EP 256: April 2025
Killer episode this week on the pod. Check it out here, here, or here and check the playlist here or here. Almost all of the Japanese stuff wasn’t on Spotify, so check out the Japanese Youtube playlist HERE.
Kev stepped up for the first time to duel against undefeated champion Dan Sant in 185 HC trivia. Here were the questions (answers at bottom):
The name of the 2nd Boston Strangler 12" is also a thing that Homo Erectus first controlled 1.7 to 2 million years ago. What is it?
The Saints hail from what Australian city?
Which came first: Sandra Day O'Connor is appointed to serve on the US Supreme Court becoming the first female justice or Discharge releases their first single Realities of War?
What was the catalog number on the 1981 compilation, Strength Thru Oi!? 1) Oi 1 2) Boot 1 3) Skin 1 4) Stargazy Pie 1
True or False. In 1992, Unforgiven wins the Oscar for best picture. Also, Bastard releases their LP Wind of Pain.
Before and After: The B side of The Sex Pistols Anarchy In The UK 7" from 1976 and a shitty cover band on Fat Wreck Chords.
Before joining Madball, Hoya played in what band with future 25 Ta Life member Beto?
The pre-J Church band that put out the album Perversion is Their Destiny on Vinyl Communications in 1987 and also what I become when I witness Bedge "well actually" someone.
What is the first song on the G.I.S.M. LP Detestation: a) “Endless Blockades For the Pussyfooter” b) “Endless Blockades of the Pussyfooter” c) “Endless Blockades of a Pussyfooter” d) “Endless Blockades from a Pussyfooter”
This squirrelly Chicago area band put out a 7” on Victory Records, an LP on Nemesis Records and a member went on to be in the band Dillinger Four.
Cleveland band Nine Shocks Terror got their name from what Japanese hardcore band's album title?
In 1990, Nemesis Records released The Icemen Cometh compilation that was recorded live May 17th, 1989 at what Hollywood club?
Dynamite Settle The Score 7” Scheme/Northern Unrest
London’s Dynamite return with their 2nd 7” Settle The Score, establishing themselves as one of the best roots hardcore bands on the globe. Five songs in under eight minutes and all are good. It’s an improvement from the last record because they dropped the over-reliance on guest spots and showed that they can stand on their own two feet. They’re at their best when they’re at their wildest, like tucking in the scissor beat at the end of “Hardcore Pride” to break up the mosh, or with the speed picking on “Can’t Be Denied.” They’re a killer band but they’d be even better if they leaned more into the wildness and attempted some big choruses/hooks. They’re already one of the best bands of the genre but I’d put money down that they haven’t peaked yet.
Tramadol S/T EP Donor Records
If you’re a D-Beat band from the country where it started, you better not blow. Tramadol doesn’t. They bring the heat with four songs in nine minutes. It’s a good recording where you can hear everything but it still sounds savage. The song writing is top notch - for instance, check that little drum break on “Crucifixion.” They also tuck in some triumphant guitar licks, not any octaved out stadium crust shit, just a flourish here or there which almost gives almost a Burning Spirits vibe to snazzy up a couple tracks. If you liked the Public Acid LP from last year, you’ll probably like this. Killer EP.
Total Con Who Needs The Peace Corps? 7” Static Shock Records
Super fast 1st wave USHC sounding EP from this band outta the UK. They call out White Cross as an influence in their write up and that’s fitting. If you like bands like that, Rejectors, Rosemary’s Babies, or Hated Principals you’ll love this. A modern comparison might be Speed Plans. There’s some really good writing here, like how they work between open and closed hi-hat on “Never Understand.” My favorite song is probably “Repugnant Slime” with the super fast singing at the end. That’s also a good band name, so someone use that instead of reusing another old hardcore band name. I checked Discogs and it’s in the clear!
We continued Dan’s journey through the Poison Idea catalog. We’re now at their 1992 full length, Blank, Blackout, Vacant. This is where my personal Poison Idea journey ended, so from here on out I’m with Dan in virgin territory. I got this on cassette probably 10 or 15 years ago at Taang for a couple bucks and maybe jammed it once and then tossed it into a shoebox. That’s not to say it’s a bad record. In fact, “Say Goodbye” is one of Poison Idea’s best mid-tempo songs and the solo on “Punish Me” might be Pig Champion’s best. Here’s the thing - you know me by now and know my tastes. On a hardcore LP, I want it to be mostly fast with a couple mid-tempo bangers. This record is the opposite, it’s all mid-tempo with two fast songs and there are legitimately probably 50 fast Poison Idea songs better than these.
The band still sounds great. This isn’t overproduced. Jerry A’s voice is still amazing. I just want the thing to break loose and get some fast verses with Jerry going nuts over the top and that never really happens. It’s like going to see a band that you love and even though they sound great, they don’t play any of your favorite songs so you walk away disappointed.
TKO did a recent press with a bonus LP that contains some covers an live radio tracks. The Lords of The New Church song “Open Your Eyes” is on there which is one of my favorite punk covers of all time.
Here’s where we stand right now in the Japanese tournament. This week on the pod, we tackle the 2nd half of the first round. Let’s get into it…
Gas No More Hiroshima flexi (1982) vs. Outo Many Question Poison Answer 7” (1984)
This first Gas EP is totally what you expect from a 1982 hardcore 7” and it delivers big time. Five songs in six minutes of mostly simple three or four chord hardcore punk riffs. The guitar has a great fuzzy tone but the bass and drums punch through and aren’t buried. The singer has great shouting voice and stays mostly in the pocket until the final song where he sounds like he’s losing his mind and then the song fades out of nowhere. Epic. Third song in a MTB.
Outo is a band that gets name checked a fair amount and I’ve been trying to like their first two EPs since the Blogspot days. Six songs in eleven minutes. The record starts strong with a tom part and the guitar surging in and out over it before kicking into a raging fast part. They play pretty generic 1984 style hardcore punk that wouldn’t be out of place as the 17th song on Party Animal or some shit. Combine Let’s Barbecue, Roach & Roll, and The Dirty Rotten EP, have the singer cup the mic and you’d end up with something like this. I definitely see the appeal it had for the circa 2000 fastcore bands but there’s better straight forward hardcore stuff and “Frog Song” is painful.
The singer of this band is the younger brother of Cherry, the singer of Zouo.
The Sexual The Last Days flexi (1985) vs. Bitousha Hiromi’s Party 7” (1984)
I chose The Sexual’s 2nd flexi from 1985 over their 1984 one. It’s a beefy record with six songs coming in at 15 minutes which must’ve sounded like ass on a flexi, but it sounds killer in MP3-world. We start out with a nice intro - vibey guitar ringouts over some tom work. Then singer yells “anarchy and destruction,” the bass starts rumbling and then we’re into a fast part. The first four songs are all ragers and have memorable, catchy choruses. The singer’s delivery and voice remind me a bit of Sothira from Crucifix. “Last Days” is a four-minute hypnotic dragger which normally I wouldn’t like but this band is functioning on a really high level and I’m into it. I do wish they sequenced the song last though. The final track “Scatter the Hatred” breaks out with a sick ass Motorhead type riff. I dunno if a drum mic got bumped in the studio or something, but the snare doesn’t cut through as much on this song hampering what may have been the best song on the record otherwise.
Bitousha was my surprise band of this side of the bracket. I had never heard of them before this project and I absolutely love this 7” now. It’s the rocker shit of the tourney and I immediately sent it to my Dwarves/Turbonegro loving friend after my first listen and he loved it too. This band only did this single flexi in 1984. It was put together by Hiromi from Rebel and filled out with other members from that band, Sekinin Tenka, and Disarray. Hiromi is a beast on this and her vocals are monstrous in a gnarly way that would rival Zouo or some other band that sings about the devil.
The first song bangs out the gate going back and forth between thunderous tom parts and straight MTB. When it breaks fast on the solo you know you’re on some real YOLO shit. There’s some real sleaze on this thing. The second song is an 87 second instrumental uptempo MTB. Real rocker shit. The third song might be the best - it’s super ballsy and bass heavy with little sleazer riffs peppering the top of it. This thing rules.
一家心中 (Ikkashinju) Dead Section flexi (1985) vs. Last Bomb Firing 7” (1985)
Ikkashinju come out the gate blasting with their title track, a 70 second blazer that demands left hand finger dexterity. It’s catchy too with the “Dead Section” hook. The third song has great drumming and a little jump note that reminds me of a harder version of “Richie Dagger’s Crime.” It’s their catchiest song and “Dead You” is a great chorus. Shout out for having “dead” in 2/3 song titles. The name translates to “Family Suicide” so I’m sensing a theme here. This record sounds great.
Last Bomb come with a pretty beefy 7” - 5 songs in 15 minutes. It’s a good recording and they sound the most “normal” of all the bands in the tournament, with the singing almost being tuneful in parts. Don’t get me wrong, the dude has a tough sounding voice but he’s hitting some notes. It reminds me a lot of the Anti album I Don’t Want To Die In Your War but they were probably more influenced by the bigger UK82 bands realistically. The 3rd and 4th songs combine to a whopping 9+ minutes and drag down the album but they end strong with the ripping “Sniper.”
Lip Cream Night Rider More Than Fight 7” (1984) vs. Rebel S/T flexi (1983)
I’ve had multiple people tell me that I should’ve chosen the 1st Lip Cream 7” for this tournament but they’re wrong. First, Night Rider More Than Fight is one of the best lost in translation titles there is. Second, this record sounds so good. The drums are thundering and punch through the wall of noise. The guitars sound super panned out allowing the bass to charge right down the middle, but both are mixed together perfectly. Third, songs 2-4 is the best back to back to back run of songs in the whole Lip Cream catalog and some of the best hardcore that exists. The title track chorus is so good. Play it loud, pump your fist to it, and then tell me I’m wrong. “Yellow Beauty” comes ripping right behind it, a relentless blazer. The yell into the solo…goddamn. Then “VX-2” might be the best mid-tempo banger in the whole tournament. The last track pretty killer too, on some rocker shit like Bitousha. The first track kinda blows and is confusing unless Lip Cream are Abrasive Wheels superfans who wanted to do a better version of their 1982 LP title track.
The Rebel 7” is a mixed bag. Track 2 is kind of annoying & track 4 is a five minute dragger (boooooo). But tracks 1 & 3 are pretty f’n great. Scratch that…tracks 1 & 3 are really f’n great. This is Hiromi from Bitousha a year earlier and she’s savage on the mic here too. Musically, this sounds a lot like 1979/1980 Bad Brains where it has that swing to the fast beat with wild vocals over the top of it. Great stuff when it hits.
State Children Bomb Shelter For Money Making flexi (1985) vs. Kuro S/T flexi (1983)
We’ve come upon the wildest record of the tournament and it’s one I don’t really even know how to describe. I’m not a noise fan, in fact I don’t even really know what noise music entails so my bad if I’m disrespecting State Children or that entire genre. I’d consider a band like Gudon or Confuse to be noisy, but this State Children record is a truly harsh piece of music that is probably only enjoyed by people who don’t believe in brushing their teeth and own tarantulas. It sounds like you’re listening to The Urinals or some super simple KBD band with a static television sample mixed over the top of it and a crazy dude screaming on top of that. It’s not for me, but hey…I like Bold.
Kuro put out three EPs between 1983 and 1986. Their final EP, Fire is probably my favorite but all of them are really good. Who The Helpless gives off heavy Discharge vibes with the droning, repetitive nature of the riffing. Then they break into the 2nd song which just literally sounds like Discharge, only maybe it’s a tick slower. This recording is super bottom heavy which works perfect for this meaty style. They break loose on the 3rd track which is just ripping fast hardcore. The vocalist sounds insane and the playing is great. “Selfish Cow” might be my favorite track. Every song bangs on here. Essential first wave Japanese HC stuff.
The Execute Hard Core Temptation 7” (1983) vs. LSD Destroy flexi (1984)
The Execute might be a favorite to win the whole tournament. They put out four EPs in the 1983-1985 range but this one is my favorite. Four songs in nine minutes, all of which bring the heat. “Final Attack” is a blazer with top notch riffing, a killer chorus, and a stellar solo - maybe the best on this side of the bracket. It flows seamlessly into the midtempo banger, “Black Water” which is neck and neck with Lip Creams “VX-2” for best MTB in the tourney. The song writing is on a super high level for 1983 - checkout that bass break after the chorus on “A Will Border.” This 7” might win the whole thing. You should be listening to it right now.
LSD hit us with five songs in five minutes but it’s not as over the plate as that might elude to. The first tracks tarts with drums and guitars doing a gallop on the intro before kicking into a slow bouncy type tempo with super manic reverby vocals over the top of it. Then the second song is a 17 second ripper. YOLO! They dial back the reverb and the dude has a gnarly enough voice on his own. The music sounds super aggressive like Short Sharp Shock era Chaos UK without breaking into full thrash like they’d say in the old days. Killer record. They put out a 2nd 7” in 1986 with a different lineup.
Systematic Death Systema flexi (1984) vs. Nurse Nurse II 7” (1994)
Systematic Death come with possibly the most over-the-plate ripping EP of the tournament. It’s a notch faster than the LSD record that we just went through. Eight songs in ten minutes, six studio tracks and two live ones that probably should’ve been left off. This thing rages the whole way through, only taking its foot off the gas for short intros on a couple songs. There are some good vocal hooks here which tie the record together and elevate it, like on the title track and “Sink You,” the latter that has an almost tuneful riff. This rules.
This is the 2nd EP from Tokyo’s Nurse and it’s a total vibe. The first record is more ripping, but this one is totally unique and shows off what a cool band Nurse was. Where Hiromi from Bitousha/Rebel used a more guttural growl in her delivery, Kyoko embraced her high register for vocals that teeter on melodic. It's an interesting contrast when she uses an almost bubble gum pop delivery against crunching rhythms. It sounds haunting on the first half of the first track, which reminds me of a punk version of Cambodian Space Project (RIP Kak Channthy) or something. Then it kicks midtempo for the tail end of the song. Crucial. The next two tracks are midtempo and then they let loose on the final track that’s a total ripper and maybe the best song of their whole catalog.
Tranquilizer S/T Flexi (1985) vs. Ghoul Carry Out Fucking 7” (1984)
Too keep my description within the confines of the tournament, Tranquilizer sound kinda like a mix between Gudon and Systematic Death. Six songs in five minutes - super fast, noisy, and lo-fi. I love the song “Never Go To War” that starts with clean channel guitar strumming then just goes buck. If you love the Neos and do meth, this might be your new favorite band. The singer is a doctor now and he married legendary Japanese wrestler, Jaguar Yokota (who also put out music). They appeared together on a gameshow in 2005, winning ¥1,000,000.
I don’t think Ghoul ever appeared on a gameshow although they may have been out in the parking lot breaking into cars or something. This is one of the best EPs in the tournament. The recording is super bright but raw, the singer sounds mean, and all the songs rip. The guitars are super fuzzy but the bass cuts through. The drums sound a little tinny but whatever. The gang vocals on the first song are great. It’s relentless like the most aggressive UK82 stuff - think One Way System mixed with Chaos UK but with crazier Japanese vocals. There’s also a real power to some of these songs.
Tune into the podcast to hear our picks and see who moves onto the quarterfinals.
I was joined for the interview by a true legend, Vinnie Stigma. We talked the birth of NYHC, coming to the West Coast for the first time, Dynamo 1995 and more. Victim in Pain is my favorite hardcore album of all time so this was a huge honor for me. Also, a lot of bands skip San Diego on tour but Agnostic Front has always come through, at least since 2006 when I moved here.
The first time I saw AF was on that comeback tour they did around the time Something’s Gotta Give came out. They were so good. I caught them at The Whiskey in LA, The Living Room in Goleta, and The Showcase Theater in San Diego. I’ve seen them at least a dozen times since then and they never disappoint.
Buy Vinnie’s book here. It’s a great read that I enjoyed immensely.
Trivia answers:
Fire
Brisbane
Discharge 1980. Sandra Day O'Connor 1981.
3) SKIN 1
TRUE
I Wanna Be Me First & the Gimmee Gimmees
DMIZE
Cringer
A) Endless Blockades For The Pussyfooter
Billingsgate
Lip Cream
The Whiskey
25 Ta life lyrics were: “No sense of commitment” and “You ain’t got what it takes, you fucking fake” from “Da Lowdown.”
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- ZN