A lucent crimson glow reflected in
the still puddles of the street, a mirror
Image of the bright neon sign flashing
on and off again in a hypnotic manner.
Small handfuls of nighttime frolickers
wandered in and out of the building
which housed the flickering sign, as
the main door would open and shut,
pushing loud bouncing rhythms into
the dark atmosphere. Inside, the sur-
roundings were ablaze in flashing
colors, vibrant with each beat of the
pulsating sounds. Squinting the
eyes to see in this darkness full of
spastic expression, the vision fo-
cused on the followers of the melo-
dies present, seemingly entranced
by each drum smash. Every chord
changed the actions of dance. The
head filled with the quickly surround-
Ing temptation as the music engulfed
the body with invisible strings rapidly
pulling in a sporadic fashion. No con-
trol, the body became a puppet as it
leaped about joyously with the other
slaves to the throbbing sounds.
Laughter filled the arena, as the
music stopped. All movement ceased
as eyes looked upward to the mad
disc jockey in the narrow booth who
was the puppeteer controlling the
strings of rhythm, action by music.
With a vicious grin, the DJ looked
across the floor, speaking loudly to
the open eyes, Hahahaha... Wel
come to the Puszone...hohoho."
But then again...time for more hys-
teria fellow zoners as this month, yet
another flexidisc is being offered for
a mere dollar. Yes, a one band effort
from a ferocious speed mayhem out
fit out of England called Heresy! Six
blazing songs of raging havoc and
metallic fury guaranteed to light up
the senses. It's intense, it's the Never
Healed flex available through the
Puszone. And don't forget 3 stamps
gets you a catalog and sticker. Re-
member, vinyl tapes, zines, info, or
whatever, send it to the Puszone for
location. Thanks, all you zoners are
the greatest! Pushead, PO. Box 701,
S.F, CA 94101 U.S.A.
Ready to be spooked out of your
skulls? Well, that new legion of
ghouls who call themselves Sam-
hain have risen again with a third
album full of guts and haunting har
monies driving the tombs skyward.
November Coming Fire is engraved
on the stone with a burning flame
rising as the Samhain beast arises,
74
to be reckoned with. Samhain keep
it dark in essence but fun in pleasure,
utilizing guitars at precise moments
with snappy whines and hypnotic
cries, a full sound that controls its
strength. One of the best releases
in a while. On Plan 9 Records.
A picket fence surrounds the
grounds of a rundown home, where
a sound ravished the air as a wild
dog sticks its head through the wood
and does it Barkhard. Just like this
raw Texas thrash mayhemic group
does with an abrasive quality that
adds to its garagey flavor. Bark-
hard's Lp cuts with sharp bites of a
young punk smasheroo gang, wild
carefree and ready to charge at any
minute, yet still laying the line at
being calm. But don't trust for long
as the blitzkreig wraps you up fast.
Spitting teeth quick vocals by Todd
Prince storm with a lightning-striking
appeal as the drummer gets cramps
in the arms from banging hard on
tender skins. Barkhard also fea-
tures ace skater John Gibson on
guitar whose licks are hectic and in-
tense, along with the lead power of
John Hancock whining with metallic
ferocity. Thirteen chaotic songs with
the aggression and forcefulness of
that crazed carpet dragging dog who
just can't wait to bite into your leg.
Barkhard is definitely rabid, foam-
ing with every inch of excitement. A
promising skate rock release on (get
this) Zorlac Records, 1719 Ervay,
Dallas, TX 75215. Now those are
fangs!
Damien, Glenn, Eerle... the horror harmonies of Samhain.
while inside Glenn, Eerie, Damien
and newcomer London May on drums
bring the next phase of ghostly
mayhem into your home. This one
packs them all in, combining raw
savage rhythms with that creepy
aura of delight, bringing a growth to
the sound established on the first
two vinyl dabblings, yet progressing
into some new ground. Glenn Dan-
zig's vocals are still the focal point
of this ensemble as he croons out
melodies that itch on your cranium
with a finesse and smooth touch and
add the right depth to each song.
Deep drum beats with the sinister
string work of both guitars add the
flavor to enhance Danzig's powerful
croons, evident in classic pieces like
"In My Grip," "Let The Day Begin,"
"Birthright," "Human Pony Girl," "Hal
loween II (the reworking of the
Misfits classic) with its wild guitar
whelps and "Kiss of Steel." This vinyl
meltdown brings the coming of age
for Samhain, as all the elements
keep your ears posted, with multiple
listenings the sound just ricochets in
the memory, making the band a force
OK, OK, so they will soon be rec-
ognized as the kings of the new
metal market in the major field, and
why not, they deserve it! But your
curiosity as to what that new release
sounds like has you bangin' that
mane already. Well, James, Kirk,
Ciff and Lars, also known under the
monicker of Metallica have not let
you down but be ready for a surprize.
Master of Puppets is intense! Like
nothing you have experienced. The
craft of song writing here combined
with musical composition delivers
the third and finest Lp yet for the
metal up your assers. To those with
the ordinary ear, it will probably blast
right over your head, but those who
truly listen and hear the parts will
witness first hand the delicate guitar
chord changes mixed with the fierce,
still keeping the punch and the ouch
of that wall of power Metallica is
known for. The crucial leads Kirk
Hammet wires out, brings forth the
radical air guitarist, as Hetfield's axe
charges with a unique chunky bite,
roaring outrageous, not overpower
ing his barking vocals. Still the
guitars are heavy with a booming
drum velocity to boost the vigor, and
let's not forget that 'chunka-chunka'
rhythm still prevails in a few songs
keeping the momentum one of
majestic manner. You might find a
couple songs lenghty, but musically
they reign supreme with so many
well-worked ideas while the shorter
numbers still hold the show for you
speed freaks. Tracks like "Battery"
and "Disposable Heroes' will have
your adrenalin pumping as the accel-
eration grows. But the gutsy stuff like
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)," "The
Thing That Should Not Be" and the
title track voyage you into a wonder-
ful Metallica journey. Musically,
these four have held true to their
inner creative juices. The energy pre-
vails, talentwise and with aggressive
action in each composition. Master
of Puppets is an interesting concept
and an inspiring album on Elektra
Records.
Up and coming over at the BYO
is a new Youth Brigade Lp entitled
The Dividing Line, promising to be
the best yet Forget the rumors
about a name change, they are still
Youth Brigade, only Adam left to
pursue art school and his creative.
energy, so there is a new bass
player. Also coming soon from the
BYO is the Junior Gone Wild Lp. A
Swiss band called Hungry For
What and a German band called the
Smarties with A Bunch Of Weirdos
Lp. Speedcore metalers Slayer
have signed to Def Jam Records.
The label the Beastie Boys are on,
and this means yet another under-
ground speed act has crossed over
to the big crowd. The Accused in-
famous Martha Splatterhead mini-
Lp will soon be re-released with four
new tracks and a proper cover.
Wild with zoom written all over it
is a staggering nitro raging raucous
ensemble from out of Salt Lake City.
called Maimed for Life. Unrelenting
in vigorous combustion, the flailing
that persists here is of maniac doses
as six screeching hauls spin you
headlong into a cyclone of ripping
metallic thrash. Ritling riffs of ex-
treme hardcore fury bombard an on-
slaught of smacking drums, vocal
shouts and clear lyrical assertions
all blistering on a seven inch platter,
Check out Close Minded," "Sins of
War," and "Pawns in Twisted
Games, all bulldozing out this
young energy. Maimed for Life, a
jarring new band. Aloine, 1494
Spring Lane, SLC, UT 84117.
"Born To Built To Grind," a Spring
steen parody that is so hilarious and
urgently radical, is just the tip of the
melting iceberg of colossal hits from
the Stupids' Peruvian Vacation Lp.
Direct, insistent, and spontaneous
fun thrash throws savage seizures.
as these fourteen tracks cause a
whale of excitable commotion using
assailing speed to the fullest force.
An uncontrollable roar of a guitar
sound sprays distortion in split sec-
ond slugs as the crazy highlights
flash into a grinding drill effect, then
the pace is off again to blaring panic
stricken mayhem. The drums are
smashing, splashing, and dancing
with this insane pace. But this is the
Stupids and as a three piece, the
activity is more than menacing.
Wake up its time to crank, with "Wipe
Out, "So Much Fun," "You Shoulda
Listened," "In Bed At Night," "The
Pit, and can you handle the odd title
track? Then again there is always
"This Is The Norm?" which stops at
nothing to be the fastest tolerable
song yet. Throw in a handful of
sound effects and the Stupids win
your heart, a unique British band that
is way off what's expected in the
sound department there, and more
power to them, since this is a won-
derful blast of a good time and the
star of any bash. Nog that head, the
Stupids are invading Mars. On Chil-
dren Of The Revolution Records. De-
mand it, damn it.
Brutal and hoarse, crunching down
the barriers with raiding blows of
metallic frenzy and laced with heavy
havoc grinding comes the second re-
lease of Ghoul from Japan. Growl-
ing vocals intertwine with a galloping
attack (sounding like a hardcore Ven-
om set) out to wage chaotic friction
and take all the rasp and charges
untamed. Three tracks that storm-
troop the walls with a fast dooming
rhythm captured irresistably on vinyl.
Jerusalem is crude, yet full of zest,
unbaked, still raging with taste, and
Puszone frantic scratchings corner where the art is more than black 'n white. Featured artist Sean Wyett.
the riffs are heavy. Choice. Hold Up
Records, Yuraki-So, 1-25-11, Kohenji-
Minami, Suginamiku, Tokyo, Japan
166.
Positive Outlook is a small 'zina/
newsletter chock full of information, re-
views, photos and Interviews. Comes
out just about every week it seems
and is totally up to date with the
facts. The best thing about this mini
5% by 8% zine is that it's free! From
hardcore to speed metal, Eric packs
it all in. Write to Positive Outlook with
a stamp or L.R.C. to get your copy
and see how to get on the mailing
list. 11067 147 A St., Surrey, B.C
V3R 3V3 Canada.
Looking through-the dictionary to
find a meaning for this odd-named
Chicago based band, I found nil,
nothing to describe what Zoetrope
(pronounced "E-tröp") means. When
this black slab hit the turntable and
the speakers cranked out what Zoe-
trope calls hardcore street metal, it
didn't really matter anymore, for the
room exploded with a barrage of
tough straightforward energy mixing
the raw uncompromising speed of
punk with the wild combustion of
metal. After a few listens, it kept strik-
ing me that his band, especially the
singer, reminded me of choice Kiss
tracks, yet three times the velocity
and quickness, always moving full tilt
ahead with cannon-balling strength.
Amnesty features nine cuts of fluid
whirlwind power backed by two
cleaving axemen, hacking away with
a gutteral abrasive guitar buzz and
solid drum smacks. The vocals are
a definite standout as the lyrics howl
with the rapid riffs. Not what you
would call your typical metal ensem-
ble, there is a sharp hardcore influ-
ence, especially in hammering songs
like "Break You Back" and "Amnesty."
Zoetrope are by far a good kick from
the underground and it's great to
know bands like this exist to break
the silence. On Combat Records.
Those old pals of D.R.I., the speed
merchants Stark Raving Mad have
put out another crash course in high
speed antics. America has a nice
color cover, where inside you'll get
to taste some chaotic chunks of fren-
zied mayhem that stop and go with
numerable changes. Snapping vocals
in the weird vein of Jello Biafra mis-
sle their way amongst the total disor-
der of catapulting drums, splashing
cymbals, and urgent guitar blitzes.
Hot and boiling, Stark Raving Mad
continue the insanity of speedcore
craziness, which outbursts into the
nuthouse, unbuckling jackets as the
brains flail boisterously. Siob Rec-
ords, PO Box 46437, Houston, TX
77234
Be sure to order your Puszone
T-shirt for that extra layer in these
cold winter months. Send $9.65
(postage and handling included) 10:
THRASHER Magazine, PO. Box
884570, S.F., CA 94188-4570.
75