Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life: a Retrospective of Contemporary DISCHARGE Worship (2008-2023)

86 bands, about 130 minutes of (noise not) music, 3 nights of curations: a comprehensive overview of what d-beat sounded like between 2008 and 2023 (a couple of songs were actually released in 2024 to be fair). Which is to say, rather rightly, "pretty much all the bloody same". Those who care about variety have probably already fucked off somewhere else so that we are between us now and we can wallow in Discharge worship shamelessly, proudly and with a spirit of collectiveness. Whenever I hear Perkele's corny "Heart full of pride" (which is fortunately not often) I like to think that the singer is actually thinking about loving Discharge instead of a national flag, being hard, wearing the right shoes or whatever skinheads think about (but do we really want to know?).

I recently had a chat with a friend who only vaguely listens to d-beat, from afar, like an unpopular kid watching with envy cool rockers drinking cans of cider at the bus stop, too scared to go talk to them but in awe at the same time. Odd, if anything d-beat lovers are a pretty friendly crowd and, if you forget intense arguments about who actually invented the beat (fuck the Buzzcocks), the anality of discussions about subgenres of d-beat or stud contests, we're fairly welcoming and everyone should be able to enjoy a fair slice of quality d-beat. It should be in the Geneva convention assuming it isn't already. And so this impressionable friend of mine thought that d-beat only referred to the actual beat and that any band using it could be called a d-beat band. Of course I proceeded to teach him in a rather abrupt fashion about what d-beat really stood for, its philosophy and foundational obsession with imitation and how it has become as much about the music than about how we love the music. D-beat is almost music about music in a sense, a comment on itself. After two hours of conference, I think he understood and, judging by his state of exhaustion, I'm sure he'll never have to ask me again and he's now part of the family. I have always been keen on pedagogy. I'm sure he'll be playing these two compilations with gratitude.

Don't ask me why I picked 86 bands because that's just where I closed the selection. The idea was to create two compilations with about an hour of music each illustrating how the genre evolved, solidified further as an actual genre and even how different takes started to appear (from the "just-like-Discharge" sound to the cruder d-beat raw punk stance or the "wall of noise" concept). To normal persons it's all the same racket but the subtleties are real indeed. Since the d-beat explosion of the early and mid 90's, the genre has become legitimate, its rigidity celebrated and no longer freakish if not goofy, its visual template embraced internationally. The number of bands beating the D, with varying degrees of success and taste, in the past 10 years is staggering so that the selection was not an easy process at all. I tried to focus on the original Discharge formula as much as possible so that a lot of very worthy bands did not make the cut because they did not abide by the d-beat rules enough (as I said repeatedly in the series, the genre is based on restrictions). I added some Discharge-loving mid-paced number as well for the compilation to breath a little and the listener to catch his or breath (it is after all quite a listening experience). There are bands from all over the world and hopefully it reflects how global and significant d-beat has become while it originally was very much a gimmicky Swedish phenomenon. I suppose that in this respect, the contemporary explosion of d-beat and its reach must be seen as a result of the rise of worldwide music streaming and social media with the emphasis on looks. No one exists in a vacuum. 

So there you go, these two comps can be seen as a continuation of the first d-beat compilation I did (that I realized was deleted from youtube for some reason and that I shall repost shortly). Obviously, it is impossible to be totally comprehensive and I must have forgotten many bands that could have made it here. Feel free to comment and suggest other bands. Even better, do your own d-beat compilation, the more merrier, yes?

Volume one: 

01. AVSKUM “Klinisk Jävla Dödsdrift” from En Annan Värld Är Möjlig LP, 2023 (Sweden)

02. PHOSPHORE “L’utimatum” from S/T demo tape, 2023 (France)

03. DISPOSE “Whirlwind of chaos” from Horror Revival LP, 2013 (Sweden)

04. HELLISH VIEW “Gaza” from Reaper’s Hand EP, 2019 (U$A)

05. SMELL CORPSES “ตำรวจหัวควย (Police dickhead)” from 5 Track Ep CDr, 2018 (Thailand)

06. FORGET “Tragedias” from Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide tape, 2022 (Berlin)

07. KYLMÄ SOTA “Lupauskia” from 10 Tracks LP, 2010 (Finland)

08. CONTRAST ATTITUDE “Death & horror” from Apocalyptic Raw Assault LP, 2009 (Japan)

09. ARSEHOLES “Manmade extinction” from PHL 2019 one-sided flexi EP, 2019 (U$A)

10. DESTINO FINAL “Este dolor” from Atrapados LP, 2009 (Spain)

11. HORRENDOUS “Ain’t no worthless scrote” from War Is Still… 12’’ EP, 2015 (Sweden)

12. REALITIES OF WAR “When will we ever learn?” from Constructs of Life EP, 2011 (England) 

13. NO FUCKER “Bodies in a pile” from Conquer the Innocent EP, 2008 (U$A)

14. KRASH “Devastation” from Devastation tape, 2020 (Canada)

15. MALIMPLIKI “Tiu estas mia” from Elasta EP, 2015 (Japan)

16. DEPORTATION “Wolnosc agresji” from S/T split EP with CONSTANT STATE OF TERROR, 2010 (Netherlands)

17. DISDAIN “Talpuk Alatt Fütyül a Szél” from Alászállás split LP with CRÜEL NIGHT, 2022 (Hungary)

18. TOTAL BANXAT “Kami dengan apa adanya (PEACE OR ANNIHILATION cover)” from Shadow of Death on Dying Planet CD, 2008 (Indonesia)

19. VÄGRA “Drone warfare” from 8 Tracks Demonstration tape, 2016 (U$A)

20. MAQUINA MUERTA “Tormento de hastio” from S/T split LP with DHK, 2016 (Mexico)

21. VISIONS OF CHAOS “Sick traditions” from 10 Tracks EP tape, 2022 (Germany/Greece)

22. DISPLODE “Children’s comes first” from Apocalypse Approaches/The Face of War split EP, 2012 (France)

23. INFEKZIOA “Baxurdea” from S/T demo tape, 2013 (Spain)

24. DISCOVER “Systemet ska bort” from S/T split EP with ANGER BURNING, 2008 (Sweden)

25. MASSACRE DIVINE “Beijando a morte” from Beijando a Morte EP, 2013 (Brazil)

26. GIFTGASATTACK “Hellish inferno” from 8 Track EP, 2009 (Sweden)

27. BURNING//WORLD “Surviving Hell” from Peace Is No Reality LP, 2022 (U$A)

28. DISABLE “…slamming in the depths of Hell” from …Slamming in the Depths of Hell EP, 2020 (U$A)

29. WARVICTIMS “Ceremoni” from Rå-Punk Militia tape, 2013 (Sweden)

30. WARCRY “Burning society meltdown” from Not So Distant Future LP, 2008 (U$A)

31. SKROT “Karlatornet” from This System Has No Heart LP, 2022 (Sweden)

32. DESPAIR “…and they still ignore” from Visions of the Inferno LP, 2018 (Canada)

33. DESPERDICIO “La ciudad portuaria pequeño” from ¡Impulso De Destrucción! EP, 2011 (Japan)

34. LIFE LOCK “In Hell’s inferno” from 2018 EP, 2019 (Singapore)

35. DISJAWN “After the bomb hits” from Blunt Smoke Night tape, 2018 (U$A)

36. KAWAKAMI NIGHTMARE “Hiroshima” from S/T split Cdr with Нулевой Эффект, 2012 (Ukraine/Belarus)

37. REGIMEN DE TERROR “Guerra total” from S/T EP, 2023 (Spain/Finland)

38. DISHUMAN “Victims of war” from S/T demo tape, 2021 (Portugal)

39. NIGHTFEEDER “Asylum” from Cut All of Your Face Off LP, 2022 (U$A)

40. KRIGSSYTEM “Gas attack” from War Profit? demo tape, 2023 (Greece) 

41. KRITIK “Eget slaveri” from Damaging Distort compilation tape, 2021 (Sweden)

42. ULTIMATE DISASTER “Ruination” from S/T demo tape, 2024 (U$A)

43. FORCLOSE “Hunger” from S/T split tape with DROGATO, 2021 (U$A) 

Volume one

Volume two:

01. ANGER BURNING “Leftovers of war” from When LP, 2012 (Sweden)

02. BETOE “Miedo” from Caminando Sobre Ruinas split tape with DHK, 2014 (Venezuela/Brazil)

03. ANGUISHED LIFE “Bloodstained death” from S/T one-sided flexi EP, 2022 (U$A)

04. DISLICKERS “Final apocalypse” from S/T split EP with GIFTGASATTACK, 2007 (Sweden)

05. EARTH CRUST DISPLACEMENT “Wall of destruction” from Distruction Never Ends split EP with ANGER BURNING, 2014 (Germany)

06. TOTAL SILENCE “The price of war” from Mass Death and Sorrow LP, 2015 (Brazil)

07. DISKOBRA “Sorvadas” from No Hope in Future, No Future in Hope split LP, 2017 (Hungary)

08. DISPUTA “Disaster” from demo recording, 2007? (Spain)

09. BESTHÖVEN “Death don’t choose” from Tomorrow’s Hell EP, 2020 (Brazil)

10. DECADE “Prelude to war” from A Deadly Game of Make Believe EP, 2018 (Canada)

11. DISTRESS “Делай, Что Тебе Говорят” from S/T split LP with SUBURBAN SHOWDOWN, 2009 (Russia)

12. GLORIOUS? “City of cruelty” from Who Are They to Impose Restrictions? LP, 2016 (Sweden)

13. FOSSE COMMUNE “Humans are dead” from S/T tape, 2017 (France)

14. NIETOS DE PUTA “Disyuntiva” from S/T demo tape, 2012 (Spain)

15. MISERÄBLE “Anti portazo” from Dbeat Maniacs tape, 2016 (U$A)

16. DECLARATION “They controlled it” from What Is the Reason For Tomorrow? tape, 2020 (Singapore) 

17. ASPECTS OF WAR “Existence/Extinction” from A Look Into the Nightmare tape, 2017 (U$A)

18. DISEASE “Neverending war crimes” from Neverending War Crimes 12’’ EP, 2016 (Macedonia)

19. LÖCKHEED “In the wake of the blast” from 4 Track demo tape, 2019 (U$A)

20. ELECTRIC FUNERAL “Realities of hell” from In Leagues With Darkness tape, 2010 (Sweden)

21. PHYSIQUE “Why survive” from The Evolution of Combat LP, 2018 (U$A)

22. DISCLONE “Armed children” from Once the Genocide Started tape, 2018 (Austria)

23. PISS SNIFFERS “Επιλογή” from Piss or Annihilation tape, 2020 (Greece)

24. SVAVELDIOXID “Som Något Ur En Mardröm” from Första Dagen Efter Sista Bomben LP, 2021 (Sweden)

25. THISCLOSE “The nightmare is real” from One Foot in the Grave LP, 2014 (England/Scotland)

26. FINAL BOMBS “Reality and truth” from There Is No Turning Back CD, 2010 (Japan)

27. BOMBARDEMENT “Warriors of the night” from S/T LP, 2019 (France)

28. LANGUID “Apocalyptic scars” from A Paranoid Wretch in Society’s Games LP, 2021 (Canada)

29. BLOCKADE “Trenches” from Dead Beat At War demo tape, 2017 (Australia)

30. BIPOLAR “Darkness” from Death By Desperation split EP with NUKELICKERS, 2023 (Greenland)

31. SKELETON “Burning Hell” from S/T split EP with SVAVELDIOXID, 2019 (Canada)

32. BÖMBÄRDEO “Guerra nunca más!” From La Vida Es un Infierno split tape with DHK, 2016 (Chile)

33. KRIGSULVAR “Weapons of destitution” from S/T digital demo, 2020 (U$A)

34. MANIA FOR CONQUEST “Endless bloodbath” from Are We Doomed to Repeat the Mistakes of Our Past? tape, 2015 (U$A)  

35. PROCESS “The spectacle continues” from Our Future? What Future? 12’’ EP, 2014 (U$A)

36. DISSEKERAD “Maktspell” from Inre Strid LP, 2021 (Sweden)

37. PROFOSS “Min egen profoss” from S/T EP, 2018 (Sweden)

38. ATENTADO “Todo Está Oscuro” from Todo Está Oscuro EP, 2009 (Spain) 

39. DISHOPE “Death awaits” from Peace Is More Than the Absence of War tape, 2014 (Germany)

40. BONËCRUTCH “Atomic bomb” from Triumph or Tragedy tape, 2019 (Indonesia)

41. BORN “Before” from Belligerent Onslaught Relentless Noise tape, 2023 (U$A)

42. ELECTRIC MASOCHIST “Are you ready to survive?” From 10 Track Demo!!! Tape, 2022 (Berlin)

43. DEATHTRIBE “In many nightmare” from 3 Track EP plus support/警告 split Ep with KRIEGSHÖG, 2008 (Japan)

Volume two

  

Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life (part 7): HORRENDOUS "War is still..." 12" Ep, 2015

And we're back to Sweden for the third time already. Thank you for flying with D-Beat Airlines, the only planes where you can safely play Death From Above while oboard without getting distressed looks from other passengers. But is it surprising really? Where else would you go if you had to visit a Discharge theme park? Bloody France? Exactly, you go to Sweden, a country where even the pigs know the lyrics to "Spräckta Snutskallar" and where an actual Ministry of D-Takt responsible for regulating the national population of d-beat bands was founded as early as 1983 because said orchestras were starting to threaten and overrun the fragile Swedish rock ecosystem. I hear some Dis-bands even had to be put down.

War is still... stands as one of my favourite d-beat records of the 2010's, a decade replete with bands who tried to get the D right and, as honourable an endeavour as it might be, sometimes failed. I am struggling to know how Horrendous, from Malmö, will go down in Distory, whether in 10 years time they will be seen as what I would call a minor classic or just "that side project with members of Herätys or Infernöh" (the latter option would probably mean that you'll still be able to get the record for cheap). When talking about the early/mid 2010's and about Malmö hardcore bands - or indeed just Swedish hardcore bands - who haunted the period, Infernöh and Herätys would definitely be mentioned in the conversation. And for good reasons as they still prove to be quite loved, if not influential, and the people involved in these bands went on to play in many more good bands. Were these better bands than Horrendous? From an objective standpoint, I suppose so. They managed to produce a decent and coherent discography and were just more significant. All my mates would undoubtedly and vehemently support that assertion. But were they as fun? Or, to rephrase more accurately in the context of this D-beat series, were they as keen on serving narrow-minded fans? Or even, to be more specific, could they make me headbang as vigorously as Horrendous did? I think not.

What immediately strikes the listener on this Ep is the power and thickness of the production. Heavy shit man. The record has a storm-like quality, like a tsunami taking everything in its path of destruction, it pounds and pummels its way toward Discharge paradise, leaving the punks happy and craving for more. War is still... belongs to this category of d-beat records that I can play and genuinely enjoy several times in a row. With a length of about 11 minutes, given the niche they chose to inhabit and the power they achieved to unleash, it is pretty much a perfect record (let's just say for the sake of caviling that it still could have done with another song). The name "Horrendous" might have done them disservice as it spontaneously makes one think heavily of Sore Throat (off-topic, clearly) or some gory death-metal band rather than good old Discharge worship. . And yet at the altar of Discharge they do bow, especially their Hear Nothing era, when the Potters were at their heaviest, and the cheeky bastards included a parody of the iconic Discharge face with what I think could be the singer's own mug. As I told you: self-aware fun! 

Contrary to a lot of bands, Horrendous did not go for a distorted d-beat raw punk sound and listening to it again on a rainy day, it does make me glad they did not and chose the hard-hitting, impactful way of the D. I am reminded of Warcry in their prime - especially with the gruff, raucous, very aggressive vocals but with more of a British scansion (Pancho being of course from Yorkshire) - and Discharge-loving classics like Disaster or Meanwhile are obvious influences. What makes the record stand out are the two mid-paced scorchers "Ain't no worthless scrote" (a song that appears on both sides, at the end of the first and at the start of the second, linking both in a pretty smart, albeit disconcerting at first, move) and "War is reality" that sound incredibly energetic and, rare thing, can actually have you dance, with moderation for those of us who have bad backs. Ace stuff.

Sadly Horrendous did not play for long and this wonderful record was to be their only release. This is the European version on Skrammel Records, the Yanks getting theirs from Brain Solvent Propaganda. The members would go on to play in a lot of good bands and are very much active. Does any of these bands are as fun as Horrendous and can have you rock as hard as on "Ain't no worthless scrote"? Well, I'll leave you to that thought.

War is still horrendous

Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life (part 6): DISPOSE "Horror Revival" Lp, 2013

Already the sixth part of Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life and only the first band to have the "dis" prefix in its name. The trend of this prefix as a sign of d-beatness, about as subtle as a oi band having the word "skin" in the moniker, has remained pretty stable since its explosion in the 90's with only a small drop in the early to mid 00's. You would think that by now bands would have run out of existing words starting with "dis" but as Disattack and iconic discore band Disfear proved, you do not even need a proper word to make one, a philosophy that the remarkable and sadly underrated Disclone were only too happy to follow (a lot of average-to-mediocre d-beat band did too but I am too much of a coward to rat them out). Dis may have been getting pathetic for a while but at least it is still alive and kicking, claiming its relevance. But then you could say the same about nu metal (the epitomy of tastelessness and a style even scarier than shoegaze) so that's not necessarily a good thing.

Dispose, from Norrbotten County, I got into relatively recently, I must admit. Caught into the constant maelstrom of hardcore novelty it seems that I did not take the time to give them a proper listen. The band was very prolific between its inception in 2007 (says bandcamp) and the mid-10's (one full Lp, two split Lp's, one full Ep, 5 split Ep's and I am not even mentioning the tapes and cdr's) and bands that release materials every 3 months are fundamentally hard to keep up with. It feels like a losing battle that you may not even want to engage because you're lazy, which is ok, you can always justify it by being a real punk-rocker. This kind of things. I remember listening to the 2016 split Lp with our national treasure Bakounine, liking it well enough and thinking to myself that I should give Dispose some attention. Still a bit late to the party I suppose.

This proud Swedish d-beat band belong to the radically DIY part of the hardcore scene. This ain't no fancy hardcore band parading on social media, these are Disclose maniacs keen on having material released on a label called Dis Before Dishonour. Dispose have been running on passion, dedication, resolve, at the expense of quality at times but d-beat needs punks them to keep the flame of raw and ugly music alive. Is the very name polysemous? Of course the phrase "to dispose of" makes sense for a d-beat band and one might stop at this meaning, but you could very well understand it as "the pose of the dis" in a positive sense which would basically suggest a "dis identity", a way to conduct yourself and stand in life, "dis" as "oi" if you wish except you don't have to shout it three times. 

But let's crash the pose of intellectualism and fancy postmodern theory, Dispose play straight-forward d-beat raw punk, with a focus on the raw. I love how emphatic the drumming sounds, very much like Diatribe, and how spontaneous and honest it feels. However simple the formula is, you can tell the guitar sound has been worked on and it certainly displays aggression and grooviness, I like it a lot. The vocals are of the raspy variety but not low-pitched, giving it a raw punk edge. The real hit to me is the song "Horror revival" with its alternation of early mid-paced Discharge and fast d-takt moments, creating a nice contrast. The faster Disclose style remains the main influence here, whether it is the Tragedy or the Disbones periods, and I am definitely hearing the 90's Uppsalla d-takt käng bands as well like Dishonest, Harass or Cumbrage. Visually, everything is in order with the band using the same font as late Disclose and a very similar skull logo too with the "noise not music" symbol replacing the good old anarchy symbol so that even without looking at the picture of the famous Norii gate that survived the bombing of Nagasaki on the cover. Pretty close indeed.

Horror Revival is a great starting point if you are looking to discover Dispose and I see it as their most accomplished work but their split with Kranium is also solid. This was released on D-Takt and Råpunk, a crucial and influential label run by a passionate man responsible for some great records since the late 00's.    

Dispose Survival

An adventure in split Ep's! I have no gun but I can split: UNCURBED / SOCIETY GANG RAPE "S/t" split Ep, 1996

I recently went on vacation with my mum, something I had not done since 2012, for good reason as it transpired during this trip. Not that we argue much or anything, it is just that she is into the silent contemplation and connection with nature while I cannot help but doing a d-beat with my fingers whenever and wherever I happen to be. Beside I am highly distrustful, as a rule, of flora and fauna since the day  I got shat upon by an evil pigeon twice (!) in a single week. I bet it was the same fucker. Beside what are leaves for if not to hide dog turds for you to trod upon when you are taking in innocent Sunday morning walk after a barely remembered night out? Exactly. We don't get along much Mother Nature and I although judging from the lyrics of 99% crust bands trees are, apparently, crucial to the Earth's survival and, by extension, mine. So please don't die trees. Thanks.

Still we had a pretty good time and no bird fucked around with me. There is absolutely no connection between this quiet mother-and-son adventure and the present split Ep. In fact, had I told my mum that the prospect to write a review about a band called Society Gang Rape upon our return was very exciting, she would have looked at me with her usual look, a blend of worried disbelief and genuine maternal bewilderment that means "what the fuck did I do wrong?". And well, to be fair, I certainly would not wear a Society Gang Rape shirt. What with reaching 40 and being a bloke, I would definitely pass for a disgusting, revolting pervert, understandably so, and I would no doubt get my ass kicked before I can explain that the band was a feminist crust band from Sweden with three female members. That would definitely end up on some social media, I would be canceled for life and you would have to hide in the loo in order to read Terminal Sound Nuisance in secret, like a vulgar porn mag (note for zoomers, a "porn magazine" was a glossy newspaper with dirty pictures in it before you could not stream videos with your phone before). So yeah, I will stick to my Antisect and Deviated Instinct shirts. 

Both bands on the split were actually from the same - rather small - town of Avesta and both bands had the same contact address under the name of "Gunnarsson", a last name shared both by Marie-Louise (SGP) and Michael (Uncurbed) so that one could venture they might have been from the same family. Would the Uncurbed family be for real? I have never been there but wikipedia states in the "Sightseeing" section in order to attract tourists to this quaint little town that Avesta has the world's biggest Dalecarlian horse. Since you are clueless about what a Dalecarlian horse is, let me educate you. Dalecarlian horses are painted wooden statues of horses that have been around since the 17th century, at least. So I am guessing they are big on horses over there. Which I am not. They are mean creatures that stink of shit. For some reason, wikipedia does not mention any Uncurbed museum so there might not be one in Avesta which does come as a surprise. I have already written about the mighty Uncurbed and their really fun ...Keeps the Banner High album here, a work that illustrates rightly what heavy rocking käng crust sounds like. But the four songs on this Ep, recorded in August, 1996, a couple of months after Punk and Anger and almost a year before Peacelovepunklife, is different. Uncurbed loved the album format and they only released two (split) Ep's in the 90's, one with Disfear and the other with SGR. Possibly one of those bands that go into a songwriting frenzy before recordings and always end up doing an Lp. Not always for the best but sadly untreatable. 

If the four songs included on the Ep were instrumental and your eyes were closed, you would not necessarily guess that they are Uncurbed's. Not that they strayed far from their Swedish hardcore roots mind you, but still. Even for a genuine world-renowned expert like myself, with eyes closed and without the vocals, I would have said that we are dealing with a rare recording of some sort of Meanwhile or Disfear. The first two songs out of the four included on the Ep are impeccable raw pummeling "just-like-Discharge" d-takt scorchers done with taste. Of course the classic Uncurbed dual vocals immediately give away that the bunch of friendly Avesta punks are behind it. "The rope song" is a classic faster käng number typical of the band's catalogue while "Pissaa ja paskaa" is a short enjoyable Tervet Kädet cover. The production fits the songs perfectly, rawer and meaner than what Uncurbed usually go for. These are great six minutes. 

On the flip side are Society Gang Rape, one the few Swedish hardcore bands in the 90's that had female members. In fact SGR was an almost all-girl group as only the drummer was a man. This was pretty uncommon at the time and, if things have changed for the better, it still, sadly, is to a significant extent. The band started as a Swedish death-metal band in the early 90's and, just like hardcore bands, there were shit tons of those over there too. What a decade, though not a good one for hairdressers. I  cannot claim to be a connoisseur of death-metal although I don't dislike it and the Scandinavian brand has always stricken me as being particularly good (like their take on extreme music in general). The early version of SGR sounds very convincing with traces of crust already popping up here and there. They were initially called Sadistic Gang Rape which they wisely changed to the slightly less shocking Society Gang Rape. I have no idea if they ever made patches or shorts with the first moniker as the one google search I dared to do was extremely depressing. Obviously the fact that the band was predominantly female does cast a different light on the meaning of the name and highlights a proud feminist stance that is not taking any shit. Would it be possible for a band to have such a name in 2023? I can only imagine the online shitstorm and it is not pretty.

By the time they switched from the sadistic abuse to the social one, the band was slowly morphing into a decidedly crustier unit. Their second self-titled effort released in 1994 was a pretty typical 90's crust affair with brutal dual vocals but the production was arguably too clean and overall it lacked the aggression that the death-metal version of themselves, and indeed their later one, displayed. For some reason this recording was first released on cd in 1994 with eight songs and on an Ep under the titled More Dead Than Alive in 1997 with only four, both on Sound Pollution. Uncurbed and SGR were clearly closed tied with the American label that released four records of the former and two of the latter. 

The four songs on this Ep were recorded in August, 1996, at the same studio as Uncurbed and it is not unlikely that both bands recorded on the same day or week. The session proved that SGR sounded better, raspier and angrier when in all out raw käng mode. The songs are simpler, more urgent albeit a bit sloppier but then that's how the genre is supposed to be played. The metal influence is all but absent with only a delicious filth-crust break on the first song and a short introduction to the last one, itself a masterclass in direct chaotic pissed mangel hardcore with the cymbals really at the front  - I am sucker for that when it comes to this style when on the Ep format; it just works insanely well - that is almost Frigöra-like. Musically SGR here sound close to Uppsala bands like Cumbrage or Diskonto but the typically 90's crust dual female vocals bring something different in terms of flow, structure and scansion and made those four songs rather special in the context of the käng/crust/d-beat wave that swept over Sweden in that decade. I am reminded of the Swedish-inspired but crusty dual-vocal band Excrement of War, especially with Mags' voice, and in terms of gruff angry growls and shouts, female-fronted Polish crust acts like Stradoom Terror or Homomilitia are not far. Four songs in five minutes, no fucking around. 

However I would like to point out that the song "Fuck Chirac" is deeply insulting for French people and would make my dad really sad because he was a massive fan of the president (Chirac was a bit like his own Taylor Swift if you like) and he even shook his hand once (granted Chirac shook the hand of all the employees of the company but still, my father felt a bond).

Following this Ep SGR would release the No Fate Lp in 1997 (on Sound Pollution again) that globally built on the same basis but with a cleaner production (courtesy of one Peter Tägtren a death-metal specialist) that did not convey as well the similar vibe of a brutal käng attack and anger. Still a decent album, though a tad long, and one that you should definitely know if you are into what Swedish punks were up to in the 90's and into feminist or all-female hardcore punk, especially since the band seems to be half-forgotten these days. 

This Ep was released in 1996 on Yellow Dog Records, a once very active Berlin-based band and record store run by a member of Autoritär. A nice little record of crusty Swedish hardcore.  

Society Uncurbed Gang