this record is so-so. G.G. ALLIN is good, the FUCK-UPS are the FUCK-UPS, ART is interesting, and the experimental and pop cuts could have been a lot worse. Even the liner notes didn’t incite me to slag. The best part may be the plastic barf on the cover. (Note: half of the material here has already been released.)
An excellent follow-up to the Life is Ugly… LP. I like all of the punk side, which begins with a great old BAGS cut, and continues with ANTI, SHATTERED FAITH, CHINA WHITE, M.I.A. (not the group on the Last Rites LP), ILL WILL, and a live GERMS track. The B-side contains some experimental stuff by Gary Kail, as well as the B PEOPLE, VOX POP, the MINUTEMEN, and POWERTRIP. Good variation.
This is an extraordinary album, a marvelous example of the politically oriented ranting poetry coming out of England today. ATTILA is sort of a cross between Lenny Bruce and John Cooper-Clarke, in that his incisive political views are wedded to biting satire and sung/spoken in a dense (though comprehensible) English accent. There is a bit of funnypunk music here, manifested in exemplary songs like “Away Day,” “Hands Off the Halibuts,” and “Russians in McDonalds.”
ANIMAL/ANARCHY, PEACE & FREEDOM BRIGADE from England give a diversified approach to the talent that exists in music and how to express it. Triumphant lyrical manifestos describe the actions and stupidity of mankind, its conquest for control towards idiotic destruction of the earth. 60 minutes of avant-garde, folk, and fast surges of variable musical styles.
UK grass-roots punk. Rumbling garagy sound onslaughts with cacophonous assailments of vocals, guitars, and abrasive cymbal shattering, detonating a very raw unrestrained echoing flavor. Featuring both male and female vocals, ASSASSINS OF HOPE boom out a rousting rigor of intense rhythms and savage lyrical exertions.
A very atypical eight-song 12″ with a garage feel. It sounds more like a cassette of a band’s first practice than the standard polished UK product. Medium-tempo punk is the ACCURSED’s stock-in-trade.
I love OMEGA TRIBE. It’s fast with that masterful Penny Rimbaud production, but this band also has a pop element. For example, the great “Profiteer” is the epitome of catchiness, with handclaps artfully added; and “Another Bloody Day” is a ballad that includes piano, but it retains power. The lyrics are predictably unrelenting, so don’t miss this one.
The first vinyl from these Northern Irish punky-popsters since One by One, their classic four-year old release on the Good Vibrations label. “Capital Letters” has a real heavy guitar sound, rawer singing than before, and very memorable melodies and choruses. Really great. The flip is slow and undistinguished, but I’m still looking forward to future RUEFREX releases.
The earliest studio recordings by the late Malcolm Owens’s RUTS, made way back in ’77. And hot damn, the title track is a totally classic chunky punk rock song that ranks right up there with “Babylon’s Burning.” It’s a marvelous cut that isn’t equalled by the two songs on the B-side. The latter suffer from vastly inferior production, but are also poorer compositions. A must for fans of original UK punk music.
The SATELLITES are sort of PISTOL-like, at best; at worst, they’ve got a weak post-punk sound. This EP isn’t as good as their first, the production by Rat Scabies being one of its few saving graces.
I’m surprised to see this mostly British band on a German label, but it’s great to have an album from them. This is strongly delivered thrash with perceptive lyrics and powerful production. Recommended without reservations.
Is a bit of success spoiling the TEST TUBE BABIES? They’re still sporting a wacky sense of humor, but they sound so much more restrained here. Maybe the overly clean production is to blame, but this EP could use some undisciplined spunk. Great cover, though.
Pleasantly buzzy guitars liven up this three-track EP of mid-tempo punk anthems from SOCIAL DISEASE. “World at Ransom” is a moderately catchy composition with an intriguing riff, but the other tunes don’t rise to that standard, despite some wonderfully garargy production values. Above average.
The third DIY EP from SIX MINUTE WAR, who’ve now incorporated a drum machine into their primitive mid-tempo material. The song structures are a bit more experimental, but a wistful amateurishness serves to lighten the doom and gloom. “Weathermen” is haunting and exceptionally appealing.
An unnotable amalgam of punk and post-punk influences, this latest single from TWISTED NERVE features a very distanced guitar sound reminiscent of late-period UK DECAY. Unfortunately, the material here seems monotonous, and an occasionally interesting effect doesn’t rescue the record from ordinariness.
An unexciting band that shouldn’t be mistaken for Scotland’s TWISTED NERVE. This record showcases a basic punk-pop-rock sound, but lacks drive, hooks, and, ultimately, interest. Sluggish is the most appropriate word.
More “positive punk.” Again, the heavy treated drums stand out, but this time the undistorted quasi-psychedelic guitar takes precedence over the bass. The singing is in that really awful New Romantic style that’ll appeal to new wave disco trendies. All in all, it’s OK post-punk, but certainly nothing to lose sleep over.
The A-side isn’t quite up to their usual standards, but “Too Much Talking” wails with an amazing guitar, and makes it all worthwhile. Pick it up.
Outrageous cranks of nitro-injected rapid explosions surge jarring uncontrolled vigor into charging intensity. Fast, powerful chords of raw persistence push the VARUKERS past their first two releases. A dynamite demo—if only a record company would decide to use it.
Oddball stuff, not unlike SWELL MAPS or the early TV PERSONALITIES. It’s not different, but it packs a bite, especially “Family Traditions.”
Oh no, the VIOLATORS have followed BLITZ down the path toward JOY DIVISION-clone material, with some imitation SIOUXIE vocals thrown in for good measure. I love the ’60s melodies on the A-side, but it’s sad to see all these recent punk bands adopting a slick, gutless sound. I vastly prefer their last 45.
Three modern bands that revive the roots of punk. The MILKSHAKES have that early KINKS or Merseybeat sound; the STINGRAYS belong to the METEORS/CRAMPS school of psychobilly; and the CANNIBALS hearken back to the ’60s punk of the early PRETTY THINGS or maybe the SEEDS or maybe the SHADOWS OF KNIGHT. These aren’t just copies—they reflect the genuine spirit of those eras. Great record.
Like those from the first installment, the bands here haven’t released any other vinyl yet. And true to the No Future label, this is a mix of punk and Oi! bands. Some of them are mediocre, but CADAVEROUS CLAN and IMPACT make this record worth the £2.50.
This Dutch band has evolved from the remnants of the NITWITZ into a more intense outfit capable of delivering many kinds of punk—classical, thrash, heavy metal punk, etc. All the tracks here have tremendous power, and some of them actually show an MDC influence. Very good indeed.
Three songs here, all thrash. There’s no new ground broken, though it’s got some great drumming and excellent lyrics. Let’s see where this young band goes.
Raw and aggressive, and two of the three tracks have real coherence and power. It’s pretty fast-paced, but not quite thrash. The A-side is slower and more rock-oriented; obviously, I prefer the flip. Look for this one.
Great thrashed-out noise from Holland, with just the right amount of raunch and sloppiness. The driving music picks you right up and slaps you around the room. There’s a bit of heavy metal damage at the end of “Feminist,” and the extraordinary female vocals are kind of lost in the rush, but this EP is hotter than scalding water. “Nothing” is best described as awesome.
Brazil’s version of DISCHARGE meets Finnish hardcore. Actually, they do have a few slower “classical” punk songs that are really great, too. Good, intense stuff.
This is an EP of HUVUDTVÄTT’s (the HEADCLEANERS’) first two half-sided 7″ers. Side A is HUVUDTVÄTT with Swedish vocals, very quick assaults of blistering thrash with two songs featuring a flute solo and a violin solo shrieking along with the speed. Side B is HEADCLEANERS with English vocals, still more flailing doses of intense speed. Great Swedish hardcore.
Much like their first EP, but recorded better. The music is raw and fast—like the DREAM POLICE—but the poppy, SIOUXIE-like vocals sort of put me off. Fortunately, the instrumentals by this Danish band carry the day.
A blur of indecipherable thrashing noise. KAAOS seem to have caught the germ that RIISTETYT just got rid of—lack of integration between the vocals and the instrumentation. The amazing “Uskonsota” really tears up the pavement, but most of the songs get lost in the jet-stream, and the guitars should have been mixed louder.
Garagey punk with thrash and experimental overtones. The songs may be sloppy, distorted, and poorly-recorded, but LAST WARNING have plenty of spirit. I dislike some of their post-punk material, but this tape is worth a listen.
Not the more ferocious Finnish thrash, but rawer with a ravaging harsh guitar and bass sound. Has a crunching persona in its quality to be turbulent with the bulldozing power of boisterous insistancy. Features Walde, who now drums for TERVEET KÄDET.
This is what the IRON CROSS EP sounds like on 45 rpm. The same drill press guitar is joined to gravelly singing and primitive production, a combination that’s light years ahead of crap like the BUSINESS. NABAT almost change my mind about Oi with this nasty entry.
A pop-punk classic, especially “Reisefieber,” which sorta sounds like a male of LILLIPUT’s “Die Matrosen,” with its unbelieveably catchy melody punctuated by whistling. And dig those bagpipes! The flip is almost as enjoyable and memorable, so look for this.
The obvious comparison is DOA. Slower, metalish, anthemic punk with traces of the WHO! The lyrics are sharp.
Another Dutch basement tape from Er Is Hoop, this one featuring three bands. TOTAL CHAOZ are a methadrine thrash group with a female singer; the PUKES are a messy, unformed punk band; and the ASPERITYS are basic punksters that do too many covers. OK for a first effort, but all these amateurish outfits were recorded a bit prematurely.
Far fuckin’ out, maan. This is a groovy psychedelic piss-take by a bunch of Nehru-jacked Aussies. The A-side parodies bubblegum psychedelia by loosely covering “Crimson and Clover,” the old TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS hit, while the flip treats that song in strange studio ways, turning it into a real mind-blowing flashback. Wow!
Put this band right up there in the European thrash-king sweepstakes. With this entry, Germany finds itself well represented. Awesomely powerful music that puts their earlier stuff to shame. Also, any doubts about O.H.L’s alleged “fascist” politics are again disclaimed here—one of the band members has the Jewish star of David on his leather jacket. Good news.
From the looks of the cover, I thought this album would be Oi. Nein. It’s powerhouse thrash, unlike their previous amateurish garage material. Wunderbar! Another amazingly strong release from Rock-O-Rama.
