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Ääritila | “Ja Kaikki Kuitenkin Paatttyy Luolemaan!”
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10 stars out of 10!
The Review:
Get ready for a Scandinavian attack. A band like this is long overdue. Blending both Swedish and Finnish styles ÄÄRITILA come at this with this uniquely Northern European perspective. ÄÄRITILA are made up of members from MEANWHILE, TOTALITAR and RIISTETYT and it shows. The full sounding low end bass that crackles with fuzz and played like a bulldozer soundtrack is a signature sound to most d-beat bands. ÄÄRITILA’s bass is just sinister sounding. It fuckin’ rules. The drum style is more Finnish in orientation. A lot of the parts could easily come from a TERVEET KADET release in their speed and varied styles. However the difference is that the drummer also plays a charging beat that drives this whole operation. The singer is Lazze from RIISTETYT with the same kind of angry shouting style. In trying to describe them he is pretty much the perfect hardcore shouter. No singing, no throaty shouting, someone who can let a riff ride out before adding his two cents, and lyrics that are very political in nature. Although this full length sounds like something out of the early 80’s this was recorded in 2002, along with an ep that came out on 1000db. You can wait for the vinyl re-issue on Partners in Crime, but why wait.
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Avskum | Punkista
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9 stars out of 10!
The Review:
DISCHARGE meets TRAGEDY and can I say it is flawless. I guess TRAGEDY are having an impact everywhere and I have heard many bands coming out of all regions with parts of their sound. And AVSKUM are no different, but AVSKUM have been around in some form since 1982 and have been playing d-beat since then so the DSICHARGE influence is pretty much what their sound is based on. The guitars are big and burly sounding, the distortion is raw and cutting, the bass has a pronounced bulldozer low end, the drums are in a galloping DISCHARGE beat, and the vocals are shouted with lyrics decidedly of a critical bent. This is a model release of what bands should sound like. But they have also starting to incorporate the discordant atmospheric sweeping guitars that create an overall sense of apocalyptic doom. It works well with d-beat. If I was to some up AVSKUM sound as the sum of bands I would say they have the heaviness of UNCURBED, the seamlessness of MEANWHILE, the complexity of TRAGEDY, and the vocals of DISKONTO. I strongly recommend you get this. Disregard everything else.
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Avskum –
Prank Records
/ P.O. Box 419092
/ San Francisco, CA
/ 94141-9092
/ USA
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Angelic Upstarts | “The Punk Singles Collection” CD
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9 stars out of 10!
The Review:
Okay I know what I wrote in the RESISTANCE ’77 review about Captain Oi (which requires you skipping over to that review) but the re-issues do deserve attention. They do a damn good job of re-issuing material and this ANGELIC UPSTARTS collection is just another good example. This is a collection of what I believe to be England’s best oi band. Any band that can start a riot by playing should be noted, but how can you argue with songs like “Never ‘ad Nothing”, and “Kids on the Street”. This is a collection of ANGELIC UPSTART’s singles and given how little money I had when I was a kid getting into hardcore and how hard it was to get imports in Canada, this collection has turned me onto songs like “Out of Control”. The package also has all the cover art for the singles with notes about the recordings. This is a must have for anyone serious about the roots of punk.
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Alternate Action / Marching Orders | split ep
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7 stars out of 10!
The Review:
ALTERNATE ACTION are a streetrock oi band from Vancouver that started out in 2005. They sound like a classic oi band. Kind of like what it might sound like if you took the musical nature of early BLITZ, combined it with the catchiness of the EJECTED and the pace of MAYHEM. Their side steals the show. Both songs are stormers. I thought “Keep Running” was a COCK SPARRER cover, but I was gladly mistaken. Can’t wait to hear their 10”. MARCHING ORDERS from Melbourne Australia are on the flipside. Their side is slightly slower and more plodding as per a traditional oi beat. MARCHING ORDERS play oi more in the vein of the BUSINESS meets LAST RESORT. A song like “Traitor” has an underlying nationalist undertone that is potentially scary. Unfortunately you can’t really tell if the song is about disloyalty to a country or just your scene. I could support it if it was about the scene. And maybe it is. I don’t want to write these cats off as they have another good ep that is just out. But “Nihilistic” is a song criticising the chaos punks. So who’s side are you on ?
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Alternate Action / Marching Orders –
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Artimus Pyle | “Fucked from Birth” CD
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9 stars out of 10!
The Review:
ARTIMUS PYLE deliver consistently great emo-crust. “Fucked from Birth” is no exception. A chip off the TRAGEDY-core style of hardcore that piledrives you and then depresses you with moody atmospheric parts. The juxtaposition can be crushing. The brooding apocalyptic parts that can be credited to an AMEBIX style of playing serve to deliver up fast clipping hardcore. It makes you want to pump that fist in the air and tear down the establishment. The soundtrack to constructive revolution. And the vocals are that harsh throaty vocals that sound like they are being sung by Tom Waits after gargling gasoline. Hoarse as fuck and still screaming. It oozes anger. The lyrics are aimed squarely at the shittiness of the current system. Titles like “Gray Flannel Suits” and “Trapped” and “One of Millions” seem to suggest a firm footing in critique. The songs are strung together like a soundtrack for a movie. Except this movie is our life or the lives of those around us. Depressing and motivating, all in one.
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Agrotoxico | “Estado De Guerra Civil”
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7 stars out of 10!
The Review:
13 songs of muscular Brazilian hardcore and an ASTA KASK cover. AGROTOXICO definitely fit into to the more polished hardcore scene of Brazilian than the raw end that I’m more used to. Varied tempos, songs that are sometimes a little on the long side and a sound that doesn’t fit them at all. Like so many bands it sounds like they paid to go into a higher end studio and it drained them of any oomf they may have live. Not bad, in the same field as newer RATOS DE PORAO and ACAO DIRETA.
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Action | LP/CD
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7 stars out of 10!
The Review:
This is the first official release from these Scarberian rejects. They recorded an awesome demo and this first full length is even more full in sound while still being punk as fuck. Too often bands sacrifice energy for production. Not the case here. ACTION still draw for the base of their sound from early British hardcore. And yet the sound seems to be fueled by contemporary US hardcore. Although the myriad of old school punk influences found in the photos of this release I hear the ACTION drawing on a chaotic DISORDER type song structure. They combine that distorted mess with the melody of bands like INFA RIOT. But the blend of melody and distortion is driven through that Texas sound that is being heard in bands like SPAZM 151 and KEGCHARGE. This combination makes for a very wreckless sounding brand of hardcore that reminds me of the heyday of the Portland peacepunk scene when bands like RESIST reigned supreme. ACTION have come miles since their CLASS days.
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Action –
christian@actionpunks.com |
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Ambulance | "The End of Our Time" LP
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10 stars out of 10!
The Review:
The nocturne deforestation which graces the cover with one almost human figurine like tree left standing is pretty indicative of what the record sounds like. The guitars have a clean, sweeping discordant sound while the bass retains a heaviness to it all. To create a further haunting atmosphere, they use a piano in "No More" and a chilling saxophone on the instrumental “Programmed to Receive” and follow it up with a stormy segue which then bursts into “Complications”. They have these moments where they'll play these slow driving rhythms, not so much to expose some fault lines in the earth, but comes off more as a sense of floating or one's soul leaving the body, but not in a hippie, transcendental sort of feeling because AMBULANCE are just too morbid for that sort of escapism. A great soundtrack to the upcoming festivities of all that's dying. Lyrics are in English and demonically pronounced as they cover personal topics. I suppose this can be classified as "Nu Kang" (UGH! That has to be the dirty word of the year) much like their Swedish counterparts TO WHAT END? and KONTROVERS. I'm sure that the lines in the sand are deeply drawn as to where people stand with this style, so having said that; Choose your weapons, punk!!
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Ambulance –
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A.V.O. / The Runnamucks | split ep
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6 stars out of 10!
The Review:
APPREHENDED VIOLENCE ORDER from Australia start this fucker out with two venom soaked tracks “All My friends are Fucked” and “Gearheads Suck”. The sentiment reflects the assholish sentiment of “Hornsby scene” and they sound like more proficient V.B.S. or a speedy ARM’S REACH. Fuckin’ great stuff from down under. The RUNNAMUCKS deliver two new tracks. But they have really lost their GANG GREEN hyper speed since Mat left the band. They still write like GANG GREEN but they don’t have the hyper speed overdrive drumming that Mat brought to the band. However these songs still feel right at home on a “Boston not L.A.” comp. I favour the A.V.O. side and that says something as I am a huge fan of the RUNNAMUCKS.
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A.V.O. / The Runnamucks –
Runnamucks
/ 810 S. Winter Park Dr.
/ Casselberry FL
/ 32707
/ USA
/ e-mail: SMergy5158@aol.com
/ Ph: (407)834-1680 |
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Avoided, The | “Taboo” CD
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6 stars out of 10!
The Review:
Japan’s AVOIDED debuted last year with a truly dreadful 45, so I was less than thrilled to see this new eight-song effort in my review pile. Fortunately, it’s a significant improvement that finds their late ‘70’s UK power-pop/punk/new wave/mod revivalist attack delivered with an authority that was conspicuously absent before, illustrated to great effect with a far superior new take on “Writing on the wall” from the single. Clean production brings the tight playing and strong arrangements right out front and the convincing hooks make for memorable, albeit entirely derivative, songs. As before, the obvious weak link is the awkward vocalist, but the relative strength of the music compensates more adequately this time around. If you just can’t get enough of the JAM, NEWTOWN NEUROTICS, early JOE JACKSON and the like, this will serve as a competent enough genre exercise. In the meantime, I can see this band being capable of much better with a new frontman.
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Afterbirth / Filthpact | “The Insanity of Humanity / A Product of the Daily Grind” ep
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7 stars out of 10!
The Review:
Here is a power violence pairing to square off in true gladiator fashion. AFTERBIRTH have some heaviness to them. There is an ominous bass sound similar to ANTI-SCHISM’s material. And the band does this neat effect at the beginning of “Dead Hand of the Past” where they have multiple screaming going in. It is neat. The guitar sound is pretty incredible. But the drumming doesn’t always keep tempo, so at times some of AFTERBIRTH’s material falls out of place. Regardless their heart is in the right place raising suspicions on current administrations and genocide. FILTHPACT pick up where their demo recording left off. Great buzzsaw guitar white noise with attempts at blast beats that just fall short of the mark. Clocking in with five songs on their side the band get right to work laying into technology, work, credit systems, and the xenophobia associated with straight edge. The vocals harken back to CAPITALIST CASUALTIES. Great self-release with lots to think about.
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Afterbirth / Filthpact –
Dave Rowlands
/ 19 Albury Place
/ Aberdeen, Scotland
/ AB11 6TQ
/ United Kingdom |
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Ass End Offend | “Character Assassins” CD
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7 stars out of 10!
The Review:
This is the latest from this four piece from Missoula. Part ECONOCHRIST, part ANTI-SCHISM, ASS END OFFEND muster all the fury of a prairie storm. Their material is moody and brooding with the ability to bash out a beat that would make BORN AGAINST proud. The later ANTI-SCHISM moodiness style can reallybe heard in a song like “Becoming Our Destruction”. (Wantage USA / P.O. Box 8681 / Missoula, MT / 89807 / USA / www.wantageusa.com) – SP
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Ass End Offend –
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Wantage USA – / P.O. Box 8681
/ Missoula, MT
/ 59807
/ USA
/ www.wantageusa.com |
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Apartment 213 | “Ninety Three to Ninety Seven” CD
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8 stars out of 10!
The Review:
APT 213 were the horror-core version of INFEST for the rust belt. While they sang songs about serial killers, they did so to the darker, slower side of LACK OF INTEREST. APARTMENT 213 were from Cleveland. They featured one of the dudes from RINGWORM and worshipped INTEGRITY and CROSSED OUT. I think this may help account for their sound. They had splits out with GEHENNA, THUG, BENUMB, DAHMER, and FORCED EXPRESSION, but I only ever had their eps (“Vacancy” and “Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things”). Aside from all the aforementioned releases this discography also collects a demo from 1993 called “the Power of Tools”. This should signify a bit of a MITB influence. This band was definitely part of the power violence school of hardcore just the slower, heavier side of the sound. It was like the band listened to “Pickled” or “Chained” and re-created that part of INFEST throwing in bits of power tool noises for the MITB appreciation. Heavy and twisted sounding the band’s sound matched their horrific lyrics. And what was further significant about APARTMENT 213 is that they were one of the first bands outside of California to play power violence. They were evidence that this phenomenon was more than a regional California sound. I had forgotten how powerful sounding APARTMENT 213 were. In reminiscing through their vinyl versions of this material I came across a great interview with the band in the “Children shouldn’t Play…” ep talking about the Erba Brothers and a photo display of Chris Erba all dolled up as a girl doing glamour shots for kicks. There is also a photo of one of the bands members with Dwid in Tuxedoes. The Clevelland lot are a pretty crazy bunch in all the right ways. Thank you to 625 for helping us remember that.
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Avskum | “Re-Crucified By the System” CD
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6 stars out of 10!
The Review:
Hot on the heels of the Prank vinyl re-issue of the “Crucified By the System” ep, which is arguably AVSKUM’s best releases, comes the CD collection of AVSKUM’s early years originally released back in 1997 with Finn Records doing all the legwork. AVSKUM, as a band, can be understood in two stages. There was the embroyonic period from 1992-1998. And then there is the period after the great “Sleep” (the band’s words not mine) which starts in 1994 and carries through to the present as a band on fire. This CD collects all of AVSKUM’s recorded material from that embroyonic period. Armageddon makes it available for the first time on a CD format, which requires special mastering and re-working of the art. The material on here represents the band in a much sloppier, rawer, dingier sound. Brutal angry early Swedish hardcore that rubbed elbows with MOB 47 and ANTI-CIMEX has a little more complexity to their sound. I hear a bit of early KILLING JOKE in the band’s moodiness of the 1985 demo. There is an untold story about one of these sessions that was to be a Mortarhate release, which was the big anarchist label at the time after the CRASS label petered out. And there is a great version of drunk anthem “What Shall I Do with a Drunken Soldier”. The collection does suffer from some varying sound production. Some of the 1984 recordings sound like they were retrieved from some well listened to cassettes. They were probably like that on the original. This CD is a great catch up for fans of recent AVSKUM. And it is a neat time capsule piece of early Swedish hardcore.
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Agitated | “Go Blue Go Die” CD
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7 stars out of 10!
The Review:
So during our vacation to sunny Cleveland, Wedge and Christie give us a copy of this CD with the highest praises. That being said you know the disc rules. But who the fuck are the AGITATED and why were they not a household name in 1983 (like the CLITBOYS, EAT THE RICH and many more that graced the BCT comps and HC releases everywhere). AGITATED released a couple of tracks on a local comp tape and 3 on the “the New Hope” comp LP. This release contains those tracks, as well as some long lost studio recordings and some live tracks that are not necessary. Listen to the studio tracks and pretend it’s a 7”. The band played straight up, fast early 80’s hardcore and covered MOTORHEAD, MC5 and THE STOOGES. It’ s too bad the band only lasted a year because they could have done some great things. Goddamn they even got to share the stage with the BIG BOYS. If that isn’t icing on the cake just fuck off!
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Abraham Cross | “Peace Can’t Combine” CD
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7 stars out of 10!
The Review:
Here’s the CD re-issue of this 12” that came out a few years back on Crust War. MCR has been doing a lot of CD re-issues of Crust War’s material. It is good to see (and hear). ABRAHAM CROSS were a crust band from Tokyo in the mid-90s. This release collected 6 unreleased songs from the mid-90s and comp tracks from the “Tokyo Crusties” comp and the “Meaningful Consolidation” comp which was a comp released by a bunch of labels from Japan at the time. The song left off on this re-issue is a DISCHARGE cover. I think that may have been on the original vinyl issue. Regardless ABRAHAM CROSS deliver some piledriving crust that sounds like they are fronted by John from DOOM. This is early breakneck Japacore with a healthy dose of distortion in the production. This recording stands up pretty well against the test of time.
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Alcoholic White Trash | “Punk Rock Jihad” CD
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6 stars out of 10!
The Review:
This is A.W.T.’s third release. The band formed around 2000 with members of DRUNK TANK, the TED BUNDY PROJECT, and BONERDOGS. The band takes their name from an old JUMBO PRAWN song. All of this has more significance to folks from the Vancouver scene. Their sound is clean and fast with good production. They kind of remind me of the heaviness of the retro crossover sound that bands like HONG KONG BLONDE and DFA have really brought back to the fold. But the band also has the speed and melody and snottiness of someone like DIRTY BIRD. The song “Cavity Search County” reminds me a little of the COWBOY KILLERS. There are elements of GG ALLIN shock and drunk punk ambivalence in a lot of the song themes. A.W.T. is like listening to a self-destructive, end of the rope crossover band. (Crusty Records / P.O. Box 59 / 1895 Commercial Drive / Vancouver, BC / V5N 4A6 / Canada / www.alcoholicwhitetrash.com) - SP
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Anatomi-71 | “Hej Kom Och Hjalp Mig” ep
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7 stars out of 10!
The Review:
ANATOMI-71 play a d-beat style of Swedish hardcore. Their production and sound reminds me of SKIT SYSTEM, although the band has been compared to early ACURSED. The band credits AVSKUM and TOTALITAR as influences. I hear SKIT SYSTEM but with the raw energy and manic pace of KVOTERINGEN. They also throw in these rock out parts that VICTIMS have been known to do. It is an amalgamation of some of the best styles of modern day kang. 7 songs on an ep. Can’t wait to hear the full length which should be out soon. And there is an MP3 file of one of the new songs on their my space site.
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About to Snap | s/t ep
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8 stars out of 10!
The Review:
First off, I have to say I haven’t been excited about a one sided 7" since the XFILESX ep. And they make good use of the B-Side with a silkscreened logo that has a sickle coming down. It’s rad like a MANLIFTINGBANNER record. But the music is even better. It’s raw like the early New York Straight edge scene. Imagine GORILLA BISCUITS and WARZONE getting together with SICK OF IT ALL to cover ANTIDOTE sounding songs. It is stripped down New York sounding hardcore. It is fast as fuck, manic as hell, raw as shit, and poignant as street philosophy. My one pet peeve is when bands don’t title their songs. It feels like they don’t give a shit enough about them to give them a name. Or they are too lazy to put thought into a title, although I don’t think that is the case because there is some real thought put into the lyrics. Maybe it was a rush job and they just wanted to get the record out before they could come up with titles. Whatever the reason I am sure there is a good explanation. My favourite unintentional ironic moment is in “Song 5” when Tim screams “Stop trying to break me down” and the band launches into a breakdown. Classic. This band is fuckin’ awesome. Lots of work went into the record. I can’t get over that they are from St. Thomas, home of OXBAKER, Mexican menonites and little else … until now.
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Asbest | “Klaust Rofobi” 7"
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5 stars out of 10!
The Review:
I was sure that I had already purchased this record. But the sleeve on this disc is a different colour. And I win this is the band’s second release. Wow sounds like the band recorded this over top a long lost reel of BLACK FLAG and BAD BRAINS sessions. The powerful remnants of the lost recording oozes through the new bed tracks. Yes, you know what I mean like when you were 15 years old and no matter how loud you tried to record your buddies new record; the tape that once held your classic mixed HC tape still bleeds through. That’s it - 9 mid 80’s American hardcore rippers that sounds like Rollins with a cold jamming with BAD FLAG. Can’t wait for the next record. Please make the cover more distinguishable because I’m getting old and the brain doesn’t work like it use to. GODDamn…rumor has it the band has split up. Say it isn’t so!!
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Asbest –
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About to Snap | “Already Dead” ep
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8 stars out of 10!
The Review:
This is the latest ep by ABOUT TO SNAP. This band fuckin’ rules. From the music that sounds like a cross between YOUTH OF TODAY and S.I.E.G.E. to the cutting lyrics that remind me of LEFT FOR DEAD. This is a record to behold. Even the artwork of hanging office workers captures the deadening of the work place. Part metaphor, part truth. And it has the Mike Bukowski look. This is ABOUT TO SNAP’s best release to date.
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Ada Max | "5 Tales Terror” CD ep
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6 stars out of 10!
The Review:
Holy fuck does this ever sound like the ACCUSED. Japan’s answer to the ACCUSED. Done by former members of FLASH GORDON no less. The singer sounds so much like Blaine. And the guitarist sounds so much like Tommy. The title of the CD is called “5 Tales Terror” which suggests the ghost story themes of the Martha Splatterhead legend behind the ACCUSED. ADA MAX is to the ACCUSED what BALZAC are to the MISFITS. The disk starts out with some creepy noises that slowly build into a crossover thrash crescendo. Eventually the guitar comes charging out at you like a page from the ACCUSED song book. It’s haunting. And it’s great like hearing DFA bring life back to that style. It’s Japan’s time do emulate splatter rok. And ADA MAX do a great job of it.
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Argue Damnation | “Re-Cycle Old Pure Hardcore Punk Scum 1994-2003” CD
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6 stars out of 10!
The Review:
9 years in existence. That’s a good amount of time. Especially in the ever competitive Japanese scene. And ARGUE DAMNATION spread their oats pretty wide. MCR collects the band’s numerous comp and split contributions to pull together a discography. That totals 9 releases for the band involving hard to find splits and equally buried political comps. Stripped down primal sounding punk a la CRASS reminding me of REALITY CRISIS meets FLUX OF PINK INDIANS. The band is a political band which is rare to see these days, but a breathe of fresh air.
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Affluente | “Libera fame” CD
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7 stars out of 10!
The Review:
AFFLUENTE incorporate a few styles throughout this recording. But the predominant style is of mid 80’s sounding hardcore. It is mostly rapid fire sounding reminding me of the BLACK DONNELLYS. Well the band started back in 1993 and was formed from members of some not so well known bands outside of Italy. “Libre fame” represents the band’s fifth release. Their last one was called “True Sounds of Liberty” and featured only covers. If covers are any indication of influences then the 7 SECONDS cover and the UNIFORM CHOICE cover and the BATTALION OF SAINTS cover and 76% UNCERTAIN cover all makes sense out of their sound. This band loves early hardcore and tries to play it all. There is a triple X behind the band’s name which signifies that they might be a straight edge band, but the lyrics are right on with songs about the current pope, the state of the media in Italy, criticism of war, and a healthy dose of agitation. This is a welcome return of a band that hasn’t been heard from in five years.
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Appalachian Terror Unit | “Armageddon Won’t Be Brought by Gods” ep
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7 stars out of 10!
The Review:
How true a statement is the title of this ep? Listening to APPALACHIAN TERROR UNIT is like listening to the second coming of NAUSEA. The song “Endless Bloodshed” sound like something off of “Here Today”. The band’s politics are front and centre. This is the return to activism. Studded up with bullet belts and information about aggregate strip mining ATU are ready for action. And their call for action is fuelled by updates on the Portland crust sound as much as the early 90’s peace punk movement. I do hear elements of LEBENDEN TOTEN and WARCRY in the mix. But ATU stand out of the pact.
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