Reviews

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!

Destructors Exercise the Demons of Youth LP

This LP’s got some punch. The music is faster and snappier than the UK norm, and some tracks really roar (“Born Too Late,” “Hillside Strangler,” etc.). Inexplicably, there are good anti-drug and anti-violence lyrics standing side-by-side with others having an unfortunate fixation on sex and violence. The guitars could be a little louder vis-Á -vis the snare drum, but on the whole the DESTRUCTORS album moves along at a brisk pace and keeps your attention, so give it a chance.

Erazerhead Klub Foot EP

This live EP renews some of my faith in ERAZERHEAD. They’ve recaptured their earlier snappiness and guitar power here, which suggests that bad production was mainly to blame for their recent vinyl failures. Check it out if you like(d) the LURKERS, and have a good laugh during “Get Pissed Again,” a punky rewrite of CHUBBY CHECKER’s big hit, “Let’s Twist Again.”

Fallout Conscription EP

The six short compositions on this EP suffer from badly mixed, garage-style production values, with the guitars pushed way into the back. Too bad, because the subjects covered on this record demonstrated a high level of political astuteness and credibility. “Conscription” and “Laughable Attack” are especially topical.

Flux of Pink Indians Strive to Survive Causing the Least Suffering Possible LP

I have a hard time finding fault with this album. Once again, if you don’t like your punk political, steer clear, because FLUX is dynamite. The whole LP is a marvelously orchestrated opera of poetic condemnations of our nuclear world that builds up to a climactic musical explosion. The production is superb, and a booklet is included. My copy’s grooves are already worn down.

The Gas Ignore Me / Do It, Don’t Tell Me 7″

“Ignore Me” is a hopping guitar-heavy pop song with a chorus you just can’t get out of your head. It sounds a lot like a much louder JAM from the All Mod Cons period. The flip is OK, but not up to the same standard. The GAS may be one-hit wonders, but this here A-side is it.

The Gonads Peace Artists EP

Despite Dig’s valuable warning that the GONADS are a phony Bushell non-band, I can’t help liking this ridiculous funnypunk offering, with its soccer choruses, punky guitar, and cocktail-party piano. All Bushell is good for is a few laughs over a beer, but this is clearly the best medium for his antics. A knee-slapper from a double-dealing rip-off artist; it should be taped, not purchased.

Genocides Come Again (You Make Me Wanna) / Born to Lose 7″

I don’t have much good to say about this. The GENOCIDES sound like a bunch of headbanging rockers that decided to go punk in an effort to gain an audience somewhere. The A-side is every bit as stupid as it sounds, and the HEARTBREAKERS cover tries hard to make up in speed what it lacks in interest. The only saving grace is that they managed to get a searing treble sound out of the guitars.

Malcolm McLaren Buffalo Gals EP

If you enjoyed the classic 12″ by GRANDMASTER FLASH, chances are that you’ll favor this scratch version of “Buffalo Gals” by SEX PISTOLS creator and music entrepreneur Malcolm McLaren. Demented, confusing, and very funny, this collage of tape loops and dubs definitely hits the mark.

Virus Salute to the Afghan Rebels / Stepping Stone 7″

VIRUS’s debut is hardly noticeable. “Salute” is a reggaefied pop-punk song with a passable melody, but the B-side might be the most tedious punk version of “Stepping Stone” ever recorded.

V/A Wessex ’82 EP

Four punky bands from Wessex participate on this strong compilation EP. The SUBHUMANS connect with “No Thanks,” their vitriolic commentary on “making it” in the music biz, while the PAGANS’ track (“Wave Goodbye to Your Dreams”) provides the high-velocity excitement here. Even the A-HEADS mix a satisfying melodic approach with their anti-government tirade. A very fine effort.

V/A Pah! cassette

A new English compilation tape featuring a couple of bands with vinyl out (AD NAUSEUM and RIOT/CLONE) and a bunch of young hopefuls. The HIDEOUS MUSHROOMS tickle feet with some neat-o funnythrash, the GLIMPO SAUCERS provoke laughs with demented funnypunk, APF BRIGADE intrigue with drum-machine Britskunk, REBELLIOUS YOUTH annoy with overlong post-punk dubs, and HEALTH HAZZARD kick ass with some raw garage thrash. The rest produce more traditional stuff—thrash (LOST CHERREES, X-CRETAS), ’77 punk (PANIK, TOTAL CONTROL), and modern mid-tempo UK punk (WARNING). Pretty varied sampler.

Die Alliierten Ruhm und Ehre LP

An excellent release with varying punk styles and tempos, all the way up to thrash. It’s very tight and features good choruses, but the real strengths here are a great drummer and a guitarist who really cuts loose with some unusual licks and great, swooping chords.

The Eu’s Arse Lo Stato Ha Bisogno Di Te? Bene, Fottilo EP

Uncontrolled DISCHARGE-like thrash from Italy. This EP has loads of raw spirit, a chaotic instrumental attack, and really weird garage production—right in the middle of a song, the vocals or guitar will suddenly get louder and softer without rhyme or reason. It must be that world-famous MANIAX influence.

Appendix Ei Raha Oo Mun Valuuttaa LP

Not quite as manic as the RIISTETYT album, but every bit as good. Although APPENDIX has a very powerful hardcore sound, their material is more varied and distinctive than the norm. As a result, the songs stick in your head after only a couple of listens, whether they’re thrashers like “Paniikkia,” mid-tempo punkers like “Kuitenkin Kuolemme,” slow noisemakers like “Nöyrät Nuolee,” or combinations of the above like “Ai?” If you like DC’s SCREAM, you’ll get a rush out of APPENDIX. And dig that psychedelic cover!

Harnröhrer Manchmal Habe Ich’s Satt EP

Somewhere in between CHAOS-Z and DAILY TERROR we got HARNRÖHRER. They are a German garage band with heavy guitar sound similar to that of early U.K. punk. The production may not be great and the songs are rather monotone, but they are charming. Is this the real German underground?

Bastards Harhaa cassette

This band must be the Finnish equivalent of DISCHARGE—metal meets thrash at 120 mph. There can be no winners of a nuclear war at that speed. Seriously, one side of this tape is studio and one side is live, but both are excellently recorded. Propaganda strikes again.

Honkas Das Lied Für Fritz EP

HONKAS are a very raw punk band from Germany, and the production on this record only accentuates their primitivity. Some of the songs here almost degenerate into an undefined mass of guitar distortion, but others (like the title track) have more focus and drive. Pretty sharp.

Indigesti / Wretched Split EP

More hot Italian thrash on a DIY EP. INDIGESTI are fast, tight, and powerful. They’ve got one slow-fast number with heavy metal guitar parts (“Mai”) amid the thrashers, and a good snotty vocalist. The WRETCHED are faster, sloppier, and right out of the garage, production-wise. The Red Brigades could have made General Dozier’s ears bleed with music by these two bands.

Der KFC KnÁ¼lle Im PolitbÁ¼ro LP

These jokers have been around for a while, and they’re still peddling the same unprofessional funnypunk that they began with. The main difference is that now they’ve incorporated diverse influences like “Oi-Oi-Oi” background vocals (in the title song), rockabilly beats (“Gratissex”), a quasi-funk bass (“Regardez-Moi”), and even some artiness (“Nachts scheint die Sonne”). It’s kind of fun to listen to this album, but it won’t exactly etch itself in your memory.

Forgotten Rebels Rhona Barrett / Tell Me You Love Me 7″

Remixed versions of two songs from the FORGOTTEN REBELS’ LP mentioned in MRR #3. The guitars are mixed a lot louder this time around, and it sounds really hot. “Tell Me You Love Me” is an exceptional punky-pop cut with background vocals and a chorus that’ll stick in your head for days, maybe months. More of the same, please.

Lixomania Violência & Sobrevivência EP

LIXOMANIA sound a bit like some of the better new English bands, but with an edge and vocal rawness more reminiscent of Finnish groups. There’s one thrasher and a bunch of mid-tempo punk songs covering themes like punk not dying, massacres of innocent people, etc. The lyrics are in Portuguese, the language of Brazil.

OHL 1000 Kreuze LP

The second LP from German punk veterans OHL is much hotter than their uneven debut. The production is crisper, the group has become a lot tighter, and the songs are much more memorable. Though not really a thrash band, OHL do produce some speedy slabs of guitar-heavy power that’ll strain your speakers at high volume (like “Schrei, Schrei” and “Warschauer Pakt”). I’ve heard rumors that these guys have right-wing proclivities, but they should lay the rumor-mongers to rest here with “Nie Wieder,” one of the most vitriolic anti-Nazi songs I’ve ever run across. Recommended.

Out of Order Open Prison LP

Infinitely better than their weak debut EP. OUT OF ORDER now have a much more powerful guitar sound, a tighter instrumental attack, a faster tempo, and decent production. There’s a real mixture of punk styles here, ranging from the ’76 numbers with Rottenesque vocals (“Royal Wedding”) to ’78-’79-era Britpunk (“Ministry Bureaucracy,” the title cut, and a cover of CRISIS’s “Holocaust”) to more modern “skunk” anthems (“Politicians” and “Wasted Youth”), to pop-punk (“Inside Out”), and their occasional use of an organ can be refreshing. All in all, this LP represents a sizable step forward for these German punks.

Riistetyt Valtion Vankina LP

The biggest problem with RIISTETYT’s earlier EP was that the vocals didn’t quite mesh with the musical backing, a discomfiting effect that made it difficult to distinguish between the various 1000-mph songs. That problem has been largely, though not completely, overcome on this intense LP. The drummer gets an incredible workout, and sometimes you can’t keep up, but Valtion Vankina is a great record if you like uncompromising thrash with good political lyrics.

The Saints Out in the Jungle LP

The SAINTS’ current album is bound to be a disappointment to some and a surprise to all. The mid-to-slow-tempo numbers use acoustic guitars and even brass section at times, and the slick recording actually does justice to solid compositions like “Follow the Leader” and “Curtains.” Quite frankly, though, Out in the Jungle qualifies as nothing more than competent light rock—nowhere near past triumphs like “I’m Stranded.”

Sluts Bäh!!! LP

More value for your Deutschmark. This band is similar to many other German groups, but also has some standard Britpunk elements. Most of the songs are mid- to slow tempo numbers with good strong hooks. Take it for its musical value, because this record comes with an incomplete lyric sheet.

The Studs Warning! High Voltage EP

This sounds like earlier-style British punk and, although Dutch, has English lyrics. It’s funny how stuff that sounded so great three years ago now sounds so restrained, but “Electric Chair Execution” is fairly effective.

Suspense Murder with the Axe EP

A four-song release by a young Dutch band. There’s a lot of different styles here, including a semi-post-punk track with a synth, a punk cut with a strong ’77 influence (“Heroin Child”), and a thrasher or two, “Crazy Sod” being the fastest. Pretty raw and catchy.

V/A Grito Suburbano LP

In-fucking-credible! This is a totally great hardcore compilation from Brazil. Three groups appear on this album: OLHO SECO is an awesome thrash band with a raw guitar that sounds like a pesky fly buzzing around your head; the INOCENTES have a more English-style punk approach; and CÁ”LERA play very fast hardcore with irresistible sing-along choruses. There’s not one boring musical moment here, and the mix really exaggerates the piercing guitars. I don’t know how they get away with the overtly anti-fascist lyrics in a repressive right-wing dictatorship like the one in Brazil. An absolute must for enthusiasts of gut-level music.

Varaus 1/2 LP

A 12″ with all the songs on one side. Once again, I’m forced to rave about Finnish thrash. This is one of the many bands from that country which inspire amazement. I hadn’t heard of these guys before, but they’ve obviously been practicing to achieve such power.

Zmiv Banzai! Here’s “Zmiv” Beware! EP

Six songs from this sparsely recorded Dutch thrash band, combining some English sounds with U.S. and Finnish influences. The great insert has a weird picture of about 40 guys with mohawks sitting around in army clothes.

V/A Attack LP

Another uneven punk compilation, this time from Switzerland. The contents cover most recent punk styles, from the CRASS-like assault of SURPRISE ATTACK (in “Banzai Attack”) to LAST EXIT’s basic Oi to PÖBEL’s slow punk with shimmering guitars to the sloppy thrash of R.A.K. to CHAOS’s ’77 punk with faster parts to ?X’s ska-punk fusion (“New York”). My personal faves are MICKEY UND DIE MÄUSE’s funnypunk with gravelly singing and NULL KOMMA NICHT’s cuts on side one, which highlight disjointed thrash with weird vocals that sound like a cross between THEATRE OF HATE’s Kirk Branden and Jello. It’s always nice to get a sampler of bands from another part of the world.

V/A Pultti EP

Not quite what I’ve come to expect from Finland. On this one, several Finnish hardcore bands develop a more individual style, and the results are very good indeed. MAHO NEITSYT perform another great medium-speed gravel-throated number; APPENDIX have cleaned up their noisy act and put together a couple of good hook-filled cuts; the ETUALA rely on a solid riffing guitar attack; ANTIKEHO provide a slice of nice standard thrash; and NATO do a ’77 punk number. Diversity without wimpiness.

V/A Raw War cassette

The best international sampler cassette available, with bands from Brazil, Canada, Finland, Holland, Italy, Norway, and UK. Features TERVEET KÄDET, NEOS, OLHO SECO, INDIGESTI, RATTUS and more! A lot of jarring explosive doses of chaos from the world of punk.

NV Le Anderen / Riot Here’s the Sounds of the Streets LP

This album features two new Dutch bands, one punk (RIOT), the other skin (N.V. LE ANDEREN), but I can’t figure that out from the lyrics or music. Both play similarly fast punk or thrash, and both have intelligent songs about similar subjects. An excellent release, but I’m still confused. The beautiful cover doesn’t help matters.

Die Kreuzen Cows and Beer EP

Well, I liked DIE KREUZEN’s earlier cassette a lot, but even it didn’t quite prepare me for this outstanding slab of vinyl. All the noteworthy aspects of the former have been preserved, most notably the freneticism, but the band is tighter now and the recording is better. There’s a hint of the MEAT PUPPETS and CODE OF HONOR herein, but these Wisconsin guys are clearly originals.

Minor Threat Out of Step 12″

Exploding turbulence thrusts forth eight new MINOR THREAT proficient arrangements. Increase the velocity of their first two powerful releases, step Brian up to second guitar, add new bassist Steve, and still more potent lyrical blitzes, and this 12″’s non-hesitant progression outbursts into the blazing best Dischord yet. Don’t miss.

Sluts 12 Inches of Sluts LP

A raw garage punk album by a band out of New Orleans. The music is exceedingly primitive, with fuzzy two-chord guitar, nasty vocals, and a very fast tempo. I’d recommend it without hesitation on that basis, but the lyrics cross the fine line between scatological humor and gross ignorance on more than one occasion (especially the racist “Poor Blacks”). Still, how can you criticize a record with a song called “Mom’s Cunt” on it?

White Cross Fascist EP

I don’t know how astute these guys are, but they sure do play some mean thrash punk. Personally, I think WHITE CROSS blow away many better-known groups. They’ve got that extra intensity which separates great thrash from the increasingly common generic variety. Definitely get this one.

V/A You Can’t Argue With Sucksess LP

Another LA compilation with a lot of unrecorded bands and a few who’ve already released vinyl (like NO CRISIS, MAD SOCIETY, and the CONSERVATIVES). The first efforts by F-TROOP, RED BERET, the CREWD, SECRET HATE, NUCLEAR BABY FOOD, and New York’s EVEN WORSE are good. Most of them play unique thrash, and a number of the songs are quite memorable. The production is also decent, even on the live tracks. A fine effort off of the LA mainstream.

Conflict It’s Time to See Who’s Who LP

A very well produced record by a band heavily influenced by CRASS. The punk herein is sometimes slow, sometimes frantic, but always political. Most of the songs have that well-known militaristic sound, but a few are downright melodic. The multi-colored sleeve is unusual for a Crass-related label, and there are some real musical moments here. Don’t miss out.

Blitz New Age / Fatigue 7″

The best thing about this new BLITZ 45 is that it will piss off the more narrow-minded Oi-sters. It really breaks the standard “skunk” mold with a schizoid musical approach combining NEW ORDER (squeaky clean production, a dance-oriented beat, a tinkling piano) and GARY GLITTER (superheavy drums and repetitive sing-along choruses) influences. I long for the crunching guitars of their All Out Attack EP, but I’m thankful that they’re not just recycling their more derivative recent material.

Rattus WC Räjähtää LP

I’m getting tired of repeating myself, but this is another great Finnish thrash record. RATTUS are as fast and powerful as anybody, but not quite as chaotic or extreme in the vocals as some newer bands. There’s more musical control in evidence here, probably due to a longer period of musical apprenticeship. Still, it’s hard to find a more intense song than “Miesten Koulu,” so don’t overlook this Pus-covered baby.

The Three O’Clock Baroque Hoedown 12″

Psychedelic pop without the acid flashbacks. While I prefer the guitar-heavy sound of earlier vintage SALVATION ARMY/THREE O’CLOCK, infectious songs like “With a Cantaloupe Girlfriend” and “I’m Wild” stand out as peaks on this EP of comparatively spare, vocal-oriented melodies. Some might find this record cloying, but it’s still recommendable.