PAHAA VERTA // YDINPERHE

Pure Finnish cream. Previously released tracks from two of Finland's most killerest fastcore rippers, combined for your ease and convenience. Both bands are lightning fast, and both manage to cram hooks and grooves into their distinctly Finnish takes on a style of breakneck that you might have thought went the way of the wall of noise guitar or delay-laden vocals...none of that here, young punks, just burner after burner after burner until it's over and you do it all again. Top tracks: "Tyhjaí Staí Vituts" from PAHAA VERTA (that double snare crack in the intro? soooo good) and "Jaíaí Kiekkoilija Jumalan Armosta" from YDINPERHE (probably the most "Finnish" sounding blast on their side, and when they go fast on this one? watch the fukk out). Well worth tracking down the wax too...but that's for someone else's blog.

PAHAA VERTA // YDINPERHE

HUMAN ERROR // PSYKOANALYYSI

I can't think of a current band who dishes out this brand of DBeat brutality as well as Budapest rippers HUMAN ERROR. Every song is a whirlwind, and everything is delivered with relentless precision...after a few tracks I can't really do anything but sit with my mouth half open and numbly nod along - more that 15 years in the game and these kids have only gotten more intense.  PSYKOANALYYSI, Finland's offering to the split are more metal in both presentation and production, with high pitched vocals instead of the guttural roar typically associated with meaty euro DBeat. Their fast parts are faster, there's more blasting, and they are completely comfortable slowing down to a GENOCIDE SS pace and crushing you with patience (eg: "Kaupan Jonossa"). But the highlight of their side is the final 45 seconds, the breakdown that closes "En Anna Anteeksi" is worth the price of admission on its own, and makes the rest just seem like a juicy bonus. Both bands are absolute crushers, and have been flying under the North American hardcore radar for way too long.

HUMAN ERROR // PSYKOANALYYSI

LORD FIST

Sometimes you need sounds like this. And sometimes that time is right fukkn now. Thankfully, for times like this, we have bands like LORD FIST. Fist in the air, driving heavy metal music that sounds like it comes from another place and time (or perhaps a place in time). You can soar with the vocals, fly with the leads, or pound out the beat on the steering wheel, but when "Chains Of Steel" starts you will know that you are listening to heavy metal music. Like Jake E. Lee-era OZZY. Or DIO. You know, heavy metal music.

SPARK FOR NIGHT

STRIGES

 AESRH EAHTY TSEDRE ERDES...

FRANS HÖYER

The first installation from this Finnish duo, last year's Kuuhun Ja Takaisin is rather subdued when compared to their subsequent releases. But as much as I dig the total assault of the three releases that have followed (thank you, internet), this debut slab of primitive synth manipulations is a total fukkn stunner. Total lights down low, ease the seat back and strap in for the journey sounds...I honestly have no clue what these maniacs were shooting for, but they took me somewhere weird and I look forward to more.

KUUHUN JA TAKAISIN

ICING ON THE GRAVY

Conceived sometime in the early '00s by a dude from THE END OF THE CENTURY PARTY but not released for several years, this comp is an excellent time warp if nothing else...but fortunately it is also smoking. A veritable who's who of bands that rarely got the recognition they deserved while they were around: FAT DAY, PRETENTIOUS ASSHOLES, GODSTOMPER, EPAJAESTYS, DENAK, along with some heavyweights of the era: KUNG FU RICK, PALATKA, ASSHOLE PARADE. Czech Republic's MRTVA BUDOCNOST and Japan's D.P.P.S. were surprises, but the penpal was a powerful thing in pre-message board punk world. AUTORITAR, VILENTLY ILL, DEAD END, CROOKED COPS, WARSORE, KATASTROFIALUE and CHAPTER 13 round the tape out, I miss comps like this.

ICING ON THE GRAVY

HERO DISHONEST

In 2001 I was assigned the Pleasure/Disgust LP from Finland's HERO DISHONEST to review. I fukkn loved it - hyper energetic fastcore that was smart, witty, and had more thought and originality in one song than most bands of that ilk could muster on an entire record, and my positive review reflected those impressions. The following year when I was assigned their second album, Juggernaut, for review, I assumed it would be a let down (if only because the first record was simply that damn good). It was anything but. In addition to espousing the virtues of this excellent (and, it would seem, prolific) band, I mentioned in the pages of Maximum Rocknroll that should HERO DISHONEST ever want to tour in the USA that I would be more than happy to host them and book a tour....because no band would ever take up a total stranger on an asinine offer like that, would they? A few weeks later I got a call from the then coordinator who let me know that a certain Finnish band was looking to get in touch with me...uh-oh. After trading a few messages we realized that we were going to be playing together in København later that year and figured we would use that opportunity to make a plan. Instead we just used that opportunity to get really really drunk and dance to G.I.S.M. and then Vellu told me sometime after dawn that all Finns are naked, drunk and wielding knives. I informed him that he was, in fact, clothed and knifeless (the drunk part was well sorted), so he stripped in the middle of the street and started pleading with passerby to loan him a knife since he was Finnish. So yeah...the tour was on. HERO DISHONEST came over in fall of 2004, touring on their third excellent record Let Your Poison Scream, and then they returned two years later.  I love the shit out of this band, and their lust for life is rarely paralleled - bands that play punk music are a dime a dozen, but when you cross paths with the right people, it sticks with you. 2006's When The Shit Hits The Man is easily one of my favorite records of the '00s (yeah, they just kept cranking out quality), and I think last year's Alle Lujaa might even be better still.  

HERO DISHONEST

This tape was released by a collection of Russian labels for one of their many tours there. The first two LPs, split EP with REBOUND, the demo and various compilation tracks and covers. 62 songs in all, clocking in at almost 80 minutes, and I can assure that it is all quality. A band that covers OUTLAST and AGNOSTIC FRONT on the same release gets my vote, the guitar solo in "Part III - Let Go" is just icing on the cake.

KYKLOOPPIEN SUKUPUUTTO

Sometimes bands come around and everyone says they are real good and I figure that I'll get around to getting into them eventually so I snag the records based on recommendations from The People I Trust and then they...they just kinda get filed away because I got into something else. Or I had to work. Or I went on tour and got juiced on a bunch of bands I played with. It's not that I'm proud of this shortcoming, and I freely admit that bands I am friends with and/or have done shows for in the past have fallen victim to what is either my short attention span or the maximization of input, but it's a fact that I'm also not exactly ashamed of. KYKLOOPIEN SUKUPUUTTO were one of those bands, I even fukkn saw them on their 2010 US tour, but I was "working" and couldn't soak it in. My loss. But I've been making up for lost time this week celebrating their vinyl output (I kept the records - I knew their day would come) and this absolute ripper from 2004 (also released by the band as a CDr demo). You can describe it simply as Finnish hardcore if you like, and you wouldn't necessarily be wrong, but these dudes are just so damn fast, and the vaguely ramshackle quality to the drums gives the whole recording such a wild vibe. The best breakdown you will hear all day ("Sivustakatselija") fumbles into the one midtempo track, "Itsekkyyttä Itsesuojelua," which sounds almost Swedish but it's just too damaged and and abrasive. These nine songs will absolutely kick your ass. I may be late to the party, but I'll show up eventually...and fortunately for me, this one is still raging.

KYKLOOPPIEN SUKUPUUTTO

SOLO SE OYE PUNK vol. 2

A fukkn perfect starter kit for the uninitiated, or simply mandatory listening for even seasoned vets. Silenzio Statico put together this mix tape as a follow up to their Latin American punk primer, and I dare say this one jams even harder. Do Punx Dance? They damn sure better when this is the soundtrack.

DO PUNX DANCE?

ARMLESS CHILDREN//MAAILMANOPPU

Raw and brutal hardcore split from Finland. I can't always have a lot of words.

ARMLESS CHILDREN//MAAILMANOPPU

FINISH BANDS

I suppose I could have done some research on this one, maybe dropped Markku a line to see if all of these bands are indeed even Finish (sic), but I didn't. Instead I just jammed the shit out of this 43 minute mix over and over. Fukkn crucial shit, more punk than hardcore, and all awesome. Some bands you'll probably recognize, while others will be rage inducing mysteries...26 tracks presented to you without information, the same way the tape came to me. Maybe I'll send somebody a present if they feel like figuring out all the songs and artists? Probably not, but maybe. 

FINISH BANDS

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

EUROPEAN HARDCORE

In the interest of full disclosure, this tape has a rather misleading title, but I'm guessing that Finnish and Italian Hardcore didn't really have an interesting ring, so the tape maker just lumped in the whole damned continent. And while a tape called Finnish and Italian Hardcore might inspire titillating excitement in your loins, you would have a hard time constructing an arsenal as potent as this one. Most of these tracks come from relatively (or extremely) sought after records, so the true collector scum among you may skip this tape, but we common punx will be treated to indispensable tracks from KAAOS, NATO, INDIGESTI, CADGERS, SEKUNDA, DACHAU, TERVEET KADET and others. This is a masterful 90 minute trek through the annals of hardcore legend. Mandatory.

FAST LOUD HARDCORE

12 Bands, 90 Minutes, 74 songs

RAW WAR

This was the third cassette comp release from Xcentric Noise Records. I could try to spend some time describing it, but I figure that Pushead did a pretty good job in the review section of MRR in 1983 when this gem was unleashed: "The best international sampler cassette available, with bands from Brazil, Canada, Finland, Holland, Italy, Norway and U.K. Features TERVEET KÄDET, NEOS, OHLO SECO, INDIGESTI, RATTUS and more! A lot of jarring explosive doses of chaos from the world of punk" (Maximum Rocknroll #5, March/April 1983). Lots of live tracks, some tunes from records you might have if you are a collector scum, SIB, 5º BRACCIO and NY RAVERS are probably my favorites on this tape, although the RATTUS and TERVEET KADET tracks are pretty unfukkwithable. And remember ADMASS, those inept UK punk miscreants who made a pair of of yawn inducing appearances on The Escape? Yeah, they made it onto this tape filled with '80s international heavyweights, and Gary Bushell is still a cunt.

RAW WAR

My copy came to me sans cover, and thus sans track listing. Thankfully, Kill From The Heart came to the rescue in both departments.

SELFISH//FORCA MACABRA

Not much should need to be said here, two of Finland's most notorious exports on one split live cassette. Both bands shamelessly and brilliantly ape styles made famous by scenes in countries far from Scandinavia: SELFISH dish out a masterful version of late '80s/early '90s Japanese hardcore made famous by bands often tagged with the "Burning Spirits" descriptor, while FORCA MACABRA perfectly imitate '80s Brasilian thrash metal (so perfectly that their live set descends into drunken guitar wankery about 2/3 of the way through the set, listen to "Cavaleiro Negro" for proof). SELFISH tracks were recorded in Philadelphia in 2002, while FORCA MACABRA's side comes from a performance the following year in Tornio. Both singers are superb (think Ishiya/DEATH SIDE for the Japanese model, and LOBOTOMIA for the South American version - if you're planning to copy a style, then at least shoot for the top, right?), and both bands rip, but you should have already known that.

SELFISH//FORCA MACABRA

This split is on its second run, you can get your own copy from: chaosnonmusica(at)gmail(dot)com

PUNK EI OLE KUOLLUT

Do I need to tell you that you need this? Scandinavian fury from a dozen different bands, some you already know like TERVEET KÄDET, RATTUS, KAAOS and SUBHUMANS (not Scandinavians), and some you might not (RUTTO, IDO-59, NUKKETEATTRI, VAPAA PÄASY and others). Most of the jams are from Finland, though the tracks from Sweden's HUVUDTVÄTT (perhaps more commonly known by the English translation HEADCLEANERS) are clearly the standouts. Released in 1981, this comp sits pretty near the start of the Scandinavian hardcore timeline, and the tracks are raw raging examples of the power that was to come from the region. Enjoy your Friday.

PUNK EI OLE KUOLLUT

Denizens of Kansas City: OPT OUT tonight at The Studded Bird...come say hello.

1981

This one came as a total shock - one look at the artwork and general presentation and I was expecting a crusty anarcho attack, but was instead greeted with 20 minutes of brilliantly written post punk with indie rock leanings. There is still an overt '80s UK angle, but the clean guitars fall more in line with YOUNG OFFENDERS than their namesakes (DISRUPTERS, duh), and there are pop sensibilities all over this thing. Overtly political, and songs like "Blind Acceptance" are nearly impossible to get out of your head. 1981 are from Finland, and their recent 3 song EP is every bit as good as this tape, highly recommended. Avoid this is you want brutal hardcore, devour this if you want great tunes. 

THE ONLY GOVERNMENT IS YOUR SELF

RATTUS

Finnish legends RATTUS were unleashed domestically by BCT in 1984 with this cassette, made up mostly of material from their earlier, harder to find records. Why they started the tape with "Rockabilly Reagan" is a mystery, but the rest of the tape more than makes up for this minor indiscretion (though perhaps we could have done without one of the two "Horror Business" covers that wrap up the release). This is mandatory hardcore.

FINNISH HARDCORE

English translations for the song titles, recording dates and member info are all included in this scan, if you feel inclined to study up:

THE RAW POWER OF LIFE

Fuck me if this isn't one of the best comp titles ever, and don't think for a moment that these Germans wasted a great title like this on a mediocre comp...oh hell no.  This thing rips from start to finish, 60 minutes of killer mid 80s hardcore from West Germany, Holland and Scandinavia.  INFERNO, RAZZIA, ANTI CIMEX, DESTRUCKTIONS, RATTUS, NUCLEAR, NEUROTIC ARSEHOLES, PANDEMONIUM and in case you aren't already convinced, then how about two tracks from J.R.'S MOTHERFUCKERS & THE HOLY GHOST that will make you wonder if FLIPPER relocated to Europe in 1984 and started demolishing the punks' idea of what music should sound like.  Sound quality here is pretty much all great, with the the possible exception of the live NEUROTIC ARSEHOLES tracks, but the live sound breathes unbelievable life into the NUCLEAR tracks, and the raw crust on this comp (RATTUS, ANTI CIMEX, DESTRUCKTIONS...maybe not crust but you know what I'm getting at, right?) sounds so good it made my skin crawl.  I suppose it could have been the scabies, but not likely...it was probably the guitars.  Another Friday comp tape..I need to put up a stinker next week, because after the Finnish comp last Friday, I don't want you kids getting to accustomed to this level of quality.

RAW POWER OF LIFE Seite 1

RAW POWER OF LIFE Seite 2

I believe that the INFERNO tracks are from the demo I've got floating around somewhere (I should find that thing and share, it's REALLY fucking good), who knows where the NEUROTIC ARSEHOLES and NUCLEAR live tracks are from, and while I've seen these CIMEX and RATTUS tracks before, I just can't recall where and they might be different versions.  Good thing for me I far prefer rock to research...that way I allow myself way more time to rock!

And for those of you who speak Deutsch, feel free to peruse the liner notes while the rest of us pound our fists into the air.

FINNISH PUNK

It's been a couple of months since I've put up an old fashioned mix tape, so here's this Friday's various artist excursion: 60 minutes of stellar Finnish punk and hardcore.  I was never really drawn to the Finnish 80s stuff, the bands most often featured on the backs of the cool kids' jackets were typically too atonal and never quite grabbed me.  But fuck my life if I had heard this killer mix as a youngster...I would have been ruined for all other punk!!  TERVEET KADET start off with three ragers (it's kinda what they do...rage), then come solid beefy tracks from THE WIDOWS that are ultra catchy.  If you know Finnish punk you know LAMA, and their tunes are great for discovering, revisiting, or just simply drinking to, and then come STALIN (not the Japanese STALIN) whose vocals are out of this world...I mean the dude sounds like he is from Saturn and is very confused by all the things he sees here in this strange land of saunas (Finland, that is).  Side A wraps up with more TERVEET KADET (including the 13th song on the side, "Mull On Liian Lyhyt Sanky," and I challenge anyone to write a more blistering hardcore number, the shit is absolutely perfect) and a band called TYHJAT PATTERIT, about whom I know nothing except that they are great and punk...punker than me, probably punker than you, and they can put together one hell of a catchy chorus.  Side B is more of the same, and by "the same" I mean more awesomeness: more LAMA, two rippers from RATTUS, more WIDOWS ("The Famous Five" is an instant classic), even more LAMA, VANDAALIT and their twin guitar attack that should have made them famous, dirty punk from THE MEAN ONES and then the whole thing wraps up with rough as hell demo versions of two LAMA songs that appear in the middle of the second side.  Basically, unless you plan on listening to The Horse on repeat all day, then this is the Finnish hardcore that is going to get you through your day...though listening to The Horse about 20 times in a row would be pretty awesome.

FINNISH PUNK Side A

FINNISH PUNK Side B

KILLER MIX TAPES ARE THE BEST.