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Top Ten 7″s/Singles/EPs 

1. Sex/Vid - Nests (Dom America)
This dropped early in the year and sort of solidified Sex/Vid’s “hot shit” status. “Excorcism” is my favorite jam by the band. Some people were bummed they just chopped and screwed a stooges riff for “Always Home”, but I say “that’s art”. Or “punk”. But thankfully this isn’t art punk.

2. Hatred Surge - Servant b/w “Bestial (Deer Healer)
This EP is like a little Swans tribute. Mostly just metallic clanging and screams that bash against your speaker cones. A brilliant curve ball from the best grindcore band, and it’s well executed at that. I’d like to see it worked into the live set some day.

3. Dead Section - s/t (self)
New band for “journeyman” Insane-Bartek. I never met the guy but he is really good at screaming in punk bands. Loved Religious War, and most of the other records hes loaned his vox to. This one goes back to the semi-metallic Swedecore of the Religious War lp with tasty results. Lots of tremolo style 16th notes and trashy solos. Best spikey punk I heard this year.

4. Iron Age - The Way Is Narrow(Painkiler/Dead and Gone)
I did participate in the domestic release of this but fuck off, it’s a good single. Iron Age are finally reaching the heights I always knew they could. All the chunky crossover power of my favorite COC, Icemen, and Cro Mags parts, and finally some good production too.

5. Slang - 20th aniversery 3×7″ (HG Fact/MCR/Bloodsucker)
One of Japan’s long standing powerhouses mark their 20th anniversary by going back to their roots a bit. Just thick, driving, hardcore with some dis-core overtones and burly vocals too.

6. Double Negative - Raw Energy (Sorry State)
Probably the best of the 80’s revival crowd at this point, although they were all around to see the real thing, so I’m not sure what that means. This time they offer some self recorded tracks on an E.P. Basically the same thing as their 12″ but with less polish than before. Gets you in that COC, Attitude Adjustment, Final Conflict, mode, and it’s good.

7. Inmates - Now We Talkin’ Hardcore (Even Worse/Way Back When)
Cleveland heroes return with their first new recording this decade. Riffs from the Thrash Til Death school, but with the lyrical sensibility of A.O.D. Obnoxious spiteful kick you in the teeth kind of hardcore. Glad these guys are still out there doing it.

8. Pig Heart Transplant - Nature b/w Nurture (Deer Healer)
I’m not a noise guy, and this works in just the right amount of pure noise and fractured hardcore to hold my interest. Feedback screeching, cavernous drums, ranting shouts. Like a fucking migraine.

9. No Peace - Zombie Brains (Decision of Fate)
Another Cleveland cult classic in the 90’s style. Great live in studio style recording, kinda has that early discharge style fuzz and rickety drum sound, but with plenty of that Americanized Japanese sound that H-100s/early 9 Shocks did. Lofi hate punk that doesn’t suck.

10. Satanic Threat - Into Hell (Gloom/Hell’s Headbangers)
Occasionally a novelty record can be cool. This one is in the style of Unity/7 Seconds/Minor Threat but with Satanic lyrics courtesy of the Nunslaughter guys, and Shaun (formerly of Gordon Solie MF’s and Annihilation Time). Perfect Unity style vocals, perfect early 80’s tuneful hardcore, and ridiculous Satanic lyrics.

Top Ten reissues 

1. Hellhammer - Demon Entrails 3xLP (Century Media)
It would have been extremely easy to fuck this up, and I was worried, but I have to say this is one of the best reissue jobs I’ve ever seen. Great sounding audio transfer, beautiful packaging with lots of rare photos and drawings, for one of the most important heavy bands of the last 30 years. It goes above and beyond several times over. I kind of can’t believe this is on Century Media. Long overdue, but thankfully not rushed.

2. Paintbox - Earth Ball Sports Tournament vinyl (Prank)
The day I found out Chelsea from Paintbox died I got depressed. This is not something that generally happens to me when a musician dies. His playing is so consistently brilliant though, and Paintbox as an ensemble on this album are incredible…unmatched…perfect. One of the best ever. Seriously. I’m very happy it’s finally pressed to vinyl. Always playing this.

3. Cro Mags - Age Of Quarrel w/ unreleased demo tracks CD (self)
Okay the only reasons this isn’t @ #1 is because it’s not on vinyl and because there are more tracks from this unreleased demo session that aren’t included. HOWEVER, this does include some unheard demo songs recorded by Don Fury, 2 of which were never on a Cro Mags album, or official demo release. They are heavy as hell obviously.

4. The Icemen - The Iceman b/w It’ll Be Your Grave (Reaper)
The Icemen are a love ‘em/hate ‘em NYHC/Crossover band that only ever managed a couple of singles for releases, so unearthing 2 pro recorded demo tracks for a new single is a real treat. This thing sounds great (good remix/mastering job), has the same visual aesthetic as the band’s previous releases, and the music rips. This is how it’s done people.

5. Systematic Death - Systemania 4xLP (Partners In Crime)
Aside from these being a great “everything in one place” set, they are really nicely made, and I have to admire someone that is willing to basically put out 2 double lps at once of the same band. And a hell of a band they are. Essential early thrash paving the way for so many after.

6.Black Sabbath - The Rules Of Hell 4xCD boxset (Rhino)
Finally a decent remaster of Sabbath’s Dio Years with some good behind the scenes style liner notes too. Heaven and Hell is, IMO the best power-metal lp ever so it’s nice that the world is acknowledging Sabbath made good music after ‘75 again.

7. Amebix - No Sanctuary (The Spiderleg Recordings) (Alternative Tentacles)
This phase of the Amebix is kind of my favorite so I like that this is all nice and neat on one disc that can be got anywhere. Dark and dirgy, Killing Joke via a punk squat.

8. Gauze - Binbou Yusuri No Rizumu Ni Notte vinyl (Prank)
I know this album just came out last year, so it’s kind of not a reissue, but I’m just happy it’s on vinyl. It’s a great album, and like every other Gauze recording there’s certain things about it that make it unique in their lexicon. I love the rough recording and it sounds killer on wax.

9. Adrenalin O.D. - Wacky Hijinks Of… 2xCD (Chunksaah Records)
I’m happy this is back available for the masses and not on shitty GTA records at that. This has tons of extra stuff including the amazing Let’s BBQ 7″, which has one of the best punk leadoff tracks ever played. Shit AOD vs. Godzilla, you’re moshing with a bowling pin. Hopefully some young impressionable Bouncing Souls fans will grip this and get a clue about real deal NJ punk.

10. H-100’s - Dismantle + outtakes 12″ (self)
A stone-cold Cleveland HC/Punk classic available again at last, and as a big loud 12″. This is as raw and real as it gets. Some cool outtake curiosities pad out the sides, but this is really about the original 7″ tracks which are remastered and loud as fuck. “I was born/so now I suffer”.

The year is winding down and tomorrow most of you will be enjoying your figgy puddings by the fire, but if you get a break please enjoy a few gifts from your pals over here at bidhardcore.

Beyond live on WFMU 1988
This is my personal favorite NYC radio set that’s out there. Yes, even more than Supertouch, Breakdown, and any other.

Rigor Mortis - Holocaust/Warriors Of Doom 7″ an often overlooked NY Death Metal Gem. HC fans should like this too. Some parts remind me of Breakdown. These guys became Immolation.

The Guns - Unreleased ‘85 lp - 256vbrSome of you know this was bootlegged by Dwid as bonus tracks on a Bowel CD that was released when Dutch East was footing the bill for Dark Empire releases. This is great lost early Cleveland HC. Most of the rips of this out there SUCK.

Ripping Corpse - Splatter Remains demoRed Bank NJ’s finest deathrash act. This has been on the Internet for years in a crappy mono version. This is a rip I made from the 12″ vinyl pressing that was issued in the UK, of course at a high bite-rate.

Meat Puppets live 6-30-81An early snapshot of the Meat Puppets in hardcore mode. They are ragged as hell but great at this how. They do probably the most obnoxious (but I think sincere) 4-Tops cover ever. Pscyhocore forever.

Hopefully there’s something on that list that you’ve never heard, or need an upgrade on, if not, well I hope Santa hooked it up.

…and what would hardcore be without the hardcore thank you speech? Here it is:

Seriously a big thanks from me and AJ to everyone who’s linked us on their blogs/websites this year, all the people who come to the site daily and leave comments or send links. HUGE thanks to Stuart Schrader, Colin Tappe, Tony Rettman, Cooch, & Jon Westbrook for their guest posts at various times. Thanks to spellcheck for making me seem marginally less stupid, and thanks to the Internet, for making it all possible. It’s been a solid year now since I started posting on here and the response has been sort of amazing, so from me and my ego, thanks. It means a lot.

Have a good holidaze here (wherever).

I can’t believe one of these isn’t on ebay this week.

btw - i couldn’t shrink this down. it’s just too good.

Another entry in the XClaim saga - DYS “Brotherhood” used to be my favorite, although now I consider it to be a bit of a lesser entry. Still it has a special place in my heart and the first few songs are all stone cold ‘82-core classics.

Open Up starts it out with a classic mid-paced bass part and Dave Smally’s distinct teenaged voice cracking. For those keeping score, this is his best vocal performance ever (by far). The song rails against hardcore and punk dropouts (irony!) in a truly fist pumping manner. Next comes, what in my opinion is the unquestionably best DYS song, More Than A Fashion. This track opens with the classic DYS stompy mosh part which is utilized in a few of their songs, but is best displayed here. It’s an in your face straight edge anthem ripping at the seams from all the youthful energy coursing through the band before they explode into a fast part that repeats the lines “Straight Mind/Razor’s Edge…”. It also contains the straight edge lyrics that I relate to more than any other:

“It’s a way of life that says I don’t need
Hangovers, freak-outs or expensive weed
Rather buy a record any day
My mind is here, not far away”

I mean really - that pretty much breaks down my world view here people.  Next comes Circle Storm, which is a pretty great anti-racism thrash number. Perfect use of gang-vocals on this one. After that you get City To City, another alltime great, with the heaviest riff on the album and a pounding beat that gives the toms a workout. A great mosh track, you can’t go wrong with this. Closing out side A is The Girl’s Got Limits, which is kind of an inept AC/DC style jam. It’s pretty good but kind of kills the vibe a little bit especially right after a song that proclaims “We’re Serious and We Won’t Go Away”.

Side B starts with the title track which has a similar construction to Circle Storm. Great powerful throbbing hardcore thrashing. Of course it’s a song about your brothers/friends, etc. Obviously this combined with the last song makes it sort of obvious these aren’t the most socially progressive young boys, but what do you people want? The next 3 tracks, Yellow,  Stand Proud, and Insurance Risk are all good jams, but are kind of the less notable jams on this album. Even if they’re not all as good as More Than A Fashion though, they’re still pretty good, and better than the filler tracks on The Kids Will Have Their say. Anyway, things close out with Escape, which for some reason (I’ve never quite known why) opens with some King Arther based sample. Anyone know what that’s about? Anyway this is the archetypal Boston dirge. Lots of cheap echo on the vocals, a grinding two-note guitar riff - it’s pretty good but it also ends with the lines “Crawl into the blackness/scream into my mind”. I can’t really do much with that.

Anyway that’s all 15 minutes of Brotherhood, encapsulated. These days it just doesn’t compare to the precision and power of My America or Is This My World, or just the out and out low-brow idiocy of the Negative FX lp (honorary X-Claim release). Not sure what else to say about this one really. I still need a copy actually.

Black Market Baby - Potential Suicide (Limp)

Black Market Baby were a classic example of a band that just never was right with their timing when they were around.  They had a couple of aborted singles before Potential Suicide b/w Youth Crimes finally became their official debut. It’s a great slab of up tempo British influenced punk, but it came out the year hardcore happened in DC, and while there were plenty of people who took notice of the band, they never really got that much recognition, although if they’d released the Crimes Of Passion b/w America’s Youth single in 1980, they might have had a better shot. (BONUS POINTS for 2 songs about Youth). Eventually they released an lp on Fountain Of Youth in 1983 that’s a bit long, and has bad cover art, but still pretty well liked. I once passed on a test press for like $50 — WHY? There was a second lp recorded in 1986, but the band had gone through several sets of members by then, and their little bit of popularity had waned. Without a label they broke up, and eventually released the lp posthumous on Bitzcore from Germany.

Side A is Potential Suicide. The guitar slinging in th the opening riff is really nice, kind of like something the Huskers might have done midway through their career, but with a rougher kind of incidental Oi vibe. Maybe that comes from the tough marching floor tom that drives the song along and contrasts with the shimmering chords on the guitar.

Side B is Youth Crimes which has a good rockin pogo beat. It sounds like they were really taking a lot from British stuff of the time, but there’s something looser and distinctly American about it. The vocal delivery is energetic and snotty via Boyd Farrell and it has that kinda throaty, post-Lemmy delivery you’d hear on some Riot City record. There’s some good off-key harmonizing with a back-up singer in the chorus too that really holds the whole thing together.

I think this, along with the Unreleased 1980 single, and their tracks on the Connected compilation are the backbone of any argument in favor of Black Market Baby’s greatness. If you’ve never enjoyed their tunes, the blog world ought to be able to help you out.

There’s a repressing of this single on White Vinyl on Yesterday and Today records that also has a different cover. The original version is on Limp and has a yellow sleeve.

Quick one today - file under “late 80’s sxe cult favorites”.

End To End - s/t 7″

End To End’s lone 7″ is sort of remembered as being the only other release on Foundation Records, a label better known for the release of Chain Of Strength’s “What Holds Us Apart” debacle. I think I like the End To End record better, but as you should know, I love the first Chain 7″, and hate the second. Unlike “What Holds Us Apart”, End To End deliver 3 tracks of raw and ragged sxe/HC, and then tack on an unnecessary cover of an SSD song from a live show. Aside from the live cover song though this thing’s great. I wish they’d recorded a demo or something else.

I believe End To End were originally known as Addiction (classic example of a t-shirt band), and they were fronted by former Justice League vocalist Roa. Honestly I’m sure if you search the Internet there’s a good summary of their history, I don’t really feel like digging up all the details of a band w/ one single, but at some point they did a name change and out popped this 7″. Reminds me a bit of Unit Pride but much more angry and less melodic. None for All is a fast thrasher with powerful gang backups, lasting about a minute. Stake Your Faith kicks out a good mosh riff and then digs back into the speed. Actually both of these tracks sound a bit like they could have been on the first Chain of Strength 7″. Stake Your Faith has a great choppy stop start section though that I don’t think Chain would have thought to come up with. Reminds me a little of Pushed Aside or Headfirst which are sort of in the same vein (late 80’s cult sxe). The last original song, Too Bad, fades up with a simplified variation on the main riff to Malfunction and then finds itself in more stop start territory. Again a little like something Pushed Aside or Headfirst coulda cooked up. Weak lyrical moment (imo): the song opens with the line “Fuck You”. It just sounds bad. But still - this is a good song.

Anyway, this was a one time pressing of 1000 or 1500, and I think I’ve heard of some on grey vinyl but I could totally be imagining that. Appealing to the readers here to sort me out on the pressing info. Anyway if you don’t wanna drop the $20-30 for one of these, there’s a nice CD reish on the reliable Indecision records.

Oh P.S. check out my year end wrap up sentence fragments over at Radio Silence book dot com, and if you haven’t peeped it out yet, throw the book on your Xmas list.

Back on Metal Monday with a cult classic: Trouble’s 1990 self-titled lp on Def American, which happens to be my favorite Trouble release. 

Trouble is noteworthy for a few reasons, not the least if which is that it was produced by the oft over rated, but occasionally brilliant Rick Rubin, and released through his Def American imprint. Up to this point Trouble’s recognition outside of metal diehards had been pretty limited. They’d issued 3 albums, 2 of which, “Psalm 9″ and “The Skull” are often seen as their best work. Unfortunately for their bank accounts, Trouble specialized in a traditionalist blend of 70’s neo-classical albums like Judas Priest’s “Sin After Sin”, and early doom standards, principally the backbone of the Black Sabbath catalog. If you don’t know, that wasn’t exactly a stock heavily traded in during the 1980’s, so it must have been kind of astounding when this album dropped, 3 years after their previous and backed by the guy who’d produced a whole bunch of stuff that you like, and also a ton of shit. Oh the other thing about Trouble: they were White Metal band, in other words, they were vocally Christian. Obviously that’s not really towing the line in the metal world, but if you haven’t got the message yet, this band never towed the line.

Probably most important to evaluating Rubin’s production on Trouble is knowing that he’d produced 2 Danzig albums right before this one, and seems to be trying to fit Trouble into a similar doomy blues rock mold. One thing that makes that not really work is the shrill and trebley sound of the record (although it’s not nearly as bad as the follow up, Manic Frustration). Another thing that plays against that sensibility is that Trouble are by design elaborate. Vocally Eric Wagner has, shall we say, a well trained voice. He’s from the Halford school of metal, and isn’t afraid of some high notes. Similarly the guitar attack of Bruce Franklin and Rick Wartell can be quite busy, although they know how to hang back and keep economy on their side.

Do not be mislead though, this album is GREAT. The recording (despite the shit mastering job) is still clear and heavy, the songs include many of the best of Trouble’s career, and the album as a whole is even and well executed. Psychotic Reaction is an instant standout track with a dirty shit-kicking groove, (oh and I’m pretty sure Metallica ripped it off for Enter Sandman). Misery Shows is a pretty tasteful power ballad, and a reworking of a song from Psalm 9. It kind of has a Pink Floyd via heavy metal feel. The Wolf has an uptempo speed-rock drive like Judas Priest’s Tyrant. All of these are just on the first side of the lp, but the second side is just as memorable and rewarding.

Since Trouble didn’t have much success on Def American this lp went out of print pretty quickly and isn’t too easy to find. To my knowledge there have been no subsequent pressings either. Keep an eye on it.

Next week I will be posting again.

Colin Tappe has been really non-busy as of late. How non-busy? He’s been playing a Final Fantasy 1 marathon and sending me long emails updating his progress. I love this guy.

Colin’s December UK82 roundup: 

Hiya, I know I tend to only write about UK stuff on this site, but what can I say, I follow the bargains. This time around I found a US seller offing a batch of cheap, but essential, UK82 singles, and if, like me, you worship at The Steamy Temple of Combined Shipping, then you can recognize a good thing when you see it. I should clarify that I have no idea who this guy is, and just found these auctions through saved searches, so I don’t want to be accused of cronyism or anything. Here’re the highlights from what he’s got up:

• Attak: These guys are best known for being kind of a little brother band to Blitz, but to me they were on even more of an inept Motorhead trip than a hard oi! style. Basically all their songs sound like that Blitz track “Don’t Need You,” but worse, and with waaaay dumbed down drumming. I mean, make no mistake, I LOVE this band, and I actually think their LP is better than their singles (a RARE occurrence in this game, folks),  but they’re super retarded sounding in the best of ways.
• Charge: Anyone I know is probably sick of me hyping these guys up, but I can’t say enough good things about this band. I’ve loved everything I’ve heard, but this ep “Destroy the Youth” is their finest hour. Musically this ep blends the vitriol of anarcho punk, the tom-based, gloomy rhythms of the best bat cave/4ad bands, and the momentum and energy of UK82. Couple that musical approach with great songwriting and production and you got a full blown classic on your hands. I’m also reminded of early Proletariat, namely in the vocal department, but it’s obvious both bands were drinking from the same well anyways. And, as if that weren’t enough, you also get four tracks on this one, making it even more of a no-brainer, especially since this one won’t break $10.
• Exploited: Listen, I’m an unrepentant fan of the Exploited, but they had one major flaw, which was a lack of quality control. I mean, with 3 LPs and 8 singles between ’80 and ’83 you’d have your fair share of duds too, and unfortunately sticking to the singles won’t necessarily keep you out of harm’s way with these guys. I mean, if I never hear “Barmy Army” or “Singalong-a-Bushell” again, I’d be okay. But “Dead Cities” is a sure bet, all around. The a-side, “Dead Cities,” would be a strong contender if you had to explain the “generic UK82” sound in just one song. It has that bouncy, pogo pace to it, an instantly memorable sing-a-long chorus, and the power to instantly turn off any egghead boner who think’s Nick Cave’s “deep.” On the flip, “Hitler’s In the Charts Again” starts with an intro bass riff lifted off “Warriors,” and follows through with a similarly mid-paced fist-banger. I really like the delivery of “it couldn’t happen here” during the hook, too. “Class War” is kind of an afterthought, but it’s short, sweat, and has a great shouted chorus.
• Angelic Upstarts: I’m a recent Angelic Upstarts convert, and I gotta say, I’m a fool for sleeping on these guys this long. To me, their first single “The Murder of Liddle Towers” is kind of like the UK “Pay to Cum,” in the proto-hardcore sense. Stateside, people generally don’t consider bands like GBH and Exploited hardcore, and think of the “Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne” crowd as “punk” for whatever reason, which is ridiculous considering the sizable percentage of people who swoon over Buzzcocks and the lot, but thumb their noses at all the Riot City bands and their ilk (then and now, by the way). To me, any of the early 80’s UK bands who weren’t consciously doing a retro-’77 thing (like Erazerhead or Anti-Nowhere League, for instance) were hardcore, period, and bands like Angelic Upstarts and UK Subs (check out their essential “Stranglehold” single this guy has for sale) who adapted and survived from the ‘70s into the ‘80s are analogous to bands like DOA, Misfits, Black Flag, etc. who formed in the punk heyday, but stayed relevant to hardcore audiences. I love the a-side of this single, with its ripping Townsend style leads, but it’s the flip, “Police Oppression,” that bridges the gap from ’77 to ’82. I mean, I like the Stranglers and X Ray Spex and shit, but I’m into hardcore, y’know, so as far as late ‘70s UK punk goes, it’s the harder edged bands like Angelic Upstarts who I can really connect with. As is often the case, this is the Rough Trade version of the single, which goes for way cheap, so check it out.

That’s all I feel like writing about now. All the singles this guy’s selling are fuckin’ solid, though, so if you need to fill out the meat and potatoes of your UK82 collection, have at it.