Career Suicide "Anthology of Releases: 2001 - 2003" CD
[Deranged]
44 tracks of real deal hardcore/punk from this Canadian outfit that sounds a hell of a lot more like it was written and recorded in 1981 - 1983 than 2001 - 2003. The recording, the songwriting... everything sounds authentically dated and similar to a sound that I associate with the American west coast. So, of course, there are definitely a lot of Black Flag influences happening here, most of them on the more tangible side (i.e. there's only a little bit of the noisy guitar texture stuff), with some tracks getting a little more rocked out and others speeding up into a little hint at pre-crossover material or something (though there's no metal here), as well as tossing in similarities to other classic California acts like the Circle Jerks and Angry Samoans. Expect lots of typically high-energy chord progressions and song structures, solid yelling vocal patterns that sometimes get rather fast paced and snotty, and a consistent delivery overall. So... despite some standouts and a few songs that kind of change it up a little, the 40+ songs herein are definitely not too diverse. I wouldn't call that a problem at all, but in a situation like this (a collection CD) it can wear thin considering the entire disc runs nearly an hour (with most songs averaging a minute or less). Among the heap, opener "Quarantined" is one of the only songs that uses some literal melody, "Jonzo's Leaking Radiation" is much more rocked out than most of the other songs, "Moron" is one of the catchiest and most memorable, "Punitive Damages" and "Closed Eyes" are good examples of some of the faster and more aggressive tracks, and so on. Two cover songs are included as well - the awesome "Bloodtype X" by Chronic Sick, and the Angry Samoans' "Todd Killings". There are a few unlisted (Unreleased?) tracks as well after a few minutes or so of blank space, including a live cover of the Authorities' "Radiation Masturbation", but I'm not sure what the other song is, so... that's that. The recordings are rough but work out fine for this style, and are surprisingly consistent between the different sessions, so it plays through flawlessly. The guitar tone is pretty thin on the distortion, the bass is lingering behind and roaming around in the background, the drums sound fine, and the vocals are good to go. As mentioned everything sounds really dated, so it definitely makes sense considering the types of influences these guys are drawing from, and it's pretty impressive how accurately they've pulled it off here. No lyrics are included in the booklet, but I'm fine with that because it looks fucking awesome regardless, entirely collaged from photos, record covers, flyers, buttons, setlists, etc. Very cool. There are brief notes written about each release, for example that the "SARS" EP was actually recorded by only two of the band members in the studio, so there's definitely some interesting stuff to flip through. All in all this is a cool collection that's been handled well. I wish they had included the lyrics since 95% of the vocals are indecipherable, but... fuck it. The only real issue I have is that it does all sound the same after awhile, so... you might have to listen to it in bits and pieces. Classic hardcore/punk aficionados should really appreciate this band, though. (7/10)
Running time - 52:00 (approximately), Tracks: 44
[Notable tracks: Quarantined, Jonzo's Leaking Radiation, Moron, Closed Eyes, Bloodtype X]
Deranged Records - http://www.derangedrecords.com

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