突然段ボール – ホワイト・マン + 変なパーマネント 7“
This is Totsuzen Danball’s very first release, it came out in 1980 on Pass Records, and the track titles are White Man and Strange Permanent. There’s nothing I don’t like about this release: the uncool, nerdy and somewhat slobby look of the band, the very laid back, minimalistic arty new wave punk of the two…
Warhead – この想いを何処へ… + The Lost Self And Beating Heart LP
As the title has already let you know, this LP compiles two of Warhead’s releases; この想いを何処へ (maybe: where to put that feeling??!?), a mini album from 1993 and The Lost Self And Beating Heart from 1996. I guess I won’t have to describe Warhead’s sound anymore, so I’ll just say that both releases are absolutely…
Fearless Vampire Killers – The Girl Who Rapes Boys 7”
„The Girl Who Rapes Boys“ is quite the title for a record… Bad Brains lovin’ FVK released their 3rd ep in 1988, and musically it is in the same manic, high speed, USHC-inspired vein as their two previous ones. It was recorded and mixed in 5 sessions over 5 months, which is definitely unusual for…
猿芝居 – 愛サレタイep
Sarushibai, meaning something like Monkey Show, released their first 7“ ai saretai (I wanna be loved) in 2016. It’s got 4 tracks of dirty and simply hardcore with a heavy edge. Since this 7“ they have released an album and a split LP with Manbiki Chocolate. They wanna be loved. I, on the other hand,…
Gastunk – Under The Sun LP
There’s a damn lot that can be said about Gastunk’s 2nd LP, released in 1987. This here is the famous US version on Pusmort with the iconic cover artwork. The original japanese version had a different cover, a different mix, and especially a different vocal track: the A side of the US version has re-recorded…
v.a. 口ずさむ子守唄 12“
Kuchizusamu Komori Uta (roughly „humming a lullaby“) came out in 2019 on F.O.A.D. (who LOVE japanese hardcore). I’m not quite sure whether it’s an actual compilation or a threeway split by Keiketsu (経血), Eyescream and No No No, but who cares? On this 12″ Keiketsu (menstrual blood?) come off as the punkiest (one atonal off-beat…
The Discocks – Boot Boys Anthem E.P.
Once again I leave my well trodden patch of hardcore/post punk/goth/punk to deliver some Oi! The Discocks are one of the bands for whom I’ve got a soft spot in my heart even though they’re not the stuff I usually listen to. They’re just so damn catchy and fun, I love ’em. Here is their…
v.a. Complete Death Live LP
This LP is a bootleg pressing of the 1989 VHS tape of live shows by Sqwad, Poison Arts, Tetsu Arei, Death Side, SxOxB, Final Bombs, Outo and Systematic Death; the LP only has Sqwad, Outo, SxOxB and Poison Arts, though. I mostly bought it for the Sqwad tracks, as it is presently the only vinyl…
Suicide – Warning For The World Punks 7“
Warning For The Worlds Punks from 1984 was Suicide’s second 7“. Ga•Na•Ri•Ya (get it?) on side A (just what could that song be about?) is a pretty fast punk rock number, different from the darker edged songs on their debut. Warning on side B on the other hand goes right back into the dark and…
Worms’ Meat – Four Stupid Brains 7“
Four Stupid Brains came out in 2001 on Game Of The Arseholes, and it’s most decidedly NOT a bootleg. It’s got four great tracks of Burning-Spirits’esque hardcore: tight, hard, with a catchy edge, and all around great shit. Get it!
RAP – Hysteria 12“
Hysteria from 1987, RAP’s first 12“ and their last release over all. The music is a darker and even more gothic on this EP, but their earlier releases already had plenty gothic influences. Sadly the band split up after this 12″. Btw. the latin transcription of the greek „spelling“ of the band’s and EP’s names…
Blue Hearts -人にやさしく + ハンマー 7“
The Blue Hearts were not just a biggie but another one of Japan’s many greats! Although they would become a lot more rock in the later parts of their output, their beginnings were amazingly catchy and positive punk rock; you can hear many early punk rock influences (SLF, Sham 69, Ramones, depending on the song…
The Swankys – Original Swankys LP
This 90s LP is a re-release of the More Fuck demo from 1985, when Gai had just mutated into The Swankys. The recording is raw and dirty in a good way, so you good 9 tracks of extremely snotty punk rock that makes you want to hawk a loogie in your teacher’s face (sorry for…
Gastunk – Counter-Clock Wise 7″
Counter-Clock Wise came out in 1988, and it’s got two tracks off Gastunk’s third studio album. There is neither punk nor core on this record, but you get lots of hardrock and heavy metal melodies and great guitar work. Still I have to admit that I prefer Gastunk’s earlier phase of metal infused hardcore. Is…
D.O.N.D.O.N. – Commercialism 7“
It’s been quite a while since I last posted one of D.O.N.D.O.N.’s releases. Commercialism came out in 1993, although the songs had already been recorded in 1990. The music is pretty typical D.O.N.D.O.N.; rough and dirty recording, one half of the songs are fast thrashing with singer Yoshikawa’s typical choked grunts, with the other half…
Paintbox – S/T 7“
Once again: Paintbox! Hell yeah, definitely one of THE japanese bands for me! This was their first 7“, released in 1998 on HG Fact. Both songs (Flame and Desert) are of course also on the singles compilation album which I had posted way back then. They are just so fucking great, the best possible start…
Heidinasch – この街 12“
Kono Machi (This City) could be the dictionary entry for calm and meditative music. There is no trace of the cheekiness of their tracks on the R.B.F. 1984 compilation, and I’d dare say this 12“ is even calmer than their flexi 7“ Aoi Sora, and it’s probably the calmest thing I have posted on this…
Outo – Many Question Poison Answer 7“
Outo’s first 7“ from 1984 was another defining release of early japanese rawpunk, in a league with the Kyūshū crazies of Confuse, Gai or ジーク・ハイル. Many of what would later become the typical ingredients of rawpunk are there: vaccum cleaner guitar, the riffs being carried by the bass because the guitar is too distorted to…
Monochrome World – S/T 7″
And once again, a One Single Wonder! Side A of this 1984 7“ is a kind of fast paced, dancable piece of gothic rock called „Fallen Angel Gilles De Rais“ (wow!), Side B is slower, less straight and darker (called „In Memory“). Get this cool piece of music!
Acute – 殺人予告 12“
„Murder Announcement“ is definitely quite a name for a record! Acute released this 12“ ep in 2012 on CD, the vinyl version came out one year later. It’s got 6 tracks of hard and wild but tight hardcore with some very cool „melodies“ and guitar solos thrown in. In addition to this 12“ they have…
v.a. 悲観レーベルオムニバス Vol. 1 7“
Hikan (pessimism) label, run by people of Himei, released their first label compilation „Hikan Label Omnibus Vol. 1“ in 2012. It’s got 4 tracks by Himei, Zetu, Tarenagashi (Incontinence) and Danzetsuma (no idea what that means). Himei’s track is simple, stomping, Comes’esque (of course) with a riff reminiscent of Plastic Bomb; Zetu’s is just as…
The Willard – Silly Games 12″
The Willard released this 12“ in 1987 on Eastworld, part of Toshiba EMI. The ep has one track off their 3rd album „The Legend Of Silver Guns“ plus two non-album tracks. While I found „Who Sings A Gloria?“, The Willard’s first album on a major, still pretty much comparable to their indie releases, by the…
The Tits – 猥褻外道 7”
Another fine (if you consider that word appropriate) release by these great looking tokyoite noise merchants. Especially the second track N.O.U.Z.E.I. (P.A.Y.M.E.N.T. O.F. T.A.X.E.S.?) with its great antisocial vocal delivery kills me. The title of this 7“ from 2018 means something like obscene unorthodoxy (meaning corrupted), if my google translate skills and my freebie japanese…
v.a. City Rockers LP
Finally some fine bootlegger showed mercy on me by giving me the chance to listen to this album without having to pay more than 300 bucks. Whoever you are: thank you! This compilation was released originally in 1982 on City Rocker Records, home to lots of greats like Benitokage, Lizard, Phaidia, Madame Edwarda, Sex Android…
Samurai – Turning Point 8“
This 8“ from 1984 is the second vinyl release by Tōkyō’s Samurai. It is similar in style to the other releases of theirs that I’ve posted, a competent mix of punk and rock’n’roll. To my ears this 8“ is already a bit more polished than their debut 7“. It seems that some copies of this…
Shadow Of Fear – Painful Cry E.P.
Definitely another all star band! Shadow Of Fear were made up by Kawakami and Uo-Chan of Disclose on guitar and drums, Bear Bomb of Ghoul, Final Bombs and Last Bomb on bass, and Atsushi Morishita of Overthrow Records on vocals. Painful Cry from 2005 was their only release, with three tracks worshipping the mighty Discharge.…
Kenzi & The Trips – Diana 7″
I’m pretty sure Paul Anka never thought that 30 years after the original release in 1957 somebody might do this to his song. Kenzi sings Anka’s famous ballad with such snotty irony in his voice that it’s definitely not a love song anymore. The song on Side B is a punk/new wave ballad with a…
Döraid – Death Line City LP
Death Line City, what a great name for a great album! Döraid play a great and powerful mix of speed metal and hardcore punk, with lots of dirt, nastiness, chugging, choking, growling and shredding. I just love it when such competent musicianship comes with such a dirty production. But enough of my incompetent and uninformed…
Masturbation – S/T 7″
Masturbation’s S/T 7“ ep came out in 1983 on ADK records, and it’s another one of my favourites among early to mid eighties japanese punk. I absolutely love their „full handbrake“ approach to punk rock, which makes for dark, plodding and ominous music. The repetitive and super simple riff of the opener „Become A Soldier…
The Discocks – Long Live Oi! LP
It was a long time ago that I promised I would go down the slippery slope and post The Discocks, and now finally I get around to posting their 1997 debut LP Long Live Oi! If you’re into Oi!, this is bouncy, cheerful and fun, and it’s definitely a guilty pleasure of mine. Btw. back…
Gauze – 面を洗って出直して来い 12″
Kao wo aratte denaoshite koi (no idea where to correctly put the spaces and how to correctly split infinitives) or „go wash your face and then come back“ is a clever insult you tell someone you just beat up, or so I learned from the old „Kill from the heart“ page. This 12“ from 1997…
Milk – Bricks 7“
Milk are red hot punky hardcore from Nagoya. They’re fast, catchy and snotty, with an almost clean guitar sound and a very nerdy look. Bricks is their 2020 7“, and this is the japanese version on A-Z records. 豆乳は牛乳より良い。
Girls – Punky Kiss LP
Tōkyō’s cast band „Girls“ are another great example of what happens when music biz execs try to jump on the hype train, which had come to Japan in the form of the Runaways’ touring the nation and the first releases of punk rock. Punky Kiss from 1977 was The Girls’ second LP, and just like…
Human Gas – S/T LP
This bootleg LP from 2016 compiles two demos, compilation tracks and the two songs of Human Gas’ split 7“ with Stali Nism. All 21 tracks are perfect examples of crude, fuzzy and primitive raw punk. Last year F.O.A.D. released an official discography double LP (plus a CD and DVD) which is far more extensive than…
RAP – Rapout 7″
Rapout from 1986 on Dogma Records was RAP’s third 7“. It’s got three tracks with a mix of melodic, upbeat punk rock, a dark almost-ballad, and somewhat slower, somewhat less upbeat punk rock. Bland description by me and horrible cover artwork aside this is another really cool ep of theirs, all of which are really…
The Willard – Run “Cindy” Run 12“
The Willard released their Run “Cindy” Run 12“ in 1986. To my ears this ep sounds a lot cleaner, less punk, and more new wave rock when compared to their earlier output. I don’t listen to it as often as I do to their punkier stuff, but this 12“ is still cool stuff, it’s just…
Götz – Controlled Boy 8“
When I bought this 8“ I had no idea what Götz were like. For some reason, maybe because of the german inspired name, I had been expecting music like that of G-Schmitt. I could hardly have been more wrong. There is nothing sombre, dark, slow or subtle about Götz, who played fast-paced, snotty, cheerful and…
Geizz – We Wait For Song Of Geizz 7″
Geizz were another one release wonder, their only 7″ We Wait For Song Of Geizz came out in 1985. They may not have released very much, but as a band they had with quite the pedigree: members were active in The Execute and The Mobs among others. The music on this 7“ is competently played,…
The Zolge – In A Target 7“
This is the 2nd 7“ (The) Zolge’s released in 1986, and it’s got two more tracks of their mix of punk and gothic rock. The songs are a bit darker and gloomier now compared to their previous release Feel No Fear. Definitely a cool 7“. Check it out!
Crusade – Stay Free LP
Crusade were an all-female crust band from Osaka. They were active only from 1992 to 1993, when guitarist Kozue tragically died of a hereditary disease at age 21. This LP contains the whole „studio“ discography of Crusade, i.e. both of their demo tapes (called Crusade and No Trust) from 1992. There’s also a flexi 7″…
Geil – I’m 7“
I have no idea whether the band’s name and the title of the 7“ are a multilingual pun, but it’s what I want to believe. Anyways, Geil (meaning „horny“ in german) released this 7“ in 1986, and it’s got 4 tracks between gothic rock, post punk and punkrock (the third track is unusually fast and…
Inzest – Violence Not Words 12“
And another one release wonder: Inzest from Ōsaka originally released their „Another Religion Another Violence“ flexi 7“ in 1987. It sounded like somebody thought it would be a good idea to give S.O.B. some more metallic guitars; so it’s super tight thrash with metallic leads. In 2020 FOAD released this single side compilation 12“ (silk…
v.a. Hang The Sucker Vol. 2 LP
Another truly monstrous late 80s japanese hardcore compilation. Hang The Sucker Vol. 2 came out in 1989 on Kagai Mousou records, which also did lots of Gudon, Chicken Bowels, Googol Plex, the My Meat’s Your Poison comp. Hang The Sucker Vol. 1 was a 7“ which came our the year before. This comp starts out…
These – 429 7″
Like Nue, These (pronounced 「 テーゼ 」, not „these“) were among the few openly anarchist punk/hardcore bands in 80s Japan. 429 from 1987 was their first flexi 7“. The music is not punk in the traditional sense, but more in the way of using punk as an open playing field to express their ideas, maybe…
G-Zet / Bradbury – S/T LP
This 2019 LP is a vinyl bootleg of the 1999 G-Zet/Bradbury CD with the interviews of Tam left out. First of all it’s got all the songs released by G-Zet during their existance (the two tracks off Great Punk Hits and the G-Zet 12“) plus the two songs off Tam’s solo 7“ (minus the songs…
Asuka And The Bum Servants – S/T 7“
Asuka & The Bum Servants are/were (no idea if they’re still active) definitely a very good looking band. Styled totally UK 82, they play(ed) very dirty Oi!-influenced pogo punk. This is their first 7“, released on 2015. It’s not surprising they shared members with the Discocks, it’s a little more surprising they also did so…
GIL – S/T 7“
GIL’s first flexi 7“, released in 1987. GIL played pretty simple hardcore punk without the metal of many of their contemporaries. Three of the five songs are aggressive hardcore, two are a little bit more melodic (O.P.C.I Go and th In The Night). GIL went on to release two more eps and one album. Great…
Boys Boys – S/T 7“
All-girl Boys Boys sadly were another One 7“ Wonder, who released their self-titled single in 1980 on Pass Records. Monkey Monkey on Side A is a super simple, bouncy punk/new/no wave number with great atonal guitars and tom-tom only drumming (a bit like the Banshees). Control Tower on Side B is a somewhat straighter punk…
Outo – S/T Bootleg LP
This relatively recent bootleg LP compiles quite a lot of Outo’s output: it’s got the tracks off the 正直者は馬鹿を見る 12“, the tracks off the compilations Hardcore Unlawful Assembly, Thrash Till Death and My Meat’s Your Poison, and four of the six tracks off their debut 7“ Many Question Poison Answer. The 7“ versions of UK…
Parasite – 残響 Reverberation LP
As requested here’s Parasite’s 2017 LP Zankyō. Metal Punk Massacre from Aichi! Less talk, more music! Go for it!
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