Youth of Today.
CHAPTER TWO
Three years had gone by and I was
still in the lair of the lamia. I was the
server of her meals, but there was no
love, only the lust which compelled
me to feed her. For the first time in
centuries, my desire for her had
begun to fade. After all this time, un-
controllable emotions arose in me.
The hunger still existed, the crimson
flowed at feeding time, but now I saw
her in a different light. For the first-
time since the encounter I actually
noticed another woman. Sure, I had
seen hundreds, thousands of them,
but none of them had ever stirred my
insides like this one. She was
beautiful, charming and compas-
sionate. Her eyes haunted me from
the moment we met. Our visits
became frequent, but she remained
unaware of my true identity. My
excuses for feeding were carefully
planned. We slowly fell in love. Our
love was strong and everlasting, but
PUSPINE
I was still enslaved to the lamia.
Something had to be done.
Despite what the legends and
myths say, there are only a few things
which can destroy our immortality.
Like Superman's weakness to Kryp-
tonite, our worst enemy is the sun.
One flash of its rays can sear away.
the flesh. True, we have been seen
in daylight, but we always use ex-
treme caution. Latex masks which
duplicate our faces protect like a
charm if the insides are pre-coated.
My love for this mortal was so strong.
I decided to end my enslavement to
the lamia, but there was only one
way: death. In order to kill the lamia
I had to tell the mortal woman what
I really was, and convince her to help..
It was all too easy, she agreed with-
out hesitation.
Feeding night arrived. We had a
small shed isolated in the forest
where a lot of the feedings took place
and the lamia slept afterwards. That
would be the place. When I arrived
there with my new love, we were
lucky to find the lamia gone. We only
had a few hours at the most. The
lamia had left early for her date.
tonight's feeding, and she didn't ex-
pect me till later. We brought rope.
KEN SALERNO
hammers and my protective disguise
to the dilapidated hut. The mortal
woman gasped in fear as she
entered its dusty confines. We used
the hammers to seperate the walls
at each corner so they were standing
without support. I strung rope from
I-hooks on the outside of the walls,
over tree branches, and connected
them all to the main rope which,
when cut, would make the four sides
collapse. Then I added a fifth and
sixth rope which hoisted the roof up.
Since the shed was so small, this
was easy to do. We walked into the
woods and waited for the lamia and
her date to return. I explained to my
mistress that she should go to the
woods where I would meet her later.
I didn't want her to witness the
feeding. When we met, I would don
my sun protection and cut the rope.
Only one question remained. What
would happen to me when I des-
troyed the one who controlled me?
The lamia approached with her
date. She laid a blanket on the cold,
leafy ground and started to tease
him. I wasn't jealous, this was
routine. He went down easy. The heat
of his blood splashed onto my skin.
I shook for a moment. I fed. Then the
lamia fed. I heard a muffled gasp in
the distance, but I didn't look up. I
don't think the lamia heard. My true
love was watching. The lamia moved.
to the shed to sleep. I was to clean
up the mess as usual, and stay away
from her. When I finished, I found my
chosen companion sobbing at our
spot in the woods. I calmed her down
as she helped me put on my protec-
tive covering, leaving no room for the
sunlight to enter. My hands shook.
I shivered and told her to stay hidden
while I went to the shed and waited
for the sun.
Mist floated above the ground as
the sun rose, full of strength and
brightness. I waited until it was com-
pletely visible then I started to cut the
rope, fraying it down piece by piece.
The suspense was heavy as I neared
the final cut. The mystery of what
would happen made my heart
thump. I closed my eyes and sliced
the rope. The branches sprang up-
ward. I looked up toward the shed to
see the walls falling. A rush went
through my body. The lamia stood up
staring at me. She knew! She was
wearing her protective covering. I
trembled as she started to walk
toward me. Suddenly, my human
sweetheart flew out from behind a
tree. My eyes widened. She grabbed
the lamia's latex mask and ripped it
off her head. A scream roared
through the forest as the sunlight
burned the lamia's flesh, making her
head burst into flames. Pain shot
through my body as the lamia fell to
the ground, flesh smoldering. Her
screams slowed and stopped as her
existence expired. I was still alive. I
looked over to my darling, who was
crying in fear as the ashes of the
lamia blew across the ground.
Well, it's been a couple of months
since that happened and I am so
happy now. My mortal love, well,
she's not so mortal now. She always
told me she wanted to be a vampire!
Yeah, Puszoners. My cousin leads
a wild life, although it's not my kind
of excitement. It still bugs me when
he asks me, "Haven't you ever
wondered whose blood runs when
you kill a mosquito?" Anyway, let's
get on to the Puszone and this
month's musical bites. Ha ha. Send
three 25-cent stamps for a sticker to
Pushead, PO Box 701, S.F, CA 94101
USA. And thanks for your support!
Despite their huge cult following
which extends far beyond their home
port, and despite the fact that they
have continued to pack a wallop of
hardcore intensity, Poison Idea have
yet to see the success they deserve.
These humongous lads from
Portland are far more talented than
a lot of other bands that make money
from quick sales with crap sounds.
Naturally, this leads to frustration for
Poison Idea. Still they go on, each
new tune sounding better than the
last (although those early demos still
shine brighter than this year's hot
crop from the competitors). In their
discontent, Poison Idea have decid
ed to go back to their do-it-yourself
roots. They have recorded four tracks
for a band-released 7" Ep entitled
Filth Kick. Now, if you don't know
Poison Idea, this would make a fine
introduction, and if you do, prepare
to rock again. This is top grade,
volcanic, meat and potatoes hard-
core that just doesn't quit. The band
erupts with rip roaring guitar volleys
and splashing drum wallops. Up in
the foreground is main man Jerry A.
hawking a harsh batch of raw larynx
chords. The four tracks, "Hangover
Heart Attack." "Drug Revival,"
"Ballad of a Pre-Op" and a cover of
the Damned's "New Rose." refute
the words of those whiny adolescent
types who keep saying punk's dead.
Poison Idea is a truly legendary force
and they don't have to die to prove
it. Collect four dollars for this "Filth
Kick" Ep or just write in your support.
We wouldn't want to see this classic
madness put on a hanger. Poison
Idea, c/o Jerry A, 1429 SW. 14th #412,
Portland, OR 97201.
Here is another top flight seven-
inch platter from Revelation Records.
Perhaps it's the best release to date
on this label. The band is Gorilla
Biscuits, and these young New
Yorkers exemplify the new genera-
tion of hardcore energy. The six
tracks take a posi-core musical
stance with personal lyrics that relate
feelings and attitudes of inner
strength. The chord driven assault
never goes overboard. It's raw,
tuneful and harmonious, and still
holds a steadfast beat. Crunching
guitars echo out over each track;
distorted, raunchy riffs that kick back
and whine before exploding full tilt.
Vocalist Civ takes an unusual sing-
ing approach. His voice seems high
and strained, popping in places, but
it works with the music. A new breed
of hardcore is burning up the East
Coast, and Gorilla Biscuits has
definitely done its part to stoke those
flames. Gorilla Biscuits renew the
faith of the older fans and keep the
new crop slamming and smiling with
enthusiasm. On Revelation, PO Box
1454, New Haven, CT 06506.
Maybe it's stubbornness, but Lip-
cream will not back off. This band
continually puts out records, tours
Japan, and returns to work normal
jobs on Monday morning. To say they
are dedicated to their music would
be an understatement. Recently
bassist Minoru was hit by a car and
suffered crushed bones in his back.
He was laid up for months, yet Lip-
cream continued their summer tour.
These Tokyo crazies live and breath
their rebellious punk culture. Lip-
cream's newest Lp, Close To The
Edge, shows the growth of this band
and the power of the Japanese
thrash style. They emit non-stop bar-
rages of gripping energy that churns
fast and furious, melting butter at low
volumes. This is not just a hop, skip
and a jump, it's true sweat and
stamina. Eighteen blitzkreiging
tracks motor their way into one
another with rapid-fire guitar notes
that zip out from Naoki's fingers and
thick bass courtesy of the kind man
Minoru. Jha Jha has lost touch with
reality and screams insanely, still
keeping beat with the chaos as he
pours out his insides. The members
of Lipcream do this night after night
with a frenzy that has built up their
reputation as Japan's top thrash act
If you haven't experienced it yet, be
prepared. On Selfish Records.
Speaking of Japan, watch for new
releases by Nightmare, Crow and a
new Lp by Outo. Outo's guitarist Kat-
sumi supposedly will leave soon and
join the re-formed War Painted City
Indian, which original members Fun-
nyara and Sin are bringing back.
That was one powerhouse of a unit,
so watch for a release in 1989.
It's happening more and more
these days-a crossover, not just in
the music, but domestic labels.
releasing foreign products and
foreign labels releasing domestic
products. Here we see the debut by
the East Coast's Lethal Aggression
entitled Life's Hard...But That's
No Excuse At All! on the German
Funhouse label. What we have here
is snotty thrash run amok, rapid
speed that goes nowhere while a
menacing snare drum beats itself to
death in one place. You ultra-thrash,
metal-core, 1,000 mph fans should be
delighted by the crossover sounds
and metal guitar riffs all thrown into
a blender and turned to max speed.
Meanwhile, the vocalist talks/sings in
a crude, aggressive manner. Sounds
like an attempt at garage warfare and
the beginnings of a thrash band.
Nothing too exciting except that it
cruises. For the truly devoted brain
cell loss thrusters who eat up
snarecore. Funny in parts. Funhouse,
Postfach 2069, D-3000 Hannover I
West Germany
Like above, here's more of the
same, only with a bit more variety and
a total lack of appeal. The band is
Vancouver BC. Canada's Adversity.
and they combine a mixture of COC
type metalcore thrash with the
unrelenting speed of D.R.I., all wail-
ing with rapid chords and a hollow
snare drum that is very annoying.
What's promising here is the straight-
forward lyrical content and the focus
on political/social manners. Unfor-
tunately, you won't know about the
lyrics because they're drowned by
the hardcore/metal madness.
Though interesting, this isn't my cup
of tea. On Manic Ears, PO Box 531,
Bristol B599 1NG England, the album
is entitled Lost It All. I guess that's
a fitting description.
The band that seems to be leading
the East Cost posi-barrage of late is
Youth of Today. When the word got
out, or should we say rumors started
flying, about the reported sum Youth
Of Today got paid to do this Lp, some
people were up in arms. Not that this
sum was any of their business.
Regardless of the amount, We're Not
In This Alone is out and screaming.
Unfortunately, it seems that the
aforementioned cash was not spent
on recording costs, as the production
on this new release is just plain bad.
The band sounds like it's lost in boil-
ing water, fighting to cool down. I am
surprised that a reputable label
would put out low-quality material like
this. Perhaps it happened during the
cutting, but the amount of noise
leads me to believe that the dB levels
have maxed out and distortion is
overriding true fidelity. It's intolerable
at times. Aside from that fact, Ray.
and the crew have knuckled their
brains together and come up with at
fiesty selection of aggressive jams.
Starting with "Flame Still Burns," the
onslaught begins with a band set on
being the next S.S. Decontrol.
Porcell's guitar work is effective for
the attack, grinding with forceful
strums, changing with commanding
power and pushing the musical fist
forward. Ray's vocals are all twisted
snarls and wicked growling bites. It's
the stuff Youth of Today is made of:
raw, raunchy and solid as a brick. It's
hard to understand why they would
write a song like "Potential Friend"
without first comprehending the
situation. It has a positive stance, but
it needs psychological research,
since this is a difficult topic. Youth of
Today are trying, but the growth
needs to come from within, Positive
reinforcement to a band that means
well. On Caroline.
So many demo cassettes come in
these days, the deck is brimming
with reels. Slowly, the good ones get
sifted out. Hidden in the stack, yell-
ing for attention, is the demo from
Visual Discrimination, a band from
Orange County. These Cali-cores
know how to push with musical force.
Visual Discrimination mix a loud,
raunched-out guitar with a straight-
edge/posi-core sound full of chord
breaks and harmonies. V.D. zoom
without getting lost in the speed void,
throwing in a few leads to knock the
wax outta yer ears. It's a non-stop
rhino charge that has a thunderous
sound with deep bass and drum
power. Vocals are up front, not too
demanding, spurting the message
through. The musical compositions
are clever even in the shortest of the
songs while retaining that classic
L.A. sound. The tracks, "Those
Drugs" "Theft of the Age." "Higher
Standards," "Liars," "Point the
Positive Finger" and three more
make up a good sounding demo.
Another band with a lot of strength.
Write to Visual Discrimination, PO
Box 2697, Cypress, CA 90630.