S.O.A. - No Policy EP

What can be said about a band like S.O.A. (System of Alert)? These guys pretty much created the old school hardcore sound that  kids still listen to and bands still copy to this day. They were only around from 1980 to 1981 but they managed to put out this gem of no frills, raging punk music. This band had a young Henry Rollins on vocals (known as Henry Garfield, before he joined Black Flag) and this sounds so pissed off and it's so fast that it's just perfect! This is real fucking hardcore!

I just believe this e.p. (hear all of it below) is so utterly important and influential for hardcore that everyone should listen to. It is what straight edge kids call "crucial", it is like hardcore punk's "Number of the Beast" or something and you should definitely check it out if this record has escaped you. When people talk about Negative Approach and Agnostic Front as early hardcore influences they don't realize it's S.O.A. who influenced these bands in the first place! Fast songs, gruff vocals, razor sharp guitars, filled with anger against drugs, against society, against everyone! Enjoy this this piece of hardcore history!

The Cheifs - "Holly-West Crisis" Re-Issue (Dr. Strange Records)

Before hardcore even had a name, there were bands who played a form of raw, unadulterated heavy punk that became the base for what was about to follow. We're talking about that early proto hardcore sound of Black Flag, Circle Jerks, X etc. Today, we - as hardcore fans - consider this sound a must and a lesson in hardcore history. The Cheifs are one of those primitive punk bands lost in the annals of punk history. Luckily, now Dr. Strange records has re-released everything they ever recorded on a single slab of vinyl.

So what's the deal with this lesser known early So Cal punk band from the early 80s? Well they were around for just a short while (from 80 to 82), but put down some quality punk music that captures the essence of that early époque that is so dear to us all. Their sound is crunchy and dirty with snotty attitude but at the same time has a tunefulness that most current punk bands can only be jealous of. Even some thirty years later, the Cheifs have a sense of urgency and a musical power that can't go unnoticed. I mean this is really rad, essential punk for skaters and hardcore historians alike! The bass is distorted, the guitar is fuzzed out to the max, the tempo is always steady and at mid-speed, and the ball just keeps on rolling.

Definitely there before we were punk

Listening to the Cheifs, I just wish for some better weather so I could just rock that shit on a stereo somewhere outside! This is perfect music for suburban punk parties, for having no money in your pockets and feeling good about it, sleeping on people's couches and going around the neighborhood with your bike or skateboard... Yeah. This shit can even make you feel young again. Fans of DOA, Dicks and even pre-MDC should definitely get into this now. This is real snotty, psychedelic punk nihilism!

Limited to 1,000 pieces by www.drstrangerecords.com.

Old School Classics: Judge - Bringin' It Down (1989)

The story of Judge - a history of intesity, violence and regrets?

Throughout the years, Judge has gone down as one of the most intense, militant and of course influential straight edge hardcore bands of all time. For many, they are considered the most essential sXe band of the 80s, and of course, Bringin It Down is their highest point. It's right there, in 89, when the youth crew scene was starting to die down (with Ray Cappo -its emblem- turning all the kids into Krishna consciousness), and these guys were seeing it all slip through their hands. The scene they had given everything into was just turning into something else, filled with violence and tough guy attitudes, pushing fans and active participants away. Bringin It Down is a mix of all the above: provocative straight edge militance, but also an expression of sadness and regret.

Now Judge was active from '87, having released the New York Crew 7". Originally a side project of John Porcell (guitarist, Youth Of Today) and Mike 'Judge' Ferraro (one of the most imposing frontmen in HC to this very day), Judge was the heavier, more outspoken alternative to YOT. Judge went right against the positive straight edge proselytizing that went on up until then, and used a definitely more provocative stance. It's interesting because this stance is exactly what drew the hordes of kids to this hardcore phenomenon of a band called Judge, as well as their new, 'in your face' hardcore style.

Mike Judge: an intense HC personality

Musically, Bringin' It Down is also a turning of backs to the previous straight edge sound, which was all about speed and energy. Far removed from the previous bands Judge members played in (the aforementioned YOT, Side By Side, Project X, Gorilla Biscuits, Death Before Dishonor), this was one of the first metal-influenced records in straight edge. Bringin It Down is a totally solid record, with super-crunching riffs by Porcell and a solid strong rhythm section to back him up. All in all, it is a very strong mix because the metal/thrash riffs are exchanged with crazy hardcore bursts and Mike's heavy sounding (but not metal) growls, creating a unique mix.

Old school flyer from back in the day

We could say that everything with Judge was deliberate. The provocative lyrics? For sure. The metal in their sound? Absolutely. The band actually wanted to sound more like Cro-Mags and Leeway by recording in the same studio as them. Nothing was left to chance in a band like Judge. I think that they are actually responsible for the creation of the tough-guy image in hardcore as we know it (their version is much closer to tough-guys in hardcore today, in contrast to to Agnostic Front's and Cro-Mags' skinhead tough-guy images). For me, they are also responsible for the newer, 90s straight edge (and not only edge) hardcore sound which dominated the scene, all the way from Earth Crisis to Fury of V.

Always wreckin' the pit

So how does Bringin It Down go down today? It's hard to say because I've personally owned the record for more than 10 years. But when I got this record at 19 or whatever, it sounded like nothing I expected; too much metal for sure, and in a sense too familiar with the metal/hc I grew up with in the 90s. Nowadays, I can surely recognize the impact Judge had on modern hardcore. Definitely a band to look into and study if you're into hardcore and its history. Below you can also watch the Revelation Records' Judge documentary (which never officially came out); it is 17 minutes of nothing but interesting hardcore stories about a band with a great impact. Get to know the story behind Judge, why all the violence around them, the militant attitudes, and about intriguing 80s HC personalities like Jimmy Yu, their early kung-fu buddhist bassist!