This is a collection of remastered tracks from some of this Finnish hardcore band's out of print vinyl material as well as some compilation tracks. These guys make no effort to hide their love of Japanese hardcore, and that admiration definitely shows through in their own sound, though to me they definitely don't sound like a copy of any of the Japanese bands that I've heard. It's a good mix of the straight Discharge sound and the blazing solos of the Japanese spectrum, but there are some creative riffs in between as well. The first two tracks are from the split 7" with Liberate (1999) and offer up some straight hardcore/punk with a little bit of a catchy sort of vibe to the arrangements (more so in "Tight Ass", "Lose Heart" is fairly straightforward). Next up are the songs from "The Joy of the Industrial Society" 7" (1997), building off of a similar framework but also throwing around some great dual guitar harmonies that are very reminiscent of G.I.S.M.'s "Military Affairs Neurotic" LP, but cleaner. Also included with this session is a cover of Death Side's "Mirror". The next two songs are from the band's 1997 Japanese tour 7" and must have been remastered from the vinyl, because you hear little vinyl pops everywhere. This time the guitar harmonies are even more over the top! "Re-Enter the Realms" even has clean break with a wild solo over it that leads into "Orgy of the Damned", which breaks off some technical riffing with really interesting picking patterns and rockin' solos. Definitely standout material. The rest of the tracks come from compilations. Two of the tracks aren't credited to any prior release for some reason, but the songs from the "Scapegoat" and "Cry for Soul" compilation 7"s are included. The recordings are really somewhat consistent throughout the entire CD, despite the fact that there are probably at least four different recording sessions represented. The mix is always pretty even, and I don't mind the tones at all. The bass tone is really dense and clean, the guitars are raw without getting too flimsy or abrasive, the drums are natural, and the vocal shouts are dry and aggressive. Everything is pretty much as it should be. The layout is mostly in black and white, with an unexpectedly colorful front cover illustration that is, well... strange. There's a big horned demo with four arms reaching for a burning, winged nude woman with a serpent tattooed on her leg or something!? Go figure. Inside are all of the lyrics, a few tiny band photos, and extensive liner notes regarding the time period of the band's existence which the CD covers, including tales regarding their attempts to introduce Finland to the world of Japanese hardcore, and some of their Japanese tours. The text is ever so slightly pixilated, I'm not sure why, but it gets the job done. It might look a little bit plain, but there's a lot of information there, and that's what counts. The lyrics range from angry personal rants to pissed off socio-political attacks, so there's an even mix of content here. "The modern gene-technology the most utmost crime, Against the ecosystem and all forms of life, Today the plants and the animal kingdom, the human race tomorrow, A tear slips from the eye thinking about the upcoming sorrow..." Things are a bit stripped down and simple in that department, but it's not so bad. Good stuff overall. This is my first exposure to Selfish, which is unfortunate as they've been tearing it up since the early 90's! Worth looking into for fans of the earlier mentioned styles.
[Dead Alive]
Running time - 32:08, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: Life Wrecker, Re-Enter the Realms, Orgy of the Damned, To Do One's Duty]
Dead Alive Records - http://www.deadaliverecords.com
