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LEFT OVER CRACK, 23/06/02, Rennes, @ Mondo bizarro (show review)
Didn't know what to expect, but I was positively surprised overall. A lot of highschool kids turned up, probably because the band is on Hellcat (Epitaph). I was surprised they knew the songs and lyrics as I had never heard of the band myself, it made me feel a bit old. L.O.C. are a blatant OPERATION IVY rip-off, only a little bit more punk. The lyrics seem to be very cynical, with songs about smoking crack and killing cops at the same time. Hmmm… It was cool to see the place packed and people dancing everywhere, but it also made me sad to think all these people didn't come to the show we had organized 3 days before.

NO TIME TO LOSE "free edge hardcore" Cd (Lean on me)
Haaaa my current favourite French band. I'm a bit jealous I didn't get to put this out. :) I loved the two tracks on the "french connection" compilation, they were great live, and this Cd does not disappoint, although I did prefer the production on the compilation. The sound on this Cd is good, but the production is slightly muffled. NO TIME TO LOSE play tight uptempo/ old school Hc with a positive edge and melodies. The lyrics are social but they also have a sense of humour. Check this out. www.notimetolose.fr.st (Y.B.)

M.D.C. + MOLOTOV COCKTAIL, 22/06/02, Saint-Brieuc, Le Wagon (show review)
The M.D.C. date in Tours was cancelled 3 days before, so this show was arranged at the last minute, and unfortunately not many people showed up. What a shame for a great band that has been around for 20 years ! I guess only 80-100 people showed up. MOLOTOV COCKTAIL are an east-coast punk-rock band. They play tight and their singer has a lot of energy to share, but I've never really liked American punk-rock. It's usually quite basic with raucous vocals and a snotty attitude. I've heard better punk-rock, but MOLOTOV COCKTAIL sure do their thing well. M.D.C. as usual played all their classics from their last, what, 10 albums ? Awesome raging Hc with punk roots, politics, and lots of fun. Their singer is completely crazy, it's nice to see he's so much into it at almost 50 ! I hope we'll all be like that in 20 years… :) (Y.B.)

TROU D'CID HARDCORE #9 newsletter
La feuille d'info de Gerald des Innocent blood/ Murder one/ Mad trashers s'etoffe de plus en plus avec des infos concerts sur le Bretagne, des chroniques Hc/ punk/ metal, des coups de gueule et des chroniques de concerts. Gratos bien sur : Gerald Alberola, 16 rue du port, 56000 Vannes. (Y.B.)

SHORTCUT + CONTRA LEGEM + NO TIME TO LOSE, 20/06/02, Rennes, Mondo Bizarro (show review)
This was the first show I organized - ever ! I had always said I would never do any, but we didn't like the shows organized in our city, so me and a couple friends decided to start our own organization and D.I.O. (do it ourselves). It was also one of the first old school Hc shows here, so we knew not too many people would show up. We still managed to gather 75 kids and did not lose any money. I didn't get to see SHORTCUT but I saw a couple songs by CONTRA LEGEM, who will have their second Cd out soon on a fairly big local label. The play tight old school Hc with a few modern Hc/ NyHc influences. I liked them a lot. NO TIME TO LOSE were awesome too with their brand of uptempo old school with lotsa tempo changes and melodies that stick in your head. Too bad the audience remained a bit dull… (Y.B.)

ZAMPANO Cd (Trauma social)
This is not bad at all, but I had a hard time getting into it, don't ask me why. Maybe they're too fast for a punk-rock band, and too slow for an '82 type band ? I don't like the vocals much. Apart from that, the lyrics and music are ok, ZAMPANO sound like all those classic French punk-rock bands ; LES RATS, LES CADAVRES, PARABELLUM, etc. http://www.zampano.propagande.org (Y.B.)

PARIS VIOLENCE "l'age de glace" Cd (Trauma social)
I had heard so many good things about this that I was glad to finally get to hear it…. and I was disappointed ! PARIS VIOLENCE is a one-man band with just a drum machine and guitar, he plays punk-rock /Oï with dark, depressive lyrics about life in Paris + a few social comments here and there. Kinda like if you mixed RENAUD (a French pop singer), MOLODOÏ (ex-BERURIER NOIR) and GRAZHDANSKAYA OBORONA (- the Russian band). It's not completely bad, but I think it's just too much. The music is not that powerful (although I like some parts), and the lyrics are too poetic and intellectual. I'm sure the whole thing could be much better if he just tried to remain himself instead of trying to write verses and find all the synonyms existing in the world for : decay, rotten and desperate. traumasocial@yahoo.fr (Y.B.)

STICK OUT demo 2001 Cd-R
See show review below. This is a new band from Brest (far-west of France), I was positively surprised by their live performance and I also enjoyed this demo quite a bit. They play post-hardcore with melodic Hc and a few noisy-pop/ emo influences, with sweet female vocals. This kind of band is always better live, but the recording is good and brings to mind the good old days of SOFA HEAD, DAN and ASHES. The lyrics are personal with hints at social matters. Good debut. ouatchai@hotmail.com (Y.B.)

GOUDE UR BANNA'CH … AN DISPAC'H ! newsletter (in French). Gratis
Faite par l'ancien chanteur de MELMOR, cette feuille d'info traite quasi-exclusivement de politique, avec la nette attention de toucher un public pas uniquement "punk". Ceci dit, ce numéro contenait pas mal de zique avec un compte-rendu d'un gros festival a Londres, et l'interview de INNER TERRESTRIALS. Les sujets abordes sont peu conventionnels (bouffe bio, syndicalisme, indépendantisme breton, etc), et c'est gratos alors pourquoi se priver ? La présentation pourrait être plus clean. kengred@hotmail.com (Y.B.)

SHORTCUT + LES (?) + STICK OUT + NEVROTIC EXPLOSION + PAKU PUAWAI 31/05/02, at the Maison de Quartier de Villejean, Rennes (show review)
This was a kind of benefit show for "alternative libertaire". I didn't get to see the first band but I heard they were not that good. Reggae-dance or something. Next up were STICK OUT from Brest (western France), and they were a good surprise. They're a new band and they're not super tight yet, but for a French band they are quite original ; they remind me of early 90's US post-Hc bands like ASHES, you know post-Hc/ noisy-pop with melodious female vocals. The faster parts also reminded me of SOFA HEAD. As long as these kind of bands keep their hardcore roots, I enjoy them, and right now they're far too young to even think about major label deals, so… SHORTCUT who have lost one of their singers did an ok set, they play uptempo Hc with influences drawing from '88 SxE to NyHc, crust or power violence. A bit basic but still enjoyable, especially since they never take themselves (too) seriously. PAKU PUAWAI (spelling ?) I just couldn't get into. They play metal-fusion reminiscent of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE or LOFOFORA, you know that kind of NyHc/ metal/ rap/ funky thing. Not my style, sorry. NEVROTIC EXPLOSION, as usual, played a great set of tight rockin' punk-rock with a lot of energy. Quite a lot of people turned up and the atmosphere was friendly. Good show. (Y.B.)

INTOLERANCE "hada ha cambiado" Cd (Don't belong)
"Nothing has changed". Well, my first thought when I heard this was "urgh. This is bad !". But you can't close your eyes and think the good old days of INTOLERANCE, 24 IDEAS, MANLIFTINGBANNER and NATIONS ON FIRE will go away. The early nineties were some of the best days for the Hardcore movement, "good music and good friends" (and Ray forgot to mention "good lyrics" too). INTOLERANCE were a favourite and I recommend you to check out their discography. This reunion album is good spanish NyHc/ hatecore with a DIY attitude. The production is really powerful. But when you know the people involved in this band, you know they could have made it much better. The artwork is non-existent, the booklet is just a big lyric sheet, and the music is unoriginal, tight & powerful NyHc. Don't rest on your laurels guys, get back to work ! www.telecable.es/personales/dontbelong (Y.B.)

ARDATXO "por diox !" Cd (WC records)
There's a bit of everything in here, ARDATXO play (quite) slow and (quite) melodic punk-rock with ska, garage, rocking, danceable parts, and influences from bands like POLLA RECORDS and KORTATU. The thing is, they're not as good as these two bands, and I thought they lacked something ; maybe power, faster beats, more originality ? I don't know. I liked the songs with the saxophone very much, they reminded me of an old French band called PSYCHOSQUAT. Judging by the photos, they seem to be fun live... www.nav.to/wcrecords (Y.B.)

TIRO NA TESTA "tojo" Cd (WC records)
Now this one gets the award for the ugliest cover ever. Even my 5 year old cousin would be able to draw better graphics. Nice job guys, I think it'll be hard to beat. Apart from that, the music is ok, typical, tight Spanish punk-rock with a few variations here and there (especially folk instruments). The lyrics are hard to read (shitty artwork, remember ?), but they seem to deal with social issues. www.nav.to/wcrecords (Y.B.)

CIZANA "algun dia" Cd (W.C. records)
I think this is their second album. The cover artwork is ok, but the rest of the booklet is really awful. Why do bands and labels put so little time into the design of their Cds ? CIZANA play very typical Spanish punk-rock. I've heard it a million times before, and to be honest I can't say I enjoyed them much. It's all the more sad as the lyrics sounded interesting. www.nav.to/wcrecords (Y.B.)

VASELINA MORGAN "sonidos podridos" Cd (W.C. records)
Bad cover artwork. Spanish punk-rock meets melodic Hardcore. Social lyrics, good sound. Can't say I enjoyed them much. www.nav.to/wcrecords (Y.B.)

GUERILLA OI Cd (W.C. records)
It's good to see a real Spanish Oï band with clear antifascist lyrics. At first I must admit I was disappointed by the slow music and the raucous vocals, but GUERILLA OI have grown on me, and in the end I'll just say they're an ok band, which you'll probably enjoy if you like Oi music. www.nav.to/wcrecords (Y.B.)

ONE STEP AHEAD #4 fanzine
C'est bien de voir que ce zine ne s'est pas arrêté, surtout que les progrès sont visibles : présentation très clean, interviews assez fouillées… avec SICK OF IT ALL, GOOD CLEAN FUN et INTERNATIONAL NOISE CONSPIRACY (ça me fait rire de les voir "cracher" sur la scène Hc (SxE/ old school) alors que c'est quand même eux qui ont (re)-démarré cette mode en Europe dans les années 90). Un bon zine, dommage qu'il ne soit porté que sur des gros groupes qui n'ont peut-être pas autant besoin de publicité que tous ceux qui galèrent ailleurs que chez FAT WRECK et VICTORY. slamkookai@yahoo.fr (Y.B.)

BATTERY "final fury 1990-97" Cd (Soulforce)
Ok, this is a good Cd by a good band, BUT was this really necessary ? BATTERY's records have all been extremely well distributed (through big US labels after they got ripped off by another big euro label ; LOST'N'FOUND). This is not a discography, just a best-off that only lasts 54 minutes (how about 78 next time ?), with a small booklet and 5 video tracks. The videos are ok, but could have been better. I'm sure all this money could have been used to promote newer bands, but if you're really not familiar with BATTERY, check this out, they used to play good old school straight-edge Hc (not too fast) with interesting lyrics (especially on the last Lp). www.soulforce-records.com (Y.B.)

EMPINADA "a punto siempre de estallar" Cd (W.C. records)
Man, there are so many bands in Spain, it seems like every kid in spanish high schools have their own punk bands. Just as most W.C. records releases, EMPINADA play decent, typical punk-rock. I can't say they really move me, although they're not bad at all. The best thing about this cd is probably the funny cartoon that makes up for a booklet. www.nav.to/wcrecords (Y.B.)

RESAKA PERMANENTE "victima del tiempo" Cd (W.C. records)
Ok, first, the cover is quite awful, but they had the good idea to ask a designer to do the rest of their artwork, so the booklet looks nice (compared to other W.C. releases). RESAKA play tight and typical Spanish punk-rock. I could swear I've heard this band before, but they all sound the same. They also add some rock and melodic Hc influences and remind me a bit of LA POLLA RECORDS (but not as good). The lyrics seem to deal with social issues. Good sound quality. www.nav.to/wcrecords (Y.B.)

MENTES ENFERMAS "la feria de los monstruos" Cd (W.C. records)
When I heard the first song I thought to myself "urgh ! What the hell is this ? Bad thrash-metal ??". Fortunately the next songs are much better, typical Spanish punk like all the other bands on W.C. records. Not bad, but so predictable. The sound quality is good but I don't like the production much. Awful cover artwork and layout, as always on this label. And my Spanish is really bad, but I think this is a concept album as most songs are about monsters. Maybe they heard too much Misfits ? www.nav.to/wcrecords (Y.B.)

THE UNKNOWN "the real thing" mCd (Boss Tuneage)
US tight pop-core/ melodic hc. Nothing special. Uninteresting lyrics, uneventful music. One of the best bands in the genre though. www.bosst.freeserve.co.uk (Y.B.)

DESPARRAME "un mundo de perros" Cd (W.C.)
Decent spanish punk-rock reminiscent of LA POLLA RECORDS. There's nothing bad about it, but it lacks that little spark that'll make it stand out. The faster songs or the ones that had a lot of dual vocals were the best. As for all W.C. releases, the cover artwork was absolutely terrible. www.nav.to/wcrecords (Y.B.)

GAMENESS "no unusual reaction" mCd (only 1 crew)
For a first effort this is quite good, GAMENESS are a "modern hardcore" band from Paris who blend NyHc, emo, Hc and metal. The sound quality is good and so are the lyrics. I saw them live and they were ok as well, I just can't say I dig the screaming vox. Only one crew, 14 ave. Roland Garros, 78140 Velizy, France. (Y.B.)

UNFAIR "freedom" mCd (spiral)
Ok, first I thought the name of the band was Freedom as UNFAIR is not even written on the cover. This is the kind of band I dislike and enjoy at the same time. UNFAIR play early 80's anarchopunk. Their music and lyrics are simplistic and minimalistic. I don't like sloganistic lyrics, on the other hand I like the fact that they're direct and to-the-point. I'd say this is an average record, and for the same cost they should have put more than 7 minutes of music ! www.mediattack.digitalbomb.com (Y.B.)

PAVERS "beautiful" mCd (Boss tuneage)
The first track starts off as a rockin' melodic Hc anthem, not unlike NEW BOMB TURKS, unfortunately the 5 other ones were much more generic. And the lyrics are really dumb too. One of the most powerful bands on : www.bosst.freeserve.co.uk (Y.B.)

KID WITH MAN HEAD "fond memories of the halibut rodeo" (247 rds)
Epitaph-style melodic hc. Silly lyrics. Distributed by www.bosst.freeserve.co.uk

BLOCKO "oimo" mCd (Boss Tuneage)
Tight melodic Uk Hc. Epitaph style. Decent stuff, not really interesting. www.bosst.freeserve.co.uk (Y.B.)

NO TIME TO LOSE + SKUDS & PANIC PEOPLE + PHASE TERMINALE, Rennes, 26/04/02, MJC Villejean (show review)
Seeing all the political demonstrations in town this week, I thought there would have been far more people at this show, which was organized by the anarchist federation. The bands were not well-known, but I was expecting more than those 50-100 people. NO TIME TO LOSE are my favourite French band right now, they play raging & tight melodic posi-core with good social lyrics and a sense of humour god damnit ! SKUDS & PANIC PEOPLE are a local ska-punk band with antifascist lyrics. Just as INNER TERRESTRIALS (see below) I think they should play slower or faster, but not in between ! :) I love Oï and street punk, but PHASE TERMINALE didn't really impress me. They play really basic music, they have a drum machine which doesn't help, and their tunes sounded quite messy to me. (Y.B.)

NEVROTIC EXPLOSION + INNER TERRESTRIALS, Rennes, 24/05/02, Mondo bizarro, show review
NEVROTIC EXPLOSION are a good rockin' punk-rock band drawing influences from melodic Hc. Their records are good but they lack the energy of their live performances. INNER TERRESTRIALS are a hippie-traveller band from the Uk with quite interesting lyrics, and featuring the drummer from CONFLICT. They play tight reggae-punk. I love reggae and I love punk, but for some reason I think they don't play fast or slow enough. I would enjoy them better if they played more traditional reggae, or faster ska-punk. Actually, I believe the audience danced more on the pure reggae tunes and the uptempo ska ones. Anyways. Speaking of, the audience was ok, apart from a couple boring drunk skunx that could not even stand on their feet, and the room was far too hot and smoke-filled. Which, here again, is all the more revolting as the drummer suffers severe health problems and has a hard time breathing. But the idiots who were smoking in the room probably don't give a damn, as long as the music rages. (Y.B.)

LOST SIGHT "Time Flies so Fast" tape
15 old school songs with a bit "low" sound à la Ignite but fast, sometimes very fast, with some slower part. The most interesting thing is that they hail from Jakarta (Indonesia in case you didn't know !) and they have a very good and powerful sound, very pro. Full-coloured layout and lyrics dealing with what you are used to : friendship, unity, understanding which are changing with time, etc... nothing very special but less dumb than many bands from their country. On Pinball rec a nice one. contact pinball_records@angelfire.com or hate_lostsight@hotmail.com (I also distribute copies of the tape for Europe : w.g.f@free.fr) (S.G.)

BLIND TO SEE "Sadar" tape
Certainly the best old school band in Indonesia (and in the world!). The voice sounds like ray Cappo when he sung in Y.O.T. (not screaming). Very good production and the 14 songs are very well done, fast and killer. Sometimes they're even sung in their native language which is better, and they even cover a Y.O.T. song. Many pictures and X's on the layout as well ! Very long thanx list including thanx to Allah (indonesian style !) as usual. If you wanna know more (about Indonesia, why Allah, etc...) contact me. Ok they don't really answer emails so you can try at P.O.Box 7724 BDSP / BANDUNG 40122 / Java Barat / INDONESIA or get it from me cos it maybe sold out (w.g.f. /8 crs gambetta / 69007 Lyon / France) (S.G.)

THE CLOWN "Status Quo" tape
Ok imagine if the DEAD KENNEDY'S would have had street punk influence and a more angry song, then you would have got something like THE CLOWN. They really found great chords with the guitar. Really not boring music, 13 songs from this indonesian political band but unfortunately no lyric sheet in included. This tape is a bit old so try to get it from my distro. w.g.f@free.fr (S.G.)

BLACK BOOTS "Keras Kepala" tape
Another band from Java island, this one is aggro like finnish bands in the 80's or like present U.S.' @punk bands with aggro voice and powerful sound. Many songs in indonesian language, often dealing with wars, police/army repression (they know what it is) and anti "chaos" punks. Yes it's an interesting @punk band under palm trees ! One song sounds like CONFLICT with a girl reading/ singing a long text along the music. They did not answer my email and no address is included but you can still try at : blackboots_antimiliter@hotmail.com (S.G.)

THE SNOT ROCKETS "liberty blues" Cd (Boss tuneage)
Tight, fast US melodic Hc with a rock'n'roll touch. Kinda like THE NEW BOMB TURKS meets EPITAPH bands. The front cover is quite good so it's really sad no lyric sheet was included. It's beyond my comprehension that so many bands pay so little attention to the layout of their Cds... Decent record. www.thesnotrockets.com (Y.B.)

RHYTHM COLLISION "crunch time" Cd (Collision industries)
I think this was released as a cassette a long time ago (?), and now the band has dug it up to re-release it as a full length Cd. This excellent live show was recorded in france in 1996, the sound quality is really good and this is one of those live albums that actually adds something to the band's studio recordings. Over one hour of fast melodic Californian hardcore + 3 covers as bonus tracks ! http://home.mindspring.com/~rhythmcol (Y.B.)

RHYTHM COLLISION "all bombs away" Cd (Boss tuneage)
I thought they had split up long ago, but it seems this was recorded in 1999, and released in 2001. I've always enjoyed this band. They've been around since 1990 and have been playing the same brand of uptempo melodic Hc ever since. Contrary to most (boring) bands in the genre, there is a nice punky feel to it. The lyrics are ok. If you like your punk-rock with melodies and harmonies… http://home.mindspring.com/~rhythmcol (Y.B.)

BRIGADA FLORES MAGON "anges gardiens" Cd (Machette rds)
It's never good to have too high expectations, you always get disappointed. Their first cd was so awesome, anthemic (redskin) Oï with chanted choruses, incredible bass lines, raucous vocals and good street-punk/ libertarian lyrics. They went through some line-up changes and this one sounds like it was done in a haste ; the melodies that stick in the head and the reggae parts have gone, the production is not that good, the cover is bad, and the lyrics, above all, are really superficial. Ok, don't get me wrong, it's still good punk-rock, but compared to the first record… Don't rest on your laurels guys ! Stop drinking and start writing good music again ! :) flores_magon@hotmail.com (Y.B.)

KID WITH MAN HEAD "cassius coleman" Cd (Boss tuneage)
For some reason I liked the band name and the artwork, but the music was a real disappointment. KWMH play typical 235th generation EPITAPH/ FAT WRECK melodic-Hc. How boring. The lyrics are so dumb, and the vocals are sooo poppy ! What can anyone who writes songs like this have in the head ? www.kidwithmanhead.com (Y.B.)

DISCORDIA "discography" cd (Cryptas)
I got a cassette from them a long time ago and I liked it very much. DISCORDIA were Mexico's answer to EXTREME NOISE TERROR or DOOM. This complete collection has 29 tracks recorded in the late 90's. It's really good, but according to me that kind of music gets boring after a while. If you're a fan of the genre, don't miss this ! cons_internacion@hotmail.com (Y.B.)

FIVE FOOT NOTHING "pretty nuclear" Cd (Boss tuneage)
SPLIT LIP, BURNING DEFEAT, LIFETIME or even SAMIAM kind of stuff. Cool cover artwork but silly lyrics about love. Nice melodic pop-core from Canada, recorded in 1990 ! Weird I had never heard of this band before… But was it really worth a re-issue ? I'll let you judge for yourself. www.bosst.freeserve.co.uk (Y.B.)

ANNALISE "versus everything" Cd (Boss tuneage)
Uk melodic Hardcore/ pop-punk. You like it or you hate it. I believe ANNALISE do their thing well, somewhere between HÜSKER DÜ and J-CHURCH. The lyrics are introspective, very long, and quite interesting. I won't listen to this all the time, but once in a while it's relaxing. www.annalise.co.uk (Y.B.)

JETTISON "search for the gun girl" Cd (popkid rds)
Yawn. Tight & sweet melodic "pop-punk". GREEN DAY fans will like. Are there still people listening to that kind of music these days ? I mean, apart from my grandma ? www.popkid.com (Y.B.)

ASEXUALS "greater than later" Cd (Boss tuneage)
People say wine gets better with age. This obviously does not work for Hardcore bands. I thought ASEXUALS were an old melodic American punk band. The very first tracks on this Cd are raw, Hardcore songs in the DISCHORD/ BETTER YOUTH ORGANISATION vein ! Then ASEXUALS turned to good melodic Hardcore, then to bad melodic hardcore, then to terrible folk-pop-rock ! Sad story… I hope it's not my destiny, otherwise please kill me when I'm 35. This Cd is a compilation of songs taken from various albums between 1983 and 1996. And I think they actually originated from Canada. www.bosst.freeserve.co.uk (Y.B.)

J-CHURCH "you think you're cool" Cd (Sniffing industries ?)
They should have stated this was just a "best-off" compilation, and not a real album. These songs are all taken from various Ep's and most of them have already appeared on other Cds, so I don't see the use. J-CHURCH have billions of real records out, try and grab one instead ! (especially the 3 first Cd's). (Y.B.)

PERFECT DAZE "five year scratch" Cd (Boss tuneage)
PERFECT DAZE were a Uk pop-core band who started around 1985, at the same time bands like SENSELESS THINGS, MEGA CITY FOUR and SNUFF were getting popular. They put out a bunch of vinyls, toured Europe (funny that I had never heard of them although it seems they did play in France in the 80's), and even had a couple ex-members of THE STUPIDS and EXTREME NOISE TERROR - can you believe that ? This is a compilation of rare tracks and out-takes which is really quite ok if you enjoy this style. www.bosst.freeserve.co.uk (Y.B.)

VEHICLE DEREK Cd (Boss tuneage)
I've always liked this label, because the guy behind it is super nice, honest, reliable, and has been putting out the same kind of music for over a decade now. This said, I usually don't like most bands he puts out because they are very poppy and melodic, not to say commercial… But a couple of them are ok, like VEHICLE DEREK. Oh, they don't break any new ground, they just play decent melodic Hc with a punky punch, like H.D.Q. or early SAMIAM for instance. No lyrics sheet unfortunately. www.bosst.freeserve.co.uk (Y.B.)

CONTRE CULTURE #1 fanzine (en français)
Dommage qu'il ait fallu attendre un peu avant qu'il sorte, mais les articles n'ont pas trop perdu de leur actualité. C'est donc un zine collectif réalisé par quelques punks politisés du coin, tous déjà actifs dans divers asso. Au programme des colonnes, des chroniques, des articles sur les luttes sociales internationales et des interviews avec ACTIVE MINDS, DROPDEAD et ITSUKA OVER DISNEYLAND. Le point fort du zine c'est bien sûr son ouverture sur l'extérieur avec de copieux reportages sur l'Asie. J'ai été un chouilla agacé par les références politiciennes passéistes et le vocabulaire qui va avec (hein camarade Seb ?). maloka.distro@free.fr ou maloka.distro@online.fr (Y.B.)

AUSTRA #1 fanzine (2001-in Latvian)
I don't even know the name of the language over there. Why can't they speak French like everybody else ? It's all the more sad as this zine looks fantastic ! Its thick and huge, it has a whole bunch of international articles and columns, long reviews, and long interviews with worldwide hardcore scenesters : B'67 (Russia), BRAMBORAK (Lithuania), REFUSE rds (Poland), + several fanzines. Don't hesitate to send them your stuff for review ! Janis_r@mail.lv or birke100@yahoo.com (Y.B.)

HHH "making changes" Cd (positive outlook)
Good first effort. Isn't it funny that an English band took the same name as an old Spanish outfit (probably without being aware of it) ? The English HHH play fast positive and melodic Hc. They have a weird sound, and it gives them a quite original flavour. The lyrics are mostly introspective, but some of them criticize the Hc scene in an intelligent way. Not bad. www.positiveoutlook.freeserve.co.uk (Y.B.)

SQUALBALKUS demo 2001 (ciderspiller)
Weird band-name, eh ? This is a new English band that plays super fast grind with metallic, thrashcore and of course power-violence influences. They remind me a lot of ASSÜCK and AVULSION. This a decent quality demo, but with a big production they could easily get signed to EARACHE or RELAPSE ! The lyrics are ok, they're mostly hateful, some are a bit social but they always remain quite obscure. ciderspiller@antisocial.com (Y.B.)

FRENCH CONNECTION Cd-r (middle class productions)
France is one of the most un-hardcore countries in the world. I honestly don't know if there has ever been one real hardcore band around here. So believe me, getting together 11 bands playing fast hardcore is quite an achievement ! Most bands are good, some more interesting than others, but the one thing for their credit is that they all bring some fresh air in our rock'n'roll / metal dominated scene ! Fave ones were PAPY BOARDING, NO TIME TO LOSE, ACTIONS FALL SHORT… www.notimetolose.fr.st (Y.B.)

INERDZIA "tu puoi" Cd (Hat Pin rds)
Hey I like this. INERDZIA is an Italian "Oi" band with female vocals. They play uptempo punk-rock that's fast enough to hold my attention. They remind me quite a bit of NAKED AGGRESSION. I couldn't understand the lyrics as they're in Italian, but they seem to be in the "street" vein. This Lp was recorded in 1999 and they just put out a new split cd. http://www.inerdzia.com/ (Y.B.)

TANG "promo Cd" (demo) (DIY)
I didn't want to like this. It's poppy & artistic emo. The artwork is printed on a brown envelope, remember that from the early 90's emo bands ? The sound is good, the music is slow and melancholic, it has acoustic parts that turn into noisy-pop ones. I have to admit that they do their thing well. I like the sadness that oozes from the songs. If it's your thing… http://www.tang.fr.st (Y.B.)

THROUGH THESE EYES "The Cliché Songs" (Demo-tape)
This is the first effort from this new Portuguese band. They come from Torres Vedras and play Fast youth crew style sXe hardcore in the vein of early REACHING FORWARD, with typical mosh and sing-a-long parts. I honestly think this was recorded a bit too early and if they worked some more on the songs the final result would be better. As we can guess from the title of the demo they lyrics are typical youth crew about straightXedge pride, being drug free…. They do a good cover of "the truth" by WIDE AWAKE. The sound quality is average but ok for a demo. Total : 5 songs+1 cover. xtintimx@portugalmail.pt (D.R.)

DREAMING ALOUD "Arrested Dream" (Demo-tape)
When I first saw them live I fell in love with this band. They come from Torres Vedras, Portugal and play melodic softcore with a very political and sharp message. They have 2 girls (singer and drummer) in the line-up wich unfortunately isn't that common in the scene. The beautiful voice of Margarida fits really well with the melodic sound of the band. This is their 1st release and the only problem here is that they only recorded the first song in a studio and the others were recorded at home, so the sound quality and performance isn't the best, which makes some great songs like "Arrested Dream" sound not that good. The lyrics are all very political and deal with a lot of subjects sometimes neglected within our scene like child labour. If they got the chance to re-record some of the songs this could be a killer release. But it's a fresh surprise in our scene. I really enjoy this although I prefer to see them live. Another thing, this was released by a new label called IN LOVE WITH LIFE Records. Total : 7 Songs. dreaming-aloud@mail.com (D.R.)

DAY OFF THE DEAD "Masterful Murderous Plot of Massive Psychology" (Demo-Tape)
This is the 1st demo-tape of this new Portuguese band. Musically they can be compared to a mix of Bane with Ensign. The vocals are screamt and the second guitar is sometimes melodic as we can see in bands like BANE or BY THE GRACE OF GOD. They combine some fast paced verse parts with really cool sing-a-long more slowed down chorus. The lyrics are all very well written and are political about being a slave to society, violence at shows, "history written upon the blood of the dead" and self esteem. This could be the release of the year!!! 6 songs. dayofthedead@mail.pt (D.R.)

TIME X "Love it or Leave it" 7"(Cane records)
This is the 7" edition of their 2nd Demo-tape. Way better than the first demo, this one has good lyrics and better songs. If you don't know them by now they play Fast Youth Crew with a strong Political edge. Musically the songs are bigger and stronger. The lyrics are more politically focused and are really good. If you didn't get the demo try and grab this one, there's also some limited editions. 8 Songs. headxon@hotmail.com (D.R.)

THE FIENDS "Skate or Die" (Demo-Tape)
"Fast angry and proud". This says it all. Fast Trashcore What Happens Next?' style. The lyrics are really simple and direct straight in your face and the sound is raw and fast. This one has members of TIME X. This demo will be out as a 7" soon but I don't know on which label. If you're into fast, political Old school trashcore you'll love this one. It has some cover songs in the end as bonus. 6 songs. sotokai@clix.pt (D.R.)

ENDLESS ROAD "Chance for a new life" (Demo-tape)
This is a new band and they rock. They manage to mix together some more metal riff with some cool melodic parts and melodies on the vocals, which makes them more original and not at all boring as most metal bands to me. They could be compared to POISON THE WELL but way less metal. I really like it when they put 2 vocals in the songs combining screamt vocals with cool melodic ones. It works out great. My favourite songs are Day by Day, Second Chance and Close. The only flaw here is that they didn't include the lyrics on the 1st pressing of the demo. They used to have a Pointing Finger member which makes this even better hehehe!! 11 Songs. david.rosado@clix.pt (D.R.)

ONE TRUE OLD SCHOOL STORY Cd compilation (Fields of hope)
If you're looking for a good old school compilation you got one right here. This is a really cool compilation covering almost all the best European bands playing now. It also includes BURDEN from Canada and HIGH HOPES from the USA. Many songs here are unreleased which is always a cool thing. So let's see, from Germany we have CLOSELINE, DRIFTNET, MAX REBO KIDS, FREE LIVING INSANITY (awesome surprise), INDICATION and FORCE OF CHANGE. From Portugal we have TIME X, POINTING FINGER, GROWING STRAIGHT and SEIZE THE DAY, from Holland VITAMIN X and REACHING FORWARD, from Italy STRENGTH APPROACH and IN THE CLEAR from the UK. This was supposed to come out a while back and the recordings are all from 2000 but it's still an awesome release and I recommend this to everyone into fast honest, finger pointing, sing-a-long Old School. 16 Songs. (D.R.)

GOOD CLEAN FUN "straight outta hardcore" Cassette (Refuse rds)
Haaa Robert is gonna make a lot of bucks again with this new licence ! Ok you all know these old school SxE heroes, basically this is a pro-quality cassette version of the Cd that came out on REFLECTION/ PHYTE. BUT the cool thing is it also includes their rare 7" picture disc with a Prince cover and a different version of "Victory records suck". Coool ! And the lyrics are all translated into polish, which is funny if you wanna sing-a-long to G.C.F. in polish, at a party after a couple bottles of vodka… :) refusexresist@go2.pl (Y.B.)

GENOCIDE "blood spilled" Cd (Cryptas)
I don't know when this was recorded, but I believe it is a new record. GENOCIDE play powerful grind core with political lyrics. They sing in Spanish and they're not too metal, which is good. Fans of the genre should not overlook them. Cons_internacion@hotmail.com (Y.B.)

REFUSE distro catalogue
Man, this has gotten so huge over the years. Robert will probably end up living off his label if he doesn't cool down soon. If you're looking for cheap hardcore, and in particular raging hardcore from eastern Europe, get in touch with him at : refusexresist@go2.pl (Y.B.)

MISCONDUCT + SPERMICIDE 31/03/02, Mondo Bizarro, Rennes. Show review.
I guess SPERMICIDE got on the bill because they were friends with the organizers ? This punk-rock band from Paris have a strong rock'n'roll attitude, the singer stands bare-chested, wears plastered-down hair and sings love songs. MISCONDUCT play fast and tight old school Hc without forgetting all the usual clichés of the genre, like songs about lost friendships and "standing strong" and "staying true" (to what ?). Oh well. At least they do their thing well. The atmosphere could have been pretty good (hell, this was an old school Hc show, right ?) but there are no old school fans in Rennes, so people were kinda slow to react. And the only ones who seemed to appreciate the show were a drunk-punk and two Rash-skins who probably mixed up the "Mondo bizarro" club with the boxing ring next door or the soccer match downtown. So we kept most of the time watching after them (and trying not to get punched) instead of watching the band. Oh well. Rennes will never be a hardcore town anyway… (Y.B.)

HYDROPHOBIA / MIGRA VIOLENTA split Cd (Exabrupto)
38 tracks in 47 minutes. MIGRA VIOLENTA hail from Argentina and play basic punk-Hc. There has some ok parts, but the screaming voice is sometimes a bit unbearable. With a little more maturity they could become a good band. Same goes for HYDROPHOBIA actually ; their brand of crust with grindcore parts is a bit too basic. It's all the more sad as the layout on this cd is really nice, and the music would have fit better on a demo. Exabrupto80@hotmail.com (Y.B.)

TROPIEZO "desenmascarando…" Cd (Gente de Oi rds)
Another fine example of typical raging Hc (punk) from latin america. I really like the fact that there is no "real" cover for this Cd (buy it and you'll see what I mean). I wish the lyrics were printed and translated, too. Apart from that, this is 20 minutes of anger and frustration, with a very decent sound. TROPIEZO still lack the little spark that will make them stand out, but they're already damn good. http://pagina.de/tropiezo (Y.B.)

20 MINUTES DE CHAOS + ATAXIA 02/04/2002, squat de l'Ekluserie, Rennes. Show review
Not too many people turned up which is a shame considering there are so few political gigs in Rennes. ATAXIA are a new band from Dijon who play mid-tempo old school Hardcore, with a few New York Hardcore hints here and there. They're young and the music still lacks "something", but I enjoyed their set. I was surprised by 20" DE CHAOS who now have two female vocalists. The band plays tight and intense anarchopunk/ crust / metal which I liked very much. The lyrics are quite naïve ("innocent people die in the wars", "nasty bankers want to evict squatters" kind of stuff), but the singers sounded really sincere, and these people actually are involved in various social struggles, so at least they practice what they preach, right ? The sound quality was ok, the atmosphere was good, it was a good show but it would have been even better if I had not been annoyed by the overall attitude of the organizers/ crowd/ bands. They all brag about how they wanna build a better society and they wanna smash intolerance and be respected and blah blah blah, but they of course can't even respect others. The neighbours came to complain about the noise (someone started rehearsing at around 7 or 8 PM, then the two bands played which means the neighbours had to bear over 3 hours of horrible noise). So some guy came and ask for the show to end at 11:15, but the band and the audience decided to "play another song" and then another, and then more. As far as I am concerned, I work 6 days out of 7, and I really would not appreciate it if some wanker started playing loud techno music downstairs. I'd be the first to complain. But of course, it is always more easy to ask for respect, than to practice it… (Y.B.)

IMBALANCE "spouting rhetoric" Cd (Household name rds)
It's cool to buy a Cd and get 50 minutes of music. IMBALANCE are an interesting melodic band from England, following the path of other famous "positive Hardcore" bands like Gorilla biscuits, Ignite, etc. I like them, but there's something that annoys me and I cannot put my finger on it. It's either the vocals, or the production, or both. The lyrics are definitely the best part here, they're introspective but deal with social issues in a non-sloganistic way. I'd love to see them live.[Urgh ! I've just learnt they split up ! And so did one of their labels ARMED WITH ANGER] http://www.imbalance-punk.com/ (Y.B.)

IMBALANCE mCd (Hermit rds)
Same as above. I really like the sincere and heartfelt lyrics. And I wish they had played faster. Oh well… mail@hermitrecords.idps.co.uk (Y.B.)