PUSSORE
Frantic Scratchings of Nancy Smith.
The rain smashed on the rooftop
with ever changing force as the wind
blew about wildly, splattering water
against the huge bay windows of the
loft. It was a dark night, a vicious
storm, a moment to listen to the
sounds of Mother Nature thrashing
about the architectual jungle. The
electricity had gone out forty-five
minutes earlier. Candles flickered
throughout the loft-offering light
and a tad bit of heat. Maybe it was
a spooky affair, watching the
88
C
shadows from the glow of the fiery
wax dance upon the walls, or
perhaps it was just the imagination
that let the fear creep in, that created
illusions and made me sit there,
paralyzed by fright. A chill passed
through the open room. A battery-
operated clock ticked in the distance.
Little hairs stood to attention on the
shivering flesh and the tension grew.
It was here. It filled the loft. It was out
of control. It watched with eerie inten-
sity. A sharp piercing sound split the
air, like a high pitched synthesizer
note at full volume. It knew. It slith-
ered in the dark corner. It was the
keeper. The darkness became black,
a shade so deep it engulfed every-
thing in its presence. Chattering tooth
rung out a high paced beat that
ricocheted madly throughout the loft.
It smiled. Suddenly the electricity
zoomed back into the room, bringing
back to life the much needed light,
the blast of the television and the roar
of the refrigerator. It was gone. It
never really existed. It was only a
horror in the back of the mind. It was
only a moment of fear. It was a
product of being alone in the
darkness of the loft. The tension died
down, the body relaxed. The rain
continued its downpour. Then it
lapped me on the shoulder.
Is laughter in order or is it a dark
rainy night at your house? With the
start of the Puszone, maybe the eye
of that storm is winking at you. Vinyl.
tapes, etc. always needed, or send
3-22e stamps for sticker to Pushead,
PO Box 701, S.F. CA, 94101, U.S.A.
There have been a lot of new
sounds coming out of that once
infamous Washington DC. hardcore
scene. Whether this new direction
will be as influential as the first
remains to be seen. A band by the
name of Ignition has released two
seven-inch Ep's. Ignition, consisting
of ex-members of The Faith and Iron
Cross, puts out some of those
hardcore roots combined with a raw
garagey sound. Some would say a
sixty-ish and much slower, deeper
pace. On the first Ep, Sinker, Chris
Bald's chordy guitar work twangs at
the forefront, striking some crafty,
catchy notes in a heavy manner. Alec
MacKaye's vocals are not quick
bursts of screaming anger, but they
are coarse, sometimes abrasive and
uptempo. He talks/sings some inter-
esting emotional lyrics that show a
personal frustration, especially in
songs such as "Rebuilding." On the
second Ep, a joint Ignition/Dischord
venture, Ignition comes out a bit
stronger with two tracks "Anger
Means" and "Proven Hollow" raise
the energy and the tempo, showing
a lot of strength in the guitar work as
well as the drums. Alec's vocals on
"Anger Means" are reminiscent of
his brother's. In fact, people might
confuse this song for one of Alec's
brother's projects, but the music of
Ignition is a bit more powerful in
song construction and lyrical depth.
It is still the beginning for Ignition
and this new, tamer sound from D.C
But there is a force, thought and a
drive that could just come alive, even
bigger than they expect. If it does,
watch for Ignition to be at the
forefront. Write to Ignition at 3819
Beecher St. N.W., Wash. D.C., 20007
North from D.C., perhaps lost in
New Jersey, is the madcap humor of
the comic-straight-edge-hardcore
unit Crucial Youth. Only from the
land of Adrenalin O.D. could a band
pull off this combination so hilar-
iously. Crucial Youth seem to draw
from the early D.C./NY. H.C. sound
and focus on popular D.C. values in
their lyrics-all in a humorous vein.
The music is mediocre thrash, and
the vocalist is trying desperately to
sound like lan Mackaye. It's the lyrics
from the nine songs presented here
that bring on the gut ache and tears
to the eyes. From "Four Rules" (be
straight, don't be late. bench your
weight, don't masterbate to
"Positive Dental Outlook" (brush
away, brush away, brush three times
a day, brush!. I've got a positive
dental outlook.) Crucial Youth's
songs poke fun at the straight/posi
tive scene, and if any of those
scenesters take offense at Crucial
Youth, then I guess the joke's on
them. With tracks like, "Be Just Like
Me and Mr. T Those Who Curse,"
"Shave Clean," "Wake Up and Lift,"
and the amusing wit of "Be Kind.
Rewind" (when you go to the video
store, don't forget to do this simple
chore, because it can be such a bore.
do it before you go out the door. It's
just one easy step, be kind, rewind!!).
Crucial Youth hit the funny bone in
the same manner the Ramones once
did. This Straight and Loud Ep is a
classic piece, and no hardcore
should be without it. Give the gift of
music in a Crucial Youth assault. On
Faith Records. Write: c/o Dave Mad-
sen, 6 Arbor Ln., Holmdel, NJ, 07733
Snarecore: Bands that rely heavily
on continual snare drum blasts and
whacks to add headbanging fury
without using the full of the drum kit
or any of it at all; usually high in the
final mix and irritating to the utmost
degree. This seems to be the latest
trend in hardcore or metal that is just
going overboard. For the most part,
Concrete Sox's new Lp Whoops,
Sorry Vicar suffers from snarecore.
It's even hard to tell if this is the same
Concrete Sox that did their last Lp.
A grungey, metallic onslaught with a
high level of distortion is the main
feature here; it has some punk roots
in the disorderly fashion and the
lyrical content, but for the most part
this is a crossover band that crossed
over, Side B's opening track "Think
Now" starts off well. The build-up is
good, but when the fire is hot, it's just
the same as the rest of the Lp-
originality was lost before the game
began. A band like Concrete Sox
had steaming potential, but with this
Lp it seems lost. Perhaps, though,
they'll stop chasing a money-making
trend and get back to the total blast
they are capable of setting off, and
surprise the heck out of the trend-
setters. But for now, this Lp sounds
like everything else. On Manic Ear
Records, Box 666, Full Marks
Bookshop, 37 Stokes Croft, Bristol,
B52 3PY England.
Raw, feverous gut-crunching
power attacks with the anger-driven
chaos that builds up so crazily.
Malicious Grind hauls with a wicked
barrage that detonates the depth
charges of ear devastation. This
nine-song demo rages with the
ferocity of a vicious mad man
rampaging in his padded cell. This
is definitely a hardcore explosion with
some metallic influences and the
snotty, no holds barred approach of
punk. Malicious Grind packs those
punches, quick, forceful and stagger
ing. Each song fires a rapid net of
mayhem around your cranium,
squeezing hard with loud, blasting
guitars, tongue twisting vocals and
spastic drumming. The compositions
are well tormented for this three-
piece outfit. This Lp is a thrilling
adventure into a chaotic realm.
Imagine a live gig with Slayer, Poison
Idea and Malicious Grind-the
crowd would never know what hit
them. Some of the better sounds to
scream out of the speakers!
Malicious Grind, 320 Maryland #1, El
Segundo, CA, 90245
Thick, deep vocals with a gruff
tone highlight the musical strike from
Out of Order, the Chicago-based
outfit that carries on the excitement
felt in the Chicago underground
following such faves as Effigies.
Zoetrope and Life Sentence, though
I'm sure Out of Order has been
around just as long. On their debut
Lp, Paradise Lost, Out of Order.
thrusts out some vigorous kicks with
a hard edged sound that rocks fast
and carries a potent melody that is
harmonious with the inner workings
of the compositions. Sixteen tracks,
including "No Reaction," "Green
Eyed Monster," "The Ripper"
"Suicide Lullaby" and a great ren
dition of the Batman theme,
"Gotham City prove the strength
and stamina of this powerful Chicago
band. Out of Order grabs your
attention with catchy rhythms that set
your brain pace and hypnotise your
insides to move with the gritty flow.
The guitar work is sure fire, to the
point, roaring with a "Sound the
charge!" efficency, while the bellow
of Devon's vocals brawl outward in
barely controlled, growling ferocity.
Exceptional stuff that is aggressive
and tight. The press kit describes this
band as speedcore but I'd say far
from it; it's more like straight-forward,
hardcore punk that would appeal to
all rockers. Inventive and dynamic.
On Walk Thru Fire, PO Box 594 M.
Bay Shore, NY, 11706
Salt Lake City. Not a town you hear
frequently when the subject is hard-
core bands, but there's always the in-
famous Raunch record store,
reknowned for its unusual stock. Now
Raunch has decided to get into the
record label business. Their first
release is by SLC's The Stench.
The Stench have the rocky hardcore
sound that is similiar to recent Gang
Green but quicker. Vocalist/guitarist
Terrance croons in a high pitch that
soothes the ear over the instrument-
ation of this three-piece unit. "Fast
Flag" is catchy and has an upbeat
garage feel, which gets the mood
going for this six-track Ep. It's an
over-all unusual sound from this
S.L.C. band that, perhaps with the
help of Raunch, will get some
recognition. Raunch, 375 W. 400 S.
Salt Lake City, UT 84101.
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T-shirt, PO Box 884570, San Fran-
cisco, CA 94188-4570
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