While doing research for an interview that I'm working on with another excellent-yet-obscure Brockton, MA band of yore, I recently stumbled upon Brawl Park and can't believe I've never heard of 'em before!? From what I can tell they released a four-song EP in 1994, a 12-song full-length in 1996, and two tracks on the City of Champions compilation in 1997.
However, they're not included on Discogs.com, and that compilation is so rare that I can't even find its complete tracklist anywhere! So, it's sort of a miracle that Brawl Park's EP and album can both be found on YouTube in their entirety, 'cause I'm not seeing used copies for sale anywhere. But if you're a fan of chugging, hard-ass, beatdown-leaning '90s hardcore groovefests—most notably groups like Next Step Up, Two by Four, etc.—then this shit's got your name all over it!
More than a decade later, ex-members of Brawl Park would go on to form equally obscure acts such as Only Way Out and Through Sick and Sin, but that's about all I've been able to dig up so far...
Comments
Brawl Park kicked ass, man!
Here is the tracklist for the City of Champions comp:
1. No Regret - Cut To The Bone
2. Grudge Holder - Better Off Dead
3. XXL - Feel The Burn
4. Punch The Klown - Destined For Failure
5. Eastcide - Gush
6. Tension - Falling Down
7. Brawl Park - Yourself
8. League Of Pain - Dark As Sin
9. Incision - Disbeliever
10. Teahouse Of The Almighty - One Month
11. Cooler Than Smack - Non-Stop
12. XXL - Natural Born Killers
13. Brawl Park - I’d Like To Change The World
14. Eastcide - Momma Said Knock You Out
15. Punch The Klown - Hollow
16. League Of Pain - 1-800-Suicide
17. No Regret - Electric Funeral
18. Teahouse Of The Almighty - Tick, Tick, Tick
19. Tension - Hypocrite
20. Grudge Holder - The Hard Way
21. Incision - Beat It
Aside from those on this comp, there are TONS of other killer bands from that era worth seeking out. Lifeline, Reason Enough, Forced Fed Shovel Head, too many to name, man…
Good to see Brawl Park and Dear Life/XXL being discovered after all these years, though. =)
8.3.2016 | By Boogihead
Awesome. Thanks! I wish it were easier to find material from some of these bands!
8.4.2016 | By Andrew Aversionline
I hear that. I joined the Air Force in 1995, so I missed out on a lot of albums that I’m still trying to find. =(
8.4.2016 | By Boogihead
If you don’t already know, Incision does have their entire discography up on Bandcamp:
https://
No Regret stuff has been particularly tough to come by…
8.4.2016 | By Andrew Aversionline
I didn’t. Thanks!
Are you against MP3s? I’m friend’s with No Regret’s drummer and have both their albums. I doubt he’d care if I shared them with you. And maybe he has better quality MP3s. I rip everything at 128kbps because my collection is just too big to waste space on bigger size files.
Anyway, let me know. =)
8.4.2016 | By Boogihead
Shot you an email!
8.4.2016 | By Andrew Aversionline
Yeah man, Brawl Park are certainly up there within my list of early “Beatdown” bands. I still blast their “Step To This” full length on occasion. Nice to see someone still out there mentioning awesome bands such as these guys.
8.21.2016 | By X518BeatdownX