OU'VE OLLIED,
GRINDED AND EVEN
SLAMMED YOUR WAY
THROUGH THE STREETS.
YOU'VE PUSHED
YOURSELF HARD AND
SO HAVE WE. BY
POOLING ALL OUR
RESOURCES
WE HAVE CREATED
THE MOST ADVANCED
AND FUNCTIONAL
SKATEBOARD SHOE
IN ANY CLASS.
OUR SHOES ARE
DURABLE, THEY
COME EQUIPPED WITH
EXTRA HEEL PADDING,
AN OLLIE ABRASIVE
PAD, RUGGED RUBBER
REINFORCED TOE
GUARDS AND ARE
AVAILABLE IN TOP GRAIN
LEATHER, SUEDE, OR
HEAVYWEIGHT CANVAS.
THE RESULTS ARE
DURABILITY, STABILITY AND
COMFORT, SECOND TO NONE.
WHEN IT'S TIME TO GET
THE MOST OUT OF
YOUR SKATING, DEMAND
VISION STREET WEAR.
PERFORMED BY
STEVE ROCCO
VISION
STREET
WEAR
TOME
THE SETTES
Roger pounding, as Agnostic Front storms the gates of speedcore mayhem.
STRAIGHT-EDGE IN YO FACE
"You smoke, you suck; you booze, you lose"
is the cry of an entire school of young, high-
powered, straight-edge outfits that have cropped
up in the last year or so. Culling such influences
as Minor Threat, DYS, Negative Approach and
America's Hardcore, positive out-look and high
speeds combine in rapid slashing combustion.
Having recently released their "Break Down the
Walls" LP (Wishing Well), Youth of Today seems
to lead the anti-drug, anti-drink charge as vocalist
Ray Cappo screams, barks and catterwhauls with
heartfelt fury and guitarist John Porcelly strikes
with on-target, speedy delivery.
Once known as Crippled Youth, the fifteen and
sixteen-year-old members of Bold are rapidly
becoming a force to be reckoned with. Having
released an EP entitled "Join the Fight" (New)
Beginning), their youthful energy and enthusiasm
come to the fore through their power-
charged delivery. "Nailed to the X," a song from
the upcoming Wishing Well compilation, tells the
story. Don't let their age fool you, either-these
guys play their hard-core with a ferver.
Another straight-edge band, Warzone, the self-
proclaimed "last of the Lower East Side Skin
Bands," has come quite a ways since their form-
ation a few years back. Their debut EP "Lower
East Side Crew" (Revelation), is packed full of
high speed, sing-a-long powerhouses with
vocalist Ray screaming his throat out all the way.
Meaty stuff, indeed.
Diverse in both musical barrage and lyrical
idealism is Underdog. Musically reminiscent of
early Bad Brains, this particularly positive (don't
call 'em straight edge) unit smacks full on. Bassist
Russell (ex- Murphy's Law) dominates the sound
with thunderous chords, which are enhanced by
Danny's straight forward axemanship. Their
debut seven-inch on the New Beginning label
showcases a unique emphasis on sing-a-longs
and melodies not heard in the bulk of Minor
Threat-derivative thrashers. Vocalist Richie
recently parted ways with the band to take up
bass in Youth of Today, thereby making way for
a new screamer named Carl. Watch this bunch
carefully.
Also keep an eye on Straight Ahead, Gorilla-
Biscuits, Youth Defense League, Side by Side
and the NY Hoods as potential gut-squeezes of
youthful hard-core furiously packing a positive
outlook.
POUNDIN' METAL
Nowhere else has the gap between the
forcefulness and idealism of hard-core and the
sweeping scream of metal narrowed so much as
in New York. Agnostic Front and the Cro-Mags,
for example, have a metallic snarl, though they
stay pretty close to their hard-core roots.
As much a "true metal" outfit as the day they
formed, Anthrax tears down stereotypes and
smashes full-on with all the grace of a Sherman
tank. Their latest record, "Among the Living"
(Island), incorporates punk-hewn energy with
Joey Belladonna's high-pitched, up-front vocals.
Earlier efforts "Fist Full of Metal" (Megaforce).
"Armed and Dangerous" (Megaforce), and
"Spreading the Disease" (Island) stressed
speed, structure and intensity, thus fully blending
the two genres.
Leeway is a name you're going to be hearing
a lot in the next few months. Initially establishing
themselves as NY's premier speedmetal outfit.
the addition of ex-Cro-Mag Mackie on drums and
ex-Agnostic Front axeman Gordan Ancis has the
band rapidly developing into a major musical
force. Vocalist Eddie bounds about the stage
snarling and howling as the band delivers a
crushing blow. Expect an LP on Rock Hotel.
Screeching a throaty rasp, Crumbsuckers
vocalist Chris Notaro leads a pounding onslaught
of true crossover brutality. Their debut LP, "Life
of Dreams" (Combat), smashes like a hammer
with the likes of "Just Sit There" plowing through
chasms of sonic sadism in a manner not unlike
later Negative Approach. When the Crumb-
suckers play live, mayhem ensues, as do mass
sing-a-longs and fervent thrashing
Hundred-mile-an-hour energy combines with
straight power metal on Nuclear Assault's "Game
Over (Combat). Joe Connelly shrieks and
strums away while ex-Anthrax/SOD bassist
Danny Lilker provides the driving backbone. NA
prove a lot stronger on Metallica-reminiscent
metal tunes.
Also keep an eye out for Carnivore, Ludichrist.
MOD, Prong and The Unjust for a taste of Apple
metal fury
PEACE LOVE AND CRASS
Although consistently ignored, NY's "peace""
bands have started to make an impact with their
ever-expanding scene. The band Nausea sport
an interesting male/female vocal trade-off with
heavy bassmanship and good song variety. The
False Prophets are notable for theatrical perfor
mances that have vocalist Stephan contorting
about the stage, occasionally utilizing a prop or
two. Also notable is APPLE. No info yet, but some
good notice.
JUST WON'T FIT IN
Ed Gein's Car scores high for a) having
beards and b) punching up a melodic rock
unheard of in the NY punk scene since the early
days of the Misfits. Their debut 7-inch "Brain
Dead Baby" and LP "Making Dick Dance" are
notable for sheer infectiousness...the kind of
stuff you walk away humming.
Straight ahead thrash merchants The Mob
plays it full throttle on their long-awaited LP, "We
Come to Crush" (Big City). Tempos and varia-
tions recall early Bad Brains in rapid but precise
blasting. Also check out Krieg Kopf, Wolfpack,
Scab, PMS, Sheer Terror, the Psychos, Virus.
Damage, Ultraviolence and a host of others for
the sound of the New York City streets.
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