The anthemic “Banner of Hope,” with its fast guitar work and melodic background choruses, recalls a more rock ’n’ rolly “classical” punk style, while the flip tends toward a slower, rockabilly-tinged flavor. Neither track really ranks with steamrollers like “Burn em Down,” but the material on this single is pleasant enough, I guess.
If this release is representative, the ABRASIVE WHEELS are already in decline. The A-side is a pathetic punky cover version of ELVIS’s old hit; the flip is a pedestrian Britpunk song with a decent chorus. Whatever happened to kickers like “Burn It Down”?
More 24-track mundanity from DISCHARGE. They’re getting slower and more metallish these days; “Anger Burning” is hardly more than a standard rock song. It’s OK for a band to change styles, but why follow the same boring route that so many others select? Give me DISORDER any day.
The A-side is a pretty catchy, almost MOTÖRHEAD-type rockin’ metalish number with excellent lyrics. The flip is too plodding for my tastes, but again with good lyrics. While I don’t enjoy this brand of DISCHARGE as much as their earlier incarnation, at least the integrity of the thoughts is maintained.
Yecch! “The More I See” of DISCHARGE, the more nauseous I become. That song is unbelievably pathetic—both the music and the vocals have a full-out metal sound. The B-side, taken from one of their earlier 12″s, demonstrates just how much they’ve declined over the years. A complete waste of vinyl.
DISCHARGE’s patented wall-of-noise guitar sound seems inextricably entwined with severe heavy metal influences on this single, which admittedly has its moments of power. But those tasteless lead breaks, combined with utterly lame heavy metal vocals, help make these two medium speed offerings as disappointing as their recent 12″ effort. Adequate lyrics, but they can’t save the show.
Doom with a very fast beat. Don’t say that these guys didn’t warn us if someone drops the big one, because this is the second LP (they also have four 7″ers) that hammers away without mercy at the potential hell of nuclear holocaust. The songs here tend to be a bit similar (repetitive riffs and some heavy metal guitar), but the delivery is so powerful, the words so convincingly committed, that it’s a winner. Much like watching a huge fire—horrifying, but riveting at the same time.
Surprise, surprise! This record sounds just like DISCHARGE. Actually, only “Doomsday” does; the flip is much slower, but structurally the same. You either like DISCHARGE and can’t get enough of them, or you say “never again.” They sound a lot better on record than they do live.
It’s not always fair to make comparisons with well-known bands, but in this case the sound is just too close to let it slide. The fast tempos, metallic guitars, lyrics, and vocal delivery all add up to… GBH, so decide on that basis.
Missed this one last issue. Maybe that had to do with the lame cover, but the contents aren’t bad at all. While they do sound like GBH-clones (early period), they do it well. Lots of power and drive, with lyrics that are more intelligent (or intelligible) than their mentors.
The A-side is a standout powerhouse punk song, instrumentally. I can’t say much about the lyrics (as with many of their songs) because I have no idea what they’re singing about, even after reading them printed.
Good latest effort by this metal-punk outfit that’s quickly gathering a bad rep as having an advanced stage of “Rockstaritis.” The B-side is especially strong and well produced.
You have to get beyond the tacky cover on this LP. It looks like an Oi or EXPLOITED album, but GBH play one ripping headbanger after another. They even utilize blues riffs in thrashers like “Bellend Bop.” Most of the lyrics are about war, poverty, and madness, but there’s one song about getting drunk and fucking a “slut.” Needless to say, that makes me wonder about these guys.
While the highly abrasive, metallic sound of this album has its own rebellious charm, most of the songs veer toward undistinctiveness, a problem traceable to the lack of musical changes of pace, and vocals which eventually become tiresome. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the stormier numbers like “Diplomatic Immunity” and especially “Rally of Death,” as well as some of the more inventive guitar figures on the mid-tempo cuts. Definitely a mixed bag.
Judged in comparison to their first two records, this latest EP by GBH is bound to register as a major letdown. Yet, in its own frantic, trashy way, songs like the rather hilarious “Sick Boy,” as well as the more serious compositions on the flip, grab your emotions by virtue of their sheer vigor and enthusiasm. While by no means a great record, this EP remains undeniably effective in its modest way.
Normally, I find GBH’s brand of metal-punk tedious, but this time around they sound pretty damn good, mainly due to the incredible production here. The title song and “Children of Dust” are both real stormers, and the dub mix of the former is particularly stimulating.
GBH are real fast and real powerful, but for some reason I’m not wild about them. Their songs just are not that distinctive and I have a nagging feeling that they’re all form and no content. Even so, “No Survivors” is one of their best efforts to date.
PLAY DEAD have tempered their approach, but the basic elements of that approach are tried and true. Yes, perhaps the lost bravado of optimism rears its unsavory head. But feareth not, loyal “blacken clad in a blue funk slaves”—the dank death dirge marches on into the abyss of the human struggle with a grunt and some grunge for all ye open-minded enough to sample a sip.
This band has not relation to the great ’77 punk group that released “Johnny Won’t Get to Heaven.” It’s a newer pop group that’s very similar to dozens of bands from the pop-oriented ’78-’79 period. It is a bit enjoyable, but it would need a heavier guitar attack and less mundane vocals to really be recommendable.
If you ever wondered what would happen if Pete Stride’s punky-pop compositions were recorded in a 24-track studio, this single provides the answer. The result is good snappy tunes driven by DISCHARGE-like power, a hot combination. The lyrics on the A-side are well taken. ERAZERHEAD, make a note of the change.
They’re back? Yes, but with a new vocalist, and two incompetently written and edited ’77-genre punk rock-outs. While I admired the hard guitar sound, the songs here (especially “Wolf at the Door”) go on far too long, and with surprisingly primitive production to boot. Was this the same outfit who did “Freak Show” and “Last Guitar in Town”? The old LURKERS are nowhere in sight.
As a long-standing LURKERS fan, I can only wonder why Clay decided to release mediocre material that only serves to tarnish the memory of a once-great ’77 punk band. Side one contains two unexciting post-punkish numbers (one being a lame cover of WILSON PICKETT’s “Midnight Hour”); side two features a commercial synth-pop thang (“By the Heart”), a hot already released punky blast (“Frankenstein Again”), and a decent slower punk-pop cut. Sad.
