Worshipping japanese hardcore since the day before yesterday!
One of several 1980 releases by Lizard, this 7“ is less punk and more new wave and pop than their S/T LP from the year before. Asakusa Rock on Side A is an upbeat number (about Rock in Asakusa, I presume?), Misha on Side B is „russian sounding“ including a musical quotation of the famous folksong Kalinka.
Their, errm, mediocre name aside, Insane Youth from Kōchi on Shikoku released a load of hard hitting 7“es thoughout the nineties before mutating into Insane Youth A.D. Their first release was a split with Disclose, just to show where this is going.
This release on Dan-Doh Records from 1996 is simple and brutal hardcore with great guitar leads, with singer Gem giving Bastard‘s Tokurow a run for his money.
If you’re into heavy metal mayhem fused with japanese hardcore insanity, Döraid are the right shit for you. This 2010 release has two absolutely over the top metal-punk numbers with the equally awesome titles of Devil’s Highway and Satanic Rites.
Here comes one of Mentai Rock legend Sheena And The Rokkets’ earlier (well, 1980) singles, with two lovely new wave numbers. In my opinion, the b-side „Love’s Moonlight Dance“ is the winner of these two. Listening to it, you can just see love-sick teenagers, doing that awkward slow dance under a bright Fukuoka moon, haha…
Kaiboushitsu („Autopsy Room“, named after the opening song on The Stalin’s classic first album) were (are?) an all-star punk/hardcore band led by Crow’s eponymous singer. Their influences were Japan’s darker, sicker, more twisted mid-eighties punk acts. 邪 (yokoshima, meaning wicked) sounds as wicked as its title promises, with Crow exploring his whole vocal range and showing his love for psychedelia. The album is said to be an homage to The Stalin’s album 虫. While the influence is obvious, here you’ll find less straight-up hardcore and far more twisted sickness: the second to last song (霊柩車 meaning hearse) is basically the same two chords for 16 and a half minutes…
This compilation LP has Disarray’s two classic self-titled 7“es (from 1984 on ADK Records and 1985 on Chicken Shit Records) plus two demo tapes. The tracklist on the record is wrong though, the song Dolly Bird on the second tape is missing on the LP.
The comp originally came out in Japan in 2008 on CD, this LP is the 2014 release on Black Water.
狂気の日本 