Crass Dismissed: July 1998
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Fuck on the Beach
Fastcore on the Beach
7” (White vinyl through mailorder)
This Nipponese whirlwind of pummelcore is a blistering assault of aural audacity. F.O.T.B. take no prisoners and pull no punches. Each of the 14 tunes crammed onto these seven inches of vinyl is guaranteed to turn even the most tempered powerviolence fan into a sniveling weenie begging for mercy. The high frenzy content and unbridled barbarism of F.O.T.B. bring to mind the likes of fellow fastcore gurus Slight Slappers or even Charles Bronson. I marvel at how bands like this can combine whimsical humor and enraged fury. Forget subtlety and don’t worry about introspection, F.O.T.B. lay it all on the line and I love every second of it!
Sadistic Torment
Unearthly Horrors CD
In spite of less than perfect production on Unearthly Horrors, Sadistic Torment are in top form. Their technical death is reminiscent of the infamous Florida sound but with a distinctly yankee flair (the band hails from Maryland after all). Their tornado of tinnitus is built around the shredding guitar work of Sparky Voyles and Jake Tatarakis who keep things moving with plenty of innovative and crushing riffs. The bass and drums suffer the most from the production shortcomings (especially on the first five songs) but are solid performances nonetheless. The last five songs were recorded at a different studio and the rhythm section fares much better although the songs themselves are older and not quite as distinctive. Handling the microphone is Vinnie Mathews who is, without a doubt, one of my favorite death/grind vocalists. He records with (at least) three different projects, all of which are top notch. He is way warped and sick but at the same time has an uncanny ability to adapt his voice to the needs of the material. This CD is worth your investment for his contributions alone.
Disarray
Spreading the Death Plague
Cassette
This is the third demo from Disarray that I have been privileged to hear. This live recording is a “for the fans” release as a treat to tie everyone over until the next studio release. Disarray are in fine form on Spreading the Death Plague. Their flavor of heavy thrash with death overtones is considered passé by many a metal fan but for those with a respect for the old school this is great. In addition to the machine gun guitars, hammering rhythms and raw vocals, Disarray show that they have plenty of anger and attitude. Be sure to check out their track on the High Radiation #3 compilation from Independent Records out of Portugal.
Avulsed
Cybergore
CD
The increasing trend of releasing remix albums has spread to the legitimate death metal underground. This CD is a techno remix of Avulsed’s Eminence in Putrescence. The combination of sick, low-tuned crunch and pulsing techno is interesting, if not a bit odd. It certainly isn’t anything new to combine really heavy guitars and techno but this is more than heavy guitars… This is the type of sick and brutish metal that I would guess most raving club hoppers have never experienced before. If you like Avulsed or enjoy remix CDs I can’t see why you wouldn’t like this.
No Fun at All
The Big Knockover
CD
If ever a band’s moniker was a misnomer, this is it! There is definitely not a lack of fun to be had with this band! Their pop punk is tremendously rich and inspiring. No three-chord pop here folks. This is complex rock ‘n roll with keen and innovative melodies and harmonies. Their hooks are clever and executed with a class that brings to mind the likes of No Use for a Name or Bad Religion… although No Fun at All are probably more punchy than either of the comparisons. They show particular flair on tunes like “Suicide Machine” and “Sorry Lad.” Lyrically the band have stitched together some very interesting ideas; for example in “Should Have Known” the band examine how an activist mentality can rob a person of a sense caring for the people around them. The icing on the cake for this disc is the fact that No Fun At All can rock their asses off. “Everything Inside,”, “Lose Another Friend,” “Everything Inside,” “Away From The Circle” and “Feeble Mind” are all gonna fry your shorts. Punks of every flavor and persuasion flat out NEED this disc. A candidate for album of the year. Not bad for a band that started out as a hobby. —Jeb Branin
Read more Crass Dismissed by Jeb Branin:
Crass Dismissed: June 1998
Crass Dismissed: May 1998
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