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  ...presents...                  cDc core #5

                             original album reviews

                                                         by The Pusher



                      >>> a cDc publication.......1990 <<<

                        -cDc- CULT OF THE DEAD COW -cDc-

_______________________________________________________________________________





BAD BRAINS: The Youth Are Getting Restless (Caroline)



     To be honest, while all the metal people are now getting into these guys,

a lot of hardcore people and I are getting tired of their shit.  The Jah crap,

the 18 dollar shows, the bogus rationalization for homophobia, I don't think

the music makes up for it anymore.  This is a 16 song live album (half of which

were on the last live album two years ago!) recorded in Amsterdam, 1987.  A

pure money-maker, simple as that.





BLACK FLAG: I Can See You (SST)



     A reunion album?  No.  A live tape found in the basement?  No.  An easy

way to make lots of money off Flag fans?  Yes.  One song, "Kickin' & Stickin",

I've never heard before.  The other three songs (yes, this is only FOUR songs)

are from the last studio album "In My Head", the slow and acidy stuff.  I can't

hear any difference between the versions on that and on this new thing.





DEAD MILKMEN: Metaphysical Graffiti (Enigma)



     Their album title may come from LED ZEPPELIN, but the Milkmen are still

doing that same wimpy, jazzy, punk rock.  And I don't mean that as a negative

comment, this is much better than their last LP, the disappointing

"Beelzebubba".  Arguably, this is up there with their first LP, the immortal

"Big Lizard In My Backyard".  Stand out tracks here are the hilarious "Do The

Brown Nose", and "The Big Sleazy".  Not to mention the last song, the

appropriately titled "Anderson, Walkman, Buttholes, and How!", a BUTTHOLE

SURFERS type jam with warped vocals telling us some kind of story.





FUGAZI: Repeater (Dischord)



     I thought, and I thought, and I thought, but I can't really come up with

anything else to say about FUGAZI.  "Too good for words", I guess.  What I can

say is that if you don't like this, you probably are very close-minded about

music.  By the way, Ian MacKaye is THE rhythm guitarist.





HOLY ROLLERS: As Is (Dischord)



     The only reason I bought this album was because it was on Dischord. 

Whatever the hell your reason, get this.  This album is one of the best I've

heard this year, and without a doubt better than all the other Dischord acts

like SOULSIDE, FIRE PARTY, and IGNITION.  Only the mighty FUGAZI can top this

three-piece.  It's DC post-hardcore meets Sub Pop with sporadic thrash parts

and hypnotic vocals.  I really got into "Ode to Sabine County", a tragic

re-working of an old Christmas classic.





JUDGE: Bringin' It Down (Revelation)



     Straight-edge hardcore (with two ex-YOUTH OF TODAY people), of course, wit

h metal tinges.  Nothing too creative, but I have to say that I like it.  They

are really good are at doing this stuff... the tight rhythm section, the mosh

parts in all the right places.  Aside from the song "Like You", there's nothing

else that goes against the grain.  Oh yeah, Revelation also released a

different version of this LP called "Chung King Can Suck It".  Only 100 were

pressed.  How they were distributed, I have no idea, but for what it's going

for, you'd probably have enough to buy the first 4-5 DISCHORD releases at their

present prices.





NEUROSIS: The Word As Law (Lookout)



     People tell me these guys sound like METALLICA, so maybe I should go out

and buy "And Justice For All..." because NEUROSIS is incredible.  8 songs

(ranging from 43 seconds to 7 minutes) talking about oppression and conformity

and stuff like that.  Good production; it's slow, it's fast, more variety than

your average thrash album.  Thrash is really too much of a limiting word for

something this good.





SCATTERBRAIN: Here Comes Trouble (In-Effect)



     Not a new band, but LUDICHRIST, who did two albums on Combat, with a new

rhythm section.  So why did they change their name?  Well, you can't very well

conquer MTV and get the opening spot on the next POISON tour with a name like

LUDICHRIST can you?  Anyway, these guys aren't playing in hardcore venues, more

like the kind of places BRITNY FOX would hang out.  But surprisingly enough,

they don't sound that different.  A little slower, a little less harsh, but I

still think HC/Thrash people can enjoy them, even though I didn't go for their

goofy hard rock thing.  Have to give credit to any band, however, that covers

CHEECH & CHONG and MOZART on the same album.





SOCIAL DISTORTION: self-titled (Epic)



     I was a little hesitant about buying this album.  After all, the last big

hardcore album to be released on EPIC by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES didn't exactly

turn out so hot, if you know what I mean.  But I went for this anyway.  Well,

it most certainly is the least of the three SOCIAL DISTORTION albums, but it's

still very respectable.  They slowed down, made it blusey, did even more "I'm

an outlaw in jail" type songs, but the fact is, it's still the same band, and

Mike Ness still is an awesome singer and guitar player.  I will listen to this

in the future, and I hope they become as big as BON JOVI.





WARZONE: Warzone (Caroline)



     If you liked their last two albums, (which even with some screwy politics

were still great NYHC) I guarantee you will NOT like this.  SLOW hard rock,

solid guitar playing, but it's just one long ZZZZZZ.  They even thank one of

the guys from SKID ROW inside.  It's interesting how they changed their entire

sound... now get it the fuck out of my face.



  _   _   _____________________________________________________________________

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  .ooM   |(c)1990 cDc communications by The Pusher.               05/17/90-#134

\_______/|All Rights Pissed Away.







