Electric Deads - "Order", "Anti-Sex" and "Mind Bomb" EP Reissues

Label: Noise and Distortion Records; Year: 2010; Format: 7" EP

Back in 2010 Belgian label Noise and Distortion did us fans of old European hardcore punk a great favor by reissuing all three Electric Deads EPs from Denmark. I think even these reissues are now hard to get so if you do see copies grab them as quick as you can. This is the 1st of the three and was like all of them originally released by the band on Electro Static Record, this one in 1982. Out of the three it is probably the weakest, at least in my opinion, but still worth checking out. 'Order' and 'Zig Zag' are fast paced hardcore punk tracks with Bibi screaming on top of her lungs and not quite having found her style. On this EP you'll also find a slightly different version of 'Fish in a Pool', a strong track that landed the band on the much acclaimed MRR Compilation LP "Welcome to 1984" where I and surely many others have heard of the band for the first time. Good but not great is what I would say about this one. 

Photo of 1st Gig in 1981 in Copenhagen. Photo Credit: Official Electric Deads Facebook Page

Label: Noise and Distortion Records; Year: 2010; Format: 7" EP

It is really hard to decide whether this one or the third and last of the three EPs is the strongest one as they are both fantastic in their own right, but let's focus on this one first. Unlike on the 1st EP where the recorded songs are somewhat muffled the band's second output has a much improved sound quality, better musicianship and a singer that seems to have found her voice and much more confidence. All four tracks on this EP are killer, especially '30 Years', just a fantastic Mid-Tempo punk song with somewhat of a Siouxsie and the Banshees feel to it. The other three songs are equally strong and the band might have gone through a phase where they listened to a lot of 77 punk and some early Goth as those influences definitely dominate their 2nd EP. If you like your early '80s European hardcore punk melodic, not too fast and with great vocals then you just have to love this one. 

Rehearsal Space in 1982. Photo Credit Official Electric Deads Facebook Page

Label: Noise and Distortion Records; Year: 2010; Format: 7" EP

I suppose this is their best known EP and ultimately the one that led for the band to be included on above mentioned MRR Comp. LP. Unfortunately it was also the last output by these Danes which is a shame as they could  have easily gone on to record a classic LP by the time this EP came out in 1983. Famous Danish punk rocker Johnny Concrete was the producer of this 5-song killer EP and if you ask me the band just really found their style with these recordings. It feels like they combined the ferocity of the 1st EP with the more melodic side of the 'Anti-Sex' EP and found a perfect marriage. All five songs are just mind-blowing good with that very peculiar guitar sound that in years to come influenced Norwegian bands like Kafka Process, So Much Hate or Stengte Dorer. This is classic melodic, yet powerful European hardcore at its best and has gone on to kickstart the great European hardcore scene of the '80s. True gem! 

Gig Flyer from 1983. Photo Credit Official Electric Deads Facebook Page

Sam McPheeters - Mutations (The Many Strange Faces of Hardcore Punk)

Publisher: Rare Bird Books; Year: 2020; Format: Book

At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 I along with millions of other people was stranded at home and not allowed to go to work. My situation was even more extraordinary in the sense that I moved from New York City to Buffalo at the very beginning of the pandemic only to sit out the first twelve weeks of my new job at an AirBnb. But this entry isn't about the pandemic or my move but about Mutations, a book that came out at the same time the pandemic hit and as such made my life more pleasant for about a week, as that's approximately how long it took me to read it from cover to cover. The difficulty with reviewing books I have read some time ago is that unlike records they take more effort to review, especially ones I remember having enjoyed reading, but not really sure anymore as to why. This morning I took the book off of my book shelve and familiarized myself with it again in order to find out why I liked it so much when it came out. First and foremost I was not familiar with the author, Sam McPheeters. I mean I knew that Sam sang in Born Against and other bands, that he ran a fanzine by the name of 'Dear Jesus' and that he had also ran a record label, but I never owned any of his recorded or written material hence in a way I suppose I had no prejudgment. Rereading some of the chapters in the book this morning I realized quickly why I loved reading Mutations. The book is divided into three parts: Questions, Artists and Problems. Within the 'Questions' part I for instance loved the chapter "A Conversation with Aaron Cometbus", just a fun, intelligent and witty conversation between Sam and Aaron, whom I am sure everyone knows from his Cometbus zines. Equally good but on an absolutely different level is "The Troublemaker", an absolutely intriguing look into the life of Doc Dart of the Crucifucks from Lansing, Michigan. If someone from the Fox News Network would read that chapter they'd have a field trip with it as it clearly shows that distrust and absolute disdain for the government in this country run high on both ends of the political spectrum. Fascinating chapter. The 'Artists' part is just as good and Sam delves into the depths of the many forms of hardcore punk or just 'punk' with chapters dedicated to bands as diverse as Discharge, The Gossip, Die Kreuzen or Green Day amongst others. In 'Questions' the chapter "Alberti Records, RIP"stands out as it is about a vinyl manufacturer that operated for over fifty years and had closed its doors leaving the question as to who will pick up and continue the hard work. One thing that really stands out about this book, and Tobi Vail of Bikini Kill mentions that in her foreword, is the fact that at no point in this book does the author look back at the years covered in this book with any self-indulgence or glorification, but rather with a very critical and observant view. In the end I think this book serves a great deal for all of us to reflect on our lives and to have a somewhat distanced and healthy understanding of the many strange faces of hardcore punk. Definitely one of the best hardcore punk books recently published. 

Appendix - Ei Raha Oo Mun Valuuttaa LP 

Label: Puke N' Vomit Records; Year: 2021; Format: Vinyl LP

After a somewhat stressful week at work it felt nice this evening to crank open a bottle of beer and spin this hardcore punk classic from Finland. Years ago I used to have the original 1982 Propaganda pressing of this LP but quite frankly who gives a shit as long as reissues such as this Puke N Vomit are available. Nice to see this one coming alive again with the original artwork and including one insert and two posters. Nice job! I am currently also reading the book about Rock-O-Rama Records from Germany and as some of you will surely know in 1983 this full length was licensed to said rip off label and according to the band all they ever got was twenty free copies. I shall review said book soon but it is clear that not only Herbert Egoldt of ROR but also Heikki Vilenius of Propaganda Records were just shrewd business men taking advantage of an international boom in hardcore punk. What I didn't know though is that the very first Appendix line up from 1981 included Olli and Juha of well known Finnish Rock act Yo. Yo went on to a successful career in mainstream music and had several No. 1 hits in the Finnish charts. That line up didn't last too long and Ei Raha Oo Mun Valuuttaa was recorded in 1982 and is in my opinion a true classic of early Finnish hardcore punk. The Puke N Vomit repress also includes the two tracks recorded for the 'Russia Bombs Finland' Comp. LP as well as the two tracks released on the Pultti Comp. EP. What I like the most about this record is that it is really varied when it comes to the songs. As expected there are plenty of typical powerful hardcore thrashers on this album but equally there are great mid-tempo punk stompers reminiscent of the UK Subs or Blitz. The production is loud and clear and the songs are carried by a great dominant bass sound backed with a buzzsaw guitar and a singer shouting on top of his lungs. It is no wonder that forty years ago along with US hardcore there was a real hype in the punk underground about bands from Finland as they just stood out. Don't be wasting your money on Money is not my Currency on ROR..;-) Kippis!! 

Davova Psychoza - Antropofobia LP 

Label: Papagajuv Hlasatel Records; Year: 2015; Format: Vinyl LP

In 1979 my parents fled the former Czechoslovakia and its communist regime and we ended up in Switzerland where I spent most of my life. Davova Psychoza are from Bratislava in Slovakia where I was born and are active to this day, as a matter of fact they just embarked on their 35 years of Davova Psychoza Tour across Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Antropofobia was their first LP and was originally released in 1991 on Opus, a Major. According to the insert of the repress I am reviewing here the band even got some flack back then for doing so but Opus was a relatively small company and a DIY network barely existed after the fall of communism hence the band was happy someone took a chance on them and released the record. Totally understandable. Davova Psychoza formed in late 1987 and recorded their first demo two years later just before the communist party lost control. According to the liner notes inside the repress the band members remember that time as a once in a lifetime experience where the whole country was in a positive mood and the future looked bright. It was in this environment where Davova Psychoza wrote the material for this record and frankly one can hear it in the songs. Musically speaking the band was influenced by North American acts like Verbal Assault or SNFU, hardcore punk played fast but with lots of melodic hooks. On the other hand being from Bratislava with a tradition of older UK punk influenced bands such as Zona A or Extip some songs are just great mid tempo pogo punk hits. Lyrically it's an interesting album as well with some being very personal and others more about fun and drink. The production and the band member's fitness on their instruments and vocals add to an overall really enjoyable album from a band that on an international level is sadly not well known at all even though they have been going all these years having released five albums in the meantime. Highly recommended! 

Jim Ruland - Corporate Rock Sucks (The Rise & Fall of SST Records) 

Publisher: Hachette Books; Year: 2022; Format: Book

When it comes to the vast area Los Angeles covers geographically speaking than punk rock historians as well as many old timers from Lala land love talking or writing about the early Hollywood punk scene. What is so fascinating about the greater Los Angeles area is that different scenes sprung up in different areas roughly around the same time, and I am being somewhat generous with that statement for the sake of my argument. My argument is that the punk rock history of the South Bay of Los Angeles is in many ways far more interesting than the one of the fairly short lived Hollywood scene, at least that's my take. A long while ago I already reviewed Craig Ibarra's "A Wailing of a Town" book which focuses a lot on the Minutemen and befriended bands from San Pedro. At some point in the future I shall review Keith Morris' "My Damage" as well but I recently bought and instantly read Jim Ruland's Corporate Rock Sucks and came away with a wealth of knowledge not just about SST Records, but the South Bay Area hardcore punk scene in general. First and foremost the book is divided into fourteen chapters with each one SST squaring against a different entity. Chapter one is called SST vs. Bomp! and Chapter fourteen is titled SST vs. History. Inbetween SST takes on the world so to speak, a statement which pretty much sums up the book in many ways as Greg Ginn seems to have a very combative personality and an admirable hunger for success. The author has truly done a great job at researching this book as it is filled with many important anecdotes from the humble beginnings of SST Electronics all the way up to the downfall of the once so influential indie label. The many legal battles SST fought alone would be worth another book in my opinion as it becomes clear that legally speaking SST mistreated quite a few bands by hurting them not just financially but in their overall development. I think what really saddened me to a degree is the fact that at some point the record label was run almost like a major where the personal interaction between the owners and the employees became less important and money ever so more important. To be fair though SST was not alone in the sense that they became the victims of their own success. And yes, of course Black Flag are a big part of the story in the book as well, but I wanted to focus on the label. I can't say that I own too many records from the vast catalogue of SST but I will make an attempt to dig deeper into some releases in the future. In the meantime do yourself a favor and pick up this book or visit your local library as you will not regret it. Corporate Rock Sucks indeed. 

Inocentes - Panico em S.P. Mini-LP

Label: WEA Brazil; Year: 1986; Format: 12" Mini-LP

In 1983 Inocentes from Sao Paolo in Brazil self-released a fantastic raw hardcore punk 7" titled "Miseria E Fome". Unfortunately even the reissue is so rare that at this point I won't be reviewing said classic. This Mini-LP was gifted to me by a good friend in Europe and while their self-titled EP was put out by the band itself, three years later Inocentes found themselves on WEA Brazil, a major. While their earlier output was influenced by Discharge, Rattus and the likes, three years later the band went much more melodic without losing its edge. The six songs on here are well produced mid-tempo punk rock smashers with great hooks and really brilliant songwriting. One can definitely hear a Clash influence but I would also compare them to '80s French bands like Camera Silens or Komintern Sect. It's pretty obvious that the members went through a phase where they started to listen to more melodic bands while taking that direction with their own songs. Interestingly enough not only UK's The Insane have a song called "El Salvador" but so do Inocentes and it's a hit as well. From the little I have heard from here on the band's releases gradually started to get poppier and far more mainstream sounding hence nothing I would seek out. This one though is a true gem and will have you pogo in your living room!

Civil Dissident - Menzies' Crack LP 

Label: Prank Records; Year: 1996: Format: Vinyl LP

What we have here is a little known gem of a band from the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Australia is a goldmine when it comes to loud, obnoxious and primitive Rock'N'Roll. What the land "Down Under" is not really known for that well is straight forward bludgeoning hardcore punk. Civil Dissident released officially just one 7" EP in 1985 and the songs on this LP are all from 1982, 1984 and 1985 when they disbanded. The inlay has a nice write up by Scotti from Resistant Harmony Fanzine and Civil Dissident's most consistent line up basically evolved out of three bands: Civil Dissident, Society's Victim and Mad Flowers. As a matter of fact Civil Dissident and Mad Flowers supported the Dead Kennedys in 1983 in Melbourne. Listening to the songs contained on this record I couldn't help thinking of UK bands like Icons of Filth or Antisect. Scotti's liner notes mention that the band drew influences from UK bands such as Crass or Discharge as well as Euro/Japan bands like Stalin or Negazione and of course US hardcore acts like SS Decontrol, Faith or Jerry's Kids. It makes sense as some songs have a heavy Boston influenced sound and are straight fast paced hardcore punk smashers whereas other songs are slower, heavier and lean more towards the UK Anarcho Punk bands. All in all this is a great time document of a band that I am sure does not get mentioned all that often. It is worthwhile to mention that Civil Dissident did end up on internationally quite well known compilation LPs such as Pushead's Cleanse the Bacteria or Life is a Joke on Germany's Weird System Records amongst others, meaning you might have come across this band more often than you think. Cracking LP! 

Update February 7, 2023 to a photo post on Instagram where I posted the link to this review in the comment section. This is what drummer Dave Ross had to say: "thanks for the review, mate! The same lineup did three recording sessions. The first was the officially released our “Fourth Rate American Thrash” in 1984. A limited release, each cassette cover was different, hand drawn by each band member. The tape was wrapped in a polystyrene meat tray! Second session was songs for the “Eat Your Head” and “Cleanse the Bacteria” comps. Third session was meant to be an album but we didn’t have enough money to release it ourselves so we put out the “First Blood” 7” EP ourselves instead. The rest of the songs from that session made it on various overseas compilations and “Menzies Crack”, organised by Scotti and released by a San Francisco label. I hope that helps fill in some blanks. Thanks for your interest!"

Bob Suren - Crate Digger (An Obsession with Punk Records)

Publisher: Microcosm Publishing; Year: 2015; Format: Book

I am absolutely positive that the name Bob Suren will sound familiar to anyone that has gotten into punk either in the '80s or '90s as Bob was a very active guy on an international level with his record store/distribution/label out of Florida. Crate Digger is a fantastic little book revolving around 30 years of collecting punk records with the book divided up into chapters containing the name of a certain band's record. This way stories around records by the likes of the Misfits, Rattus, Stalin, DOA etc. take us from the humble beginnings of Bob discovering punk rock through his many years running Sound Idea and everything connected to the store all the way up to him selling his entire record collection. Each little chapter revolves not just around the band's record but a certain period in the author's life. As one would expect there are just hilarious stories where for instance the FBI gets involved in a record trade gone wrong between Bob and a fellow in Oregon, or that one time when a drug addict enters Bob's stores with several boxes of rare records selling them on the cheap only to realize after the drugs have worn off that he made a big mistake. A lot of the chapters have real personal stories enabling readers to participate on this wild punk rock journey with its ups and downs. I wish there were more books like this one as it's just a fun read with passion and dedication seeping through each page.

Interview with Bob on the Publisher's website from 2015: https://microcosmpublishing.com/blog/2015/05/an-interview-with-bob-suren/

Jerry A. Lang - Black Heart Fades Blue Volumes 1-3 Books

Volume 1

Publisher: Rare Bird Books; Year: 2022; Format: Book

Don't ask me why Jerry A's memoir was published in three parts but in the end I liked the idea as each Volume has its beginning and end while leading up to the next chapter in Jerry's life so to speak. A neat move by the publisher that worked pretty well if you ask me. Alright, so if you are asking yourself who the hell Jerry A is then think Poison Idea and Kings of Punk and you'll figure it out. For the losers reading my crappy little blog I have the feeling most of you will be familiar with the crazy Portland based outfit. Volume 1 deals mainly with Jerry's upbringing in Montana and Oregon which must have been hell judging from what I have read. Still, out of everything bad and miserable comes something good and while Jerry suffered immensely at the hands of his parents he eventually found his way in life with music always having played a big role from a very young age. 

Volume 2 

Publisher: Rare Bird Books; Year: 2022; Format: Book

As you can see from the cover of Volume 2 this middle volume takes you back in time to the Portland, Oregon of the '80s and '90s and into the drug- and alcohol fueled world of Poison Idea. I was lucky enough to see Poison Idea twice during the '90s and Jerry's account of how crazy things were just reaffirms what I always thought it must have been like in mind. What I did not know is how deep the drugs ran and dictated Jerry's life. Addiction is a nasty thing and many of us know or knew someone that has struggled through it, or maybe even died of it. While some of this volume is of great interest to people like myself who are always hungry for music history please do not expect a record by record account of Poison Idea's vast back catalogue. It is really Jerry's personal journey through time, and drugs and music played a major role, that's for sure. 

Volume 3 

Publisher: Rare Bird Books; Year: 2022; Format: Book

The last volume in this three-part memoir brings us all the way into the current time, well pre pandemic that is when Jerry finished writing this. If you follow Jerry's Facebook page you will have come to the conclusion that he had found happiness and is leading a much quieter life now, away from touring and partying. This volume focuses on Jerry's journey to said point and deals with a lot of pain while realizing that the only way going forward in life is a life with as little drugs as possible. It is in this volume where we learn about the sad details of Jerry's best friend and former Poison Idea guitarist Tom Roberts (RIP) and many more heartbreaking stories. Still, the end is a happy one, and I for one am immensely happy for Jerry to have found a way out of the world of drugs and addiction. Maybe there will be a Volume 4 at some point and we shall stay tuned.

GRB - Estoy Tan Contento! EP

Label: Self Released; Year: 1986; Format: 7" EP

GRB hailed from Catalonia's capital of Barcelona, and formed out of the ashes of Ultimo Resorte and Frenopaticss. While I am a huge fan of Ultimo Resorte I cannot say I am equally enthusiastic about GBR. This EP is by no means a bad record, but at the same time it is not a Spanish hardcore punk classic. The band surely played a major role in establishing a new hardcore scene along with bands such as the Subterranean Kids but to me this record sounds like a weird combination of hectic hardcore punk played as fast as possible with some flashy guitar parts thrown in. The result sounds like a mixture between Negazione and Iron Maiden with a poor production. The best song on this EP is by far the one where the band steers away from any Metal influence and delivers a tuneful mid-paced hardcore punk track. A shame not all seven tracks are like that, and my review would have been quite a different story. Not a horrible record per se, but just because it's rare don't be under the assumption that it's a must have.

Steve Miller - Detroit Rock City: The Uncensored History of Rock'N'Roll in America's Loudest City

Publisher: Da Capo Press; Year: 2013; Format: Book

I am glad to have found this book very recently for close to nothing at a place I've never been to before in Manhattan. Rest assured though that the price tag does not reflect the quality of the contents in this book. I have heard about Steve Miller's book a while ago, and I certainly wanted to improve my knowledge of Detroit based Rock'N'Roll so having to read this one book one day was definitely inevitable. Many of you will know Steve Miller as the vocalist for much famed Lansing, MI hardcore punk band The Fix, or as the editor of the Touch and Go book that was published a few years back. Some of you might not know that he's actually a veteran when it comes to investigative journalism, and author of several books outside the music genre covering real crime. Needless to say that for a massive project such as writing on the rich history of Rock'N'Roll out of Detroit he was the right person to succeed at it. There are not many books that manage to cover as much ground as this book does, and let's be honest which other book will give you the pleasure to read about bands and artists such as MC5, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Mitch Ryder, Destroy All Monsters, Negative Approach, Laughing Hyenas, The Gories or the White Stripes, all at the same time? My guess is as good as yours, ladies and gentlemen. What I find really fascinating about this book is the fact that Steve has not only found a way to describe many anecdotes for the reader to feel like one is right there in the middle of the chaos, but at the same time he has done an outstanding job when it comes to the chronology of the debauchery that took place in Detroit and its surrounding towns. The only part I didn't really enjoy in this book was about Bob Seger, and this was when he was already a well known act on the national circuit. I yawned a lot through that part only to be awaken by more crazy stories from Wayne Kramer and other luminaries that were fed up with the status quo, and were starting to form new bands. And believe me, that was the only slow part in this book as the rest of it will take you through clubs such as Bookie's and bands associated with that scene, the early '80s hardcore punk explosion with Negative Approach on the forefront, the aftermath of hardcore and some crazy drugged stories involving John Brannon and Larissa Strickland of Laughing Hyenas, and the start, or shall we say return to garage rock from Detroit with The Gories and bands and scenes that evolved out of that time including Bantam Rooster, White Stripes or Von Bondies. Have I told you this book covers a lot of ground? Okay, there are two omissions I was disappointed with. For whatever reason the bands Death and Cinecyde get very little to no mention at all, and members from those two bands contributed little to nothing for this oral history. That sucked but still, it takes very little away from what this book gives the reader, and that is a detailed and at times mind blowing account of what was happening in Motown. This is widely available, and even your local library has probably a copy of this book, hence I really don't see an excuse for any of you out there for not reading this!

Craig Ibarra - A Wailing Of A Town - "An Oral History Of Early San Pedro Punk And More 1977 - 1985"

Publisher: END FWY Press; Year: 2015; Format: Book

First and foremost I'd like to point out that this book is almost hot off the press, and was published not all that long ago, and therefore I am excited to not already having finished reading it, but also reviewing it after having purchased it a couple of months ago on my quick visit to Southern California. When it comes to the punk history of Los Angeles then much of it has been covered extensively by having covered the Hollywood scene with the bands and scenesters associated with the more glamorous side of punk rock made in L.A. This book here concentrates on the South Bay of Los Angeles, and in particular the seaport town of San Pedro. Trust me, I too had to look up where exactly San Pedro is located in the Los Angeles area. When I first heard about this book, I already liked it, and I tell you why. I too was once a young kid discovering punk rock and hardcore, and I was also living in a suburb albeit thousands of miles away from San Pedro. Still, I can truly associate with the scene, and its people as the stories to be found in this book resemble in so many ways my personal story. This book does not talk about people sporting punk fashion, frequenting famous punk clubs or taking in an immense amount of drugs. Instead this book concentrates on real DIY ethos, and how a few people were able to create an open minded community that helped each other with putting on gigs, doing flyers, recording and distributing records, and so on. I have to admit that I don't own a single record by the Minutemen - whom hailed from San Pedro - but after having read this book I will need to change that. Sure, many pages in this book do deal with the history of the Minutemen and in particular the sadly deceased D. Boon but they also cover the very beginnings of punk rock in San Pedro with the Reactionaries, as well as later acts such as Saccharine Trust, Hari-Kari, Mood of Defiance and others. This book also covers crazy stories involving a certain Jimmy Smack, a talented local dancer who was tremendously helpful with putting on punk gigs, many accounts involving Black Flag and SST Records and their help getting the San Pedro scene off the ground, venues that opened their doors to punk rock, and the eventual arrival of big bands such as the Dead Kennedys making it to San Pedro and putting the town on the punk rock map. Craig has done a fabulous job by covering every little detail of this town's rich history of punk rock and beyond, and can only be congratulated for his efforts. One can only hope that more books of this kind will start to spring up, and people in different parts of this country and far beyond will start writing about their own punk rock adventures beyond the lights of hip inner cities. This is a true must read!

Blanks 77 - Up The System Ten Inch

Label: Quality of Life Inc.; Year: 1993; Format: Vinyl 10"

I don't know how you feel about the '90s when it comes to underground music but I remember it being a rather dull and boring decade. Looking back though there were certainly some highlights, and some retro scenes really managed to spit up some great bands that were worth paying attention to. The whole UK82 punk rock sound enjoyed a fine revival, particularly on the US East Coast. New Jersey's Blanks 77 were one of the earliest purveyors of that retro sound, and were part of a whole new generation of punks and skins that celebrated long forgotten UK acts such as the Ejected, Abrasive Wheels or the Partisans to name a few amongst the many that have appeared on leather jackets around the world. In the early '90s the Blanks started to release a whole slew of 7"s while this fine 10" was released in 1993. The funny thing about this release here is the fact that I have not pulled this record off the shelve in a long time but when I put down the needle on this record tonight with a beer in my right hand while rocking back and forth in my recliner chair, I all of a sudden remembered each one of the eight songs on the record. Sure, some might say that bands like the Blanks 77 didn't create anything new and lacked in originality but rest assured that any lack of creativity on behalf of the band was made up for with plenty of enthusiasm, dedication and the deliverance of some great fucking pogo punk. There is really nothing negative I can say about this little 10" as it is a fun listen. Now, get your pogo stick out, and up the system!

Cro-Mags - Age of Quarrel Ten Inch

Label: Fan Club; Year: 199?; Format: Vinyl 10"

I never thought I’d be living in New York City one day, and here I am living in the Big Apple grinding away, and trying to pay all those bills while still having some fun. Before this city turned into the gentrified amusement park it often represents today, it was a city where survival of the fittest was on the daily picking order. The Lower East Side wasn’t a hip place to go to but instead offered space for artists and musicians to pursue what they enjoyed the most. I have to further admit that I was also never a huge fan of New York Hardcore with a few exceptions, and Cro Mags would never make it onto any of my lists of Top Bands. Still, if there was one 10” I would be allowed to take with me to a lonely island, it might as well be this one here. Before “Age of Quarrel” was recorded and released as an LP in 1986 a demo tape of all those songs was recorded between late ’84 and early ’85, and subsequently must have made the rounds in tape trader circles. Back in the tape trading days demos often ended up in various countries, and so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that in the early ‘90s someone came up with the idea to press the “Age of Quarrel” demo onto a 10”. While I have heard the more metallic sounding LP version in the past it just never grabbed me the same way as this much more raw and more brutal demo version. Everything, and I really mean everything is perfect about these recordings, as these songs just can’t be beaten when it comes to NYHC straight out of the gutters of the Lower East Side. The loud bass guitar, the screaming vocals, the speed, and above all the sheer brutality of these songs cannot be put into words, you just have to hear them! Essential listening for your bleeding ears!

Los Violadores - s/t LP

Label: Fanclub; Year: 199?; Format: Vinyl LP

First and foremost, let me tell you that this full length has been officially reissued two years ago by Spanish label Beat Generation so there is absolutely no need to hunt down a copy of this counterfeit release which came out about fifteen years ago when I had obtained it. It's a good thing that many of those releases that were first bootlegged in the '90s are now slowly but surely seeing the light of official reissues, becoming accessible to old and new punk aficionados alike. And even though I do not support or particularly like counterfeit releases, in many cases it is, or at least was the easiest and cheapest way to hear certain releases that one has nearly no chance of landing an original copy of. Before I bore you to death about that issue though, you will probably have guessed why you need to check out the reissue of this outstanding release, because let me tell you, it is an extraordinary good punk rock record, and does not contain a single daft song, nope. Los Violadores started life in 1980 and there is an excellent write up about the history of this Argentinian band that I found online, so please feel free to click on the link provided at the end of this review. As for the twelve songs found on this platter I could write an entire book worth of praise, not kidding you. Why this LP does not appear on all these countless lists of best ever punk rock LPs really baffles me as honestly it should be plastered all over the place. If people were looking to the United States or the U.K. in 1983, when this LP was originally released, then they found mostly raging hardcore punk on one continent, or the relatively boring sounds of countless UK82 bands on the other side of the Atlantic. One only needed to have an open mind and venture south to Argentina where Los Violadores were from. If you like your punk rock fast, yet tuneful, filled with melodic hooks and a loud and caring bass guitar, then this LP will satisfy your punk rock needs 150%. Think of D.O.A. at their very best, or New York's Kraut, Finland's Lama, and so on, you get the picture. Plus let me tell you, Spanish is a great language, and it works well for punk rock, doesn't it? The band continued to release more records since the early '80s, and even as recent as 2009, but from what I have heard they really became far more mainstream in the '80s already, and only their 2nd LP is still worth a listen. Still, it's about this release here which should be in everybody's collection!

Band History: http://www.shit-fi.com/articles/LosVioladores

Disper-Azione - Sempre Immutata Fede EP

Label: Chaos Produzioni; Year: 1985; Format: Vinyl 7"

Fans of international hardcore punk from the '80s will widely agree that Italy had one of the best, most active and highly interesting hardcore scenes back in the heyday of said musical genre. Everybody will be familiar with bands such as Negazione, Raw Power or CCM, but amongst those internationally well known and established acts there was an even greater amount of lesser known acts such as Disper-Azione, whom hailed from provincial town Como in the Lombardy part of Italy, not that far from the Swiss/Italian border. A long time ago I remember owning Disper-Azione's 1st LP, and for some reason I don't have it in the best of memories and must have parted with it at some point. Well, all I can say is that if the LP sounded anything like this EP, then I must have been a real dumb-ass to have done so. This seven song EP is filled with energy, and your typical chaotic but musically highly skilled italian hardcore punk the way many of us just love so much, and can never get enough of. In 1985 many bands in the United States started to sound metal and the whole crossover scene was exploding, which not all hardcore punks appreciated. Instead of giving up on it, one only had to look across the ocean, as Europe was full with bands such as Disper-Azione, sticking to true DIY hardcore punk with zero metal. A minor classic, and to my knowledge not reissued to this day....

Ulster - M-19 EP

Label: ABC Records; Year: 1995; Format: Vinyl 7"

You want noise? Alright, I got noise for your ears here in the most distorted and primitive way one can only imagine. But let me put things into context here before this review starts to sound like I am bashing this release, or the band. Quite the contrary because Ulster were one of the earliest bands to emerge out of Brazil, in particular out of the ABC industrial complex in Sao Paulo. The excellent KFTH website informed me that the band started as a reaction to high unemployment and socio-economical problems in their ABC area of Sao Paulo, and channelled all their anger and frustration into a visual and sonic attack. The tracks on this EP were originally all recorded during demo sessions in 1982, and as hinted above resulted in songs that will make your ears bleed. This is hardcore punk at its most primitive, but taking into consideration the circumstances and the environment these guys came from, one should quickly realize that the band did not have the same technological opportunities as bands in Europe or America, and as a result of that you get a very raw but honest sounding time document. Further to the extreme music, Ulster were aggressive and provocative in their approach of getting their message of anti-government lyrics across. The whole package of this EP tells the story of real urban struggle, and a violent three chord reaction to it. When it comes to the recorded music then this might not be top notch, but at the end of the day this is a fantastic time document from a scene that was just starting to explode at the time of these recordings.

Rejectors - Thoughts of War EP

Label: Fartz Records; Year: 1982; Format: Vinyl 7"

There is really not all that much that I intend on saying about this EP other than the fact that the Rejectors, who were from Seattle/WA, played politically-minded fast and furious hardcore punk that was typical for Reagan-era acts of this kind. This EP was recored in early '82 and delivers 9 angry numbers that are hard to distinguish from one another, yet will still convince anyone into early '80s US hardcore punk. The band went on to record a split-LP with much better known Seattle act The Accused a year after this EP was released. Good stuff!

Lepers - I wanna be God EP

Label: Unclean Records; Year: 1984; Format: Vinyl 7"

Very little is known about the Lepers from Colorado, except that they released three EPs between 1983 and 1984, this one here being the last one. You get to hear four strong hardcore punk numbers that vary in speed and are far from your generic fast hardcore that was prevailing in 1984. Instead you get intelligent and sarcastic songs stuck somewhere in the middle between more traditional punk rock and '80s hardcore. I have never heard the other two EPs, but should they be equally strong as this one then maybe some reissue label should slap all three on an LP. Just throwing out an idea...

Brain Death - Personal Affair EP

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

Brain Death were one of the few Japanese hardcore punk outfits fronted by a female. Sachi, the vocalist, did a great job on this release as she must have screamed her lungs out when recording. With song titles such as 'Funny Dancing', 'Queer in the head' or 'Convert City' you certainly also get the sort of silly song titles or lyrics lovers of japanese hardcore punk bands have learned to appreciate. One can only presume that the band sat down and looked up words in a dictionary without being capable of actually using the right verbs and so forth. Regardless, it provides many of those releases with an added portion of humor, wanted or not. As for the 8 songs on this EP produced by Satoshi from S.O.B., you will not be surprised to learn that they're all super-fast, and noisy as hell. With Satoshi being involved in the production of this record, I can't help to feel that some of the songs have a bit of a Grindcore feel to them, but the record is certainly still a typical hardcore punk release on Selfish Records. A decent release, but not a must-have by any means. A bootleg version of this does exist, but to my knowledge is quite a few years old as well.