Top Ten Boston/New England Hardcore Punk Albums

Boston and the rest of New England is now the center of activity for (and along with New York City, the birthplace of) tough guys playing militant straight edge metal-core bullshit. However, in the early 80's it was the center for some of the fastest and most aggressive thrashing hardcore in the United States. If you wanted to be fast and play at maniacal speeds Boston, Japan and Scandinavia were the scenes to look for inspiration. Here is my "Top Ten" for this region. 

[Honorable Mention: There are many amazing bands and records that didn't make the cut - such as Vatican Commandos (which featured future electronica star Moby), C.I.A., Deep Wound (Which later morphed into Dinosaur Jr.), 76% Uncertain, sociopath and "outlaw scumfuc" G.G. Allin and many more - but these are the albums that are nothing but ESSENTIAL for learning about this amazing scene.]

1. VARIOUS ARTISTS - This Is Boston Not L.A. 

"YOU LOOK THE SAME, YOU ACT THE SAME, THERE'S NOTHING NEW AND YOU'RE TO BLAME. THIS IS BOSTON NOT L.A.!!!"

This is it. This is ground zero. After hearing this you will wonder how Hatebreed (and the million other bands that sound just like them) evolved from this amazing sound. It features the debuts (and often best material) of many of the bands on this list. This is one compilation that no punk fan should be without and is the starting point for learning about this influential and important scene. [The CD reissue also includes the 'Unsafe At Any Speed' EP featuring an additional song from each group except Decadence]

"This one's probably the best U.S. hardcore compilation available. The material of course varies in quality, but all of it cooks. It's pretty hard to choose, but Gang Green has the fastest and most intense thrash attack, though Jerry's Kids come close. On the other hand, the Proletariat and F.U.'s (especially "Preskool Dropouts") have the most perceptive lyrics. The Freeze combine original music with intelligent content, and Decadence weigh in with a critique of mindless, ultra-violent slamming. All in all, a great introduction to Boston's finest (excepting SS Decontrol, who don't appear here)."
-Jeff Bale (from MaximumRockNRoll, July/August 1982)The Freeze - Boston Not LA

The Freeze ~ This Is Boston Not L.A.

      

      2. F.U.'s - Kill For Christ

"THIS IS NOT A TEST OF THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM!!! THIS IS THE REAL THING!!! AND IF YOU LISTEN TO ME, WHICH YOU NEVER EVER DO, YOU'D KISS YOUR ASS GOODBYE!!! MOOOOMMY!!! MOOOOOMMY!!!"

Raw and blisteringly fast. Unfortunately, F.U.'s lost their edge by the time of their next LP which featured a rather bland punk/metal hybrid and some regressive far right attitudes. But this record... this record is oozing with the kind of attitude that only stone cold classics possess and this is the way the world should remember the F.U.'s.  [The reissue includes bonus tracks from the 'This Is Boston Not L.A./Unsafe At Any Speed' records.]

"This is the second release on the X-Claim! label, and it's no letdown. Some of the songs here are reminiscent of the super-fast sound associated with Boston; the others are slower, more distinct or melodic, but still rough, raw, and tight. Snap it up."
-Tim Yohannon (from MaximumRockNRoll, March/April 1983)

F.U.'s ~ Trendy Nazi Hypocrites

       3. JERRY'S KIDS - Is This My World?

"I GOT A FEELING, IT'S IN MY HEAD. I GOT A FEELING, HEAR WHAT I SAID? I GOT A FEELING THAT SOMETHING'S WRONG. I GOT A FEELING THAT I... I DON'T BELONG HERE!!! AND NEITHER DO YOU!!!"

If this isn't the sonic equivalent of sticking your head in a blender, I don't know what is. So fast that it borders on ridiculous. It's funny to think that a release from a bunch of straight edge guys sounds THIS amphetamine fueled! Just like SSD and F.U.'s, Jerry's Kids went the lame power metal route in a few years but this record remains a benchmark of American hardcore and deserves the recognition that bands like Black Flag have gotten from the larger music community. Or in the words of Septic Death's Brian 'Pushead' Schroeder...

"An adventure into hyperactive, full-tilt, bulldozing quickness and thundering power. This overwhelming supply of burning rapid-fire speed destroys the mold, exploding into maniac doses of invincible strength and energy. Bolting drums, high-velocity crooning, and hysterically blistering wild guitars (featuring ex-Gang Green axeman, Chris Doherty). Jerry's Kids totally shred the eardrums to mincemeat. For the fast fanatic's cravings; the essence of what other will try to duplicate."

-Pushead (from MaximumRockNRoll, December 1983)

 Jerry's Kids ~ I Don't Belong Here

        4. THE FREEZE - Guilty Face

Even with only 4 songs, this EP which is the second release from this Cape Cod band responsible for the amazing 'This Is Boston Not L.A.' compilation is all killer and absolutely no filler. It also happens to be the last straight ahead hardcore thrash attack from these guys. While they would always have some ragers like these in their canon of work, they became one the more eclectic bands in American hardcore with albums like "Land of the Lost" and "Rabid Reaction" which are classics in their own right.

More "Boston-paced" music from this Cape Cod outfit, no letdown from their previous material. The playing is solid, tight, and inspired, with good hooks all around. As the liner notes say, "this record has been inspired by warmongers, social pressures, police oppression, and rednecks... their necks are getting redder."

-Tim Yohannon (from MaximumRockNRoll, January/February 1983)

The Freeze ~ Voices From My Window

       5. SIEGE - Drop Dead

"NO RELIEF. NO RELEASE. NO PEACE. NONE SURVIVE. NONE ALIVE. GENOCIDE. DROP DEAD!!! DROP DEAD!!!"

When I showed a friend of mine this album, his first reaction was literally "WHOA! Shit! This rips!" That's basically this album in a nutshell (excepting the slow bluesy dirge of "Grim Reaper"). Fast, nihilistic, hateful and semi-psychotic. This band is one of the pivotal bands in the evolution of hardcore and metal into grindcore and powerviolence. Many bands like Repulsion and Napalm Death have made no effort to conceal that fact. Siege walks the thin line of extreme speed being tighter than a drum and playing together in unison at blinding velocity but always seeming that they are only seconds from completely falling apart due to the chaos inherent in their approach. [The reissue of this includes tracks used in their split with Deep Wound and the 'Cleanse The Bacteria' compilation added on to the original 6 song demo]

"The best thing I've heard in a while! This tape has tremendous ferocity and boundless energy, delivered in an almost psychotic and wreckless manner, but without any loss of tightness. Siege has a nasty thrash attack with insane vocals and intelligent lyrics, captured perfectly by Radiobeat's Lou Giordano. Get it--it's great!"

-Tim Yohannan (from MaximumRockNRoll, June 1984)

Siege ~ Drop Dead

       6. NEGATIVE FX - Negative FX LP

"WE AREN'T GONNA STOP PLAYING!!! FUCK YOU!!!"

Okay... you know you're in for some intense stuff when Charles Manson is staring at you from the record cover. These guys were (along with SSD) the culprits behind the strain of militancy that is pervasive throughout the straight edge scene unlike the birthplace of the straight edge "movement" in DC. However, don't let that change your mind about these guys. They were just angry kids and had no idea that their commitment to a sober lifestyle would be the catalyst for angry youth crew douchebags preaching at you for having a beer. And the music here tears a hole in your eardrums 8 feet wide. Amazing stuff. [The CD reissue on Taang! Records includes bonus tracks including "Might Makes Right" from their infamous 6th and last show opening for arty post-punkers Mission of Burma and all the tracks from the band Last Rights, another band fronted by Negative FX vocalist Choke.]

"Even though this is ancient material from a band long gone, it is representative of one of Boston's finest outfits at its time. Holding the distinct Boston characteristics heard in GANG GREEN, SSD, DYS, and more, NEGATIVE FX packed strong musical combustion with hoarse vocal deliveries. Rapid, powerful, and totally enjoyable, NFX is a classic Boston band but this should have come out at its time before all the duplications arose."

-Pushead (from MaximumRockNRoll September 1985)

Negative FX ~ Modern Problems

        7. YOUTH KORPS - The Quick And The Dead '82

Not a Beantown band but man did they know how to thrash! Connecticut's very own Youth Korps was and remains a criminally underrated group with a manic thrash attack that defies the mind. It's not that they are particularly unique or that they are lightening fast like Siege, Youth Korps had what it takes to stand out amongst the thousands of thrash/hardcore bands at the time and that is quality songs. Many bands just focus too much on being fast and then they forget to write songs that can carry that speed and vice versa. Youth Korps knew how to write good thrashing punk songs. [Vinyl reissue is named "'82"]

"Like White Cross, Youth Korps have that extra umph that thrash bands need to stand out in this day and age. Most of the tracks here are really intense thrashers, but there's one anguished metallic cut that sounds a lot like Black Flag's "Damaged" ("Need a Fix"). This is real strong, so I hope they release it on vinyl."

-Jeff Bale (from MaximumRockNRoll, May/June 1983)

Youth Korps ~ '82 Demo

      8. GANG GREEN - Another Wasted Night [1986]

"I'LL SKATE TO HELL!!! HELL!!! HELL!!! ALL THE WAY TO HELL!!! HELL!!! HELL!!!"

Gang Green were the true anomaly of Boston. When they crossed over into metal territory, they were able to pull it off beautifully. They along with Virginia's Corrosion of Conformity, Texas' DRI and California's Suicidal Tendencies and many others became the pioneers of what is known as crossover thrash. Another thing that separated them from their peers was not just because they weren't straight edge but because these guys LIVED for inebriation, particularly beer! They weren't subtle about it either, after all they did shout "I'd rather drink than fuck!!!" I'm sure AA sponsors everywhere shudder at the thought of these guys. It's easy to spot the metal influences on this record and it's even easier to see that while it's not quite as exciting as their songs on 'This Is Boston Not L.A.' THIS is the ultimate east coast punk party record. [This was reissued a year later in 1987 with four bonus tracks.]

"Little or no fluff here, just eight blasting tunes, fueled by lots of booze if most guesses are correct. Tight, fast, and intense, even if you wouldn't rather 'drink than fuck.'"

-Tim Yohannan (from MaximumRockNRoll, November 1986)

Gang Green ~ Alcohol

       9. SS DECONTROL - The Kids Will Have Their Say

"IT'S BEEN BUILDING UP FOR YEARS. INSTEAD OF FIGHTING OR SHEDDING TEARS. NOW IT'S TIME TO LET GO. BOILING POINT ABOUT TO SHOW. DON'T KNOW IF I'LL LOSE CONTROL OF MY BODY OR MY SOUL. BOILING POINT!!! BOILING OVER!!!"

Angry. Sober. Angry. Sober. But man can these guys play! This album and it's follow up the "Get It Away" EP are absolute essentials for punks of all stripes. While these guys may have been egotistical pricks that declared hardcore was dead and since they "started the scene" they would be the ones to lead Boston into the abyss of guitar wanking power metal, they were, until 1983, one of the finest bands ever to come out of the hardcore scene in America and this album is a testament to that. Nobody likes a nice cold beer more than me but I can still get down with the straight edge if the tunes are this good.

"Boston is happening! SS Decontrol fired the shots heard 'round the world and generated a thriving hardcore scene. This great album shows why, with its ferocious thrash assault, committed delivery, and intelligent radical lyrics. Fan the flames!"

-Jeff Bale & Tim Yohannon (from MaximumRockNRoll, July/August 1982)

SS Decontrol ~ Boiling Point

        10. DYS - Brotherhood

"I'M 17 BUT I'M NOT LEGAL, MAN. I'M LEFT TO PUZZLE OUT YOUR ADULT WORLD THE BEST WAY I CAN."

Again this is another part of the "Boston Crew" that centered around sobriety and machismo, put out some inspired pieces of punk then disappeared into the void of metal so cheesy and wankerific that it's not even fun to listen to as a joke. However, Dave Smalley and DYS know how to make some grinding blitzkrieg style hardcore here. It also benefits from a ragged but intelligible production style that gives the listener the ability to hear what is going while being throttled by this raw and unrelenting deluge. [the Taang! Records reissue in 2005 includes the "Wolfpack Demo" and other punk rarities including an alternate version of the song  "Wolfpack" sung with the guys from Hüsker Dü which makes the ideal DYS release.]

"A contagious masterpiece. Department of Youth Services ricochet outrageous doses of full horsepower across the cranium. Strong instrumentation provides an invincible attack of intense staggering speed, rawness, and momentum. An unrelenting, sustained guitar growls and whines, as crushing vocals lunge out notes of gnashing abrasive melodies. From Boston, the DYS rate high with the likes of SS Decontrol and Negative FX. A shimmering release."

-Pushead (from MaximumRockNRoll, September 1983)

D.Y.S. ~ More Than Fashion