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!
Garage, punk, garage ska, and just general garage, done with a flair—the lyrics are sharp, but not dogmatic. At a few points, there’s a dash of FEEDERZ here, but that’s not really what they’re about. Good debut.
Super-aggressive thrash with ultra-throaty vocals which makes me think of NEGATIVE APPROACH. Pretty ferocious stuff for all you rug cutters.
Straightforward, potent thrash not unlike Boston’s JERRY’S KIDS. The production is clean but powerful and the lyrics tackle war and rebellion. Searing stuff here, definitely check this out.
Grungy punk and thrash with lyrics that cover apathy, vegetarianism, and lighter topics. “Satan In My Drain” stands out as a total crack-up! Comes with booklet.
Christian hard rock not unlike STRYP…oops, wrong tape! No way, these loonies play the more urgent, frantic thrash, it’s insane. 72 songs in 60 minutes. DRI, eat your heart out.
It’s rare when a HC band can sound tighter and better on their faster material than on the slower tunes, but that’s the case here. While 50% of this LP is average, the other half is definitely a cut above, showing real snappiness. Lots of promise.
With titles like “Stagedive to Hell,” guess what kind of music this is? Yep, fuckingspeedcoreandsmetalmentalityandIbitit’llsell.
This pleasant surprise has four rockin’ pop punk tunes, with topics like Reagan, rednecks, organized religion, love, hate, and “Mental Gangreen.” This is great, so buy it now, okay?
Tight but relatively indistinct hardcore. All the ingredients are there, but nothing really sticks in my mind afterwards. More tuneage!
Maybe I haven’t been reading my NME and Sounds lately, but I could swear this is the FALL incarnate or a formula for coolness. No apology for the comparison here. The only difference is that the FALL didn’t get this type of production or push on their first singles. Too bad.
The American release of the hot TVOR album. Different (but equally as bad) cover, but it’s what’s inside that counts, right?
Jolting, mind-blowing HC in the great Italian tradition which will bowl you over. Tempo changes galore, amazingly great production, and impassioned “us vs. them” lyrics. Brain-shattering music from the heart, get it!
This album is a bit lighter than the previous, though it contains the same early punk mix of pop-punk and ska punk, Reminds a lot of middle-period CLASH. Pretty slick.
Their debut U.S. album, which includes all the tracks on the Aussie 12″ as well as the “Girl in the Sweater” 45. Fans of pop-punk should snap this baby up!
This band is still a mix of styles on this second 12″. Although there’s no apparent “hit” here, each song has a different signature; gloomy, rock’n’roll, metalish ballads, etc. And each is powerful in its own right. It’s a little hard to get hooked on these buys, but they’re good.
Cowpunkish Irish music? They cover KENNY LOGGINS, sound like the VANDALS at times, and do yet another song called “Gimme Gimme Gimme.” Blarmey, podner.
I don’t know who Terry Gibson is but I think he thinks he’s Dave Edmonds.
Previously released excellent Aussie stuff, this time released for European consumption.
Dumber than the STUPIDS? No surprise, since some of the same suspects appear here, delivering like DOGGY STYLE. Melodic, frantic thrash to go. Do they have drive-ins in England?
A lot more “rock’n’roll” than their ancient debut, this one has your metal/rock feel to it, and despite the usual dumbo lyrics, the music don’t cut it (the West Coast MEATMEN?). Amazingly, they do one “punk” tune, a cover of…BAD POSTURE’s “GDMFSOB.” Not worth the wait.
A fairly somber neo-’60s-esque A-side. The flip is reminiscent of TELEVISION, especially the vocals.Even though it’s extremely sad and gloomy, it has some nice effects.
The EX are a collective not unlike CRASS but their music is every bit as challenging as their message. This double LP takes intelligent topics and spreads them over SONIC YOUTH style drones into raw post-punk noises. With two exhaustive magazines.
Making no bones about their infatuation with melodic 60s style psych, this band blends smooth ZOMBIES type vocals with witty intricate music like ROBYN HITCHCOCK. Might be able to give off the MOFFS and DIED PRETTY a run for their money with pretty and complex pop-psych music.
Side One is “LSD,” a news story about the stuff set to a slow, psychedelic pulsing accompaniment. The flip, “Maggie,” is a slow, buzzsaw of a tune about Margaret Trudeau. Graphics insinuate Nazi b.s., but given the twisted nature of the music, I’d guess it’s just bad drugs at work.
All the songs on this EP start out quiet and pretty and quickly move into speedy but highly melodic thrash. Don’t be fooled by the “Wavish” sleeve, this one’s got punch while maintaining its tune.
Strap yourself into the old time machine and set the controls for 1977/NYC/Lower East Side. Zap! Now you’re at a CONTORTIONS and TEENAGE JESUS gig. Lots of saxes, jazz punk, screeching vocals and funky bass. If this is ’87, it must be Scotland.
Akin to TALKIN’ TO THE TOILET (see review this ish), but more on the industrial side and not as goofy. Joe Raimond and friends turn out rhythm machine slow punk with layers of noise and guitar.
Lightweight punk with surf and pop influences, sounding like the frat party-band they are. Could appeal to fans of Midwestern pop and garage bands, but they lack any real punch or zaniness.
Hot clean trash with some metallic smudges. A rad female screamer, anti-system lyrics, good job. Keep it up!
Ultra-gruff vocals and engaging (?) mid-tempo post-punk thrash. No wait, this makes no sense, but there’s both a negative feel and yet something uplifting too in the tuneage. Interesting.
Well, my grandma lives in Concord, but she wouldn’t like these guys. Their hot, clean thrash would hurt her ears. She wouldn’t appreciate their lyrics, either, which criticize social and political problems.
Hot punk and thrash which reminds me of the 1981 East Coast sound: hard, fast, with a searing guitar sound. Lyrically, not much is happening, but this still jams.
A pretty hot collection of garage-y speedcore material here, but no Satanic crap. Lyrics are about conformity, South Africa, and “the scene” predominate. Good job.
A good example of this band’s punk/ska/reggae sound, the material ranges from slow dub-mixes to upbeat tunes filtered with a wide range of tempo changes, all of which are backed up by great lyrics. The three best songs were originally on their first demo, and the remainder lack a certain catchiness.
This comp features material from CRAZY’s out of print LP and 12″, and from the sound quality I’d guess this was recorded directly off those records. Good ’77-’79 style rocking punk with political lyrics.
A posthumous release dating back to five years ago, featuring early 60s Brit-type R’n’B. Nothing particularly awesome here to warrant such a belated release, except for pure collecting purposes.
Frantic noise here — very abrasive and chaotic with frenzied vocals. Nothing too original, but it’s urgent and crazy stuff.
I guess these guys are here to give Wattie a run for his money in the dumb lyrics department, with “Up Yours,” “Boots Go Marching,” “Kick Down the Doors,” etc. I think you get the picture.
Very catchy, hard-driving psychedelic sounds in the vein of “Lucifer Sam”-era PINK FLOYD. Some pretty cool fuzzed out keyboards here, too.
Argentine Oi music, with a decided anti-capitalist bent. But there is the all-too-typical skinhead cry for “fighting” here, and too often that emotional response is poorly aimed. Musically, very credible and catchy.
CCM finally achieves their musical peak with this album, which often approaches the intensity of early GERMS — both musically and vocally. A few songs lack that total punch, but chilling numbers like “Feel Like” and the excellent title track make up for occasional weak points. Very, very good Italian HC.
The CELIBATE RIFLES’ cut, “Merry Xmas Blues” (an Aussie rarity, re-released here), is an excellent punk raver, but the flip is about as exciting as the food Martin eats. Comes with the winter ’87 issue of Pulsebeat zine.
There hasn’t been as wholesome a release in SF since BLACK HUMOR did their Love One Another LP in’82. What we’re talking here is hand made box sets” with presents in each and, well, the record. CAROLINER are one of a kind noise. Hearing is believing, love it or leave it, trash and bake, or is it hear and fry? This is for all voyeurs, acid heads, or collectors of rare species. Don’t rent…own.
A bit livelier than their debut 12″, but the accent is still on drastic lyrics, throbbing and abrasive music, and a post-punk overall feel. Very good punk indeed, a sound that harkens back but remains modern.
Speedy HC emphasizing a gritty, nasty, almost grainy sound which is quite effectively used on all four cuts. Lyrics are personal and rather chilling, making for a powerful slab of aggro.
Charging off the line full speed like the best of TOXIC REASONS or ZERO BOYS, this release has a brawny, mid-tempo punk sound complete with YOUTH BRIGADE style singalongs. Excellent new release.
Their second 7″ and a good one at that. Both songs are real punch punk, with sharp drumming, crisp bass playing and good tunes to boot. Catchy, and on the nose.
I’ve always liked BL’AST for doggedly keeping the BLACK FLAG sound alive, but unfortunately, their first release is one of the wimpiest, lamest covers I’ve heard in quite some time — like some stupid rock band down the street covering the ALICE COOPER classic. The two songs on the flip capture that classic My War grunge mix of blues and thrash.
The warning label states that it’s “not as good as Atomizer“ and that pretty much sums it up. They still do the best hammering sludgy rhythms but it seems like they’re not really challenging themselves to come up with something new.
