Violent Reaction- Marching On LP review

Violent Reaction- Marching On LP review

This is what I’ve been waiting for!  The steady improvements that Violent Reaction have been since their flexi (when I started listening, anyways) have culminated into this monster of an LP, one of the best I’ve heard as of late.  The blue-collar straight edge skinhead/Oi! influenced hardcore punk they play hits harder than any mid-tempo band who focuses exclusively on breakdowns and sloganeering lyrics ever could.  The vocals are booming, the guitars are tuned and distorted just the way they should be (normal EADGBE and high-EQ distortion, I think), giving off a bit of an 86 Mentality vibe but better, the bass is bouncing like their Doc Marten soles, and the drums hit on all cylinders, large and small.  The lyrics are no doubt primitive at times, but still provoke enough though to be worthwhile and still fitting of what is no doubt a genre best left to the realms of simplicity.  From the brutal intro of M1 Stomp to the almost Blitz-ish Marching On, this is THE LP to get if you like hardcore punk, no matter who you are, or what subgenre therein you like.  This is the New Wave of British Hardcore, and VxR are the ones marching on into battle, waving its flag.

-Aunty Social

Violent Reaction- City Streets LP review

Violent Reaction- City Streets LP review

Harder than NAILS and more straight edge than Project X, Violent Reaction’s debut LP is a hard-hitting hardcore punk record that also happens to be catchy at points, much like the early 80s.  Burly, beefy, and deep-throated vocals are coupled with powerful guitars, bouncing bass lines, and dead-on drumming to make this one-man project a reality of a band- it’s hard to believe that one guy could be so fucking on point with all the instruments, not to mentions the vocals, the lyrics, and the genuineness of character, he (Tom Pimlott) is.  There’s no other way to describe this than pissed-off hardcore punk- put it in any subgenre you like (and I tried to, too), it’s the shit.  Where you’re punching a hole in the wall at a show or at home, or better yet, shouting the words to these catchy tunes at a show, at home, or in your car (my personal favorite) you will be moving.  Packaging and design work is superb- Painkiller is on top with good records right now, and this is one of their best.  The best of the best of the best, sir, uh… with honors.

-Aunty Social

Special Duties- '77 in '82 LP review

Special Duties- ’77 in ’82 LP review

Underrated, supercharged Oi! with a faster beat and a bleaker outlook- this is the epitome of what UK 82 was, and although these guys weren’t as well-known as the likes of their contemporaries like the Exploited, One Way System, Abrasive Wheels, and any band on a punk’s denim/leather jacket circa 2006 (that they probably didn’t listen to), these guys were just as good, if not better.  The rhythm is much heavier than the melody here- it’s downright thudding, stifling even, and not in a bad way.  The simplicity and brutality of these songs is what sets them apart from their predecessors.  Neither an evolution nor devolution, it was a progression that left a permanent imprint on the world.  This is what the “hardcore” movement in the UK was, the one that sprouted up alongside Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Negative Approach, etc.  Since the cultures were different, they progressed and manifested differently as well.  The songs and demeanor were different, but there still existed a camaraderie of sorts.  Those who make the effort to research history will be the ones who unearth lost treasures.  This is no doubt one of those.

-Aunty Social