Suburbia Suburbia SUBURBIA!

Suburbia Suburbia SUBURBIA!

I've been hard at work on my other blog Suburbia Suburbia SUBURBIA! the last few days. My partner in crime Chris S. and myself uploaded 6 posts yesterday covering rare and obscure indie, punk and metal releases from the 80's - 90's suburban New York City music scene. Here are some links to what we have been up to.

Bar Sinister - late 80's thrash metal
Sectorian - late 80's death metal
Malicious Onslaught - 80's - 90's death metal.
Permanent Damnage - 90's metal
Killpower - 90's thrash/death metal
Torment - 80's thrash metal

Also in the Metal section of the blog you will find Decomposed - Hostile Rage - Sadistik Ritual - Selective Outrage - Syianic - Riphouse.

Atlas Shrugged - 1990's NYHC

Also in the Hardcore section you will fins At All Cost - Disillusion - Geek Attack (Dan Derella Underdog).

Dough Boys - early 80's punk ... really great.

Also in the Punk Section Proper ID and Borscht.

Aenone/Nyack 90's shoegaze like swervedriver or my bloody valentine
Gibson Girls - stradle the line between indie and punk rock.

Also in the Indie/Emo /Pop section Naked Statue - Drill - Mariner Four - Dahlia Seed - Agony Flower (another band from Danny Dog from Underdog NYHC) .

Please check out the SS blog and help us spread the word about the blog and the bands that we have covered so far. Also, if you have a blog please hit me up to share links. I'd like to add more links to the SSS blog as well as Rocket Science...Dave G.

Glorious Times - A pictorial of The Death Metal Scene (1981-1991)

Additional details (below) from Blabbermouth.net.

This 160-page book showcases rare (many never-before-seen) pictures from the death metal scene (1984-1991) and instead of narration by an outside author, the stories contained in the book come from the bands and 'zine editors of the period.

Commented the authors: "We refused to conform to the publishers who wanted every bands stories (written in THEIR words) rewritten by a third party. We refused to take out our rare pics and insert promo lineup shots as the publishers wanted. Instead we sought out other photographers from the old days and found even more never before seen pictures. At the same time we also sought out a few more bands to make this version even better. We now have added 11 bands with stories from such legends as Ron Sumers (SLAUGHTER), Scott Peterson (CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER), Eric Meyer and Jim Durkin (DARK ANGEL), Joe Caper (RIGHTEOUS PIGS), Brian Lehfeldt and Shann Mortimer (WEHRMACHT), Ross Dolan (IMMOLATION) and also Rob Urbinati and Scott Watts (SACRIFICE), among others. Included, too, are pictures from the personal collections of Ron Sumbers, Scott Peterson, Brian Lehfeldt, Ross Dolan and a bunch of others.

Purchase

Metal Clogs - Rave On Records compilation 1982

Metal Clogs







Metal Clogs is a nwobhm compilation,and the first release on the Rave On label who is best known for being the label that brought us the Mercyful Fate Nuns Have No fun 12" .

This compilation present four young metal bands from Holland (3) and Belgium (1) circa 1982, and I have to say that I enjoy every single track on this record with Frankenstein being the most surprising and enjoyable band for me with their blues influenced style of NWOBHM.

All the bands on this compilation bring something a little different to the table, however the compilation has a very cohesive feel to it. Overall, if you are a fan of early Rainbow, Iron Maiden or similiar acts then this record is right up your alley...Dave G.

Overdrive - Swords and Axes - Planet Records 1984

Swords and Axes







Purchase remastered cd with bonus tracks Here

Another cool traditional metal Lp I picked up at the flea market recently. Some real good guitar work on this one, just listen to the opening riffs in the first song "Dream Away" and the excellent b-side instrumental opener " Swords and Axes" ...really excellent stuff...Dave G.

Millennium - ST LP - Guardian Records 1984

Millennium








I picked up this excellent Lp this past weekend knowing absolutely nothing about the band, however I did notice that this record was on the Guardian label who also brought us the might Mythra.

This Lp is total nwobhm goodness, there are actually more than a few moments on this records when Kill 'Em All era Metallica comes to mind. I think this one is pretty obscure and out of print but it definitely deserves to be heard...Dave G.

Murder In The Front Row - Bazillion Points Books

My copy of this book showed up in the mail today. The book has a poster style wrap around dust cover with metallica including Cliff Burton on the cover and Exodus on the flip side.

The book is loaded with 270+ pages of flyers and band photos from the heyday of thrash metal. There are many many old school Metallica photos in this book so if you are a Metallica fan I suggest you order a copy quick...Dave G



Purchase

Trip Machine Laboratories - Nyack NY

Trip Machine Laboratories is a long running hardcore label from my hometown area of Rockland County NY. The label was founded by an old friend of mine Chris W who played/plays in the NY hardcore band Atlas Shrugged . If memory serves Chris started the label to release the first Atlast Shrugged 7" and then things just took off from there.

Trip Machine Laboratories has released a slew of good records over the years and below I am going to give you a quick breakdown of a few of their most recent releases. So read, listen and support...




Living Hell are one tight motherfing hardcore band whose aural assault brings bands like Converge and Integrity to mind. Overall the music combines tight crisp full speed ahead hardcore with moments of thick/heavy slow to mid tempo passages all the while maintaining an impressive amount of hate and disgust. Living Hell are definitely worth your time if you are a fan of this style of metal tinged hardcore.

Living Hell - Blessed Are The Dead




Living Laser approaches hardcore music from a bit of a different angle than most bands, but if I had to draw comparisons to any other currently active bands I would say that Living Laser would be right at home touring with bands like the Omegas or Double Negative. The Living Laser's music moves along at a impressively tight quick pace with interesting time changes and solos popping up seemingly out of nowhere. The vocals are delivered in clean manner and help give the music that little something that makes them stand out from the pack...good stuff and highly recommended.

Living Laser - Fact Eraser



Most Precious Blood - 7" of this Brooklyn NY bands 2000 demo tape pressed to vinyl. These guys play straight up pissed off modern hardcore that worms it's way into your brain and awakens your inner demons.

Incendiary / Unrestrained splits 7" - Incendiary play modern hardcore with one foot in the 90's hardcore sound. Unrestrained stradle the same line as Incendiary but the music is a bit more metallic sounding to my ear and it possess some nice memorable riffing, dare I say the music is catchy.

Chris tells me he is about to step up the online distro at Trip Machine Laboratories so stop by the label distro and pick up some records...Dave G.

Resless - Restless Metal 7" 1984 Flying Dog Productions

Don't Understand
The Power







This 7" is much better than the band photos would lead you to believe. The band comes across looking somewhat glam metal in these photos but in reality this is a nice thick rocking slab of catchy metal leaning towards the power metal side of things and reminding me of the 80's metal band Medieval or even Tyrant (CA) with the high pitched screams in the excellent "The Power".

Anyway, Resless hailed from Northern NJ and Lou Ciarlo of Hades played bass on this 7"...give this one a listen..Dave G.

Attacker 1983 and 1986 Demo Tapes

Attacker

I wrote away to Attacker back in 1983 when I was all of 15 years old to get a copy of this demo tape, and after a week or so a Certron Tape showed up in my mailbox in a regular letter envelope. It's crazy but here we are almost 30 years later and I can actually remember pulling the letter out of the mailbox and I know exactly what the envelope looked like, however ask me what I did 2 days ago and I would have to think hard to remember.

Anyway, these tapes hold a special place in my heart as does the first Attacker Lp "Battle At Helms Deep" . It appears the entire Attacker catalog is currently out of print, so if you want to find their records and cd's at this point I guess ebay is the way to go...Dave G.

CIA - Conspiracy Demo Tape 1989

Here's a tape that seems to have been mostly lost to time as I couldn't find much of anything on the net about CIA.

Let me give a little info or at least all that I can remember about CIA. CIA was a side project of Glenn Evans the drummer of Nuclear Assault and prior to that TT Quick. If memory serves Glenn released this demo tape and another that I also have called Search & Seizure while he was playing with nuclear Assault. On this demo tape Glenn even has his buddy John Connelly of Nuclear Assault contribute vocals and bass while Glenn handles the guitar and drum duties.

There is no date on this tape but I think it came out somewhere around 1988 or 1989 as the Search and Seizure demo has a 1989 date on it, and I remember getting these tapes from Glenn not to far apart from each other.

Musically these 3 songs have a definite Nuclear Assault feel to them, especially with John Handling the vocal duties...Dave G.

New Breed Tape Compilation

I just wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that the awesome and legendary New Breed Tape compilation is officially back in print on cd and vinyl and it sounds better than ever.

Please support Wardance Records and order a copy of this one before they are gone. I understand that the silk screen version is already gone and the regular Lp version is selling quick and it's highly possible that this could be a one time pressing so get on it people...Dave G

Re-issue of this legendary NYHC compilation from 1989. The re-mastered LP version features four exclusive bonus tracks plus the original twenty page lyric booklet. There will be an alternate limited edition that will include a silk-screened "Wild Style" LP cover (200 made) available to the first 200 mail orders.

Bands on the compilation: ABSOLUTION, OUTBURST, LIFE'S BLOOD, BREAKDOWN, BEYOND, RAW DEAL plus 15 other rocking NYHC bands from that golden era.

Order from Wardance Records

Judge - Bringin It Down Gold Vinyl Revelation

I am thinking about trading away my sealed copy of this Lp. Here's a pictures of the actual record. I have a black vinyl 1st pressing so I never opened this gold / orange (depending on who you ask) vinyl copy of the final pressing which is the most limited pressing of only 333 copies.

Revelation notes that this is Gold vinyl Kevin Finn says it's orange. I know this record has some value so it is going to take something special to pry it away from me.

I would consider trading it for some other rare Rev Records that I do not have, color vinyl together comp or original early dischord records like Youth Brigade Possible 7" or Teen Idles - Minor Disturbance 7" , Antidote - thou shalt not kill 7" etc.

If you think you have something I'd want drop me an email. Don't be shy I know I am shooting for the stars with my small want list but my actual want list is much longer.

Dave88@optonline.net

NME - Unholy Death - LSR Records 1985

Unholy Death







NME - Tacoma Wa. USA


To my ears NME sound like the evil spawn of Venom and Slaughter...the Canadian death thrashers Slaughter, not that terrible 80's / 90's hair metal band.

I was snooping around the net trying to come up with a better description of NME'S music when I came across Oxenkiller's review of this record on Encyclopedia Metallum which I thought hit the nail on the head....so here you go...Dave G.

"A lot of people have compared this to Venom, and certainly those comparisons are valid. Both bands share a similar songwriting style and image. NME weren’t really a speed or thrash band in the sense that, say, Bathory, Slayer and Possessed were. Rather, much like Venom and Hellhammer, they relied on a series of mid-paced, malevolent grinding riffs and allowed the overall heaviness, atmosphere and distortion to carry the sound. However, the guitar sounds on here are far darker and more corrosive and sinister than Venom ever were; its actually somewhat indescribable: eerie and heavy at the same time. The playing is none too complex, but there is more going on than just the simple riffs. The guitar has way more reverb and distortion on it than Venom or Hellhammer, and the guitarist deliberately channels the feedback to accentuate the playing. The overall effect is one of simplicity and power, getting the most power out of each single note, mimimalism at its best. And the production values are none too pretty either but that’s the point, you just don’t want them to be. The raw minimalist production actually suits this music perfectly; everything cranked up to ten. The whole thing is paradoxically beautiful in its very rawness and ugliness".

Deathrash - Faces of Death demo tape 1986

Lockjaw







Here's some classic old school NJ thrash metal featuring none other than Tony Scaglione (Whiplash and Slayer) drums, John Scherer (Caligula) vocals and Pat Burns (Whiplash) bass.

Deathrash is still active on the NJ metal circuit, and they recently released a cd that compiles this demo, new songs and a live show from 1986 all on one disc for $10.00.

Since I know this tape is currently in print I am only giving up one song for you to sample, so if you like what you hear please Purchase a cd from the band...Dave G.

P.S. If you live in NJ, Sound Exchange in Wayne has the Deathrash cd in stock.

.

Fathead Suburbia - Control The Masses demo 1982 fan club 7"

Awesome old school NY hardcore punk band whose biggest accomplishment was landing the song "The Masses" on the Big City Ain't Too Pretty Compilation back in 1983.

What you get is fast thrashy hardcore punk music done with a heavy amount of aggression and attitude. Classic stuff...keep your eye on ebay and select distro's to grab a copy of this limited 7" reissue...Dave G. o

Bad American - 2010 - 7 " ep - Discontent Records

Doozer
Lurker







Bad Amercan

Bad American deliver one hell of a headache with this 7", and I mean that as a compliment. The bass on this record is simply pummeling and the vocals are pissed beyond pissed. If I had to describe the music I would say it sounds like power violent skate rock. Seriously, this is the kind of record that makes me feel like dishing out some violence, except for the fact that I couldn't fight my way out of a paper bag.

Anyway, give these tracks a listen and hit up the band for a copy before they are gone...I understand that they are down to their final copies and I don't think they plan on repressing this monster of a 7", so act fast if you like what you hear. .

I also understand that Bad American is currently working on a full length Lp that I am sure will be killer, so if you own a label or know someone who does then please drop Bad American an email because I want to hear more from these guys...Dave G.

Burrito Records FeAst 2003

Today I am going to do something a little different and turn the blog over to my friend Bob Suren. You may know Bob as the owner of the Sound Idea Record Store in Brandon FL (rip) or perhaps through his record label Burrito Records, or maybe still from his many musical ventures which includes Failure Face, The Flaming Midgets, Gross National Product, John Madden And The Electric Condoms and his current band Murder-Suicide Pact. Bob also hosts a weekly internet radio show entitled The Punk Rock Record Party which is a great place to be turned on to all kinds of great underground music. Anyway, at this point let me step aside and let Bob take over...Dave G.

Bob: In 2003 I got the idea to get every band that had ever been on Burrito Records to do a show at my old record store, Sound Idea, in Brandon, FL. I called it the Burrito Records FeAst. A few bands just could not do it or could not be located, but what we got was pretty impressive. Eleven bands played on day one (SAT MARCH 23,2003) and on day two, eight of the same bands played again.

Shane Hinton, a local punker, made audio recordings of every band from the first day. I can't remember if he recorded the second day or not. If he did, I don't have the recordings. Anyhow, I recently ran across these recordings, tucked away on the bottom of my file cabinet. I figure it is better to get them out there than to leave them unheard.
Shane recorded everything with a single mic hung from ceiling in the middle of the room. The sound quality is better than I expected. Not perfect, but listenable. And if you were there, this will remind you how much fun those two days were.

A lot of people were shooting pics, but very few of them ever made it to my hands. Several people were shhoting video over the two days, but I've never seen any of it.

Anyhow, here is who played on day one and what I remember about their sets...Bob Suren.

Flaming Midget: FM was the first band on Burrito Records. I was the bassist. John, the drummer flew in for Texas, but we could not find the guitarist and the singer could not make it. John and I drafted Frank Vagnozzi from Reckless Deerhunters to play guitar and Richard Halsted to sing. We practiced once and did the show. We mess up the first song and then it gets better. I started the set wearing a zarape and a sombereo but had to ditch them after a couple of songs because it was so hot.

Scrotum Grinder: SG was kind of a mess this first day. Most of their set is tuning and jokes. They were a lot better on day two.

Combat Wounded Veteran: The CWV set was short and frenzied. They got the crowd going pretty good. I think this may have been the last time they ever played.

Runnamucks: The Runnamucks were never on Burrito Records, but the intention was to have them learn a bunch of Hated Youth songs and get Gary Srtickland,the singer of HY to sing with them. But Gary didn't want to do it, so the Runnamucks just played their own stuff. They were always good live and played at Sound Idea many times.

Failure Face: The first Failure Face show in about seven years. We practiced for about 20 minutes at 10:00 AM the morning of the show without our bassist. I didn't know if we could pull it off, but I'm pretty happy with the set. I mess up the last song but other than that, it is fairly tight. This set was included as bonus tracks on the "Complete Failure" CD released by Burrito Records in 2003, now out of print.

Reason Of Insanity: ROI was always a good live band and this set is no exception. Sadly underrated and dearly missed by those who understand good hardcore.

Terrorain: Pat Lawlor, the singer of Terrorain flew into the US the day before the show and stayed up all night practicing with the drummer and guitarist of Reason Of Insanity and Sound Idea employee Sam Watson on bass. They fucking nailed it. Pat says the UK version of Terrorain never sounded this good. I'll have to take his word for it
.
Otophobia: Atlanta's Otophobia absolutely shredded on both days. The drummer from Scrotum Grinder turned to me and said, "These guys are awesome. Keep them!"

Bread And Water: One of the many times Bread And Water played Sound Idea. They were excellent every time. Amy, the singer, really goes nuts. And drummer Chris Bland is one of the nicest guys out there.

Roach Motel: I didn't believe Roach Motel would really play until they actually started playing. They had been debating back in forth by email for months about the logistics of reuniting the band members, who had moved all over the USA, squeezing in some practices and getting them all to the show. Then there were the lengthy and heated emails about what songs to play. I was fowarded copies of all of these emails. Some were very funny,like singer Bob Fetz's joking email that if the band didn't "...open with 'Sorry Ass Sucker,' I will tab George with a pair of scissors." That was the last straw for George Tabb, who decided right then not to do the reunion. They carried on as a four-piece. RM played the day before their Brandon set in their home town of Gainesville -- their first show in 19 years -- and supposedly, it was excellent. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when they finally arrived late on Day One of the FeAst. Roach Motel is an important band to me and probably the most important band in the history of Florida punk. You can hear me gush about them in the beginning of the Murder-Suicide Pact set. Anyhow, seeing them play that night was one of the biggest thrills of my punk rock life.

Murder-Suicide Pact: Roach Motel wanted to play before MSP. I didn't want to do that, but when Roach Motel talks, I listen. So, we closed the show. I do a little spiel in the beginning of this set about what Roach Motel means to me and I actually get a little choked up. I know, I'm a cornball. This was a fairly typical show for us, but with way more crowd participation. The sound quality is the best live recording of us I have heard. I had never listened to this set until about a week ago.

BURRITO FEAST MARCH 2003 #1

Flaming Midget
Scrotum Grinder
Combat Wounded Veteran
Runnamucks
Failure Face

Download #1

BURRITO FEAST MARCH 2003 #2

Reason Of Insanity
Terrorain
Otophobia
Bread And Water
Roach Motel
Murder-Suicide Pact

Download #2

Total Abuse - Prison Sweat - PPM Records 2011

Rotting Foil
Masked Killer







PPM Records : Purchase

Total Abuse have been dishing out their disturbing brand of hardcore music over the span of 3 excellent full length Lp's , a 7" and a demo tape later released on 7" vinyl.

Their new album "Prison Sweat" begins with a long creepy intro of ringing distorted guitars that will make the hair on your arms stand up. As a matter of fact my wife actually burst into the room while I was playing this record in a panic because the intro was actually scaring her and making her uncomfortable (she actually said it sounded like people were being tortured) , and at that very moment I knew this record was special.

After the intro the band throws itself full throttle into a twisted mess of swirling ringing guitars and demented sounding vocals. At times the band takes a slower approach with equally effective results. Honestly, what Total Abuse does better than most bands is set a mood with their music. It's a disturbing mood that will leave you feeling a little dirty in the end, however...feeling dirty never felt so good...Dave G.

Picture - Heavy Metal Ears - a Backdoor Holland production 1981

Heavy Metal Ears







I purchased this record based on the album title, but I am keeping it based on the excellent traditional metal / nwobhm style of music that is etched into the records grooves.

Picture who hailed from Holland play an excellent catchy style of metal similiar to early Iron Maiden and Judas Priest to my ear , however I've also seen the Saxon comparison thrown around elsewhere on the web.

If you like old school metal this record comes with my highest recommndation ...for what that's worth...Dave G.

An extensive review of this album can be read here .

X-iles - Dreamin-no / Indecision 1980

X-iles features a pre-code of honor memeber Mike Sanchez, but sounds nothing like Code Of Honor. What you get is really good punk/new wave with a singer you will either love or hate, I lean more towards loving him. The recording of this record is a bit odd also, but you'll just have to hear it for yourself....Dave G.

Flex Discography says: "Obscure '77/KBD punk from California. Catchy stuff with good melodies and extremely powerful/noisy guitars. There is a synth, too, but it stays far in the background. Cool".

Bad Omen - Demo Tape.- year unknown

Remains of A Sinner
Blinded By Hate
Lost At Sea
Dark Horizons
Evil World







I picked this demo tape up in a trade recently knowing absolutely nothing about the band. I have been unable to find any info about Bad Omen on the internet, however I have determined from the phone number in the tape that Bad Omen were most likely from Queens/Long Island NY. I have no idea how old this demo is but I am assuming late 80's early 90's. If anyone has any info about Bad Omen please leave a comment.

Musically, Bad Omen is a very competent thrash metal act. The songs are heavy and fast paced with nice thick heavy riffing and impressive soloing. This demo was a pleasant surprise and comes highly recommended to all of you old school metal heads that may be following the blog...Dave G.

Proper ID - Electric Boy / Sound The Alarm 7" - 1981

Electric Boy
Sound The Alarm







Proper Id

Here's a record you would expect to find on the KBD Records blog, however this band is so obscure I'm not sure Peter has even heard of them.

Proper ID hail from Rockland County NY, which is about 30 minutes north of NYC and just happens to be were I grew up. Proper ID formed in the early 1980's to the best of my knowledge and performed in and around NYC for 10 years at the least.

On this self released 7" from 1981 you get punky new wave music that has been criminally overlooked and deserves a listen. The A-Side song "Electric Boy" is an excellent guitar driven song that brings Devo to mind at times, where as the B-side is a rather strange and quirky song that is hard to put a finger on but is completely catchy and memorable. Give these guys a listen and spread the word..Dave G.

P.S. Visit my brother blog Suburbia Suburbia Suburbia to read about and listen to other Punk, Metal,Hardcore and Indie bands from Rockand County, NY.

Night Fever - New Blood - Tank Crime Records 2009

New Blood
This Is Copenhagen
Better Off Dead






I have been meaning to write a little something about Night Fever for a few months now but for some reason I just can't seem to put into words how awesome this record is. I guess the best description I can come up with is if you can imagine a totally over the top energic punk hardcore band with a metal screamer on vocals. At first I found the vocal approach slightly off putting, however after a few spins I realized that it's actually the totally over the top vocal approach that makes this band stand out from the pack.

Besides this excellent Lp on Tank Crimes, Night Fever also has an equally excellent 7" available from No Way records so do yourself a favor and get them before they are gone. Also, if Night Fever comes to your town go see them because they absolutely slay live...Dave G.


Purchase New Blood 2009 Lp and cassette
Purchase Transparent ep 2011 7"

The Chords - Now It's Gone / Don't Go Back - 1979 Polydor Records

Now It's Gone







The Chords

This is The Chords first single from 1979. All I can say is if you like MOD bands like The Jam then you will like The Chords. I don't have much more to add in all honesty, I mean this is a catchy MOD pop record, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that...Dave G.

Here's a little history from Wikipedia to save you from having to look it up.

"The Chords are a 1970s British pop music group, commonly associated with the 1970s mod revival, who had several hits in their homeland, before the decline of the trend brought about their break-up. They were one of the more successful groups to emerge during the revival, which was popular in the UK in 1979, thanks in part to The Jam's popularity (and their affection for mod music and style) and the release of The Who's Quadrophenia, a film centred around the mod subculture of the 1960s, and based on their 1973 rock opera. They re-formed with the four original members for a UK tour during 2010".

( Steve Scott) Steel Warriors - On The Road To Hell - 1985

Wow, this is one hell of a record. First you have to soak in the amazing cover art which is worth the price of admission alone. Then you have to actually listen to this mess of a record which is all over the place in all honesty. The A-Side opens with a satanic intro of sorts and goes straight into an okay power metal type song. The B-Side opens with a long fancy guitar solo and is followed by a totally 80's style hair metal song. I think Mr. Scott (who plays all instruments and sings on this record) could have made a better record if he had been a bit more focused. I mean are you a tough metal dude, a guitar hero or a wanna be Brett Michaels? I have no idea...sorry...Dave G.