Sunday 25 August 2024

Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life (part 1): NO FUCKER "Conquer the Innocent" Ep, 2008

Why why why but why? Well, why not?

In a world ruled by chaos, people have always needed some semblance of stability to cope with life without falling into madness, despair or shoegaze. Some choose religion because absolute truths construed as eternal and transcendental are reassuring and because it is looks like a logical, if lazy, choice. Others choose the footie because the love for your club is immortal and thicker than blood. Pets can be a solution because a dog's love is unconditional, comforting and stable. Punks would go for d-beat because not only has the genre not evolved much throughout the years but because it is not supposed to, it is seemingly unaffected by time, immutable. You can't get much more stable and anchored than this. Of course, there have been evolutions in terms of production, music does not exist in a technological vacuum, some bands did bring new elements as far as textures are concerned and others played with the degree of referentiality (aural and visual), an essential part of the genre in itself. But still, the potential for change is limited indeed. And well, I need stability right now and d-beat appears to be a pleasant way to indulge. And to be honest, it is fun.

To make things clear, I will only be talking about orthodox d-beat and "just-like-Discharge" bands here, just like I did in the two previous d-beat series The Chronicles of Dis in 2016 and Sonatas in D Major in 2019 (and needless to point out that I also wrote about such bands in transversal series). It does not mean that all the bands will sound exactly the same. Well, it will if the genre does not particularly appeal to you or if your don't know your Disclose from your Dischange. But the idea is to focus on the variations or absence thereof, the details, the context, all the tiny things that make a band stand out and draw the lines between absolute Discharge clones, proto-d-beat raw punk lovers, orthodox d-beat and even "just-like-Disclose" bands, a category that did not exist in the 90's and 00's. The selection was particularly difficult this time because I decided to cover a long period, from 2008 to 2023 (Sonatas on D Major tackled the 1991-2006 span), and there have been literally hundreds of d-beat bands, or rather bands claiming to play d-beat, in the past 15 years and I had to settle for 21 (obviously the length of the reviews will vary). Punk changed drastically between 2008 and 2023 with the scene becoming irremediably and vitally dependent on the internet and social media. Playing traditional d-beat in the mid 00's and today are two very different sports. With youtube, you can have access to every one of the most obscure dis-influenced bands of the 80's and as a result it is much easier to play specific "niche" referential hardcore punk. Not so much in the 00's.


And what better example of this shift than No Fucker from Utica, a band that I thought had been dead for years but actually toured Europe this spring. They formed as early as 2002 and Conquer the Innocent is the last record they released in the 00's. At a time when neocrust and stenchcore dominated the punk airwaves (with Japan being the usual exceptions), No Fucker were a very different scruffy animal, a proper d-beat raw punk band, one of the last of their kind in that decade. The 90's d-beat wave was long gone in Sweden by then and the few survivors like Meanwhile, Disfear or Diskonto no longer relied on the primitive raw aggression of the genre. In North America Deathcharge had turned into an excellent dark punk act, Decontrol had split up and Holokaust's raw hardcore period was short-lived. Tragically, Kawakami, and with him the immensely influential Disclose, passed away, turning him and his baby into a legend and probably the most appreciated d-beat band ever. The late 00's were a peculiar transitional time.

It has to be said that Disclose were the inventors of the concept of "d-beat raw punk", a specific take that relied as much on Discharge as on the proto Discore, the pre d-beat bands, those raw hardcore bands that predated the actual "genrification" of Discharge-worship of Disaster and Dischange (which is when I personally placed the real birth of d-beat as its own genre). They were significantly influenced by Discharge, sounded like Discharge to an extent, but did not crave to sound "just-like-Discharge" as their work on textures underlined. And No Fucker belonged exactly in that philosophy. They were not the only ones to bow at the altar primitive and raw d-beat bands at the time, and Spanish bands like Destruccion or Firmeza 10 were even cruder in their "hardcore radikal" approach (an ambitious aesthetic choice in a time of overproduced neocrust and metal crust that certainly alienated many listeners). 


That is not to say that there were no Discharge-influenced bands in the 00's, there were tons of them. After all, who doesn't use a dis beat? And let's not forget that Portland's Warcry, a serious "just-like" band were going strong. But No Fucker were one of the last of the d-beat raw punk of their generation and although they are mostly remembered for their splits with Disclose (their major modern influence, undeniably) with whom they toured in States, they are not necessarily looked at in depth. No Fucker is a band aimed at fans of Discharge, fans of Discharge-influenced bands, fans of Discharge-mimicking bands and (all euphemisms for nerds). 

Their music is as much a display of great raw hardcore as it is a loving reflection and a comment on the Discharge phenomenon itself. The name of course refers to the notes on Discharge's first Ep that said "thanks to no fucker" so from the start, if you do not get the reference, you can be a little left out of the fun, not that it is the band's intention (I assume) but you will not "get the ref" as Gen Z's say. The band's label is called No Real Music, a line taken from the song "But after the gig" and a song from the Ep is called "Realities of the war" (let's not even mention the Discharge font, that was already very common and a prerequisite of the genre and the last words of the Ep "svart framtid" like the 80's Norwegian hardcore band). You can see this in two ways. You can either find it ridiculous, a proof of the absence of creativity and "dis is getting pathetic" like Active Minds would claim, or you can say that it is a way to engage the listener in a network of common reference and a genuine demonstration of love for punk culture. And really, that will be a central aspect Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life (as if you had not already guessed).

But let's talk a bit about the six minutes of music you will find on Conquer the Innocent, shall we? As I mentioned No Fucker are not a d-beat band in the same sense as Warcry or Meanwhile, they build on the rawness of early Discharge, on the Dis-inspired 80's bands that immediately followed and on a band that had already worked on such a synthesis, namely Disclose. The sound is perfect for the genre, raw, evidently, but still with a lot of energy (I love how the drums are really forward). The guitar sound is dirty and distorted but you can hear that it has been thought out and purposefully created and the vocals respect the old-school scansion, flow and accentuation. I can hear Shitlickers, early Cimex or Subversion on the first side, brilliantly executed, the second side is a little faster and include some Bristol-by-way-of-Japanese-style "crasher" rolls, adding some punch and on the whole Disclose's Tragedy is a close point of comparison (in fact they can be said to be as influenced by the actual record as they are by the influences of this record) but the distortion is not as prevalent here and I am reminded of the vastly underrated Decontrol too (dislickers pioneers I suppose). By its own standards, it is a flawless record.

The band released a discography for their recent tour and it is a good way to get all the band's material but the new Tombs Ep.      



No idea why the previous scribbled on the record...



 

Sunday 18 August 2024

Kurwa CRUST Przeciwny Systemowi! An anthology of Polish crust (1991-2022)


I am finally back after an unusually lengthy break from the blog. Not that I was insanely busy, although I'd love to pretend to. I just needed some time for myself, not unlike a distraught parent leaving his children alone in the wood for a couple of weeks in order to sort his life out or a wrestler who gets injured after attempting an elbow drop from the third rope. I even toyed with the idea of stopping Terminal Sound Nuisance altogether and find another hobby that would bring more attention to my once ravishing greatness and undeniable charisma, like food influencer or a shark whisperer, something contemporary. I even took a pretty pricy but eventually useless selfie class in July (I was unable to pass the test though, something to do with me being the antithesis of photogenic or something). What is the relevance of running a punk blog these days beside making you feel prematurely old? Maybe the quest for relevance is itself irrelevant in this day and age when quantity largely prevails over quantity. The term "content creator" is remarkable in this sense as modern "creators" are not even able to qualify what they offer and resort to the generic and vague term "content" and as pop culture gluttons we stuff ourselves with forgettable but mildly enjoyable shit. Oh well. 

The thing is, despite investigating a number of alternative options, I could not quite figure what I could replace the blog with, which must mean that Terminal Sound Nuisance has to be kept alive. The absence of answer was the answer. And so here I am again, ready to rock (reasonably because of my bad back) and entertain the punk masses, something I was born for although my mum would disagree firmly. 


All this blabbering to say that I am back with a solid CRUST and to get things going again I have something special for you: an anthology of Polish crust. As even the least discerning readers will have noticed (they are few, I am well aware that Terminal Sound Nuisance's readership is notoriously class and well sound), I have a soft spot for Polish crust and, because the genre has never ceased to be not only popular but also strong in this country, working on retrospective compilations made a lot of sense. Fun was had.

I have already written quite extensively about crust and punk in general in Poland throughout the years and re-reading my elegant prose for egotistical inspiration made me realize how prolific, vibrant and dynamic the scene was in the 90's. Indeed, the claim that Poland was a major punk stronghold during that pivotal decade (in terms of bands but also of touring destination) is true and even a quick superficial glance at classic bands like Infekcja, Homomilitia, Sanctus Iuda or Filth of Mankind (to stick to my initial plan) can prove enough to illustrate this. If the crust genre became less popular in many parts of Europe, Polish punks faithfully, loyally kept producing quality crust bands to this day. Many of these bands' reach does not go beyond the country's borders but if you bother looking for information, instead of waiting passively for information to look for you, you will make some new friends. But since you are most certainly a lazy bum, I am more than happy to take on that role.


While selecting and compiling the songs, I wondered with a Sartre-looking expression if Polish crust could be described as its own subgenre, like the Greek or Japanese schools of crust, or if it was merely crust sung in Polish. While I would argue that its identity is not as strong and peculiar as its aforementioned two cousins, there are enough common recurring traits among all the bands to hypothesize a "Polish crust sound". First, with almost all the bands singing in Polish, the language with its sonorities, dynamic accents, its flow and pronunciation has an impact on the overall sound and gives it an aggressive edge. Second, more often than not, right from the start, Polish crust has displayed a heavy, crunchy, dark metallic influence, not in the apocalyptic sense like the Greeks (with some exceptions) but faster, thrashier and keeping a raw intensity. It should be pointed out as well that, originally and distinctly, more than in any other countries, Polish crust bands must be said to have been some of the best examples of fast and pummeling 90's eurocrust, far more Hiatus than Doom if you wish and if the genre evolved along with the rest of global crust scene (Japan being the usual exception) these are the basis and basics.


Do these can justify and potentially cement the "genrification" of Polish crust? Probably not, such elements can be found in other scenes abroad, however they still stand as meaningful, defining traits running through a large enough body of works for me to offer cohesive and coherent compilations. By no means has Polish crust been undisturbed and insensitive to the various international crust waves as the comps can attest. Some bands are more progressive, to the extent of neocrusting at times, others are heavily infused with death, black or doom metal, but the similarities are sufficiently present and relevant. I chose to leave out bands that, I felt, as good as they might be thought to be, did not totally qualify as crust although they certainly had crust elements like Silence, Deczcz or Evil or some of the faster 90's anarchopunk bands. Or as my sensei would sometimes tell me when he was teaching me the way: "it ain't crust enough my little lad". On the other hand, I did include some bands that are often seen as pertaining to the early grindcore scene, like Toxic Bonkers or Grossmember, but shared enough common points with their crusty contemporaries at some point. Subjectivity, yeah? 

I tried to be exhaustive without but I probably missed out some bands, either out of sheer forgetfulness or because they were either just too obscure or because Alzheimer arrived early at the party. In any case, you are more than welcome to mention bands that could have made it here or to point out mistakes. The more the merrier like my gran would say, although she was mostly referring to wine I guess. There are 2 compilations with 43 bands and songs in total ranging from the proto-crusty year of 1991 to our fetid modern time. Thanks to the people I borrowed (well...) the pictures from.



In bimber there is no choice    

PART ONE:

01. HOMOMILITIA "Intro + To możliwe jest tylko tutaj" from Twoje Ciało Twój Wybór Lp, 1996 (Łódź)

02. HELLISHEAVEN "Sedes sapientiae ora pro se" from S/t split Lp with CREEPIN CORRUPT, 2009 (Lublin)

03. DRIP OF LIES "Lies" from S/t demo, 2009 (Warszawa)

04. SOCIAL CRISIS "Zachowaj spokój" from S/t split Ep with WOJNA, 2018 (Biała Podlaska)

05. FUCK FINGER "Zdrajczynie" from S/t tape, 2002 (Łuków)

06. S.O. WAR "Mili chłopcy z policji" from Bullshit Propaganda tape, 1998 (recorded in 1993), (Strzelce Opolskie)

07. UNDECIDED "Pokoj W niebie jak i na ziemi" from S/t tape, 1996 (Bartoszyce)

08. PATROMONIUM DEL PUEBLO "Pliczy się tylko muzyka..." from Pustka tape, 1999 (Dąbrowa Górnicza)

09. HUFF RAID "Insect" from Euro Tour Tape, 2017 (Toruń)

10. CEASELESS DESOLATION "Jutro" from Nicość Lp, 2013 (Lublin)

11. BURN THE CROSS "Thirteen" from S/t split Ep with HOLY EXTERMINATION, 2013 (Jasło)

12. FILTH OF MANKIND "The foundation" from They've Taken Everything - A Tribute to Icons of Filth double cd compilation, 2007 (Gdańsk)

13. SORROW "Black crow" from Black Crow Lp, 2022 (Poznań)

14. MITRĘGA "Przelana czara" from Kraina Wpływów split Lp with NON PRESIDENT, 2015 (Lublin)

15. CHORYGEN "Ścierwa" from S/t Ep, 2014 (Łódź)

16. DISABLE "Wojna 1" from S/t cdr demo, 2003 (Łódź)

17. STRADOOM TERROR "Kapitalistyczni hipokryci" from Głuchy Głos Protestu?... split tape with NON TIBI SPIRO, 1996 (Rzeszów)

18. ALCHEMIK SENDIVIUS "Cholerny sen" from Przeciwko Wiwisekcji demo/live tape, 1993 (Grudziądz)

19. GROSSMEMBER "Fucking pigs" from 4-way split tape with AGATHOCLES/DISCHORD/OPC, 1997 (Warszawa)

20. MIND "Full of dark memory" from S/t split Ep with DISTRESS, 1998 (Łódź/Berlin)

21. PIEKŁO KOBIET "W Pułapce Dziedzictwa" from Wyzwolenie Kobiet Wyzwoleniem Mężczyzn = Liberation Of Women, Liberation Of Men 10", 1998 (Łuków)

22. DISGUSTING LIES "Administracja" from Rich Man/Poor Man Ep, 1996 (Łódź)

PART ONE





PART TWO:

01. INFECKJA "Ziemia" from S/t Ep, 1997 (Wrocław)

02. ENOUGH! "Dlaczego" from Darkside tape, 1996 (Gdańsk)

03. CHORY "Krzyże hipokryzji" from S/t tape, 2000 (Bielsko-Biała)

04. HOLY EXTERMINATION "They need blood" from S/t split Ep with BURN THE CROSS, 2013 (Nowy Sącz)

05. WOJNA "Stołkowe kurwy" from S/t split Ep with SOCIAL CRISIS, 2017 (Poznań)

06. TOXIC BONKERS "Kłamstwa w imię Boga" from S/t demo tape, 1994 (Łódź)

07. HOSTILITY "Tak bardzo sie boisz" from ...I Niech Jeden Strzał... tape, 1995 (Białystok)

08. BISECT "Zdyscyplinowane ogniwa" from Nastepna Krwawa Interwencja tape, 1995 (Radom)

09. SILNA WOLA "Anarchistyczny Czarny Krzyż" from Zero Akceptacji Dla Państwa Chiny tape, 1997 (Lebork)

10. TRÜD "Samogwałt" from Wszechświat B tape, 2016 (Torun)

11. VICTIM OF TRUTH "Więcej" from S/t cdr demo, 2010 (Biała Podlaska)

12. DEATH CRUSADE "W zamian" from Rakieta//Bomba Lp, 2017 (Gdańsk)

13. MENTAL ABERRATION "Cywilizacja" from Okrutna Rzeczywistość tape, 1991 (Gdańsk)

14. RZEŹNIA "Machina spoleczna" from Żreć tape, 1996 (Opole)

15. NON TIBI SPIRO "666" from Głuchy Głos Protestu?... split tape with STRADOOM TERROR, 1996 (Rzeszów)

16. MONOTEIZM CO-EXISTENCE "A homo sapie" from Patrz I Odczuj! tape, 1998 (Kolno)

17. SANCTUS IUDA "Prawdziwe Oblicze Kapitalizmu" from Rząd-Korporacje-Wy/Zysk tape, 1995 (Białystok)

18. NON PRESIDENT "Aborcja" from S/t split Lp with HUFF RAID, 2018 (Wojcieszów)

19. SCUMSTADT "Ścierwogród" from S/t cd, 2018 (Łódź)

20. LOST "Jak długo jeszcze" from Strach Lp, 2003 (Łódź)

21. MONEY DRUG "Przymus Państwa from S/t split Ep with WIND OF PAIN, 1995 (Gdańsk)

PART TWO