Boy do I love when hardcore gets "represented," especially when it's on the internet via an indescribably terrifying werewolf demon/ghostbusters prop. To be fair though, this ad originally appeared in Breakout Fanzine #2, which came out in the summer of 1996. How were they to know that a paltry 18 years later, there'd be entire Tumblr pages dedicated to girls wearing Expire beanies and dudes trading mustache waxes and floral print mosh aprons on eBay and shit? Exactly. People didn't have kreskin's crystals or B9 to help them know what was cool, or even what the untamed frontier of the internet would yield (n00dz?). We hold reverence for those who've come before us. Paper fappin and Distro CD's and all.
Nothing like hitting "shuffle" to make you realize that your own musical taste sucks, and nothing is really that "random." D'oh. Enjoy anyway.
1.
Spawn - "Wildfire." (S/T, Emblem 1993)
What's my excuse here? This is most certainly a remnant from a few summers ago when I decided to give no-name metallic 90's hardcore a fair shake and went on a download spree. I'd like to say that Spawn changed my opinion on some stuff (I really dig their name) but this 7" does absolutely nothing for me. Slow, boring, chunky, "passionate" HC from Germany. Luckily "Wildfire" is the shortest song of the bunch (just over a minute long) and probably the best of the lot. Chain of Strength-esque at times and seemingly about straight edge. Giant MEH.
2.
The Who - "I've Had Enough" (Quadrophenia, MCA 1973)
The last track on Side 2 Quadrophenia and a potent paean to subculture and fashion. Those who've seen the corresponding film know that this is the bit where Jimmy finally loses it with all that mod nonsense, goes on a tear and crashes his scooter on the edge of a cliff. Sounds corny now, but I always felt a strange sort of kinship with the lyrics of this one (you got altered information/you were told to not take chances/you missed out on new dances/ now you're losing all your dimples) in that it reminded me of the "baby has grown ugly/it's no longer cute" line from Minor Threat's "Salad Days." I love the part around 1:20 where Pete Townsend cuts in (one of Jimmy's alternate personalities...if you don't "get" Quadrophenia, then you're gonna have to do that research on your own) to say "My jacket's gonna be cut and slim and checked/Maybe a touch of seersucker with an open neck" and then to play...is that a banjo? Whatever. In true rock-opera form, we even here the synth-motif bit for the album's grand closer "Love Reign o'er Me." A great one.
3.
Out Cold - "Doomsday Guy" (Goodbye Cruel World, Mad at the World Recs, 2005)
I've always peddled Out Cold as "your favorite band's favorite band." Maybe hyperbolic, but given the band's completely flawless discography, I'll stand by it. This LP came out after a long absence, a notable lineup change (members of Last in Line if I remember correctly) and still completely rips. Power, aggression, all that in a minute long song. In the early days of HC blogs and "webzines" I remember nonstop praise being heaped onto this one, along with plenty of "woah, this band is still around?" I remember one of the dullards from Razorcake pulling an "I wish I liked this more" kinda thing, but that rag has been a holding tank for uncultured goofs and gypsy dildos for ages now. Fav track is the closer "Sick Little Game" but that's neither here nor there. It all rips. Seek it out.
4.
S.O.S. - "The Block and the Rail" (Surely You Jest/Demo Tape, Lockin Out)
I've heard this one dismissed as the "worst" Lockin Out release (I won't agree with that) and seem to remember them getting slagged in all the publications I read back then (Town of Hardcore fanzine made fun of their EP artwork). The band had all the elements there, but just never really seemed to stick with people. This is just my own interpretation though. This track's really only distinguishing feature is a super skanky breakdown 1:14, the kind of breakdown that essentially encapsulates that whole Lockin Out sound. I dunno. I like this tape. I don't LOVE it, but I don't hate it either. It's head and shoulders over lots of shit that tries to pass itself off as "LOC" influenced goof-core, and they had their own unique visual aesthetic. I'd also like to go on record as saying that their contribution to the Sweet Vision comp is awesome. One of the tracks I listened to the most when I first heard it because I couldn't get enough of that guitar work. WTF do I know though?
5.
Terror Zone "Self Realization" (Self Realization: A True Lesson in Hardcore, Gain Ground 1996).
Terror Zone was Kev-One from Bulldoze's band after the fact. I learned recently that I'd been erroneously referring to them as "Terrorzone." This record had a lot of krishna-con influences, but I don't think the band ever fully fit into that lame-ass "krishnacore" thing. Weird chanting? Check. Heavy and slow, speeds up at 1:16. "Lord of wrath/hear my screams/lord or wrath/protect my dreams." Heavy AF. I always liked this EP even with the weirdo scree-scree Korn stuff going on. Also, I can distinctly remember a friend of mine telling me that she was riding in a car with her Mom and subjected her Mom to the whole EP and her Mom "didn't hate it. ("I'm not a regular Mom, I'm a cool Mom.") That's hilarious to me. Parents + hardcore.
Here's a section in which I hit "shuffle" and do mini-reviews on the first 5 songs that come up. It's stupid, and many of these songs will be stupid, but sometimes it's just hard to come up with things to write about.
1.
Excessive Force - "Those Who Were" (In Your Blood; Life Sentence Records) The web (and dorko 90's nostalgists) have spilled enough ink over this song's opening couplet ("you said you'd always be true/but you're a weak motherfucker and you never had it in you") but I'd still like to call attention to the profound poetry of one of Salty City's finest exports. Having just finished an agonizing tour of duty behind the Zion curtain, I tend to give Salt Lake City a hard time about their hardcore (historically: lotta sizzle, very little steak IMO) and Excessive Force (or Xcessive Force, which is a way better moniker) is no exception. I'm hesitant to call this record "good" though I do enjoy listening to it a fair amount at the gym, when I'm pipe-bombing a McDonalds or other such ventures. "Those Who Were" features a drum sound that fluctuates between "Ball-peen hammer on a lead pipe" and "soggy noodle on wet cardboard" but those vocals sound legitimately unhinged and when you're 16 and SUPER into straight edge, it probably sounded like god speaking directly to you. I'm also a geek for all the weird guitar stuff they tried to pull off (check "In Your Blood," the track) and some of the off-kilter batshit riffing that made it into this song. Tempo changes galore, gang vox and yadda yadda. Definitely worth checking out for historical purposes, but if you're only tentatively interested in 90's monster-core, you're probably going to struggle making it through this entire album. Wise choice to put this as the leadoff track though.
2. Next Step Up - "Sweet Leaf" (Fall from Grace, Gain Ground) A Cover that falls into the "so bad I can't stop listening to it" category. Don't mistake me, the riffs are spot on, but the vocals really don't do justice to the almighty Sab. I get it. Covers are supposed to inject something new into the song, so this is cool as a novelty, it just kind of feels like a throwaway on the end of the album. Fav Next Step Up track is their contribution ("L.A. Story") to the East Coast Assault comp. vol 1. Because you asked. Also, this doesn't have any solos on it. Just lettin you know.
3.
Power Trip - "Hammer of Doubt (April Fools Version)" (Omegas Joy Boy Mixtape Vol. 3) There are, to my knowledge, three versions of this song and like any good Dad, I love them all equally and for different reasons (but will also admit that I like the one on the Triple B comp just a TEENY bit more than all the others). What's more to be said about Power Trip? Remember back in the Armaggedon Blues era when they couldn't GET rid of all their 7"s? Times have changed. I did a Drug Dogs interview with Riley that will probably end up on the internet someday. We talked about baseball and Monster Magnet. What's special about this particular version of the song is that it's crappy cassette quality and features new falsetto/screech vocals (seemingly done by Udo Dirkschneider) and an added melodic chanting bit at the end (gregorian chant style). Awesome. Pure awesome. Everything this band does is awesome. For once, the internet was right about something! (No youtube vid for this one. Sorry bunky.) Also, I'd like to point out that this mixtape has added band names like Candy Randy and the Gay Boys, Woo Ric Woo Flair Woo and Heavy Metal Eric into my iTunes library. Thanx guys. 4. Fit for Abuse - "Prefabricated" (Mindless Violence, Crust) Criminally underrated beantown 'core, fast and punky a'la Negative Approach and The FU's, created in a time of JNCOs, Open E notes and vegan apologetics. Absolutely essential. No question. This one's a minute long and features a phat and phunky beat. Get this 7". Get everything they did or pose forever. 5. Our Gang - "Out of Hand" (Uprising Demo) Late 80's NYHC that was always on my periphery (due to a smattering of awesome logos and demo covers) but I never really checked out until mid-college when I discovered Blogged and Quartered. The songs from the Uprising demos appeared other places, but sound-quality wise, these are the best. "Out of Hand" features an awesome riff and a "skank it up!" mosh call. Perfect ingredients for a rippin lil' tune.
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