Riistetyt "Tuomiopäivä" 7"
[Havoc]
Damn, now this is cool, a reissue of some classic 1984 recordings from this band of Finnish hardcore/punk veterans that ironically sounds quite on par with what they're doing today, though of course the recording is rawer and has that dated mid-80's sound to it, which I actually like. And the vocals are of course not as aggressive as they are today, but again, that works for me. Despite a little bit of what sounds like minor warping during a few songs (the bonus cuts, actually) the recording tends to hold up damn well, too. I don't really have any complaints there. Even though the tracks were recorded in 1984, this EP wasn't originally released until 1991 by the Kill City Sound label, and this reissue includes two bonus tracks from those same 1984 sessions - another awesome touch! For the most part it's moderately fast hardcore/punk with yelling vocals and the undercurrents of the crust foundation that were happening in the mid-80's. "Yön Painajainene", the first of the bonus tracks, kicks out a little more of a metal sound with some chunky picking patterns and a midpaced swagger that totally kicks ass; "Pyhää Sotaa" drops a nice lead break that goes from faintly melodic to barely noisy; and the other bonus addition, "Avatkaa Silmänne", is also a little more metallic, with a slower tempo and a slightly different sort of approach that definitely stands out. One would assume from the character of the illustrations and lettering on the cover that this is a fairly close representation of the original packaging, and the sleeve is printed in black on matte gray paper - atypical of most Havoc releases. No lyrics insert is included, so who knows what's up there? I'd wager anyone familiar with this style of hardcore/punk could guess what the songs are more than likely about, though. While I'm sure most hardcore purists would disagree, I think it's kind of a kick that the two bonus tracks on this thing totally rule and stand above the original four tracks from the 7" with their wider range of influences, but whatever the case, this is a solid reissue and I love seeing stuff like this re-enter availability. Good work. (7/10)
Running time - 12:00 (approximately), Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: Yön Painajainene, Avatkaa Silmänne]
Havoc Records - http://www.havocrex.com

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