The music we reviewed was a blend of music be bought, stuff the labels sent us, and our favorite: what the bands themselves would send us. We tried to be very open minded with regards to genre: punk, metal, thrash, new wave, goth, whatever... we were open to it all.
We thought it was pretty cool that these bands wanted us to review their music and admired their DIY ethic in their efforts, so we always tried to find something positive to say.
7 Seconds — “Praise” EP
As Kevin Seconds moves his band to a more mainstream style, his songwriting talents and lyrical style mature greatly. Heavily ...
A Subtle Plague — 1986 demo
A SUBTLE PLAGUE — 1986 demo tapeA SUBTLE PLAGUE was formed in 1984 in the Hudson Valley area of New ...
Adrenalin O.D. — “Cruising with Elvis in Bigfoot’s UFO” LP
Adrenalin O.D. "Cruising with Elvis in Bigfoot's UFO" LP: When I heard A.O.D.'s EP, I was sure that they lost ...
Adrenalin O.D. — “Theme From An Imaginary Midget Western” EP
This is a three-track affair that serves as a primer for their upcoming third LP, called "Cruising with Elvis in ...
Agnostic Front — “Liberty and Justice For…” LP
AGNOSTIC FRONT — “Liberty and Justice For…” LPMusically, this album is more like “Victim in Pain” than “Cause for Alarm,” ...
Alptraum GMBH — “When You Like To Know When…” demo
ALPTRAUM GMBH — “When You Like To Know When…” demo tapeALPTRAUM GMBH (“Nightmare, Inc.”) was formed in Feb. 1986 with ...
Anthrax — “Among the Living” LP
ANTHRAX — “Among the Living” LPThis LP is great! Scott “NOT” Ian and the gang have done it again. It’s ...
Anthrophobia — “Get Up To Date” demo
ANTHROPHOBIA is a punk/rock band that have been here in Philly for about 4 years now. The current line-up includes ...
Anti-Heros — “That’s Right!” LP
ANTI-HEROS — “That’s Right!” LPWhat do you do when you love a band’s music but you are disgusted by what ...
Attitude Adjustment — “American Paranoia” LP
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT — “American Paranoia” LPStraight-edge thrash? Whatever it is, it’s great! 16 incredible tracks played with ferocious intensity. “Grey ...
Beefeater — “House Burning Down” LP
BEEFEATER — “House Burning Down” LPYet another Dischord LP released after the band has broken up. In this case, it’s ...
Bhopal Stiffs — ’87 demo
BHOPAL STIFFS - '87 demo tapeBHOPAL STIFFS is Larry on guitar and vocals, Vince on lead guitar and vocals, Steve ...
Blatant Yobs — “Bitching and Slamming” demo
BLATANT YOBS — “Bitching and Slamming” demo tape“BLATANT YOBS existed about three years ago, but we had lots of difficulties ...
Blood Lake — demo
BLOOD LAKE is a hardcore band from Vista, California and features Randy on vocals, Dave on bass, Pete on guitar, ...
Born Without a Face — “Worship” EP
BORN WITHOUT A FACE — “Worship” EPFour tracks of powerful hardcore which combine a heavy sound, throaty vocals, and very ...
Broadax — ’87 demo
BROADAX — ’87 demo tapeBROADAX is a speed/thrash metal unit from Culver City, California, and consists of Rey on vocals, ...
Bugout Society — “Just Say Yo!” LP
I expected a BEASTIE BOYS clone. I got just that, except worse. Unfunny lyrics. Awful music. It's beyond me how ...
Casbah — “Infinite Pain” demo
CASBAH - "Infinite Pain" demo tapeThis four track tape is truly excellent death metal from the land of the rising ...
Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers — “Into the Void” LP
When these guys played with BGK at the Kennel Club (in the good ol' days), I thought they were spectacular ...
Chris Bald 96 — “Uglified” EP
CHRIS BALD 96 — “Uglified” EPChris has been a mainstay of the D.C. punk community since the early 1980s, playing ...
Corruption — “Infest of Rage” demo
CORRUPTION is a hardcore band from Ocean County, with "Kid Wedge" on vocals, Billy Fiske on guitar, Brad Jackman on ...
Crimpshrine — “Sleep? What’s That?” EP
Another good Berkeley band with an EP on this great new label. There are four mid-tempo rockers on this disc, ...
Cringer — “Time For A Little Something…” EP
CRINGER — “Time For A Little Something…” EPWinnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin grace the cover of this endeavor, and ...
Crucial Youth — “Straight and Loud” EP
There's been a lot of talk about these guys - both good and bad. CRUCIAL YOUTH parodies straight-edge by taking ...
Crumbsuckers — “Life of Dreams” LP
CRUMBSUCKERS — “Life of Dreams” LPWhat an album!!! A must buy for thrashers and ‘core fans alike. Buy it now ...
Cryptic Slaughter — “Money Talks” LP
CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER — “Money Talks” LPI really liked this band’s first LP for its power and the fact that there ...
Cyber Kultur — “Synthesis” demo
CYBER KULTUR -- "Synthesis" demo CYBER KULTUR is a Houston based band consisting of Steve Mariotti on guitars, Chris Orloski ...
Dag Nasty — “Can I Say” LP
DAG NASTY — “Can I Say” LPOK, so this album’s a little old, but I cannot stress how good it ...
Dag Nasty — “Wig Out at Denko’s” LP
DAG NASTY — “Wig Out at Denko’s” LPRemember way back in issue number one during the review of DOGGY STYLE’S ...
Dead Jacksons — “Greatest Hits” demo
DEAD JACKSONS "Greatest Hits": Fantastic! These guys really tickle my fancy, kicking out some fun, silly, thrashy punk tunes. Recorded ...
Dead Kennedys — “Bedtime for Democracy” LP
DEAD KENNEDYS — “Bedtime for Democracy” LPWhat’s this? A DK album that I like? Impossible, and yet it happened. Yes, ...
Dead Kennedys — “Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death” LP
DEAD KENNEDYS — “Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death” LPThe now defunct DEAD KENNEDYS have had a string of ...
Deathrow — “Riders of Doom” LP
DEATHROW — “Riders of Doom” LPGood thrash from this West German outfit (formerly SAMHAIN). Nine good tracks with frenzied solo-ing ...
Deceased — “The Evil Side of Religion” demo
DECEASED - "The Evil Side of Religion" demo tapeDECEASED is a death metal band from Virginia with King Fowley on ...
Default — “Faith or Fraud” demo
DEFAULT is a band from Nottingham, England, with Lloyd on vocals, Tom on bass, Col on guitars, and Scott on ...
Dehumanizers — “End of Time” LP
DEHUMANIZERS — “End of Time” LPA pretty cool LP from this Seattle outfit. Of the 21 “tracks”, about 15 of ...
Dehumanizers — “Kill Lou Guzzo” EP
DEHUMANIZERS — “Kill Lou Guzzo” EPWow! This 7″ shows excellent hardcore which draws in influences from countless other forms of ...
Devastation — “A Creation Of Ripping Death” demo
DEVASTATION - "A Creation Of Ripping Death" demo tapeDEVASTATION is a Chicago area death/thrash metal band that was formed in ...
Dirge — ’86 demo // “Life Force” demo
DIRGE is from the central shore area of New Jersey. Their current line-up is: Jim on bass, Jacko (ex-FATAL RAGE) ...
Doggy Style — “Doggy Style II” LP
DOGGY STYLE — “Doggy Style II” LPWhen the original DOGGY STYLE broke up and Brad X and Lou Gaez left ...
Doggy Style — “Doggy Style III – Don’t Hit Me Up” LP
The best way that I can describe the DOGGY STYLE sound is a carnival ride - pure, harmless fun. They've ...
Doggy Style — “The Last Laugh” EP
DOGGY STYLE — “The Last Laugh” EPThis is the much-awaited DOGGY ROCK, with ex-D.S. members Brad and Lou, teamed up ...
DRI — “Crossover” LP
DRI — “Crossover” LPEverybody is wondering “Did they go metal?” Well, there are only 12 songs (instead of the usual ...
Egg Hunt — EP
EGG HUNT — EPA 2-song studio effort by Ian MacKaye and fellow MINOR THREAT Jeff Nelson. This one-shot deal shows ...
Embrace — LP
EMBRACE -- LPEMBRACE was one of the greatest bands to have come out of DC (along with MINOR THREAT and ...
Epileptic Albino Bullfrogs — ’87 demo
EPILEPTIC ALBINO BULLFROGS - '87 demo tapeEPILEPTIC ALBINO BULLFROGS is a hardcore band from Philly. Their line-up consists of Steve ...
Epileptic Albino Bullfrogs — ’88 demo
E.A.B. is a hardcore band, from right here in Philly consisting of Dave on vocals, Bob on guitar, Rob on ...
Excel — “Split Image” LP
EXCEL — “Split Image” LPThis Venice, Cal, band has been around for a while, but this is only their first ...
Fail-Safe — “Get the Point” demo
FAIL-SAFE is a posi-core band from New Jersey with Dave on vocals, Mike on guitar, Chris on bass, and Ken ...
Fatal — “Taste for Death” demo
FATAL is a death metal band from South Carolina starring Carl Hanna on vocals, Erick Tappan on guitar, Mark Blewer ...
Fearless Iranians from Hell — EP
FEARLESS IRANIANS FROM HELL -- EPExotic punk and roll from this Texas band. Gruff vocals from a singer who I ...
General Concern — rehearsal tape
GENERAL CONCERN is a positive, semi-straight hardcore band from way over in Longview, Washington. The line-up is as follows: Jay ...
Government Issue — “Government Issue Live” LP
GOVERNMENT ISSUE — “Government Issue Live” LPHot dog! One of my (and many others’) all-time favorites. This LP is fabulous! ...
Gunslingers — ’87 demo
GUNSLINGERS — ’87 demo tapeIf you saw a copy of Threatening Society #3, you’ve seen the interview with GUNSLINGERS, and ...
Hatred — “No Control” demo
HATRED — “No Control” demo tapeThis is probably one of the best demos I’ve ever heard. Combining the best aspects ...
Heresy / Concrete Sox — split LP
HERESY / CONCRETE SOX — split LP6 tunes apiece from 2 speedcore bands. Both do it well, but I was ...
Holy Terror — “Terror and Submission” advance tape
HOLY TERROR — “Terror and Submission” advance tapeHOLY TERROR is a thrash/ power metal band from California. The line-up consists ...
Homo Picnic — “Days of Grey” LP
HOMO PICNIC — “Days of Grey” LPThe past year has been very good for Philly bands – yet another strong(!) ...
I Deny — EP
I DENY — EPVery good Italian hardcore that’s a little reminiscent of RAW POWER, maybe even faster and sore powerful. Five ...
Initial Reaction — “Earth Zero” demo
INITIAL REACTION -- "Earth Zero" demo INITIAL REACTION is a three man, one woman HC band from Chicago's western suburbs ...
Isocracy — “Welcome to El Sob” demo
ISOCRACY — “Welcome to El Sob” demo tapeISOCRACY is a hardcore band from the San Francisco suburb called El Sobrante ...
Jawbox — EP
JAWBOX — EPJAWBOX is a new band whose overnight popularity made me wonder are they really that good, or did ...
Justice League — “Reach Out” EP
JUSTICE LEAGUE — “Reach Out” EPJUSTICE LEAGUE, one of my favorite bands, kicks out another 12″ (their second). A little ...
Last Option — “Over Time” EP
LAST OPTION — “Over Time” EPAfter 2 tremendous, well-received demos, this Arizona HC band finally released their debut vinyl. If ...
Last Option — #2 demo
LAST OPTION — #2 demo tapeLAST OPTION was formed in February, 1985. They want to work to achieve not only ...
Legitimate Reason — demo
LEGITIMATE REASON — demo tapeThese guys haven’t been playing long, but the Philly scene has taken a quick liking to ...
M.I.S. — “Donations for Broken Glass” demo
M.I.S., also from Longview, formed in the summer of '86 and are Chris (20) on vocals, Tim (16) on drums, ...
Mass Corruption — ’86 demo
MASS CORRUPTION — ’86 demo tape“MASS CORRUPTION was formed in late September, 1986. After a few months, we changed drummers ...
Massappeal — “Bar of Life” EP
My favorite Aussie band has put out one amazing place of wax. Incredibly fast thrash - but not HERESY blender-core ...
MDL — “In the Midst of Delusions” demo
MDL - "In the Midst of Delusions" demo tapeMDL was formed on June 5, 1985, in Ellensburg, Washington - a ...
Metallica — “The $5.98 EP Garage Days Revisited” EP
METALLICA — “The $5.98 EP Garage Days Revisited” EPIt’s been a long, long time since I’ve heard anything interesting from ...
Multiple Stab Wounds — “What’s All This Then?” demo
MULTIPLE STAB WOUNDS - "What's All This Then?" demo tapeMULTIPLE STAB WOUNDS is a thrash band from Connecticut consisting of ...
Napalm — “All Out Assault” demo
NAPALM — “All Out Assault” demo tapeNAPALM is a speedmetal band from New York. Their new line-up is Chris “The ...
Negative Youth — “Life is Like… a Drunken Orgy in Hell” demo
NEGATIVE YOUTH is an anti-straight-edge band (in a humorous way) from New Jersey. The line-up features Richie Intoxication on vocals, ...
Nuclear Death — “Welcome to the Minds of the Morbid” demo
NUCLEAR DEATH - "Welcome to the Minds of the Morbid" demo tapeNUCLEAR DEATH is a death-thrash band from Arizona, with ...
Num Skull — “Num’s The World” demo
NUM SKULL - "Num's The World" demo tapeEven though this is an independent tape, I chose not to put it ...
Operation Ivy — “Hectic” EP
This is our choice for record of the month - hands down! OP IVY Are like genetic scientists who have ...
Ordeal — EP
ORDEAL — EPI saw an ad for this record in Maximum Rock ‘N Roll, where the band’s sound was described ...
Orifice — ’88 demo
Excellent demo with 4 track that have to be heard to be believed. ORIFICE mix together eerie guitar riffs, spoken/yelled ...
Pagan Babies — “Immaculate Conception” EP
PAGAN BABIES — “Immaculate Conception” EPPAGAN BABIES are a definite favorite of the Philly scene (see show review – Ed.), ...
Parade — “Love and War” LP
PARADE — “Love and War” LPFrom two former members of the punk band PARIAH comes PARADE. I don’t really know ...
Pedifile — “Die a Violent Death” demo
PEDIFILE - "Die a Violent Death" demo tapePEDIFILE is a five piece thrash metal band from Mesa, Arizona. They formed ...
Pedifile — “Round 2” demo
PEDIFILE - "Round 2" demo tapePEDIFILE is a death metal band from Arizona. They will be appearing on an upcoming ...
Process Revealed — “Having Not to Say We’re Sorry” demo
PROCESS REVEALED is a band from Texas featuring Craig Reeves on guitars, And TerMaar on drums and Steve Murphy on ...
Process Revealed “Progress”
Process Revealed from Coppell, TX. 1988 demo "Everybody is on my Side!" ...
Prong — ’87 4-song demo
PRONG — ’87 4-song demo tape PRONG is a new band out of NY. They are a hardcore, metal influenced band ...
Prong — “Primitive Origins” LP
PRONG — “Primitive Origins” LPThis is a band that has gained a lot of respect and critical acclaim from their ...
Psychic Violents — “Walk on Water” demo
PSYCHIC VIOLENTS is a five-piece band from Florida with Sam on guitar, Jorge on bass, Bill on drums, and Charles ...
RC — “Intestine Casserole With Cheese” demo
RC is a speedcore band from Chambersburg, Penn., with The Madman on guitar, Tumor on bass, and XXX on drums ...
Reason to Believe — demo
REASON TO BELIEVE is: Jon B. on vocals, Chris E. on guitar, Raidy K. on bass, and Rodney on drums ...
Rigor Mortis — demo
RIGOR MORTIS - demo tapeThis is a very heavy death-metal band from NY. They sound something like across between SLAYER ...
Rites of Spring — “All Through a Life” EP
RITES OF SPRING — “All Through a Life” EPNo, no – they’re still defunct. This is a posthumous release, possibly ...
RKL — “Keep Laughing” LP
RKL — “Keep Laughing” LPIncredible band, incredible album! RKL (Rich Kids on LSD) play a unique blend of hardcore and ...
SADUS — “D.T.P.” demo
SADUS - "D.T.P." demo tapeSADUS is a speed metal band from California that was formed in 1984 under the monicker ...
Santa Claus — Live 10/87 demo
SANTA CLAUS — Live 10/87 demo tapeSANTA CLAUS are a San Diego-based hardcore thrash band consisting of Robert Brown (bass, ...
Scram — “Kingsessing Trials” LP
SCRAM -- “Kingsessing Trials” LPMany of you may remember SCRAM, a hardcore/reggae trio which tore up the Philadelphia underground music ...
Scram — “Stand Up” LP
SCRAM — “Stand Up” LPI seriously believe Philadelphia will soon be recognized as THE national hotbed of underground music, and ...
Shudder to Think — “It Was Arson” EP
Boffo. A fantastic, original band from DC. At first listen, they sound very bizarre - very loose, almost messy, with ...
Shudder to Think — “Funeral at the Movies” EP
SHUDDER TO THINK — “Funeral at the Movies” EPSHUDDER TO THINK won me over when I first heard their debut ...
Skulls — “Blacklight 13” LP
"Rock and roll played the only way" is the SKULLS' claim to fame and this record almost backs it up ...
Slayer — “Reign in Blood” LP
SLAYER — “Reign in Blood” LPThe lords of black metal are back with a vicious speed metal attack. “Angel of ...
Steel Vengeance — “Prisoners” LP
When the mailman handed me the package, I saw the Giant Records logo and my hopes soared because Giant has ...
Straight Ahead — “Breakaway” EP
6 songs that amount to less than 10 minutes of music - lots of wasted wax here, it should have ...
Suburban Uprise — “Live Demo II” demo
SUBURBAN UPRISE — “Live Demo II” demo tapeSUBURBAN UPRISE is a fairly new band from Suburban Philadelphia. They’ve just starting ...
Suicidal Tendencies — “Join The Army” LP
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES — “Join The Army” LPThe long awaited follow-up to their highly successful debut album shows us a very ...
Swiz — “Down” EP
The first mediocre record from this up-and-coming label. Nothing really impressive. OK mid-tempo punk. DC has lots of good bands, ...
Terrorizer — ’87 rehearsal demo
TERRORIZER - '87 rehearsal demo tapeTERRORIZER is a 4-piece band from Southern California featuring Oscar on guitar and vocals, Jesse ...
The Brigade — “Come Together” EP
THE BRIGADE — “Come Together” EPTwo older songs, “War for Peace” and “The Struggle Within” are chopped up and irritatingly ...
The Corrupted Ones — “Tewha” demo
THE CORRUPTED ONES -- “Tewha” demo tapeTHE CORRUPTED ONES is a positive hardcore band from New Jersey with Eric Johnson ...
The Uprise — “One By One” EP
"Oh no, skinheads!" is what you're probably thinking. But these guys are different. They're really nice and they've dedicated to ...
Token Entry — “From Beneath the Streets” LP
TOKEN ENTRY — “From Beneath the Streets” LPGreat hardcore from New York that is rather original in a way that ...
Trip 6 — “Back With a Vengeance” demo
TRIP 6 - "Back With a Vengeance" demo TRIP 6 is a hardcore band based in New York City. The ...
Uniform Choice — “Screaming for Change” LP
UNIFORM CHOICE — “Screaming for Change” LPOK, I know. This album is sort of old, but I never got a ...
United — “Beast Dominate” demo
UNITED — “Beast Dominate” demo tapeUNITED is a Japanese thrash metal band that formed in 1981. The new line-up is ...
Upset Noise — “Nothing More to Be Said” LP
UPSET NOISE — “Nothing More to Be Said” LPThis is thrash/power metal for those who hate it. You see it ...
Van Gogh’s Ear — demo
VAN GOGH'S EAR is a Philly band that has been playing out live for about a year and a half ...
Various Artists — “Brainwashed Into Submission” tape
Various Artists — “Brainwashed Into Submission” tapeA really cool comp featuring 14 bands performing 33 songs. The sound quality varies, ...
Various Artists — “Four Bands that Could Change the World” LP
Various Artists — “Four Bands that Could Change the World? LP7 SECONDS really disappoints me here with their five tracks ...
Various Artists — “Together” EP
Various Artists — “Together” EPI’m a big fan of newer NY hardcore, so this EP, to me, is fantastic! Seven ...
Verbal Abuse — “Rocks Your Liver” LP
VERBAL ABUSE — “Rocks Your Liver” LPThis album left me satisfied and disappointed at the same time. Satisfied, when they ...
Visual Difference — “This is the Time” demo
VISUAL DIFFERENCE is a positive hardcore band from Arizona, with Steve Toledo on vocals, Dave Payne on guitar, Eric Oxbolow ...
Visual Difference — demo
VISUAL DIFFERENCE — demo tapeVISUAL DIFFERENCE is a hardcore band from Mesa, Arizona. They’ve been together for about a year ...
Warzone — “Don’t Forget the Struggle…” LP
I don't know what to think of this band - their music is top-notch. Blazing hardcore with definite signs of ...
White Flag — “Wild Frontier” LP
WHITE FLAG — “Wild Frontier” LP WHITE FLAG’s first LP on Positive Force is definitely their best release to date. Great ...
Youth of Today — “Break Down the Walls” LP
YOUTH OF TODAY — “Break Down the Walls” LPYOUTH OF TODAY’s EP “Can’t Close My Eyes” (Positive Force Records) was ...
Youth of Today — “Can’t Close My Eyes” EP
YOUTH OF TODAY — “Can’t Close My Eyes” EPThis EP was released a while before this band put out that ...