THRASHER
MAGAZINE
DANGER!!
调
NOISE FOREST
THRASHER SKATEROCK 7
Featuring S.N.F.U., Underdog, Malicious Grind, Wrecking
Crew, Uniform Choice, Subvert, Ghoul Squad, Insted, Exit
Condition, Unity, Half-Off, Mass Appeal, Hellmenn,
Brotherhood and Head First. Compiled by Pushead.
Cassette only. $7.95 plus shipping. See page 123 to order.
NEW PARDESI MUSIC MACHINE
Pump Up the Bhangra
Star Records
These multi-talented turban sport-
ing b-boys-Ragveer, Harcaran, Sil-
ider, Boota, Surinder, Doc Hachar,
and the oddly named Paul Sampson
-have provided me with my first
glimpse into the wonderful world of
East Indian hip hop. They trade
vocals in English and Hindi, play)
various Eastern and Western in-
struments, and perform sundry odd
jobs such as the screaming hoo-ha's
on "Kach Wargi Mutiar." There's also
a large cast of extras. For instance,
Captain Pugwash plays congas on
the title track while Kam scratches.
Mr. Roland S.50 provides the Tombi
on "Pardesi Pind Wich Ageya."
Essentially, the record takes your
basic Indian restaurant style popular
Eastern music, then lays on a def
beat and a wacky range of samples.
As if it weren't enough for the Pardesi
posse to topple Ofra Haza from the
pinnacle of the funny-sounding-hip-
hop caste system, they throw in a
killer 'Dubb Mix' called "Remember
This?" which is a perfectly ducky
reggae number. So
NUCLEAR ASSAULT
Handle With Care
In Effect
Spine-tingling tales of catastrophic
chaos. Brutal guitar gashing and
drum death rip forth with a heavier-
than-S.O.D. flavor Violent variation is
chosen as a way to construct each
gut cut on this slab of vicious vinyl.
"Search and Seizure" and
"Mother's Day" stand out on this
nuclear assault of hits. Unrelenting
terror and turmoil pound forth track
after track-buy or regret in hell! RR
MIRANO
NIRVANA
Bleach
Sub Pop
"BLEACH"
That's right, another Seattle rock
band. Dark, gloomy, hard-yes. Lots
of crunchy, loud guitars-yes. Long
hair-yes. You know the story, right?
Nowadays, most bands from Seattle
look and sound alike, and Nirvana
isn't much of an exception. A sound
that started out being revolutionary
has been copied so much that Seat-
tle bands seem to have created their
own stereotype.
If there are safe and unsafe
neighborhoods in Seattle, Nirvana is
IGOR'S
RECORD
probably from
the "don't come
24
XNO
COLLECTION
around here at night"
part of town. From the song titles
alone, however, you would never
know how underground and gloomy
their sound is. Imagine this: if
Metallica smoked a lot of pot and
didn't sleep for two weeks, they
would sound a lot like Nirvana. They
also throw 60s psychedelia in your
face via some poorly disguised Kinks
riffs. Nirvana will surely satisfy your
hunger for dark grunge metal for a
while, at least until Sub Pop churns
out their next batch of anti-80s rock
and roll. DO
EXCEL
The Joke's On You
Caroline
Although Excel may never fully
step out of the shadow of their
Suicidal neighbors, this new slab of-
fers up some worthwhile listening.
The band has evolved considerably
since 1987's Split Image release. Off-
tempo twists on traditional hardcore
arrangements punctuate "Drive"
and "You're Fired." Adam Seigel's
eloquent acoustic intro to "Tapping
the Emotional Void" will confound
pigeonholers, while "Affection
Blends with Resentment" builds into
such a blaring homage to Black
Sabbath that royalties should be paid
to Mr. Iommi. Their cover of the Police
classic "Message in a Bottle" is the
principal attraction. Pointless, though
well-executed (especially Dan
Clement's heartfelt vocals), it holds
up well to repeated listenings, pro-
viding the listener doesn't mind the
occasional omission of a line or
verse. The Joke's On You proves that
Excel is capable of tackling broader
musical terrain, even if they do come
across strongest on the simpler
arrangements. SM
BLACK SABBATH
The Headless Cross
I.R.S.
life crisis, two decades and a million
years removed from the band's once
staggering freshness and originali
ty. After failing miserably as a guitar
hero in his previous two efforts, Tony
has set his sights on recapturing the
immense atmospherics of Sabbath's
Ozzy years-with better than
average results. With Cozy Powell on
drums and Tony Martin on vocals,
The Headless Cross is a passable
British hard rock record. Dark is the
key here. Martin's voice echoes
pitiably over lommi's gloomy.
sometimes lyrical guitar lines. Super-
natural fascinations continue un-
daunted. It's a proven schtick, but
what else can we expect out of this
aggregation that continues to call
itself Black Sabbath? They haven't
been insightful since tomes like "War
Pigs" spilled the guts of the Summer
of Love with more blunt eloquence
and subtle force than anyone seems
willing to give them credit for. The
dinosaur lumbers on. MG
PIXIES
Doolittle
4AD/Electra
Death, mutilation, drugs, vivi-
section and deviation dominate the
subject matter of this new release by
the Pixies. The lyrics are a grim
reminder of social regurgitation
through the perversities of mankind.
"Debaser" and "Monkey Gone to
Heaven" provide an upbeat and har-
monious tempo with female back-up
vocals. More melodic than its
Sabbath's latest is another install-
ment in guitarist Tony Iommi's mid-
MOM GSM Seve Mann, 00- Danny Ornetas 50 Sadie O Mcfarlane, R
predecessor, Surfer Rosa, this Lp
makes an impressively creative
lyrical and musical statement. RR
M.O.D.
Gross Misconduct
Megaforce
Time to take the infamous Billy
Milano and Co. seriously. Bill has
finally assembled an outfit capable
of doing some real damage. Ex-
Zoetrope axeman Louie Svitek lays
down heavy, Anthrax reminiscent rif-
fing, lending the unit twice the power
and depth than demonstrated on
their debut effort (USA for M.O.D.,
recorded with an entirely different
line-up). Milano actually has a few
moments of glory in the vocal depart-
ment, too. In a surprising souped up
cover of Fear's classic "I Love Livin'
in the City" Bill manages to fully cop
Lee Ving's masterful vocalizations.
Critics ready to bash Bill's oftentimes
questionable Archie-Bunker-with-a-
Marshall-stack political sentiments
should have little to complain about
after hearing this "kinder, gentler
M.O.D." Many tracks provide helpful
hints for better living, like the self-
explanatory "No Glove No Love."
Sounds like they're an album or so
away from doing any real damage,
but this is a decent start for Mr.
Milano's latest outfit. MG
THE FLUID
Roadmouth
Sub Pop
ROADMOUTH
The location: Denver, CO. Time
period: Nowsville. I can see why they
call the album Roadmouth. It's
positively the best road raunch I've
heard in quite awhile. You too can
rule your local highway and run a few
RV's off the road with this record. The
Fluid does a superb cover of "Big
Brother" along with great cuts like
"Human Mill," "Is it Day?" and
"Fool's Rule." Throw in a little 60s
garage grunge, some rock hard 70s
stuff and a little dirgy Descendents
sound and there you have it. Gas up
your tank with The Fluid today. RR
TESTAMENT
Practice What You Preach
Megaforce
Since the days when they were
known as Legacy, Testament has
always been something of second
stringers in the Bay Area crunch
derby, coming in a (Continued on page 91)
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