Two fine German hardcore bands share this platter. HOA clock in with some pounding thrash, tight as hell and powerfully delivered. Ah, but then MANSON YOUTH take their turn, and for a band with such a lame name they are quite a revelation—tight, great guitar, and one of the most urgent female vocalists I’ve heard in a while—great lyrics, too! Hard to go wrong with either side.
After releasing one of 1984’s top ten hardcore releases, it’d be difficult for any band to match the same exalted standard on an entire album’s worth of material, and VORKRIEGSJUGEND don’t quite manage it. But they do reappear with the same killer combination of blistering thrashers (like Schöne neue Welt” and “Die Bombe”) and slower bone-crunchers (like “Die letzte Schlacht”), many of which showcase their distinctive sing-along choruses. Not all of the songs are as great as those mentioned above, and the muddy recording amputates their twin-guitar attack, but this LP is still excellent.
