A small piece of plywood lay in
front of me, full of scratch marks and
smeared doodles of worthless clut-
ter. On top of that, directly to the right.
lay a stack of heavy stock computer
paper that I was writing on with a
solid, no smudge, writing utensil. It
would have been a quiet evening if
it wasn't for the fact that while I sat
"Indian style" upon a gigantic
maroon Persian rug with unique
designs woven in, I was blasting
some sonic spasms of sound
through the nearly empty room while
jotting down a few record reviews.
Entranced by the noise. I gleefully
scribbled out a few choice adjectives.
My attention fully into the pressure
of my fingers smashed against the
pen, I didn't notice the movement at
the far end of the rug. But with a tug-
ging jerk, the commotion jolted my
eyes to observe a maroon wave
hovering partially over my somewhat
frightened form. My eyes opened
wide as the gigantic rug towered
above me, lashing back and forth like
a whip, as the small designs on the
maroon surface came to life. I realiz-
ed that I was floating some five feet
off the floor in a levitational manner,
as little wool creatures danced vio-
lently toward me. I tried to move, but
the carpet had woven itself tightly
around my calves and across my
wrists. It pulled taut, ripping my flesh.
Blood oozed into the maroon carpet,
which seemed to give it life. Feeling
little wool furballs slither across my
body, I trembled in fear, as tiny tight
knit grins laughed at me with a wick-
ed volume which rapidly became a
deafening roar over the music. Sud-
denly my head jerked back into the
rug, almost snapping my neck, as
wool strains braided in to my hair
pulling snug and tense. I felt like
Gulliver being held by the little peo-
ple, as a garden of wool strapped me
from head to toe. Then, with a
forceful push, the monsterous rug
wrapped around me again and
again, squeezing tight, pressing the
air out of my lungs. I started to see
black. The music stopped and the
obese rug smashed down to the
wooden floor, crushing my left side.
A loud howl echoed from another.
room in the flat. "Hey, what's up in
there?" It was my brother. He came
into the room. "Like, what are you do-
ing with that rug?" he bellowed.
"Well, you see, I was starting to write
the Puszone when. hahaha, wel-
come again ye followers of the type-
set called Puszone to its monthly in-
stall ment. Three 22+ stamps gets
you a Zone sticker and Pus central
list, or send vinyl, tapes, zines or in-
fo for placement to. Pushead, PO.
Box 701, SF, CA 94101 USA. And
a big thanx to all ye supporters, new
and old!
Torrent chords forward, the cry of
speed zooms at a raw breakneck
pace that careens with each string
plunge to a degree of mayhemic pro-
portion. Yet amid all the speed is a
certain degree of humor that you
know only the kings of sofa surfing
could deliver, since their fave activi
ty is watching television. The TV.
theme rides strong as Adrenalin
O.D. pour out their second Lp.
Humungousfungusamongus. These
four madcapped lads got their pop-
corn, refreshments, and the persis-
tant fight for that sole pillow, to walk
once again into a studio and record
eighteen crazed tracks to brain bomb
your intelligence. The question is, did
Adrenalin O.D. record this Lp in their
underwear as they did the first, since
that disc stormed and now the se-
cond platter roars equally well? Paul,
Jack, Bruce and Dave scorch down
the momentum that flails wildly with
every beat, seering tight with a metal-
lic surge, still hauling at a furious
pace with exploding twin guitars
grinding with fuzzing feedback
overload, the sound that causes the
ring. Though not as full sounding as
the first Lp, Humungousfungus hits
hard and avoids boring lapses while
the band lunges back in to the couch
with some fake wrestling moves on
their instruments, preparing you for
a count of chin wiggling speed.
Check the playlist: "Fishin' Musi-
cian," "Bugs," "Survive," "Crowd
Control, Velvet Elvis," "Yuppie,"
"Office Buildings," "A.O.D. vs. Son
Of Godzilla" and the seven inch track
"The Nice Song" just to namedrop
some of the exceptional material
presented. Adrenalin O.D. power an
untamed fury that crushes skulls,
bangs heads, thrusts legs and elec-
trifies the eyeballs with continual fast
paces, then lays the blade into cran-
ium combat with humor and satrical
jabs. Great stuff from A.O.D. Now if
Bruce would only stop dropping the
butter into his amp when he makes
studio popcorn. On Buy Our Records,
PO Box 363, Vauxhall, NJ 07088
Speedcore has become some-
thing of a rage in Europe with some
bands trying to go beyond the speed
limit. The likes of Heresy, Concrete
Sox, Napalm Death, Larm and other
newcomers are setting the pace.
Now another young ensemble of fast
acceleration comes into the limelight
with their self-produced flexi disc.
Ferociously hauling out of the UK.
is Ripcord, who have been around
awhile, but this is their first release.
Four mates power this radical com-
bustion of fast energy packed in with
upfront lyrical writing hitting hard on
reality. Growling guitar action jams
severely, pushing a gritting hardcore
sound with a tad bit of metallic struc-
ture, which makes for vibrant chaos.
Tough, spat out vocals predominate,
followed by the slapping drums. The
sound quality is what can be ex-
pected on a flexi, but it does give Rip-
cord the chance to be heard. Nine
songs pushing a sonic earload on
this double-sided flexi prove Ripcord
to be a band to watch for and enjoy.
Available for $2.00 from John, 14 Cor
nwallis Ave, Worie, Weston-S-Mare,
Avon, BS22 9PF England UK..
Finally, after a long wait, New
York's unique attack of thrash,
overloaded with thunderous metallic
outcries, rivets its way onto an Lp.
Ludichrist, the outfit who power a
fistful of creative changes while still
holding their speed and strength and
avoiding repetitious structures rush
out nineteen stormtrooping cuts that
make this band one of the top few for
1987. Take notice, Ludichrist drive a
mean, savage adventure with asser-
tive skill and unrestrained vigor, mak-
ing for mind-blowing maniacal
mayhem that pushes up front a new
change at every beat. Immaculate
Deception contains a bit of everything
with a thrash appeal that ranges from
speed, fast and crazed, to iron
whines, to bluesy struts and even
some rap flavorings, to name a few.
But the way Ludichrist approaches
these genres is what makes this
band strong. Their sound is tight,
neatly polished and well-produced.
Tommy and the boys drive the brain
to blisters with a balance of quick
thrusts and rants 'n raves of lyrical
suggestion. The grooves that smash
the stylus include "Big Business,"
"Fire at the Firehouse," "Govern-
ment Kids," "Tylenol," "You Can't
Have Fun," and the cult classic.
"Blown Into the Arms of Christ," a
tune that rips with energetic
raucousness. Ludichrist offer a
choice selection of musical expres-
sions that work very well and are
packed with all the right punches. A
great release. On Combat Core
Records, 14903 Guy R. Brewer Blvd.,
Jamaica, NY 11434
A nice cover layout that mixes gold
lettering with gold and blue borders
surrounding a black and white
photograph of a bloodied human
body greets you as you pick up the
second Lp from Sweden's Slam.
Slam has been around for a few
years now, but their musical drive of
medium-paced melodies and their
upfront punches have gone more or
less unnoticed. Original members
Zune, Thomas. Uffe, Par and Tony
are still creating that hard sound with
harmonies and crafty guitar work that
flow with a tasty flavor. End Of Laugh-
tor finds Slam slashing out fifteen
musical efforts, tight in quality and
energetic in rhythms. The Lp also
has a mellow voltage that shows the
crossing of punk with rock, yet no
metal fatigue. End Of Laughter has
been released in the US to bring
Slam to a bigger audience by Sub-
core Records, 2006 35th Ave W,
Seattle, WA 98199
Ah, got the luggage draped over
the shoulder for another journey to
the land of seven-inch platters. First
stop is France and the split release
by Kromozom 4 and Heimat-Los
Spanking the black vinyl with a surge
of sound barrier speed that erupts
viciously and voraciously, Helmat-
Los continue their mad drive at in-
sanely fast riffs, while shrilling vocals
tower over the blistering momentum.
Four tracks charge at a frightful pace
with no control in sight. A new breed
of haulers is born. Flip this French
gem over and get the ear-piercing
pace of Kromozom 4, who also lash
out four crunching, rapidly paced
tracks that manage to be more
melodic than mayhemic. These
tracks feature a strong bass sound
and true French vocals over a fun,
action-packed field of guitar and
drum work. On Reseau Alternatif, clo
Nounours Roizes, 23 Ruedu Mal
Joffre, 92700 Colombes, France.
| Back Johnson
Frantic scratchings...Rascal doodlings by Brad Johnson.
Cacophonous turbulence rushing
at a 1,000 mph rate is False Liberty.
whose debut Ep moves with a raw,
boisterous beat of lightning-fast ag
gression. Gritty feedback growls out
of the chaotic twin-guitar attack and
screeches as it becomes raunchy,
ferocious distortion. Blistered tonsils
croon out a raw squawk that the
tongue whips into a speedy lyrical
delivery, charging headlong in the
fiery pursuit of savage quickness.
False Liberty hail from Seattle and
are the newest addition to a long line
of speedcore franticness, made
famous by the likes of the Fartz and
The Accused. Even though False
Liberty is young, their blow drives
the butchering cleaver down on
havoc-laden assaults with fast-paced
excitement. Seven tracks from One
Step Ahead Records, 4050 19th Ave..
Box 199, S.F, CA 94132.
Grab your hairpiece. The wall of
roaring, distorted sound scorches
with maximum effect from the raw
speedsters called Disarm. Hauling
out of Sweden, Disarm strike with a
gritting feedback sensation that con-
tains a no-holds-barred power, mak-
ing their second Ep release Domda
shellshocking blitz of potent hardcore
fever. The record, which comes in a
3-fold poster sleeve, awaits you with
four rapidly-paced tracks that smash
your cranium with sonic volleys of
vigorous guitar and bass strum-
mings, as a booming drum quakes
in the background. Vocalist Honsa
growls with a hoarse, vicious voice,
not screaming but bellowing like a
rabid dog cornered in a dark alley.
Disarm mix the best of the Swedish
hardcore sound, with piercing guitar
whines dropped in (a Swedish tradi
tion). As on their first Ep, Disarm
combines maximum acceleration
with damaging, stimulating assaults
that make this a bolting blast of
ferocious slashes. Write: Disarm,
Varmeg 1, 41732, Goteborg, Sweden.
Here is the "turn it up to maximum
volume, crank out the abrasive power
and make it as raw and fast as possi-
ble" release from Holland's Disgust.
Biting hard with a snappy grind of
bulldozing guitar distortion, set at
level 10, the chords shatter one
another and raid the forefront with an
extreme "noise destroys" effect.
packing in speed and raunchy licks.
Entitled The Last Blest, this six song
Ep hammers a flailing clamor that
spews out raspy chaotic jolts with a
shouter who busts his larynx scream-
ing out the vocal madness. Dis-
gust dish out a brutal punch.
of unrestrained havoc with a
total graunched out flavor.
Intense sound. On Hag-
eland Records, Diestse-
straat 87, 3270 Scherp-
enhvi, Belgium.
And in the sabaloging
seven-inch terror catagory
is a band from the Chicago
area called Impulse Man-
slaughter, whom I at first
thought was an Italian outfit be-
cause of their wicked, shrilling
vocalist with his violent spittings
of lyrical combustion. But here is
a band who mix a speedcore drive
with jaunting musical quickness and
brutal effect. Their music is
dominated by crackling guitar strums
as a snare drum whacks out the
pulsating beat. A few metallic strokes
blast outward and are effective in this
garage-sounding rush. Still, it's the
vocalist that overpowers this scor-
ching ensemble, with that unique
gurgling scream that you'll either like
or hate as his throat is ripped to
shreds by the furious yells. Impulse
Manslaughter strike with eight quick
tracks, thrusting blood everywhere in
a young but mean approach. These
guys could be big in Italy. Write to im
pulse Manslaughter, 4735 N.
Washtenaw, Chicago, IL 60625
All of a sudden, the state of Florida
has kicked out some recordings from
bands that have existed there for
quite some time, but have not yet
been heard by the public ear. These
bands raise the Fahrenheit with a
creative mixture of hardcore, metal
and powerful rock on discs that are
well produced and professionally
played. What makes these bands so
unique is their musical structuring
and their ability to pull off a
boisterous sound without falling in to
a typical mold. First there was
Disorderly Conduct. Now welcome
your unsuspecting brain to the im-
perial strength of Amazing Grace.
An unusual cover design welcomes
you to Amazing Grace's debut Lp.
Entities. Set the stylus down and get
in the groove with the opening track.
"Jailbait," a mixture of hardcore
roots, early Kiss and Motorhead mage.
Vocalist Steve Cambert thrusts his
crooning outward, echoing across
the full force sound, with a deep, ef-
fective flavor that works well with the
guitar chording and overall beat. The
umphf comes from guitarist Billy La
Volpe, bassist Gary Lambert and
drummer Ron Norton, who stay tight
through an onslaught of intense riffs
and head beating surges. Amazing
Grace whip up a frenzy for both
crowds and for open-minded
listeners, smashing all the right ele-
ments together with high speed and
crafty stylings. Most of this is med-
lum-paced but extremely hard. The
Lp has many memorable tracks that
linger in your brain. Bands like The
Brood, Disorderly Conduct and
Amazing Grace, that were once in
a hardcore mold have come out with
a tough rock sound that mixes it all.
up from both sides and still works el-
fectively. Hopefully it won't be lost in
the new puppies of speed. Entities
is a good, strong release available
through Amazing Grace, PO Box
7129, Hollywood, FL 33081.
The cold air smashed at your back,
the flesh ripples, screaming un-
protected as the skin begs for that
cotton. Slip on an official Puszone t-
shirt, for only $9.65 (postage and
shipping included). Send check or
money order to THRASHER,
Puszone T-shirt, PO Box 884570,
S.F. CA 94188-4570. And don't forget
to mention your size.
91