various artists - Thrash Til Death

This is not my rip, but seeing as how I own a physical copy, I don't feel bad about sharing.

I have had a rip of this since the early Limewire days, and it was with some joy that I found my copy of "Thrash Til Death" at Disk Union during my first trip to Tokyo in 2010. I didn't expect to find a long-sought-after Pusmort release on the other side of the world from home, much less at a pretty reasonable price ($20, if memory serves).

It's up there with the Gauze and Assfort 7"s that Prank put out in the late 90s, as well as 625's circa-2000 thrash revival releases, that opened me up to the sicko world of Japanese hardcore, in all of its various iterations. Not a bad song in the whole lot.

Discogs

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Razors Edge - SWEET 10 THRASHERS

It's the last of four Razors Edge records I own: 2006s "SWEET 10 THRASHERS".

It's literally the best description ever. 10 songs. It's a thrash record. They're sweet.

I may have stated in the past; I won't provide any additional trenchant insights. As the cover says, "PLAY FUCKING LOUD AND ENJOY FOR YOUR KILLING TIME!"

Discogs

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Razors Edge - MAGICAL JET LIGHT

Guys, if you like fast hardcore from Japan, then you're going to like this, Razors Edge's fourth full-length.

If you like this, then, well, there's other records I've also shared.

And if you don't like fast hardcore from Japan, well...get with the program.

Discogs

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Razors Edge - RAZORS RISING!!!!

I had nice things to say a couple years back about Osaka's Razors Edge, and I figured it was high time to revisit their discography with this, their second full length. Originally released in 2003 on Kenji Razors' Pizza Of Death Records, this is just some good ass turn of the millenium JP thrash. It's a bit more amateur (and thus a bit more fun, IMHO) than SONIC! FAST! LIFE!, and it covers a lot of the same ground. But the songwriting is there, and the Ramones built a wonderful catalog off the same sort of model, so there you go.

Dig those subtitles. MORE SOUL FOR THRASH!! WE ARE JUST BLITZKRIEG!! Can there be any doubt as to what you're getting here?

For those of you either already on the ground in Japan, or of the means to make your way there, Razors Edge is playing in Osaka in July with a gaggle of other bands. Should be a thrashin' good time. Flip that ballcap bill up and wall of death to your hearts' content!

Discogs

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G.I.S.M. and their Relapse reissue

G.I.S.M., aka Grubby Incest Stripper Mastitis, aka Grand Imperialism Social Murder

My very first exposure to the Japanese hardcore legends known as G.I.S.M. was, like so many other American punx, via their track on R Radical's landmark comp, 1984's "International P.E.A.C.E. Benefit Compilation". Slotted as the second track on Side A, between Articles of Faith and Neon Christ, the Tokyo quartet supplied the lead track from the previous year's debut LP. "Endless Blockads for the Pussyfooter" was so different from anything I'd heard up to that point. It felt more like some insane amalgam of hardcore, metal, glam, and noise collage made by lunatic punx, with crazy leads and solos by Randy Uchida and that wild-ass echoing vocal by Sakevi. Of course, none of their other work really ever turned up around me. If it showed up in Baltimore, it'd typically get picked up immediately by someone who lived closer to the store. So I'd hear more the legend than experience the music. Hearing a second or third generation tape, or a crackly bootleg 12", was akin to sharing old VHS tapes of Bo Jackson with a younger football fan. I definitely wanted to experience more. Now, the internet has been good to me, in as much as I've tracked down all their early releases digitally. It's not the same as slapping a record on the turntable, but it serves as an apéritif, whetting my appetite for the day that I eventually come across a copy of "Detestation".

Apparently, I'll be able to dine on a physical copy on December 4, as Relapse Records is taking preorders right now for the first ever authorized reissue of the first G.I.S.M. album. A split release with Japan's Beast Arts, this is an authentic recreation of the original 1983 Dogma/City Rocker release. What's new is the obi strip that comes on the 12", as well as a new CD reissue featuring three additional tracks, AND a first-time-ever release on cassette. The limited edition 12" on white and cassette with clear shell are already sold out, but the black vinyl, black cassette, and CD are still available, along with some really dope looking t-shirts and a zip-up hoodie.

If you're at all into Japanese hardcore, metal, or independent music, you know what a big deal this release is. And the idea that Sakevi is working with Relapse on this reissue suggests that we might get some additional reissues of their two later LPs, as well as comp tracks, which is totally exciting. So, don't sleep on this; slap that "preorder" button, tout en suite! But don't take my word for it. Go ahead and sample this RIGHT NOW!

Flash Gordon - Troma City Pollution Attack!

There are days when you can appreciate the subtleties of life. And there are days when the only answer is to blast a 19-year-old album of meathead Japanese thrash. I'll let you decide which kind of day Tuesday was. If you subjected yourself to the first American Presidential debate, then you already know.

I think I first heard Nisshin's Flash Gordon via the classic 4x7" box set from Sound Pollution, "Tomorrow Will Be Worse". That comp, along with the contemporary "Possessed to Skate" comp, was a roadmap of bands to check out. If you liked Spazz (and who wouldn't?), then you'd go check out Romantic Gorilla or Hirax, because they'd done splits with them. You'd start picking up the new records on Six Weeks and Lengua Armada because they'd put out Charles Bronson records, which would lead you to Capitalist Casualties and Los Crudos. I did it as a kid with encyclopedias and "thank you" lists in liner notes; I still do it today with Wiki-walking. You take natural leaps and learn about something brand new. I guess it beats buying something because of a clever title or a crazy cover.

So, Flash Gordon's "Troma City Pollution Attack!": it has both a clever title and a crazy cover. Even if I hadn't been prepared by their American comp appearances, I'd still get a good sense of what I was in for just from the outer package. That's a King Kong-sized Toxic Avenger destroying a city whilst being attacked by jets. Did a 10-year-old draw the cover? Who's to say? Is this Suicidal Tendencies worship, minus the gang violence. Well, maybe. But Suicidal was never this joyously dumb, willing to reference the world of Lloyd Kaufman, "Karate Kid", and Queen. The thrash revival of the early aughts was so much goddamned fun, consistently referential while still building upon what had come before.

I really cannot remember how I laid hands on this. I wasn't doing any overseas mailorder at the time. And while we got a wide range of North American punk & HC releases at Reptilian, we didn't ever really see any Japanese releases, short of some the MCR CDs that I think we got through Sound Pollution/Mordam. Maybe I picked it up through a touring distro? All I know is that it's a great bed mosh record, and a soundtrack well worth listening to when you're falling off your deck.

Discogs

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Razors Edge - SONIC! FAST! LIFE!

RAZORS EDGE, circa 2016 (from Facebook)

While I've never seen them live, I don't think I'll ever experience a band as much fun as Osaka's RAZORS EDGE. There's an absolute joy that saturates every record, every flier, every live video I've come across. I won't say it's amazing to see a DIY group maintain that attitude across a quarter century and eight full-lengths, but it is inspirational. I listen to RAZORS EDGE, and I want to make the people I come in contact with feel as good as their music makes me feel. It's a small goal, but a noble one, I think.

2010's "SONIC! FAST! LIFE!" is RAZORS EDGE's seventh full length. You're not going to get any curveballs here; this is thrashy, circle pit heaven. There's not a single song longer than 2:19, with five tracks coming in under a minute long. There are songs entitled "SKATE RIOT", "SO MUCH FUN", "RAZORS FUCKIN' RULE", and "I HATE WRITING LYRICS". Do I have to spell it out for you? It's like a wonderfully distilled thrash tape fell into a wormhole and came out the other side in 2010. The result, as I noted above, is joyful, magical.

RAZORS EDGE hasn't made a full-length record in five years, nor released a new recording in 2020, but they had planned some tour dates prior to COVID-19, which, sadly, haven't been rescheduled. I'd love to see these fellas make their way over to the States, but it appears, if I want to see them live, I'll have to head to Osaka. Such a sacrifice. ;)

Discogs

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Crow - Who Killed Dove?

Note: A special shout out to April and Negative Insight for their awesome article on Grave New World. There's no way I would have gone down this road without their well-researched, well-written history of the band.

Last week's preorder announcement by Bitter Lake Recordings that they'd be reissuing the 1991 Grave New World album "The Last Sanctuary" wasn't just an exciting way to get a classic crust record. It also reminded me how much I love vocalist Crow's previous, eponymous project. So what better time than now to share the debut 7" by Osaka's Crow. It rips.

A lot of Crow's later releases were put out here in the States by Prank, starting with the 2003 reissue of the Artimus Pyle/Crow split 7". But the mid 80s material, prior to Crow joining Grave New World, remains unreleased in the States. There's a great, self-released CD from 1997 that compiles this, the "Last Chaos" LP, and their comp appearance on "Eyes of the Thrash Guerrilla". I wish you luck finding one for less than $50 here in the U.S.

So, enjoy "Who Killed Dove?" If you have no frame of reference, expect metallic hardcore; not so much Earth Crisis, or late 80s Discharge, but something on the continuum between Motörhead and Napalm Death, but with more NWOBHM influence. Does that make sense? I'd rage out to this if I saw it live. So circle pit it up in your living room, or in the park, or wherever the mood strikes you.

Discogs

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Bastard - Wind Of Pain

The cool/weird part about shopping for records in Japan is the things you'll find that you've never seen elsewhere. Case in point: Bastard's "Wind Of Pain". Either I learned about this late 80s/early 90s Japanese hardcore band when they reunited for Chaos in Tejas in 2010, or via late night text conversations with Sean from Fan Death Records. Regardless of where I heard about them, my last trip (to date) to Tokyo coincided with the 2013 reissue of "Wind Of Pain" by Feral Ward. I walked into Disk Union my last day and saw a small stack on the counter. Fuck it, I'll drop 2,000¥ on a rumor. I haven't regretted it since.

If you ever wanted to learn more about Japanese hardcore, specifically the "Burning Spirits" style, this is a good place to start. How would I describe this? Think posi D-beat. Drummer Koba would continue, post-Bastard, to playing drums in Systematic Death, as well as running Fade In Records and doing some really cool record covers for bands like Rocky & the Sweden. So your chances are greater than nil of ever seeing/meeting one of these guys. Would it be nice if records like this were a little easier to track down? Sure...I guess. But the chase, especially when you have to go halfway around the world to hear a copy, is part of the fun.

Discogs

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