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!
Real intense debut. The A-side shows the standard thrash sound mixed in with some weird rock guitar, but my favorite cut—”CCTV”—features some great fuzzed-out guitar that has a wonderful prolonged feedback ending. Good noise!
This is a great Bay Area garage band. I mean, this is such a good example of the genre it could be from the Midwest! Hilarious lyrics and a grungy sound make the MOHAWKS appealing as hell.
The MEAT PUPPETS have nothing to do with punk or psychedelia. This is thrash in a wind tunnel. It’s so frenzied, it moves as fast as the human brain. Your opinion is genetic. It depends on what you ate. Or what your mother ate.
Punk and thrash from NONE OF THE ABOVE. Mostly slower songs, but great crashing guitars and lyrics.
A great new New Jersey group with an intense female vocalist, slashing guitar chords, and top-notch lyrics. “Fuck the Past” proves that NO THANKS rank right up there with the best.
Ferocious like MINOR THREAT or SS DECONTROL, only they come from “mellow” Oregon. Can’t wait for some vinyl.
Five new songs in REALLY RED’s very distinctive style. After four 7″ records and one LP, if you don’t know what they sound like, you’re really blowing it. Great driving, rocking, hypnotic songs with political lyrics as sharp as they come.
Five songs by this San Jose group, consisting of two women and two men. Great snarly vocals in the snotty tradition of ’60s punk and Darby Crash. The arrangements are snappy and the sound is distinctive, maybe as a result of their five-string guitars. Look for a record soon.
Radical teacher at local school is let loose in a recording studio and manages to produce a politically astute critique of Reaganomics within a humorous garage punk format. Pretty good for amateur hour, but grittier guitars could have turned these entertaining ditties into minor classics. Maybe next time.
This is the Northern Cal SCREAM, not the better-known DC band. It’s a four-song release with two god-awful songs that show their not-too-distant heavy metal past, one decent thrasher, and a totally great and refreshing stop-and-go classic called “Gov’t Primer.”
Extremely abrasive metal noise supposedly stimulated by listening to the STOOGES played “backwards, forwards, and sideways.” Well, I believe it because this is definitely brain damage material. The lack of real vocals won’t help them commercially, but I doubt if they’ll give a fuck.
Pretty standard thrash, although sometimes it breaks the norm. What really stands out here are the lyrics. They’re standing out right now… from my garbage can! It’s where they belong, sexist, homophobic macho goon-squad bullshit better left to the rockers and metal crowd.
This band from upstate New York used to be called the MISFITS but changed their name for obvious reasons. Their vocalist sounds all the world like Pauline Murray from her PENETRATION days. The band combines punk, thrash, and rock and roll.
A totally great debut. It’s not thrash tempo (unless played at 45, which sounds good, too), but it has very powerful, driving songs with doom-filled scenarios of the deterioration of human values. unfortunately, it’s all too true—this is the real “horror rock.” Too bad there’s no lyrics sheet.
Some thrash classics here like “I Hate My Toes” and “I Wanna Be Beaver Cleaver.”
This record has that distinct modern LA sound, at times reminiscent of TSOL, GUN CLUB, and the CIRCLE JERKS. All in all, an enjoyable, upbeat debut.
A much faster and more enthusiastic follow-up to this Ohio band’s kwiet KINKS-ish debut. Great ’60s pop vocals, hooks aplenty, and heavy guitars make this a sterling record. Really impressive, but I wish to hell Bomp would do a better job distributing their subsidiary labels—you can’t get Voxx 45s anywhere in the Bay Area and the situation probably isn’t much better elsewhere.
An amazing garage psychedelic 45. The bittersweet vocals, simple chord progressions, and crude guitar tones on “I Want…” remind one of innumerable underground classics from the mid-60s without plagiarizing any particular band. The flip is more “psychedelic” in the modern post-punk sense of the term. Great debut.
A new sampler of mostly unknown New York groups. It features stuttering thrash by the MOB and SQUIRM, but most of the music and themes are rooted firmly in the garage punk tradition. The best garage group is ISM, who should get kudos for both their political lyrics and the best song title of the year—”Moon the Moonies.” The HEADLICKERS, BUTCH LUST & THE HYPOCRITES, and KILLER INSTINCT have more of a rock/heavy metal origin, but the latter are real fast. This record is uneven but it does contain some gems.
Cleveland is a city of neuroses, both real and imagined. This record proves that the city still has the best psych-garage bands. An old PAGANS track is featured, as well as great stuff by the WOMANHATERS, OFFBEATS, MENTHOL WARS, and more. Even the “artband” track is gonzo.
Akron and Cleveland hardcore including ZERO DEFEX, URBAN MUTANTS, and the OFFBEATS. This stuff exemplifies why the Midwest is fast becoming the center for intense music.
A hot little tape put out by Oops! fanzine, featuring some great garage thrash by Clevo and Akron bands like the BEATOFFS, the OFFBEATS, LOUD AS FUCK, the DUMBSHITS, the DEFNIKS, the DISSIDENTS, and ZERO DEFEX. Only midwestern bands could come up with song titles like “Turds with Corn in ’Em.” Great.
Mostly re-issues, but with a few unreleased cuts from the What label vaults, one of the earliest LA labels. This contains gems by the GERMS, DILS, SKULLS, CONTROLLERS, EYES, and later stuff by KAOS. A must for those who missed these older California punk 45s, now impossible to find.
Pretty uneventful outing. The A-side sounds like a ’78 US punk band imitating a ’77 UK band; the B-side is more modern-paced, but unimaginative.
Pretty good—I’d give it a B-, as the drums drag a bit. Sounds a lot like GBH, with themes to match.
Excellent, powerful release. The A-side is slower with classic soccer chants, and the B-side is a real killer.
This is perfection? No way, it’s a thoroughly unsatisfying debut album from CHARGE. And sneaky, too. First, they put out a brace of punk 45s and then lure everyone into buying a long-player’s worth of very different material. Herein lies rhythmic music with annoyingly precious vocals that should be placed somewhere between post-punk and experimental punk, the closest comparisons being UK DECAY, THEATRE OF HATE, and (gasp!) ADAM & THE ANTS. These guys have played punk rock like “Gasman” here since ’78, so they’re entitled to change styles if they want to. On the other hand, we don’t have to keep listening to them.
Coming so close on the heels of their Christ — The Album, it’s almost too much to digest. The title song is a catchy headbanging attack on the jingoistic British attitude towards the Falklands/Malvinas crisis. It has created a hoopla in the English press, who amazingly have supported CRASS against Parliament’s cries of “treason.” The flip features Eve and will please fans of Penis Envy. CRASS may be accused of preachiness, but their unrelenting critiques are having an impact.
Eight tracks from the best of the UK post-DISCHARGE thrashers, though this new stuff isn’t as amphetamine as their earlier releases. That should give you a good idea of their sound. If it doesn’t, stick your finger in a socket for similar results.
An interracial Britpunk band that currently sounds too much like the EXPLOITED for its own good. DEATH SENTENCE are fast, loud, and a little rough around the edges, so they could come on strong if they develop more of an individual style.
A disappointment. Over their past two singles, ERAZERHEAD had developed a pleasant, hard rock sound reminiscent of the LURKERS/RAMONES. In place of this, they do an awful cover of the old DION AND THE BELMONTS song, while the flip tries for a more upbeat approach. Unimpressive.
Although a vast improvement over their Young Offender 45, this three-track EP fails to score any marks for distinctiveness or style. The political points are astutely drawn and written; unfortunately, the compositions here are very basic and very uninvolving.
The basic riff is familiar, but “Punk’s Alive” remains a pleasing enough cut, with sentiments to warm the heart of any hardcore aficionado. Even though the B-side doesn’t meet the standard, an abrasive guitar mix and orange wax make it all quite worthwhile. Recommended.
You have to get beyond the tacky cover on this LP. It looks like an Oi or EXPLOITED album, but GBH play one ripping headbanger after another. They even utilize blues riffs in thrashers like “Bellend Bop.” Most of the lyrics are about war, poverty, and madness, but there’s one song about getting drunk and fucking a “slut.” Needless to say, that makes me wonder about these guys.
The PURPLE HEARTS return with three fairly pedestrian pop ditties that make one long for their older neo-Mod classics like “Millions Like Us.” This stuff isn’t really bad, it’s just totally unnecessary. Oh well!
You could easily become poor purchasing all the great records being reissued these days, and this one’s no exception. One of the most sought-after ’60s LPs, Orgasm is a great collection of English psychedelic pop music. Take some good songs and dub in the screams from A Hard Day’s Night and you get one of the most intense “live” albums ever made. Included are the original studio versions of “Smashed, Blocked,” “Just What You Want, Just What You Get,” and fantastic liner notes.
Yet another in a seemingly endless line of British punk records. Though this new group doesn’t really break any new ground, better songwriting ability lifts them above the pack. If you insist on rehashing a ’70s punk format in 1982, you’ve got to write memorable tunes to hold anyone’s interest, and MAJOR ACCIDENT occasionally succeed where innumerable others are failing. Cool recording, too.
This British band does it up like PRETTY THINGS/KINKS circa ’65 with a punk tinge you can feel. Nice sound too, crude like live. Betcha the BEATLES sounded this wild before they started making records. This outshakes most “mod” bands.
Standard Britpunk mining a heavy metal vein. This kind of thing has been done so often and so much better elsewhere that a record like this really has a hard time maintaining interest. Fast, loud, and tedious.
The third and final LP from this soon-to-become-legendary band. They Could Have Been Bigger Than The Beatles is a collection of outtakes spanning the whole TVPs career, a great collection of wimp pop gems, neo-psychedelic favorites you’ve never heard, and two CREATION covers, “Makin’ Time” and “Painter Man.” The price is worth the admission into Daniel Treacy’s mind. Buy and make them “bigger.”
This exciting British import combines the trashy songwriting of the CRAMPS with atypical hardcore energy and bite, resulting in a disarmingly effective debut EP. While all the songs are very good, “Valley” sets especially high standards in Halloween-style noisemaking. Also note the cheap price.
Great roaring post-punk with an abrasive sax, horror themes, and frantic drumming, especially on “Mind Disease.” “Nine” is more arty and hence less effective, but these guys have real potential. For early KILLING JOKE fans.
Another great-sounding Oi record from SPECIAL DUTIES, but regrettably they’ve exhibited completely reactionary values on this one. “Bullshit Crass” is an anti-CRASS diatribe which might be funny if these clowns did even 1/100th as much as CRASS to generate intelligence and help other bands. And what can you say about goons who consider CRASS—the ultimate anarchist group—to be “Reds”? Embarrassingly stupid.
It’s been a long time since their first single and the SEIZE haven’t come out of the garage yet. In the great tradition of slam, crash, and slobber, this EP has a nasty edge and should be played at high volume. Four great ditties are included, but “In For Me” is the standout track.
Ditto for this long-player. SPECIAL DUTIES have everything—ripping guitars, amphetamine speed, sandpaper vocals, catchy choruses—except the all-important brains. This time they rail against the “Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament,” asserting with jingoistic passion that they don’t want to die for a weak England! (Fellas, you were born about a century too late.) If the imbecility quotient wasn’t so high, this would be one of my current faves. As it is, I can’t recommend it.
TOTAL CHAOS specializes in a terse, powerful hardcore sound when they so choose, and this four-track EP is quite distinctive stylistically. Songs like “Factory Man” and “She Don’t Care” contrast well with the brooding protest of “I Die,” making this an atypical, though by no means outstanding record. No major developments since their debut.
A very lengthy reprise of the militaristic song that once appeared on the VIBRATORS’ second album, courtesy of original member Knox. The 45 rpm side has more punky spunk and guitar effects; the 33 rpm side is more brooding and bass-heavy. If you like the song (as I do) you’ll enjoy this, but it’s not exactly good value for money.
The second release doesn’t fare much better, “Three Cheers” being another OK instrumental; the flip is a lighthearted romp about vacations.
This is a cool punk record with pop overtones. The latter appear as melodic riffs laid over a buzzing mid-tempo structure, very reminiscent of the late, great CRISIS. The intro to “Never Say Goodbye” is lifted straight from “Boredom,” the Buzzcocks’ old chestnut. A little nostalgia never hurt anybody.
Well-recorded English punk. The guitars are loud and the sound is heavy, but the material is just too typical to sustain interest. Ho-hum.
