SEEIN RED/HUMAN ALERT (mass20017) Split 45 2001 This is an unusual 45 featuring two of Hollands highly rated punk outfits by Brezhnev themselves. So not well known outside their native country I suspect but a good taster of whats going on on the streets. Human Alert do it in English and Seein Red go Dutch. The Dutch side has humour and comedy soundbites added to each track. Which I must say goes over my head, as I ain't gotta clue what the cracks are? But you can tell it's something amusing. And the songs about punk, bikes, fascists and other stuff? are delivered in a no messing fast blitzing hardcore pace. Seein Red seem to be playing as though their lives depended on it!!! A novel idea as you get both bands playing their own takes on each others songs. So maybe gives it a strange twist too. Gotta say I prefer the Human Alert sound given a choice. It's got a geat beefy rough guitar sound that's by far the bands biggest weapon. And especially on 'PC Not' which brings to mind a sort of a cross between early Black Flag/ Posers sound. The songs are more diverse too, which makes em more addictive. Especially the lead breaks on the anthemic 'C Red'. But actually these are Seein Red songs!!! So who really knows? Well my final conclusion in this mixed up review is Seein Red songs with a Human Alert sound is a great thing to hear. So each band has it's merits. Comes in good foldout sleeve with lyrics and band info. WORTH A LISTEN MadSkull Records BLOODY SODS '4 Years Of Blood, Sweat & Beer' (mad2001cd) CD Jan 2001 A mammoth 37 tracks here covering the Bloody Sods hot, sweaty recording career from 1996-99. After hearing their later output I wasn't looking forward to this at all. And I'm afraid '4 Years Of Blood Sweat & Beer' ain't gonna change my mind! I like this band in small doses...very small doses like the 'Hate Of Mind' 45! So 37 tracks of predicable streetpunk/oi! with a heavy dose of hardcore is a fucking tall order. Hey Oeb did you send me this as punishment for missing their gig in Brum or wot? I gotta say the music at least is a lot more punk rock this time around. It's in a more early 80's vein than their present hardcore sound. And believe me that is a relief! Coz the Bloody Sods as well as being in the running for the ugliest band in the universe slot (tee hee). Also own a couple of those fucking detestable Jack Russell dual vocalist soundalikes. But even those pair can't drag this one down to the depths their last album plummeted too. But only just!!! Highlights had to be some of the diverse covers they maimed along the way. The Circle Jerks 'Murder The Disturbed' was just very pedestrian, but Clint Black's 'Killing Time' was a good 'un. Out of their own tunes, they did manage to conjure up a decent bit of interest via 'State Of The Union'. Which kicked off with a great big beefy riff. I thought hey at long last we're getting there, but again those boring fucking vocals fuck things up good 'n' proper! Still without a shadow of doubt their best track on display was their rendition of the Anti Nowhere League's 'For You' . Which is a good song no matter who does it. They then give us their version of the catchy punk/oi! anthem '4Q' by Blitz. Which miraculously escapes a butchering. But it comes to something in this day and age when a punk band can release a 37 track CD and the best tracks on here are the covers!!!!!!! Does that tell you something boys? Take no fucking prisoners and sack the singers before they drag you further down the pit of oblivion. Great cartoon back cover but it reminds me of where this band are destined! AVERAGE MadSkull Records VARIOUS 'Boston Punk 2000' (rpr-034) CD July 2000 Considering Toxic Narcotic ain't my ideal punk sound they have put together a well worthy CD release here. And they themselves kick off this 23 song release with the menacing 'War Song 2000'. That sounds good in very small doses. So full credit for giving other bands a sniff of the action as their label Rodent Popsicle seems to be pretty active lately. A lot of the bands appearing on this compilation promotes the raw new punk acts that emanate from the Boston landscape. And Global Threat show why they're the most widely known band on this comp. with their neat '3 Words Or Less' that brings together melody and angst! After these first 2 opening acts I was treading new ground so it was good to hear some of the novel acts residing in Boston. A Poor Excuse are one of the promising new contenders in the Boston punk scene with their charged chanting 'For All Those In Power'. Followed by The Profits who boast a powerful female vocal with a political outspoken overtone on 'Violent Fringe'. Razorwire are hilarious with an over the top loudmouth excitable streetpunk vocal in their 'Heroes' that has some good guitars running through the song too. Indignation have more dual vocals, this time with 2 punks giving it their all. They're another standout coz this band has more good guitaring and song structures. They don't quite scream so much as some of the other acts which give em a bit more scope. Best band on here for me had to be The Short Lived and their simplistic but addictive street anthem 'Blame It On The punks' . This is made even more so by the fact a snotty little punkette is giving it the big one on the vocals. Entrophy come at us with some melodic styled vocals backed by a riffing guitar attack. The Nockers boast another girl singer but with not quite so much snot as The Short Lived. However 'Small Town boasts an out of tune guitar solo which reminds me why punk is such a great beast to be part of! The brilliantly named Dead Pedestrians and their hateful 'Full Of Shit' was a great, fast, blast of definance with a vocal that dripped with gob! The feed backing Shoot The Hostages end things with their atmospheric 'On Your Knees' which from a great start disappointingly turned into metallic punk, but was well worth an inclusion coz it ain't got too much guitar twiddling. So for a 23 band 23 song CD this was worth checking out just to see what resides in the former home of US Hardcore today. WORTH A LISTEN Rodent Popsicle Records

VARIOUS 'Industrial Strength Records Compilation 2001' CD 2001 This is a 24 track compilation of 12 Industrial Strength Records bands who get a couple of tracks each to tempt us with. Can't  say I'd heard most of these bands before so it's great to put a sound to the names. I think most of these originate from the Californian wing of the US scene. Rats come out the starting gate with well played but average punk. They do show some interesting touches on the second track 'Apocalypse' but didn't live up to their name. Oozies boast a rocky kinda vocalist. Which inevitably gives their songs a bit of a bland feel. But they get a bit better on 'Red White And Blue' which don't sound how it reads. Strychnine play more average stuff and sound pretty much the same on each track. The singer gets pretty excited on the former 'Liqueur And Poker' which showed signs of metallic operetta. Cell Block 5 (named after the ozzie dyke TV show?). I wouldn't be surprised! Give us a whole new take on punk with slidey acoustic guitars on 'Scooter Boy'. A song which was just too folky my liking although the lyrics were pretty skin orientated. They kick in with some amplification on 'Going To A Fight' but those clipped vocals sound too dumb to be taken seriously. First time I heard the Shitgivits and are the first band on here who seem to have the right attitude. These veteran punks have more than a passing interest with this label as their guitarist Todd Dammit is an Industrial Strength guru and plays in Oppressed Logic too!! Well they're a lot more melodic than I was expecting but with that snotty feel which I like. I thought 'Kaos Control' was their best number. They lose it a bit on 'Sour' but sound nothing like Oppressed Logic which was good to hear. Talk of the devil and Nihilism favourites Oppressed Logic are up next with two tracks from there highly rated 'It's Harassment' album with 'Void Of Society' and 'This Is Reality' both giving most of the other bands who preceded em a nod on how it should be done. But hey their Industrial Strength crown ain't totally safe as I'm the sure the explosive Glamour Pussy will have something to scream about that. Especially on the hilariously over the top 'I Won't Take It Up The Ass' which is so wildcat and obnoxious its a blast. An over the top bunch of punkettes if ever I heard any who are either a massive joke or could be real fun. Best band on here by a cats whiskler. We are then given some Shadows guitar play by Jumbo Shrimp! (Ex-Dead Kennedy's) Which is anything but a diverse inclusion on this comp. I love my instrumentals as well as the next punk. Gimme 'Down in The Sewer' , 'Handling The Big Jets' etc. and this had a kinda funny novelty feel to it. I'm beginning to sense this label has it's tongue firmly planted in it's cheek. East Bay Chasers bring us back on the more familiar punk track with some good tunes. And once you get used to the familiar sounding vocalist who has a Keith Morris (Circle Jerks) feel to his vocals. Especially on 'Your Generation' you get a pretty good idea where the band are heading. Another of this albums highlights. The Process are another bunch who give a good run for their money although the vocals let em down a bit and those "ohhhhaaaahhs" get to be a chore sometimes. Doomsday Device bring our first and only taste of hardcore thrash. Which like all the rest of this genre was boring for me. Although the atmospheric bell chiming inserts on 'Set In Stone' were good. Last but by no means least come Puzzlebox. Where do they get these names from? They sound English in vocals and their 'Motorhead' track is not a cover but a definite tribute to 'Lemme a fiver's' outfit. They sound ok but the vocals sounded too tame in places and lacked power. Their 'Albania' track blatantly nicks the riff from the Buzzcocks 'Walking Distance' . So definitely a band with a personality crisis. Comes in great cover with a lethal looking circular saw and was WORTH A LISTEN for the outstanding tracks alone. Industrial Strength Records POSITIVELY NEGATIVE 'Killing Spree' (mad20019) 45 January 2001 Now this is more like it, from the band with the clever name. I wonder why bands of this ilk powerful hardcore, are great in short fast blasts and become a labour to listen to on full length albums? Well the punk jury are still out on that? So whatever your tastes, this 4-track 7" EP by Positively Negative is a great introduction to the band. Especially if you don't know em already. For a start It's comes in the thickest most colourful slab of vinyl I've seen since the late 1970's boom. In fact it's such a good looking picture disc it's a shame not to hang it up on the wall. Full marks to Madskull here. And besides the look, Positively Negative play blitzing punk rock with angst filled vocals all about death and murder. Not that you can tell from the lyrics. But you don't need the lyrics if the tunes can keep it interesting. The title track 'Killing Spree' has a distinct old Threats (Scotland) feel about it. Especially in those vocals. And is backed up by enough guitar work to kick sand in the face of their comptemporaries. I particularly liked the air raid siren track 'Emergency America' . Which feeds us a full on venomous dose of American paranoia. The flip side keeps up the momentum with 'Compliance' with it's distinctive buzzsaw riffs. Even the obligatory gang chorus was fitting. They lapse slightly towards the end on 'I Hate'. Which had way too many stop/starts that seriously damaged the EP's momentum. But 3 outta 4 ain't bad. This is a 300 limited edition, so a definite collectors item on E-bay in a few years time I bet?....but not this copy! WORTH A LISTEN MadSkull Records MORE REVIEWS  FRONTPAGE MORE REVIEWS ADDED SOON PLUS OLDER ONES REINSTALLED

THE PITS  'Advance Tracks' CD 2001 This is a 3-track sneak preview of the sort of sound due on the bands follow up to their highly rated self titled debut from last year. And The Pits from Sunderland are a band who can pull off melody and tunes without it sounding tame. Definitely a bunch of veteran punks who can play their instruments like masters. In fact too well sometimes? From the off I can tell they've matured. And from the chimeing first track intro I was beginning to think have they blown it. But they proved me wrong and 'Nauseaville' become the best of the three on show. It's up there with their best stuff from the previous debut. The Rottenesque vocals are in attendance but not quite so Rotten this time. I think Mr Pit Jr. is finding his own identity. Which has gotta be a must for a band trying it out on their own. The Pits are growing up. You can tell by their more adventurous and accomplished sound. This ain't a band who write 1 minutes blasts. These are a band who aim at anthems. And maybe they oughta give the short blasts a go too? Well not this time coz these songs are all well over the 3 minute mark. But they seem to pull it off. 'Marxman' is the most poppy of the bunch. It's got a good chorus but they're moving into a different domain from the snotty one they once walked in. And I ain't sure it's gonna last as long as songs like 'National Anthem'? Finally the new mammoth album title track...'The Face Of England'. Boasts a great bass solo that JJ Burnel would've been proud of. And the early Stranglers influence is a lot more dominant on this session, particularly the guitars. They've lost that Steve Jones sound which I thought gave em a bit more oomph. But it'll be interesting to see what the whole album sounds like when it hits the streets any time now. WORTH A LISTEN The Pits CHELSEA 'Punk Rock Rarities' (ahoycd106) CD 1999 Fucking hell yet more Chelsea. The Captain Oi! label sure know how to top a group in cold blood. If the whole band were just a bunch cunts, instead of Gene October. Then this would be laughed out the punk arena as sad old punks going through the motions. But you gotta admit they're still a good live prospect even today, despite Genes chip on his shoulder. And Chelsea for all their faults had the ability to write some great anthems for a while. However I can't say this gets much play in the Wolf's Lair. And as I'm a '77 despot and a big fan of the singles this band put out. It's only good for the taste of the sweaty vibes that summer of hate bought out in punk band on a shoestring budget. This is pure rough cut '77 punk rock for all you record hunters. Sort of sluggish in today's scene. But at the time was an enormous kick in the bollocks to anything musical that preceded it!!!! Everyone of the bands anthems are on here... some twice! Which is pretty much pollyfilla territory, coz there ain't a lot between each version. So will only benefit Chelsea completeists no doubt. These demos and remixes sure don't beat the final mix versions that hit the street. And by the way you can find all those on the 'Punk Singles Collection' released on this same label. But even so, along with 'Right To Work' and gutter anthems like 'No Admission' and 'High-rise Living' it's gotta be worth one listen. Biggest suprise was getting to hear the ultra rare 'Blind Date' which is a great full on song. And not too dissimilar to the Damned's 'Sick Of Being Sick' riff. Hence the "eat your heart out Rat Scabies" yell before it kicks in. We do get quite a few of the bands more average tracks along the way. So beware new listeners. Maybe this is a good blueprint for a young punk band who don't wanna scream or preach politics. Or maybe it's just a cash in? Who knows and who cares? If original punk rocks your thaaang look here or better still try the Pistols for the real snot. And lastly the sleeve notes give you the definitive Chelsea discography. AVERAGE Captain Oi! Records THE CLASS ASSASSINS Promo CD These are a new Toronto band to my ears and are highly rated by Dick Vein from Soap And Spikes fame, who is gonna be releasing a 45 by em soon so he sent me this 6-track taster. The Class Assassins sound a pretty adapt bunch of streetpunks. Lots of Dropkick Murphy's styled influences on here, but without the power or impact. Some really well arranged songs do make their presence felt though. I just don't go all out for this kinda working class rebellion stance put to music! Y'know, the raising fists in anger at company bosses and such stuff. Maybe it's a Canadian thing? I'm a working class dolester so unions and bosses and this kinda punk stuff bores me. D.O.A. had a thing about it too, but that kinda stuff comes over as pretty shallow subject matter for a barfly like me. But hey the Class Assassins can play their instruments and they can knock a tune together so maybe I'm a bit fussy. Chad Nugents vocals sounds like another Canadian Ian Stuart (no kidding). Is this some kinda new retro fad creeping in the Canadian wastelands? Well the dead ringer vocals shows itself on songs like 'Uprise' which is nothing suspect lyrically, but that's the feel I get from his style of singing. There seems to be lacking some punch or spit to this band, I can't quite put my finger on it coz it's a top class production with some good riffs aired on songs like 'Breakout'. So they can produce the goods but it seems a bit too polished if you know what I mean? Whatever the case a good worthy introduction and I can see some label giving em a push somewhere in the scene. WORTH A LISTEN Soap And Spikes Records