- Confederacy Of Scum -
Well I'm gonna start these reviews by going through all the CoS stuff that came out from last issue...since these bands have been consistently releasing some of the new shit out there. Obvious place to start is ANTiSEEN who have quite a few new releases since last time. First off, there is a split 7" with Born Bavarian on Our Area/Outcast - Antiseen contribute a brand new song "Run My World" which is pretty kickass. The Born Bavarian tune ain't bad either. Bootleg Bill (more on him lower) released a live 7 inch by Antiseen on his own Splatter Mountain label - "Blood Battles Of The South" - six tunes recorded live in 1996. Good sound quality, good song choices and a nice bloody cover...good shit. Around this time last year, an Antiseen greatest hits CD called "15 Minutes Of Fame...15 Years Of Infamy" was released on Jeff Clayton's own Death Train label as well a pressing in Germany. Unfortunately, the Death Train pressing was VERY limited (only place I ever saw for sale was the CoS Supershow last year) and the German copies ain't much easier to find. Luckily though, Steel Cage (the new label run by the guy and gal from Carbon 14 zine) has just reissued it. There is a great selection of stuff on this disc ranging from the 1st LP all the way to the Mean Woman Blues 7". A lot of old singles are included in complete form and there's even some unreleased live stuff from the Southern Hostility era (same recording as the Raid Over Europe 7"). Overall - a great collection of stuff - I have a lot of Antiseen stuff but still was missing some of this shit and it was good to hear. Anyone who hasn't heard these guys yet - this is a damn good place to start. Although another good place to start is another Antiseen reissue CD - this one on Man's Ruin that contains 2 complete LPs - "Southern Hostility" and "Eat More Possum". Both records are completely remastered and remixed for this disc and they sound a hell of a lot better. All the white noise between songs on SH is eliminated and EMP has a lot punchier of a sound thanks to the remix. New intro by the Cosmic Commander Of Wrestling and new liner notes by Jeff Clayton discussing the original recordings of the LPs. These LPs are classic and even though I've owned both for years, the improvement in sound makes this disc worth checking out. And if you haven't heard these LPs, you have no fucking excuse now...
Yet more reissues from the guys at Brilliancy Prize Records. ALCOHOLICS UNANIMOUS has released a new disc called "Hangover Cure" which documents their 5 first 7" singles and some other rare stuff from the same era. The straight-up 80s punk sound of this disc surprised me - there's very little hint of the country influence that began to take over on the 2 LPs. A lot of this stuff is actually quite similiar to what Rancid Vat (Whiskey Rebel's and Intoxica's main project) were doing in the mid 80s and the vocals sound quite like Jello Biafra at times. While I personally like their later stuff better, there's still a lot of great stuff on here - the original versions of "Booze Is The Answer" and the drunken XMAS songs being highlights for me. Having all this stuff on one disc will definitely save you some $$$ looking for this shit on Ebay, and also make a hell of easier to enjoy some beers without having to run to flip over the records every 5 minutes! Speaking of RANCID VAT a while back, some of their 80s material has also just been put onto CD. Don't actually own the reissues myself - but it's good to see that LPs like "Burger Belsen" and "Stampeding Cattle" are readily available again. Don't expect these discs to have the sound often associated with the Confederacy Of Scum or even the later Rancid Vat stuff. Stampeding Cattle is crazed art-damaged punk noise designed to irritate, and Burger Belsen is mid-tempo 80s punk with sarcastic lyrics and vocals. Definitely of interest to those wanting to explore the roots of this band (see the long interview last issue!) and good records to boot - especially Burger Belsen. Also keep your eyes open for a new split 7" featuring RANCID VAT and HAMMERLOCK on Steel Cage. While not quite fitting with this record review column, Whiskey Rebel's book JOB JUMPER is also available and a great read. Written in similiar fashion to his columns in Hit List and Carbon 14, the Rebel goes through his entire job history and makes a lot of interesting points on the American work scene. I'd recommend this book even if you don't especially enjoy his music, it's a great read and available from Steel Cage (and the Brilliancy Prize homepage as well of course).
Also hailing from Philly, LIMECELL have 2 brand new CDs out now...the first was released in late June on Steel Cage and is entitled "To Evil!". What you get here is a near-complete live set (the last show at a venue which appears to have had quite a history in Philly) and their original 9 song demo. The live show has great sound on it, and a lot of unreleased songs on it as well as some classics like "Just Plain Pissed" and "Crack Hooker". Most of the demo songs appear to be the same versions of songs released as the "We Need A Raise" and "Crack Hooker" 7"s though one or two was unfamiliar to me. This stuff shows the more streetpunk side of these guys, while the new live stuff is just more crushingly heavy punk rock though not drasticly different. While there's a ton of bands trying to start up a 77 and streetpunk revival, these guys are the real deal - and while having that classic sound , don't come off as pointless nostalgia stripped of all the energy and spirit of the original stuff. The second disc is "Destroy The Underground" on Headache Records - which is the brand new studio album. The majority of tunes were in the live set on "To Evil" so they were already familiar to me, but it's still cool to have the studio versions - although overall I think the live versions were a bit better. Also don't know if it's just the cover of "Love Me Like A Reptile" that's included but this disc reminds me a lot of Motorhead. Nothin wrong with that of course. If forced to choose one disc or the other I'd probably go with "To Evil" just because Limecell rips live, but both discs have tracks not on the other, and are both well worth picking up. Almost forgot to mention the split 7" release with the BLAGGERS - which is out of Australia and limited to 300 copies...2 more Limecell studio tracks not on the new LP (though live versions appear on "To Evil!") and a different live version of "Crack Hooker". The Blaggers are a rough oi! band in a similiar vein but didn't really appeal to me that much...fans of oi should enjoy though.
I picked up the latest split 7" (with BORN BAVARIAN) from HELLSTOMPER at the Supershow last year, and it's 2 more kickass songs in their southern-rock punk style...of course that description is gonna remind people of ANTiSEEN, but while they share a lot of the same influences Hellstomper definitely has their own approach to it. "All Pilled Up" is one of their best tunes yet. Born Bavarian's 2 tracks on here are the best shit I've heard from them yet - a kickass Hank Sr. cover and a slow-paced Motorhead style original with definite potential for drunken singalongs...Right before the 2000 Supershow, there was a shitload of new HELLSTOMPER material released - a 10" (Hellbent For Dixie) out of Italy, a new full length CD (Hillbilly Motherfucker) on Man's Ruin as well as a singles comp self-released by the band. The brand new shit (the 10" and CD) is by far Hellstomper's best shit yet - it's amazing how much they've improved over the past couple years considering they were damn good in the first place...not only is the songwriting better, but the production comes much closer to capturing their live sound than any of the previous recordings - they sound heavy as fuck! Needless to say, both releases come HIGHLY recommended. The singles comp (The Real South) compiles the majority of their 7" output plus a few unreleased treats....I've reviewed the majority of the stuff in the earlier issues of the zine...and all the songs have aged well so check it out if you don't have the 7"s - the new cover songs are well-worth checking out as well. If you're looking for some southern R&R with a punk edge to go along with your next whiskey binge, none these releases will let you down
BOOTLEG BILL has been busy releasing more of his scum-rock! Bill plays nearly all the instruments and handles all vocals on his releases....and his tunes tend to revolve around porn, hatred and wrestling...combine the lyrics with a top-notch musical backing that blends R&R and old punk rock, and you have some of the best straight-forward scum-rock since Duce and GG bit the dust. Can't believe I haven't reviewed any of shit prior to this issue - the "Recorded While Nobody was Looking" CD is a couple years old but well worth mentioning - it is basically a compilation of Bill's solo stuff from 1994 to 1998. Lots of highlights on here, and the disc really shows how much his sound improved over the years. His later releases are even better - especially the "Proud to Be Pirate" 7" - all 4 tunes on this slab of red vinyl are classic or damn close...only 200 pressed and I cannot believe the damn thing is still available. People just have no taste....2 new CDEPs are also available - including "Bootleg Bill meets the Irwin Clan" which is colloboration with the Whiskey Rebel from Rancid Vat and his son Elvis 2000 - 2 new BB originals plus covers of Vat and the Pistols. Last, but definitely not least is the "Gorilla Crotch" CDEP - which is probably the first concept-album to concern hairy crotched women....and it also includes a CD-ROM slideshow to play on yer CPU...Definitely some sick shit. If you ain't easily offended, like kickass R&R, and miss the days when punk rock would actually piss off the average person on the street, you should definitely check out BOOTLEG BILL
- More Kickass Releases -
Well as far as non-COS stuff goes, things have been rather slow...there are damn few groups these days that don't fall into some lame category or another...but here's a few bands that released some interesting stuff.
I see a whole lot of generic looking "rock n roll revival" type discs since I do a show on college radio...I still usually give em at least one spin though to see if there's any surprises - usually not, but with the case of the REATARDS I got knocked on my ass! Their CD "Grown Up Fucked Up" on Empty is an honest-to-goodness punk rock album that doesn't sound dated or fake. Jay Reatard who fronts this band just turned 18 and doesn't sound like a happy guy...too bad for him, but good for us as he howls over 16 tracks of snotty garage-punk. The "Your So Lewd" 7" is excellent as well - the title track sounds like it's straight off of one of the original Killed By Death comps and the 2 B-sides ain't bad either. Overall sound of these releases reminds somewhat of Toolin For A Warm Teabag-era Dwarves...their first LP "Teenage Hate" ain't half bad either, though it's heavier on the garage end of things.
Subpop recently did a couple 'best-of' type comps for their old bands (guess the Nirvana money finally ran dry...). Their MUDHONEY collection is definitely worth checking out. The 2-CD/3-LP is entitled "March To Fuzz" - the first CD consists of the best tracks from their LPs and well-known singles (this includes the major label stuff as well) - good track selection and an excellent amount of stuff to pick from...their later LPs got quite lame but this collections manages to pull out the hidden gems and mixing in the old shit makes for a great listen. The second CD is real reason for picking this up though - a bunch of rare and unreleased shit that's actually really damn good - including a long portion where they cover old punk tunes. Slows down a bit towards the newer rare stuff but still with 52 tracks and nice liner on this collection , you're getting a hell of a lot of good shit for your cash.
The SUPERSUCKERS collection released by Subpop doesn't fare quite as well - it's a single CD collection that follows the same pattern as the Mudhoney release but I wasn't as thrilled by the tunes they selected from the LPs - the obvious hits are here but there's also some tunes I certainly wouldn't place as their best. Same deal with the rare tracks - there's some rare shit I have that didn't make the cut that smokes some of the shit on here...but there is 2 brand-new tunes exclusive to this release which are damn good and some unreleased country shit which is good as well.
But the SUPERSUCKERS new disc is a hell of a lot better and that's what really counts...the new LP "The Evil Powers Of Rock N Roll" has been long overdue and doesn't let down - no real change in style, they're still playing rock n roll with punk influence - and it doesn't sound forced like so many of the bands that have been influenced by these guys. Not really a whole lot to say...if you dug em in the past, you're still gonna dig em now more likely than not. Also worth seeking is their split 7" with HAI KARATE where both groups do Coasters covers. Good Shit. And don't tell me that me that they got blown away live by a bunch of Swedes cuz I saw em twice this year and they kicked ass both times...
THE MELVINS completed their trilogy of albums since last issue - the second and third installments sure as hell don't sound like the first. As expected, their return to their old style on the first is gone...The Bootlicker is quite a strange one - it almost sounds like a standard Melvins release (if there even is such a thing) but the songs are played with no distortion whatsoever. The songs themselves sound like they could be heavy as hell but they are played in a very relaxed, almost-jazzy fashion. Kind of a like a less quirky version of the Stag LP. The Crybaby finds them colloborating with a different artist on each track. Highlights for me were the colloboration with Hank III where they play straight-forward old country covers - Hank III is in great form and you'd never guess the Melvins were backing him. Also interesting were the tracks with David Yow (Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid) - definitely a good match-up. Even the colloborations with people that I didn't especially like (Tool??) were pretty good, with the only complete dud being the final track with Brutal Truth
I gave THE HOOKERS a pretty lukewarm review on their Man's Ruin 10" a while back...but checked out their earlier LP before they hit town and was pleasantly surprised. Their new stuff has taken on a whole new style - the punk n roll style has been abondoned for a complete metal sound. Good move in my book, as there are far too many bands in that R&R style anyhow. The 2nd LP Black Visions Of Crimson Wisdom (on Scooch Pooch) fuckin rocks...there's a couple hints of their earlier sound here and there but mostly this is all metal...and delivered in a serious fashion (though it's hard to believe their tongues aren't at least somewhat in cheek). The Black Magic Stallion 7" on Devil Doll was a warm-up for this LP with a track from the LP along with covers of Spinal Tap and The Dogs (old KBD band) - well worth checking out as well. Another 7" features a cover of the Misfits "Halloween" and an original called "Valhalla" which sounds like a cross between the old style and their current sound, really kick ass song. Finally, one last 7" just released by Subpop features a cover of "Highway Star" and "Ready To Burn" by Krokus shows that these guys know their metal. Watch for a solo release by the R&R Outlaw, a live LP, a new Man's Ruin 10", a split 7" with ANTiSEEN and a 3rd studio LP soon (damn that's a lot of shit!).
NOTHING BUT PUKE have a new 7" out on Our Area representing the Community of Filth entitled "5 Hits From Hell". 5 pretty kickass tunes delivered in the country meets rough-punk sound that you'd expect from these guys. Probably their best shit yet. I also heard a 4 song CDR with newer stuff (including a Bootleg Bill cover!) that is damn good as well. At times, I also get the hint of early 80s melodic California punk influence but it doesn't overpower the more obvious influences, just gives their sound an interesting twist.
BEFORE I HANG released a new 5 song 7" on their own Dixie Pig label. Personally, I prefer the tunes on their split CD with Hellstomper. But with tunes like "People Must Die" and "Get Drunk Thrown Up", you're still likely to be entertained. Didn't kick my ass but I'm still curious to catch em live at the COS Supershow this year.
- Complete Letdowns -
I do this zine to try to expose some good shit that unfortunately doesn't seem to get covered too many places elsewhere...so I'm not out to trash new bands that could develop into something good...or waste time discussing things that are simply average at best. But I do have to take some time out to trash a couple recent releases that I expected to be good and were complete disapointments. Not reviewing a bunch of utter shit has its benefits, as I should have a good selection of insults at my disposal...only 2 releases made it into this category this time around.
First off is the new LP from NASHVILLE PUSSY - High As Hell on TVT Records. Whenever I've read about this band in the past has either been complete worship and hype - or talk about how overrated they are and how phony they are. Hell, I've written a bit of both myself I suppose - finding their debut LP to be pretty damn good and their live show to be pretty calculated and unimpressive. Well this LP is just goddamn terrible. I wasn't really that surprised - I didn't expect it to be great - but hell there was no other new releases coming out at the time this thing was released so I picked it up figuring it would be at least decent. Nope - only 2 or 3 decent tracks out of 12 on here. And even the best cuts don't stack up to the first LP. The pace has been slowed dramatically - they seem to think they are AC/DC or something...except they don't write any catchy songs. Overall, this LP isn't even too great to make fun of...I feel more embarassed for em than anything else...One good laugh though is the slick-as-hell cover which portrays them to be very 'redneck' looking - only once you look inside - you'll see the credits for the people and companies that dressed em up. Their live show with Motorhead and the Supersuckers was equally bad...they played almost all of this new crap. I don't think the tits and the hype are gonna be able to fool people into liking this one (but then again a lot of people ain't too smart....).
A more serious letdown was the "Come Clean" LP from the DWARVES - one of my favorite bands over the last 10 years...I had no problem with their prior LP - yeah it was poppier and longer than 15 minutes but had some damn good songs and the same nasty attitude. Side 1 gets you a way-overly poppy tune that could be confused with your average Epitaph band, a weak attempt at going back to their old sound with Rex on vocals, and a goddamn techno-punk track that's delivered with no irony/humor/sarcasm whatsoever and a few tunes that are mediocre compared to the last record. Side 2 fares a bit better with "Better Be Women" being a cool poppy tune and "Accelerator" reminding me of Blag's solo stuff - but the rest of the songs all sound like attempts to capture their old glory while throwing in quirky changes and goofy samples. I've been really shocked reading reviews of this record - everyone seems to love it! Saying it brings the old Dwarves sound up-to-date and whatnot...if being up-to-date means watering down their sound with techno beats, wigger slang and samples, I think I'd rather have em stay out-of-date...I've given this record a lot of chances and it still hasn't grown on me at all...in fact it seems the more I listen to it, the more I hate it...all the aforementioned additions to the sound seem forced as hell and just irritate the hell out of me...I guess the diehard Dwarves fan will wanna pick it up for the few good tracks, but I really hope their next recordings don't follow the pattern of this record.
- Local (Cleveland) stuff - Really not a whole lot to report here unfortunately - there just ain't much going on!! I guess this is the case in a lot of cities though...have a heard a few things though that are definitely worth mentioning.
TEENAGE KNOCKOUTS are (were?) a reunion of sorts for Cleveland's TKOs (who released two kickass 7"s in the mid 90s). Deadbeat Records out of CA released their 10" and also released it as a CD combined with a 10" from SMOGTOWN. I usually cannot stand all this 1977-revival bullshit that has been all the rage in recent years (US Bombs, Blanks, etc,etc). But both Teenage Knockouts and Smogtown deliver the goods...neither band is all that different from similiar bands in the genre - but both seem to have the proper attitude and are more concerned with delivering kickass tunes than placing their efforts in perfecting a Brit accent or dressing up like it's 77 again. If you dig old punk rock, I'd recommend this CD even though the Teenage Knockouts stuff ain't as good as their old 7"s. Unfortunately , it looks like they're broken up already.
SCHNAUZER has released a split 10" with fellow locals SLOTH. No surprises from Schnauzer - just the same ol' wacky death metal that you either love or hate...I dig em and opening track "Face The Devil" is especially good. Never did listen to the SLOTH side though.
I guess they're not really a local band anymore as they're based out of Columbus now - but PITBOSS 2000 released a hell of a CD last year called "Everyone's A Winner". Around 20 blasts of old-school sXe style HC except that a few of the songs celebrate getting drunk...more of em are funny assualts on PC kids and emo kids...this CD is entertaining as hell and bound to offend just about everyone. They also have a new CDEP that's been due out for nearly a year...it still hasn't seen the light of day as far I know...but the cover art makes it look pretty damn good - oh yeah, it's called "Boobie Crew".
RINGWORM has been quite active as of late, playing a lot of shows around town with their new lineup...not a whole lot of stuff released by em yet, but there was a 3 song demo CDR floating around that sounds good if not as great as the old stuff...a new LP is supposed to be in the works and entitled "Birth Is Pain", along with a re-recording of the 1st LP with the new lineup.
INTEGRITY 2000 released a new CD entitled "Project Regenesis" on East Coast Empire - but it's more of a silly release than anything to take seriously - there's 4 new songs that are better overall than the 2000 CD but still fall short of the classic Integrity stuff. Then they do a pretty nice rendition of Slayer's "South Of Heaven" that sounds exactly how you'd expect it to. Things get weird from there out with covers of Gary Numan, Donna Summer and Billy Idol!?! They actually do manage to pull off these odd covers but still they're really not something you're gonna wanna hear more than once or twice. There's supposed to be another LP on Victory sometime...
I heard a copy of an unreleased LP by THE INMATES. Can't believe they haven't found anyone to put this thing out yet!! It's a perfect raging thrash LP - most of the tunes from their debut 7" are redone here along with a shitload of new ones - a couple of which are surprisingly punk-sounding. This LP is sure to please those who dig the member's other projects (which like the Inmates are very off and on). Of course, hardly anyone outside of Cleveland knows what the hell I'm talking about - and it doesn't look like anyone will anytime soon as I still haven't heard anything about this being released. Hopefully it will be soon though.
One last Cleveland band to mention is LESBIANMAKER - the new project of Jimmy Zero (Dead Boys). Nothing released officially by these guys yet, but they've been playing quite a bit around here. My reaction to em seems to vary with my level of intoxication - drunk they sounded great, but sober, not really too hot. They did release 1 track in MP3 format only - which unfortunately is very slick and not one of their better tracks. I'm not gonna make up an opinion on these guys til I see em a few more time and hear a full-length release. And yeah, they do play a few Dead Boys songs live.