METAL EDGE
CULPRIT
Guilty as Charged
(Shrapnel)
Northwest metal has never been so
good! An excellent debut from this
Seattle based band All ten songs
are powerful and skillfully con-
structed, containing many sharp
tempo changes and not the boring
repetition of many HM releases.
This band really knows how to write
killer songs, each being totally differ
ent from the others. All five musi
cians bestow their own style to every
song, making this an LP not easily
forgotten. Do not pass this by in the
record racks, check it out or listen to
a friend's, but don't miss Shrapnel's
best release since Exciter.
Mike Matlock
TWISTED SISTER
You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll
(Atlantic)
Here's a band for people who crave
to become emotionally involved with
their music TWISTED SISTER'S
style is unmatched by any other
band I've heard. The bass and drum
lines go so smoothly together and so
energetically that you can't help but
jar your head listening to it, and Dee
Snider's vocals you can't help but
sing along with. Don't get the im-
pression this is glam rock or Def
Leppard sing-along music. It sets
your heart pounding, and head and
hands rocking, very involving. I wish
they'd start touring, their stage show
is supposed to be great!
Mike Matlock
Johnson 84
BY PUSHEAD
BATTLE AXE
Burn This Town
(Music for Nations):
Some new metal faces from that
English proving ground of mammoth
metallic mania! BATTLE AXE slice
up severing cuts of maniac intensity,
hitting hard with dizzying slashes of
gyrating AXE havoc. Cracking voc
alist Dave King sports a mean throat
of harsh fury as he rasps his way
thru this BATTLE AXE blitzkreig, en-
ticing you to sing along. Lots of
similarities to AC DC (w Bon Scott),
but sometimes a mean streak of
extra speed invades in and hauls
headlong into a conquering barrage
of electricity Good fluid stomping
delivered by BATTLE AXE
VOPO'S
Conquer
(Solid)
Another hardcore unit goes metal,
this time from Holland. Don't let the
cover fool you, this black slice of wax
is sharp and infested with dynamic
energy Sledgehammering brutal
strength into a rapid force of explo-
sive leads and pillaging drumm
quakkes, VOPO'S breaks ground
with tremendous outbursts of head-
banging glory. Featuring an awe-
some variety of kerranging cuts.
VOPO'S lunges out with the sheer
velocity of "Hard and Loud," and the
sprouting fever of "In the Book," "Get
Me, and 007 The total impression
is one of complete enthusiasm a
fiery slice.
SAVATAGE
Sirens
(PAR)
Sirens opens with a mourning
"Rush-tempoed flavoring that
slowly drifts into blistering grinding
by metal axe man Criss Oliva, but
SAVATAGE arrangements are not
generic metal which seems to hold
the mold as of late. These melodies
bolster well thought out harmonies
using each instrument in a breakout
fashion of driving momentum. Ham
mering down wild fluent leads,
paced dramatically by teetering
stomps of vocal formation, and hol
lowing in the thundering appeal best
represented in the bouquet of action
laced cuts "Holocaust," "Living for
the Night," and "Rage," making this
quite the dynamite release. A superb
effort from this Florida foursome.
SLAYER
Show No Mercy
(Metal Blade)
Wild screams unleash this Black
Metal thrash and grind assault of de-
monic havoc. Possessed by speed
and high velocity instigation, SLAY-
ER decapitates the senses in this
display of cyclone fury pushed full
steam ahead as whirlwind spearing
riffs by twin axemen Hanneman and
King grind out the cleavering licks
and lashes, delivering the sonic evil.
Untamed ferocity in the vein of
Venom, not as raw, but still blood-
thirsty, thrusts SLAYER headlong
into the lair of satanic slitherings,
growled intensely by vocalist Araya.
Spitting out strong doses of Black
Magic in metallic jestures, SLAYER
Write and inquire to: IMPALER,
1485 Christensen Ave. W, St. Paul,
MN 55118.
SAVAGE
Loose and Lethal
(Ebony)
Peter Davis
Echoing guitar shrills of whining
gladiator force spurt out the iron.
flight of SAVAGE An invasion of
plucked out leads in brash arrange-
ments of jaunty half-baked fury.
Booming composures, which fully
highlight the crackling guitar, which
are vaguely familiar to early Mon-
trose and early Def Leppard lash out
in ravaging exertion. Sharp vocal
eruptions of piercing force run hand
in hand with the crying strings. Weak
production of bass and drums les-
sens the punch that this holds. Still a
good debut from SAVAGE
DISCHARGE
Warning 12
(Clay)
DISCHARGE, an extreme hardcore
outfit who lost their guitarist "Bones"
and added Pooch," who has
created quite a "metal" difference for
DISCHARGE, even in the fact that
Cal now uses his voice instead of
"shouting and screaming Furious
guitar growls, a la Motorhead mad-
ness, storms this four-song 12" into
a feast of lightning howls and strong
political statements, spurting out
nitro-charged raids of devastating
musical combustion. Heavy bass
strokes boom fiercely as DIS-
CHARGE grind forth mean licks and
abrasive garroting quakes which
crush down on the cranium in crude
hits hard in a rapid growing field of delight. An expected change from
dooming mayhem. A severing debut.
METALLICA
Kill 'Em All
(Megaforce)
Distinctive metal that stands far
ahead of the pack. Heavily laden
with hooks and cleverly arranged
chord changes and progressions.
Here you will detect little riffs that at
once become identifiable, but just as
your place your finger on it, it disap
pears. Songs like "Motorbreath" and
Whiplash flail with the power of a
tomado. There's a few medium-
paced cuts as well that punch out
with equal power. No similarities to
British metal. What you will find is
another band worth your attention.
It's no wonder that they supported
Venom on their first North American
visit! A strong first release for this in-
dependent lable.
IMPALER
Vicious Demo
(Blood Bath)
Peter Davis
These guys got the right idea! Hail-
ing from St. Paul, Minnesota, this
five-piece ensemble bursts through
with a walloping three-song demo.
Similar to Venom and Motorhead.
These guys lunge forth to stop the
satanists purgings. Good versus
Evil! Catchy lyrics, viciously inter-
twined guitar riffing and bashing.
powered by their godsent thunder-
ing bottom end make this a fair ac-
quisition. Limited copies are availa-
ble upon request! Don't hesitate.
DISCHARGE, from thrash to metal-
lic leads. What next?
METAL MASSACRE 4
Various
(Metal Blade)
Titanium metal uproars loud and
kerranging on this fourth compilation
of north american slashing metal.
Eleven head dropping cuts of poten-
tial power and concrete riffs which
triumphantly exclaim this wild-
spiked leather, brain-banging phe-
nomenon! Featuring sledgeham
mered juices of whiplashing excite-
ment as thrusting sheers of warrior
momentum shoot forth in the form of
Sacred Blade, Death Dealer,
Trouble sounding very Black Sab-
bathish, Scepter, War Cry, Abattoir,
Witchslayer, Thrust and more. A
very superb collection of current HM
destroyers. Some a bit too generic,
but the rest are all distinct and very
driving. Look into these METAL
MASSACRE samplers. A good buy!
HEAVY EDGE
MERCYFUL FATE-Melissa LP
ACID-Maniac LP
OSTROGOTH-Full Moon's Eyes
ANVIL-Forged in Fire LP
ACCEPT-Balls to the Wall LP
JUDAS PRIEST-Defenders of
the Faith LP
RAVEN-All for One LP
TANK-This Means War LP
VENOM-At War With Satan LP
BARON ROJO-Metal Morfosis LP
(Spain).
NOTES FROM
The UNDERGROUND
"Hey ANYONE! Whatcha got in
the bag goose?"
"Some Stuff."
"What kinda stuff?"
"Music Stuff."
"Quit being evasive."
"Well, some more promo garbage
I picked up down at the Thrasher
editorial cubicles."
Like What?"
"Like, uh, an E.P. by the Winni-
peg, Canada band, the Stretch
Marks, which I found wedged be-
hind the Photo Editor's desk. That
guy hasn't cleaned his desk in two
years of a dog's life and, I suppose.
no one has heard it. I gave it a listen
last night and was stoked in a big
way. You should check out their
songs. Professional Punk and Dog's
World are my faves. And you'll never
believe this, on the back cover live
photo of the band, on the lefthand
side, is the photo editor when he
was in Canada."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"What else you got?"
"Well, one package says that
Black Flag's new album is to be re-
leased March 1st. It's called My
War; also, they have a new bass
player named Kira. Chuck Dukow-
skl is now working with Wurm on an
album entitled Feast.
It went on to say that B.F.will be
starting a six week tour on March 24.
They will be accompanied on the
tour by Hammerdown (featuring
MinuteMen guitarist D. Boon) and
Nigh-Heist. And the tour dates are
as follows: 3-24 Phoenix, 3-25 Tuc-
son, 3-26 Albuquerque, 3-27 Nor-
man OK, 3-28 Tulsa, 3-29 Austin, 3-
30 Dallas, 3-31 Houston, 4-1 Baton
Rouge, 4-2 New Orleans, 4-4 Atlan-
ta, 4-5 Raleigh NC, 4-6 Washington
DC, 4-7 Philadelphia, 4-8 Baltimore,
4-9 Richmond, VA, 4-11 Pittsburgh,
4-12 Harrisburg, 4-13 New York, 4-
14 New Haven CT, 4-15 Boston, 4-
16 Providence RI, 4-17 Syracuse
NY, 4-18 Montreal QUE, 4-19 Tor-
onto ONT, 4-20 Detroit, 4-21 Chi-
cago, 4-22 Minneapolis, 4-24 Law-
rence KS, 4-25 Denver, 4-26 Salt
Lake City, 4-27 Boise ID, 4-28 Seat-
tie, 4-29 Vancouver BC, 4-30 Port-
land OR, 5-2 Eugene OR, 5-3 Sac-
ramento, 5-4 San Francisco, 5-5 Los
Angeles (other dates tba)"
"Well, I've been listening to some
bands that have really grown on
me.
"Uh-oh, here it comes now. Here
it comes! How many and what
bands?"
Two bands, Violent Femmes
and The Dream Syndicate, with
a sound reminiscent of the six-
ties. Listening to them revives memo-
ries of two decades past: The Dream
Syndicate is not dissimilar to bands
like Velvet Underground, The Fall,
Blue Cheer, The Byrds, and artists
such as Iggy Pop and Bob Dylan,
while Violent Femmes, on a slightly
different note, bring a sound resem-
bling more the folksongs of the sixties,
of which artists like Lou Reed, Woodie
Guthrie and again Bob Dylan are
exemplary.
The men who make up the Violent
Femmes are songwriter and lead vo-
calist Gordon Gano, who is more or
less (more than less) the driving
force behind the band, Brian Ritchie
on bass, xylophone, and vocals, and
later addition Victor De Lorenzo, an
accomplished percussionist and jazz
drummer, on tranceaphone and drums.
All three members have theater ex-
perfience, which is reflected in their
music by their flair for the dramatic.
Such is the fabric which brings us Vio-
lent Femmes' debut album, titled sim-
ply Violent Femmes, on Slash
Records.
One track, "Prove my Love," is all
about-you got it-a guy trying to
prove his love to his girl. The folk'
sound plays an interesting part and
adds a unique quality to the message.
Another song, "Good Feeling."
powerfully expresses the yearning of
a man trying to hold on to (seemingly)
what little happiness has come into his
Ife through one woman....dear lady,
won't you stay with me just a little
longery'know it always seems like
you're leaving when I need you here
just a little longer.
The Dream Syndicate, also a new
group on the scene, is composed of
four members: songwriter Steve Wynn
(on guitar and vocals) met bassist and
singer Kendra Smith while both were
attending UC Davis. Steve later met
guitarist Karl Precoda, who'd been
playing bass with Johanna Went.
Drummer Dennis Duck, known for his
association with The Doodooettes
and Human Hands, was contacted by
Kendra. Before the addition of Duck,
however, the original three members
played, according to their plan, Rolling
Stones greatest hits. Understandably,
the Stones concept soon grew old.
On January 24, 1982, The Dream
Syndicate played their first show in
Hollywood, and on January 31 of the
same year they recorded four of their
songs. Originally intended for demo
use only. The Dream Syndicate de-
cided to release it themselves instead
as a 12" E.P. Later, Ruby Records
negotiated for an LP with The Dream
Syndicate: the album The Days of
Wine and Roses, was the result, one
song from the release "Definitely
Clean, seems to express the feelings
of a guy who wants to have nothing to
do with a girl he's known. The song
tells the listener, with a sound reminis
cent of the Doors, that he's washed
his hands of her and is now "definitely
clean."
"Tell me when it's over" recounts a
realization, how hopeless life cant
seem and how false some people can
appear to be. It has a wake-me-
up-when-you're-finished-and-when-
you've-all-come-to-your-senses" air
about it.
The sound of these two bands, a
kind of recollection of the sixties, may
be somewhat familiar, but the mes-
sage is a reflection on the meaning of
life in the unsure eighties. Violent
Femmes and The Dream Syndicate
are young bands rising fast and being
Jello Biafra hovers over a stoked John
Gibson and Steve Steadham; and
T.S.O.L. debuts their new line-ups at the
On Broadway
received with much fervor.
The Dream Syndicate album,
the Days of Wine and Roses, on
Ruby Records and Violent Femmes
release on Slash Records are sure
to make their mark right up there
with their predecessor."
"I can't believe you said that all in
one breath. Oh, you know who I saw
two weekends ago at The Dead
Kennedys/T.S.O.L. Show?"
"Yoko Ono?"
there would be some other surprises
on the tape."
"Like what?"
"Well, I think that there were a few
words floatin' around between he
and Don Pendleton of J.F.A. about
putting some live classic J.F.A.
tunes on the tape as well as some
never before heard J.F.A. songs."
And you know what else?
"What?"
"Chickenbutt, the bassplayer, is
no longer in the band. He quit."
"Close. It was Steve Steadham
and Johnny Tex' Gibson. Yeah, "Oh, here, you dropped this piece
they were standing right at the front of paper. Hmmm, what's this? It
of the stage, fully getting pummeled says that the Borscht ramp was
by all the whining dervishes who constructed late last Summer and
were flying off of the stage. Jello Fall and will be relayered for Spring
was right on top of Johnny more Hmmm. It also says that the ramp is
than once. It was intense, that show. of top quality construction (16' wide,
Mr. Jello's second song of the night 10% high and 12' of flat bottom with
I was a slightly altered version of 9 transitions with no skimping any-
fought the law. He pretended to be where), and has the most outrage-
Dan White and chorused with "
ous location; very isolated and still
fought the law and I won, I fought the close to wood suppliers. Oh, it says
law and I won." The new T.S.O.L that Borscht is a hardcore band
with two active skaters and one
semiactive skater. What are you
going to do with this?"
"Nothing now."
"OK"
lineup is pretty rocky. I forget the
names of the new members, but
with the addition of another guitarist/
singer, the T.S.O.L. sound bends
into yet another direction.
"Wasn't Vlaadimir Blutonoir say-
ing something about the new
T.S.O.L. being on SKATE ROCK
Vol. 2?"
"Well, not only T.S.O.L. but The
Red Devils and Agent Orange are
also being considered for possible
usage on the next tape. Vlaad said it
wasn't for sure yet, bus they nave
been contacted. He also said that
"Well, I've got to get cuttin'. I'm
going to try to sneak into Echo
Beach, that ritzy New Wave disco
over by the shipyards. I'm gonna try
and scam on some eighteen year
old dumb rich chick."
"You should be ashamed of your-
self."
"I know. Bye."
"Bye.