Reviews

For review and radio play consideration:

Please send vinyl (preferred), CD, or cassette releases to MRR, PO Box 3852, Oakland, CA 94609, USA. Maximum Rocknroll wants to review everything that comes out in the world of underground punk rock, hardcore, garage, post-punk, thrash, etc.—no major labels or labels exclusively distributed by major-owned distributors, no reviews of test pressings or promo CDs without final artwork. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!

Headlice Vol. 1 EP

Debut EP from this Brisbane band fronted by the CHATS frontman Eamon Sandwith, and it’s certainly an interesting one. We’re treated to six quick tracks that, to my ears, call to mind a mix of NYHC, UK street punk, the DICKIES…and a goddamn synthesizer! Look, I by no means hate synths, but this one drowns out what I think would otherwise be some pretty cool tunes. Like, even 30% less synth, and I’m probably 100% on board. Recommended for people who think BAD NOIDS should sound more like the EPOXIES.

The Higher State You Might Find Out / Come Winter Rain 7″

Two songs of authentic ’60s-style garage rock. If you’re going to do it, do it right. The HIGHER STATE does. They have that great organ sound leading the jangly rhythms topped with laid-back vocals. It’s not quite the summer of love, but someone may have some flowers in their hair. Fun stuff.

Knowso Rare Auld Trip / Psychological Garden LP

KNOWSO is a unique meld of off-kilter post-punk, new wave, and a dash of CAPTAIN BEEFHEART weirdness. Much like the first time I heard BEEFHEART’s Trout Mask Replica, I came away a little confused by my first listen to this record. It’s hard to pin down genre-wise, quirky as hell, and totally unlike most of what you hear in today’s punk scene. That being said, a few more listens to the record were enough for me to realize what a goddamn masterpiece this record is. Truly one of the most creative, unique, genre-bending releases of the year. The band has stumbled upon a punchier, noisier take on DEVO that still feels forward-thinking in the 21st century. It’s witty and sarcastic, but also profound, striking a nice balance lyrically. This is a highlight release of the year for me.

Last Point A Beaten Path CD

Hailing from the central coast of California, LAST POINT plays the kind of melodic skate punk that wouldn’t be out of place amongst some of genre’s heaviest hitters. In fact, this album sounds like it was meant to be at the very least considered for a 7″ or a track on a Fat Music comp, but was just unearthed from some secret vault deep beneath the Fat Wreck office.

Maladia Sacred Fires 12″

When I saw MALADIA play, close on eighteen months ago, they were billed second to PERMISSION, and while those two groups diverge somewhat from a baseline sound—one more weird, the other more ferocious—together they’re top of the line in modern London hardcore. Sacred Fires is MALADIA’s first vinyl release after a 2019 demo, and they have upped the (already intense) intensity for twelve minutes and five slippery rippers. John Weston sounds extra anarcho-aggro on the mic and the VOID via post-Pope Adrian RUDIMENTARY PENI blown-out deathrock vibe gets rolled up in a comparably more psychedelic carpet on the B-side. This is feeling like a sleeper hit of 2021 DIY punk.

The Owen Guns Electric Boogaloo EP2 CD

Seven tracks of raging, somewhat melodic hardcore. With lots of “fucks” and mob chant choruses, guitar solos, and ’80s riffs and breakdowns. Given that these lads are from Australia, the inclusion of a faithful rendition of the HARD-ONS ditty “Just Being With You” is a pretty good representation of style, substance, and attitude. With lots of swearing. The second release from this four-piece, both forged in the period of the pandemic.

Predator Spiral Unfolds LP

After dropping the great GG KING record just a couple of months ago, Total Punk pulls a “While I’ve got you guys…” and ends up with a new LP from the other unsung heroes and elder statesmen of Atlanta’s punk scene, PREDATOR (who share two…maybe three members with GG KING). It’s technically their first LP since 2014’s The Complete Earth, but you’d be forgiven for not recognizing that, seeing as how one of the main creative forces behind the band, Brannon Greene, has also dropped a slew of records with his other projects NAG and GET HIGH BOYS—bands that sound similar enough that I (a true Predhead sicko) would have trouble differentiating were you to randomly play their songs at me. What’s maybe most surprising about this LP is how much it stands apart from previous PREDATOR releases (and other Brannon projects). There’s still plenty of the nihilistic post-punk-tinged hardcore that these guys have been delivering since 2009(!)—and it’s still great—but this is a much more varied affair than what we’ve gotten from them in the past. “Confessional” features an honest-to-god vocal melody, and “Hands Reaching Out” (maybe my favorite track on the album) could even be described as gentle. It’s just great to hear a band that’s been around this long doing whatever they want while clearly staying the same band and having it turn out this good. Also, quite the handsome sleeve on this one!

Schiach 2 LP

Over the last five years, there’s been no shortage of TOTAL CONTROL-type bands on the international scene. I’m here to tell you that SCHIACH is one of the finer such units. Maybe that’s because their influences stretch all the way back to the original German post-punk scene and they utilize drum machines as effectively as they use guitars. In accordance with the genre, 2 is packed full of paranoia. All manner of clanking sounds ricochet around the agitated vocals, often sounding like a parody of industrial-influenced club music; a lo-tech MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT, perhaps. But instead of sending up Christianity and hard rock, SCHIACH seems to be mocking modern surveillance culture, and that’s something this reviewer can get behind.

Signal to Trust Albatross Sessions cassette

A cassette release of recordings from way back in the year 2000 from this now-defunct band. Frankly, it’s criminal that these tracks are just getting their first “official” release now. Quirky, dynamic post-punk with stop/start math rock rhythms, brittle D. Boon/BEEFHEART guitar, and earnest vocals. A joyous mashup of all your favorite things from MISSION OF BURMA to SQUIRREL BAIT to SHELLAC to BIG BOYS, SIGNAL TO TRUST is exactly the band you needed 21 years ago and you didn’t even know it. Now you can correct the error.

Tchernobyl Consumé Par Le Feu EP

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose! Another week and another cracker of a French-speaking Oi! record for me to tuck into, this time from the perennially great scène Parisienne. While the Anglophone world may be slacking, these upstarts have been adding their spin on that classic French sound everyone loves (unless you are a cloth-eared bastard). Both lumpen and leaden while simultaneously whipping along at decent pace, it’s a great little record, and doesn’t stay around long enough to offend either.

Wolfhead59 Power is Not Yours LP

I, for one, am always appreciative of any band in the punk world that attempts to break the guitar/drums/bass rock band format. The recently reissued SCREAMERS demo is a prime example. WOLFHEAD59 is a UK duo that plays hardcore techno punk, which at its best can be compared to L.O.T.I.O.N., LE TIGRE, and ATARI TEENAGE RIOT. At its worst, it’s shitty video game music overlaid with distorted, shrieking vocals. I’ll say this one’s about half and half. They do a really interesting cover of AGNOSTIC FRONT’S “Gotta Go” and I enjoyed some of the trippier numbers like “Na Zawsze,” but this is hard for me to get through in one listening, much as some of the late ’90s clubs I suffered through in order to score hard drugs. Overall worth a listen, though.

Artery Oceans 12″ reissue

Real talk, even in a very generous estimation, ARTERY’s seven-track Oceans 12″ from 1982 barely makes the C-list of goth-shadowed early ’80s UK post-punk, and I highly doubt that this reissue will do anything to change that standing. Mark Gouldthorpe’s vocals have a vaguely BAUHAUS-era Peter Murphy quality (if you removed any visceral edge of drama from Peter Murphy’s delivery), there’s some minor JOY DIVISION infringement in the martial, bass-forward rhythmic drone of “Into the Garden,” and for about half of the record, ARTERY passes the expected signposts along a very well-trodden path of post-punk gloom. Everything finally clicks on “The Slide,” where Gouldthorpe’s batcave howls meet clanging mutant disco beats like a crypt-dwelling LIQUID LIQUID, solid gold! But then it’s all downhill from there—”Sailor Situation” is a piano-led, sub-BAD SEEDS reworking of a sea shanty (as in, “what shall we do with the drunken sailor?”), which is just as cringe-worthy as that sounds, and “The Clown” (presented in not one but two versions!) takes a flicker of ROXY MUSIC-ish glam and completely snuffs it under squawks of gimmicky carnival organ and horns. So yeah, “The Slide,” what a perfect argument for the superiority of the 45 format.

Bain de Sang Sacrificed for a Load of Filth and Lies LP

This LP opens up with pulverizing, blackened, downturned rippage reminiscent of UNRUH meets AT THE GATES, MISERY INDEX, INSISION, and SKITSYSTEM. BAIN DE SANG of Paris plays intensely tight grindcore with galloping precision while locking up crust-inspired riffs and brutal black metal grimness. At times slightly screeching, BAIN DE SANG always seems to pull back into the realm of hardcore at just the right moment. Powerful rhythms undercut the complete onslaught of technical modern grind. Bestial dark deathcore breakdowns punctuate where necessary, and thrash momentum opens up the cover of “Warsaw”—previous to this track, my favorite homage was done by SWING KIDS. This one brings such smoldering, depressive merit to covering songs. Self-described powerviolence; I wouldn’t go there at all, personally. This is from a warmer place, for lack of a better word. Damn fine French grindcore album.

Bibione Tell Me What I Think EP

If you sometimes feel that the post-punk realm is overcrowded with bands that leave you totally indifferent, don’t miss this amazing 7″ inch from this female Czech trio from Prague. Five songs of playful, intimate and furious post-punk, seven if you get the download. The band can make poppy and dynamic short blasts of surfy fun, like “Tell Me What I Think,” that make you think of BRATMOBILE, and they can get harsh and noisy like in “Gloves” and “Call Me.” “Summer Hit” may be the, erm, hit of the record, with some beautiful guitar riffs, like a riot grrrl ELECTRELANE. “Pleasures” sounds like PYLON fighting KLEENEX/LILIPUT.  Sorry if I’ve been name dropping too many bands, BIBIONE has a sound of their own, I just don’t wanna sell them short. This is a record that deserves to be played repeatedly. The two bonus tracks are damn good: “Colours” just kicks you in the face.

Chainsaw Funny Feast LP

Collecting songs recorded between 1998 and 2002, Funny Feast reissues the (complete?) works of France’s CHAINSAW. Featuring original DOGS frontman Dominique Laboube as well as members of the VERMINES, this record showcases a reunion of sorts of these Rouen punk veterans. With a musical style that sways back and forth between earnest, old school Motor City-style rock’n’roll and a sort of unpolished power pop, CHAINSAW’s soulful, heavy, and garage-y sound was built on nostalgia. Influences of the STOOGES and NEW YORK DOLLS are apparent, and at times the singer reminds me of a French version of 1980s Iggy in his delivery. Once in a while some DEAD BOYS mojo surfaces, like on the lead track from the band’s 2000 EP Godzilla’s Got a New Toy, and they close out the album with a trio of solid RAMONES covers. It’s a love letter to the ’70s delivered through a distinctly ’90s lens, and these fifteen unabashed retro-rockers will surely appeal to proto-punk perverts around the globe.

Collective Hardcore / Disco Junk split EP

What we have here is a double-dose of Melbourne teen go-getter Billiam, a.k.a. Billy Twyford!  You get a couple of tracks from his full band DISCO JUNK on the A-side, and three tracks from his solo recording project COLLECTIVE HARDCORE on the flip. I’ve had trouble deciding which I prefer, which I guess suggests both are pretty good. But I think the COLLECTIVE HARDCORE side takes it by a hair. The weirdo self-aware egg-punk (listen out for a CONEHEADS sample) works a little better than the straightforward, garage-y KBD stuff from DISCO JUNK. Plus, “Panic Attack” really smokes!

Dead Hero / Ultra Razzia split LP

Another split from Primator Crew, this time bringing Montreal scrappers ULTRA RAZZIA and Bogotán mob DEAD HERO together on wax for the first time. The former’s side of the split is characterised by their signature sparse but muscular take on Oi! More in common with some of their more hardcore contemporaries, but if LIONS LAW or BROMURE are your type of thing, you’ll find something to enjoy here. DEAD HERO’s side offers a more of a lighter touch, but is perhaps even more fun. It’s a real love letter to a type of punk many of us fell in love with first; it’s safety pins on a school blazer, think maybe VICE SQUAD out on the piss with COCK SPARRER and you’re in the right ballpark, ’77-in-’82 fun times for all.

Deafkids / Rakta Live at SESC Pompéia LP

The evolution of São Paulo’s RAKTA and Rio’s DEAFKIDS from, respectively, gothic post-punx and a solo crust project into their recent psych-freak heights has been hugely satisfying to witness, and also seemed to bring the two groups into each other’s orbit. Witnessed them both smash it live when they toured Europe together in 2019, including a decent chunk of RAKTA’s set which in fact saw both bands onstage—bringing us to this album, recorded live in São Paulo a little later in the year with all six members performing as a singular noise unit. You get two songs each from the most recent RAKTA and DEAFKIDS albums, plus both sides of the collaborative 7″ they made for that tour, and not only is it a spot-on recording, for the most part it sounds notably different—jammier, trippier, wormholier—to the studio versions. In this, Sesc Pompeia gets past the common problem of complete pointlessness associated with live albums. The presence of two drummers is key, helping to make RAKTA’s “Miragem” into a major Krautrock rave-up, and the rendition of “Espirais Da Loucura” by DEAFKIDS that closes this LP gets on a buckwild cosmic jazz tip.

Dicks Hate the Police EP reissue

This EP is 40 years old and its relevance couldn’t be more important or timely. This is the second reissue, the first being in 2012. During its production and pressing, George Floyd was murdered, focusing a hyper-lens on the ongoing abuse and savagery carried out by the nation’s police forces. The record came out last summer amidst the despot führer’s election year antics and the protests in our nation’s streets. “Hate the Police” has been covered many times, each one failing to reach the impact and authenticity of Gary Floyd’s vocal delivery or the perfectly imperfect raw, cavernous recording of the original band. The lyrics and delivery of the song are so much more than a simple “punks vs. police” dichotomy. The hate and sadistic oppression that encompasses a personal sphere mirrors that of our society on a systemic level. I’m not a pessimist, but when Gary Floyd growls “You can’t find justice, it’ll find you,” I know this song will still be relevant and necessary 40 years from now.

End of Hope Cease & Destroy LP

Heavy rock’n’roll-tinged stoner jams, pulled through time from the mid-1990s “noise rock played by old punks” brand of heavy alt. The difference is that END OF HOPE still opens it up from time to time, and maybe it’s the variation that sets them apart. Massive guitar tonnage and killer riffs, Cease & Destroy hits hard and swings hard, like a thinking person’s grunge/stoner hybrid. Distinct piercing growls from former KRAUT frontman Gunner ensure that this record doesn’t sound like anything else on your shelf. Self-released on CD in 2019, slapped onto shiny green wax by Chain Reaction.

The Eurosuite Hot Off Depress LP

Hot Off Depress is a smorgasbord of unnerving but rocking noise punk with clear antecedents in CHINESE STARS and, closer to home for these Brits, USA NAILS. We’re talking dentist-drill guitars, sarcastic vox, pounding rhythms, and the rare ability not to overstay their welcome. The EUROSUITE even manages to employ electronics in an organic manner, often standing in for what would normally be a guitar feeding back. The desperate, sleazy synth-pop of “Stimulate” shows that the EUROSUITE ain’t just miscreants with tinnitus, and “Line/Void” ends the album with a lonesome piano playing in the next room while a man narrates an absence to himself. Cracking debut, lads.

Fun Time Objects C20/20 Go-Go! LP

First, I’m just gonna admit that I can’t tell if the title of this record is a reference to eye testing (strongly supported by the vision-chart-inspired album artwork), the controversial introduction of tapes and home dubbing into the music scene, the calendar year, or the comet C2020. The multiple possibilities of meanings fit in with the reality of a band from Brooklyn releasing a proto-punk record in 2020. The retro sound is perfectly convincing—upbeat and snotty, accented with tambourine, and topped with a dissociative op-art album insert. What does anything mean? The perennial threat of neo-fascism is bulging at Reagan-era levels, but the world is in many ways unrecognizable compared to the world that first spawned punk’s irreverent minimalism. Instead of being an aggressive challenge to the old days’ buttoned-up social order, this lands as more of a return to simpler times when pushing the system’s buttons was so much easier. This record might be the musical equivalent of sniffing glue, and maybe that’s what some of us need right now.

G.A.Z.E. Sielun Tuli demo cassette

Self-described “Super Dimension Hard Core!!!!” bringing a brightly packaged cassette in yellow with many psychedelic aspects to it. This may be a reference to the MANBIKI CHOCOLATE compilation, from the look and sound of it? The sound—this is like PAINTBOX and TURBONEGRO meets GISM and ZOUO, with Oi!/Scandi-folk anthemic cheering and fully demonic verse vocals like BEHERIT, IMPALED NAZARENE, and MARERIDT. Psychotic metal punk!!! Ungodly and totally scorching!!! I’m scared to submit a review of this diabolical treat! One thing is for sure, it just melted my face off. If you’re looking  for something totally insane, non-stop confounding, and well, I am 100% fucking convinced—”Super Dimension Hard Core!!!!” Get this!

Haiboku Un Nuevo Poder EP

At first spin, you feel like you are listening to a lost EP of KURO, GUDON, or some other ’80s Japanese hardcore band. In fact, this band HAIBOKU comes from Mexico City, but they learned their Japanese hardcore well. The name is Japanese, they sound Japanese, and even have a sick GUDON cover at their Bandcamp. Un Nuevo Poder is their second EP, and definitely check it out if you like your hardcore fast and unpredictable…and hummm…Japanese!

Hideous Sun Demon Development Hell EP

Hailing from Australia, HIDEOUS SUN DEMON absolutely kills it on this 7″, recorded at the legendary Flightless Records HQ. Four tight and punchy punk songs that spit attitude, what else do you really need? Occasionally mixing synths and other psychedelic noises, the sound is reminiscent of OMNI or PREOCCUPATIONS. The final cut “Australia” feels a little slower, more like JOY DIVISION. Overall, very excited to hear more from the group.

Joy Joy cassette

Launching with forceful, haunting vocals amid minimal post-punk drumming, super-fuzzed-out bass, and atonal but brutally intentional guitar flourishes, this tape is exciting from the first moment. The next tracks venture more toward a danceable post-punk sound, folding in synth drums and vocals that duel rhythmically with the driving, syncopated instruments. JOY nods to the legacy of anarcho-punk bands like LOST CHERREES and CRASS’ Penis Envy, while also echoing the post-punk sensibilities of bands like DELTA 5 and ESG. They apply an expansive sense of imagination, breaking genre rules and creating songs that embody duality: enraged yet disciplined, sweetly harmonized yet unnerving, viscerally human yet mediated with electronics. Definitely not to be missed.

Krupps Prospect Street cassette

Unlikely to be confused with DIE KRUPPS by anyone who takes time to listen, KRUPPS are from Nottingham and feature one of that city’s great BLOODY HEAD on guitar. Prospect Street is their second album-length tape, packaged like a cassingle (ask a Gen X-er), and it matches its predecessor, 2019’s Players, for het-up ranting shit-fi. These songs tend to be notably slower and dirgier than before, though, with the three musicians’ jangly slop energy reshaped into a murky, detuned plod. Similarly, where vocalist Alan Martin once sounded like someone unloading several years’ worth of frustration inside 25 minutes, here his demeanour contributes to a beaten-down and frankly depressing sounding album. Let me be clear—this is all good gravy to my ears, and by accident or design KRUPPS have found a sound both singular and fucked. Maybe think CERAMIC HOBS meets NO TREND as shorthand to try and grab your interest?

Kto Ukradł Ciastka Rozdział 1992–1993 LP

I had never heard of KTO UKRADŁ CIASTKA when I went to Poland for the first time in 2003 and WHN? played the Refuse 10th Anniversary show. KTO UKRADŁ CIASTKA had reformed for that one gig and it was clear that their influence was strong in the DIY scene…it was also completely fucking wild. A vinyl reissue of the first cassette release on Refuse Records, Rozdział 1992–1993 captures the band live in 1993 and a rehearsal from ’92. The audience recordings are pretty rough, but the record settles in after the first few tracks, and the power really comes out when they hit their stride around “Butapren.” The rehearsal, however, is amazing—seven doses of pure fire from a band bridging the gap from classic ska/reggae-infused ’80s Polish punk to the then-modern world of European DIY hardcore, with a sharp triple-vocal attack and constant urge to speed up and fall (or fly) off the rails. Political, straightedge, pro-animal rights, KTO UKRADŁ CIASTKA was blazing their own trail in early 1990s Poland, and this document was clearly put together by someone who followed in their wake. Just a couple of hundred copies, with a gorgeous printed booklet full of photo and flyers and a previously unavailable recording of the anti-fascist anthem “RAAF.” I highly recommend reading the label’s write-up on the history of the band and the release—perhaps it’s a copout to send a reader to the label, but in this case there’s an extensive and personal history with the band, and few people can put their importance in context better. An incredible release.

Mundo Primitivo Paisaje Interior cassette

Sydney’s MUNDO PRIMITIVO is a band formed just last year with Melissa from Colombia’s ABUSO and members of MORTE LENTA, ILL BRIGADE, PHOTOGENIC, and MUM. This six-song tape is sung in Spanish, but you can get the lyrics in English on their Bandcamp. I urge you to do that, just to get the full message of the band: the personal is political, but if the personal is imploding while the world burns, what are we supposed to do? To resist is the answer. There is a hallucinatory edge to the images painted by the lyrics, the urgency of action is so strong it takes the form of expressionist and vitalist imagery. Sonically, we’re talking about some intense and gripping hardcore with catchy riffs and energetic performances; it reminded me of early ’80s Southern Californian bands like the GERMS or T.S.O.L. Anyway, this is one of the best punk releases of the year. You can feel and smell the sweat dripping from each song.  I particularly loved “Medium” with its very deathrock-y slow intro, noisy guitar feedback, and slightly pysch hardcore finale. You can get the single-sided tape, with beautiful original artwork printed by Melissa, on Static Shock Records. Also important, all proceeds from this release are donated directly to all the people resisting fascist state violence in Colombia.

Opus Good Procedures / The Atrocity 7″ reissue

I must admit: I’ve always been a little perplexed as to how this single came to be such a rarefied bonzer. Released in 1979 in a micro-edition of 200 copies (deepest of ironies that, considering it’s about the standard run these days), OPUS has spent the 21st century skyrocketing in value (Discogs clocks a $3,500 sale with no pic sleeve). OPUS was an L.A.-area band that played a few gigs and managed to squeeze out this two-sider before vanishing in a cloud of dust. As they continue to mine for rare gold, Meat House has been on a tear lately, so it’s quite a feat that they managed to secure such a “holy grail” for re-release and reappraisal. So how da tunes, you ask? Well, they’re fucking perplexing—”Good Procedures” is a head-scratcher of an A-side. It straight-up sounds like a demo of a mid-tempo rock song that sits somewhere between snoozeville AOR and the least-exciting almost-post-punk cut you can name off the top of your head (so proto-indie rock, basically). It is truly so underwhelming that someone out there should be demanding a $3,495 refund based on this side alone. But then you flip it over and “The Atrocity” comes ripping through the speakers and the current price tag almost starts to make sense (but not really, I mean c’mon, what the fuck). “The Atrocity” features gnarly guitar strangling at near-hardcore tempos and even has a hook, so there ya go—an actual punk rock song. At least this version comes with a guaranteed cover. For less than a twenty dolla holla, you too, can own an overrated slice of punk rock history.

Poison Tribe State Sanctioned Violence cassette

Full-throated crust churn—another killer contribution from the folks at Chain Reaction. The vocals are exhausting, lyrics descending into a breathless “aaaarrrggghhhh“ instead of words, and trying to keep up with the all-go low-end attack. Five songs here—definitely looking forward to more in the future.

Reiser 1000 Neue Polizisten LP

Leipzig’s REISER comes as a breath of fresh air. It’s not that synth-punk is overdone, it’s that bands rarely have the courage to explore outside the confines of what has been established as “cool”. The paradox of course being, how do you find the next cool thing if you won’t take a risk? (See me if you want to have an intense three-hour conversation about this.) Anyway, REISER is taking these risks, and it’s great. This record is full of influences, from KRAFTWERK to ’77 punk to CHAIN AND THE GANG, but the real exciting thing is how they are making those influences their own and turning them into something new.

Speedbilly Raise Hell, Praise Dale! CD

NASCAR punk from Minnesota! No really, it’s a thing. Most folks looking at this would be expecting some hard ZEKE and NINE POUND HAMMER worship, which isn’t that far off, but there is an element of pop punk flowing through this well-worn manifold and it’s not such a bad thing in this context. The lyrics to “Doin’ It for Dale” are pretty funny. Oh hell, I have to say it…give it a spin!

Spirit of Revolt Brick demo cassette

Debut release from this Northern Colorado band. SPIRIT OF REVOLT hits the streets running with six songs of politically-driven punk rock. Mid-tempo drums, driving repetitive riffs, shouted anarchist/anti-capitalist lyrics, “Oi!s” peppered in for good measure, what’s not to like?

Taifun Demo 2020 cassette

German punks worshipping Japanese ’90s hardcore bands, featuring members of BURIAL (no strangers to this genre) and BOMBENALARM. Side A is pure pummeling Burning Spirits-styled hardcore going from BASTARD to FORWARD. Four tracks with all the style’s tropes: rock’n’roll leads, gang shouts, and an upbeat feeling. Side B is a vicious ten-minute noise piece about the mythological Greek giant Argus Panoptes that will melt what is left of your ears off. Overall a great demo for all the Japanese hardcore enthusiasts.

Zero Again Out of the Crooked Timber of Humanity… EP

ZERO AGAIN from Bristol are an anarcho band consisting of members of UKHC veterans such as WARWOUND, DECADENCE WITHIN, REGRET, BRING TO RUIN, and others. Perhaps due to the use of modern instruments and higher level of musicianship, it sits on the metallic side of anarcho-punk, maybe even a tad modern metal-sounding for the fans of Ian Glasper’s publications (he is a member of the band). Yet the songs are still not unlike the mid-’80s UKHC/anarcho-punk sounds of SACRILEGE, ICONS OF FILTH, RUDIMENTARY PENI, or WARWOUND, if they used modern gear and recorded on DAW software. Fierce anarcho-punk songs driven by a world of emptiness, frustration with endless police oppression, COVID isolation, etc. Songs reflect the same angry, dark realities of the world that have yet to be really improved since the first WARWOUND demo was recorded.

Aküestix Parody of a Tragedy, Pt. 1 CD

Musically, this reminds me of something that would have been on Fearless or Hopeless in the ’90s. Lyrically, there’s a song about aliens. That was almost enough for me to write this off but…then I heard the song “Appear” and that kept my attention, as it was the standout track in my opinion. If you long for the days of Black Flys, bleached hair, two-row studded belts holding up Dickies shorts that always seemed two sizes too big, and perfectly-timed jumps in unison, then my friend, you will most likely enjoy this CD.

Cassie Change My Image / Will You 7″ reissue

This is a re-release of a single that was released in the UK in ’82. Apparently CASSIE was heavily influenced by BLONDIE, but to my ear this hits more like a funkier version of the STRIPES. The A-side “Change My Image” pairs bright, power pop guitar riffs and a classic rock’n’roll backbeat with intermittent bursts of saxophone, and what sounds to be a toy piano. The B-side alternates instrumentally between reggae and new wave, with singer Cassie’s throaty, melodic vocals stitching the transitions together seamlessly. If your collection includes X-RAY SPEX and the SELECTOR, this record would not feel out of place.

Chain of Flowers Amphetamine Luck flexi 7″

First new music in a few years from the Welsh diaspora’s preeminent dream pop punx, and “Amphetamine Luck” is a one-song, one-sided flexidisc which finds them back at peak performance. There are a shit ton of guitars on this, be that due to multi-tracking or a surfeit of fellows who simply love to stick their six-stringed oar in, and the full, fulsome, sweetly ear-ringing sound—from the synth-y ambient intro on—is a credit to producer Jonah Falco and, more poignantly, the late John Hannon on mastering duties. Lyrics seem to aim for that moment in a party arc where chemical euphoria starts to bleed into chemical regret: “I just can’t seem to learn,” croons Joshua Smith, relatably.

Chill Parents At the Barricades cassette

Eight quick tracks of hard, crunchy punk with a political bent. Searching for a reference leads me all over the place. There are melodic riffs over impassioned protest lyrics reminding me of ANTI-FLAG on one track, then explosions of party-hardcore intensity on the next, running into some gruff ’80s-punk-style ranting and guitar chugging that reminds me of BUTTHOLE SURFERS on the next. Whatever this is, it’s not what you expected. Whoever you are, you’ll find something to love and something to hate here. As cool as it is to hear a band with a carefully crafted and cohesive sound, this tape reflects the reality of what bands are usually like in real life—a lumpy assortment of creative ideas and intermittently compatible personalities.

Dabblin’ I Was Almost an Astronaut Once cassette

At first listen, my very first thought was that this reminds me of Plan-It-X stuff, but if those bands paid their electricity bills and decided to trade in their acoustic guitars and washboards for amps and loud guitars. This thought remained with me while listening due to the vocals and the delivery of said vocals. My second thought was how fun seeing this band live must be. Eight songs total, with the last one being an acoustic song. All in all a fun release, and one I’ll surely be revisiting. If I had one complaint, it would be that I wish there were just a couple more songs here.

Education Parenting Style EP

After the excellent Culture LP also released on Symphony Of Destruction, EDUCATION is back with a new EP. Dark and primitive post-punk, almost like a gloomier version of DIÄT or a less crazy INSTITUTE. Parenting Style has four amazing tracks that will stick to you like glue. One of the best post-punk bands out there.

Fox Face End of Man LP

Milwaukee quartet FOX FACE makes a slow and soft but extremely sharp mind-melting version of Midwest punk. The band doesn’t rely on fast grooves or crushing riffs, instead allowing for the music to build in chaotic rhythm. No extra padding needed; just true guitar-led punk rock. The tracks on this LP are lyrically potent, describing our turbulent times in true sneering punk fashion. They take influence from a wide variety of punk bands all the way from VIOLENT FEMMES to SLEATER-KINNEY. Truly a very cathartic and timely release.

Golpe La Colpa È Solo Tua LP

Just as predicted in my review of the GOLPE’s Promo 2020 cassette, this album fucking kicks ass. Tadzio Pederzolli from KOMPLOTT and SEMPRE PEGGIO managed to keep expectations high and deliver an amazingly fresh D-beat-infused hardcore record. It’s great to see punk bands that use their political views as weapons against ignorance and prejudice, as not many bands these days talk openly about their beliefs. Just head on over to his Bandcamp and grab a shirt, with proceeds going to Brigate Volontarie. Everything about this record screams activism and solidarity. This is what punk is supposed to be.

Hallucination Hallucination cassette

I’ve been loving all the stuff that’s been falling on my ears from Philadelphia. What a great scene you have there! HALLUCINATION presents their self-titled first cassette, five tracks of obsessive guitar noise that meshes D-beat, rough punk, and crazed crust. Get the cassette tape for the exclusive POISON IDEA cover.  Songs are short and violent with riffs that replicate themselves as they morph into a destructive nuclear squall, scorching a city in just a few minutes. This EP is a place to inhabit, so take your time to listen to it repeatedly and grasp the slowly revealing melodies and hooks, catchy guitar riffs, and pounding drums between the manic thickness of the guitar tone.  Just play this loud and demolish your last vestiges of hope.

Health Plan Health Plan cassette

Must admit to having low-ish expectations for this one for a few jumbled reasons (artwork apparently completed in a two-minute time limit, recording process described as “we plugged guitars straight into a laptop,” members’ other bands USA NAILS and DEAD ARMS never truly doing it for me with their recorded product), but the debut release by London band HEALTH PLAN has some very agreeable moments of mangled punk electro No Wave. The nasty recording is actually a boon in fact, assuming you can get with clipping-heavy digital snowstorms, and the injections of sax skronk boost the gnarl nicely; vocals are largely semi-spoken and often buried in the mix. A sound I most readily associate with the first decade of this millennium—which makes it more fun to hear now!—HEALTH PLAN are working similar angles to XBXRX, PRE, and NO BABIES in times recent or less so.

Innuendo Losing Again demo cassette

Simple, straightforward, and brash, the head-bobbing hardcore on this three-song demo hits the spot. This Wisconsin band’s rockin’ mid-tempo style channels O.G. punk spirit in the vein of early BLACK FLAG and NEGATIVE APPROACH, and it sounds awesomely refreshing right about now. This one even slid onto my Top Ten for 2020 based on its pure potency, and get this—it’s just two guys: a vocalist and an everything-else man making this excellent racket. With any luck this strong little tape is just a teaser for a more comprehensive INNUENDO attack to come.

The Jacks Make ‘Em Cry LP

Reminder unearths another collection of recordings from a power pop band you’ve likely never heard of. This time we’re treated to the total recorded output of the JACKS, a Tulsa, OK band who only managed to release one record in their lifetime, 1980’s “Just Like Yesterday” 45, which they issued themselves on their own Debonaire imprint. Composed primarily of songwriting duo Mitch Griffin and Walter Kleinecke, a couple of acolytes of fellow Tulsan DWIGHT TWILLEY, the band seemingly spent most of its existence floating around the Midwest and managed to keep some interesting company along the way. In addition to TWILLEY, the band gigged around with the PAGANS while spending a good chunk of time in Cleveland, and they even managed to coax youngsters Bob Mould and Tommy Stinson into the studio to serve as session musicians after relocating to Minneapolis. The songwriting featured on this collection is solid, but it’s hard to say there’s much here that helps them stand apart from their contemporaries (even those represented on Reminder’s roster). Still, if you’re a fan of power pop, you’ll find plenty to enjoy here, and it is presented in a lovely gatefold sleeve with great liner notes. More fantastic work from Reminder!