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MUSIQUE
Chroniques
Prévenez-nous si vous voyez des liens morts, ou pour envoyer vos productions à chroniquer : Yann ; coinxxxcoin[at]yahoo.fr. Si vous cherchez à vous procurer certains de ces disques, écrivez-nous, nous pourrons peut-être vous aiguiller vers des distros qui les ont.
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COALITION/ BORA split Cd (Youth culture)
Damn, this one rips. I thought BORA were more NyHc/metal oriented, but these 8 tracks are excellent. They show strong old school, NyHc and newschool influences all mixed together. COALITION are getting better and better with every release. They still play tight, anthemic oldschool Hc with a few melodic Hc and modern Hc influences. The production is excellent for both bands, and to be honest I had a hard time telling which is which (not to mention BORA even cover a COALITION song !). This is a great east-European record that goes to show that there is more to Hardcore than VICTORY records ! http://www.youthculture.straightedge.pl/ (Y.B.)
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BESAK DOGS Cd compilation (Kanivo chaos)
Sorry I took some time to review this. This Cd compiles all Hardcore/punk bands from Besançon, a nice town in the east of France. There’s 12 of them, the styles include melodic Hc, punk-Hardcore and metal-core. All bands went into the studio to record exclusive tracks, which is cool, the sound is good, the bands are all decent, my favourite ones being STEROIDS and LYSTERIA. kanivo77@yahoo.fr (Y.B.)
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BREIZH DISORDER vol II Cd compilation (Mass productions)
All the bands on this comp come from the west of France, a place called Brittany. There’s 30 of them, the sound quality is good, the Cd comes with a nice booklet (the vinyl version is even better), and the music styles range from rock to grindcore, including Oï, melodic Hc, psycho and everything in between. There’s some good and some bad bands, I think I liked the first volume more. massprod@massprod.com (Y.B.)
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ROBERT BLAKE & ERIK PETERSEN "Bellingham & Philadelphia" split Cd (Art of the underground)
Geez, total folk music like in the 60’s. Actually I’m not sure this is called folk music. It’s acoustic rock ; one man and his unplugged guitar. You know, Michelle Shocked, Joan Baez kind of stuff. I’ve never enjoyed this much, but it’s pretty well done, the sound is good and the lyrics deal with political issues (although I couldn’t decipher everything they said). If it’s your thing… artoftheunderground@hotmail.com (Y.B.)
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SELF MADE GOD "incurable infestation" Cd-r (demo)
Nice band-name for this new malaysian band playing (sorry guys) pretty bad grind/ noise-grind. The demo was recorded live in their garage and the sound is really bad. The lyrics are hateful and political. 17 tracks in 19 minutes. Might be good with a really decent recording… noisekontrol@hotmail.com (Y.B.)
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KOBORY Cd (demo ?)
I don’t know shit about this band, I got this Cd from a friend in Malaysia ! But KOBORY come from the Basque country, and they sing in Basque too, which is cool. Musically, they’re a heavy metal-core band probably influenced by CATHARSIS, INTEGRITY, many GOOD LIFE bands, or more doom-crust outfits like HIS HERO IS GONE. This looks like a demo, the sound is a bit muffled and the music ain’t too original. Lyrics deal with war, multinationals, racism… Might become a good band, wait and see… [Gorka Labandibar, Beraun kalea 17-1B, Orereta 2100, Euskal Herria, (Spain)] (Y.B.)
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AUTONOMIE AUJOURD’HUI Cd compilation (Bloko Autonoma)
This is an antifascist comp featuring 25 French bands. Most of them play typical French punk-rock, the styles range from ska-punk to punk-crust. Too bad there are no unreleased tracks, but if you’d like to check out the current French scene, give it a try : ACTION DIRECTE, ANTIBODY, ANGES DETRAQUES, APACHES, CRIA CUERVOS, ETAT D’URGENCE, GARAGE LOPEZ, HORS CONTROLE, J’AURAIS VOULU, KOCHISE, LYSTERIA, etc etc. bloko.autonoma@caramail.com (Y.B.)
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REGRES. Cassette (Refuse)
This new polish band plays old school hardcore. I believe this is their first recording, if so, this is a good first effort. But this is only a demo and they need to find their own personality. Both the mosh parts and the fast parts sound quite typical. The lyrics are positive and pretty optimistic, they deal with social change at large. The sound quality is good and, as always with polish releases, the glossy artwork looks nice. Keep an eye out for REGRES. refusexresist@go2.pl (Y.B.)
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LES CORONS PUENT + NEGATIVE IQ + LOURDS 5, Rennes (France), 06/12/03, @ Kissing bar
It’s weird the two bands coming from far places got to play first. I had heard good things about LES CORONS PUENT, people saying they sounded like mid-eighties "chaos production" bands, so I was expecting some nice punk-rock. No such thing ! LES CORONT PUENT are a really basic & slow Oï band. The songs are really long too, which doesn’t help. They have a saxophone, but it doesn’t make things better. Average stuff. Really average. NEGATIVE IQ were great ! I had never heard their vinyls, but they always self describe themselves as "Oï-core". Well, the first 3 songs were true old school Hc gems. Some other songs, especially cover songs, were more Oï oriented indeed, but energetic Oï, no poppy shit. The sound quality was good and they seem to be nice people too. Local band LOURDS 5 played pretty basic Oï, their music was more powerful than LES CORONT PUENT’s, but still really average. I forgot to say LES CORONT PUENT and LOURDS 5 played bad covers of CAMERA SILENS and KOMINTERN SECT. I really like Oï, but this show wasn’t too great. As for the audience, at first there were only 50 people, but many more arrived later on ; all sorts of skins (right wing, left wing), a couple chaos-punks, a couple tramps, a couple rednecks, all of them drunk to the bone. (Y.B.)
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THE DON’T CARES + NEVROTIC EXPLOSION + THE DRUG DEALERS + DIVISION RUINES + ?, Rennes (France), 05/12/03, squat "La villa"
It was freezing cold and the gig was taking place in a squat in the outskirts of the town, during a huge music festival. To get to the venue, you had to walk for half a mile on wooden planks. It’s a disused industrial zone. Remember the movie Mad Max ? All buildings are in ruins- but the place where the shows are held is run by a bunch of artists, and it’s pretty neat. :) All local freaks had turned out ; squatters, punks, rockers, students, tramps, everything. The first band, I can’t remember their name, they were an instrumental rock’n’roll band from Paris. One song was ok, two songs were ok, afterwards it got boring. Next up were another band from paris, DIVISION RUINES, featuring ex-members of NOCIF (see review elsewhere) and basically playing the same songs - only with a much slower drum beat. Too bad ! As much as NOCIF were okay, the slowed down songs got boring pretty fast. THE DRUG DEALERS were pretty fun. It’s a side-project by members of BACCHUS TEMPLE ADDICTS. They’re disguised as drug lords from the 70’s and distribute false dope to the audience. Musically, they play strong rock’n’roll, and cover songs by THE DEAD KENNEDYS, BAD BRAINS and the DEAD BOYS. Nice. I was almost starting to regret coming here when the NEVROTIC EXPLOSION hit the stage. Every time I see them they’re getting better and better ! They played several songs from their upcoming album and they were awesome ! (tight melodic punk-Hc). I’m so glad we should be organizing a show for them soon. Last were THE DON’T CARES, whose Cd I reviewed recently. I was surprised, they really sounded like a Scandinavian Hc band. Fast Hc. Fast dis-beat. As I told a friend, "kick off the (rock’n’roll) singer and you get a real fast-core band". Quite ok. (Y.B.)
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WORLD BURN TO DEATH "the sucking of the missile cock" Lp (Hardcore holocaust)
Fast pissed & political US crust-punk. Modern, quite fast & metallic, reminiscent of HIS HERO IS GONE meets AUS ROTTEN or RESIST with raw & hateful vox. Lyrics all deal with soldiers, war, religious war & oppositions, the Bush administration & war. All come with quotes or explanations. This is all in all a quite good release, yet very close to most modern Us (Portland ?) crust-Hc bands. Man they look sooo angry on the pictures :). http://www.hardcoreholocaust.com/ (P.B.)
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EDÖRA/ KENT BROCKMAN split Lp (TVG rec)
Edora, from Japan, deliver about 13 tracks of fast to super fast raw crust Hc. Quite a lot of changes both in tempo & guitar riffs. You just entered a breakdown that you already find yourself going for ripping trash again. No slow all go. Vocals are quite raw & high pitched, leaving me wonder if it’s actually a female singer or not ? I’d say so but I’m not sure. Lyrics are personal and socially aware, dealing with freedom, drugs, friendship & lies. On the flip KENT BROCKMAN, from Germany, play way louder & more modern fast trashy powerviolence. Dual and pissed vocals, fast and heavy parts alternating with ultra fast grind, heavy distorted bass, reminding me of a lighter ASSHOLE PARADE. Lyrics about the scene, punk fashion, racism, feelings. Fans of powerviolence & brutal Hc crust will grab this. http://www.t-v-g-a-x.de/ (P.B.)
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GRIDE "tanec blaznu" Lp (Chimeres rec)
New release from Czech republic. This lives up to their previous records. "Blasting" is probably the first word that comes to mind. 11 tracks of tight & brutal grindcore. I actually wonder how the drummer keeps up to it ! Imagine a bulldozer attack !? Hyper fast beats that at times "slow" down a bit for double bass drum parts, high pitched & screamt vocals, fast guitars with some modern (distorted, a bit "noisy") influences, they are probably the eastern ASSÜCK. Lyrics are slightly dark and filled with political & social meaning about humanity, violence, war & destruction, obedience, government control. Comes with English translation. It’s a one sided LP ! http://www.chimeresalacampagne.org/ (P.B.)
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CONTRAVENE "a call to action" Lp (Tribal war)
That would fall under the anarcho-punk-crust description. Very well built & fresh punk with a typical anarcho punk female vox (going crustier at times). Music-wise it ranges from Hc punk ballads to classic yet tight anarcho punk, while other songs are way more of the metallic crust type, some just mix it all ! But the whole thing is quite varied & catchy. This brings to mind bands like HARUM SCARUM, CONFLICT, NAUSEA, DETESTATION. Very nice artwork (ala SLUG & LETTUCE) & quite big booklet with explanations to the songs. Political lyrics about the the lack of involvement & responsibility, sexual stereotypes & the sex industry, education & modelling + manipulation of children, social changes & oppression, marriage & tradition, justice & the defense of white interests + racism & discrimination in the police forces. A ONE BY ONE cover song too. http://contravene.cjb.net (P.B.)
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BEHIND ENEMY LINES "know your enemy" Lp (Tribal war)
well, it seems that since M. G. Bush junior became president he has both inspired & disgusted plenty of bands. Ex-AUS ROTTEN & MANKIND people team up to deliver pissed & in your face anarcho punk-crust, continuing in the line of their previous bands : modern mid-tempo crust punk with pissed dual vocals. Politically & socially charged lyrics dealing with oppression, domestic violence, American death squad, economic situation & a growing wealth gap between people. I guess fans of TRIBAL WAR releases won’t be disappointed. http://contravene.cjb.net (P.B.)
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VISIONS OF WAR/ OLHO DE GATO split LP (Angry rds)
VISIONS OF WAR are from France/Belgium and throw in 8 tracks of fast raging disbeat crustcore with dual male vocals & short solos (a la ENT), basic lyrics dealing with human life, alienation, living a sexuality free of prejudice… On the other side OLHO DE GATO hail from the Netherlands and play faster & more hardcore crust (goes from fast to super fast/thrashy & pissed crustcore with heavier breakdowns). Lyrics are written in both Dutch & English, and deal with pro-lifers, not bringing your dogs at gigs, patriotism, animal liberation ; alcoholism… with a humoristic approach (titles like : "minor treat", "Dutch courage", "sick on the bus", "fear of dog"…). Comes in a nice gatefold sleeve. Available from Maloka, BP 536, 21014 Dijon, France or Angry records at http://www.angelfire.com/ne/angry/ (P.B.)
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MAD PARADE "bombs and the bible" Cd (Dr strange)
Brand new album from MAD PARADE, adding to their quite impressive discography since their beginnings in the early 80’s… This one sticks to their punk rock roots. Here you get 12 tracks of energetic and melodic US punk rock. Tight & powerful guitar riffs throwing in some nice harmonies & melodies, mid-tempo to quite fast paced drumming, and strong backing vocals & choruses (reinforcing the Oï/punk-rock thing and giving the whole structure more energy). Personal lyrics about everyday life, love, punk rock… etc. http://www.drstrange.com/ (P.B.)
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USELESS I.D. "no vacation from the world" Cd (Kung fu records)
Man, this was probably one of the first Israeli band I heard back in the early 90’s. Then they were a raw & fast skatecore band… I knew they had become huge but hadn’t heard anything from them in a while. Well it has changed a lot. Here you get 14 tracks of ultra melodic, rocking and poppy skate-core a la late DAG NASTY, ATARIS, AFI & other EPITAPH/ FAT WRECK or LOOKOUT records artists. So if you dig these you’ll probably enjoy this album. Personal lyrics (about love, feelings etc…). Glad to see they still support a vegetarian lifestyle. http://www.uselessid.com/ or http://www.kungfurecords.com/ (P.B.)
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DEAD THINGS "because sometimes you just want to ride your bike to the shows" Cd (Slave rds)
It was quite a nice surprise when I got this. 15 tracks of catchy DIY mid-tempo to fast Us Hc-punk with dual vocals. This reminded me of a lot of different bands but it’s probably closer to the DIVIDE & CONQUER sound, it’s catchy & raw (imagine FRACTURE/ melodic Hc going crustier or a more melodic BLOWN APART BASTARDS, get it ?) + pissed vocals pouring lyrics over the songs. Nice artwork from these apparently DIY bike punks ! Political & "funny" lyrics dealing with revolution, squats & community houses, building a network of friends & making life better, consumerism & greed, bikes, passivity… etc. I’d love to hear more from them. http://www.slavemagazine.com/ (P.B.)
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UWHARRIA "fury in the foothills" Cd (Slave rds)
15 tracks in approximately 30". Us political Hc-crust featuring former members of NAKED ANGELS, BLOWNAPART BASTARDS, DIVIDE & CONQUER…). Musically it’s pretty loud pissed crust punk with a rocking & metallic edge. Some songs are fast paced, others mid-tempo to slow & dark… Lyrics are quite simple yet innovative & show the band’s involvement as eco-warriors. All tracks deal with nearly extinct species & original habitats, more ecological matters, and respect for all living species (plants & creatures). Nice to see a record that’s minimalist (booklet + sleeve) for ecological purposes (recycled etc..). I’m curious for more ! http://www.slavemagazine.com/uwharria/ (P.B.)
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BASTA DE ODIO "old school" demo Cd-r
12 tracks in 22" from Argentina ! Average production (good enough for a demo) that’s affecting a bit of the band’s power. Fast paced old school SxE Hc with a melodic edge & dual vocals. It’s actually as good as any old school Hc band around today, a bit basic but probably more sincere seeing the country they live in. Lyrics only come in Spanish, SxE lifestyle seems to be important to them. It deals with SxE as an opposition to self destruction and a change in society, helping addicted people to get out of it, religious fanatics, unity & diversity… http://www.bastadeodio.8m.com/ (P.B.)
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MIGRA VIOLENTA "superficial" Cd/ Lp/ 10" (Les nains aussi)
14 tracks in 13”, this already gives you an idea of the style they play… A nice follow up to their "HC crust" Lp. This is very fast & to the point raw Hc punk from Argentina with political lyrics. Screamt & pissed vocals, some modern influences thrown in, at times bringing a more melodic or crazed emo-ish edge. The production remains raw enough to make it enjoyable, and not too clean & powerless like plenty of records these days (actually the band stands up to their live recordings !!). This features tracks previously released on split Ep’s. Lyrics are in Spanish but come with English translation, they deal with state repression, youth culture, tradition & control, DIY ethics & stars, capitalism & future times… etc. http://www.migraviolenta.8k.com/ or les_nains_aussi@libertysurf.fr (P.B.)
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MORTE ASCETA mCd (Viet)
When I put the Cd in the player and saw "8 tracks in 13 minutes", I was preparing myself for Brazilian thrash assaults, and got disappointed. MORTE ASCETA are a good band, but they still lack a little somethin’. I think they took elements from early BORN AGAINST, DISCHARGE, and some early Hc stuff, maybe RAW POWER. The layout really looks like a VERMIFORM one. The sound is good and the lyrics, damn, they aren’t translated, but they’re quite political and non-sloganistic. http://www.vietnamita.cjb.net (Y.B.)
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WARPRAYER #108 email-newsletter
So yeah, this is a bit sad people who don’t have access to the internet can’t get this, but still, this is a great weekly newsletter done by some german guy, all into thrash/ grind/ crust/ fastcore (you name it). Mostly intelligent reviews, and a couple news, put together by some really dedicated kid. Nice. loserdotcom@t-online.de (Y.B.)
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BREZHNEV + FLETCHERS, Rennes, 21/11/2003, @ Mondo bizarro
At first, I thought I had missed half of the BREZHNEV set when I saw two of the members on stage. Then I realized it was THE FLETCHERS, who are a side-project started by BREZHNEV members ! The story goes like this : the BREZHNEV’s singer is moving to the Caribbean islands. Since they had already lost their bass player last year, the remaining members decided to quit. And two of them started a new band called THE FLETCHERS. THE FLETCHERS are definitely not as good as BREZHNEV. They’re a rock’n’roll band. A pure rock band. They sure know their instruments, but it’s not my style of music. The BREZHNEV will be missed ! These guys were crazy ! Last year, the singer was disguised as Ronal Mc Donald, and this year, he was disguised as George Bush ! Right on ! The music was still ass-kicking Hc-punk with rock’n’roll roots. Great show, decent turn out (but I was expecting more people, I think people in my area are getting tired because there’s too many shows). (Y.B.)
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SCARROTS "peace of sun shine" Cd (Good life)
GOOD LIFE was selling this as a ska-punk band, I guess it sells more this way, but I didn’t hear any ska on this record ! SCARROTS are just a typical melodic Hc band from Belgium. Nothing special. Ok, there’s a synthesizer and a couple horns here and there, and even an average OPERATION IVY cover-song. That’s it. No lyric sheet, and only 35 minutes of music (this is a "best-off" album that features 10 rare & unreleased tracks). http://www.goodliferecordings.com (Y.B.)
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UNLOGISTIC "hanger" Cd + Lp (Angrr)
These guys have lost their minds. I saw them live once, they truly are crazy. :) First, they sell you their Lp and Cd at the same time, for the price of only one record ! There’s no lyric sheet included, but there are photos & stickers of the band. Musically, UNLOGISTIC used to play melodic Hc and put out a couple ep’s. Nowadays, they have a drum machine, play fast hardcore and even started including a couple electronic samples here and there. Crazy stuff. macario@freesurf.fr (Y.B.)
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THE ART GHETTO "slumming" Cd (Trocar)
Urgh ! This is bad. And the cover is really ugly. I think they describe themselves as disco-punk or something like that. It neither sounds disco nor punk to me. Well, definitely not punk, to say the least ! I would say this is an American new wave band. The best parts remind me of PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED. But most of the other parts make me think of LUDWIG VON 88 trying to play Cindy Lauper songs after a drunken orgy. Why do people send me stuff like this ? http://www.theartghetto.com (Y.B.)
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STACK "konkret lichtgeschwindigkeit" Cd (Scorched earth)
Well, this is the STACK discography, and I have never been a big fan of the band. This features no less than 8 records ! They split up, got back together, I don’t know what’s up with them these days. I know the members play in several other bands. Anyway, STACK play thrashcore with screaming vocals. The vocals really bore me. The music’s decent ; slow parts and ultra fast outbursts of speed. Kinda social and personal lyrics at the same time. I was surprised to read they featured 2 ex-members of ABOLITION, another German band from the early 90’s. http://www.scorchedearthpolicy.de (Y.B.)
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FACE DOWN IN SHIT "shit bloody shit" Cd (Crimes against humanity)
The artwork’s pretty cool, especially the photo of a cow eating up some marihuana. :) FACE DOWN IN SHIT are a heavy Us Hc band playing really varied music drawing influences from REMAINS OF THE DAY, HIS HERO IS GONE, ABC DIABOLO, NEUROSIS, ACME, etc etc. At times they remind me of G-ANX : heavy, slow, with some thrash outbursts, and then some metal, emo or crust riffs. There’s some nice moments. The lyrics deal with social issues in an abstract way. http://www.cahrecords.com/ (Y.B.)
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SHIVER EFFECT "our own way" demo Cd-r
This is a new band from Paris. The demo was recorded in 2002, the sound is good, I believe the band is influenced by New York Hardcore but they sound pretty punk to me. I don’t know if it’s the production or the vocals, but some songs remind me of IN THE SHIT. This ain’t bad at all, especially for a first recording. They need to find their own personality, but if you’re into mid-tempo old school Hc, give it a try. Personal lyrics. loran.core@caramail.com (Y.B.)
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DAG NASTY "minority of one" Cd (Revelation)
I didn’t really know what to expect with this album and the reunion of the original line up (fashion for melodic Hc is so high these days, and there is so much demand for old punk bands that just about every single band from the past gets back together !)
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NEVER TRUST A PUNK volumen II Cd compilation (Rumble)
Good luck finding a copy ; this Cd came out some time ago, and was limited to 2000 copies. For a compilation, this is really good, despite there is no lyric sheet or info provided. All 30 bands are good, and the sound quality is perfect on all tracks. The music styles range from energetic 77 punk-rock to tight Hc-punk. All these Spanish bands fit well together. Distributed by : fragment@wanadoo.es (Y.B.)
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SIMBIOSE "naked mental violence" Cd (Anti corpos)
Damn, I used to distribute an old Ep by this band, I didn’t know they were still around ! To celebrate their 10th anniversary, they have decided to re-record some old tracks together with some new ones, and to put it out on a DIY label. This is an awesome Cd ! It’s a huge full-colour digipack, the production is excellent, the music rips ! SIMBIOSE play powerful, typical crust-punk reminiscent of DOOM, HIATUS, E.N.T., OBNI, etc etc. The lyrics deal with various social issues, at first I was disappointed because they are written in a quite obscure way, but after reading the explanations, they turned out to be pretty good. Did I mention they’re from Portugal ? anti_corpos@yahoo.com (Y.B.)
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YA BASTA + HAPPY KOLO + SKUDS & PANIC PEOPLE + FIFO, Rennes, 08/11/2003, @ Jardin moderne (show review)
Unfortunately I didn’t get to see the first 3 bands as I was holding a stall in the next room. I only saw YA BASTA for the third time in my life, and they were great ! Varied ska with strong political lyrics + a good turn-out and a friendly atmosphere for this anti-racist concert. (Y.B.)
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FLEAS & LICE "recipes for catastrophies" Lp (Skuld releases)
The Dutch drunk punks return with a new album. Fans won’t be disappointed as they still go for the same "fast paced" & "up the punx" crustcore with dual vocals (male & female), covering all the usual topics… : beer, big brother, brainwashing & consumerism, paranoia & capitalism, etc. Though this is definitely powerful, I’d rather stick to their first records. The production on this one is a bit too tight & clean for this kind of music, leaving you with the wrong feeling (I hope) that they’re not really into what they play and lack energy ( I guess age & beer is catching up with them :) ). [Skuld releases, Malmsheimerstr. 14, 71272 Renningen, Germany] (P.B.)
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POINT OF NO RETURN "imposed freedom" Lp (Scorched earth policy (europe))/ Cd (Liberation (Brazil))
For those of you who don’t know about this band, it’s an "all star" band from Brazil. I will try to remain partial about it but this is a hell of a release. Musically speaking it is very tight, loud & metallic, if you dig bands like CATHARSIS you’ll probably love this. It is both catchy & pissed. 3 vocalists alternate relentlessly raw, screamt & raging vocals while guitars pour metallic yet varied & powerful riffs and drums go from heavy to fast & technical parts. The lyrics top it all, firstly because they’re sung in their native language (Brazilian - they come with translations) & are quite a slap in the face for us "white and western" people. This is third world Hc and although they may not come from the hardest part of Brazil they are way closer to terrorism, repression & imperialism than we are. Topics range from rebellion against the US hegemony, the building of fences to protect the rich from misery, the dismembering of Indian & other native culture by US & European folks, etc... http://www.xliberationx.com (P.B.)
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LA FRACTION "aussi long sera le chemin" Lp (Skuld releases)
Second full length by your favorite French drunk punk rockers. The first impression I get is that they put quite a lot of work and effort into building this. Both music and lyrics are catchy and make you want to sing along to these tunes. They have been touring intensely lately in eastern Europe, Germany & in the US where it seems they are worshiped more than the "star academy" !! (or Britney spears for foreign folks). Melodic mid tempo punk rock, yet varied tight & well played, the whole thing would probably go unnoticed if it wasn’t for the wonderful female (sung !) vocals. Lyrics are pretty personal yet very realistic, dealing with living your life for yourself without any regrets, growing in a hopeless world of misery, love and the building & falling of relationships, stealing as an answer to the theft of wealth in the hand of a few, etc... My only complaint would be that although this LP has been released on SKULD RECORDS, the Cd & previous material are not easily affordable at diy prices. fraction@altern.org (P.B.)
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INFEST "no man’s slave" Lp (Deep six)
Okay... who doesn’t know about the band already ? One of the most bootlegged punk band of the century ? So I’ll kick in a bad review for a change ! INFEST was probably good back in the day, their "slave" Lp is a true Hc (no power-violence shit back then) classic while this one left me wondering why the fuck do all the old bands reunite & try to make green with what used to be top notch DIY punk. I mean, why remix something that was already perfect (like YOUTH OF TODAY for instance, etc...) ? This was recorded after INFEST’ reunion in 1995, while the vocals and backups were only recorded in 2000. To be honest, this is good, very very fast & powerful with short & to the point lyrics for what they’re worth. This was probably a pain to leave all these songs unfinished for the band members but I wonder if they would have done it if power-violence wasn’t such a trend. Like George Lucas adding unfinished scenes & remixing Star wars, this has a taste of heated hits... I’ll stick to the old ones though fans of fast-core will not be disappointed. Another positive point is that this is an official release and not some crappy bootleg done by some French kid from Paris ! :) [address ?] (P.B.)
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CITIZENS AREST "a light in the distance 88-90" Lp (Dead alive records)
This Lp leaves me with mixed feelings. The first one being that it’s cool the C.A. material is finally being officially repressed by another label than LOST & FOUND, but then I wonder why the hell is it not again a complete discography !!?? The "colossus" Lp had already been repressed on TRIBAL WAR a few years ago but why make several vinyl pressings & not just one complete work ! Furthermore, I always wonder about the use of reissuing all those old bands when so many bands these days are seeking a label to release new & fresh (?) music. Don’t get me wrong, it is nice that people still want to hear & release long out-of-print & sought after material, and that it is made available again. This Lp compiles their "light in the darkness" 7", compilation tracks + some demo & live songs with Leo Roa on vocals & Daryl on drums. This is ragging fast Hc-crust that hailed from the NyHc scene (S.O.I.A., A.F., Y.O.T.,...) with highly political lyrics. It comes with a small biography of the band. Fans of old Hc & fast music take note. http://www.deadaliverecords.com (P.B.)
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ANTISCHISM "s/t" 2xLp/Cd (Prank)
At last... some of the very sought after material released again with some of the lyrics. Nevertheless, once again, I have many complaints concerning this record... : it is not a complete discography, far from this, some records are missing ("still life" Lp, split Lp, etc), some compilation tracks & demos as well. It also doesn’t include some of the nice original artwork and doesn’t come with all the lyrics. My other complaint is about the fact that before it came out, the label considered putting it out in two versions : one ultra limited (like 800 or 1000 copies) with all the tracks, as a double Cd - a true discography in fact, and the other "regular" version as a simple Cd without all the versions of the same songs etc... Apparently it didn’t come true but the simple thought of it is totally stupid... this implies only few people would have access to the whole discography, turning it of course into a collector item... Why not make ALL the versions complete discographies ? I guess it is trendy this days to release ultra limited sought after records. How dumb !!. Apart from these huge negative points, this rules, glossy artwork, nice peace punk music with pissed female vocals. Fans of APPLE, DISAFFECT, & such outfits will love it ! [prank rec, Po box 410892, San Francisco, ca 94141-0892] (P.B.)
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NAUSEA "the punk terrorist anthology vol. 1" Cd (Black noise records)
Another re-release of hard to find material by one of the most influential NyC punk band, and here again, the same huge complaints !! Just like ANTISCHISM, both records were already issued as limited Cds on SELFLESS years ago, and both came without a lyric sheet (the NAUSEA lyrics consisted of a xeroxed sheet with a grindy font which made it impossible to read ! Positive points : availability, fast & loud tight political crust with dual vocals, enhanced Cd with a cd-rom track (cybergod) + rare compilation & early tracks (from the "murders among us" Ep, etc...), + an interesting biography of the band. Fans of MISERY, EXTEME NOISE TERROR, DISCHARGE, SLAYER, will love this... Negative points : not a true discography again, the tracks aren’t kept in order, you get one side of a 7” then the first two tracks of the Lp, then the 7th song of the Lp, etc, etc... which I think sucks, it still doesn’t come with a lyric sheet although they sounded very good to me (the band was very active in the "abc no rio"/ Ny squat scene & wrote deep political lyrics), what’s even more stupid is that they give you the website address in order to get the lyrics (in case people would be interested in checking them out, what a pity...), it doesn’t come with the original artwork - although the layout is nice, and to top it all, the distribution is simply horrendous. Me and another friend were told that this edition was made for Us people and therefore I couldn’t have any copies for distribution in Europe... I find this quite contradictory with the writings in the biography stating that during their two European tour, Nausea had made very nice contacts & discovered a true dedicated & political scene from which Ny & Us people had a lot to learn... well, it seems like the lesson was lost somewhere in between !! With such views I assume volume 2 of the "punk terrorist anthology" will only be available for WHITE Us people ?? :(. http://www.blacknoise.com (P.B.)
( I shouldn’t be giving the website direction, since they probably won’t answer European people :) )
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INNER TERRESTRIALS "Barry horne" Cd-single (self released ?)
Can you spell rip-off ? "Barry Horne" is an awesome folk-punk song, and "in the name of the father" is a good reggae-punk one. This put aside, this mini-Cd was sold during their last summer tour, there was no information (although this is a benefit record !), no cover and no lyric sheet provided,. There are only two songs, one of which is a live recording ! Why not include a whole live set, then ? Damn… [no address] (Y.B.)
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SKUDS & PANIC PEOPLE "dead on the ring" Cd (Skuds rds)
That kind of band is always great live, but I don’t think they fit in a studio well. I saw the SKUDS live a couple times, and they were getting better and better each time. They play varied, powerful and political ska-core. This Cd is good, but it does not do them justice and lacks the power and the fun of a live set. The sound is good, the artwork is ok, the lyrics (in english & french) deal with social issues… If it’s your style there is no reason you should be disappointed. skudsmania@caramail.com (Y.B.)
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STRAIGHT ANSWER "kami belum menyerah" cassette
I have the cassette version but I think this also came out as a Cd. The best and most active underground scenes are to be found in South-East Asia these days. Indonesia has thousands of punk & Hc bands ! I’m not sure, I think this is STRAIGHT ANSWER’s second release, and it is awesome Indonesian old school hardcore ! I love it, it has everything : fast & tight old school, killer melodies, chanted choruses, good production, nice booklet, great vocals… This is certainly not the most original band in the world, but they do their thing damn well. They remind me slightly of FOR THE LIVING or a slower THINKING STRAIGHT, with nice & positive lyrics dealing with solidarity, friendship & discriminations. It’s really sad they recently disbanded. straight_answer@hotmail.com (Y.B.)
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SOLUCION MORTAL "the bootleg" Cd (no label)
3 shows recorded between 1984 and 1989. The sound quality could have been worse, it sure is raw but this Cd is still a nice document of Mexican pioneer punk bands. Give it a try maybe ? [no address listed] (Y.B.)
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PRIMADELLAPIOGGIA "tesis" Cd (Shove)
Looks like the artwork is taken straight from a models catalogue. This is intellectual Italian modern… ach, I don’t even dare to call this Hardcore. Metal, emo, noisy, nu-metal mix. It’s quite powerful but I don’t like it at all. The lyrics are in Italian, they said they would be translated on their website but I couldn’t find anything. Next… http://www.primadellapioggia.com (Y.B.)
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GROINCHURN "already dead" mCd (Crimes Against Humanity)
Damn, these mini-discs are getting real trendy. They’re so cute ! GROINCHURN, from South Africa, are getting at least as known as AGATHOCLES, and they too play a mix of grindcore and metal. The slower songs on this Cd make me think of nu-metal bands like SOULFLY or KORN, but the faster ones are great grind/death tunes. The BAD BRAINS cover is not so good, while the BRUTAL TRUTH cover is great. And where’s the goddamn lyric sheet ? http://www.cahrecords.com (Y.B.)
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TEKKEN/ JAN AG split miniCd (Wee wee)
Aaah, again this cute mini-disc format. JAN AG, in case you hadn’t guessed, is the singer from AGATHOCLES, playing some kind of industrial/ new wave/ noise mix with guttural vocals. TEKKEN still play their own style of goofy-grind full of covers and humour, with a couple noise/electronic elements here and there. All in all, I wouldn’t invest 2000 dollars in such a record. david.weewee@laposte.net (Y.B.)
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BIZARRE X/ IRRITATE "split live" Cd (Life on the edge)
Malaysian import. Nice looking professional packaging… but no lyric sheet was included ! :( I thought IRRITATE’s music on their last split Cd was quite boring, slow and sludgy grind. This is still the case, but the live recording gives more power to the songs. BIZARRE X fit well together with IRRITATE, and they are much better too : fast grind/ thrash/ power violence from Germany. The sound quality is decent, this is an Ok split for extreme music fans, but I still cannot understand why the bands didn’t go into the studio to record these songs properly ? dnc_collective@yahoo.com (Y.B.)
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