December 1988


The following is the December 1988 installment of Puszone


Thanks to Scott Slimm for the article.



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, uncontrollable 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 compassionate. Her eyes
haunted me from the moment we met. Our visits became frequent, but she
remained unaware of my true identity. My execuses for feeding were
carefully planned. We slowly fell in love. Our love was strong and
everlasting, but I was 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' weakness to Kryptonite,
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 extreme caution.
Latex masks which duplicate our faces protect like a sharm 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 without 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 expect me til
later. We brought rope, 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 dodn'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 destroyed 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 out spot in
the woods. I calmed her down as she helped me put on my protective 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 completely 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 upward. 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
martal 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.

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 decided 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
hardcore 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 and just write in your support. We wouldn't want
to see this classic madness put on a hanger.

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 generation of hardcore energy. The six
tracks take a posi-core musical stance with personal lyrics that relate feeling
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 singing 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 stroke those flames. Gorilla Biscuits renew the faith of the older fans and
keep the new crop slamming and smiling with enthusiasm. On Revelation.

Maybe it's stubbornness, but Lipcream 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 care and suffered crushed bones in his back. He was
laid up for months, yet Lipcream continued their summer tour. These Tokyo crazies
live and breathe their rebellious punk culture. Lipcream's newest LP, Close to
The Edge
, shows the growth of this band and the power of the Japanese thrash
style. The emit non-stop barrages of gripping energy that churns fast and furious,
melting butter at low volumnes. This is not just a hop, skip and a jump, it's true
sweat and stamina. Eighteen blitzkrieging tracks motor their way into one another
with rapid-fire guitar notes that zip out from Naoki's fingers and thick bass
coutesy of the kind man Minoru. Jha Jha has lost touch with relity and screams
insnely, 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 Katsumi supposedly will leave soon and join the re-formed War Painted
City Indian, which original members Funnyara 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 thse 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 Coats's Lethal Aggression entitled
Life's Hard...But That's No Excuse at All!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 up 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.

Like above, here's more of the same, only with a bit more variety and
a total lack of appeal. The band is Vancouver B.C. Canada's Adversity, and they
combine a mixture of C.O.C. type metalcore thrash with the unrelenting speed of D.R.I.
all wailing 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. Unfortunately, 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, the album is entitled Lost It All. I guess
that's a fitting description.

The band that seems to be leading the East Coast 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 Alon
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 bands sounds like it's lost in boiling 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 a 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, charging 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, yelling 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 wiuth a lot of strength.