How come I discovered this hot new English band in Japan? Fields of the Nephilim
are definitely the next big cult band. There is a charisma in the sound they produce
that's overwhelming. If you're a fan of The Mission or Sisters of Mercy, here's a
band that fits right in between. This LP features crafty guitar riffs that are
eerie yet dangerous with a neat gothic appeal, yet not so far out that they
become annoying. Deep haunting vocals tower over the excellent musical compositions
that even have a slight western feel. The songs on this CD all have an appeal that
makes you want to hear them again. And for thirteen tracks, it's definitely worth
the money.

The following is the January 1988 installment of Puszone

Thanks to Scott Slimm for the article.

Nah...I'm bored. It's the same old jumble, the usual meal ticket, the
depression from the inner-office politics, and sometimes certain
people just drive up the wall. Disillusionment or what? Procrastination
creeps in like a whisper and, gee, nothing's really done. So what's a
person to do when the excitement seems to be slowly vanishing? You
want ot be an optimist, but there is always that pessimist side, that
feeling of doubt. Does it all sound too familiar, is it that close to
home, is it really a negative feeling? Well, who knows? But something
has to be done, that's for sure. So what do you think, how does one react
and how can the situation be fixed or maybe just altered? Some creativity
and voila. But nah...not today, my soap opera's on at eleven and I'm feeling
lazy, anyways, so I'll look for a job tomorrow before someone or my stomach
starts naggin' at me. You know what I mean, I've got to collect my strength,
besides I think Nancy and Frank might break up today and I can't miss that,
can I?? Today's employment is the Puszone, the job of spelling
correctly as the music hammers loudly. Checking stock in the Puszone warehouse
there are still copies of the Angellican Scrape Attic flexi, and the
Will Evil Win flexi, two hot compilations.

So they say to me, "Hey, have you heard? Civilised Society went metal."
And I say to myself, now what does that mean? Do they sound like Bon Jovi
or maybe even Iron Maiden? Or maybe they mean the "new" metal, which
isn't like the old. It's all so confusing. So Shane sends ou the test pressing
and then the finished product, and I play it all the time, just enjoying
every inch. Then I think, did Civilised Society go metal, like all these
accusations? So get on with the review. Did they? Now here we have Civilised
Society with their second album, entitled Voilence Sucks, and true, there
are metallic guitar trappings all over it, obviously an influence from Metallica.
But going metal, no not really. This is that straight-forward hardcore punk sound,
crossed with an iron guitar twang that is definitely enlighting. Still, the
strength of this band is the twin vocal duties of Hammy and Bev who work in and
out of each song so well. They are a very unusual band, who capitalize on their
unique approach and combinations while hitting some heavy riffs, as well as some
uptempo sections. Metal fans may latc onto this music, but if they do,
the lyrics will shock their minds. No metal band writes anything this strong or
this sincere, but then again, maybe it is Civilised Society's intention to shoch
metal-heads. For example, take the fifth track from side A, "Treedom", with its
heavy chords and catchy choruses. The second verse really hits...

"Behind my door lies a mountain of letters/Treeflesh abounds and still more
follows/ Suddenly I'm fighting for breath/ The more paper I use the worse it gets."

Each song ruptures the mind with intense, thought-provoking lyrics. Maybe this
is too heavy for the heavy metallers?! The music will grab the attention, but will
the lyrics scare away the listener? Always the question for those weak at the
truth. Civilised Society have again packed a titanic wallop into a superb LP,
but I'm sure it will be lost in the continuing flow of crap records being released
by capitalist dodos. On Manic Ears Records.

Still floating in British waters, I wonder who these stupid idiots, The Bailey
Brothers, are and why their egos are all over this compilation titled Dimished
Responsibility, which they supposedly compiled. They must be some big metal
hot shots or D.J.'s or something, I'm sure you've lost interest by now. And I'm
also wondering why Heresy is on this LP. Even though they give explanation, they
must be desperate. Flip on side one, and this first band Adonis...well, might as
well go to the next track, since it's just another "Venom copy". Then we get to
Unseen Terror, who fair a bit better, especially for a two-man outfit. Fast speed
metal, with gruff vocals, nothing too jumpy. Next is the biggest hype band, namely
Anti-Christ who ripped off Japanese bands Outo and Confuse. These guys just taped
the Japanese bands' songs and put the Anti-Christ name to them. So now they
decided to be a real band. Speed death metal with the stupidest name yet, and
maybe the drummer only uses a snare drum and beats as fast as he can. Maximus Thraxx
come across a bit better, but again, it's unoriginal metal. These guys are young,
though, so experience will do them a lot of good. Or will it? And finally Heresy
snaps to it with their ultra-fast metallic onslaught, sounding like a sleept MDC.
Not bad. So here it is, negativity, not even at its finest, but why? This LP looks
more like a cash-in on a trend than a serious effort, and its not even worth funding.
Avoid at all costs. On BB Records. These guys look thrash metal too! Hah!!

The new 12" EP by Straight Ahead had been a long time in coming. Originally, this
band called N.Y.C. Mayhem broke out of the N.Y.H.C. scene, and they quickly got a
good cult following. The band then changed their name to Straight Ahead, had a
good demo and a few tracks on the One Step Ahead comp. 7". Word has it that some
of the members joined Youth of Today. Now, after no releases from Straight Ahead
in quite some time, Tommy Carroll has gotten it all together for this Breakaway 12",
featuring six tracks full of the famous N.Y. deep thrash sound and Tommy throating
the lyrics with tonsil strength. Grinding raw guitars, gritty with chuncky distortion,
set the pace, hitting breaks and whiny leads, as the drummer shows a bit more
originality than most of the current crop of snare smashers. It's the Straight
Ahead style with it's uptempo beats and quick starts that makes this record play
so well. This record brings back memories of the old N.Y.H.C. bands, like The
Abused and Anitdote. It comes in a simple white cover with a lyric sheet on
1 Risk Records.

Here's a rare gem out of Canada. The Fratricide/Mission of Christ split EP.
Both bands hail from the British Columbia area and are a good sampling of what's
coming from there. First is Fratricide with two tracks, "Razor piss," and "Our
Circled Adventure", that are forceful and dominant with a definite crossover feel,
like C.O.C. or Beyond Possession, yet original. The guitar work supplied by Eric is
meaty and has a thick, deep distorted tone that echoes and riffs heavily, working
slow to fast, chords complementing vocalist John's unique sound. John snarls off
the words with a scrawling note, working with each song at the right moments.
Fratricide is definitely a band to watch for. Mission of Christ fit into the
crossover arena well, delivering two tracks: the lengthy "Nocturnal serenade" with
its metal sections and beefy parts and the speedier "Crypts of Darkness", which
thrashes and bashes well with crazed metallic attacks. Both bands are fitting
for this EP and not too totally different from each other. On Final Notice
Records.

What can you say about these Japanese speedsters, except that they really are
fast and have such an angry tone? S.O.B. continue to push the pedal to the metal
and haul. In their new 12" Don't Be Swindle, S.O.B.(Sabotage Organized Barbarian)
slice out eighteen lightning fast, 1000 mph rippers that burn with a feverous fire
that lets the sweat pour from your body. Tottsuan smiles all the time, but when he
sings, it's mean angry growls that are like barks and snaps, vicious with piercing
command, a nightmare for less ripped throats. With a voice like that, you'd expect
this huge bullying figure to be ready to menace your every move. This is hardly the
case, but he's a crazed one live. Bringing up the onlsaught is guitarist Toshimi
and bassist Naoto, who create a force of distorted power that flails with chaotic
aggression, never humming or calming, always nasty and forceful, like sharp teeth
biting hard. Drummer Yasue works the kit at a mayhemic pace; slowing down is hardly
on his mind. For their second release, S.O.B. continues with the tradition they
set in their first classic EP, and it looks like this Osaka band is gaining a rather
big popularity fast. When the storm comes, it doesn't back off. On Selfish Records.

PUSZONE

Satanic Malfunction - I've Just Had About All I Can Take EP
Urban Waste - Reissue 12"
Desecration/Subverse - Split LP
My Meat's Your Poison - Comp. LP