Anorexia & Anti-System live at the Manhattan Club, Bradford 12.5.88

Today will be a turning point in the life of Terminal Sound Nuisance because I am about to offer the unsuspecting punks nothing less than two unknown Anti-System songs.

Now that I have everyone's attention, let's talk a little bit about this tape. In 2006 (I think) I bought a batch of tapes from bands I either didn't know or rare recordings. I had very little knowledge of downloading at the time and I figured some old geezers copying old demos and records onto tapes was the only way to get to listen to them. In the midst of this tape-buying frenzy, I ordered a tape of Anorexia, a band that I had never heard of.

On this particular tape, you can find on one side the "Radical riot" demo that was recorded in 1986 at Ritch Bitch studio (which makes sense since Anorexia was a Brummie band), their Ep and, on the flipside, a full Anorexia live set and the first three songs (well, two and a half really, including the intro) of an Anti-System set, both recorded in Anti-System's hometown, namely sunny Bradford. At the time, I regularly listened to the A side of the tape but didn't really bother with the live part for a very obvious reason: the sound is shit. Unfortunately, it is a mono recording and the sound is buried under the hiss of the tape, but once you get used to it, it becomes quite bearable. For those of you who are not familiar with Anorexia, they were an anarchopunk band from Birmingham which coincidentally had at some point as members the two first Napalm Death drummers (Rat and Mick Harris) and Rat (from Statement this time) later on. Although undeniably politically motivated, Anorexia didn't really leave much trace in the collective punk psyche. Perhaps their brand of old-school anarchopunk at a time when hardcore and other harder and faster punk genres were emerging in Britain didn't help. There are, however, a couple of solid songs on their set list, reminiscent of Icons of Filth, Exit-Stance and Conflict. The singer sings clearly and you can actually understand what he's on about, which is good since Anorexia definitely had something to say. Though they apparently started off as a "pissed and proud" UK82 kind of band, they were, by the mid-80's, a staunch anarcho band talking - a lot - about animal liberation, sexism, pornography, standing together as one in order to fight back. Nothing new maybe but they do sound genuine. If you have never heard Anorexia, I would recommend starting with the "Radical riot" demo first and then give a go at this live recording. The demo is excellent and the vocals are much snottier and raspier (in fact, it is quite likely another singer on the live tape).

At the end of the Anorexia set, which seems to have been greeted with little enthusiasm by the underwhelmed Bradford locals, there are three songs of Anti-System. It is safe to think that the two bands shared the stage at this gig taking place at the Manhattan Club. If you are really into Anti-System, some uneasiness and uncertainty must have started to pervade your mind at the beginning of this post. Something is just not quite right but you can't really say what. And then, suddenly, it dawns on you that it just cannot be and that I got it wrong at some point: Anti-System split up in 1986 and this live recording is from 1988. Case solved. Or is it?

In "The day the country died", it is said, indeed, that Anti-System split up just after "A look at life" hit the shops (well, the distro tables I guess). However, if you have bought the recent reissues of the band's records and if you have read the many interviews that were included in the thick booklet (Antisociety did a top job on these), you will have noticed an interview from 1988, two years after they initially stopped, with a reformed Anti-System following a gig at the Manhattan Club in Bradford. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the very gig that appears on the tape. I have scanned the interview so you can all read for yourselves.

It is a slightly confusing interview. Apparently, the band had reformed as a three-piece that included Mick, Tracy and Sean - Mick being probably the only original member. They also mention a name-change several times but never actually reveal what the new name could be and they are always referred to as Anti-System throughout the interview. Otherwise, it is a pretty interesting read that shows that the band still held their political beliefs and DIY stance.

As the band itself rightfully admits, Anti-System were very influenced by Antisect. And although the prefix "anti" is actually a coincidence, the fact that Anti-System had two singers and a strange interlude on their Lp is proof enough that indeed they may have been the first band ever to be overly influenced by Antisect. If "No laughing matter" is not quite as good as "In darkness there is no choice" (but then, what album is?), it is nevertheless a crushing Lp that is among my favourite. After this first Lp, Anti-System, like Antisect and many others, went a bit metal, but contrary to their metaphorical mentors who basically pioneered crust-punk, Anti-System took on a more thrash-influenced path (they did listen to a lot of Onslaught, English Dogs and Sacrilege as it is confessed in Glasper's book). The result was "A look at life", which was very different to "Out from the void", and is possibly the perfect metallic version of Icons of Filth. When a lot of bands going metal traded openly political lyrics for dark and apocalyptic metaphors (that was in the best case scenario) or tried to write evil lyrics (that was in the worst case scenario), Anti-System retained their direct politics and I would even argue that they have never sounded as angry and radical than on their last recording.

So where does that leave us? By 1988, Antisect had just split up and when listening to the Anti-System songs recorded that year, one can't help thinking that they sound A LOT like "Out from the void" era Antisect. You have an epic crusty intro with a filthy metal riff not unlike the one you can find on "Live in Leeds 1986" and the first song, "A look at life", is played with more heaviness and crunch than on the studio version and the guitar solos are not dissimilar to Lippy's. The third song is unfortunately uncomplete, unnamed and the vocals are so loud (I have no idea why the singer decided to scream like that to be honest) that you really have to focus in order to understand what's going on. The sound, like for Anorexia's, is in mono and is quite rough so it will probably be of interest only to people who are already into Anti-System. The song is good though, mid-tempo, with a real structure and dark riffs. I don't know if the band had written other new songs (but it is quite likely) or if they played other gigs in 1988. If anyone has the full set of this particular gig or any other gig of this Anti-System reformation, I would be internally grateful if he or she could share them.

Anorexic System      

Anguish "Within the darkness" Ep 2008

Don't believe the filthy liars whispering that Terminal Sound Nuisance is dead and buried and the rumours that I have fucked off to Istanbul to be come a hooligan (though I admit it did cross my mind at some point). In fact, I have been working full time for two months after more than a year of being on the dole and I moved to a new flat last week so I haven't had the time to take care of the blog. I will therefore try to keep this review short and to the point.

This Ep was definitely among my favourite of 2008. It was World Funeral's first release (the label went on to release records from the crust kings Instinct of Survival, Desperat and Deathraid) I had heard the demo of Anguish, liked it but wasn't particularly overcome with awe although I did order the record. Listening to it for the first time was like witnessing the four horsemen of the apocalypse splitting the earth open  or, I guess, like wrestling with a polar bear. It is very intense and the recording is absolutely perfect: heavy, crushing and proper dark. The songs have a trance-like quality and I tend to believe that was what the band was aiming for. The vocals are guttural and rough, a bit like an evil sleep-deprived old-school death-metal singer, the drums have a thick crusty sound and are really put forward not unlike on the Hibernation Lp but even more pummelling and the guitar has a massive, filthy texture that reeks of old extreme metal. In a word: the sound is top notch.

At the time, I saw Anguish as being part of the stenchcore revival of the mid/late 00's triggered by Hellshock and widely followed in North America (bands like Sanctum, Stormcrow, After the Bombs, Stagnation...). Retrospectively, Anguish may rather have been tried to do the metal-punk thing, mixing bands like Hellhammer, Bathory and Sodom with a crusty energy (a bit like Limb From Limb and Dödsfalla maybe or, in terms of intent, Order of the Vulture and Legion 666), an hypothesis that seemed to be confirmed by their subsequent record, a split Ep with Perversion, which was much more in the old-school thrash/death/whatever worship (and possibly too much to my liking to be honest). But this Ep is an absolute scorcher. Take Sacrilege, early Bolt Thrower, Warcollapse, early Stormcrow and blend it with vintage extreme metal and you will get an idea. The lyrics are, of course, dark and quite occult but the song "Life expense" caught my attention and incidentally the song cannot be closer to the current news as it is about Detroit, Anguish's hometown. The song is a gloomy depiction of this industrial town that is now officially bankrupt  and the alienation and hopelessness it creates. Yet another sign that capitalists don't give a fuck about the people who made their fortune in the past. I guess the dark atmosphere of the bandn beside obvious musical influences, partly finds its roots in Detroit. Actually, take a look at the lyrics:

"Live in this land of industrialized waste

Hope and compassion don't exist in such a place

Miles of ghetto in a city of depsair

Millions in misery yet no one fucking cares

Life... Life expense

Empty concrete towers shadow this abuse

Broken, cracked monuments never put to use

Grey desolation, factories and empty streets

Increasing decay, no chance of peace

Life... Life expense"

If only for this one song, you should give Anguish a go. That and if you like your crust heavy, filthy hairy and metal-tinged (in other words if you like crust at all).

Within the darkness

 

CulDeSac "Nebud hrdy na to, ze jsi clovek" Ep 199?

This Ep may currently be the least sought after punk record that I know of, and if one is to trust the amount of information about CulDeSac on the web, well, one might start to think that even then, no one really cared about them. Always prone to defend the underdogs (and the Underdogs as well), the aim of today's post will be to make you want to listen to this unfashionable record, a record which, despite obvious disadvantages what with them being an Eastern European band from the 90's, is actually pretty good.

I must admit that I don't know much about the Czech scene. They seem to always have an awful lot of grindcore bands (following the path of Czechcore SRK and Malignant Tumour I suppose), some good fast hardcore bands like Gride and See You In Hell and a couple of gritty and hoarse crust bands like Dread 101 and Mass Genocide Process in the early and mid 00's. Czechoslovakia also had a solid punk scene in the 80's as the great "Barikady Nové Fronty" compilation tape attests (there are some cracking songs from Radegast on it that would make any self-proclaimed raw punk fanatic weep). However, and contrary to the well-established neighbouring Polish scene, the Czech scene doesn't seem to get much credit (apart from Guided Cradle and the hard-working See You In Hell), which is a shame as there are some really good stuff going on there.

I wish I could give you a bit of background information about CulDeSac, but unfortunately I cannot. This Ep, the title of which translates as "Do not be proud to be a man", is their sole record and the recording dates are not even provided. Judging from the ever-important "thanks list", "Nebud hrdy na to, ze jsi clovek" can be thought to have been released in the mid-90's, probably 1996 (after the Dog On A Rope and Selfish tours in Eastern Europe anyway). The band also thanks the 1in12 Club so it is not unlikely that they played there at some point as well. CulDeSac, which means "one-way street" in French, were a fairly typical 90's anarchopunk band with male/female vocals. The songs are fast and to the point and, depending on how you like your punk-rock, the sloppy playing and the genuinely raw quality of the sound will either attract or distract you. The guitar sound is quite thin and distorted but I am not sure the band was trying to ape Chaos UK on this one as it sounds unintentional. There is however no question that CulDeSac were serious and meant what they said with their heart and soul. There is an unfakable energy and sense of urgency ot the songs. Clearly, the priority was given to the politics and to the expression of anger here. But if you still need points of comparisons: a sloppier Antiproduct with more d-beat, a less crusty but equally raging Silna Wola or Homomilitia, the very first rehearsal of Paragraf 119 or Väning 5 or, why not, a less tuneful anarcho version of Radegast. Anyway, as unpretentious as this record is, it can easily please the lovers of 90's anarchopunk but also the aforementioned raw punk geeks (after all the drumming is sufficiently all over the place yet pummelling that it doesn't make CulDeSac too far from Besthöven).

There are three texts in this record that are translated in English. Unfortunately, and I certainly don't blame the band for that, the meaning is a bit lost at times, which is a shame since it is obvious that much thought has been put in writing them. The first one is about the overwhelming power of the system and those who defend it and how we should be careful not to compromise our political movements with their rules and ways of thinking and acting. Otherwise we become toothless tigers, or rather, really old cats that have lost both claws and teeth. Kill the system inside you! The two other texts have been written by the female singer, Lylith. There is one about gender roles and how they permeate our lives and one about child abuse and its deep roots in society. At times, some arguments are a little awkward and some of them are lost in translation, but I enjoy reading them nevertheless as they are clearly result from a personal thinking process about political issues and they come out as sincere. Angry but not pessimistic.

The lyrics of the six songs relate to these three texts and also have English translations. "Valka v risku" is about the need to act and resist now in order to build a classles society; "Clovek je vinen" is a song about our apathy before human and animal abuse; "Vestra" is about children abuse and how too many of them are condemned to live in poverty and misery; "Odmitni system" is the "fuck the system" number and "Tvé tèlo - tva volba" is a pro-choice song. The artwork also reflects the central themes of the record and on the whole it is a very nice-looking Ep. It was released on Malarie Records, which, along with Insane Society Records, is the most famous Czech anarchopunk (and related) DIY label. I have had troubles finding a chronological discography of Malarie but not only have they released new records from bands like Agathocles, Warcollapse, Genital Deformities, Homomiltia, Extinction of Mankind, See You In Hell, Diskonto or Trottel but they also did tape (and vinyl later on) versions aimed at the Eastern European punks of records from Nausea (their "Extinction" tape might actually be Malarie's first release), Disorder, Detestation, State of Fear or the Restarts. A very prolific label that has been around since 1990 and one that has a special place in my heart since I actually bought quite a few of their tapes (Trujaca Fala and NNNW's as well) when we were lucky enough to have a distro from Eastern Europe at a gig.

Cul de Sac

Krigskade / Peur Panique "live in Paris" split cdr 2012

I was in a relatively good mood this morning since I didn't have to wake up at 5:30 am to fuck off to work ("running arooouuuuund like a blue-arsed fly"). And then I saw these bloody awful ads on Terminal Sound Nuisance and let me tell you that my joyful spirit didn't last long... It appears that all the blogspots have been affected, or rather infected, during the night. It probably isn't enough that we are being bombarded with advertisement all day, everyday, everywhere, they had to throw in a few more on blogs just to make sure that you spend your money and make some bastards richer.

As a consequence, in order to fight this atrocity back, I chose to post this rough and ready split live demos with two Parisian bands that you already know if you are a regular reader since I posted their demo tapes a couple of months ago. Of course, because these are live recordings, the sound won't be as good and polished but you will be able to feel the intensity of their performances. Since Krigskade and Peur Panique play very often in Paris currently, it is almost as if you were attending a squat gig in the city of light and dogshit (and yes that includes the smell). For the wretched beings who haven't the chance to listen to these local bands, Peur Panique play blistering and (really) fast hardcore while Krigskade are Heratys fanboys with a US hardcore feel to them and lyrics in Danish.

The cover was made by your truly and as you will see, my talents don't stop with writing top notch reviews, my accurate musical ear and my sophisticated tastes. I am also a remarkable graphic artist as the drawing on the cover will attest. And I am pretty good cook too.


EDIT: I got a bit carried away as it appears that the fucking ads everywhere were the result of my computer getting an adware or something like that. I do however stand by my words about the world of advertising. :)

People working in advertising are wankers

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!