Gudon - Howling Communication EP

Label: Selfish Records; Year: 1987; Format: Vinyl 7"

Gudon were one of the many noisy hardcore punk acts forming in and around Tokyo, or any other major urban area in Japan throughout the mid-'80s. I am not aware where exactly they hailed from, but this 8-song EP was released on one of the prolific labels from Japan when it comes to this type of noise, Selfish Records. The ones amongst the readership familiar with these type of bands/releases will know exactly what to expect. If you haven't familiarized yourself with bands such as Gudon, then be aware that you'll be getting hardcore punk at its fastest and noisiest. The production on this particular record is great, something the Japanese often excelled in. The tracks are short, and clock in under two minutes. Here and there you get a bit of a Metal feel to the songs, but overall this is a solid release that will appeal to anyone into international hardcore punk from the '80s.

Sam Sutherland: Perfect Youth - The Birth of Canadian Punk

Publisher: ECW Press; Year: 2012; Format: Book

There was a time not even all that long ago, where I was asking myself why nobody has ever written a book on punk rock from Canada. It was a time when the first serious books about punk rock started to be published, and maybe it was just too early for this great land. But patience pays off, and in 2014 there is more than one book to be had about punk rock from those crazy Canucks. This particular one here though is special, in the sense that it covers the history of punk rock from coast to coast of this vast country. Sam Sutherland has done a fine job at doing so, and I understand that it must have been one hell of an undertaking to not only track down all the bands and its former members, but to actually organize the book so that it becomes clear to people not that knowledgable with Canadian geography where in the heck these guys came from. There are nineteen chapters in this book, and each one of them concentrates on a specific scene/city/band(s). While many of us seasoned punk rock enthusiasts are familiar with the historic backgrounds of bands such as the Viletones, Subhumans, the Diodes or D.O.A, I personally enjoyed most the chapters about the scenes I had very little knowledge about, such as Edmonton, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan or Ottawa, to name a few. Winters in those places are harsh, brutal, and long, yet even in those remote areas scenes developed and flourished. It is those chapters that make this book a really great read, and I would have bought a book about those remote scenes themselves, but that's just nerdy me. Of course you'll also get to read about the scenes in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal and anywhere else in Canada. Great stuff, and I hope there is more to come in form of books and records that delve into the rich history of Canadian punk rock.

Seb Hunter: Hell Bent For Leather - Confessions of a Heavy Metal Addict

Publisher: Fourth Estate/Harper Collins; Year: 2004; Format: Book

While I am most certainly not a big fan of heavy metal per se, I am certainly always open to a good read and a few years back I remember reading a review in regard to this novel which must have caught my attention. In the end I found the book on sale at Foyles in London, and that's how it ended up in my collection. It took literally years for me to open it and read it, but just like the author himself, I must make a confession on my own in saying that I had a hard time putting it down at nights. Let it be very clear, you don't have to be into heavy metal to appreciate Seb Hunter's life story and his addiction to said music genre. Yes, there are parts in the book which drag on where for instance the author goes on to define genres such as glam metal, thrash metal and the likes, but overall the novel is about Seb and his witty stories on growing up in Winchester in the south of England, joining his first band, gigging locally, local punks throwing beer cans at them and his eventual move to the big smoke aka London. In my opinion London also marks the best parts of this book as there are so many hilarious stories being told by Seb, including living in squats, the pursuit of a career in heavy metal music at all cost, groupies, and crazy band members that would kill you over a girl. All in all I can only say that I've really enjoyed reading this book and couldn't help laughing out loud on many occasions.

The Wipers - Over the Edge LP

Label: Jackpot Records
Year: 2009, Reissue
Format: Vinyl LP

The Wipers from Portland, Oregon are in many people’s books one of the best kept secrets in music history. And I can only succumb to this opinion due to the fact that Greg Sage and his men have written so many unbelievably great songs. It must therefore come as a big surprise why I have waited all these years to obtain this masterpiece of an album. Well first and foremost it was relatively hard and potentially expensive to track down the original and it wasn’t until last year it was reissued again. There might have been a German pressing on Weird System but I might be wrong here. Anyway I do remember hearing this years and years ago on tapes friends would pass around so I was familiar with many of the tracks on it but have not heard them in a long time. What can I say – each one of the songs is a killer on its own and there is not one single letdown on this album. How many albums of this quality exist? Originally released in 1983 – at a time in history where many US hardcore punk bands tried to sound as fast and pissed off as possible it was quite the opposite with the Wipers. They had the capability to turn anger and frustration into gloomy yet highly melodic anthems. Songs like “Over the edge”, “Romeo” or “This time” just to name a few, are perfect examples that a band does not have to play at a speed close to derailment in order to bring across a message. And to end this I can only recommend anyone to get their sticky fingers on a copy of this, one of the best records ever.