Four songs—one hardcore shorty and three more post-punky sounds, none of which are lightweight at all. Very raw, choppy guitars, raspy vocals; slightly dissonant. Along with CHAOTIC DISCHORD, one of the few new UK bands to break the mold.
The AMEBIX are currently sounding very much like early KILLING JOKE. Both of these songs are characterized by ultra-heavy bass-lines, echoing drums, and the sort of agonized singing that Jaz is famous for. Now that KILLING JOKE has wimped out, there’s more than enough room for cool cats like the AMEBIX. The cover unfolds into a nice poster.
The AMEBIX are not a thrash band, but they’re not wimps either. Their music is a blend of tense drama and plodding seriousness that gives me a feeling of impending doom. With its great production, distinctiveness, and angst, I think this 12″ is the best thing they’ve ever done. “Progress” and the title song are exceptional tracks.
ANTISECT’s song structures ripple with hypnotic guitar riffing and a truly nasty instrumental sound, counter-pointed with lyrics that range from diatribe to poetry. What results is mesmerizing—radical and highly distinctive hardcore with an intensity that perfectly complements the album’s mood of outrage and horror. An exceptionally powerful release.
I have a hard time finding fault with this album. Once again, if you don’t like your punk political, steer clear, because FLUX is dynamite. The whole LP is a marvelously orchestrated opera of poetic condemnations of our nuclear world that builds up to a climactic musical explosion. The production is superb, and a booklet is included. My copy’s grooves are already worn down.
On this bizarre and surprising double album, FLUX alternates between strangely mixed, highly inflammatory hardcore attacks and bursts of industrial noise. Most of the material here is rather unpleasant listening, though the vitriolic lyrics and some of the studio effects are remarkably compelling. I’m not sure whether I like it or not, but it’s certainly challenging.
Nice book-type sleeve full of beliefs, lyrics, and art. The musical direction is a weird criss-cross of early FLUX and CRASS sounds, combined with dance-type rhythms, all this shoved into a wild arrangement. Has so much going on, you miss some. Very crazy sound-wise, very intelligent lyric-wise. Overall, a unique release.
“Big City” is a really outstanding cut, fast and with a ’77-style chorus. The rest is generic English punk rock.
Like their last single, this latest EP by the SUBHUMANS (UK) offers one excellent ’77-style punk cut and three good examples of filler. There’s no doubt that “Religious Wars” has it all. Inventive guitar-work, manic velocity, and scathing anti-religious lyrics; unfortunately, the other songs imitate generic Brit-punk.
After three great singles, the SUBHUMANS have released an album that is equally great. They are part of the CRASS family, so if you don’t like your opinions strong, too bad. This LP has non-stop power, thanks to the absence of breaks between songs, and it has some great anthems like “Minority” and “Black and White.” Their themes are always handled skillfully, the music shifts from thrash to more typical English punk, and the sleeve is a lovely gatefold job which has the lyrics printed inside over a backdrop covered with “think.” No question about it, this one’s a must.
“Let’s Be Free” leads in with a modified guitar riff from CRISIS’s classic “UK ’79,” and stands out for that very reason. The other tracks are tasteful, mid-tempo punk songs with political lyrics and good melodies. I particularly like their critique of the Special Air Service (S.A.S.), Britain’s rough equivalent of our Green Berets.
