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!
Wisconsin thrash punk with more structural complexity than usual. Choppy rhythms, fluid guitarwork, and spastic vocals are the distinguishing characteristics here. DIE KREUZEN (formerly the STELLAS) provide further proof that the Midwest is no longer slumbering, so give them a listen.
Texas garage punk. “Hydro-Head” is sort of slow with a memorable chorus and one of the worst guitar solos I’ve ever heard; “Johnny” is a much faster and punkier song with a basic rock and roll bridge. Fun stuff.
What more can be said about this record that hasn’t already been said? The power contained in this record is awesome. Guitar distortion and feedback, along with great songs make this one of the best discs of ’82. Reviewers have said it sounds like the VELVET UNDERGROUND, but your best bet is to listen for yourself. Watch for new LP soon.
Two distinct bands share this wax. VOID has all the intensity one expects from a Dischord DC band. Some ferocious attacks and at other times sounds like SOA meets LED ZEPPELIN. FAITH is more standard-type thrash, meat and potatoes ’80s punk. Buy or die!
Hard-edged experimental punk with a lot of intelligence, the second release from this New York crew. Vocalist Stephan Ielpi is one of those rare individuals who doesn’t allow himself to be restricted by conventions, punk or otherwise, and it shows in the grooves. “Fun” is loud, fast catchy, and highly critical or ignorance and violence; “Functional” is slower and filled with romantic bitterness. Strongly recommended.
The undisputed king of New Hampshire raunch rock returns with yet another trashy garage offering. G.G. may be predictable in his excesses, but when the results are this loud and absurd, it’s OK with me. This type of bone-crunching guitar-heavy stuff is as American as mouldy apple pie, but don’t expect the Reaganoids to invite G.G. to perform at the White House.
A hot garage punk album by a hitherto unknown bunch of nerds. Their uptempo sound, which is driven by two or three guitars and a synthesizer wall-of-sound à la METAL URBAIN, is extremely dense and chunky. The lyrics are satirical and usually funny, thought some songs (“Nazi Snotzy”) go too far and make them sound like insensitive geeks. The final verdict? Entertaining as hell!
This well-produced debut album by LA’s LEGAL WEAPON presents a solid collection of hard rock numbers in the same general style as 45 GRAVE, but without the satanic overtones. Compositions like the kinetic rocker “Daddy’s Gone Mad” utilize Kay Arthur’s rather plaintive voice to good advantage, even though the highlight of Death of Innocence is probably the haunting “Wanna Be”—a ballad. This album definitely grows on you.
Bass- and drum-heavy post-punk from the state of New York. “Screaming” has a basic rock’n’roll-rockabilly influence, while “Naja” is a pulsating quasi-psychedelic chant. I’m surprised this band hasn’t received more attention.
The first release on a Touch and Go subsidiary label (Special Forces) that apparently will not be restricted to hardcore punk. Detroit’s L-SEVEN has a unique neo-psychedelic sound that features an exceptionally fluid, almost jazzy guitar style. It works especially well on “Clear Visions,” which begins with an annoying sort of art damage before kicking into high gear. Interesting.
Nowhere as garagey and psychotic as their first EP nor as arty as their cassette in a can. Highly produced with background soundtrack, raw guitar, catchy rhythms.
The two songs on the B-side didn’t do much for me, but the A-side by this NY group is pretty neat. Slowish post-punk, off-beat production, anthemic vocals, a Chris Stamey production.
Ultra-primitive thrash from New York. Lyrically, the NIHILISTICS live up to their name, but the instrumentation sounds like a runaway vacuum cleaner and can be strongly recommended for that reason. This record is guaranteed to make musicologists puke, which increases its value substantially.
The kind of quintessential California beach punk that usually appears on Posh Boy’s label. The songs here range from slower pop-oriented numbers (“Scene”) to fast bursts of punk, but all of them have enough strong hooks to accommodate a large wardrobe. Cool music for a hot summer.
Third release from this Milwaukee band on their own label. “Mushroom Hill,” while not as strong as their first 45, is a good ’60s psychedelia-inspired tune with great guitar feedback. Live, it’s probably awesome. Look for it.
First release from the LA band shows Fifth Dimension BYRDS influence on both sides. “What She’s Done to Your Mind” has a great 12-string sound with good vocals, while “Kaleidoscope” is slower with a guitar-and-keyboards sound that’s mesmerizing. Tim says it’s so good you’ll flashback.
The third release from a truly inspired Minneapolis band. The REPLACEMENTS have managed to assimilate the best elements of rock and roll from all eras and fuse them into one high-velocity package. This EP contains real fast, raw garage music, and the wild recording has even more power than their great LP. “White and Lazy” sounds like CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, so this package is a must.
An amazing amalgam of ’60s punk and the infamous Johnny Thunders/HEARTBREAKERS school of dirty guitar sleaze. Distorted axes, humorous, socially unredeeming lyrics, and a remarkably trashy aesthetic make it difficult to relate this current incarnation of RED CROSS to the band that was once famous for quintessential teeny punk anthems. But if you probe beneath the new gutter exterior, you’ll find the same warped Southern California prism. With instant classics like “Linda Blair” and “Kill Someone You Hate,” this album has got to be bitchin’. Grab your wide bellbottoms and cop this sucker.
This is the one that everyone (at least that I know) was waiting for, and it certainly wasn’t a disappointment. All the great ’60s riffs you want to see recycled, done up with enough modern sensibility to not render it dated. “Going Home” and “She Turns to Flowers” seem to be favorites, but it’s one of those records you have to experience for yourself.
Great songs, great band, great people! 7 SECONDS were almost single-handedly responsible for creating the enthusiastic, intelligent Reno hardcore scene, and that same enthusiasm and intelligence are the hallmarks of their primitively produced debut EP. Most of the tracks are speedy thrashers propelled by soccer choruses and an exceptionally trebly guitar, though a couple (“Racism Sucks,” “We’re Gonna Fight”) have a slower Oi-type sound. “Anti-Klan” is destined to become one of the great punk anthems of the ’80s. Buy this one.
Another great from this L.A. band. Back with five brand new tracks, the MINUTEMEN’S blend of jazz, punk and junk just can’t be beat. Best cut is “If Reagan Played Disco.” (You can’t disco in jackboots.)
Sleazy garage punk from San Berdoo. This is the kind of band that seems to thrive in America’s non-cosmopolitan hinterlands, and it has a kind of basic honesty that is often lacking in musical centers like LA, NYC, and San Francisco. Lead guitars flail away in a mid- to fast-tempo format, and the lyrics have an untutored quality without sounding stupid. Pick it up.
Really good new LA band. Stop and go thrash style. Great to see a female singer—they used to be real common before macho goons took over. Anyway, a refreshing five-song debut with strong, intelligent lyrics.
SOCIAL UNREST has been one of my favorite Bay Area bands since they formed, and this EP reveals why. The mix is a bit too piercing on the high end, but the songs are fast, tight, catchy, two guitars loud, and lyrically sound. I personally prefer the older straightforward wham-bams (“Mental Breakdown,” “General Enemy”) to their more recent slow-fast numbers, but all the material packs a wallop.
Basic garage rock with some punk influences seemingly gleaned from the CLASH’s Give ’Em Enough Rope period. Music of this type normally doesn’t have politicized lyrics, but to their credit the TWINS are exceptions in this regard. Low marks for musical originality, high marks for persistence and a sharp tongue.
Variety pack of styles—one thrasher, two DK’s-type songs, one power-chord rockabilly, one new wave-ish. Mostly political themes.
Brave lads these, hailing from the heart of klan country—Crowley, Louisiana. Real garagy punk, great lyrics, different sound. Front cover has a rebel flag twisted into a swastika, which says it all.
The best release on the Stiff label in quite a while (except maybe for the DAMNED reissues). When you graft an appealing instrumental sloppiness and belligerent New York vocals onto an irresistable base of pop melodies and punky guitars, you end up with this boisterous debut from the UNDEAD. Definitely worth the wait.
You probably won’t be able to get this garage-punk gem anymore, but suffice it to say this nine-song cassette is both funny and wise—with lots of hardcore thrills mixed in. Even though the WRECKS are no longer with us (sigh), songs like “Couldn’t Believe It” will live on in the annals of punk history. Mark my words.
Great, great BYO follow-up release to their sampler LP—thrash with hooks and melodies, plus lyrics urging action, unity and spirit. Influenced by Oi, Dischord bands, SOCIAL DISTORTION, 7 SECONDS, but ultimately this is LA not DC.
A really strong compilation of old and new LA punk bands. Some of the material is unreleased, but even the stuff that appears elsewhere sounds much better on this LP than it did on the originals. The remixing is that outstanding. It’s really hard to pick the cream of this crop, but I favor the high-powered thrash of MODERN WARFARE, MIA, and LOST CAUSE. If this is the first volume in a series, its successors should also be killers.
A nice concept almost ruined by disorganization. Meant to be an aural chronicle of an ourdoor punk fest held in Berkeley in the summer of ’81, this LP unfortunately reflects many of the event’s shortcomings. There’s no list of songs on the cover, no sheet or booklet with info on the bands, and, worst of all, the original recording speed was way too slow. I don’t know whether the generator used to record the bands kept frying out or what, but I do know that all the singers have been miraculously transformed into slow-motion bassos and all the groups sound embarrassingly out of tune. No one gets away unscathed, but noisy thrashers WAR ZONE are really hurt, having lost velocity and been censored (an anti-Bill Graham rap before “Marriage of Convenience” is missing). Fortunately the punk (DOA, TSOL, LEWD, WAR ZONE, FLIPPER) and post-punk sides (OFFS, WOUNDS, TANKS, TOILING MIDGETS) have been segregated, but on the whole this LP proves that good intentions alone do not a good album make.
Here is one record that forces me to wax philosophical. If ever a release reflected the yin and yang of the punk scene, this is it. In one corner is MIA, a band originally from Las Vegas, the champions of punk’s positive side. They’ve managed to fuse a super tight thrash sound with enlightened attitudes—”I Hate Hippies” is obviously meant as a satire with a moral—and the results are absolutely stunning. In the other corner is New Jersey’s GENOCIDE, who exhibits all the mindlessness attributed to “punkers” by straight society. A dirty, metallic guitar and some catchy tunes can’t disguise their blatantly sexist (“Period,” “Teenage Girls”), reactionary messages. I only hope MIA doesn’t suffer too much from guilt by association.
Another great compilation out of Los Angeles. Side one brings us the hard-edged side of some current SoCal bands, with RED CROSS and the DESCENDENTS leading the way. Side two has a lot of different styles with new tracks by the MINUTEMEN, 100 FLOWERS, SACCHARINE TRUST, PLEIBS, and an old URINALS gem dug out of the vaults, a track that makes Jumpin’ Jeff shed a tear for the old band. This is one to pick up.
Sub Pop is an innovative little magazine that deals intelligently with alternative American music, sort of a pint-sized version of its cousin OP. In place of the usual eclectic printed zine comes this equally eclectic aural zine. The variety of musical styles covered, in one sense a strength, also ensures that few will appreciate the entire LP. I love the ’60s garage punk of Wichita’s EMBARRASSMENT, the innovative guitar pop of DC’s NURSES, the powerful instrumental by Seattle’s PELL MELL, and Doug Kahn’s nastily edited version of a Reagan interview. The rest ranges from good post-punk, pop, and psychedelic to unlistenable art damage, but those interested in the best of the non-punk underground should look no further.
Follow-up to This is Boston, Not LA LP. More great raves from JERRY’S KIDS, GANG GREEN, and F.U.’s, and some slower material by GROINOIDS, PROLETARIAT (great put-down of Reagan called “Voodoo Economics”) and the FREEZE’s classic “Refrigerator Heaven” that schizophrenically jumps from slow ’70s rock to thrash.
A good but somewhat disappointing sampler of New York punk bands. The main problem is that the compiler—Tim Sommer?—didn’t always use enough discrimination in selecting bands or songs. Especially impressive are KRAUT’s piston-driven punk, the BEASTIE BOYS’ primitive thrash, and intense experimental punk by both the FALSE PROPHETS and the long-defunct MAD; one should also note ADRENALIN OD’s ultrafast funnypunk and the female-led noise of EVEN WORSE. Most of the other groups should already be familiar (BAD BRAINS, UNDEAD, HEART ATTACK, NIHILISTICS), but there’s no excuse for including macho Misfits-clones like the FIENDS and leaving the great REAGAN YOUTH off this compilation. A lot of the material here is available elsewhere, but ROIR has provided a service by reissuing some hard-to-find and out-of-print items.
Four songs—one hardcore shorty and three more post-punky sounds, none of which are lightweight at all. Very raw, choppy guitars, raspy vocals; slightly dissonant. Along with CHAOTIC DISCHORD, one of the few new UK bands to break the mold.
The three supremely infectious pop-punk compositions on this EP are matched, unfortunately, but rather generic themes of teenage rebellion. “Steamroller” and “Numbers” ripple with fast melodies and enormously clever lyrics, and undoubtedly “Viva la Revolution” could have been a classic if only they hadn’t run the chorus into the ground. Very entertaining, but not very important.
A new release of old stuff by this English band on an American label. Two tracks are from the debut LP Drop Out with the Barracudas, but the best songs are previously unreleased trashings of the We Five’s “You Were on My Mind” and the Surfari’s “Surfer Joe.” The guitars and vocals are out of tune and the playing is sloppy. A must.
Definitely not as gritty and hardcore as ANTI-PASTI’s first album, Caution in the Wind opts for a greater emphasis on melody in the mid-to-fast-tempo compositions. This “classical punk” sound adds a new dimension of distinctiveness to the songwriting (especially in standout tracks like “Get Out Now” and “Mr. Mystery”), even if it does occasionally wimpify some of ANTI-PASTI’s best songs. Entertaining, but not particularly energizing.
BLITZ limps into their third single with two Oi anthems of only passing musical interest, especially in comparison with their past triumphs. Predictably, “Youth” whips through the familiar turf of teenage rebellion, but “Warriors” remains the far more disturbing of the two cuts; its lyrics, surprisingly, almost condone British gang warfare. Avoid.
CHAOTIC DISCHORD have fortunately stepped into the vacuum created by the demise of DISORDER, thereby showing that the English are capable of producing first-class thrash punk if they decide to. All these tracks are monstrously raw, and “Sold Out to the GPO” may even be too fast.
More medium-paced songs with double-tracked female vocals. Good production, but not real exciting.
CHELSEA finds the groove with an upbeat collection of melodic 1977-style punk anthems. Often inconsistent in the past, CHELSEA’s latest lineup orchestrates classics like “Cover Up,” “War Across the Nation,” and the incredible “Evacuate” with flair and authority. Best of all, the band fuels their political sentiments with a higher level of literacy than most rock outfits can muster. There is only one bad song in the bunch. Snap this record up.
CHRON GEN’s debut album derives most of its influences from CHELSEA circa ’78, though without as many of the catchy melodies to depend on. Originals like “Reality,” “Chronic Generation,” and “Mindless” are the class offerings here, but it’s odd that all of these appear on past singles. Nonetheless, the bonus free live EP is excellent, hinting at the excitement of their tight, powerful live performances.
This is fast, quasi-experimental punk with incredibly out-of-tune guitars with are bound to annoy the feeble-minded. The CLOCKWORK CRIMINALS transcend all Britpunk clichés and come up with a truly original sound. Hooray!
Two albums, one poster, and a splendid 28-page large-format booklet (all in a sleek boxed set) seems all too much to digest—especially from England’s most astute punk outfit, CRASS. The studio LP, ranging from unrestrained thrash to sophisticated post-punk, contains some of CRASS’s most astonishing compositions to date; especially exciting are “The Great Working Class Rip-Off” and “Tribal Rival,” two impassioned attacks on Oi violence, and the superbly written “Reality Whitewash” which exposes vicious sex stereotypes and roles. In addition to a delightful live LP, Penny Rimbaud’s extensive article in the booklet provides a historical background for CRASS that’s spellbinding, perceptive, and lyrical. This release is incredibly mandatory.
Of the four tracks on this record, “Wargames” blazes through familiar hardcore territory, anti-war protest, with economy and splendid production values, while “I’ve Had Enough” connects with a poppier approach. The other two numbers, more workmanlike and less inspired, still hold enough requisite punk energy to be recommended. A fine debut.
The incessant, no-holds-barred thrash on this EP surpasses on all counts CHAOS UK’s serviceable debut, Burning Britain, with a strong combination of intense vocals and a blistering guitar sound. All three songs set fairly high standards of quality, but fans of the VARUKERS should take special note of the vitriolic rocker “No Security.” This is loud, political, and uncompromising.
