_ | \ | \ | | \ __ | |\ \ __ _____________ _/_/ | | \ \ _/_/ _____________ | ___________ _/_/ | | \ \ _/_/ ___________ | | | _/_/_____ | | > > _/_/_____ | | | | /________/ | | / / /________/ | | | | | | / / | | | | | |/ / | | | | | | / | | | | | / | | | | |_/ | | | | | | | | c o m m u n i c a t i o n s | | | |________________________________________________________________| | |____________________________________________________________________| ...presents... cDc core #5 original album reviews by The Pusher >>> a cDc publication.......1990 <<< -cDc- CULT OF THE DEAD COW -cDc- _______________________________________________________________________________ BAD BRAINS: The Youth Are Getting Restless (Caroline) To be honest, while all the metal people are now getting into these guys, a lot of hardcore people and I are getting tired of their shit. The Jah crap, the 18 dollar shows, the bogus rationalization for homophobia, I don't think the music makes up for it anymore. This is a 16 song live album (half of which were on the last live album two years ago!) recorded in Amsterdam, 1987. A pure money-maker, simple as that. BLACK FLAG: I Can See You (SST) A reunion album? No. A live tape found in the basement? No. An easy way to make lots of money off Flag fans? Yes. One song, "Kickin' & Stickin", I've never heard before. The other three songs (yes, this is only FOUR songs) are from the last studio album "In My Head", the slow and acidy stuff. I can't hear any difference between the versions on that and on this new thing. DEAD MILKMEN: Metaphysical Graffiti (Enigma) Their album title may come from LED ZEPPELIN, but the Milkmen are still doing that same wimpy, jazzy, punk rock. And I don't mean that as a negative comment, this is much better than their last LP, the disappointing "Beelzebubba". Arguably, this is up there with their first LP, the immortal "Big Lizard In My Backyard". Stand out tracks here are the hilarious "Do The Brown Nose", and "The Big Sleazy". Not to mention the last song, the appropriately titled "Anderson, Walkman, Buttholes, and How!", a BUTTHOLE SURFERS type jam with warped vocals telling us some kind of story. FUGAZI: Repeater (Dischord) I thought, and I thought, and I thought, but I can't really come up with anything else to say about FUGAZI. "Too good for words", I guess. What I can say is that if you don't like this, you probably are very close-minded about music. By the way, Ian MacKaye is THE rhythm guitarist. HOLY ROLLERS: As Is (Dischord) The only reason I bought this album was because it was on Dischord. Whatever the hell your reason, get this. This album is one of the best I've heard this year, and without a doubt better than all the other Dischord acts like SOULSIDE, FIRE PARTY, and IGNITION. Only the mighty FUGAZI can top this three-piece. It's DC post-hardcore meets Sub Pop with sporadic thrash parts and hypnotic vocals. I really got into "Ode to Sabine County", a tragic re-working of an old Christmas classic. JUDGE: Bringin' It Down (Revelation) Straight-edge hardcore (with two ex-YOUTH OF TODAY people), of course, wit h metal tinges. Nothing too creative, but I have to say that I like it. They are really good are at doing this stuff... the tight rhythm section, the mosh parts in all the right places. Aside from the song "Like You", there's nothing else that goes against the grain. Oh yeah, Revelation also released a different version of this LP called "Chung King Can Suck It". Only 100 were pressed. How they were distributed, I have no idea, but for what it's going for, you'd probably have enough to buy the first 4-5 DISCHORD releases at their present prices. NEUROSIS: The Word As Law (Lookout) People tell me these guys sound like METALLICA, so maybe I should go out and buy "And Justice For All..." because NEUROSIS is incredible. 8 songs (ranging from 43 seconds to 7 minutes) talking about oppression and conformity and stuff like that. Good production; it's slow, it's fast, more variety than your average thrash album. Thrash is really too much of a limiting word for something this good. SCATTERBRAIN: Here Comes Trouble (In-Effect) Not a new band, but LUDICHRIST, who did two albums on Combat, with a new rhythm section. So why did they change their name? Well, you can't very well conquer MTV and get the opening spot on the next POISON tour with a name like LUDICHRIST can you? Anyway, these guys aren't playing in hardcore venues, more like the kind of places BRITNY FOX would hang out. But surprisingly enough, they don't sound that different. A little slower, a little less harsh, but I still think HC/Thrash people can enjoy them, even though I didn't go for their goofy hard rock thing. Have to give credit to any band, however, that covers CHEECH & CHONG and MOZART on the same album. SOCIAL DISTORTION: self-titled (Epic) I was a little hesitant about buying this album. After all, the last big hardcore album to be released on EPIC by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES didn't exactly turn out so hot, if you know what I mean. But I went for this anyway. Well, it most certainly is the least of the three SOCIAL DISTORTION albums, but it's still very respectable. They slowed down, made it blusey, did even more "I'm an outlaw in jail" type songs, but the fact is, it's still the same band, and Mike Ness still is an awesome singer and guitar player. I will listen to this in the future, and I hope they become as big as BON JOVI. WARZONE: Warzone (Caroline) If you liked their last two albums, (which even with some screwy politics were still great NYHC) I guarantee you will NOT like this. SLOW hard rock, solid guitar playing, but it's just one long ZZZZZZ. They even thank one of the guys from SKID ROW inside. It's interesting how they changed their entire sound... now get it the fuck out of my face. _ _ _____________________________________________________________________ /((___))\|The Dead Zone........214/522-5321 Demon Roach Undrgrnd..806/794-4362 [ x x ] |NIHILISM.............415/285-9453 The People Farm.......916/673-8412 \ / |Tequila Willy's GSC..209/526-3194 The Bombay............714/897-0412 (' ') |Lunatic Labs.........213/655-0691 The Works.............617/861-8976 (U) |===================================================================== .ooM |(c)1990 cDc communications by The Pusher. 05/17/90-#134 \_______/|All Rights Pissed Away.