Publication:
MaximumRockNRoll

Author:
Felix Von Havoc

MRR #239
OK, I hope you all have been following the letter column lately wherin our friends at Plastic Bomb zine in Germany have been setting MRR straight about some dodgy nazi bands who’ve been in MRR. I’d like to throw some gas on that flame. I was around in the late 80’s when the nazi skinhead thing was going really strong. I saw those morons wreck what was left of the early 80’s hardcore scene. Now two labels that say they are apolitical and just in it for the Oi are Vulture Rock and Haunted Town. I’ve dealt with Vulture Rock and I thought John was actually a really nice guy, although I later stopped dealing with him when I took Neil’s side in a falling out he had with Neil of Tribal War. However, Vulture Rock recently re-issued the Youth Defense League CD. There is no doubt YDL was a nazi band and very mixed up with Nazi skinhead violence in NYC in the late 80’s. Haunted Town has re issued some stuff by Best Defense. This band was dodgy as fuck too, they had the Cross of Odin on their demo and a big nazi skinhead following, although I don’t recall any outright nazi lyrics. Either way, I can’t possibly see anyone re releasing this stuff for the music. Both bands are absolutely third rate. So why would anyone re issue this stuff except to promote the band’s ideology?

OK, so with this out of the way, lets talk about what’s going on in Hardcore in the Upper Midwest. This isn’t really a scene report because I’m leaving out a lot of bands, but this is just what I’ve seen lately. If you think I’m doing your scene a dis service, compile your own report and send it in. I’m in a band that’s been playing a lot of shows around the region and hardcore is going very strong around here despite very little national attention. The bands here don’t get as good distribution, don’t get to play as many bigger music towns and aren’t in the spotlight very often. However, I think you’ll find that Midwestern bands are also less commercial, not as trendy and often either more original or more true to the roots than bands in other parts of the country. I’m not out to put down the scenes on the coasts or anything, I like bands from all over. But these are just some things I’ve observed playing small down garages and basements to the truly die hard kids who come out in the middle of winter when touring national acts won’t come within hundreds of miles of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.

In my opinion the best hardcore bands in the Upper Midwest right now are Holding On, Modern Life is War, and 14 or Fight. Holding On are from Minneapolis and play raging fast hardcore which is a pretty good mix of late 80’s youth crew and early 80’s US hardcore. They have two full lengths, a 7” and two split 7”s out. Their latest LP is on Bridge 9, they will be touring with Modern Life is War this spring. Modern Life is War hail from some small town in Iowa and they have released just a 7” ep so far. They are recording an LP for Martyr records soon. (Martyr released one of the Holding On split 7”s) Modern Life is War is one of the most intense hardcore bands I’ve seen lately. Their music is raw and powerful, yet melodic without being sappy. They use two guitars to better effect than almost any bands I’ve heard in the last decade to create a layered and textured sound that is still powerful and raging. I want to compare them to Articles of Faith but they have too much Youth Crew in them to make that stick. Check these guys out! 14 or Fight is a new band from Chicago with members of Charles Bronson and MK Ultra. To tell the truth I already like them more than both of those bands. All they have out so far is a demo, which is sold out, but they will be releasing a 7” on Lengua Armada soon. Powerful 80’s influenced hardcore, once again mixing early 80’s thrash with Youth Crew sounds. Intelligent and topical lyrics, a band you should not miss under any circumstances.

OK, those three are my top picks, now for all the other great bands going down around here. Punch in the Face from Chicago are pretty known from their 7” on Lengua Armada, fast, aggro hardcore with member of Bronson/Ruination and Dearborn SS. I attack from Chicago play fast hardcore, ex Los Crudos, they have a demo tape out, not sure what else is in store for them. Reaccion from Chicago play political hardcore with m/f vocals and are ex Sin Dios. They have a demo out. Plan of Attack from Chicago are a tough youth crew hardcore band with a 7” out and have just got a record deal going with Organized Crime records. KungFu Rick are pretty well known, with a new LP on 625 but are breaking up. HeWhoCorrupts are from Chicagoland and play super fast grindcore. They have a slew of split 7”s out and are getting some attention from the world grind core scene.

Despite from Wisconsin continue their crust core campaign not sure about any new stuff from these guys. Words that Burn is a new band from Wisconsin with Ex Remission members. Fast grinding crust core. DisCider from Madison have a 7” out on First Blood Family records and play brutal crust core. Blackwall Hitch from Milwaukee have a self released 7” and play awesome early 80’s style HC with some Youth Crew influence mixed in. Since By Man from Milwaukee play sorta electronic hardcore like Song of Zarathustra or 7 days of Samsara, they just put out and LP on Revelation. 7 days of Samsara is supposedly still going but I haven’t heard anything new from them for a while. Copeater and Death First are Wisconsin grind core stalwarts, I think both have demos. Weaving the Death Bag is a metal tinged HC band from Wisconsin with ex members of USV, Defacto Oppression and Asinine Solution. They have a 7” out and toured last summer with Asschapel. Human Order are a crust band from Wisconsin with a 7” out, they recently toured.

The Blinding Light are from South Dakota and play metallic hardcore maybe like Converge (I’m not an expert on this stuff) with ex members of Threadbare and Floodplain.

Winnipeg has a ripping hardcore scene with Dead Stock Crusher who play full speed ahead crushing hardcore which sounds to me like a mix between 80s thrash and old Japanese thrash bands. They have a demo CD out. Head Hits Concrete have a split 10” out on Putrid Filth and a 7” from a few years back. They play punishing grindcore. Guns, Liquor and Whores from Winnipeg play fast 80’s style HC and just put out a 10” on Putrid Filth Conspiracy. They have lost their guitar player and are weighing their options to find a new axeman and continue or not. Insaniacs from Winnipeg have a CD out and play great late 70’s/early 80’s southern California style punk. They would be right at home on a “live at the Masque” comp. Comeback Kid from Winnipeg play great Youth Crew HC but I’m not too keen on their Christian HC thing.

Showering Ashes from Iowa City have a 7” out and play dark hardcore maybe like His Hero is Gone. Black Market Fetus from Des Moines have a few 7”s and splits. They play a mix of grind core and d-beat crust that seems to be leaning further and further towards grind every time I see them. CHUD from Des Moines are a cross between an 80’s HC band like Negative Approach and a stand up comedy act. Don’t miss this gang.

OK, my home state of Minnesota has a ton of bands right now. If you are curious about the scene in the Twin Cities Metro Area I urge you to pick up the new compilation No Hold Back All Attack. This is a triple LP/double CD comp with 54 TC bands running the full spectrum from 77 punk to brutal grind. Too many bands to list in this one column but most all of the bands mentioned below have tracks on this comp and more.

Any Last Words from St. Paul play fast hardcore like Youth of Today or No For an Answer, raw fast and raging. They have a demo and will do a 7” soon on my label Havoc Records. Damage Deposit is my band, we play fast hardcore which is a mix of 80’s thrash and youth crew. We have a demo and a 7” coming soon on Havoc Records. Cut throat hoods are a pretty unique sounding band with ex members of Assrash and the Murderers. A mix of metal and chaos punk they call “scrap metal” they have a 7” out and have just recorded and LP, which I think will be on Rodent Popsicle. Path of Destruction is a tough hardcore/crust band heavily influenced by Poison Idea. With ex members of Assrash, Code 13, Calloused and Pontius Pilate. They have a 7” coming soon on… Havoc Records. Scorned are a crust core band from Minneapolis with a split, a 7” and an LP out. Guitarist Kerry runs local label Sin Fronteras records, which has put out 7”s by Path of Destruction as well as a ton of South American bands. Provoked is another crust core band who released a split 7” with Path of Destruction. XdevastatorX is a SE mosh core band from the Twin Cities, they have a demo CD out. Too Pure to Die is also an SE Moshcore band originally from Iowa, now based in the Twin Cities. Season of Fire broke up, but are doing a posthumous tour of Canada this month. Martyr AD are the reigning metal/hc dark lords. They have an LP out and a record deal with Victory, BUT no drummer or vocalist. Somebody play drums for these guys! Olsen Twin Suicide from Mankato play metallic hardcore and have a demo out. Bodies Lay Broken are a grindcore powerhouse with a sound reminiscent of early Carcass. They have and LP coming soon on Necropolis records. Death Truck is a dark HC band influenced by stuff like From Ashes Rise and Tragedy, they have a self released 7”. Misery are still going strong and are about to celebrate their 15th Anniversary with a blow out gig. They are heading into the studio soon to record a new LP. Not sure what label will be releasing it. Stillborn was a crusty hardcore band with members of Pontious Pilate and Whorehouse of Representatives. They broke up but released a 7” and have recorded another that will be released soon. Onward to Mayhem are threatening to get back together if their guitar player survives the next gulf war. They have a discography CD coming this summer. Song of Zarathustra broke up. Resolve is a new crust core band with members of State of Fear and Detestation. They are touring soon. Ass is a noisy crust punk band who have demo out. Season of Fire play metallic hardcore similar to Harvest. They broke up but have released two CD Eps on Goodfella records from Belgium. Profane Existence zine is back in action and has two new issues out. The same crew also runs Blackened Distribution where you can get the latest crust stuff and PE zine. I do a label called Havoc Records, but there’s been enough name dropping in this column already. Finally 1-2-Go Crew are a straight edge rap crew doing rap versions of SE Hardcore classics. They have a demo out, which should come out as a 7” soon. If you are interested in the Twin Cities bands check out the No Hold Back All Attack double LP. Available at your local punk record store or order direct from Havoc, 1%, THD, Ebullition, Sound Idea or other mail order distros.

OK, that’s Upper Midwest Hardcore the way I see it. I’m sure I left out a ton of bands and I didn’t even get started on punk bands like Dillinger Four, Subversives, Soviettes, Sweet Jap etc. but that is the stuff of another column and hardcore is what I know best. Keep it real, support your scene.

Publication Date:
January 1, 1984

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