January 1987


The following is the January 1987 installment of Puszone

Thanks to Scott Slimm for the article.



The paper wrapper fell to the floor. I ripped the inner foil off a dark brown
sectioned bar of chocolate, broke off a piece and hastily shoved it into my open
mouth. It was quite a chunk. I gnawed away, smashing my jaws down, breaking up
the substance into smaller particles. A dribble of brown saliva ran down the
front of my chin. Reaching up, I pressed my fingers against the spittle, smearing
it across my face in hopes of wiping it clean. Suddenly a piercing agony roared
from the left side of my bottom jaw, like a nail had just been rammed full spear
into my molar. My head careened violently to the left as the pain ran amok through
my lower jaw and into my neck. Thrusting open my mouth, I spit out the gooey
contents, and they slobbered out across my face. The unrelenting pain grew stronger
as I rushed to the faucet, quickly turning on the water and splashing it up into my
mouth to ease the anguish. the liquid cleansed my orifice of the brown goo, but not
the pain. Jarring my mouth open, I smashed my face into the mirror to see where
this radical misery was coming from. Sure enough, a cavity, diseasing it's way
through the molar, as the sugar from the chocolate added the hammering blow of pain
to my prescence. Still vibrant with pulsating pounds, the cavity was aflame in
excruciating pain. I needed to relax, calm the ache, take my mind off the hurt
lancination. I plugged a small set of earphones into my ears; I saw the cassette was
intact. I pressed play and the reels began to move. I heard no sound, so I spun the
volume wheel forward. The noise charged into my head and at that instant my tooth
ache exploded in wincing agony, as the sound frequency stirred up the pain, greater
than before. i screamed aloud, falling back to the floor, shaking with trauma. The
noise was destroying my mind, the pain had completely taken over. Then I recognized
the sound coming out of the earphones: it was the dentist drill searing away the tooth
decay. I looked up and saw the dentist's arm in my mouth and the assistant watching.
Then I remembered where I was. The gas had worn off and I could feel the surge of
the drill. it was all just an illusion brought on by the gas, but the pain was real.
I tried to signal to the dentist, but he just looked at me and said, "Rinse." The
screaming drill of madness barked loudly into my cavity of the Puszone. Tsk,tsk,tsk,
zone time again.

Perhaps the best straight attack out of Sweden is the raging powerhouse combustion of
Anti-Cimex. With three forceful EPs of chaotic speed/mayhem behind their belts,
Anti-Cimex retun from a long absence with a brutal slab of a twelve-inch mini LP
that still holds the fierce energy. Reckless abandon runs amok as the early Discharge
influenced hardcore ensemble boils with a flavor that invigorates with rapid action.
A slight metallic addition to the sound doesn't stop the stampede of blurring riffs and
heavy charges. Jonsson's deep vocals roar across each composition with a harsh effect, yet
equally potent for the overall sound. Seven cleaving cuts rampantly tossed at your
eardrums screech down the mayhem with stylish blows and show the positive growth of
Anti-Cimex. tracks like "Make My day", "Criminal Trap", "Set Me Free", "Smell
of Silence", and the lengthy "Pain Killer" have the urgent warfare for both of the
speed crowds, enough to get the energy zipping. Another great core release to be
sought out, on English label Distraught.

State of Confusion -I remember how they got their name. I've known this bunch
since the early days and it's great to see these home boys still punching it out from
the old proving grounds of Boise, Idaho. Finally, after years of playing, they've
released an LP's worth of material, called 6.3 Million Acres with twenty tracks
of raw rabble-rousing cranks of lightning-laced fury. the State of Confusion (or
S.O.C.) blast is brutal with a quick vibrant exhilaration that stings with a
flare of originality, pressing your face up against the wall and kicking your legs out
from under you. Glass-shattering hardcore that is crude with harsh production, a bite
of metallic edge and insistent in their boisterous approach, S.O.C. have got
that early '82 thrash rave feel with a touch of modern speedcore for momentum. Cranking
out the piercing vocal duties is Pat Schmaljohn, who spits out a raspy tone, coughing up
a little blood as the gang sings numerous back-up choruses. On guitar is brother Scott
Schmaljohn who quietly licks away some mean jolts with feverish guitar strumming that
has this unique buzztwang sound. The joust continues with original singer Wayne Flower
on bass, abducting the strings and garroting out some abrasive plucks. Hidden in the
back, throwing the drum sticks down speedily against the skins, is Eric Hansen, rounding
off this four-piece onslaught. Bash all this together with a silk-screened cover done
by the gang and a few friends and State of Confusion is ready to deal the "brain-crush"
card to the world as this thrash blade strikes down hard with young effective endurance.
With these guys it's easy to be critical, and there were no blackmail threats, but
S.O.C. pulled it off, now if they could just get out of their state of confusion!

Expression to the fullest degree. The clamor erupts with wild outbursts of savage
determination on a French compilation album featuring eleven French bands. Entitled
Rapsodie, with nineteen tracks of the newest talent in the thrash field,
this warms up to be a good ampler. Starring Heimat Los and Rapt, a
raging brilliance of zoomfesters, who kick up a storm with thundering speed, the album
also gives you more Butcher, Final Blast and Kromozom 4 whose reputations
are quickly growing. Add to that newcomers Zoi who rip three great tracks...
and more chaos from Scraps, M.S.T., Cock Roaches, Draft Dodgers and
Kontingent Syphilitik. Potentially Rapsodie shows the birth of a new
direction in frnech hardcore that gives hope to the thrash scene there. A fine
effort from Jungle Hop International.

The classics are back! perhaps one of the best hardcore punk bands to come out of
England with their unique delivery, committed lyrical structure along with the craziest
speed express (that was the influence to many bands) is Rudimentary Peni. Now
their first two seven-inchers, the self-titled premier EP, and the Farce EP
have been re-released as a full-length LP and to top that off with a bonus is all new
cover art by Nick Blinko, the band's singer-guitarist. Twenty-three tracks of
frenzied insanity that melts your limbs to be case as vinyl to record more of this
great madness on, greet you with Nick, Grant and Jon's smiles. All the tumes that got
Rudimentay Peni recognition are here, "Teenage Time Killers", "Crazy Chain",
"Sacrifice", "Hearse", "Bile Ball", "Consmetic Plaque", and "Bloody Jellies" to
bring you joy ti your flailing body. Rudimentary Peni were a band far ahead
of their time with intense lyrics that consisted of great thought and spewed out in the
shrilling vocals by Nick who could change tones as if with chizophrenia, only to lash
back with more rampaging screams that sent chills down your spine. Musically,
Rudimentary Peni were unique and different, setting progressive paces with wild
chord changes, continuous drum romps and heavy bass surges. Rigorous guitar sounds
highlighted the overall feel with inventive, crafty fingering that was raw yet
engaged in chaotic shrills, plunging headlong in fast fits of rage. Though
Rudimentary Peni are now gone, this album is a salute to the mighty band
who gave us direction and hope, making us hammer our fists down in that creative
urge to use out imagination. By far the best in their division. Don't miss this
re-issue on Crass Records.

Crunch down on some riffy chunks of raging speedcore refocity from New York's
Leeway. Metallic overdrive with tongue lashing split second vocals that whip
like a tornado, out to destroy civilizations. Fast, catchy guitar chord work has the
sound flying with nitro-paced explosions, turbulent yet heavy and bright. Leeway
present themselves as a tight, proficient outfit who have their feet planted firmly
in the ground with adrenaline-induced musical songwriting that works the head
ina a right bobbing manner. Blazing drums and high-pitched singing make for a frantic
demo release that kicks out five studio tracks and two live slices that show Leeway's
power. This Enforcer demo hurls the direct rush!

The devasting quest for pillaging thrash leads us to Richmond, Virginia, where a rifling
new ensemble twists with a blustering fury, full on all the right parts. Unseen Force
debut with their LP entitled In Search of the Truth that shakes down eleven tracks
of steadfast energy, high speed velocity and a bit of iron wailing. A cannon booming quake
of forceful stamina charges outward as this five piece band wallops a tasty dose of
rocketing intensity. Dewey, ex of White Cross, showers out a wall of electrical
spears as he shares guitar duties with Scott. The twin guitar assault fives Unseen Force
a solid full drive. Greta keeps it tight with jaunting bass jabs that cleave into the
heaviness of this full-tilt feel. Bob's sharp vocals raid the atmosphere as he quickly spurts
out the notes with good drumming, firing the arrows into this action-paced adventure. Tracks
like "Don't Know", "Push back", "Blow Torch", "True Story", and "We the people" hit
strong and bring a sense of notoriety to this hot new band. On Turbulent Records.

Stagger, stagger, stagger back. The sound blasts out from the speakers. The roar
bulldozes an invincible shove of bellicose power. The split-second barrage is upon
you, it's Italian speed mayhem madmen Negazione pumping out the fiesty rhythms.
After two successful seven-inch EP platters, Negazione detonates an explosive
album of exertion, cavortion and swift friction, darting to and fro with a hoarse vocalist
destroying his larnyx. Entitled ...Lo Spirito Continua. Negazione have
claimed their raw unmatched fury, now pumping it out with more control and solid production,
not losing their all-valuable drive. Ten gut-crunching tracks all featuring the maniac
tonsilling of shrilling vocalist Zazzo, who must be ripping his throat to shreds with those
ear-piercing graunched-out cries. Roberto rages the frets as his flight up and down the
guitar neck appear like a race car's desire to break the sound barrier. With ample backing
from strong drum smashes by Fabrizo and from Marco's whirling bass flicks, this foursome
have suddenly jarred the senses. Eighty precent of the songs are sung in Italian, but English
lyrics are included. Fast, potent stuff from Negazione on De Konkurrent,
licensed in the USA by Mordam Records.

It's been a wait, but the Beyond Possession LP is finally here. The speedcore metal
punk outfit from Calgary, Canada, struck a mean blow with their debut EP and now Is Beyond
Possession
takes that one step further. Raucous, intense burts of creative vigor strike
hard ina progressive fashion, pumping up the adrenaline as this bullet train's cargo smashes
heavily, frantically, gritting and fast. Laced with strong metallic overtones, the beat is
savage; the strumming is energetic and tight, delivering structural changes full of
powerful parts, occasionally a whine will scream out, shivering with effect. Beyond
Possession
is quite the original ensemble with the imaginative sound and the unmatched
songs stylings of vocalist Ron Hadley, who hastens out the words in a stop-and-go fashion,
running through it quickly or casually stroking the lyrics, all with his voice spitting out
the crooning venom. Fiftenn tracks liven up this album's worth of strength and distinct
flavorings that will bring certain recognition to Beyond Possession. This vinyl
plattering will please both crowds as it contains a pace that is frequently rapid, and some
ambitious metal licks and compositions, as well as displaying the continoual growth of a
tight-knit band. On Death Records.

Puszone
Earslaughter-Split LP
Capitol Punishment-Slum With a View LP
Negative Gain-Back From the Dead LP
Disgust-The Last Blast EP
Casbah-Russian Roulette EP
Sorto-EP