Debut album length download of driving melodic ‘skate
punk’ from Ipswich, that’s catchy, urgent
and has songs about actual stuff. Reminds me of early
SWINGIN’ UTTERS mixed with Scottish melodic punks
SHATTERHAND. The vocals skirt a bit close to Billie
Joe Armstrong Americanisms in places, but can belt out
a growl in the next breath. There’s a hint of
PROPAGANDHI on songs like ‘The Bible Was A Lie?’
and you can tell these guys probably grew up on NOFX.
That said, it’s not straight up ‘pop punk’,
think more bands like THE REBEL SPELL if they’d
been on Lookout! Records. 4130’S
THE ABUSED – ‘LOUD AND CLEAR’
LP
New York hardcore from ‘83 reissued on LP for
those who don’t have a few hundred to spend on
the original. This is the original EP plus their demo
and live tracks. The emphasis here is the effort and
expense that’s gone into putting it together.
It comes in a sleeve with a fold over front flap (which
even has the inside printed), there’s a 24 page
LP sized booklet and a whole sheet of stickers. And
the music? Well, it’s gravel vocals ‘Drug
Free Youth’ style ‘83 New York hardcore
so if you’d heard bands like early AGNOSTIC FRONT,
THE MOB, SHEER TERROR, SHOK, KREIG KOPF and the like,
then you’ll be into it. RADIO RAHEEM
ADIEXODO - ‘.38’ LP
Reissue of this 1986 album from Athens. Greek punk is
hard to come by, and I’ve heard very little of
it so this is of interest to me. Fairly straight forward
European punk rock of the era that comes across like
anarcho punk of the era mixed with a little gothic edge,
that quite a lot of the anarcho stuff had anyway, so
makes sense. Rough male vocals over choppy tinny distorted
guitar, a driving intricate bass and snappy drumming.
If you like eighties Polish punk, or imagine one of
French or Italian Oi! influenced punk bands of the time,
with JOY DIVISION bass and early KILLING JOKE guitar,
and you’re nearly there. Comes on clear vinyl
with a foldout insert with photos and lyrics/biography
in Greek and English. B-OTHER SIDE / SCARECROW
BAD SAM – ‘WORKING CLASS HOLOCAUST’
LP
Debut full length from this South Wales veteran punk
rock crack squad that features members of COWBOY KILLERS
and DUB WAR. What you get here are 13 songs of heavy
and intricate punk of the old classic variety, with
a slight metallic guitar crunch and driving rhythm section.
Beddis’ trademark vocal delivery hasn’t
diminished and as usual likened to a cross between Jello
Biafra and Chi Pig, and the end result is not dissimilar
to a JELLO BIAFRA AND THE GUANTANAMO SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
and SNFU mix with a dose of DUB WAR heaviness.
From the opener ‘American Fat Fucks’ through
anti-Thatcher attack ‘Snake With Tits’ to
the soaring sentimental anthem ‘I Love the Port’
it’s hit after punk rock hit that will stick in
your head, forcing you to play the damn thing again.
Unlike the days of old when dodgy recordings and mastering
jobs didn’t do bands like the COWBOY KILLERS justice
compared to their live show, this time Beddis and crew
have delivered their best recorded work to date that
really does reflect what they’re capable of on
stage. A UK punk rock heavy hitter for 2013 that’s
well worth your ear time. KRIMINAL RECORDS
CHEMICAL THREAT - ‘VICIOUS’ CD
Anarcho hardcore from this Southampton four piece. Fans
of CONFLICT, OI POLLOI, DISORDER and AUS ROTTEN will
get into this. Topics covered are the IMF (‘International
Murder Fund’), celebrities (‘Media Whore’)
and religion (‘Religion’). All wrapped in
black and white images of riots, cops, riot cops, gas
masks and riot cops rioting in gas masks. Wot no skulls?!
Eight songs but no Lou Reed. CHEMICAL THREAT
CHESTNUT ROAD – ‘S/T’ LP
Melodic punk from France taking its cues from the likes
of HÜSKER DÜ and LES THUGS with that picky
LEATHERFACE guitar influence and more than a hint of
the likes of BROCCOLI and PEZZ. People who like the
sound of that will get into this guitar heavy but low
raspy vocal mix, especially those of the bearded Fest
variety who will lap this up. SPEEDOWAX / BRASSNECK
/ BOSS TUNEAGE
THE DEAD ON – ‘S/T’ CD
I thought this was going to be a new mod band based
on the sparse cover art, but it’s a new band out
of Chicago featuring members of Boss Tuneage favourites
WOOLWORTHY, and continuing in the same vein, it’s
melodic modern day power pop. The kind of thing you
could imagine Canadians THE NILS or RISE doing in the
present day. Kicks off with ‘We Are All Alive’
(at the same time) which takes inspiration from Joe
Strummer I believe. I think what they’re going
for sound wise is power pop of the new wave era like
SVT, JAGS or STARJETS, and fans of that will get into
this, as even though it’s loud, there’s
none of that pointless sound manipulation that you get
in modern production, just straight up record and mix.
Oh, that and song writing. BOSS TUNEAGE
DOKUMENTIA – ‘KOURALLINEN LIHAKIRVEITA’
CASSETTE
Punk rock trio from Finland that looks outside all-out
hardcore for inspiration. There’s something about
this that makes me think of KOHU-63 and SKJIT LARS with
a spoon of early 80’s German punk, and a drizzle
of early DEAD KENNEDYS. And there’s a cover of
‘Screamager’ by THERAPY? in their native
tongue, just to throw a spanner in the works. PAALAUS
/ CHABANE’S RECORDS
DOWN AND OUTS – ‘LIFELINE’
CD
Melodic punk from Merseyside now stripped down to a
three piece. I think they used to be described as ‘street
punk’ but this is veering more towards the bearded
piss-up pop punk style, especially with artwork very
much in keeping with that stuff, and different from
their previous stuff. Fans of other U.K. melodic bands
of that style from DAUNTLESS ELITE to THE MAGNIFICENT,
this is going to be up your street if you’re into
that kind of thing. BOSS TUNEAGE
DUMBSTRUCK – ‘IT’S STILL BROKE
...THE FIRST TWO RECORDS’ CD
After RIPCORD but before VIOLENT ARREST, Baz (guitar),
John (drums) and Jim (bass) enlisted local Bristolian
Totters (vocals) to blast out some more hardcore. I
remember the RIPCORD reunion that was the precursor
to this in a concrete bunker at the back of Bristol’s
then indoor skate park. With Steve on vocals, they ran
through all the old RIPCORD thrashers as well as some
choice Boston hardcore covers. I don’t think Steve
wanted to carry on after that, so in came Totters. You
know what you’re going to get if you’ve
heard any of their other bands; a relentless powerhouse
of hardcore with its eye very much on old Boston X-Claim!
approach. The difference here of course if the down-in-the-mix
more D-Beat/Crust style vocals, but don’t let
that put you off. Original art all nicely re-designed
by some smart arse. BOSS TUNEAGE
EPIC PROBLEM – ALL BROKEN 10”
What do you think of when you think of punk rock and
New Mills, Derbyshire? ATTAK? VIOLATORS? BLITZ? Well
this lot features Neil ‘Mackie’ Mclennan
of BLITZ on guitar, you can still hear the echoes of
BLITZ in this straight-up punk rock. Add in the modern
feel of bands like GREAT ST. LOUIS or OFF WITH THEIR
HEADS and that pretty much nails it. A mix gravel-throated
catchy punk with the bleach splattered denim Oi! of
old and this is what you get here, six songs of engaging
anthems. LONGSHOT / PIRATES PRESS / CONTRA
EXTERNAL MENACE – ‘COALITION BLUES’
LP
With a title like that you may think this is new recordings,
but it isn’t. This was all recorded between ‘82
and ‘85, and is a compilation of their two early
EP’s and demo tracks. Formed in Glasgow in ‘79,
this is for fans of ONE WAY SYSTEM and BLITZ with a
hint of old EXPLOITED in places... In short; U.K. brick
wall punk of the UK ‘82 variety. This one comes
on orange vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with obligatory
photo collage inside, although these kind of things
really need the original art and the tracks in the right
order, but that’s just me. DIRTY PUNK
THE HATES – 'PEOPLE’S TEMPLE' CD
This is the current incarnation of the Texas Killed
By Death punk of ‘No Talk In The Eighties’
infamy. This line-up features David Ensminger of ‘Left
Of The Dial’, ‘Visual Vitriol’ and
a dozen other punk art projects, along with original
Christian Arnheiter on guitar/vocals. Most of the old
songs are on here re-recorded, including ‘No Talk’
as well as ‘Bored with the Boys’ and ‘All
the Whites are Going Negro’. They adeptly re-create
the old sound, and this sounds timeless in that you
wouldn’t know if it was recorded in 1979 or 2013.
If you want to know what it sounds like, then it’s
pretty much any punk band half way up a bill at any
bar or club across the States at any time between then
and now. So, sounds like a cross between SS-20 and Maggot
Sandwich, if that means anything to you. Bloodstain
across the dance floor... HATES
HERO DISHONEST – ‘ALLE LUJAA’
LP/CD
Stop and go intricate Finnish hardcore that careens
violently between disjointed verse, chorus and bridge.
Formed in 1999 with numerous releases and tours under
their belt, HERO DISHONEST are one of those bands who
are a modern example in the history of hardcore bands
that have dared to step off the cliff into the abyss
of non-conformity. Imagine a sonic assault of VICTIMS
FAMILY, LOS CRUDOS, RATTUS and RUIDOSA INMUNDICIA, but
visually the band all wears parkas as they wander onto
the expansive stage of some ‘heavy fest’
or other. A phalanx of beards and folded arms gazes
at them confused, but after five minutes of decibel
attitude adjustment, HERO DISHONEST has them completely
rethinking their shit. A teeth cleaning cover of DIE
KREUZEN’s one minute of ‘Pain’ should
be more than enough than you need to know. IFSOCIETY
THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY - ‘CRUNCH ON –
DEMO 1984’ 7” EP
Finally released on vinyl nearly thirty years on, THE
HIGH AND THE MIGHTY featured Drew Stone on vocals, maker
of the ‘All Ages: Boston Hardcore’ documentary
and current vocalist of Antidote (NY). A time capsule
of New York hardcore that sounds like it could’ve
come out of either New York, Boston or the Midwest in
that initial era of hardcore. Short, sharp blasts of
teenage problems with a Mad Max obsession. This comes
with a nice booklet with all the goods you’d expect.
Records like this are proof that there’s still
high quality nuggets out there to be unearthed and released.
Imagine an early Washington D.C. band recorded at A7
and released on Touch & Go. RADIO RAHEEM
HOLIDAY – ‘S/T’ 7” EP
Manchester punk featuring Ryland of GROVER/GREAT ST.
LOUIS on drums, and probably other former members of
various bands, but it appears some of the names have
been changed to protect the guilty. This is straight
up punk rock with a northern accent kicking off with
‘Missiles on the Roof’, which at first glance
appears to be like a next-level-up homage to THE CLASH
but is a reference to the over the top security of the
London Olympics. Fans of early SNUFF, SOUTHPORT, DAUNTLESS
ELITE, CROCODILE GOD, DOWN AND OUTS and other similar
U.K. Punk you care to mention, will get into this. On
snot green vinyl. BRASSNECK / JSNTGM / LOST CAT / PUMPKIN
THE JERKY BEATS - ‘PS4L EP’ DEMO
CASSETTE
With Phil formerly of CHOKEWORD and PILGER on vocals,
this rough ‘n’ ready garage punk, and when
I say ‘garage’ I mean sounds like it’s
in a council estate garage rather than a sixties garage.
Distorted bass, oompah drums, no guitar and distortion
vocals. Think SHITTY LIMITS doing early ANGRY SAMOANS
covers as a fake band on an old Oi! Compilation and
that should give you some sort of idea. Opening with
‘Tory Party Dance Party’ and closing with
‘Message in a Bottle (Says Fuck You)’ this
is short and to the point. Anything with a Dios De La
Muertos theme on the cover has got to be a winner right?
THE JERKY BEATS
JUST BREATHE / FORTY HELLS – ‘SPLIT’
7” EP
First up is JUST BREATHE from Santa Cruz (California),
which is the latest band for drummer Rory Rogers, who
drove my old band up the West Coast of the U.S. 15 years
ago when he worked for B.Y.O. Records. They play catchy
anthemic punk rock that sounds to me a lot like JCHURCH,
with a hint of early DOWN BY LAW, or heartfelt vocals
over driving melodic punk. FORTY HELLS from Atlanta
(Georgia) features Joel Perdue on drums, who toured
with us when he was in BLACK COUGAR SHOCK UNIT (small
world innit!) and this band plays a kind of a JAWBREAKER
meets JCHURCH (again!) style of melodic driving punk
rock. With all the JCHURCH comparisons you can tell
that these two bands are well suited for a split EP,
and with the nifty cover graphics wrapping this D.I.Y.
collaboration, I’d recommend you pick it up. 7AM
VINYL
LIVE FAST DIE FAST – ‘KEEP YOUR
FINGERS CROSSED’ LP
(Last year’s?) Youth crew out of Long Island,
New York with xGroupShoutsx and a posi-crunch but thankfully
not heavy on the metal. I’m no expert, but this
reminds me of bands like locals KILL YOUR IDOLS as well
as Boston’s IN MY EYES, and sometimes veers into
more catchy territory like other locals CAPITOL. Generic
subject matter abounds on this white vinyl platter,
and with titles like; ‘Brothers United’
and (we’ve been here) ‘From The Start’
you can pretty much figure out what you’re gonna
get, and whether that’s your thing. Looking at
the album title though, I can’t help envisaging
live photos with band and crowd all open-mouthed and
crossed-fingers aloft. FULL CIRCLE ATTACK
LOS DRYHEAVERS – ‘SEVEN INCHES JUST
FOR YOU’ 7” EP
Hispanic punk rock outta Santa Cruz, California. The
kind that some may call ‘street punk’. Sing-a-long
anthems that reminds me of a cross between CH3 and THE
GENERATORS (a.k.a. later SCHLEPROCK) or ‘Riot
Riot Upstart’ era AGNOSTIC FRONT if they’d
been writing a KRAUT record. In short, beefed up woah-oh
no fart arsing about punk rock. If the back cover shot
of the band in full yell with the crowd all giving them
the finger isn’t reason enough to check out this
four song EP, then I don’t know what is. LORELEI
MENSHEVIK – CEASEFIRE 7” EP
New band out of Norfolk, U.K. featuring members of CAPDOWN,
VANILLA POD and WHIZZWOOD. Straight out of the gate
with this advance download and they’ve already
got or done gigs/tours with SNFU and a load of big Kerrang
type bands before their first record’s even out
– we’re talking organised D.I.Y. here folks!
Well that’s what the industry style promo sheet
shouts at me anyway. Music-wise it’s throaty vocals
and hardcore that’s tight and choppy with straight
edge type backing shouts. I can hear (what I remember
of) CAPDOWN in there, and U.K. bands like IMBALANCE
or DEAD INSIDE. Expect to hear more of this lot whether
you like it or not. DRY HEAVE
MIGHTY MIDGETS / REVENGE OF THE PSYCHOTRONIC
MAN / FIST OF THE NORTH STAR / BROKEN ARIS - ‘FOUR
BAND SPLIT’ CD
‘Four band split’... or compilation, depending
on how old you are. I guess more than a two band ‘split’
is now as such because all the bands want their name
on the front rather than being content with a common
banner? Anyway, MIGHTY MIDGETS hail from Denmark and
play hectic melodic hardcore that has those bad melodic
backing vocals. Imagine screaming type stuff that used
to be on Household Name Records with intricate twin
guitar noodling. R.O.T.P.M. blast out their frantic
Manchester hardcore. Songs about drinking, fighting
and D.I.Y. and the most interesting on here. Next up
is FIST OF THE NORTH STAR from Nashville, Tennessee
and it kicks off with a twenty three guitar overture
that makes me want to puke out of my eyes. It’s
fast melodic hardcore but more technical in that metal
way that has just expanded its guitar personnel to seventy
eight, and... it’s... next! ACK! Finally, BROKEN
ARIS from Sweden and, oh no, it’s NOFX complete
with snotty American accent – ARGH! FIVE FEET
UNDER / TNS
NORMAN SILVER AND THE GOLD - ‘WAR MEMOIRS’
LP
Featuring ex-members of NEWTOWN GRUNTS, OI POLLOI and
BADGEWEARER, this isn’t what you’d expect
from these older Scottish punks. The POGUES, GUN CLUB,
RANK AND FILE, MEAT PUPPETS (and even CHUMBAWAMBA when
the female vocals come in) spring to mind when listening
to this Whiskey drenched folk-country punk and roll
record that sounds like it could’ve been a campfire
collaboration between Johnny Cash and East Bay Ray.
Subtle steel guitar and jaw harp countered by raucous
punk vocals (that simmer down for those more introspective
numbers) belt out from these Highland deserts. Culminating
in the dark and brooding ‘Last Night at the Proms’,
this is something for the saddle sore heading out to
those dusty arroyos south west of Edinburgh (not Indiana),
and further south west of punk rock conformity. GALLIVANT
POLICE BASTARD – ‘CONFINED’
CD
Long running Birmingham pop combo back for another bite,
and after a cool intro sample/intro about religion we’re
off into ‘Curse of the Cross’. Crushing
metallic anarcho that fans of Profane Existence releases
have probably already picked up. Band names like AMEBIX,
NAUSEA, BEHIND ENEMY LINES and TRAGEDY should give you
a very good idea of what to expect. This kind of stuff,
like pretty much everything, is hit and miss, and I
can report that this doesn’t miss. Well executed
and recorded with the kind of things you look for, like
grinding riffs and memorable punk choruses the crowd
can chant along to with their crushed plastic glasses
aloft. But bear in mind whilst spilling that flat cider,
if the crowd around you stink, it’s not cuz they
haven’t showered, it’s because POLICE BASTARD
just hit the brown note again. Or maybe it’s you?!
Ten songs with digipak and booklet. IRON MAN
RAD – ‘LOUD AND FAST’ LP
As the title suggests this is loud and fast hardcore
from Sacramento. Four piece with female vocals (and
occasional males shouts), but not the kind of sonic
overload of RUIDOSA INMUNDICIA but more old style 80’s
hardcore in basic one minute blasts. Reminds me of F-MINUS
with songs like ‘This Is Not a Final War’
and ‘Corporate Drugs’, and a D.R.I. (as
RAD) themed shirt on the insert taken from the song
‘Never Turn Your Back on a Mosh’ gives a
nod to influences. 20 sonic assaults from Sacramento,
California. SACRAMANIACS / PHONO SELECT
REVENGE OF THE PSYCHOTRONIC MAN – ‘SHATTERED
DREAMS PARKWAY’ LP/CD
Whenever I see this band’s name I always expect
weird, jazzy punk, but then I hear them and are reminded
they are a straight-forward fast hardcore punk band.
Not sure what it reminds me of, it could be any of a
whole host of U.K. punk bands, probably from the midlands,
but they do sound to me like they could be a former
ska-punk band who dropped the ska. The lyrics seem to
have a political message, but very much in keeping with
the modern post-everything irony-soaked age, they seem
to feel they have to make a joke out of it, or add a
quote by Charlie Brooker underneath. Like being scared
of actually making an explicit point for fear of being
accused of taking themselves too seriously... or something.
BOSS TUNEAGE / TNS / PUMPKIN +3
SEE YOU IN HELL - ‘JED’ CD
Long running Czech Republic unit that play a ripping
hardcore that sounds like a lot of the prime output
of Scandinavia to these ears. I expected something heavier,
more down-tuned and metal, but this just delivers the
goods in an urgent, dynamic and shredding fashion. Think
RATTUS, KNUSTE RUTER and RÖVSVETT or something.
This is the CD version of this eight track album, with
a compilation cut tacked on the end. IF SOCIETY
TERMINUS – ‘GRAVEYARD OF DREAMS’
CD
Re-issue of this anthology of 7”s from this Scunthorpe
band of the late 80’s, which I’ve written
about at length before now. Largely forgotten these
days, this lot were a favourite of a few of us. I guess
we were lucky to be hanging about with Karl of Words
Of Warning Records when he got the first 7” ‘Star
Born Thing’ in for his distro. Then he got the
second EP in, then he put the album out. Anarchist (not
‘anarcho’) dark punk rock like a mix of
the DAMNED and early LEATHERFACE. This CD compiles all
five of their 7”s, so if you like them, you can
go off and find their two under-rated albums. Cut straight
to ‘Dance with the Dead’ on here and you’ll
be sold. BOSS TUNEAGE
VOLUNTEERS - ‘RINGING EARS’ CASSETTE
Still at it, this is Bury St. Edmonds hardcore of the
bashing ‘n’ crashing variety. Everything’s
got distortion on, including the cover art. Fast ‘n’
slow ‘n’ stop ‘n’ go, dark ‘n’
dirty. Swirling repetitive riffs with all players following
each other around and around the wall and fret board.
You could see this lot getting a surprise album out
on Alternative Tentacles or Touch & Go. Sounds like
ALICE DONUT playing Power Violence, or EYEHATEGOD having
a thrash day in the garage. Vocals sound like they were
recorded in a toilet. Like actually in the bowl. Unflushed,
vocalist gagging. VOLUNTEERS.
VARIOUS ARTISTS – ‘HARDCORE ‘013’
DOUBLE LP
Showcasing what’s coming out of Finland this year
comes this incredible double album of blazin’
an’ a ragin’ hardcore. Proving that there’s
either something in the water, or the 90’s and
00’s have completely passed Finnish punk rock
by, bands like ABORTTI13, RAYGUN, SEKANNUS, VIVISEKTIO
and TERVEET KADET take up side one, and straight out
of the gate it’s all go-no slow hardcore urgency.
As the collection progresses, you get MAILMANLOPPU,
YHTEISKUNNAN YSTAVAT?, FORCA MACABRA, LAPINPOLTHAJAT
amongst many others to a total of 22 bands and 47 songs.
Reminiscent of one of those killer comp. tapes someone
sent you in the post years ago, but pressed onto vinyl
with a booklet, poster and fold-over sleeve, this is
essential stuff you’ll keep going back to. Hail
to Finland! KAMASET LEVYT / ROKU RECORDS
