Lockjaw

Reviews

Lockjaw Demos 1982-1983 12″

Eight tracks pulled from the Grand Theft Audio discography CD released back in 1996. LOCKJAW plagued the Portland punk scene in the early ’80s, releasing two EPs and appearing on the Drinking Is Great comp, though the the burly, plodding hardcore on this one-sided 12″ pales in comparison to the likes of POISON IDEA or even FINAL WARNING. Why dig up these mediocre recordings and put them on vinyl now (or to be precise, 2018 when this was released)? Well, aside from the fact that we’re nearing the bottom of the barrel for un-reissued ’80s HC material, I’d imagine this band’s MEATMEN-sans-irony lyrical content appeals to closet alt-right losers who are titillated by Ted Bundy cover art and “button-pushing” tunes like “Crippled Children” and “She’s a Slut.” Yawn.

Lockjaw Dead Friends EP

As with their first record, the sound here is tight and raw, and the vocals rip. And as with the first EP, there are some good lyrics and some real losers—”Portland” and “Full of Hate” are sound critiques of politics, but “No â’¶” perpetuates the common misinterpretation of anarchy as a lack of order, and “She’s a Slut” exemplifies the old double standard at work.

Lockjaw Shock Value EP

A new hardcore band from Portland. The material ranges from thrash to garage punk and their sound, while not terribly original, is nice and gritty. Unfortunately, the lyrics are really stupid, being sexist (“Devil”), violence-prone (“Pop Your Head”), and, despite their protestations, racist as hell (“Go Back”). These guys could be good after a few consciousness-raising sessions.