Misery / SDS "Pain in suffering / Future stay in the darkness fog" split Lp 1991

Has the gigantic amount of punk music available on the web conditioned our ears? Has it paradoxically impaired our attention and led us to hear rather than listen to the songs? The number of releases is staggering and more than ever, your average punk-rocker is aware that there are noise-making comrades all over the world. And yet, I am sometimes under the impression that there is also a uniformisation of punk-rock. Let me take an example. If a modern band states that it is influenced by the noisepunk bands like Chaos UK, Disorder, Confuse and so on, you can be pretty sure that it will sound in a very specific way (a lot of distorsion, reverb on the vocals and meticulous drum rolls). Not that the bands claiming this legacy are bad (some of them are actually really good), but what bothers me is that you can be influenced by a band or a genre in many different ways. In that instance, rather than the three aforementioned aspects (or are they rules?), you could put forward as influences the sense of humour of the Bristolians with their silly songs or the insanity of late Confuse or the proper chaotic parts of Chaotic Dischord or the genuine sloppiness of the Mexican bands and so on. What I mean is that two persons can be listening to the exact same song and yet be interested by different things, each will remember the song in his or her own way and the listening experience will evolve through time. The first time I heard Amebix, I didn't even notice the synth while some people are instantly shocked by it (but don't trust their judgement, they suck by and large). To get back to the original question, has the internet changed our peculiar listening capacity? I don't really have any answer to that (but then, on a sunday, who has any answer?).

I started thinking seriously about that issue when I decided to write about the Misery/SDS split. If you are into crust at all, you already know this record, which is probably the best crust split lp ever and one that is highly sought after (and pricy...). If one wanted to think about this record schematically, it is basically the Antisect/Amebix split Lp that never happened (how great would it have been though...). If Amebixes' influence on Misery has always been great, SDS were HEAVILY into Antisect in the early 90's. The Antisect influence is absolutely deliberate on every level, be it the music, the lyrics or the artwork. SDS even went as far as refering to themselves (or was it to this record? Hard to tell) as "Ghost of Antisect"! Many other Japanese bands have walked that thin line between respectful tribute to their influences and goofy fanboyism. Fortunately for us and in spite of a lack of any subtlety on the part of SDS, their sonic tribute, their declaration of love to Antisect is fantastic and does not sink in the depth of stale and soulless mimicry.

So why all these questions at the beginning of this post you might ask? Well, as influenced by Antisect as SDS were, they were certainly not the only ones at that time: Extinction of Mankind (slightly anarchonistic as they formed in 1992) and Coitus have also been living proofs that Antisect were the best band ever (I am getting emotional now...). BUT, and that's where my opening meditation comes from, none of these three bands sound like each other. Although it is obvious to any trained ear that they share common influences, they didn't take the same elements from them, they didn't affect their sound in the same way. While EOM took the gloomy path with top crusty guitar leads, Coitus chose to go tread on the rocking and groovy, bass driven, "Celtic Frost quatting in Hackney" way, while SDS went for a thicker, colder, harder-hitting sound that would define Japanese crust for the years to come. Funnily enough, the three bands that SDS thanked in terms of influence were Antisect (really? hadn't seen that one coming), Amebix and Discharge. The exact three bands that were chosen for a cover Ep by the mighty Extinction of Mankind and Warcollapse. And yet, do these bands sound like each other? You see where I am getting at.

This Lp is SDS' second record after their Ep "Never arise - In raid there is no life" (an Amesect medley if there is one) and one can notice a significant progression between both. You can feel that the band knew exactly what they were doing in terms of song-writing and sound. The thing that made SDS stand out was the guitar sound. To offer an accurate description of the guitar here is quite a difficult task indeed. It has this obvious dry and distorted thickness. It doesn't aim primarily at heaviness but it is still remarkably powerful. It has a floating, flowing quality but is used with grand focus and control. When it goes full on metal, there is that typically ferocious SDS sound, bordering on insanity, that they would fully use in their later years. In terms of intent, I can imagine what the guitar player wanted to do if you compare his part and Lippy's on "Out from the void" (despite the sound of the Ep). The vocals are not of the growling kind, rather they are shouted with heart and passion, sometimes on the brink of breaking, which makes for a nice balance with the perfection of the guitar.

"Future stay in the darkness fog" is a real record in that it tells a story: there are longer, slower songs with plenty of breakdowns, changes in riffs and texture, guitar solos, spoken words, and also shorter, faster, harder ones. The SDS side adequately ends with the long epic track, "No dream story", and each of the six songs is memorable. "Out from the void"'s era Antisect is of course the primary influence here and you will recognize borrowed riffs and drum parts here and there, followed shortly by Amebix (especially the first song "Tomorrow"). Careful listeners should be able to spot Sacrilege and Axegrinder moments as well while the faster songs remind me of Nausea. However, name-dropping may not be very significant in defining SDS as, in spite of the obvious and proud intertextuality, they definitely manage to create their sound, atmosphere and texture. Absolutely classic stuff. The artwork looks more like Antisect than Antisect themselves. Never afraid of the possiblity of being ridiculous, SDS have used a very similar interlacing plant frieze bordering the central drawing of their cover. Of course, they couldn't help using the classic Antisect font either. The aesthetic heart of the cover is a dove-shaped drawing (Nausea anyone?) which looks like a mural almost. This drawing has a bleeding baby, a gasmask-wearing kid, animals dying from contamination (I suppose), mutant groping hands and the peaceful dove is even shedding a tear. The style is highly similar to the amazing poster you can find in the Antisect Lp, only with less talent and inspiration. Do I think it still looks great? Of course I do! The lyrics are not particularly elaborate and suffer from the "broken English syndrome" that seems to strike contagiously Japanese punk bands. They remain, however, understandable and the odd word associations could be said to hold a poetical innovative value. The underlying theme appears to be the discrepancy between dream and reality, a utopian future and a hopeless present, in the guise of time and nature metaphors that reflect this opposition. After this record, the band recorded an unreleased Lp in 1992 entitled "In to the void" (no kidding) and took part in several compilations before changing their style with the "Scum system kills" Ep in 1996 which marked the beginning of their "motocrust" phase, replete with madness-inducing metal riffs, fast as fuck tempo and vocals from another (evil) world.

Birdy from many different angles. Now who will be kind enough to get me a decent-sized scanner for Christmas?

When you reach this level of crust quality on one side of a record, you just have to make sure that the other side is solidly being taken care of as well. And in 1991, who could do the job better than Misery? No one. The English bands had all split up (even Doom had taken a break at that time), Nausea were on their last legs and Hiatus, Disrupt or Coitus hadn't reached their full potential yet. The only bands that might have been able to give SDS a run for their money were the Southern California ones like Mindrot, Apocalypse, A//Solution or Glycine Max, although, apart from Apocalypse, they were still in their infancy themselves and these crusty bands have never been very prolific (well, Mindrot eventually went full-on doom-metal and released some albums). Minneapolis' Misery, on the other hand, already had three Ep's and one Lp under their bullet belts. Not only were their previous records already excellent but they were undeniably getting better and better (they arguably reached their 90's apex with their next record, "Who's the fool?"). I have always felt that Misery never really got the credit they deserve: they are the only 25 years old crust band in the world that never stopped (even Doom took a few breaks), they have kept the same line-up (the original singer did leave the band to join Nausea but that was before Misery even released a record) and have retained their identity all the way throughout the years so that, even with the musical progression, you can always recognize their brand of heavy and groovy old-school crust in a heartbeat. Along with Extinction of Mankind, Misery embody the true crust punk spirit, one that has survived trends and fads.

Simply put, Misery is the best US crust band ever, not only because of their longevity, but because they took the Amebix sound and turned it into their very own, built on it, made it grow. "Pain in suffering" exemplifies what Misery were all about at that time. The bass guitar has a huge sound, like a distorted mechanical snake swirling around your ears. Their use of two guitars works in a complementary fashion, each with a distinct sound and direction so that, where too many bands use two guitars just to make one same riff heavier, Misery create a particularly gloomy but powerful atmosphere that feels heavy. When first confronted with their music, the listener might feel a bit confused, or even lost, amongst the different layers for the Misery sound is deceptively chaotic at first and it can take some time to really "get it". In a word, we are miles away from crude and direct crustcore as Misery is a world-creating band. Misery crustify with ease everything they touch. Their snotty sense of a good epics gives birth to heavy mid-tempo Amebix/Axegrinder type songs with monstrous riffs, but they also keep a punk-rock flair as well, keeping in mind the greatness of bands like GBH, English Dogs or late 80's Chaos UK, and, when you least expect it, they can nail you with an old-school death-metal number. The two singers don't function with the classic crusty trade-off pattern. Like the guitars, each voice has its fields of expertise: threateningly snotty on the brink of madness (also known as the Baron meets Colin from GBH at a cider-drinking contest) or gutturally back from the dead spokesman of the apocalypse. Misery's song-writing is intelligent because it doesn't restrict itself, it is not narrow, but at the same time it is always distinctively themselves. Misery are like a chef with his special spice. He can cook many different dishes and they will taste different but you will always know his cooking because of his special spice. They should have renamed themselves the Spice Boys or something.

The topics that Misery tackle in their lyrics are not circumscribed to the coming apocalypse or some imaginary, Bolt Thrower-inspired final war. Of course, and as their name suggests, it is not particularly happy stuff but there are a lot of different angles in the songs from the political to the personal. "Filth of mankind" (yes, that is where the great Polish band got their name from) is a song about waste and ecology and how the land is being polluted, sometimes irreparably, and how we remain apathetic, blinded by the lies of those who make sure that the capitalistic economy runs smoothly (for themselves obviously). "Reality leads to insanity" is a sad and hopeless look at our society, like an aimless walk in our streets, with dying homeless persons, kids who join gangs and die in their attempt to rise to the top, children suffering from parental abuse... Happy shit. "World of fear" is a song about alienation, confusion and how our mind is affected by the fear we are taught to feel. "Two worlds collide" tackles consumerism, the Western way of life in which one doesn't care about its social or ecological consequences until one gets cancer because of the shit we are led to swallow: "their profits become your death". "Screw you too" is more of a personal song about a lying arrogant bastard who is neither forgotten nor forgiven. Finally, "Total destruction" is about...well, I am pretty sure you already know! Punk words coming from punk hearts. Aesthetically, their side looks great, as usual should I add, since Misery have always had great artwork done for them. In that case, the drawing aptly illustrates the title of this record: "Pain in suffering".

A bloody brilliant record with two top notch bands in flawless flac format, originally released on Kyoto's MCR Company, it was the label's fiftieth record (49th was the Concrete Sox/Nightmare split Ep).

Painful future stay in the darkness fog of suffering

       
  

"Never again" compilation Ep 1996

Last week, I picked a rather unusual Finnish punk album, far from the kaaotic noise of the Propaganda legion. Today, however, I am back with a more classic-sounding record from Finland. "Never again" is an eight-band compilation Ep and was a benefit record for the German Autonome Antifas who were facing trials in 1996 and almost got labelled as a terrorist organization by the German state. Although I don't necessarily agree with everything that group had to say, their analysis of the links between capitalism and fascism, their opposition to class justice and their cool-looking helmets make them worthy of interest, without mentioning that they pioneered the black block tactics by using them systematically and rigirously during demonstrations and actions. But I am not here to talk about the merits, legacy or flaws of the German Antifas.

Terminal Sound Nuisance's French readers will undoubtedly know that already, but a few days ago, a (very) young student involved with a radical antifascist collective from Paris and its suburbs was beaten to death by neo-nazis. The kid was barely 19. Now, I am certainly no expert in antifascism, my knowledge is limited and I am sure that you will be able to find many enlightening comments about this murder elsewhere. Sadly, the far-right is on the rise, not only in France, but pretty much everywhere in Europe. The media (of the bourgeois kind if this even needs to be mentioned) were quick to fake their outrage at this assassination and to claim that this was unacceptable in our society and that the Nation, the Republic and our Great Democracy shall not tolerate extremist violence and so on. The very same media promoting and spreading far-right, capitalistic ideas on a daily basis. The very same media who bluntly claimed two days later that fascist violence and antifascist violence are  similar since they are the product of political "extremists". The sad thing is that many people seem to think that way, even in our punk circles. Although I don't condone all the tactics used by certain antifascist groups and I do find their approach narrow at times, it will never ever be comparable to fascist violence, and as much as I love old UK anarchopunk, I don't think that "violence is violence" all the time. Systematically equating violence with "extremism" or fascism or any other buzzword signifying evil completely discards the undrlying motivations and is mostly intellectual laziness. But I digress.

As mentioned earlier, this record was an antifascist record from the mid 90's and this theme runs through all the songs (as the cover subtly suggests). Apparently, it took three years for this record to see the light of day or rather the smoky and damp ceiling of a squatted venue. Each band added its own artwork and lyrics and there is even a (rather horribly disturbing) poster in the record. This sort of truly DIY endeavours always leaves a whiff of the 90's anarchopunk spirit that I always find inspiring. First we have Totuus, a band active from the mid 90's to the mid 00's and did three Ep's for Fight records. They played fast Finnish hardcore with distorted guitars, angry but distinguishable vocals and appropriately short songs. Nothing ground-breaking but undeniably potent. Next is Wind of Pain from Helsinki who, despite the Bastard reference did not play Japanese hardcore but crust punk in its rough and ready version as far as the present song, "Frightened by sirens", is concerned. Not the most original band but they had that typical 90's crust sound that I love so dearly, and would add in subsequent records some great crunchy metal riffs and a more polished production that gave them a cold, bleak but still really aggressive sound (to be stored in the "crust from the wood" category for sure). Here, the song is reminiscent of the mighty Hiatus and Warcollapse but also of Masskontroll, especially the guitar sound. Wind of Pain were active in the mid-late 90's and quite prolific: an Lp, a split tape with Disclose (now I got you interested, didn't I?), two Ep's and two split Ep's. There were members of Rytmihäiriö, Força Macabra, Kuolema and, later, the brilliant Sharpeville (if I am not mistaken). An often overlooked band that deserves to be (re)discovered.

Hiastus follow with a fantastic, albeit unoriginal, antinazi crustcore song with classic dual vocals (the legendary trade-off style: "screech and grunt") and a sloppy sound. They really remind me of Amen, who were the Finnish answer to Extreme Noise Terror, and that's a really good thing indeed. I don't know if their moniker was a tribute to Hiatus but if it were then I would love them even more for that! Hiastus also released a split Ep with Totuus. After this slice of unhealthy dreadlocked mayhem, there is a song from Tuomiopäivän Lapset (whom from now on and for obvious reasons, I will refer to as TL). I must confess that I don't much about them and apart from their split Ep with Disrupt, their large discography is unknown to me. They seem to have been quite active in the 90's (as early as 1991 in fact), had common members with noise-makers Sorto and, judging from the present track, played fast and furious hardcore with attitude, and yes, this is another antinazi song (a fitting theme for this Ep). Força Macabra are next and they are probably the most famous band on this Ep. I am hardly the FM expert but I got to see them live a couple of years ago and they were impressive and fun to watch. For those of you who don't know the band, FM is a 20 year old bunch of Finnish old-timers (some of them also involved in Selfish among many other bands) playing beefy, energetic and catchy Brazilian hardcore. In fact, they even sing in Portuguese, tour in Brazil regularly and have done splits with Armagedom and Ulster. The rumour has it that the lads can play football fairly well and are decent samba-dancers but I have yet to see to be convinced. Joking aside, FM is a good band, one that you can rely on in terms of fast and punchy hardcore punk with a good attitude. The song they included on "Never again" was recorded live and is a heavy mid-tempo number called "Cansado".

Fast, raw and angry are the key words for the next song by Kirous. Less than one minute of chaotic and noisy hardcore from a band with a decent resume (they did splits with Sharpeville and Silna Wola) that I unfortunately don't know well. Their musical influence sounds pretty local (especially the production) and "Unohdetto tottus" is about not giving the fascists the right to express themselves and how fascism always eventually serve the powerful. Good, no-frills punk here. Next is Ghost of Mankind and I have to admit that they had won me over even before I listened to their song: their name is taken from an Antisect song and they use the Icons of Filth font (I am a sentimental fool, I know). So, do Ghost of Mankind sound like the bands they are winking at? Not really but they are still very good in a Dirge-meet-Insurrection-at-a-Warfear-rehearsal kind of way. Nothing earth-shattering but it does the job: distorted guitars, chaotic drum beats, reverb on the vocals, filthy sound and punk as fuck atmosphere. Another antinazi song which happens to be the only known song of Ghost of Mankind. Finally, "Never again" closes with Uutuus, a band known for keeping the Kaaos spirit alive and kicking (and vomiting probably) in the 90's and this song will not disappoint. 48 seconds long, raw sound, spontaneous song-writing: pure punk-rock. Contrary to a lot of current bands who try hard to sound spontaneous (spot the oxymoron), Uutuus sound like they just went in the studio after a week-end on the boozer, recorded 10 song in 15 minutes before leaving for more booze.

A good compilation that lies on the raw and noisy side of punk-rock and a good political initiative as well. So, is it time for the volume 2?

Never again!                      

Painajainen "Vihan rytmi" Lp 2003

This Lp is a bit of a mystery to me and, to be honest, I am still unsure about the correct approach to adopt for this one. Contrary to some good mates of mine, my knowledge of Finnish punk is hardly encyclopedic. But I am fine with my limitation because, from my experience, the more you get in that genre, the nerdier you become and the more you try to speak Suomi (and let's face it, unless you are a Finn, it will be a long and sloppy stutter). This said, there have been some absolutely cracking bands there and their number never fails to amaze me. From here, it seems that all punk subgenres is well represented in the global Finnish punk scene. All but one, that is: there are almost no metal crust bands. You do have that excellent Absurd Attitude Ep (definitely one of the best Ep's of the genre in the 00's) and Wind of Pain did add some metal to their crustpunk (but then, as much as I like Wind of Pain, they never really had that filthy, dirty sound and apocalyptic atmosphere you would expect). To make things more complex, the only Finnish Lp that would fit in the "early CRUST" category was recorded in october of 1986, after Antisect's "Out from the void", Sacrilege's "Behind the realms of madness" and Amebix' "Arise!" but before Hellbastard or Deviated Instinct's first records (and around the same time as their first demos). A mystery, I told you!

From these observations, one may imagine two possibilities. Either Painajainen made their own blend of punk and metal, unaware of the English crust recipe of the time (not completely unlikely, as Painajainen originally played rather classic Finnish hardcore before taking the metal road, which was a fairly common thing in the early crust punk scene) but getting into metal nonetheless through bigger thrash metal bands or whoever; or, they were really into Antisect and Amebix to begin with and, upon hearing their new works, thought: "fuck me! That's fucking brilliant! We should write some songs like that, but with more echoes in the vocals and sung in Finnish!". Wherever the answer lies, one thing is for sure: "Vihan rytmi" is a tour de force. Although you could hear influences from aforementioned founding bands if you really wanted to, Painajainen managed to record an Lp that doesn't really sound like any other bands but still makes a lot of sense when seen as a crust (or even protocrust) record.

The sound of this Lp is strikingly good. While a lot of early crust records suffer from bad production and/or limited musicianship (but that's part of the genre, innit? Punks playing rough and angry metal), the sound here is excellent and focused. Not unlike "Arise!" (and sadly, unlike "Out from the void"), "Vihan rytmi" is well recorded, definitely not overproduced but exactly as it should be. The sound keeps that cloudy, mysty quality that can work so well for apocalyptic crust bands but remains very heavy and raw, in an almost organic fashion. Here, heaviness is not an objective or something to attain. Painajainen sound like they are effortlessly heavy. Heaviness as a second nature. The music is bass-driven and slightly distorted. The guitar has this dark and filthy metal texture but is not too low or heavy (it brings to mind Amebix or Nausea on this level). While not as well recorded as on "Arise!", the drumming is on a par with the other instruments and has this typical earthy crusty feel, it is a proper beat, almost anatomical. There are two singers here, both with a specific singing style (or it could be the same geezer doing both although it is terribly bad taste). You have the low, angry, aggressive and raucous voice (strongly reminiscent of the Greek Greats like Chaotic End, Forgotten Prophecy or Panikos) layered with a much more melodic and sung voice that sounds eerie, dramatic and a bit sad as well (Döm Dar is not too far off the picture). That's for the form.

Like a lot of the genre's early years, there are all kinds of tempos on this record. Whereas current bands fall too often in the "let's-play-like-BoltThrower-but-with-a-dbeat" trap, Painajainen ranges from fast and hard-hitting with a tasteful touch of double-bass drums to compelling tribal-sounding drumming patterns that point in the Amebix direction (yes, I earn 1 euro each time I mention them, so what? Times are tough, right?) or even postpunk bands. In that respect, the title of the album, which translates as "Rhythm of anger", is a fitting match to the breathing of the music. The riffs too have a rhythmic dimension, a sense of direction and never succumb to the cheesy metal temptation. You will, of course, find dirty and slimy guitar parts encrusted in these rythmic, epic, tribal riffs, both emphasizing each other (the same thing could actually be said about the vocals). Painajainen were clearly ahead of their time and one often has to use anarchonistic references in order to describe their sound. It brings to mind the epic world of Amebix, but also Panikos' song-writing, some of Nausea's slower moments, Misery's heavy and chaotic anger, Döm Dar's mid-tempo number, Hellbastard's snotty catchiness, Axegrinder's sense of impending doom... But for all the comparisons, there remains the fact that this is a, truly, unique Lp, one that you can recognize instantly and one that is able to escape easy and lazy comparisons (like I just did).

In the end, this is a fantastic Lp that should be up there with the crust canon and whose absence can only be explained with the year of its release: 2003 (sadly, the inserts were not included in my copy so I haven't been able to read the band's history and the lyrics yet so I am not sure if there was an original 80's pressing of this baby and Discogs seems to say that there wasn't one). Though recorded in 1986, it seems that it took 17 years for this record to see the light of day (dark of night would be more fitting). Three Finnish labels were involved in this epic endavour: well-known Fight Records (responsible for records from Kaaos, Riistetyt, Tampere SS or World Burns To Death), Zerga Records and Kämäset Levyt (tons of records released since 2000 from Diskelma, No Rest, Sotatila, 1981 and even Oi Polloi). The record comes in a gatefold with the first Ep included as well (I decided no to include it in the file). The music of Painajainen is the most beautiful nightmare I have ever had (witty me as "painajainen" means "nightmare"). The artwork however is closer to the worst ones I have had. I don't question the skills of the artist but let's say that I wouldn't have picked these colours. Sadly, in a world based on superficiality and where accurate yet empty references seem to prevail, an ugly cover will often mean that your record will be left to rot (a theory that doesn't apply to Japanese punk bands). But enough negativity and enjoy this original and hearty slice of CRUST.

   

   

        Rhythm of anger

Bastards Trained by Bastards "Natural" demo cdr 2003

In the punk underworld, Stoke-on-Trent is known for one thing: Discharge. In fact, it is rather surprising that the city council hasn't built a statue of the "Why?" line-up before the town hall. But Stoke is not a Discharge-only city either and the oddly-named Bastards Trained by Bastards happened to originate from this very place. BTBB were a short-lived band made up of members of other local punk bands, the always excellent anarcho punx Kismet HC, the thrashy Eggraid, the spiky Wounded Moose and Friends of Ken (which I have never heard). The myface page of BTBB says that the band formed in 2002, was pretty active in 2003, then pretty much stopped, then started again in 2007, never to be heard of again (to my knowledge). Pretty chaotic to say the least.

This cdr is BTBB's only output. It is basically a live recording of their second gig (on the 15th, March, 2003 after four rehearsals to be accurate) with the addition of one song that was recorded during their fifth rehearsal. I guess BTBB was more of a side-project, a way to have some fun and spread some political ideas, rather than a "serious" band meant to last long. I got this demo in a £1 box (or £2 box, I can't remember) at an Extinction of Mankind gig in Leeds, sometime in autumn 2003. The gig was put on by the Punktured collective (remember that Rape Crisis benefit cd) and someone had set a box with various records and zines that he or she wanted to get rid of. So I bought that particular cd as well as PUS' "Death from the skies". As you can see, this demo was crafted in true DIY fashion and you will notice that whoever did the artwork and the layout was just getting used to computers. Joking aside, I do like the Oi Polloish anarcho symbol a lot. Unfortunately, the lyrics are not included with the demo, which is a shame since the boys appeared to have a lot to say from what I read in an interview in Headwound from that time. As for the name, "Bastards trained by bastards" is actually a line taken from a Conflict song.

The sound on this cdr is surprisingly good. Despite it being a DIY live recording of a band's second gig, the sound is very clear, the band is quite tight and the first six songs are a perfect fit for a demo. Musically, we are definitely in 90's territory. Aus-Rotten (they cover "Fuck nazi sympathy" to great effect during the set) could be a good point of comparison here, as well as Conflict, Resist and Exist, Spite (for the more hardcore parts), Another Destructive System and Kismet HC (especially for that distinctive drumming style). They have a great song about Mark Barnsley, a working-class British anarchist who did 8 years because of a brawl in a pub involving a group of drunk students (obviously, the pigs were all too happy to nick him and left his assailants alone), one about animal rights and specism ("Natural?"), the "Obligatory war song" (yes, that's a Faction quote) called "War against war" and I am guessing "Social lobotomy" is about the our own passivity before oppression and how we are taught to be helpless and powerless (but since I cannot quite decipher the words that may be me wanting this song to be about that!). The last song was recorded during a rehearsal and is rough as fuck so be warned. It is a faster song with vocals of the high-pitched and yelled variety. In fact, the sound is so distorted, you could think it is a modern "rawpunk/noisepunk" band!

BTBB was a rather anecdotal band but there is an unmistakable energy and sincerity that make me choose to post this record (that and that annoying evil voice whispering in my ear). Beside, I like the fact that they cover "Fuck nazi sympathy" and ten years later, I think sadly we should start covering that song again. The far-right is on the rise everywhere in Europe (just take a look at the openly reactionary, nationalistic, homophobic demonstrations in France right now, Golden Dawn in Greece, bloody serial killers in Norway, the EDL in Britain and on and on and on). The bastards are organized     and disciplined (which, given their fascination with order and hierarchy, is hardly overwhelming news) and while I know that writing antifascist punk songs is not going to stop them, it can still, potentially, make us think about what we can do about that. Aus-Rotten wrote this song because of the complacency they saw around them. Not caring is not gonna cut it.  

Bastards Trained by Bastards Trained by Bastards Trained by Bastards

Acid Rain Dance "Melting resistance" 12'' 1993

I have written quite a bit about trends on Terminal Sound Nuisance and how they reflect our representations of punk from a diachronic perspective (diachronic: a useful and fancy word that can make you look smart; to be stored just next to "dichotomy"). But trends are not all about the music and if you read the lyrics of your favourite bands, you will notice that some topics come back over and over again at certain times. Before it became a silly and meaningless gimmick, the possibility of a nuclear war was a genuine source of fear in the 80's and it makes sense that many bands talked about that (though it was also, at least partially, a topical trend). Recently, resistance to the war in Iraq and to Bush was the topic of the day. Judging from lyrics, in the early 90's, 1992 being the key date here, Indigenous resistance in North America, the sad anniversary of Colombus' "discovery" of the Americas and the specific oppression affecting Native Americans were often tackled by bands from the more politicised side of the punk spectrum. And not only by US bands either. Several events probably contributed to this dynamic: the aforementioned 1992 anniversary; the campaign to free Leonard Peltier, a political prisoner framed by the FBI; the Oka crisis in Canada that saw a wide-spread Mohawk revolt and of course the Indigenous uprising in Chiapas led by the EZLN.

Although always well-meaning, the political support given to Native tribes was at times awkward, idealistic, if not patronizing. Often, Native Americans were depicted as helpless, innocent victims, timeless beings living in perfect harmony with "Mother Nature", a vision that probably had more to do with specific White fears and anxieties and the old notion of the "Noble Savage" (also known as "the brave Indian"). Many early Biritsh anarcho bands saw in Indigenous societies (or in their idealized version of them) a source of inspiration in terms of harmonious, peaceful living and solidarity. Bands like Flux of Pink Indians, Indian Dream and City Indians (all top bands to be sure) even showed their admiration in their very names. On the other side of the Atlantic, Antischism/Initial State included tribal imagery in their own aesthetics (to undeniablygreat effect) and later, Black Kronstadt/Iskra would write songs about the Oka crisis and sociopolitical issues that First Nations people face. In Britain, the 90's saw many bands showing solidarity and/or using Indigenous themes and images: One By One (with their excellent, AIM-themed "Common ground"), Disaffect, Cress and, obviously, Sedition/Scatha, who were the most articulate of the lot as they merged their own Celtic cultural roots with anarchist politics and world-wide support to struggling Indigenous people. The celebrations of the 500th anniversary were not exactly welcomed in South America either as they were seen as a provocation. 1492, to many conscious people there, symbolizes the beginning of ruthless exploitation and genocide that still go on today for many Indigenous communities. The oppression of Native people there certainly hit closer to home and it is no surprise that bands as different as Abuso Sonoro, Los Crudos or Anarchus - without mentioning a brilliant tape compilation from Medellin - had songs about this. Finally, European bands showed solidarity and concern towards Native Americans and anger at the 500 year old ongoing genocide they have had to endure. Bands like Bad Influence (as was shown in a previous post), Forgotten Prophecy (that Hopi prophecy certainly struck a chord), Amen, Mushroom Attack, Heyoka, Autonomia Indigena (as the name suggests!), Stress, Acoustic Grinder, to name but a few. Bands like Acid Rain Dance from Bremen.

A couple of years ago, I read an article about Germans who chose to live "just like Indians". They lived in tipis, did traditional Lakota rituals and I seem to remember that they were learning a tribal language too. Depending on your sense of humour and your patience, you will find this either ridiculously appalling or ridiculously funny. Fortunately for us, the geezers of Acid Rain Dance did not try to live like they saw in "Dance with the wolves", although the band's artwork is all about American Indian themes and representations (both for that particular record and the equally good 1991 Ep). The five songs of the 12" were recorded in 1992 and the record was released on the ever reliable Skuld Releases. It was Skuld's eigth record (between Bad Influence's first Lp and the Zygote compilation Lp) and the label was still in its early days. Information about ARD is scarce and my limited knowledge of the Bremen scene certainly doesn't help. Judging from their ugly mugs (and their music but we'll come back to that), ARD must have been as much part of the punk scene as they were of the metal one. Punks playing thrash-metal or metalheads having go at hardcore? It doesn't really matter in the end as the band managed to create a sound of their own and developped its own identity.

The early 90's saw the crust genre going international and it is not irrelevant to see ARD in that light. One can notice that their thank lists (in both their records) include Contropotere and Naftia, two unique bands that are hard to pigeonhole and go beyond easy categorization. If MVD were the German answer to Extreme Noise Terror and Doom and if Slimy Venereal Diseases had a sore throat, then Acid Rain Dance could very well be approached from a Concrete Sox-meet-Kreator angle. The thrash-metal influence is fairly obvious but it also has a strong early crust vibe and brings to mind English bands like Deviated Instinct (the first Lp), Senile Decay and especially Energetic Krusher (who were more a metal band anyway) as well as American crossover bands. Some guitar riffs clearly look in the early death-metal direction and the vocals are gruffy and hoarse as they should be. The songs are very well structured and the quiet, eerie parts (either as intros or breaks in the songs) make for a great listen (however, I don't think the funky bass lines in "No 11" was really necessary...). There is a discordant feel in the song-writing which is not something I usually like but it works perfectly here, adding to the rage and the intensity through many tempo breaks and layered climactic storytelling.

All the lyrics are in German but English translations are provided. Unfortunately, some ideas seem to have got lost in the process. The songs deal with rage, alienation, social conditioning and violence from a personal, physical perspective. I wish I spoke German... The last song, "Starrheit", is about peer pressure and how the traditional nuclear family structure contains the potential for totalitarian obedience. The cover is pretty dated (though it was 1993, it still has this cheesy 80's metal feel) but one should not judge a record by its cover (well, not always). Acid Rain Dance was an original metal-punk band with something to say (not something I say often about current metal-punk bands) and "Melting resistance" is a great record. Finally, just a quick word about punk bands singing about Indigenous resistance. Let's not forget that the people who know best about this subject are the ones directly affected by it: Native people themselves. There are some good and interesting Native American/Indigenous punk bands around, Resistant Culture and Black Fire being the most famous. But get some Subsistencia (Aztec anarchopunk?), Psicosis Social (Bolivian band with some songs in Quechua) and S-cuk Gogs, a rez band from the Tohono O'odham nation in Arizona (they are rough and ready enough to be included in Shit-Fi, punk innit?). There are probably hundreds more so any suggestions would be warmly welcome in the Terminal Sound Nuisance's headquarters.  

                

Melting resistance

Tolshock "The heritage of violence" Ep 1999

Edit: because of a copyright complaint, only the review of this record will be posted. You will have to find the music files elsewhere... Sorry.

Sweden is to punk-rock what France is to cheese. Almost too many bands, mostly quality stuff, but a lot of them a bit similar-sounding. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. After all, Swedish bands have developped throughout the years their own brand of hard-hitting, Discharge-loving hardcore punk and it makes sense that there is such a thing as a classic Swedish punk sound. If the 80's are vastly revered, and for good reasons, the 90's don't seem to get that much attention currently. And that's a real shame, as the Swedes kept brewing 80's influenced hardcore but infused it with other influences, in today's case, crust-punk.

The term "Swedish crust" is vastly applied to a lot of bands these days, from Warvictims to Skitsystem or even Massmörd, which raises two important questions: "do people actually listen to their records?" and "why does the word 'crust' have to be used indiscriminately to characterize bands that have few similarities with this actual genre?". There is absolutely nothing wrong in playing or not playing crust music, but if one wants to use the term, one should maybe think twice about it and care a bit more about the music. But anyway... I have been sick for days and I am a bit grumpy today. Let's get back to the topic of the day.

There were great Swedish bands in the 90's. You had Warcollapse (possibly the best blend of Swedish hardcore and crust punk that I have been given to listen), Counterblast ("Balance of pain" has to be one of the best Lp's of the 90's: take Axegrinder, add some early Neurosis influence, and play the songs as if you were a black-metal band), 3-Way Cum (ENT meets Mob 47) Uncurbed, Driller Killer, Wolfpack, Disfear, Diskonto or, I don't know, Dischange. But none of these bands were really proper crust bands, as the fast and furious side of Swedish hardcore often took the better of the filthy metal side. Apart from maybe Jesusexercise, some Warcollapse ("Crust as fuck existence" springs to mind), some Dom Där Songs and the aforementioned Counterblast Lp (which may fall in the mysterious and unpredictable "involuntary crust masterpiece" category), what is refered to as Swedish crust should be more aptly qualified as "crusty Swedish hardcore" or something equally ridiculous. Now, isn't that a world-changing perspective on music? And after all, Doom started out as little more than a Swedish hardcore tribute band (you know, Discard, Crudity, Shitlickers, Anti-Cimex...) but with gruffier vocals and sloppier playing. Seeing Doom as crust (especially the early years) would actually tend to confirm the crust tag in its application to what is essentially a Swedish hardcore-inspired band (though they were definitely part of the early crust scene in terms of aesthetics and lyrics).

So yeah... Tolshock. This is their last and best Ep, recorded in 1999. Before that, they did another Ep and a split Ep with Scumbrigade as well as a 4-way split tape with the mighty Hibernation, Chaos Front and Anti Order. Three labels worked together to get that geezer out: Panoptic Vision from Scotland (that released some Disaffect, Debris and Quarantine), long-standing Farewell Records from Hannover and fellow Germans, Borkenkafer Records. The Swedish scene is, was and will probably always remain very incestuous so you could find in Tolshock punk virtuoso who previously or additionally deafened people in Warcollapse, Counterblast, Jesusexercise (small world) or Farcical.

What I like in this record is that, although it is pretty much pure Swedish hardcore, it has this anarcho look and content. The title of the Ep is also its main theme, "the heritage of violence". It is the first song and the sentences of its first verse have been used to illustrate the artwork in the shape of Crass-fonted framed slogans. And it looks great and there is actually a connection between the images used and the words. This song deals with domestic violence and how one inherits it from his/her parents, how it spreads through generations. The beaten kid becomes the wife-beater. The only other song in English is "The blood runs blue" and isn't as serious. It refers to the death of Lady Di and what a cause for celebration it should be. Bring us back the guillotine! I will leave the other songs' explanations to the Swedish-speaking punks reading this! Musically Tolshock played top-notch, fast, aggressive Swedish hardcore with dual vocals, not unlike Diskonto or a less savage 3-Way Cum, with enough distorsion to make it raw but not so much as to make it noisy, if ya know what I mean. Because people have outrageous tastes in music nowadays, you should be able to find this record in a 1 euro/£1/$1 bin on a distro table where all the other Ep's will go for a fiver (seriously though, I got to score an Amen Ep last week-end on a distro table and the fellow who was running the distro told me he was relieved to see it go because he thought it was a great record and had been sleeping for years in the distro; fortunately for him, good old me was around!).

                                 

Bomb Heaven "S/t" Ep 2003

The hundreds (if not thousands) of fanatical followers of Terminal Sound Nuisance will probably stare in disbelief when they read this review. Today's special is a modern Portland band. Now, I know the Portland scene doesn't exactly need even more promotion and attention than they already get. For some reason - and I am not even sure the punx there are really aware of it - any new band from Portland has been immediately stamped with a seal of approval from the punk-loving nerds, whatever the genre the band has decided to pick, since the late 90's. It is basically assumed that said band is not only attention-worthy but also very tasteful. And I can partly relate to the Portland punk attractiveness: it is usually well executed, knowledgeable, highly referential in a way that make us feel good about ourselves (I bought the first Hellshock Lp on account of them using the Antisect font...), well recorded, accurate in their aesthetical recycling of punk iconography. Though not all memorable, most of the records coming from Oregon are usually very solid.

I hear you ask: what's not to like then? It would be ridiculous to dislike a band just because of its geography. Indeed, I hold many Portland bands close to my heart (mostly Tribal War-related bands like Axiom, Final Warning, Godless and anarcho usual suspects, Resist, Deprived and Defiance). What unsettles me a little is the insane number of short-lived bands that put out two or three records, then split up and adopt a completely different style. I understand no one wants to play the same old bollocks all the time (well, some people do...) but it sometimes feel as if there were a list of all the punk subgenres and as soon as one band ceases to  exist, the subgenre it had been exploring is checked off the list and it is time to pick another one. Call me a romantic fool, but I love bands who stick together through and through, as a band, and where this notion of "band" prevails over the notion of "genre", where the band developps its own identity and grows. Portland's Hellshock are a good example of that since they have evolved from their initial intent to play old-school crust but they remained together as Hellshock. They could have stopped, being bored with the niche or whatever, but they kept going. In a time when a band's lifespan seldom excedes two years, they have been going for ten years which is quite respectable (although I must confess that their last records were a bit of a disappointment for me).

Now, these nasty remarks are not exclusive to Portland. This shift from "band" to what could be called "project" can be seen pretty much everywhere and, after all, it is really not that negative. I am fine with "proper bands" and I am fine with "short-lived projects" as well. I just tend to see both differently. Which brings me to Bomb Heaven (at last!). This is definitely an obscure one and little information can be found on the web. It was released in 2003 on Doomsday Records and was the label's only production. This Ep is also the band's only release. In other terms, this is definitely a short-lived project tackling a subgenre that had been spared until then, a "punk subgenre" tribute band if you will. But, as insubstantial as Bomb Heaven might seem, it is undeniably a great record. One cannot fail to be impressed with the craftsmanship and the very real punk flair that the people behind BH have. If the motivations remain blurred (to put out a record for the very sake of it? to complete the checklist?), the result is nothing short of amazing.

It would be more accurate to say that Bomb Heaven chose to pay tribute not really to a subgenre but to elements of a sub-subgenre. Confusing but nevertheless true: this Ep is an homage to the mid-tempo parts of Antisect, Anti-System, One Way System ("In the end" has the riff of "All you kids" along with a very GBHy singing style) and Icons of Filth. I know it sounds very narrow but this mid-tempo fest is exactly what comes to mind: heavy and slightly metallic like the "In darkness" era, the crunch and chunk of "No laughing matter", the angsty frustration and hopelessness of "All systems go" and the groove of "Onward Christian soldiers". There is even a knowing nod to Broken Bones at the beginning of "Prisoner for life". The riffs are simple, heavy, and while rid of any pretention to originality, manage to feel just right. The songs feel instinctive while they are calculated. Unashamedly not creative but unquestionably terrific, this unpretentious record will please lovers of the aforementioned bands like myself. The lyrics are appropriately dark and angry, "Warfear" being the obligatory war song, "In the end" being about alienation and doom and "Prisoner for life" a bleak description of life in an asylum. From what I could gather, members of Bomb Heaven went on to play or were already playing in Blood Spit Nights (hence the mention of a "Blood spit choir" in the record) and Hellshock (them again).

                     

Bomb Heaven