SHITFIT/HUMAN GREED - SPLIT

Along with Immoral Squad, Inertia Kills, Dahmer, General Fools and Seized, Human Greed and Shitfit were heavyweights from Quebec's early 90's scene. I caught Human Greed live in '94 with Ulcer, Dropdead and Immoral Squad. They were incredible! Hovering somewhere between Scum era Napalm Death and early Discharge, they offered a crushing brand of low-tech grindcore delivered with superb desperation. The thirteen songs on their side of this split feature multiple vocals retching amidst raw and driving instrumentation. An onslaught apparently fueled by the band's vegan politics. Sadly, I never got to see Shitfit live. Fronted, by Max Of Tomorrow (hilarious!) who's throaty gargle sounds like a hybrid between Choke (from Slapshot) and a didgeridoo. The band plays mostly heavy, palm muted, crusty HC with a slight NYHC vibe thrown in now and then. Nothing new for the time, but totally awesome. The perfect platform for Max's helicopter yodel. I listened to this fucking thing enough to wear it out. Luckily, I finally found another copy. QCHC!

DOOM - THE GREATEST INVENTION

Got this when it came out in '93. I used to hate the production on it. It starts off with a spongy techno intro, the drums have more reverb than a Neil Diamond record and at times excessive use of chorus washes the guitar out completely. I recently dug it out after sitting quiet in my collection for almost twenty years. I gotta admit, I totally screwed the pooch on this one. The rave-cave production is actually kinda awesome. I can't think of many HC records that sound this expansive. Not even other Doom records. Beneath the atmosphere, Doom's Napalm Death-ish approach to crusty D-beat HC reveals why they are one of the most influential bands in the genre. Relentless low end, Jump 'n' jack guitar riffs and unmistakably british gut-throat vocals set the bar for everyone from Dropdead to Martyrdöd. All of their releases are worth having, but The Greatest Invention has become, by far my favorite. The techno intro is like crack to my ears now. At times I consider dubbing an endless loop of it to make love to. Am I Doomed?

SPAZZ - DWARF JESTER RISING

           

When I first heard these guys I had no clue that they were forging a new sub-genre of hardcore. I just knew it was the fastest and funniest shit on the planet. With countless releases and splits, Spazz endures as one of the most prolific bands in HC. Though not as aggressive or refined as some of their later work, Dwarf Jester Rising remains slightly more memorable for me. It was my introduction to both the band and to language of the music they inspired. Whether playing a bass laden sludge part, or a blinding garbled blast, Spazz delivers the goods as a cartooned badass that rises from the page to kick your teeth in. Unlike the metallic leanings of many of their spawn, they managed to move into uncharted territory without sacrificing one single ounce of punk rock. Who knows? Maybe someday HC bands will have ideas again. For now...

CHEST PAIN - S/T 7"

More powerviolence! This time from the great state of Texas. Ten choice, god hating slammers delivered in under eight minutes. Though rooted in standard 1990-esque PV, there's an underlining youth crew cleanliness to these songs. The strained vocal delivery is hybrid between SSD's Springa and the standard Crossed Out guttural thing. As always, I'm a little perplexed as to why today's PV bands sound so much like bands from twenty years ago. Regardless, this is an adept addition to the dialogue (despite the Andrew W. K. pic). I'm told they kill "it" live too. Party Hard!