Suburban Voice blog #22

SUNDAY MORNING EINSTEINS

I don’t want to say things are back to normal, DIY venue-wise, in Boston, but the situation appears to be improving a bit. There have been a pair of shows at MassArt in the past few weeks—Chronic Seizure, along with Positive Reinforcement, Blank Stare and the Conversions on the 11th and, on the 22nd, two shows got combined—Sunday Morning Einsteins, Straightjacket Mind, The Jury, Nuclear Winter, Friday Knight and Unholy Trinity. The sets were brief, anyway. They’ve done shows in this room in the past—it’s a classroom, basically—and the most memorable was Limp Wrist around 2001. It’s funny because Paul from Nuclear Winter also plays drums in Limp Wrist and I asked if he remembered playing here and he said when they got to the building, he thought it looked familiar. The sound isn’t the best but it’s a space and, now that school’s in session, I hope it’ll be the first of many. There’s another basement space in Allston and there will be a Kohu-63 (Finland) show there on October 7. E-mail me if you need the address.

As for the two shows, I’ve seen PosiForce, Blank Stare and the Conversions play better shows. PosiForce sounded out of tune most of their set, in fact. Chronic Seizure, on the other hand, were dead-on. Pat, the bass-player, is a complete maniac when he plays. Boisterous, no-bullshit thrash. At the other show, Sunday Morning Einsteins brought the blitzkrieg. Their drummer Anton is a fucking MACHINE—just watching him play was a lot of fun, one part of this band’s howling fury. I’ve seen better Swedish hardcore bands but there’s something about that sound that blasts away the blues. Straightjacket Mind, from New Jersey and with ex-Tear It Up/Rites guy Matt Wechter on bass, were a surprise. Dark, TSOL-inspired punk—they covered “80 Times” from “Dance With Me” and that’s when the connection dawned on me (hey, you’ve got to cheat sometimes). Presence and good songs. The Jury, from Albany, finally made a Boston appearance. Kind of lost in the din. Razorwire hardcore with a pronounced 9 Shocks influence. Good, but better when they played with 9 Shocks in Albany a few months ago. Nuclear Family, also from Albany, have a moodier melodic sound—they opened with the best song off their demo, “Hear This.” You could hardly hear the vocals, unfortunately. Neither melodic punk band Friday Knight, from Tennessee nor Unholy Trinity, local metal-mongers, made too strong an impression although the latter’s vocalist Mike had some pretty cool explanations about the songs—knowledge is power, such as how the smoking of angel dust isn’t good for you. I’ll remember that.

You know, it’s kind of funny when I read music reviews in the Boston Globe and other mainstream media outlets They’re always listed as “CD reviews.” I wonder if any vinyl ever crosses these writers’ desks or if they deal with it. How many of them have turntables? There’s this one guy I know who only wants CDs. He said, some years back, “I’m through with vinyl.” So he gave me most of his vinyl collection—nothing amazing, since his tastes are quite mainstream, but there were a worthwhile ones in there. Back to reviewing--my only rule (well, besides music that falls outside of the musical styles of what I cover) is I don’t want those shitty advance packages. I want the album or 7” or CD just as it’s going to be sold to the consumer. I suppose one useful thing about advance CDs is I can file-share them with friends—oops, did I just say that? Never mind—I’M KIDDING, I’M KIDDING!

Without further ado, are the MUSIC reviews! One thing, though. I’ve been having bouts of writer’s block at times so I hope the reviews are too lame.

BLANK STARE-s/t (Third Party, 7” EP)/s/t (Refuse, 7” EP)
Two new 7” EPs, each with three songs and smashing shit up furiously. A musical leap from their first EP, as Blank Stare have become one of the hottest hardcore bands in Boston over the past year or so. Trying some different things, such as the guitar dissonance that leads out of “Coward” on the Refuse EP. Atypical lyrical fodder for a self-identified straight edge band (those topics were covered quite vehemently on their first EP). On the Refuse EP, two of the songs are about sex and gender issues. On the Third Party EP, all the songs have “white” in the title and the lyrics are about how “the whole white race is a fucking disgrace.” I don’t identify myself as a “guilty white male” but it’s true that the mainly white males who control the government and industry in this country bear a lot of the guilt for the havoc they wreak. In other words, I understand where Benjamin’s coming from. No subtlety here in any form and these EPs make a walloping statement. (Third Party: 21 Nancy Lane, Amherst, NY 14228, http://www.myspace.com/thirdxpartyrecords; Refuse: PO Box 7, 02-792 Warszawa 78, POLAND, http://www.refuserecords.prv.pl/; Band: thelaststraightedgekidsintown@yahoo.com)

FINAL CONFLICT-No Peace On Earth, No Rest In Hell (SOS, CD)
What to expect from a new Final Conflict album in 2006, especially with only one original member, guitarist Jeff Harp? In this case, the band’s first full-length in almost 10 years, it’s a loud, throttling effort. Thrashy punk with some metal thrown in and, while not “Ashes To Ashes,” holding its own. Tim Sawyer has a strong set of lungs and, in addition to the power riffing, Phobia vocalist Shane McLachan proves to be more than adept on bass. The lyrical matter hasn’t changed much since the 80s—suppose that’s sad in a way. Pleasant surprise. (PO Box 3017, Corona, CA 92878, http://www.sosrecords.us/)

GIANT HAYSTACKS-A Rebirth Of Our City (Pizza Pizza, 7” EP)
One good release after another for Giant Haystacks. The latest is a three song EP featuring their sharp sound. Strong musicianship without any sense of pretentiousness and good melodies and two of the three songs makes observations about their city—the clash of cultures between the gentrifiers and those still struggling. I’ve namechecked the influences before (M**men, G**g Of F**). Yes, it’s POST PUNK, there’s familiarity, but when it’s this well played, this fresh-sounding, after a pile of soundalike records, it’s welcome. (c/o John Patrick Quinn, 805 Courtland, Ypsilanti, MI 48197, itsfreontime@yahoo.com)

IMPERIAL LEATHER-Antibodies EP (Profane Existence, 7” EP)
Colorful sleeve, lovely green/black splatter vinyl and some rockin’ punk in the grooves. A satisfying followup to Imperial Leather’s album, it’s four tuneful songs with male/female vocal tradeoffs and a loud, full sound. Not much more to add except I can’t imagine dealing with “only twelve hours of sunlight in a month” on their song “Seasonal Affect Disorder.” Shit—I’m dreading 9 hours of daylight a day. Something to relate to! (PO Box 8722, Minneapolis, MN 55408, http://www.profaneexistence.com/)

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST-s/t (Puke/Inimical, CD)
First off, how can you not love a band with this name. It’s one of the more common expressions that passes from my lips when confronted with irksome, irritating situations or blatant stupidity. Plus, I know some people who would take GREAT offense at the band’s name and that’s just fine with me. A Final Conflict influence here, in terms of the semi-metallic hardcore sound and basslines darting in and out of the hot guitar riffs, plus Larry’s vocals sound a bit like Ron Martinez (we’re talking older Final Conflict). JFC don’t rely on pure speed all the time, as many songs have a medium pace.” Plenty of burn here. (PO Box 99456, Emeryville, CA 94663, http://www.pukerecords.com/)

KIELTOLAKI-s/t (Moo Cow, 7” EP)
I had this Finnish band’s demo on MP3 (ah, the digital age) and liked it a lot. Here are three songs on wax, er, vinyl and it’s a sick blast. Kieltolaki have the classic Finnish sound with modern production and gruffer vocals. Can’t understand a word of it but, man, it sounds convincing. Two fast ones and a mid-tempo one on the flip. The descending bass-line and squealing guitar feedback for “Vitun Lampaat” are a deadly tandem. (38 Larch Circle, Belmont, MA 02478, http://www.moocowrecords.com/)

KYKLOOPPIEN SUKUPUUTTO/DEATH TOKEN-Split (joint release, 7” EP)
KS are Finnish, DT are Danish and this record is loud. Two thrashin’ bands. I’ve heard better material from Kyklooppien in the past but it’s still bashing and powerful, if not always as tight as it should be. Death Token thrash straight ahead with a Scandinavian-inspired sound, feedback on the guitars, a little bit of metal and their side is somewhat better. (http://www.kyklooppiensukupuutto.com/)

LOWER CLASS BRATS-New Seditionaries (TKO, CD)
The Lower Class Droogies, uh, Brats are back yet again, and it’s been awhile. An enjoyable street punk romp with catchy songs, hearty singalongs, et al. Basic UK influences—Red Alert, Blitz, Defects and the like, and it has a rock ‘n roll heart as well. The last song, “Walking Into The Fire,” has a hook-laden guitar break in the middle that stood out. Is it life-changing or overwhelmingly great? Nah, but I had my toe tapping a bit while it was playing. I suppose that’s an endorsement of sorts. (8941 Atlanta Ave., #505, Huntington Beach, CA 92646, http://www.tkorecords.com/)

MONDO TOPLESS-Take It Slow (Get Hip, CD)
Passable garage rock, production that’s neither too primitive or polished. Farfisa is the up-front instrument and there’s some nasty attitude in the vocals but it doesn’t really let loose as much as I’d like. There are exceptions—the closing grind of “Crawl.” If there was a little more rawness, it’d be better. (PO Box 666, Canonsburg, PA 15317, http://www.gethip.com/)

RIGHT ON-Reality Vacation (Malfunction, CD)
Ah, Right On. Power to the People. Wait a minute—there ain’t no peace signs, no hippies and it’s not the least bit mellow, to paraphrase Ted Nugent (who was the anti-hippie, despite early psychedelic trappings). Nope, this is hardcore, direct and to the point, both musically and lyrically. Posi and youthful but without the tough breakdowns. In fact, the break for “Smoke and Mirrors” is metal in the trad way. Conflicted feelings about scene loyalty, people changing, insincerity etc. Always questioning things and perhaps wondering if they’re being naïve about things. Shit—sounds like me when I was 23—the naïve part, I mean. In any case, another case of a band not being terribly original but still getting the job done in an assaultive manner. This CD includes demo tracks. (http://www.malfunctionrecords.com/)

SLIMY CUNT AND THE FISTFUCKS-Nothing But Enemies (Welfare, 7” EP)
Kind of an unforgettable moniker here, although SCFF are alternately known as Nothing But Enemies, with longtime Boston fixture Opie on vocals and Mike McCarthy (aka Sgt. Major Asshole, here) from For The Worse on guitar. Shock value aside, this is some braying shit. Opie begins the EP with a howling “1-2-FUCK YOU!!,” leading into the title track. Not thrash but in a medium speed, heavy vein without being metal or metal-core. “CRS” is damn near melodic. It’s an unleashing of pure hatred and malevolence directed at its various targets. “Rich Kids,” for instance, takes on various groups of people—college students, yuppies, etc who invade/infest the Allston neighborhood of Boston. There's definitely something I like about these guys. If they do a full-length, though, a little variation would be cool. (58 River St, Haverhill, MA 01832, http://www.welfarerecords.net/)

JEFF WALKER UND DIE FLÜFFERS-Welcome To Carcass Cuntry (Fractured Transmitter, CD)
God, this is terrible. Hell, no matter the deity (or lack of one), it’s still terrible. Sometimes, novelty records work, sometimes they don’t. Former Carcass bass player/vocalist Walker may be sincere in his tribute to country and folk music, done semi-rock style but it falls flat on its face. The only halfway-tolerable song is “Mississippi,” done with a Pistols touch. The nadir is John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High,” quite possibly one of the lamest songs in musical history and should never be played by ANYONE ever again. And the concluding cover of Neil Young’s “Keep On Rocking In The Free World” is pointless. Killdozer could pull off humorous covers (their “I’m Not Lisa” leaves anything on this album in the dust), Blowfly’s recent punk tribute is a credible novelty album. This just flat-out sucks. (PO Box 33518, Cleveland, OH 44133, http://www.fracturedtransmitter.com/)

WE THE PEOPLE-s/t (Stop Whining, Start Winning, CD)
Chuck from Black SS is the vocalist in this band and it’s different from the straightforward hardcore punk of that band. Well, his bellowing vocals are the same but the music is more of a melodic punk approach but still forceful. In other words, it’s not pop swill. “Outside of Society,” one of the demo tracks on the CD (the CD has both new songs and the songs from the demo) expresses the outsider mentality: “I’m a traitor to my country, I’m a traitor to the state, I’m a traitor to the police, I’m a traitor to this life I hate” while “I Don’t Bleed Red White and Blue” is pretty self-explanatory. (58 Belaire Dr., Horseheads, NY 14845, wethepeople@timetooperate.com)

YOU ME AND THE ATOM BOMB-Shake Up (Household Name, CD)
West coast-influenced melodic hardcore at the nexus of Lifetime and the Descendents. The grit-in-throat vocals aren’t bad yet neutralized to an extent with the harmonies and the whole thing gets too close to emo for my liking. Too damn sweet-sounding. (PO Box 12286, London SW9 6FE, ENGLAND, http://www.householdnamerecords.co.uk/)

Suburban Voice blog #21

PART ONE-WHAT THE FUCK WAS I THINKING? SUBURBAN VOICE—THE LOST YEARS AND WITH AGE COMES WISDOM?

Lost, as in I covered some music that I liked at the time and, when I read my reviews now, I cringe. What the fuck was I thinking? I suppose part of it was I was under the influence of managing an independent record store (Rockit Records in Saugus, MA) where I couldn’t play much abrasive punk and hardcore, at least when the owner was around.. Hell, playing Helmet led to derision from that guy, who played all this wretched folk, blues (not the classic stuff but that overproduced Alligator Records swill) and “world beat” music. He would refer to gruff vocalists as having a “Bluto voice (Popeye’s rival, not the Belushi character),” meant in a derisive fashion. I have to admit that I found one comment about a vocalist humorous. I used to buy promo CDs for the store at a warehouse in Somerville. One day, I was getting some copies of Dinosaur, Jr’s first major label album and one of the co-owners, said that J. Mascis’ vocals sounded like Alfalfa from the Little Rascals and started doing the “ohhhhh...” He had a point. As a completely unrelated side note, I seem to recall hearing that he once flipped out on a plane trip and had to be checked into the McLean mental hospital. This was in the early 90s. Sheesh—these days, they would have shot him or he would have been charged with interfering with a flight or something like that. Like the woman who recently had a panic attack on a flight.

Alt-rock got a lot of play in the store and mainstream “hits” such as U2. I distinctly remember hearing that godawful song “One” and my co-worker going “you don’t think this is a beautiful song?” I politely said to her that I didn’t. These days, I probably would have been a tad more vitriolic—“NO! That song sucks, ass.” Incidentally, this woman was one of two co-workers who ratted me out to the owner, saying how I was unfair, controlling of the stereo, etc. It was partially true but you think they’d talk to me instead of going behind my back and subjecting me to a demeaning meeting with the three of them. Backstabbers and I never trusted any co-worker in any situation after that. The other co-worker bought the store with a partner and unceremoniously laid me off after 8 years there. I did manage to get a bit of revenge but that’s all I’ll say, even if the statute of limitations has run out. Has it? I’m not sure.

So, yeah, that stuff probably had an influence on my writing and show-going. So did going to the shitty New Music Seminar and CMJ. So did getting bored with the slowed-down, heavy nature of the hardcore bands I was seeing at the time. Unfortunately, I didn’t know about the underground DIY scene. I’d get to those types of shows once in awhile—I remember seeing Econochrist, Rorschach and Face Value and 1.6 Band during a few shows at the basement of a church near Harvard Square. I managed to see Born Against and I’m really grateful for that now. Still, there was a LOT of bad hardcore being created at that time and, if there were bands doing the old-school style, I didn’t really know about it. Well, except for Fit For Abuse, whose 7” I appreciate even more these days.

What was I going to see and listening to? Bigger shows and fests because I had access to free tickets, both through the store and my writing. Lollapalooza, for instance—Jane’s Addiction, Hole (ugh), Bad Religion, Green Day and bands of that ilk. Not awful but certainly bands I don’t listen to that much anymore—I won’t listen to much beyond BR’s first album, for instance. Helmet, who have NOT aged well for me, save a few songs here and there, especially “Bad Moon” and “Just Another Victim,” their collaboration with House Of Pain on the Judgment Night” soundtrack. Pearl Jam. Good grief... I did see them before they got signed and liked them. Maybe it was free booze I had just consumed.

Smashing Pumpkins. White Zombie. Quicksand, another band who haven’t aged well at all. Red Hot Chili Peppers. Primus. Alice In Chains. Poster Children. Tad, whose vocalist was one of the biggest jerks I ever interviewed. Pantera, who had a few good songs but you can have the rest now. Therapy. Thee Hypnotics. Manitoba’s Wild Kingdom (even though it included most of the Dictators, their album sucks). Swervedriver. Alcohol Funnycar. Afghan Whigs. Quite a few of the bands on SubPop at the time. Skin Yard. Soundgarden, who I was really into for awhile and can’t listen to at all now. I obsessively collected their records and still have them and they haven’t been pulled off the shelves in years, now. None of these bands have much to offer me anymore. Some are obviously familiar but if there are any on that list you haven’t heard of, you’re not missing a thing. The nadir was Living Colour. I even interviewed them for Suburban Voice. Speaking of condescending assholes—well, I heard Vernon Reid was a nice guy but the two members I talked to were fucking dicks.

As for the huge breakout band, Nirvana, I’m even sick of them. Sacrilege? Maybe it was a case of it being overplayed and I don’t have a desire to listen to them all that much anymore. They did deliver the goods live, though. At least it’s not as lame a reason as a friend clearing out his Nirvana collection after Kurt killed himself. He said he was through with them because “(Kurt) said he didn’t have a gun.” Um... maybe this guy should take things a little less LITERALLY? Sheesh...

I’m not completely ashamed of everything I saw or listened to back then—there are still bands from that time-frame I’ll defend. The much-underrated Didjits, for instance. Those guys were one hell of a garage/punk/rock ‘n roll type band and Rick Sims was a total showman. Way better than Urge Overkill, who PLAYED BEFORE the Didjits, although I was convinced at that time that Urge Overkill were a good band. See what I mean?

Slayer were good through 1991’s “Seasons In The Abyss.” Jesus Lizard, Rocket From the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, Failure (well, their song “Screen Man,” a lumbering drone rocker that really sucks you in) and Pegboy, to name a few off the top of my head. The Cynics were a fun garage band. I got into New Bomb Turks around 1993, based on that famous Tim Yo MRR review, calling it one of the best records of the last five years and I checked it out on that recommendation. Fugazi were a great band, at that point, before descending into weirdness and unevenness. Gaunt made some killer melodic punk. Guzzard and Hammerhead laid out aggressive indy rock that still nails it on occasion. The Cosmic Psychos were inconsistent but some of the buzzy punk is still enjoyable.

On the other hand, I only saw crust ragers Disrupt one time. I didn’t see Dropdead until 2000, although I like their later recordings better. I didn’t see the Pist until 1995, just before they broke up. I didn’t see Los Crudos until ’97, just before they called it a day. There were a few creative, aggressive local hardcore bands such as Hatchetface who I didn’t pay enough attention to. I got to see Poison Idea and Sheer Terror in the early 90s, at least.

From a personal standpoint, what was I thinking having long, stringy hair from late ‘89 to early ’95? When I see pictures from then, it’s embarrassing. I imagine it was a delayed adolescent rebellion, since my parents would give me a hard time if my hair got too long. Maybe it was the grunge thing. In any case, I recently saw a couple of pictures from 1995, one at my 35th birthday party, wearing a hideous green Champion sweatshirt and one around summertime, after having gotten a haircut, holding my baby nephew Josh. I still had on a somewhat hideous green jersey but I looked a LOT better. The photos from my sister’s 1993 wedding where I was in a tux with that fucking hair should be burned.

A few things put me back on the “right track.” The first was my brief foray into record store ownership with the former drummer for Boston. I’m not rehashing the story here because it was a nightmare. One good thing, though, was getting to rediscover my record collection and starting to listen to a lot of punk and hardcore again, although I was still seeing a lot of mainstream swill. The second was seeing some hot punk bands, some of whom were old warhorses but some were newer—the Adicts, Varukers, Citizen Fish, Chaos UK and the Swingin’ Utters. The new crop of local punk bands—early Dropkicks, Unseen, The Trouble, Showcase Showdown and the scene around the Rat got me back into it, along with out-of-towners Anti-Flag and Violent Society. I’ve since moved on from those bands, although Showcase still provide a treat, as do the Trouble and VS are good in small doses. The Pist still rule.

I also embraced some of the youth crew hardcore bands ca. ’97 but I’m not into those bands anymore, either, since it seemed to be an extension of the late 80s sXe snottiness that left a bad taste. The real turning point in ’97 was seeing 9 Shocks Terror for the first time. I didn’t even know who they were but thought the bass-player looked familiar. It was Mr. Tony Erba, of course, and they blew my fucking head off by the time they were one song into their set. In recent years, my passion has been back-to-basics DIY hardcore punk and, after weeding out the crap for the jewels, this decade has been pretty damned good for that kind of music. I should also say that I think the bands I like now completely blow away much of what I even liked back then. There are exceptions, of course.

It’s funny—I look back on all of my time involved in the various “scenes” (none of which I’ve ever completely aligned myself with) with a combination of pleasant nostalgia, mainly in the early 80s, and also thinking about how naïve, foolish, contradictory, etc. that I’ve been. Shit, I even think I sounded foolish in an interview I did in ’01 for Left Of The Dial zine. I’m not even sure I want to be interviewed anymore but that doesn’t mean I won’t (in case anyone is interested). I think I may finally be getting a perspective on things although who’s to say that when I look back on this column in 3 or 4 years, I won’t feel like an idiot again.

We shall see... life is an ongoing process, of course.

PART TWO—REVIEWS

GG ALLIN AND ANTISEEN-Murder Junkies (TKO, CD)
A perfect match, I suppose, and a little better than expected. I haven’t listened to the original release in years. I haven’t listened to GG much in years, either. I got tired of his cult and his calculated outrageousness. Still, Antiseen’s buzzburn and GG’s anti-socialness (?) work fairly well together, particularly for the aggro of “99 Stab Wounds” and “Sister Sodomy.” The stretched-out pain of “I Hate People” and “My Prison Walls” are less-enticing.. GG’s decomposition was well-underway and he was about two years away from his not-unexpected death. As I’ve said in the past, it was like watching a train wreck—some like it, some don’t. (8941 Atlanta Ave., Suite 505, Huntington Beach, CA 92646, www.tkorecords.com)

BLOWFLY-Blowfly’s Punk Rock Party (Alternative Tentacles, CD)
There’s this guy Chris that I know and, one time, we were watching a Halloween set by a local band, the A-Team, who became the AIDS-Team and members dressed like Freddie Mercury, Magic Johnson, etc. Tasteless and Chris said to me “this is so wrong but it’s so funny.” That’s my take on Blowfly’s new album. Definitely not PC and some people are going to take it the wrong way. Still, it has the Jello seal-of-approval. Tributes/parodies of not just punk songs, but other styles done with, uh, a sexual bent (sorry). So Iggy’s “I Wanna Be Your Dog” becomes “I Wanna Fuck Your Dog”; Devo’s “Whip It” is now “Suck It”; Black Flag’s “TV Party” is “VD Party.” The show-stopper is “I Wanna Be Fellated,” set to a certain Ramones song and, the first time I heard it, I had one of those moments where I couldn’t stop laughing to the point that I was doubled-over. He also takes a stab at (sorry again) at “Love Train” with “Suck and Fuck Train”). Jello himself appears on both versions of “R. Kelly In Cambodia,” one done funk style and the other punk and dealing with his alleged pedophilia. I think I’ll stop now before I really get into trouble. A novelty record that’s worthwhile, for once. What’s more amazing is the inclusion of “all-ages radio edits” that are only a bit cleaned up—I mean, “I Wanna Be Fellated” for an all-ages audience? Priceless... (PO Box 419092, SF, CA 94141, www.alternativetentacles.com)

CYNESS-Our Funeral Oration For The Human Race (Sound Pollution, CD)
Thrash/metal/grind, played tightly and intensely, with an older Earache records influence. Lyrics are in their native German and take on the usual political and sociological targets but there are a few surprises. “Children Of No Revolution” states that punks shouldn’t have kids: “Whatever happened to NO FUTURE?” After having to deal with what my dear departed friend Jane would refer to as “demon spawn” at the local grocery store, I’m pumping my fist and going RIGHT ON! In any case, the grindier elements don’t do much for this element but there’s no denying the heaviness and power of some of these songs. So it’s a mixed verdict for me—I really wish there was less grind and more thrash. (PO Box 17742, Covington, KY 41017, www.sound-pollution.com)


FORCED MARCH-Take Immediate Action (self-released, CD)
Crust ‘n thrash that probably would have been helped by better production and maybe some improvement in the drumming. I could see this band being good in the live setting and they’re on the right track. They do know how to turn a phrase, such as with “The Minutemen Write Protest Songs,” about the nazi thugs “protecting” the Mexican border. Time will tell if they evolve any more. (2619 NE 6th Pl., Portland, OR 97212, www.myspace.com/forcedxmarch)

MIND OF ASIAN-Chinmoku No Kiri No Naka (Sound Pollution, CD)
A quickie from the Japanese all-woman band Mind Of Asian, mainly fast blastcore but there are a few songs here that are played at a more reasonable pace and makes me think that if they pursued that route, it’d be pretty amazing. Yasu has a sick set of pipes, as well. Wish I liked this more because there are some killer elements. (PO Box 17742, Covington, KY 41017, www.sound-pollution.com)

REPOS-Hearts and Heads Explode (Youth Attack, LP)
LP? More like a 12” EP. Only 11 minutes of scorch but who cares? This motherfucker shreds. Second 12” release, along with a split with Fourteen or Fight and this may be the last one. They were a live monster in Chicago when I saw them at the 2005 fest out there. Not even a ten minute set and they were done. Aaron’s voice is very similar to Bob to Infest—in other words, he has a head-bitin’ lower register growl, enunciating the end of the words and there is literally no space between songs. All hard and fast, except for the concluding slowed-down howl-session of “Totenstille.” Only 700 copies so good luck. (distr. by Ebullition, www.ihateyouthattack.com)

RIFU-Bombs For Food, Mines For Freedom (Go-Kart, CD)
Part Tragedy-ish/Swedish hardcore crust, and screamier/melodic influences with some Refused thrown in. The first part of the equation is always preferable to this listener. They really lose me with the harmonizing for “Laugh Ourselves To Death.” In any case, these songs are boiling over with passion and agitation at the world today, in case you couldn’t figure that out from the album’s title. OK but not much more than that. (PO Box 20, Prince Street Station, NY, NY 10012, www.gokartrecords.com)

SLAYER-Christ Illusion (American, CD)
The last Slayer album, “God Hates Us All,” was supposed to come out on 9/11/01, a cruel irony and the original bloody bible artwork was covered over, given the circumstances. Five years later, Slayer return, back to form. Well, almost—I mean, they will NEVER top “Reign In Blood” and that album had, dare I say it, catchy songs. Here, it’s the adrenalin and power one notices, as always, and it’ll probably take a little time for all the songs to sink in. Still, I’m really glad that Slayer still have the bile in ‘em. I’d argue this is the best Slayer album since “Seasons In The Abyss” and that’s due in no small amount to the return of Dave Lombardo, the best fuckin’ thrash metal drummer ever. Blazing out of the starting gate with the one-two blast of “Flesh Storm” and “Catalyst,” one of the strongest songs on the album. A few twists and turns—the ominous “Eyes Of The Insane,” which, with its tribal rhythm has a Killing Joke vibe during the verses and comments on how the military activities of recent years drive soldiers over the edge of sanity. That’s nothing new, unfortunately. As you’d probably imagine from the title, these guys aren’t exactly bible-toters and “Cult” states, loud and clear, “Religion is hate/religion is fear/religion is war/religion is rape/religion’s obscene/religion’s a whore.” Yeah, I’d say that sums it up. “Jihad” deals with the 9/11 tragedy but through the eyes of the attacker instead of the victim and, as with “Cult,” the protagonist exudes “This is god’s war... fucking holy war.” Indeed. And this is a metallic war that provides a cathartic release when it’s most needed.

STRUNG UP/DIRECT CONTROL-Split (Tankcrimes/No Way, LP)
A damn good pairing for touring partners. Strung Up, in particular, slam out some of their best songs to date. That angry Bay Area hardcore punk sound. “Legal Dope” is a musical nod to the classic SoCal style, re Adolescents. While the words touch on government and mind control, it’s given a personal twist and other songs deal with a lot of personal demons. Direct Control also give attention to both military aggression and more personal concerns (“ADD,” “Kill Me”). Meanwhile, the final song “Give It Back” is a pointed commentary on a certain “business” relationship gone sour and I think I’ll leave it at that. Revved-up, go-for-broke hardcore, as always. (PO Box 3495, Oakland, CA 94609, www.tankcrimes.com or www.nowayrecords.com)

VARIOUS-The Funhouse Comp Thing (MyFatAss Productions, CD)
Well-above average comp of mainly garage-type bands, along with a few traditional punk stylists and centered around a Seattle club called the Funhouse. No wimpy shit. I’d heard of a handful of these bands before—the Pulses, Earaches, Gas Huffer (how long have they been around now?), Fall-Outs, The Sermon, Girl Trouble and I’ve heard the Blank-Its rockin’ album since getting this disc. If you like primal sounds, this is the ticket and there’s a variety here, from the rawness of the Primate 5, Ape City R&B to the(e) Headcoats-inspired Armitage Shanks to the nervier, almost new-wavish Cripples. I can’t possibly review all 32 songs but, listening through, there were only one or two songs I felt the urge to skip past. That’s the sign of a winner. Compiled from unreleased songs, alternate takes and vinyl-only releases. (206 5th Ave N., Seattle, WA 98109, www.thefunhouseseattle.com)

Suburban Voice blog #20

And another DIY space bites the dust, at least for now. Goddamn it’s been a shitty summer with all the spaces getting shut down completely or temporarily (in the case of Regeneration Records, it’s over two months since the last show there). I’m sick and fucking tired of this situation.

The Cuntree Club, a basement space in Brookline, got shut down during a show on August 27. We The People, a band with Chuck from Black SS, were playing when the cops showed up and they only got through about 4-5 songs. The women in the house faced the same problem with cops and other authorities a few months back. They spent a lot of time cleaning up the inside and outside, by order of the housing inspector and had recently started doing shows again. Brookline has a reputation for being a bastion of liberalism but it’s a lot like the so-called liberal oasis Cambridge, a city having a reputation for hostility towards all-ages spaces/shows. The Lily Pad, an arts space in Inman Square, had just started doing some rock/punk/hardcore shows and were quickly shut down due to one person’s noise complaints—well, the electric shows were. Interestingly, one of this guy’s complaints came on a night where there wasn’t a show going on. Hmmm... In any case, last I heard, the Lily Pad are trying to work something out with the city. I recently wrote about this situation in a Myspace blog and called it “limousine liberalism,” where people speak out against sexism at Harvard, world hunger, warfare, etc... but then take a completely negative attitude towards shows in alternative environments that—HORROR!—may attract younger folks. God forbid they stand outside in front of the venue.

In any case, once again, the scramble starts for new venues, spaces, etc... there’s always ebb and flow and I’m sure new spaces will become available, then they’ll get shut down and the process will start again. Same as it’s always been.

By the way, Fruit Salad got to play their whole set, prior to We The People’s, and have turned into a killer band—or maybe I never noticed it before. In any case, a mix of spastic thrash and slower, heavier sounds in the new material. Oh, by the way, at the show, I also dropped and broke my camera. Not a great night, except for having dinner at Grasshopper (a vegan Chinese restaurant) with We The People, their friends and one of my friends. I seem to have misfiled the photos I had of Fruit Salad, so I’ve included one from After The Bombs, who played a sick, wall-shaking set at the CC in late April:

MUSIC REVIEWS:

ANGEL CITY OUTCASTS-Deadrose Junction (Sailor’s Grave, CD)
I’d much rather be listening to the Aussie band Angel City (well, their early records) than this overbaked RAWK. The Outcasts play hard G’N’R inspired stuff, along with a lot of rootsy and country elements melded into punk. It’s done with bravado, confidence, et al but the end result is overbearing, especially in the vocal department. I like high-voltage rock but never could stand the whole ‘heartland’ type of thing. (PO Box 6785, Toldeo, OH 43612, http://www.sailorsgraverecords.com/)

THE DISGRACE-The Original Unreleased 1979 Album (Welfare, CD)
The Disgrace were a NYC city that included Steve Wishnia, later in False Prophets and vocalist Butch Lust, who was later in the Hypocrites. The story is they never had an “official” release back then, having broken up soon after recording these 8 songs. A little offkey vocally, a little out of tune at times but a Killed By Death score, nonetheless. The Disgrace get by on sheer attitude and snottiness, especially for the leadoff song “Not With You” and “Closet Punk.” I’d imagine that by ’79, things had turned increasingly artsy-fartsy or watered-down in NYC and these miscreants still forged ahead with their spirited noise. One minor quibble—I wish there had been some liner notes telling the story—I had to get the info from Mike from Welfare Records. (58 River St., Haverhill, MA 01832, www.welfarerecords.net)

FIRST STEP-What We Know (Rivalry, CD)
The Go-Go’s had the beat. The First Step have the edge. Sweeping hardcore of the newer youth crew style, succinct and forthright in its opinion, positive in its approach. Stephen St. Germain barks out the vocals with the urgency of the true believer. Truth be told, the lyrics are almost a bit corny but I have little doubt they’re sincere. The title track gets away from the pure speed for a mid-tempo pound it’s the standout here. Waltah, uh Walter (sorry, I was reverting to my Mass. accent) from YOT, Gorilla Biscuits, et al produces, to give it that old school seal of approval. Have to admit these songs are catchy. (PO Box 5242, Concord, CA 94524, http://www.rivalryrecords.com/)

FISH KARMA-The Theory Of Intelligent Design (Alternative Tentacles, CD)
A wide-ranging musical trip alternating mainly between hard, metallic rock and folky acoustic music. Fish Karma (aka Terry Owen) —it’s a guy, not a band—has been doing this type of thing for over two decades. He skewers religion, corporations, Ronnie James Dio, New Jersey and other targets, not necessarily in that order. Definitely for acquired tastes—not always for my taste, either--yet Mr. Karma’s brand of humor-meets-music has a certain warped charm. (PO Box 419092, SF, CA 94141-9092, http://www.alternativetentacles.com/)

MORNING RIOT-s/t (self-released, CD)
These guys keep going back and forth between semi-rockin’ songs and sensitive ballads, with croon-style vocals, although Tony All does let out a bit of a yell here and there and “Numbers” fuzzes it up a tad. I say semi-rockin’ to be generous. This is tepid rather that something that comes out and attacks, that gets up in your face. Poppy bar rock, essentially. Where’s the riot? (http://www.themorningriot.com/)

NAZI DOGS-Chase The Man (TKO, CD)
A band from Germany playing not-so-bad punk meets garage that’s hindered by one thing—weak vocals. Unfortunately, that’s a pretty important element, since it’s obviously the focal point. A shame because I like this band’s gritty Detroit-inspired approach. I also (kind of) got a kick out of the front cover manipulation with Bush and Hitler riding choppers although I’m sure some may take offense to it. Covers of the Pagans’ “What’s This Shit Called Love” and Devo’s “Mongoloid” are serviceable if not extraordinary. Wish this was a better complete package. (8941 Atlanta Ave., #505, Huntington Beach, CA 92646, http://www.tkorecords.com/)

NARDWUAR THE HUMAN SERVIETTE VS. BEV DAVIES-A 2007 Punk Rock Calendar (Mint, calendar!)
Here’s a first—a calendar sent for review. Nardwuar, one of the more unique interviewers on the planet. His work appears in Razorcake ‘zine and on his own site http://www.nardwuar.com/). Here he reminisces with photographer Bev Davies, who contributes striking vintage photos of such bands as Gang Of Four, Pointed Sticks, Clash, Ramones, DOA (a photo that appeared on the back of “Hardcore ‘81” and others Even a picture of G’N’R’s Duff McKagan in his punk days, playing with the Fastbacks. Half of them are live, half are “photo shoot” type pictures, although they have a candid quality, such as Gang Of Four clowning around, which belies their assumed seriousness. They talk about the artists and the stories behind them. There’s also an extensive interview with more photos. So it’s more than just a calendar but also a document. I usually hang wall calendars in my bedroom/record room and office and that means I only have to get one more for next year. Good job. (PO Box 3613, Vancouver BC, CANADA V6B 3Y6, http://www.mintrecs.com/)

PISSCHRIST-Nothing Has Changed (Yellow Dog, CD)
Nope it hasn’t—not in the world today and not with modern-day Swedish-style hardcore, as played by this Australian band. I’m grateful for the latter, at least. Pisschrist feature the rampaging tempos, set-on-burn guitars and low-register howlings associated with the sound. And with such titles as “The River Runs Red,” “Mass Genocide Machine” and “Fuck The World,” there’s no chance of missing their point. They’ve got me hooked. (PO Box 550209, 10372 Berlin, GERMANY, http://www.yellowdog.de/)

RED THREAD (tape)
I always get this band’s name wrong—thought it was Red Threat and, actually, it works better since they’re certainly make a threatening sound. Three-quarters of the short-lived band 40 Watts (who put out a good demo and broke up almost immediately after), with a different guitar player. Garage/punk/riot grrrl—if that’s still an appropriate term. Forceful words, from the anti-tampon message of “Blood Song” to protecting oneself from unprotected sex to the topical “Bowery,” about the grad student from Massachusetts, Imette St. Guillen, who was raped and murdered in New York City, her body dumped away from the crime scene. That was a perfect example of some in the mainstream media “blaming the victim,” saying that she brought it on herself for being out alone at 4 AM. Red Thread’s answer is self-defense and not living in fear. Jen lets out some nasty screams along with her singing and the band plays with grittiness—and that’s meant in a positive way. (punxisladies@gmail.com)

TO HELL AND BACK (Black Matter, CD)
To Hell and Back’s first album shows off their hard-rock/boogie chops. Pretty straight-ahead, not having the obvious tongue-in-cheek ambiance of, say, Turbonegro but also standing up on its own merits. “Backline Fever” has an obvious nod to Motörhead, both in title and spirit. Some fired-up songs, especially “Dumbstruck,” while others tend to be on the plodding side. It’s about half and half. It all depends on how much “rawk” you want in (sorry for the upcoming phrase) your musical diet. (PO Box 666, Troy, NY 12181, http://www.blackmatterrecords.com/)

Suburban Voice blog #19

I haven’t been to any live shows in the past week, so here’s a good place to post some recent live photos, along with the record reviews. Clockwise from top left, it's Todd from Severed Head Of State, Gary from the Dicks, Kasper from No Hope For The Kids and Kenny from Government Warning...

CARDIAC ARREST-Life’s A Dead End (Grave Mistake/No Way, 7” EP)
Another rip-roarin’ dose of hardcore from St. Louis band Cardiac Mistake. Rob’s Choke-inspired rant is at the fore and, as always, the band’s basic, fast hardcore connects dead-on. “End Of The Line” starts with the line “Everyday I fight the urge to put a knife in your face/gonna snap, I’m gonna snap.” That’s why hardcore is such good therapy for all of us—what better way to get that shit out of your system. Cardiac Arrest haven’t disappointed yet. (http://www.gravemistakerecords.com/ or www.nowayrecords.com)

CIRIL-Pink Cave/Metal Postcard (Vinyl Dog, 7”)
One song on each side. Dark-hued punk not showing as much of the obvious Peni inspiration, either vocally or musically, as in the past. Also easing up on the speed. “Pink Cave” is carried along by prominent bass/drums and snaky guitar. The flip is a Siouxsie cover—not the song I would have selected and it’s not particularly well done. Middling. (8941 Atlanta Ave., #505, Huntington Beach, CA 92646, http://www.vinyldogrecords.com/)

THE DRAWBACK-The Brain Of The Operation (self-released, 7” EP)
Kind of a disgusting drawing on the cover, playing on the surgical theme of the title track. The main riff from that song is very similar to Discharge’s “Protest and Survive.” A street-punk/UK inspired sound, with “Dead Streets” taking a faster turn. The vocals are kind of weak and the sound clunky, at times. Let’s just say it needs work. (thedrawbackband@yahoo.com)

GUNNAR HANSEN-Village Idiot (Audiofellatio, 7” EP)
Does the teenybopper duo Hansen even exist anymore? The thought of what’s left of their fanbase thinking this is a solo effort, buying it, putting on the turntable and having their precious heads explode is an appealing image. This record is an ass-kicker. From Hamilton, ON and a ruckus of rock ‘n roll inspired hardcore punk. Two fast ones, two at a more medium speed. The opening bass-line for “You’re Alone” casts a 4-Skins “I Don’t Wanna Die” influence. Whatever the vocalist’s name is, he has a bite-off-‘yer head cadence somewhere between Eric Ozenne from the Nerve Agents and John Joseph. They sound mean. They rock hard. That’s all you need to know. (251 West Ave N., Hamilton, ON L8L 5C8, CANADA, http://www.audiofellatio.com/)

THE JOHNS-In Tune (Anko, 7” EP)
The cover lists all the bands these guys have played in—Die Hunns, Grabbers (including their vocalist Tommy), Crowd, ADZ and more—so it’s safe to say the guys in The Johns (a different Johns from the Maryland post-punk band) have been around a bit. Struttin’ punky rock ‘n roll played with bravado and confidence. The a-side is the best of the three and I wouldn’t mind checking out more from this band at some point. (PO Box 1799, Costa Mesa, CA 92628, http://www.ankorecords.com/)

MARKED MEN-Fix My Brain (Swami, CD)
Another enjoyable power pop hookfest from the Marked Men, on their third album, starting with the opening chords of “A Little Time.” My first impression was it wasn’t as punchy as the other two records but I was completely off-base. Sharp, jolting and tuneful. A winning brashness. I keep going back to the aching “Sully My Name,” with the “whoos” sealing the deal. The Marked Men also released a two song 7” on their own Shit Sandwich label and it has a little more edge but these songs, even with the sweetness, still cut to the quick. (PO Box 620428, San Diego, CA 92162, http://www.swamirecords.com/)

NIPPLES-Weekend Toys (Basement, CD)
Melodic hardcore and punk with a snot-noise/high register vocalist and it gets grating after awhile. They stick to a largely thrashy formula, along with the occasional punkier song such as “All That Pink,” which is the most-memorable. The thing about the thrash is it’s happy-sounding and I prefer more burn and anger in fast hardcore. I have to admit the “thanks” to “Tom from MySpace for a generation down the drain” but the songs here mainly go by without leaving much in the way of impact. Not to be confused with the early UK punk band that included Shane MacGowan. (PO Box 511, La Habre, CA 90633-0511, http://www.basementrecords.net)

PERE UBU-Why I Hate Women (Smog Veil, CD)
Pere Ubu’s recordings have always been on the spotty side for such a legendary band. At their best, which was in the 70s, though, there were some incredible moments that sound as good some 30 or so years later—“Non-Alignment Pact,” “The Modern Dance,” “Heart of Darkness,” “Streetwaves” and, notably, “Final Solution.” My Pere Ubu listening is mainly restricted to the first album and the “Terminal Tower” anthology. I try to keep an open mind when hearing new recordings by older artists. Some bands—Motörhead, for instance—are able to make exciting music. Others—the New York Dolls—shouldn’t have bothered trying (a friend of mine would disagree with me, although he liked Buster Poindexter, so that disqualifies his opinion). So let’s get to the album. Quirky, artsy rock with similar synth “washes” as in their embryonic days and David Thomas’ oddball vocals continue to cut against the grain. In fact, the synth is fairly dominant, although the guitars cut through on occasion, particularly “Caroleen,” by far the most straight-forward rocker here. Sporadically interesting, sometimes involving elements of the “vintage” era but still highly uneven. (1658 N. Milwaukee Ave., #284, Chicago, IL 60647, http://www.smogveil.com/)

REZUREX-Beyond The Grave (Fiendforce, CD)
As I look at the CD cover and contemplate the musical contents, there is one unrelated question to ask—how the hell do two of those guys manage to get those mohawks to stand up? Pomade? I’d say that would be it. Anyway, the term for this music is psychobilly and they have horror-oriented themes. It’s not all that psychotic but, rather, sounding fairly controlled. Pleasant vocals, solid playing with twangy guitar, drums and standup bass as Rezurex touch on 50s-era sounds with a semi-punky twist. I’m not into this genre and, even if I was, I wish it had a nastier edge to it. (http://www.fiendforce.com/)

STABBED IN BACK-s/t (Basement, CD-EP)
When hearing the ranty vocals and peppy, tuneful hardcore on here, I wondered if it was the vocalist for Swindle because Kendal, this band’s voice, sounds quite a bit like him and the band also have some similarities. Fast paced and punctuated by vocal whooahs to sweeten it a bit. Standard west coast punk, none-too-memorable. The violin at the conclusion of “When Laughter Turns To Screams” doesn’t help, either. (PO Box 511, La Habre, CA 90633-0511, http://www.basementrecords.net)

TODAY’S OVERDOSE-s/t (Profane Existence/Wasted Sounds, 7” EP)
This band includes all the members of Wolfbrigade except the bass-player. When Dan from Profane handed me a copy of this EP, he mentioned they had a Poison Idea influence and that’s accurate, merged with a crusty edge. “Insomnia” deviates a bit with a rock ‘n roll feel, with some speedy segments for good measure. The best song on here and they’re off to a hell of a start. (PO Box 8722, Minneapolis, MN, http://www.profaneexistence.com/)

TOXIC HOLOCAUST-Reaper’s Grave (Gloom, 5”)
Amazingly, I was able to get this to play on my regular turntable because, sometimes, the tonearm will return before playing a note. Anyway, this two song disc on blood-red vinyl features the typically raw death/speed metal sounds and cheery subject matter that come from Joel’s mind. Only 500 of these fuckers and mine is number 4. Must be some kind of karma because, when I played sports, I wore #4 in honor of the Bruins’ Bobby Orr. It says on the Gloom webpage that the vocals were recorded in his car in an Applebees parking lot. If that’s true, it must have been after dinner and Joel was probably attempting to purge some of those godawful riblets. (PO Box 14253, Albany, NY 12212, http://www.gloomrecords.com/)

VÖETSEK-A Match Made In Hell (Six Weeks, CD)
Collections of singles, splits etcetera etcetera. Thrash, thrash and more thrash, along with some metal/crossover influences, such as Napalm Death. Eruptive yet I sometimes think this band would benefit from having their songs be a little more structured and a bit longer. That does happen on occasion—“White Ain’t Right” is a perfect example. It seems like speed for speed’s sake and Ami sounds as though she’s having difficulty getting all the words in. Tight as hell, though. How do they remember all those songs?! (225 Lincoln Ave, Cotati, CA 94931, http://www.sixweeksrecords.com/)

WITCH HUNT-Blood-Red States (Profane Existence, LP)
A lineup shift as Witch Hunt beef up their sound with Rob moving from drums to guitar and the addition of a new drummer. Rob also has an increased amount of vocal duties. A peace punk band and I’m not just saying that because of the peace symbols on the fold-out sleeve and record label. It’s a stylistic influence, both in terms of the lyrical matter and sound. Raging, impassioned music with a combination of speed and melody. “War Coma” brings Crucifix to mind. The title track draws together the war in Iraq and the indifference towards the victims of Hurricane Katrina as part of the current administration’s pure evilness. Witch Hunt really come into their own here. By the way, that aforementioned sleeve, a drawing by Rob that pictures a dead man sprawled across the blood red states, is an appropriate visual accompaniment. (PO Box 8722, Minneapolis, MN 55408, http://www.profaneexistence.com/)

Suburban Voice blog #18

THE RETURN OF THE NEW BOMB TURKS

A temporary return. The Turks have played sporadically since their split in 2002 and, as of now, only have two scheduled shows—one is in Cleveland, opening for Radio Birdman, on Sept. 5 and the other was at the tiny Abby Lounge in Somerville. The occasion was the record release party for their pals, the Spitzz (who played a solid set of their own—they’ve definitely grown as a live band). The show was sold out before it began and I’m very grateful that Ellen and I were able to score a pair of tickets at the last minute.

If you’ve never heard of the Turks, where have you been? OK, crash course. One of the bright spots of the 90s, both on record and, especially, live. A careening combination of punk, garage and rock ‘n roll. That may be commonplace but these guys took it to the next level. I’m using clichés there but it’s the motherfucking truth. Wild, unhinged, loud and a whole lotta fun. Four years since I last saw them and it’s as though no time has passed. Eric Davidson remains an obnoxious frontman and that’s meant as a compliment. Let’s put it this way—if you’re in the front row, expect to be fucked with. He’ll put on your glasses, muss your hair, sing right into your face, put his hand in front of your camera (I still managed to get some good photos, including the one above, so there) and the band lay out a loud, buzzing attack. The bass was a little higher in the mix than I would have liked since Jim Weber’s snarling guitar is a featured attraction but only the tight-assed and humorless wouldn’t enjoy this. A sweaty throng jumping around and singing along and I have to give kudos to the guy who got through the entire set wearing a leather jacket and didn’t keel over. I have to say I find the garage punk audience a little annoying—kind of a snot factor and miserable taste in beer. I mean, people still drink Schlitz, for fuck’s sake? Spend an extra buck or two and get some REAL beer.

The kind of show you leave drained and drenched with sweat. We had to get outside and missed the second encore—I had no idea they did one until the following morning—damn! Still, the likes of the hopped-up “Born Toulouse-Lautrec,” “Professional Againster” and “Tattooed Apathetic Boys,” the latter of which has a breakdown that rivals any hardcore band, still do the trick. It’s a pity that many people were turned away—the Abbey is definitely the right venue for this show but it still sucks for those shut out.

PS—there were some references to the Red Sox’ ineptitude and the guy next to me says, in a smarmy voice, “yeah, let’s get into punk so we can talk about sports.” Go fuck yourself—I can picture you at home, jacking off with one hand while holding an old, obscure punk record in the other. Actually, that’s an image I’d rather not contemplate. And to the person who yelled “fuck Boston!”: don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out, as you head down to your new hipster home in Williamsburg...

MUSIC REVIEWS (both recent arrivals and from the review pile):

ATTENTAT SONORE-Barricades (Guerilla Vinyl, 7” EP)
Pretty straight-forward up-the-punks style music with male/female vocals. Energetic, mainly speedy delivery and done with enthusiasm but fairly typical-sounding, to be honest. It has heart (or, as we say in Mass., HAAAHT) at least. (B.P. 135, 87004 Limoges Cedex 1, FRANCE, www.attentatsonore.com)

CALIFORNIA LOVE-Can’t Waste Death (self-released)
Ain’t no love here, just a blur. Double-speed thrash/grind/hardcore with gutteral throat-kill vocals and jackhammer riffing. For all the explosive properties here, they forgot the songs and it blows by in tuneless fashion. A side project with a few people from Look Back and Laugh and I’ll stick with the latter. (PO Box 3103, San Francisco, CA 94703, www.lookbackandlaugh.net)

EVIL ARMY-s/t (Get Revenge, CD)
Rob Evil sounds similar to Colin from GBH and this band are on a thrash/speed metal bender. The approach is crank ‘er up and let it rip, while the lyrical themes trade in death and destruction, as you would probably figure. Roughness in the production, some roughness in the playing but there’s something appealing about their full-on sound. Pure hell-raising, in more ways than one. (PO Box 27071, Knoxville, TN 37927, www.getrevengerecords.com)

MEASURE [SA]-Historical Fiction (Salinas/Don Giovanni, LP)
Lightweight, folksy indy pop, even with the electric instrumentation. I wouldn’t even add punk to the equation here, although some may beg to differ. It’s more country-inflected, in terms of song structure. Heartfelt, competently played and all that but these types of bands make me want to put on a punk or hardcore record and blast this sweetness away. (PO Box 166, Somerville, NJ 08879, www.likeanomen.com/dg)

MODERN LIFE IS WAR-Witness (Lifeline, LP/Deathwish, CD)
MLIW sound as though they’re carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. You can feel it in Jeff’s angst-filled howlings and the heavy, sometimes swirling, screamo-inclined songs. I don’t know—at one point, I found this kind of pour-it-out core appealing and they weren’t a bad live band when I saw them around ’03 but, these days, this sound is tiresome. That may seem odd, given the band’s volume and heaviness but I prefer my catharsis with something a bit more upbeat or with more velocity. The personalized lyrics from “John and Jimmy,” about a neighbor returning from war, do touch the heart, though. (www.lifelinerecords.com or www.deathwishinc.com)

PANIC-Strength In Solitude (Bridge Nine, LP/CD)
Anthology of this band’s ‘01/02 output—two EP’s and, on the CD, their demo. A few years after the Trouble (and the short-lived Harmony Set), Gibby Miller ended up fronting this band. Blazing hardcore with the speed/breakdown balance, though mainly opting for the former. Gibby’s vocals have murderousness in the cadence. The cover of Unbroken’s “Fall On Proverb,” while adding some chug, has the same dark-hued fray as the rest of the material. Hard to believe that, in the middle of this soul-rending, “Our Choice Is Made” takes a posi turn, lyrically. Even with the modern hardcore trappings, there was a little more danger in their approach. (PO Box 990029, Boston, MA 02199, www.bridge9.com)

SPITZZ-Touché Pussycats (Tario, CD)
For all the heavy rep Boston has as a garage rock-friendly town, there have only been a few bands that really live up to it and the Spitzz have emerged as one of those bands. They follow the simple is better method, drawing on various punk, rock and garage influences, unafraid to borrow on occasion—such as the “Nervous Breakdown” cop for “Channel One.” “Touché Pussycat” is the band’s second album and continues the level of quality from their debut, “Sick Savage and Sensual.” Confident and fired-up. (53 Beacon St., #3, Somerville, MA 02143, www.spitzz.com)

Suburban Voice blog #17

A new blog in about a week. How about that! Hopefully, I can keep up the pace a bit. I’m making an honest attempt to dig out from under the deluge of CD’s, LPs and 7”s. Some of the time, it’s a fruitless task because, let’s face it, much of what comes through my PO box is mediocre at best. Still, there are always gems in the pile and I’m not above actually buying some of the records you see reviewed here. One thing that sucks is I haven’t been able to upload pictures to this blog. But I figured I’d better get this published...

CHAOS AT THE POINTLESS FEST
It was time for my fourth annual mid-August visit to Philly for the Pointless Fest, that’s been happening the last several years at the Unitarian Church. This year’s lineup didn’t seem to be quite as strong, at first glance, yet having a chance to see No Hope For The Kids, from Denmark, plus a rare east coast appearance from Severed Head Of State and World Burns to Death was too good to pass up. I decided to depart on Friday, missing the Thursday show with Hellshock, NHFTK, Witch Hunt and others but, in all honesty, four days would have been too much. Besides, my cousin Andrew, who I usually stay with, was going to be out of town and I had to get a hotel room about half an hour west of Philly. That’s because it’s less expensive and I refuse to stay at one of those shit-ass motels in New Jersey.

The drive down wasn’t too bad, as I only hit a few traffic snarls. The hotel, in Wayne, PA, was easy to find and nice. Internet access, a pool and whirlpool across the hall—what more could I want? Not to sound like a snob but, at this point in my life, I really can’t sleep on floors. My arm goes numb, for one thing. Yeah, getting older. What can I say?

The drive into Philly for the first show kind of sucked ass but I did find a parking space close by, around the corner, without even having to circle the area one time. The “parking gods” were with me the entire weekend, in fact.

I managed to get to the church in time to see the Pissed Jeans—basically, the members of hardcore band Gate Crashers doing noisier, crazed-out rock. The vocalist had a total David Yow vibe and they had a thudding sound along the lines of those I used to listen too quite a bit in the early 90s. I hadn’t been blown away by their recordings before but seeing them live made me “get it.” They were followed by Government Warning, from Richmond and a last-minute replacement for Direct Control, with whom they share two members. Completely ripping hardcore punk. I got tired just watching Kenny charge back and forth across the stage, jamming the mike into the faces gathered along the front. They ended with a Vile (!) and Adolescents’ cover.

So after that back-to-back pillage, I went upstairs to record shop since World/Inferno Friendship Society were coming on and I wasn’t interested in their klezmer/ska/R&B/whatthefuck revue. It was a perfect time to hit the distros.

Let’s backtrack a bit. Before leaving for the fest, I’d heard about problems the night before with so-called “traveler punks” hanging round outside and causing problems. So much, in fact, that the fest almost got shut down. I wondered if I should even make the trip. For the Friday night show, the promoters hired FSU to do security—basically policing the area outside the venue to make sure people weren’t drinking. Things went fine for awhile until shit went down around the time W/IFS were playing. I didn’t even know about it until a fellow Bostonian told me about all the cop cars and helicopter that had shown up due to a melee in the alley near the venue involving punks, FSU and the cops. I didn’t see what happened and there have been several accounts. I’m going to provide a few and you can reach your own conclusions. Here’s the “official” statement from the promoter, Sean of R5 Productions, along with comments: http://www.r5productions.com/2006/08/pointless-fest-cancelation-refund.html#comments and that includes links to reports on Philly Indymedia, including a closeup of a young woman attacked by the cops. There’s also a news report from the Philly Metro: http://philly.metro.us/metro/local/article/Cops_punks_battle/3941.html.

Whatever happened, the end result was the fest was canceled for Saturday and Sunday. Bands who had traveled from overseas and around the country were screwed. So were people who had traveled to the show TO ATTEND, not hang outside and act like fucking morons. Fortunately, a semi-compromise was found by having a 21+ bar show at the Millcreek Tavern in West Philly. Not an ideal solution for the under 21 crowd and I’m not used to going to clubs/bars that allow smoking anymore but it was a pretty laid-back place and the show itself was pretty fucking great. Kylesa opened and while their set went on a bit long, “A 100° Heat Index” was a powerful conclusion. Thought Crime and Dismal ripped out some solid crusty punk. No Hope For The Kids were next and completely stole the show. I didn’t even realize they were coming on until I was walking in and heard “we’re No Hope For The Kids from Denmark.” Loud, melodic, memorable songs—that’s the key to their success. “Eyes Of War,” “Centuries Of War,” et al, stick in the head. The only things that sucked were the brevity of their set and some idiot in a red NHFTK shirt who stood on the stage in front of Kasper, the guitar player, for almost the whole set. At least I was on the side so I could see!

Severed Head of State were next. Pillaging, booming ugly-sounding hardcore, with Jack Control and Todd Burdette barking out the words. It’s good to see Jack back in action, after his stabbing earlier this year. He was back at the end of the show for a brief World Burns To Death set. Only new songs and only about half a dozen of them. On first listen, it seems as though the songs have more of a Japanese hardcore edge, as opposed to Scandinavian. In any case, the songs were fast and aggressive. In between the Jack sets, there was an oi covers band fronted by Mike McKee from Kill The Man Who Questions and Armalite. He affected a British accent and they treated the crowd to an assortment of Cock Sparrer (most of the songs), Blitz and Sham 69 material. Delirious sing-a-longs throughout. Mike was found outside after the set, slumped against a wall, saying he didn’t realize how hot it was going to be wearing a sweater vest.

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of spending the day with a bunch of cool people and we went to a fair/flea market at a park in West Philly and then I went record shopping with my friends Jason and Lila. On the way, we drove past an incredible art installation called the Magic Gardens. It’s hard to describe. A landscape of concrete, glass, metal and found objects. The best way to check it out is at their site. http://www.philadelphiasmagicgardens.org/history.html.

So, all in all, it wasn’t a bad trip but it certainly ended up a nightmare for many of the people involved. Putting the terms aside—crusty, traveler, whatever—an asshole is an asshole and I don’t care WHAT they’re wearing. In all honesty, though, I was looking forward to at least some time away from the spiked/studded population...

MUSIC REVIEWS:

DROGUES-No Facts That Don’t Fit (Waxbrain, CD)
Allan from Giant Haystacks mentioned that this Bay Area band were friends of theirs and the Drogues are cut from the same post-punk cloth. A heavy-duty Minutemen/Gang of Four influence. “Transport Devices,” in fact, channels D. Boon’s vocal delivery. As with those bands, there’s political content but not the type that hits you over the head. It’s subtler and often personalized. Sparse and minimal yet with busy instrumental interplay, as the sharp guitar duels with bass-lines darting in and out and shifting drum patterns. “Something’s Receding” takes a poppier turn. These guys really are a post punk band, in the traditional sense of the word, and that’s meant to be complimentary. (http://www.thedrogues.com/)

GOVERNMENT WARNING-No Moderation (Feral Ward, LP)
Smokin’ hardcore from Richmond’s Government Warning, following an earlier 7”. Fast? Check. Memorable songs? Check. Some similarities to Direct Control, with whom they share a few members on different instruments (Brandon plays drums and Mike plays guitar here). One difference is Kenny’s snottier ranting vocals and perhaps more of a west-coast feel, especially for the mid-tempo “Fat Nation” and “Sick Of Home.” right down to Brandon’s drumming. Descriptions, descriptions. Just play it loud and it’ll hook ‘ya real quick. (http://www.feralward.com/)

OUTBREAK-Failure (Bridge Nine, CD)
Wow, this is a rager. It’s an outbreak (arrgh!) of blazing fast hardcore punk with breakdowns that, thankfully, don’t break out the chug. That’s right, PUNK. The production is clean and gives it a modern ambiance, yet Outbreak do a good job of combining early 80s and late 80s hardcore influences. I’d still rather hear a rougher/raw production for hardcore, but the band’s power comes blasting through. The best band from Maine since, uh, the Pinkerton Thugs? (PO Box 99052, Boston, MA 02199, http://www.bridge9.com/)

REDUCERS SF-Raise Your Hackles (TKO, CD)
The latest collection of tuneful, pubby punk rock from the Reducers. Hearty, grizzled vocals, pealing and buzzing guitars with a punchy approach. Sounds good on paper, sounds good on the CD paper, although it’s a little slick-sounding. They get it right for “Hired Hand,” with a gigantic hook and not-too-cheesy whoooahs. Overall, hitting a middle ground. (8941 Atlanta Ave., Huntington Beach, CA 92646, http://www.tkorecords.com/)

RETCHING RED-Scarlet Whore Of War (Rodent Popsicle, CD)
The same amount of agitation as on Retching Red’s first album. In case you forgot, the band includes Cinder Block, formerly of Tilt and Cyco Loco (Mike to his friends) from Oppressed Logic. Cinder has malice in her voice, although a bit of the old croon occasionally pops through. Mainly a fast tempo, although “Blue Kid Trapped In A Red State” is somewhat slower and has the classic west coast punk sound. Ms. Block expresses quite a bit of what I feel lately. Speaking as someone who gets tired of whiny kids, “Stop Breeding” has me going “fuck yeah!” “Lying Sacks Of Shit” deals with such vile beings as Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, et al and it’s a favorite expression. Pulverizing. (PO Box 1143, Allston, MA 02134, http://www.rodentpopsicle.com/)

RUNNAMUCKS-Inferno (Six Weeks, CD)
The Runnamucks move away from their thrash sound to a mid-tempo harder-rocking sound meets punk, having added a new drummer and lead guitarist (the App brothers, Daniel and Bryan) along the way. There isn’t metallic bluster, even with the lead lines. The guitar tone remains pretty much the same. The standout track here is the fired-up boogie rocker “Untouchable.” If they come up with more songs like that next time around, I won’t have any reservations about the transition at all. It’s taken awhile for me to get into this album yet there’s definitely been an improvement in the playing—especially the drumming. Also, after having seen some of these songs live, “Inferno” has definitely grown on me. (225 Lincoln Ave., Cotati, CA 94931, http://www.sixweeksrecords.com/)

Suburban Voice blog #16

For my first blog here (which is the sixteenth I’ve done), I’m catching up on a shitload of record reviews. Perhaps not the most fascinating reading but maybe you’re curious as to what’s rocking my world lately.... The first 15 blogs were done on MySpace and can be seen here: http://blog.myspace.com/suburbanvoice.

ARMY OF JESUS-Book Bomb (Criminal IQ, 7” EP)
This band is so fucking hot. Third 7” already and another strong effort. Nothing complicated, just solid hardcore punk with hoarse vocals and hard-hitting songs. It’s dawned on me that Doug’s voice is reminiscent of Clifford from Bl’ast and some of the riffs have similarity with that band, especially “Human Worth Index.” Burnin’. (3540 N. Southport, Chicago, IL 60657, http://www.criminaliq.com/)

AVAIL-Dixie/4AM Friday/Over The James (all Jade Tree, CD)
Three reissues of Avail’s albums on Lookout, each appended with other various releases/tracks—“Dixie” adds the “Attempt to Regress” 7” and the poor-sounding “Live At The Kings Head Inn.” “Live At The Bottom of The Hill,” added to “4AM Friday,” fares better and “Over the James” has the songs from their split with (Young) Pioneers and a few comp apperances. These guys were a pretty inspiring band back then, especially live. Looking back, the albums could be hit and miss at times and they don’t really stir the same ‘ol feelings. Hell, I missed their last local appearance and that would have been unthinkable 5-6 years ago. Still, they always had plenty of punk heart along with the more accessible elements. Surging hardcore with a melodic bent and there was always a rootsy, heartland quality to it. On these three releases, there are songs that remain absolutely blistering—“Scuffle Town,” from “Over The James” and “Virus,” “On The Nod” and “Southbound 95” from “Dixie.” “Dixie” remains their pinnacle, “4AM” was something of a letdown and “Over The James” was a return to form. Avail’s albums may not come off the shelf as much as they once did, but I’m still glad they remain there. (2310 Kennwynn Rd., Wilmington, DE 19810, http://www.jadetree.com/)

BAD REACTION-Symptoms Of Youth (Destroy All Records, CD)
Melodic hardcore punk. Such a broad definition but it’s an upbeat merging of west coast and DC influences and a smidgen of 80s emo-core. “Caught In A Corner,” for instance, reminds me of “Subject To Change”-era Faith. No tough mosh beatdowns, no metal slog to go along with the substance-free sentiments. Plus a tribute (?) to Gatorade. They forgot to name-check my favorite, raspberry lemonade but I’ll raise a 32 oz. toast to ‘em right now. (PO Box 520, Van Nuys, CA 91408, http://www.badreaction.com/)

BORN/DEAD-Endless War... Repetition (Prank, CD)
Catching up with Born/Dead, merging the songs off their split with Consume and the five songs from a limited 12” EP they had for their tour. The merging of the titles come from the leadoff track of both the split and EP and it could apply to what’s been going on with this country’s military, to be endlessly repeated ad infinitum, I’m afraid. The songs off the Consume split are among my favorite from this band. Rampaging crust punk with urgency and power. The later songs have a little more somberness (especially the outro to “Comfort In Ignorance” along with something of an “epic” flavor. Sometimes lacking the directness but still well-worth hearing. A few live video tracks are also included. (PO Box 410092, SF, CA 94141, http://www.prankrecords.com/)

CLOAK/DAGGER-Pinata(Grave Mistake, 7” EP)
Edgy, energetic punk. One can clearly hear the those influences, particularly for the thrashy “Paranoid,” but there’s a bit of nervy snakiness (?!) in the guitar and bass-lines. Makes me think of the bands from the 90s who would be considered “indy rock” but had punk aggression. In any case, it’s the remedy to chase away my increasing jadedness. (PO Box 12482, Richmond, VA 23241, http://www.gravemistakerecords.com/)

CLUSTERFUCK/RAT BYTE-This Is For Ruining My Life (Party Time, 7” EP)
I reviewed this as a CD-R earlier this year and it’s finally out on vinyl. Hot hardcore punk. Clusterfuck put out a 13 song 7” some time back and the credo on that record was “humans disappoint me.” That hasn’t changed with such songs as “Flagfucker,” “Nato Needs Shock Treatment” and “God Told Me To Buy Stocks.” Shit Eating Grin” throws in a stolen Black Sabbath riff for a split second. A quavery, high-timbred singing style adds a distinct element to their driving sound. Skate-thrashers Rat Byte contribute four new songs, starting with a crossover-tinged intro before kicking it into gear. A flailing energy and their best-sounding songs to date. (www.ratbyte.net)

CONGA FURY-Dear Friends (Six Weeks, CD)
On the back of the booklet, it says “Love Noise” and “Chaotic Noise” is imprinted on the CD. Yeah, I’d say that’s about right. Everything pushed into the red zone on the recording console, no doubt. The final song, which happens to be the title track, is epic in comparison, a four minute plus dose of mid-tempo rock, albeit with the same type of buzz. A steady diet of this would make my head explode—raw, frenetic and distorted. It’s tough to get through 25 tracks, to be honest, although I’m still drawn in. (225 Lincoln Ave., Cotati, CA 94931, http://www.sixweeksrecords.com/)

CONVERSIONS-s/t (Namennayo, 7” EP)
This eponymous EP by Boston band the Conversions follows a split with Witches With Dicks and, as good as the split was, the six songs here are even better. Tight, dynamic hardcore punk maintaining the aggression along with on-a-dime stops and starts. “The Worms” has a slower-burning intensity. No matter the tempo, Terry’s primal scream vocals cut through with an uncontained ferocity. They’ve really gelled as a band in a fairly short period of time. (1121 Arlington Blvd., Apt. 741, Arlington, VA 22209; band contact: christopherstrunk@yahoo.com)

DEADFALL-Keep Telling Yourself It’s OK (Tankcrimes, 7” EP)
The double-hammer thrash doesn’t always work but when it’s slowed down a bit, Deadfall are deadly, especially for “Seize The Day” and “It’s Okay,” the real killer on this EP. “What A Bogus” is a surfy instrumental for a slight change of pace. (PO Box 3495, Oakland, CA 94609, http://www.tankcrimes.com/)

DEEP SLEEP-You’re Screwed (Grave Mistake, 7” EP)
I like the feel of this one—a retro hardcore punk sound emphasizing the punk, if that makes sense. Catchy songs at mainly a medium-to-fast speed, although “Alone With You,” “Another Day” and “Sick Sick Boredom” pick up the pace. The mid-Atlantic region seems to have some cool bands in this vein—Direct Control, Government Warning and now these guys. (PO Box 12482, Richmond, VA 23241, http://www.gravemistakerecords.com/)

DEFCON 4-File Under Fuck (Black Box, CD)
OK, so the Dixie Chicks have a song called “Not Ready To Make Nice.” I doubt Defcon 4 will ever make nice, either. The band’s second album, only 15 tracks this time instead of 28 but remaining intense. I’m searching for the adjectives. This is uncomfortable, unsettling music with herky-jerky, non-catchy songs. Non-catchy in the traditional sense. Once in awhile, Defcon 4 will follow a basic riff structure such as the opening “Fast Car,” “Insomniac’s Daydream” or “Nice Neck.” but then allow it to decompose in one way or another. A Black Flag/Bl’ast jones runs through the compositions, though it’s not an exclusive influence. Snaky guitar lines and howled vocals from Dug that sound as though he’s trying to vomit up the bile that possesses him. Violent, jarring jolts. (PO Box 110-154, Williamsburg, NY 12111, http://www.blackboxrecordings.net/)

DISCHARGE-Beginning Of The End (Thunk, CD-EP)
I know—what to expect when an old band re-forms? Discharge’s “comeback” album with the Cal-Bones-Rainy-Tez lineup with surprisingly strong. This new EP isn’t too shabby, either. Cal is out and Rat from Varukers is in and he’s a good fit. Varukers and Discharge started around the same time. Two fast ones, one slower one and sounding somewhere between vintage Discharge and Broken Bones. “They Lie, You Die,” in particular, takes a speed metal route closer to the latter band. Better than anything the post-Bones Discharge lineup did. (Unit 1, Cumberland Dairies, Middlewitch Street, Crewe, CW1 4EA, ENGLAND, http://www.thunkrecords.com/)

GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT-Ronald McVomit’s 14 Song Happy Meal (Bacon Towne, 7” EP)
I was talking with a friend who lived in Florida for a short time and she was lamenting the fact there weren’t really any good hardcore bands down there. Well, that’s not true and GNP disprove her theory. This EP is much-improved over their first demo. Marley has a unique, expressive high-pitched voice with an unaffected quality. Straight-ahead speedy hardcore punk in short doses and lyrics that are sarcastic, ironic and pointed. (PO Box 1063, Tallevast, FL 34270, http://www.upthefuckingpigs.com/)

HOMOSTUPIDS-“The Glow” EP (My Mind’s Eye, 7” EP)
Steve Peffer from 9 Shocks Terror is in this band and it’s a noisy dose of hardcore meets raw garage rock. Three rockin’ songs, with “Apeshit” fast and ripping and the other pair of songs in a mid-tempo. Gloriously blown-out sounding. One of the songs is “Flies Die” and they will if they buzz by the speakers while this is playing. (homostupids@yahoo.com)

INMATES-Assholes Unanimous (Painkiller, LP)
Clevo assholes, to be specific, and if you know anything about the coterie of inbred bands from there, you know what to expect. Burning, buzzing hardcore, with a looseness and unhinged quality and you can tell right away where these guys come from. This LP was recorded in ’99 and had a limited release. Masterminded by the Melnick brothers, who are also in Cider (they were also in Integrity), among other bands, and the vocals have sthe same faux-English accent. Cynical and angry and occasionally PC-tweaking. Side two opens and closes by showing another side of the band, the jazzy free-form noise of “B.Z. Blues” and the “lounge version” of “Cement Shoes.” Inspirational line: “I’m mopping the puke off my wall.” That speaks volumes right there. (http://www.painkillerrecords.com/)

HEIMATLOS-La Seconde Nécessaire 1983-1988 (Ratbone, 2CD)
Everything but the kitchen sink, to use a hoary phrase, from this 80s era French punk band, aka Heimat-Los. The second disc is all live, plus some demo material, and not really as necessary, to be honest. The first disk collects all their studio tracks from vinyl releases, comps and demos. The songs are in reverse chronological order and you can hear the progression from rough, thrashy punk to something incorporating more melody. UK punk guitar lines merging with hardcore speed. Not a 100% success rate. I’m not sure I’d put these guys in the top tier of European punk from the time but they certainly had their share of hard-hitting songs, especially for the earlier recordings. (c/o Luc Ardilouze, BP 40011, 33023 Bordeaux cedex, FRANCE, http://ratbone.free.fr/)

MORAL DECAY-I Quit (Get Revenge, CD)
Entertaining, occasionally tongue-in-cheek thrash/crossover. Some cheesy intro effects, an acoustic song to wrap things up and, in between, the riffs come hard and furiously. There’s even a fucking ska/metal song (“Funeral”)—not as lucidrous as it sounds. OK, maybe a bit ludicrous. In the main, though, it’s heaviness in a similar vein as Toxic Holocaust, et al. Viva la crossover! (http://www.getrevengerecords.com/)

ORDER OF THE WHITE ROSE-War Machine (Unitree Recordings, CD)
A nice combination of styles—Order of the White Rose are from Hawaii but this ain’t no happy-sounding summer music. Politically charged songs, plain-spoken and direct. OOTWR draw from both straight-ahead punk and some of the UK anarcho bands. Burning riffs and haunting melodies, as well, along with the occasional reggae rhythm. No matter the feel of the song, it’s angry and impassioned. An impressive debut. (PO Box 880908, Pukalani, HI 96788, brokelegdog@hotmail.com)

PELIGRO SOCIAL-No Religíon (No Options/Tankcrimes, CD)
Despite the band’s name and lyrics being in Spanish, they hail from the Bay Area. Much like such bands as No Hope For The Kids, Peligro Social have discovered the joys of older, catchy punk along with rock ‘n roll influences. Snotty vocals, tasty guitar licks and mainly at a fast pace, although they also opt for medium tempo, as well. “Todosa La Mieira” does a pretty good job taking a little of the Pistol’s “Sub-Mission” riff and turning it into their own engaging tune. Along with their split with Born/Dead, this is highly enjoyable. (http://www.nooptionsrecords.com/ or http://www.tankcrimes.com/)

PESD-POLitiKäPOizONëKURVvae (Prank, LP/Trujaca Fala, CD)
Industrial hardcore influenced by Killing Joke’s doominess and Ministry’s electro-shock approach. That best describes PESD who are from Warsaw and includes Amoniak from Tragedia and Smoku from Post-Regiment. The two collaborators utilize drill-press guitars, mechanized rhythms and synthesized effects to channel the aggression. Not all flailing aggro—“What’s Up” (translating from the Polish) is more melodic. Amoniak’s vocals maintain the same harsh cadence. It’s hardcore with a different approach, a different angle, while remaining intense. (PO Box 410092, SF, CA 94141-0892, www.prankrecords.com/PO Box 13, 81806 SOPOT 6, POLAND, http://www.trujacafala.com/)

PINKEYE-Worldwide Columbine (Slasher, 12” EP)
A side project for Damian and Jonah from Fucked Up (Jonah also plays in Career Suicide) and a slight change of pace. Exploring more of a pure hardcore punk/crossover sound and taking a provocative route for the metallic “In Praise Of School Shooters.” Some of the songs have a similarity to CS, especially “Thaco.” Considering the participants, one would expect a high-energy effort and that’s true with this 12”. (629 Ossington Ave., Toronto, ON M6G 3T6, CANADA, http://www.slasherrecords.com/)

RADICAL ATTACK-Priority (Vinyl Addict, LP)
Seriously, sometimes I get confused with all these bands that have radical, crucial, attack, unit, etc. in their names. So let’s see if I can get this one straight. I saw them play with Crucial Attack in the summer of ’05 and they had a split with that band, as well as Talk Hard. In any case, there’s a chip on their shoulder, to quote some old Boston hardcore band. Double-speed thrash and head-stomping breakdowns, really getting stompy for “Annhilator.” Semi-cheesy gang backup vocals aside, there’s something to this band’s unvarnished anger. (1835, De Bourgogne, Sherbrooke (Quebec) JIJ 1B1, CANADA, vinyladdictrecords@hotmail.com)

THINK I CARE-World Asylum (Bridge 9, CD)
Think I Care have really gone for the heavier NYHC sound this time—Sean Taggart, known for his cover art for Agnostic Front, Crumbsuckers and others, was recurited to do the apocalyptic artwork and it’s less cartoon-like than his more familiar work. Lots of crunch and heavy riffs working in tandem with Jason’s bellicose vocals. It has the wide-scope production—lots of boom on the drums, for instance, and I’d rather hear a little more rawness. This transition actually began with their first, self-titled album, but there’s less thrash and, even though it was recorded at the same studio, the production was slightly more subdued. They’ve definitely moved towards the tougher end of the spectrum, which I find less appealing. (PO Box 990052, Boston, MA 02199, http://www.bridge9.com/)

THROBBING URGES (Dead Beat, CD)
Loud, blown-out garage punk mania. I love the rawness, I love the fact these songs rock like a motherfucker. The Pretty Things had a comp called “Feel The Buzz” and it can definitely be felt here. Whomp, whomp, whomp and then some. (PO Box 283, LA, CA 90078, http://www.dead-beat-records.com/)

VARIOUS-Euro Thrash Retribution (625, CD)
You have to respect Max Ward’s dedication to loud/fast/blasting hardcore for so many years. His latest comp packs on 48 songs by 23 or so bands (if I counted wrong, sorry). There’s a lot of tuneless thrash, to be honest. A lot of times, it comes down to the band’s drummer. If they just flail without any rhythmic sense or the sound is tinny, it really distracts. One moment sticks out after three quarters of an hour—Disyouth Army, on “I’m True ‘til Death Cuz I Will Always Change,” the vocalist says “this is the part where I’m supposed to tell you punk rock saved my life but, come on, everybody knows it’s not true. I still spend all my money on (?) records” (I couldn’t make out one word). That made me chuckle because it’s obvious it had satiric intent. Anyway, thumbs up to Disyouth Army, as well as Knifed, Dissoap, hCinder and See You In Hell for their strong material and I’m sure I’m missing a few. Quite a bit is mediocre, unfortunately. (http://www.625thrash.com/)

VOLENDAM DISEASE (Kangaroo/Even Worse, 7” EP)
Volendam Disease are from Japan, although they’re named after a city in Holland (so says Kangaroo honcho Henk). I don’t give a fuck WHERE they’re from, to be honest. All that matters is they crank out some fast, ripping hardcore, infused with speed and attitude. I get the feeling these guys would be a blast to see live but these five songs will have to do for the time being. The thrashy Japanese sound with a slightly cleaner, modern approach. (www.geocities.com/tysonkangaroo or www.geocities.com/evenworserecords)

VOWS-s/t (Indecision, CD-EP)
People from various bands—Champion, Himsa, Some Girls, Ten Yard Fight etc etc, playing fast and heavy hardcore. There’s a ruthlessness, an anger in the playing that makes it more palatable than other bands working this region of the hardcore realm. Good start. (PO Box 6052, Garden Grove, CA 92846, http://www.indecisionrecords.com/)