KRZYCZ

It's been a few years since I pulled this one out, and Trauma is still an absolute monster. Oppressively dark and epic late '90s Polish hardcore with drawn out forays into ambient and improvisational interludes (someday, let's talk about how the horns in "Blind Love" should not work, but work so damned well, and when the vocals join the madness after the jam in the middle...the intensity is sublime) offering little respite from the power. Deadly, searing high register vocals and comparisons (flattering) to Word As Law-era NEUROSIS and '90s Per Koro metalcore are both justified and well earned, but I think that KRZYCZ hold up brilliantly on their own. As with most '90s Polish stuff, this one is pretty easy to track down on wax if you keep your eyes open...and I suggest that you do. 

TRAUMA

WŁOCHATY

Fourth full length from some of my favorite Polish anarcho punks. The guitars are inimitable in tone and presentation, and the combination of fierce political punk and hopelessly addictive pop tunes is one that has always worked well for WŁOCHATY. Fourteen songs, not a dud in the bunch, and still available from Nikt Nic Nie Wie - some things should always be in print. 

DROGA OPORU

ŚMIERĆ KILINCZNA

The second volume of Punky Reggae Party (find the first tape here, hard to believe that I posted those tracks more than five fukkn years ago). I'm going to avoid a history lesson, primarily because I know little about ŚMIERĆ KILINCZNA aside from their two 45s on Tonpress, these two cassettes, and the things you find when you slip down an internet hole....like this insane video for "Paciorek" (a more subdued, yet weirder, version of that track can be found on Punky Reggae Party cześć 1). Basically, I know that ŚMIERĆ KILINCZNA were a band of Polish punks active in the early '80s who bridged punk and reggae sounds and approached everything with an intellectual weirdness that is difficult to describe. Favorite jammer on this installment is "Robinson," but this might simply be because it rocks harder that any of the tunes aside from the untitled and impossible to digest final track, a free form rocker that sadly falls victim to age and the physical limitations of magnetic tape. Their normal approach was steeped in reggae/punk, but these two tapes forgo the latter for the former, and you should prepare yourself for extended jams and gratuitous guitar solos...not that I'm complaining. I can't pretend that these tracks weren't a hard toke at first, but context and concentration is everything, my friends....and now I find myself binging on these two tapes with almost alarming frequency. If nothing else, this version of "Edukacja" from the second Tonpress single is really really cool.

PUNKY REGGAE PARTY cześć II

HOMOMILITIA

Anyone who lived through the '90s should know this band. One of the first Polish acts from the DIY scene that made it to North American shores, HOMOMILITIA were as renowned for their pro-queer, anarchist politics as for their relentless dual vocal crust whirlwind. Yes, I know my copy has a few defects...I've listened to it a lot of times.

NISZCZ RASIZM, ALE NAJPIERW W SWOJEJ GŁOWI

APATIA

Anyone who's toured Europe has undoubtedly seen APATIA tapes and CDs filling distro boxes, especially as you head east. We were predictably entertained at the title of their 2000 full length 100% Vegetarian Band, and that was probably what made me check the band out in the first place, but I came back from that trip with a few different APATIA tapes that still get regular attention today. Energetic Polish punk that nods at mid '80s UK anarcho (I'm thinking later SUBHUMANS) instead of the two chord UK82 stomp that is (and has been) so often emulated, these tracks were recorded in 1992 many also appear on the Wlka Czy Apatia? CD (also released by Nikt Nic Nie Wie). Light years from brainless hardcore, bands like this remind me how refreshing it can be to listen to bands who are....well, who are light years away from brainless hardcore.

BÓG, HONOR, OJCZYZNA, FASZYZM

WŁOCHATY

While I hesitate to call WŁOCHATY "legendary," their quarter century of Polish anarcho punk should certainly put them in that category. Multiple vocals spitting far left politics amid a blur of lightning speed angular hardcore, lazy horns lurking (mostly) in the background, and a presentation that is the very embodiment of "in your face." WŁOCHATY liberally use samples and interludes to break up the flow of Wojna Przeciwko Ziemi (War Against The Earth) - take the more than two minute intro to "Ostatni," for example - which helps the feeling that your are listening to a complete thing...because you are. This 1996 release might be my favorite of theirs (Droga Oporu is very very worth your time as well), there's something about the combination of UK anarcho (think the choppy, CRASS-esque approach) and sharp Eastern European punk that hits just about every nerve. 

WOJNA PRZECIWKO ZIEMI

Still in print and available from Nikt Nic Nie Wie.

REJESTRACJA

Aside from their 1985 split tape with ABADDON, the only REJESTRACJA releases were comp tracks and blasts on various compilations (including their tracks from Jak Punk To Punk, which are obviously fantastic). The first time I went to Poland, this band was presented to me as a thing of legend; live tapes and stories passed between friends over the years but few actual studio documents of this band that should be filed alongside SIEKIERA, DEZERTER and TZN XENNA in that country's seminal first wave. I got this tape on that trip, a late '90s reissue of a 1985 live show and recordings from '82...screaming and absolutely crucial Polish hardcore punk. If you don't know, this this is a good place to start.

REJESTRACJA

POST REGIMENT

My history with this band started in 1998 when I was driving BY ALL MEANS from Italy on their tour with AVAIL and BOY SETS FIRE. After the Memphis show, a friend of mine got piss thrown on his from a rooftop when he left the venue, a reaction to the table of politically left leaning books and literature he was peddling at the show (the Italians, of course, though this was fukkn insane...we explained to them that it was, in fact, Tennessee). We went back to Paul's place and, after a meal and a pleasant visit, we all started to forage for sleeping spots - I lost the musical floor space contest and was about to retire to the hopelessly hot and humid van when Paul offered his air conditioned bedroom (thanks, buddy). He put the Czarzły LP on as we laid down and I fought to stay awake so I could hear more of these magical sounds - I had never heard melodic punk like that before, and I didn't want to miss any of it (though I missed a lot because sleep always wins eventually). I snagged the Tragedia record shortly thereafter (and the others shortly after that) and joined the cultish legions that had figured out that there was a band in Poland doing something really really special. In Lublin a few years later, I picked up this 1988 POST REGIMENT demo (it was one of many that I bought on the suggestion of our hosts....and the only one that I still own); rough, low fidelity (at least on this initial recording) and absolutely brilliant melodic punk that deserves to be uttered in sentences with DEZERTER and ARMIA, there's something indescribably special about many bands from this time and place. Though Nika's voice doesn't really appear until the second side of this demo, you can hear the band's sound developing though the tracks...and when she does start singing you can hear a legend in its infancy. There seriously are not enough words for how good this bands is....my only apology is that this cassette is not first generation and is therefore a bit hissy (what do you expect for a mere seven złoty?), but I feel like that's exactly how this should be heard for the first time. So please do. 

16 LATKA

DRUGS & POLITICS

Early '90s metallic and engaging Polish punk. I really like these sounds, even though I would guess that the band were aiming for something that I wouldn't like. Does that even make sense? Maybe the second sentence is confusing, but those of you who were intrigued by the first sentence should get amongst this shit immediately. You're welcome.

DRUGS & POLITICS

HIPOKRYZJA

Ignore the cover (I actually considered not posting it because the full color amateur photoshop so blatantly dates this release) but dig the jams...please. How many bands like HIPOKRYZJA must there be? Earnest and fierce Polish punk along the lines of masters like ARMIA and TZN XENNA, but this tape comes from 1997, when the style was (perhaps?) out of vogue at home but the internet had not yet become the great geographical equalizer. This tape is almost an hour long, and parts of it might be too produced and "modern" for some, but take a look at some of the other shit that QQRYQ released (POST REGIMENT, SCHIZMA, CITIZEN FISH, DEZERTER, loads more...) and perhaps you will decide that diving into Nie Jesteście Inni is a good idea. And you will be correct.

NIE JESTESCIE INNI

TROMPKA POMPKA

You can practically smell the cheap black market alcohol wafting up from this Polish trio. Male/female vocals and a painstakingly lumbering punk gallop, this is rudimentary chaos at its finest. Hints of classic Polish punk, heaps of sloppy magic...just look at these fukkrs, because that's what they sound like.

TROMPKA POMPKA

JANUSZ REICHEL // GUERNICA Y LUNO

The concept of putting two completely different artists on a split is a good one, but the execution often leaves a bit to be desired...that's certainly not the case here. GUERNICA Y LUNO are charging, passionate hardcore - hints of metallic influence in the guitars and and brilliantly forceful vocals. JANUSZ REICHEL played in ZIMA during the late '80s, but these tracks are haunting psychedelic folk weirdness, acoustic guitars and layered vocals work together to create a mood that is hard to shake even after the tape is over. I would have thought the hardcore tracks would be my jam, but even though they are great I find myself drawn to the quiet intensity of the acoustic material...and I wish my Polish was better. 

Abyś Wiedział, Że Nigdy Nie Przegrasz

BOMBA W TORCIE

Abrasive and antagonistic crusty (but bizarrely technical) Polish hardcore from the mid '90s. Kinda like the chaotic Per Koro shit that kicked us all in the ass back in "those days" (how many can speak at length about the first time we heard Two Hours To Doom?) but with a crazy infectious bent. BOMBA W TORCIE punches you in the brain, something that so much current hardcore seems to have forgotten how to do.

ANARCHIA 666

THE CORPSE

I've posted tapes from THE CORPSE in the past, but everyone can use a little refresher on occasion...and these tracks are far and away my favorite from the band (at least this week). A few tracks appeared on 1984's split with MOSKWA, but by the 1988 release of Skazani Na Ból! their assault had become faster, more precise, without losing one shred of the raw intensity that sets them apart from throngs of late '80s hardcore/thrash.  The chops are undeniable (combine the most essential moments of Eastern European punk, US crossover and Japanese hardcore), but the fire with which THE CORPSE deliver their fury transcends genres. This is absolutely mandatory listening. If you don't know, then it's time to learn.

SKAZANI NA BÓL!

REGRES

Straight Edge hardcore with unmistakable Polish roots, REGRESS have grown heaps since this 2001 debut, but it's the first thing I heard from the band and still probably my favorite release of theirs (though the new record, while maybe more emotional and less hardcore, is really really good). You can tell that they still have room to grow on this tape, but that might be part of why I like it so much. I snagged this from Refuse Records while in Poland in 2003 at the label's 10th birthday bash. The 20th is coming up soon (well, the Berlin show was last week and the Warsaw show is next week)...THE CORPSE, TZN XENNA, CATHARSIS, O INIMIGO, COKE BUST, REGRES and more...damn.

REGRES

STRACONY

Few "modern" bands have so perfectly captured the vibe of early anarcho punk as well as Poland's STRACONY. Notice that I didn't say they recreated the sound, but rather they take ownership of the sound and combine it with their obvious '80s Polish punk roots. Female vocals chant stiffly in front of the music, accompanied only sporadically by equally sharp male backups while angular guitars feel like they are jabbing at you instead of playing you a tune. Nowy System was released in 1997, their second cassette full length, and the two 12" slabs are also well worth hunting down (Uwazajcie - Bomby Wisza Waszymi Glwami from 2000 and 2007's split with VIA MEDIA). Insistent and fiercely punk, I love this now as much as I did the first time I heard it.

NOWY SYSTEM

SANCTUS IUDA

Raw political hardcore/crust from Poland...you don't really need any more than that, do you? SANCTUS IUDA came from Białystok and dished out a handful of split releases (with SARCASM, SHARPEVILLE, DOG ON A ROPE) and this 1995 that was later put to wax. Dig in.

Rząd Korporacje Wy/Zysk

DAUERRAUSCH 4

A 21 band solidarity compilation released to support the Autonome Kulturzentrum in Hanau, Germany (a squat near Frankfurt,  active since 1986). Melodic acts like PEACE OF MIND and KELLERBASSELN reek of the catchy but powerful political punk of the '90s, while Poland's HOMOMILITIA start the tape off with relentless dual vocal crust. Other highlights include SCUM OF TOYTOWN (comparisons to early CHUMBAWAMBA are not out of line), ROTZLÖFFEL and GEHRINSCHLAG (totally blown out noise drenched D-Punk), KÜPPERS ROTE ZONENKUGEL and PANZERKROIZA POLPOTKIN, whose dark minute dirges could easily inspire new legions of goth obsessed jungen. The tradition of gruff German street punk is well represented also (REICH & SCHÖN, KINDLE, MARKSMAN), and while there are surely a couple of clunkers (30 songs here, what do you expect?) this is top quality from a slew of lesser know late '80s/early '90s acts. 

DAUERRAUSCH 4: A Soli-Sampler für das AKZ Hanau

THE CORPSE

A seriously under appreciated Polish hardcore assault. Refuse released a CD that I hyped a while back, but those of you who didn't listen to me can shove these eleven rippers into your earholes. Absolutely primal thrashing sounds with unmistakable Polish punk roots. These tracks come from a split with MOSKWA (whose tracks are patiently waiting for you at Escape Is Terminal) released in 198something (methinks 1986, but me can't really remember).  There is no logical reason that this band's logo shouldn't grace the back of every vest in hardcore...you don't have to always believe me, but when I say that this tape will slay you, I am telling the truth. 

THE CORPSE

WORLD CLASS PUNK

Jakke handed this gem off to me when I was in New York a few weeks back, a brilliant picture of international early '80s hardcore and punk. Compiled by Mykel Board and released by ROIR in 1984, World Class Punk gave a peek into scenes in corners of the world often overlooked, especially in the pre-interweb infancy of punk. COPULATION (Switzerland) dish out a dark post punk dirge that might steal the whole tape for me,  POP GUNS (South Africa) sound like JOE JACKSON - just brilliant pop, WARRIORS OF THE LAST DAYS (Columbia) slog through a wholly inept number with a determination that cannot be faked - though France's NÉVROSE make a case for being even more brilliantly chaotic while CCM (Italy), BASTARDS (Finland), BGK (Holland), RATOS DE PORÃO (Brasil), PURRKUR PILLNIKK (Iceland), DEZERTER (Poland) dish out the kind of quality they are famous for. Sweden's DANSA SKIRKER blew me away and Spain's SLIPS Y SPERMA are raw hardcore brilliance. File this one in the mandatory column, and read Mykel's liner notes here or buy yourself a copy here.

WORLD CLASS PUNK