Ignorant Gash, Part 2
The nightmare continues. The quest to find the best 1980s U.K. hardcore records that have been forgotten, overlooked or simply unfairly dismissed by the sands of time never ends. With that, we've put together the second installment of Ignorant Gash. As we said in Negative Insight #1... Think of England: The land of no dentists, an insane obsession with stalking celebrities, and a royal family tree sorely lacking in branches. A place where the cops don't even carry guns (or so we've heard). But it's also a place that has produced some great hardcore records. This article is our excuse to write about some of our favorite loud, tuneless and thick releases that we feel go overlooked and are underappreciated. Never mind the bollocks, the bullshit, or the napalm...
Flannel, Bristles, Studs and Acne. UKHC.
Ad Nauseam - "The Greatest Show On Earth" LP (self released, 1987)
There were a handful of UK82 hold overs that stuck around when the scene changed to a more hardcore oriented style and pulled it off. The most well known were obviously The Varukers, English Dogs, and Onslaught, but Death Zone, The Fiend, and Ad Nauseam were some lesser known acts also quite capable of making the transition from charged punk anthems to writing intense hardcore songs. Ad Nauseam self released a large amount of demos (at least four or five) in the '80s, but their first vinyl release was the "Brainstorm" 7" released by the eclectic Flicknife Records label which also released records by UK82 and Oi bands including Instant Agony, Major Accident, Last Rites, Urban Dogs, and a Charlie Harper (UK Subs/Urbane Dogs) solo LP, but was primarily known for releasing Hawkwind offshoot bands and side projects. Anyway, after their debut, Ad Nauseam released several more demos and a tape on Lethal Dose Tapes which was owned by Shane from Manic Ears Records.
In 1987, Ad Nauseam self released their crowning achievement, an intense 8 song LP entitled "Greatest Show On Earth" complete with a circus music intro. This LP is full on hardcore that could be compared to Antisect, Legion of Parasites, Concrete Sox, or AOA. I think it also has hints of GBH and Discharge underneath it somewhere. Music for the punks who charged their hair but that also loved the harder sound. This is truly an unheralded release, and i wonder how this has gotten so little attention. Credit to Lawless Chris Lawrence from Loud Punk Records for championing this release forever.
Atavistic - "Equilibrium" EP, "Life During Wartime" EP (Loony Tunes Records, Peaceville, 1987)
In 1986, an extreme yet little known hardcore group by the name of Napalm Death had recently recorded 12 songs at Rich Bitch studio intended to be released as a split LP with a similarly extreme and unknown hardcore band called Atavistic. Due to the members of Napalm Death having felt ripped off from previous dealings with the person behind the label releasing the split, the record never came out. Instead Napalm Death's 12 songs went on to comprise the A side of their "Scum" album which was released by Earache Records a year later. Most people reading this are probably familiar with Napalm Death's career path after this point, while Atavistic is being covered in an article dedicated to obscure and forgotten British hardcore. Life isn't fair.
If you're into that proto grindcore sound that was somewhere between Siege and, well, Napalm Death, then Atavistic is perfect for you. Brutal, unrelenting, and ugly UK hardcore with speeds just under blast beats but that still pummel the listener. Atavistic released two raging 7"s in 1987. The first was the "Equilibrium" EP on the wonderful Loony Tunes Records label. They followed it up with the equally impressive "Life During Wartime" EP, which was an early Peaceville release. While brutal and speed driven, the music contained the methodical groove of repeated waves crashing the beach before being pulled back out to sea. For all the popularized mediocre hardcore, grind, and crust that came out of England in the late '80s, it's almost comical how much Atavistic has slipped through the cracks. These records are pretty cheap to find, but they don't turn up that often. There is a bootleg LP that compiles both of the first two records as well. Atavistic went on to release an LP for Profane Existence in 1990 (with one of the best looking cover layouts ever) before the members faded into obscurity perhaps still wondering what could have been...
Disattack - "A Bomb Drops..." demo tape (self released, 1986)
Yes, it's a tape. Before the medical dictionary lyrics, the long hair, and "Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment," there was Disattack. Despite being known as "the band that came before Carcass," Disattack stands out for their own material and should not be relegated to the "future members of..." punk rock trivia status. The band was formed by Bill Steer (guitar, Carcass and Napalm Death) along with Middie (drums), Andrew Pek (vocals, now deceased, RIP), and Mike Poole (bass, also of the band Dementia and later replaced by Paul on the demo) in 1985. Contrary to popular belief, Ken Owens (Carcass drummer) was never a member of the band.
This demo was recorded in April of 1986 that sounds like a more metallic version of Discharge, Varukers, and maybe some Swedish hardcore such as Ant-Cimex or Agoni. My personal favorite song on the demo is "Fashion Faction" which is a ripping UK82 inspired banger with some metallic soloing over it. The UK scene is saturated with bands who probably should not have been documented on vinyl, so it's a shame that a band like Disattack who deserved to have their own EP never made it to vinyl at the time.There's long been rumors of an official reissue, and a bootleg 7" of the demo does exist, but this band remains one of the true under appreciated hardcore bands on the UK scene.
The Disturbed - "This Is.... Credibility" EP (Real World Records, 1988)
A later inclusion showing that we don't discriminate (as long as your record dropped before 1990, suckas). After all, unlike that bullshit propaganda from General Speech, we here at Negative Insight are all about... credibility. And when your band features the former vocalist of the great Scottish punk band Last Rites, no one is going to question said credibility. Of course having great songs doesn't hurt either, and the tunes on the Disturbed's 1988 debut EP are certainly great -- charged, jagged edged punk owing a huge influence to Discharge, GBH, and the Riot City Records sound. While on the harder end of the UK82 era bands, The Disturbed never quite veer into all out hardcore territory, especially when compared to the direction things had gone by 1988. And in that respect, this EP kind of unique for the era. Lyrically, the four songs on this EP cover socially conscious and politically aware themes in the standard punk tradition. Our best guess is the song title "Diplomatic Insanity" is a nod to GBH (a nice touch). Unfortunately, The Disturbed broke up shortly after this release, but the various members kept busy afterward, forming some of the preeminent European crust bands of the 1990s: Sedition, Disaffect, and Scatha. For those searching for further Disturbed material though, there's also a track from 1986 on the "Fight Back" 7" compilation on Endangered Musik, a posthumously released split 7" with another ex-Disturbed members band, 36 Crazy Fist, as well as a live set from in Barrhead on April 18, 1987.
Shrapnel/Symbol of Freedom split 7" (Hand In Hand Records, 1986)
This is one of those records that you dream about: the great unheard of record that can still be found cheaply but is on par with the absolute classics of the era. The internet is a hype machine, and it's filled with empty bullshit. You see it all the time: wildly inaccurate comparisons, blown out of proportion adulation, and flat out shit opinions from the part time punks on the internet. Lifers and scumbags probably know of Shrapnel from their split with Toxik Ephex released by the solid Words of Warning label in 1989, but their previous vinyl entry is this gem of a split from '86. Shrapnel, hailing from South Wales, played solid mid '80s sounding anarcho punk along the lines of Subhumans or any number of others. It's catchy, shouted protest music with the slightest hint of metallic sound on the leads. If this had been recorded in 1983, it could have been released on Mortarhate or Bluurg. In fact, Shrapnel did release a demo on the tapes side of the Bluurg label with the "Restricted Existence" tape. Very solid and catchy punk.
But the lost treasure here is the Symbol of Freedom side of the split EP. Releasing only a demo tape, this split EP, and a few tracks on compilations, Symbol of Freedom didn't leave much in their time as a band. Also hailing from Wales, this is hard charging punk in the style of the mighty A.O.A., the hardest Conflict songs, Anti-System, or even the first Legion of Parasites 12". Great male/female dual vocals and some great sweeping riffs really make this one stand out. For the life of me, I can't figure out how this band managed to slip through the cracks as much as they have. Only two songs on this side of the 7", but both are fucking bangers. They nailed that mid '80s sound that is the halfway point between the Conflict inspired bands and the all out thrash bands. This record should sell for $100. Brilliant.