MORE NOIZE # 1

MORE NOIZE # 1 (July 2009) DON'T JUST BE ANOTHER CONSUMER - GET INVOLVED - DON’T BE JUST ANOTHER DOWNLOADER GET IN TOUCH Send for Reviews to Tony Gunnarsson 31 Woodville Road London e17 7er UK slobodanburgher@gmail.com

IT WAS EASY. QUICK. FUN. & CHEAP. I want punk to be more than buying records. I want punk to be more than saving data files. I am bored with punk on the internet. I am bored observing the same handful of people at concerts. Some of the best punk bands of all time are around today but where are all the people? Surely there must be more people into noisy punk than just me & twenty people spread across the world? This newsletter shit was made in order to force people like you into actually getting involved somehow. Don't be a stranger! - TG, June 2009.

"NEWS" (Gossips really, half of it made up, hah!) - Terveet Kädet is touring the UK in late August 2009. The Wankys are touring Japan January 2010, with Chaos Channel. They're also off to USA summer 2010, touring with Chaos Destroy & Lotus Fucker. Corrupted is playing a one-off London show in July 2009. State Poison is to tour Australia, sometime this year maybe. Numerous great releases are ahead (see also reviews, below):Zyanose LP,Ferocious-X discography release(from German label) plus ten thousand other that I don’t have space to list here. There are also a bunch of DVDs out with Japanese bands like Framtid & Disclose. With some luck I'll be able to review them next issue. One thing is clear 2009 is the year punk explodes! By the look of things it will also be the year when the industry for Discharge merchendise will reach the Misfits proportions! If not the Amebix merch industry get there first. Ha ha ha. That's a joke. Anyway, that's about it. For now. INFO - Bands, labels & zines that have something in common with what are reviewed below should get in touch to be reviewed in the next issue which incidentally will be a splitissue with Croatian fanzine VAPAUS. I intend to have some shit in the next issue about the elusive Swedish noise-core band Döden & perhaps something about Lama, a.k.a. the best band ever! Vapaus will have interviews with Conclude, Chaos Destroy & Punjena Papiga etc. The zine is planned for end of July 2009 which is also the deadline for sending me stuff to reviews for that issue. After that I'm going to do another split zine issue (due in August perhaps) with Mat from Idoneum Bello Records (Germany) which is fun news as fuck. I am toying with the idea to put out a one-pager between the splits.

Damn. I'll be busy. Anyway, contact me for info: Tony Gunnarsson 31 Woodville Road London E17 7ER United Kingdom. Email: Slobodanburgher@gmail.com Please note I am currently not seeking sexual offers.

EXIT HIPPIES INTERVIEW (Interview sent by email to Jo2 summer 2008, answers received December 2008) Tony: What is new with Exithippies? Are you still together & playing as a band? Rumour is band broke up when you moved to Australia? Jo2: yes we still do play exithippies,unfortunality we have got new member,buy the way i live in australia just me Tony: Please tell me who plays in Exithippies? Jo2: OK. takaaki itho(vo,proglame ) jo2(vo,samepling,gu) endoom(gu), i know nothing about another exithippies member any more, becose i already fucking stone hahaha, Tony: Do you play in other bands at the same time? Did you play in other band before Exithippies? Jo2: yes i did some band, it was fuckin shit, when i was stared band alady with oki makota, he is new smell owner besides exithippies drummer!! Tony: I know that you (Jo2) also DJ sometimes, tell me something about it, what type of music do you DJ? Jo2: almost i play electro,house,why do i have to play punk in club??? Tony: I have tried to write correct list of Exithippies discography. Here it is: S/t 7"; Acid Rain flexi, Record & fantasy 7"; Split with Stagnation 7", Split with Tantrum EP, Hard Funk 12"; Split with Aostrapos 12"; Split with TANTRUM 12"; Split with Joy 8"; Compialtion V/A - Tokyo Sound System 1+2=3 CD/LP; & 3 CD-r demos; a split cd-r…Is this list correct? What is missing? Jo2: almost correct,actually i do not know about exithoppers,so sorry,Tony: Tell me about The Wankys split 12" record that is due to be released soon. What type of Exithippie music/noise? [note: see review below] Jo2: we really respect the wankys,i love wankys stingy noise, What type of Exithippie music/noise??? we always same kind of music you do not boring??? ,soon we going to change music maybe hevy metal hahaha Tony: Also, Black Konflikt Record Label in Malaysia is releasing Exithippies "Fuck Here Discography" cassette. Tell me about this. Is this official release? Can we buy this on CD also? Jo2: yes of course it is official,but just tape, Anyway i hate CD, Tony: "War crimes - how to have a number one the easy way"????! Ha ha ha. Please explain!! [Note: A slogan on Exithippies t-shirt] Jo2: i have no idea Tony: What's up with the fanzine Distopia? It is in Japanese so I don't know what text means....but it looks nice ha ha ha! Jo2: mr nakazima is boss now i do not know about that but it was fucking nice japanese zine!! Tony: What are your inspiration for Exithippies noise? What music do you listen to? What are your favorite records? Jo2: ok nows top 5 artist(in this tine except dance music for you) ENT, DOOM, chaos UK ,PIL, Tony: Some people describe Exithippies as raver crust or techno noise punk etc, what do you think? Jo2: It seems that you thought we exactry poser,liar, i think you think so too , Tony: Elmo the Monster likes noise? Why Elmo Exithippies mascot? Do you know of cookie monster? He is more brutal I think..

Jo2: i think so too ,every night when i go to sleep elmo call me,do not forget me ..... Tony: Ok, tell me about future of Exithippies - any new records on the way?

What projects are you working on right now? Jo2: we have some rerease plane ,soon we dorop 4way split 7inchep with aostorapos, stagnation, tantram, it alady finished recoding we waiting artwork maybe it will be fucing nice. we going to rereace ,the wankys & exithippies tape from (Black Konflikt Record

Label in Malaysia), va cd(earthbeat project from akita japon). Tony: Thank you for interview, how can people contract you? Add anything you like to say here: Jo2: please believe each other,do not believe struggle thank you very interested question!! Tony: On the Exithippy / Stagnation split (PAANK-016) it says on the EH side - " The First Punk Band From North Korea"??? Explain this!!!! Jo2: i did not do that art work , kennpal(PAANK owner) he did maybe just big joke,also he stupid like me. -> www.myspace.com/exithippies REALITY CRISIS INTERVIEW (Another email interview this one is also slightly dated, from the end of 2008.) Tony: What is the history about REALITY CRISIS? When did you start? Who plays in the band? Did you play in other bands before (like "Code"?) Aichi: reality crisis started from 1995. one vocalist and one guitarist are original member. they started reality crisis after MINDSUCK. and the basist and i joined 5years ago. i used to play in a band in JUUM and ROTARY BEGINNERS. and one other vocalis and guitarist joined 3 years ago. they used to play in EXTERMINATE. Tony: What records do you have? When is your next record coming?Aichi: last year we released our 2nd lp 'discharge your frastration'. and we were going to do a split ep with DISCLOSE but.... we joined our local omnibus lp in this year. Tony: I think Reality Crisis "Discharge Your Frustration" LP is a new style for the band compared to first LP. The first LP is more like Doom (UK) I think. What are you musical inspiration?Aichi: every uk and japanese hard core. Tony: Are you happy with "Discharge Your Frustration" LP? Did you get good response from people to the LP?Aichi: yes. but next release is more great! Tony: Tell me about your city. How is life as punk there? Do you have many punk / crust concerts? What about record shops? What bands do you have in your town? Aichi: our city is nagoya. it's not so big city compared with tokyo or osaka. but we have many concerts and great bands. c.f.d.l, order, crown, dclone, demolition, juum and more. we have good record shop called 'answer record'. good record shop. actually speaking,i live in toyota city. motor city. it's nest to nagoya. order is there too. Tony: Do you have any plans for touring / playing outside of Japan? For example, in Europe? Aichi: we want to tour in europe, america, southeast asia, australia. near feature! Tony: Tell me something about Reality Crisis that nobody knows about!?? Tell me a Reality Crisis secret!!! Aichi: we all like meat!! Tony: Why does your guitar player wear a facemask? I mean, it looks very mysterious... Aichi: it's japanese old punk style. everyone should wear it! and shout 'doyounoyorudaze!' Tony: What do you do besides play in Reality Crisis? Do you have jobs? Play in other bands? Make fanzines? Aichi: we all have jobs. we don't play in other band and make fanzines. work, play, beer! Tony: Ok, that was all questions. Please give some information to people on how to contact you and where to buy record and stuff. Aichi: we really want to tour in europe, especially uk. is it good idea or not so good? tell me! -> www.realitycrisis.com realitycrisis@hotmail.com MUSIC REVIEWS: TAPES: Warning//Warning - Demo K7 Tape (France, 2009) -This new French band has only been around for a handful of months but has managed an impressive first 8-track demo that is very much in the vein of Lebenden Toten. While the band is still some way from developing a unique style, it sounds far better than most newer bands that play noisy punk of this style. I am toying with the idea of saying it's the best demo of the year.

For the style is re-created perfectly, there's no fillers & the lyrics are genuinely pro-punk -PUNK IS LOVE! Best are the slow matured noize parts, reaching a climax in 'Feedback Sabbath'. I can imagine this is a band that could go on to be great -I hear the drummer of State Poison may release W/W on vinyl one day, that's a very good decision indeed.Buy this!(email: defectivechain@gmail.com) Schizophasia - Nonsense Tape (Capitalicide Tape #8, Canada, 2008) Feedback launches into early Chaos UK beat & vocal style with a background of fuzz, influenced by Confuse. Psychomania is really "Hate (Is it war?)" from Nuclear Addicts Flexi with different lyrics (!), & this musical loan/theft works perfectly! Short & sweet demo that has six tracks & a groovy tiger on the cover (ha ha ha). Not too sure I hear much Hawkwind on here though (as someone wrote). When I first wrote this review I said something like 'it's a shame this band is taken less serious than Germ Attack (with whom the band share members) which are a good band but not as great as Schizophasia!', but just before going to print Jo wrote me to say that the band is indeed serious (no mere Germ Attack one-off side-project!) & to prove it they've recorded another bunch of demos (some of it may be heading to vinyl shortly). Ouch.

Bad me. The latest Schizophasia demo 'Sadist of the Earth' is fucking AMAZING to boot! (full review will have to wait for the next issue). 2009 is a great year already. (Email: theamebix@yahoo.com) Exithippies -Fuck in Here Discography Tape (Malaysia, Black Konflikt, 2008) - This is one fucking chaotic "fucking stone" cassette tape. Last time I listened to it my partner pulled a knife on me in protest. HA HA HA. Anyway, the tape compiles a lot of records but of course does not include the complete Exithippies recordings the demos aren't on here nor is the Wankys split-LP as it came out after, even if the songs are old enough to be on here (see review below). Exithippies is the best band ever. Stab me to death or be deaf for ever. Or something catchy like that. You know you need this. Lastsentence - Demo Tape (Japan, 2008) Female-fronted Japanese noisy hardcore of the Gloom school that rightly has

been likened to Frigöra & Ferocious-X (bands share members). But to be honest at first I did not like it (because it was not exactly Frigöra or Ferocious-X) but then I played it again after a few months & now this demo has put me to rights by some serious sonic assault! This has got everything to make a great band: fuzz-guitar sound, Frigöra-style drums, a ferocious female singer etc etc etc. Fucking so good it is. I certainly look forward to hearing more of this band -and someone mentioned something about a EP in the pipeline. Yes please.

Lotus Fucker - Answer=Bloodwashed Noise Tape (USA, 2008) - 8-tracks coming in at just over 8 minutes presents a energic & distorted forwardlooking hardcore punk noise spectacle played with the energy that Gauze is famous for, & which is clearly informed by an addiction for a potpourri of bands like Wretched, Confuse, Rattus etc. Do you suffer from the record collectors' disease for obscure 1980s world hardcore? I mean, Lotus Fucker don’t really sounds like any of those bands. But with the rock'n'roll riffs thrown in with all the speed & energy, as well as well something "emotional", it all adds up to a multifaceted music / sound that don’t fail to impress.

Above all there is a passion perceptible in the music for the music (that came out quite retarded) & the point is listening to the band that passion is infectious. Passion is a high-value currency in punk, & sadly it feels like its in short supply sometimes. It's a shame more bands don’t demonstrate the same love for their music. Are you still reading? Whatever. Ok I hear that Lotus Fucker live is played with unbearable distortion levels & that is just too exciting! This demo & another demo which I haven't heard yet (why???) are what will make up a forthcoming LP. Also, see zine reviews, below, on how to find out more about this youthful band. (Email: whydotheylive@yahoo.com) Nuclear Sex Addicts - Demo Tape (Australia, 2008) - Nuclear Sex Addicts was a very short-lived band from Melbourne with members from two bands I don’t really like very much - Pisschrist & ABC Weapons. Starting in 2008 they played a very small number of gigs including supporting Lebenden Toten on their Australia tour, then they recorded this demo & broke-up in early 2009.

This 10-minute 7-song demo starts out on a high & exciting point with a noisy chaotic atmosphere that has echoing vocals effects & hi-pitched distorted guitar. The very first song even reminds of State Children (flexi), & it is this that makes the demo worthwhile. For I've always wanted to start a band that sounded like this, or else to find a band that sounds like this so I can follow them to the end of the world. Ha ha ha. The next three songs aren't bad either, being sort of breed on a diet of second-hand Lebenden Toten tapes. But then suddenly it all gets very boring very quickly as the second-half of the demo seems to be more a sort of "raw d-beat crust" thing, but with noisy feedback in the background. I am not saying it's total shit, but having started out on such a high the second half of the demo is a unfortunately a disappointment. On YouTube there is a video with band, drummer is playing wearing a bikini.

MUSIC REVIEWS: 7" EPs: Crow / See You In Hell split-7" (Czech Rep., 2009) - This Crow (no introduction needed) split with Czech Republic hardcore bandits See You In Hell (no intro needed either, really) sees the Japanese gods of raw crust deliver two mid-tempo crust-metal killers (with parts that sounds like something that belongs in that neo-Motörhead-in-crust thing that seems to be so popular) & it fits well with the bands' late discography (which is nowhere as monumental as their early material, but equally great on its own, just that my preference is to the earlier stuff, duh). See You In Hell is also an impressive band in its own right, playing a fast melodic hardcore that no doubt takes inspiration from bands from Japan. Having quickly sampled through their discography a few times but never really getting into the band, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a band that should no longer be brushed aside as mere "Western Japcore" for they're a fresh & very much contemporary D.I.Y. hardcore band of the moment, like how hardcore should be played in 2009. Intense & energetic & passionate. The ltd ed & standard versions of the split 7" are all sold-out but a CDEP reissue (without bonus material from vinyl) is on its way. Crow - Flock of Beasts 7" (Prank, USA, 2009) -Yes. I love Crow. The singer is up there with the few truly great punk vocalists (Jonsson, Cal et al). Absolutely unique. But the music here is neometal-core or something. Ha! Not at all bad of course. But not entirely memorable. No doubt I'll play this again but it'll be as an appendix to when I am listening to earlier Crow material. The songs on the split (see above) are better I think. Deathcage - From Despair to Where 7" (Australia, 2008) Thrashy fast melodic hardcore from down-under no doubt inspired by the likes of Lip Cream & Deathside. But I also hear some sort of Swedish melodic hardcore punk rock core shit in here. Am I allowed to say Asta Kask? Or is that too generic term for Swedish fast punk played with guitar solos? Anyway, the songs are loose & fast with spitting vocals like (mixed English & Swedish lyrics makes it awesome!). Playing this makes me feel like fucking shaking my fist & drinking beer. Deathcage - Chaos Nightrider 7" (Australia, 2008) Aussies with a Swede thrash their way through a bunch of melodic killers on this second release, climax is the title track that has a cool & infectious "mobster" chorus. What is a Chaos nightrider? Presumable an Aussie drunkard on a Lip Cream trip. Overall it's a very dance-friendly, reminding me of something I get from Systematic Death. This is not as "loose" as the previous 7" but something else is gained here...which can only be measured in attitude?

Deathcage - Tomorrow We Die 7" (Australia, 2009) - Third release of these Australian thrash heroes comes at the price of a thicker sound that has much more depth, it's slightly darker & I think it’s a bit more distortion-friendly

than before. Overall the songs feels a bit more complex -again taking the cue from "Japcore" - & that's fucking great because I no longer feel like comparing Deathcage to something Swedish. As I say, instead this is closer to the Japanese ideal that these fuckers, it turns out, were all the time aiming for.

Catchy three word slogan anchor closes review: Hot beer music! (Yeah quote me on your next release ha ha ha). (Email: iranairlines2000@yahoo.com.au) Eliminate - Attribution 7" (USA, -Eliminate may be onto something in mixing the sound of Atrocious Madness (indebted to Confuse, but not sounding at all like them!) with the style of 'popular' crust bands such as Tragedy or WB2D or Wolfbrigade or any of those types of bands. For some this may be an invitation to PayPal, for me it's a bit of a "meh". It is hard to say for I am really sitting on the fence on this one. On the plus side, it does sound like something new that I have not heard before -but then to be brutally honest the vocals spoil it for me. Well I don’t know, I have to think about this a bit more ha ha. The Kawakami's of the future may come to look on this 7" as we today look at Two Moon's Rising 7" (a.k.a. Bombanfall). You know what I mean? Something that is so new that people don’t understand it until much later. Whatever. Eliminate also have another 7" plus a tape compiling demos from 2006-2009 but I haven't heard these (yet) so perhaps my opinion here is just wrong. Sorry.

(Email: Elbertmnd@mndiscos.com) State Poison S/t (France, 2009) - The CD-R demo (2007) was cool & I totally appreciated the effort / intent. The songs felt like they were straining in two opposite directions: one part was going for a raw crust d-beat thing, the other was heading towards a noisy punk style. But here, however, is a band massively improved with a unique personal take on the Disorder-via-Confuse style. Noize craziness! Repeat: Disorder/Chaos U.K via Gai/Swankys -but original sounding! "Give Up Give Up Live In Fear!" & "ABC ACAB!" Straight up this is one of the best records of the year. Suddenly Europe is just a little bit less boring. I can’t praise this enough. Thank you.

THANK YOU. MERCI. Tack så mycket. First 300 are sold-out but a 2nd press is on its way, too right! (Email: xxgluestickxxbrigadexx@yahoo.fr) The Wankys - Lost in France…and drunk (Tardis, 2009) - Lost in France starts out with a hilarious true-life tale about the former bass player's (who quit after this recording) AWOL escapades while on tour in France. Confused steers Mr Wankys guitar sound into what makes me think of Gloom's Recommendation of Perdition - perfect crystal-clear static ultra-high-pitched distortion of sheer fucking noise! Perhaps (technically) the best Wankys song ever. Sausages…is like a homage to the spirit of Chaotic Dischord, as well as makes me hungry.

Funny! Last song Fuck-Off has probably the most nauseating clinical-distorted guitar sound I've ever heard, not so much played (can you hear any notes or chords?) as simply static, like a fucking live-electric wire! Touch it & you die.

Listen to this & you will puke! Best thing is that the song is set to a polkabeat punk drumbeat & a weird undertone of an almost oriental-melodic bass line! The effect is totally singular. The record is housed in a very cool looking gatefold cover.

Wank Wank Wanky Barmy Army!

(Email: wankys@hotmail.co.uk) Fashion - S/t (UK, 2009) - I am not going to be able to do this very short-lived (now split-up) London-based Aussie-expat band any justice with this review, but here's some of my initial feelings anyway: This is how hard core should be played. There's no nostalgia or retro-punk/HC going on here, just straight ahead pure hardcore energy, which in the current world of Vice Magazine-approved hardcore bands is a forward-looking approach that should be encouraged, as well as refreshing to listen to.

Consciously so, I guess, with the rant about fashion going on here. I've mostly given up on hardcore by now (see the reviews here for my preferences) but I really like this shit. If I had to draw-up some over-worn band clichés here, I give you "Gauze mixed with Siege", but the resulting music sounds nowhere like those bands. Sold-out but the internet can be your friend. (No contact) Claysea - Slave State 7" (Detonate Rec, 2009) - This is better-than-your average peace crust & reminds me of how much I used to love crust punk (before it turned into a boring & generic fashion thing that it is mostly today).

In a nutshell, it's mid-tempo mid-dark D.I.Y. crust (as opposed to "stadium crust") with some smaller distorted hi-pitch feedback thrown in (well, they're from Japan don’t you know), & it all suggests a linage from the obvious hardcore forefathers in Discharge & Amebix, to later pioneers of crust namely exactly Doom, E.N.T. & Sore Throat, with inevitable homage paid to the earlier days of the 1990s raw crust Osaka scene (before Gloom went noise). Personally I prefer the madness that Death Dust Extractor & Exithippies re-creates from their Doom & Sore Throat obsessions so this did not knock me out precisely.

Sorry Lasse, you deserve a medal for releasing awesome records but this one did not move me much. D-Clone - Drop A Noise Bomb 7" (Damaging Noise, USA, 2009) - Wow. The first time I came across the name D-Clone I knew this may be my new favourite band. The name is such a in-your-face statement to all grown-ups & losers who go on about "MySpace-only bands" & "Discharge rip-offs" etc. If Enjoy D-Beat & Noise 7" was amazingly good (it was, it was, IT WAS, hahaha) then this second 7" is a fucking earth-shatteringly great master piece! Seriously. Now I don’t think there was any progression in DClone's song writing between the two 7"s (rightly so, as there is no need to change a damn thing! They're perfect already!), but the newer songs greatly benefit from (what someone as ignorant about music arrangements as me surely must thinks is) a very innovative & creative hand playing with the mixing of arrangement & effects. The result is truly incredible -it has to be heard to believed! This is totally avant garde futuristic d-beat shit! Best punk

record for years. Seriously tattoo this shit on your forehead: D-Clone make next generation! Fuck off D-Clone US tour - come to London instead! I'll give you all my rare Discharge paraphernalia as bribery…rare posters…tracklisting….patches…tapes…beer…. Zyanose - Lovele SS 7" (Crust War, Japan, 2009) -I was so hyped on this that I was bound to get disappointed when it finally dropped: & very well, the first four very short & intense complicated noise numbers passed by almost without notice. Turning the flip a totally over-long looped more punk-rock-than-noise song goes on & on & on…You'd flip over to A-side & listen again. Fuck. Zyanose are crazy people.

Flip over to B-side again - actually, Zyanose are fucking insane people! Ha ha ha. Now its been six months & I am still listening to this almost daily, so I have to concede that this is easily the best Japanese 7" of the year (together with D-Clone of course). I mean I love it. Despite what you may think there is hardly a departure in style or sound for Zyanose on this record, listen to the first 7", to the demo & the CD-R you will be amazed to observe there is a distinct Zyanose sound that is present on all of their releases. It was only with this last 7" that this style is in your face if you know what I mean. I think the bands' intention with this 7" would have worked better on an album-length release with, say, 8-10 one-minute noise-wonders on the A-side with the long drawn out crazy looped noise-hypnosis on the B-Side. Maybe? Either way there is talk of a multi-band split release coming soon featuring Zyanose so I am stoked. If that LP comes anytime soon more so. Chaos Destroy - Music Not Music 7" (Not Very Nice, USA, 2009) -Up until now it's been pretty much impossible to hear what Chaos Destroy is about due to a thick blanket of sheer static distortion drowning all else in sound picture. Well, you could perhaps only just about hear vocals, drumming & bass in the background, but not really. Ha! But that was exactly that made the band so fucking great. Ha ha ha.

That was the charm of the band so to speak. Now, on this first debut 7" a revolution in recording & production / arrangement techniques has surpassed, & it allows you to hear the "other" instruments. Ha ha ha. The static distortion you'll remember from the demos is largely there still, thank god, only it's seems refined or channelled in a way to let passage of other sounds. Even so there is no compromise on distortion which is quite a feat!.

The first thing to notice is the bass lines, clearly conceived while listening to noise-period Gai/Swankys, & played with such rudimentary simplicity (think: prehistoric, not vintage!) that it reminds me of being in music class at high school (and this is a compliment!). The same goes for the drums, with rolling Swankys/Disorder parts in-between the fast beats, only perhaps a bit better played than the bass. The singing is intense out-of-this-world slightly deranged, making me think of obscure Japanese noise core bands like Tranquilizer or Napalm. If you've meet Mike - who is Chaos Destroy- you'll refuse to believe such a nice young man has anything to do with this crazy aggressive god-damn noise. Dan/Lotus Fucker says he's putting out a second Chaos Destroy 7" later this winter. Yes please! Dead Noise 7" (Damaging Noise, USA, 2008) -FUCK. This was one of the first reveiws I wrote, and at length I tried to be nice and not simply say Dead Noise is just shit. For that was what I ultimately felt having played the 7" a few times. I could not get into it at all. BUT then I was listening to V/a Downtown Noise Punker Vol. 1 (reviewed in next issue, along with Vol. 2, no space left) and suddenly I heard this amazing distortion with a really cool beat. Fuck. The band playing is Dead Noise. I have to rewrite that shitty review. I am listening to the 7" now and actually it's not bad. In contrast to the compilation tracks this feels a bit like Aghast or Atrocious Madness. Writing reviews is fucking hard work. I have two Dead Noise tapes that will also be reviewed in the next issue. I never even played them because I though it was a band I don’t like. That's not true. Dead Noise rule. Fuck I dumb People - Fetish 7" (Damaging Noise, 2008) - People put out a very short CD-R demo a few years ago containing some very good noise punk clearly inspired by noise-period Swankys. I was very surprised when Fabian/Damaging Noise told me that he would re-issue the demo on a seven inch as the first release of his new label. I mean, of all the great Japanese bands, why this band? Absurdly, I did hear that People had a release party for this back in Japan a few months ago, but as far as I can tell People is either totally isolated from the rest of the world, like living in village somewhere -or else, the band is a damn hoax! Perhaps its due to the generic band name. But it doesn’t really matter though, as I am stoked that Fabian did put this out because it has all new recorded songs & it really does sound like "Watch's children": 6 slightly-noisy punk songs that belongs in the era of the Swankys between their two albums -i.e. less fuzz that Very Best of Hero, but not as much pop as on Swank Dinner. Good luck getting the ltd ed (only 50) that I have, harr-harr. Paintbox [Genseki] 7" - Advance single released in anticipation of Trip Trance Travelling CD (see below), on A-side is the title track (translating as "Raw Ore" apparently, also on the album) a mid-tempo melodic song that draws heavily on vintage Dinosaur Jr riffs (Making me long for old Santa Cruz films of my youth, like Wheels of Fire!) with harmonic female choruses. It's a perfect unadulterated summer pop song! On the flip is a rendition almost beyond recognition Poison Idea cover/homage which is fun & crazy (also on Paintbox's Relics CD, also reviewed below) with what I hope is intended to be a pisstake of Slade's Come on Feel the Noize. Paintbox rules! But you knew that already. Paintbox has a bunch of shows in Japan this year. Wow. MUSIC REVIEWS: 12" LP: The Wankys / Exithippies Split-12"Best band in the East meets the best band in the West. The Wankys plays

immensely hi-pitched noise, over-the-top trademark vocals, as is usual. As usual the production or arrangement of tunes turns the noise into something monumental. Here's the first vinyl appearance of Wanky Barmy Army singalong favourites Noise Chaos Disorder & ABC I love Noise Punk, the latter is a Chaos Channel rendition while the former is probably the best English punk song written since Chaotic Dischord got punched in the eye at Woolworths. I thank myself for having such forbearance in this record that I bought two tshirts before even hearing it. More Wankys reviewed up or around these pages somewhere. The Exithippies songs are older ones that for some reason never got released. Laser-fuzz intro. First song is a thick-layered noise core that has Doom/E.N.T vocals. That's then followed by a pure crazed madness of noise insanity. Next up a drug addict's paranoia is expressed & dragged through a slow insane noize grinding machine, at the end of which spontaneous drinking songs emerge…It's like Exithippies got high/drunk in studio, play everything on max which at first sounds all fuckedup & funny-crazy but then it slowly turns into something that reminds of Killing Joke, a jam that whilst created spontaneously in freeform could not have sounded any other way!

The last 4 minutes or so consist of I am guessing is live tracks, the first of which is a crusty noise song & then follows three or four more upbeat noise punk songs that while sounding improvised presents a band possessed by fucking immense importance. Fucking stone! ARHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG! Shock Troop - A Nightmare in 2012 12" (2008) -The first song starts out on a good classic Lip Cream & Deathside hardcore trip, or so I thought, for the chorus makes me think of some really shit thrash metal band themed with knights & goblins. Ouch! Second track don’t have such annoying chorus so I am listening to the crispy drums with melodic hardcore guitars & spittingsaliva USHC-via-Japan vocal style on top. Not my thing but it's not bad. Next up is how I imagine Agnostic Front sounds like, if speeded up. Frankly I am not that interested. The one after is a faster number & it works well. I could very well dance to this if I saw the band live….if I was very drunk, in a right mood, had nowhere else to go & very bored etc. Which probably goes for any old band. Acid's first LP -after which this band was named- was ten-thousand miles more interesting. But on the plus side the artwork to LP is amazing & I have a ltd ed cover that is totally bonkers. But that's obviously not enough.

Sorry. (Contact via www.shock-troop.com) MUSIC REVIEWS: CD-R: Giftgasattack - D-beat Noise Crust Inferno 2008 CD-R - Seeing Giftgasattack in January 2009 was an eye-opener. Before the show Per & 'Rabin' told me about their intention with the band - to play the loudest fucking shit with no end of feedback & distortion between songs. Up until then I had follow Sweden's Giftgasattack the best I could from the UK, on recommendation I had manage to track down nearly all the demos on mp3 as well as the vinyls. But this had not prepared me for the sheer raw energy of seeing the band play live: Giftgasattack is the best Swedish band I ever seen in my life & easily one of the best punk bands I've ever seen. I never had fortune to see Disclose & I was stupid enough to miss Framtid on their Euro-tour, obviously I never saw Gloom, etc. Giftgasattack managed to create this loud as fuck raw d-beat experience that I can only imagine you'd get if you saw Disclose. In a nutshell: I had ringing ears & clinical deafness for a month. Damaging noise, & I loved it! The point here is that this cd-r is the closest you will get to hearing the true sound of Giftgasattack without seeing them live. By the way Rabin told me the cd-r is being released as a 7" by D-Takt & Råpunk Records, which should be out now. Sadly, Rabin also told me that he has quit the band (at least temporarily) so I am not sure what the hell is going to happen to the band now but for now they're still around. Argh? MUSIC REVIEWS: CD: Frigöra 1995-1999 CD (Overthrow, 2009) -Reissue of the decade. Frigöra was a Japanese band that copied Mob 47, taking it to an extreme where they even sang in Swedish, but while doing this -as is so often the case- the band managed to create a new style/sound that goes waaaay beyond what Mob 47 were/are doing. I suppose, a lazy person could say "imagine Confuse playing Mob 47 songs, but on acid". This 27-track about 30-minutes length CD includes the 12", the [EPIC] 7", the Diskonto split-7" as well as two previously unreleased songs. Get this! Buy this! Steal this! Download this! As with the Clay reissue (see above) the sound source used here is very good meaning crystal clear sound throughout which is very handy for people like me who have been listening to low-bitrate mp3s (being adverse to spending fortunes on vinyls)… Hey, there's an idea -someone should license this for a vinyl release! I honestly declare to buy at least two copies immediately! One to play until grooves & my ears are retarded, the other to frame & put on my wall! I love Frigöra. The Clay - Middle Eastern Combat Area CD (Reissue) + The Clay - Live 1983-1984 2CD - This is one of the first Japanese bands I heard of.

Up until this long, long overdue reissue I had only heard this via 5th generation cassette tapes & later on via low bit-rated mp3s. As such I was blown away by the difference in audio quality & almost as if I heard the songs for the first time! The production on the recordings were actually crystal clear, an eye-opener for sure. The Clay was one of the earliest bands to play thrashy hard core punk of the kind that has since been recognised as "Japanese hardcore", & as an added bonus to me the Clay had a (at least topical) political edge. The CD reissue contains the three-track EP in full, two-tracks from V/a Great Punk Hits plus an unreleased version of a song on from the EP. This is a must -but I'd say don’t bother with the 2-disc Live 1983-1984 CD until the studio versions are totally ingrained in your soul. Paintbox - Relics CD

(Singles-Collection, 2009) -I was very late to Paintbox & to be honest never really bothered to track down the records until the internet came along making it possible to hear what all the hype was about without paying through your nose. & ARGHGHGH, here was yet another of those bands that I mysteriously ignored against warm recommendations from zines & the better judgement of my friends. This is a Paintbox singles collection that I think has pretty much every Paintbox rarity you need to hear. This is a great CD to own in light of how idiotic it is to listen to truly great music like this on poor mp3s. In London, buy the CD at All-Ages record shop in Camden. Paintbox Trip Trance Travelling CD (HG Fact, Japan, 2009) - This long-awaited third full-length album from Japanese gonzoid-hardcore overlords is a singularly epic musical adventure that will appeal to everyone that loves music. More epic than Chinese Democracy, hardcore veterans Paintbox has managed to produce an overbearingly optimistic album -despite the tragic premature death of Chelsea, guitarist & bands' creative genius, who passed in 2007- that through a hot pot of amazing prog & psych rock, samba, reggae, brass-band & folk music transcends the hardcore genre to produce something unique that the world has not heard before. It's a guitar -based bag that will remind nonpunk people of Dinosaur Jr or Soundtrack of our Life as well as perhaps Oasis?

But (as punk people knows) that is delivered with the brutal approach of Poison Idea! The songs meanwhile are brilliant pop songs for exactly the 2000s that feel like they were written by a band that equals Beatles or Pink Floyd in song writing genius! Album of the decade. (Note: I wrote this for a non-punk mainstream magazine & therefore I hope you will forgive the ultra-retarded band references above. Paintbox of course totally kill all those bands!) FANZINES REVIEWS: Evil Minded # 1 (USA, 2008) - This first issue has a D-Clone interview in English which makes it absolutely necessary for you to go out of your way to get hold of. That said, it's perhaps only a shade better than the one I did with D-Clone for Distort Hackney because D-Clone really don’t understand much English ha ha ha. Anyway, this is a really nice & short zine that looks absolutely super-cool with its heavy-ink splatter design. Also has reviews, "rants" & photos.And it is for free! Evil Minded # 2 (USA, 2008) Tom's second issue has Anguish interview that interested me & I really should try to find out how they sound. There is also a the Wankys interview that is particularly good & informative about what the band is all about. This issue is yet another brief issue that also has reviews & rants all decorated in ultrapunk D.I.Y. bleeding black ink. And it is for free! Evil Minded # 3 (USA, 2009) - Holy shit. This is the best looking fanzine I have seen in years, with the passion for black-ink-heavy evident from earlier issues (see above) perfected to an art form. But more importantly Evil Minded # 3 is written with such passion that it is difficult not to be completely swept away by it. The Atrocious Madness retrospective interview made me want to force myself to get into a band that previously I have only half-tolerated. I seriously spend like a day listening to Atrocious Madness after reading this zine (but I still can’t get into them). The Japanese metal article (nearly) converted me (I am still flirting with Loudness, X Japan, Mein Kampf etc) . The best thing though is the four-way real time conversation between Mike from Chaos Destroy (see 7" reviews, above), Zach from Merciless Game & Dan from Lotus Fucker (see tape reviews, above) talking about the three bands & their scene. There are also reviews & stuff thrown around the zine. I hear only 6 people bothered to order this FANTASTIC zine, which is ironic in that the first 50 or so would receive a free surprise pro-cassette tape to go with the Japanese metal article, a tape housed in a beautiful hand-made fold-out colour cover no less! Meanwhile, Tom is sitting on about half the zine's print-run. If you are reading this you better fucking write & order one today (be sure to ask for the back-issues, they're for free!). (Email: vtomtomv@hotmail.com) Ratcharge # 19 split-zine with Distort # 21 (France, Australia, 2009) -Two very prolific zines (look at the numbers!) got together for this one-off merger to produce a über-exciting publication. Distort is always a great read, even though I am not really into that whole Sex/Vid & them hip hardcore bands. But I hate that I slept on previous issues, bad me. Reviews are particularly useful reference points for bands I mostly never heard of. Passion rules the day in the Distort HQ. Ratcharge is usually in French which means I can’t read a shit. But thankfully Alex (who also plays in the great, great State Poison, see 7" review above) provides some interesting excerpts in English from stuff that's been in earlier issues. Such as the Wankys interview, Portland's great Warning Zine & talk with Stuart Schrader/Shit-Fi. All very interesting & particularly fitting as this directly correlates with my own obsessions. Best of all is the State Poison tour report which is written with such flair & humour that reading it makes me want to be in a band & take lots of drugs. More of this please! In English!

(Email: xxgluestickxxbrigadexx@yahoo.fr). Kawaii # 1 (Australia, 2009) - This first issue has a good-to-read real time conversational interview with Lebenden Toten from when they were down in OZ on tour last year. There is also what I believe is the first interview with Lotus Fucker & that is a particularly good & informative reading for those that are curious about the band. There is also a Conquest for Death interview, I have no idea who they are. The zine looks cool all plastered in Xerox ink - like a office committed to suicide by scissors. I am sure Nils would have been able to save a few pennies to buy more punk records if he had made each page half in size, look at this page it has probably at least three times the number of words as the entire content of Kawaii. You know? Anyway, you should definitely buy this because as Penky said: "Nils is

fuckin mental, very lovable but bloody mental." HA HA HA HA! For the next issue I've donated a Brainbombs & Warvictims interview plus some reviews I guess - but in spite of my shit I am sure Nils will turn it around enough to make it more than worthwhile. (Email: kawaiizine@gmail.com). Believe # 1 (Canada, 2008) - This zine from Canada is the work of Jo who is also the North American one-man d-beat spectacle SEE//GET (sorry ran out of space here, but will review See//Get split-cd-rs in next issue). The zine has interviews with a bunch of good bands such as Besthöven, the Wankys, Trioxin 245 & Warvictims. The Wankys interview is particularly amusing as it's answered by Paul (the first bass player of the band) who reveals personal real life story behind the song White Coats etc. The Warvictims interview is slightly passive aggressive (compare with interview in Agitate # 10, reviewed below) ha ha ha. This is a zine that could have been half the size as the text is sometimes big enough for blind people to read it, which perhaps is not that bad on second thought. Hahaha. Anyway, if this is not enough the zine comes with no less than two pro-CD compilations, V/a Blasting Concepts Vol.1 (broadly speaking d-beat styled bands) & V/a Kings of Kings (some sort of grind thing). (Email: hell_vis666@hotmail.com) Agitate # 9 (UK 2008) + Agitate # 10 (UK, 2009) - Agitate is one of best UK zines around - along with Ripping Thrash I guess. The layout is modelled on a perfect template which is compact & precise & allows immaculate black crusty designs. Haha. Issue 9 is a bit old now but is great so you must buy this. Issue 10 I particularly enjoyed because it has a Giftgasattack interview (my favourite current Swedish band & one of the first bands in Europe to really go for & to some extent succeeding in recreating that uniquely raw Japanese noise a la Gloom et al, see CD-R review above). The Warvictims interview (mandatory for all crust zines, ha ha) is hilarious (inadvertedly) because the fictional Sika Äpärä-ripoff band members are struggling to remain in character because they respect Chris & his zine! Ha ha ha. Chris' interview with Holokaust is also good. Another band for me to look into. Anyway, this is a zine everyone should read, buy & support & that's an order. Naturally issue 11 is under way. (Email: chrisagitate@yahoo.co.uk) LISTS (INCOMPLETE, INCORRECT BUT ELOQUENT!) TOP 5 OF ALL TIME: Discharge-Why? 12"(1981); Skitslickers-GBG 1982 7"(1982); Chaos U.K.-Short Sharp Shocks LP(1984); Disorder-Perdition 12"(1984); Confuse-Indignation Tape(1984).

TOP 5 FINLAND: Lama-Totuus Löytyy Kaurapuurosta 7"(1980); Lama-Nimetön 7"(1981); Lama-Väliaikainen 7"(1982); Terveet Kädet-Ääretön Joulu 7"(1982); Terveet Kädet-The Horse LP(1985).

TOP 5 JAPAN: Confuse-Nuclear Addicts Flexi(1984); Kuro-Who the Helpless 8"(1984); Gai-Extermination Flexi(1984); The Swankys-Lifestyle(1985); GauzeEqualizing Distort 12"(1986).

TOP 5 SWEDISH:Skitslickers-GBG 1982 7"(1982); Missbrukarna-Krigets Gentlemen Tape(1983); Anti-Cimex-Raped Ass(1983); Anti-Cimex-Victims of a Bombraid 7"(1984); Totalitär-Vänd Dig Inte Om 7" (1989) TOP 5 USA: Black Flag-Damage LP(1981); Bad Brains Tape(1982); MDC-Millions of Dead Cops LP(1982); Dicks - Kill From the Heart LP(1983); Negative Approach Tied Down LP(1983).

TOP 5 UK: Discharge-Realities of War 7"(1980); Discharge-Fight Back 7"(1980); Discharge-Decontrol 7"(1980);Blitz-All Out Attack 7"(1981); Chaotic DischordFuck Religion, Fuck Politics, Fuck the Lot of You LP(1983).

READING SUGGESTION - The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell -This is an (fictional) autobiography, concerning author's tenure as a SS officer in Third Reich being involved with day-to-day practical side of Holocaust. For 1000 pages reader's are taken on a journey with few comparisons in literature.

First-person narrative forces you to experience horrors & moral dilemmas etc from point-of-view of perpetrator & at times you'll be find yourself identifying with main character. But the book goes through so many turns that you're forced to re-evaluate & question everything you read and it all concludes in delicious delirium! Please do read this book. It's amazing. If you like reading Franz Kafka , Louis Ferdinand Celine, William Burroughs etc you will not fail to see that Littell is part of that broad line of grim & beautiful writers. I enjoyed it so much I'm going to re-read it soon. Literature at its very best.

WWW . PUNKS IS HIPPIES . COM is a online archive for D.I.Y. punk & hardcore fanzines. Currently hosting some 300-400+ zines which can be downloaded or read online. At last check, some one million or so visitors have leafed through the zines so far -which surely must represent a revolution! On average each zine's been read / viewed 300-10,000 times! Most zines never had such vast audience which is great news don’t you think? Contributions are welcomed - so send me zines (on paper or digitally)!!! The website could also benefit from a new website that enables easier reading, I'd also love to have the zines hosted on its own server space. If you can help please get in touch. Afterthoughts? "Even now I’m scared about how sappy this’ll look in print, saying this. And the effort to actually to do it, not just talk about it, requires a kind of courage I don’t seem to have yet.” Well, that's exactly how I feel! Every word I have written above can be exchanged with the word shit & the meaning would be the same!“The biggest hurdle is just believing you’ve still got some control over your life, that you can go out and do it”Exactly!That's the solution. Just fucking D.I.Y.! This is your wake-up call. Coming from a reviewer! Hah. It is fun! Easy! Cheap! Go fuck yourself! Yeah! Get drunk! Punk! Argh! Etc.