Showing posts with label DISCHARGE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DISCHARGE. Show all posts

3.12.2020

DISCHARGE
















"end of days"
Year:  2016

Country:  UK
City:  Stoke On Trent
Label:  Nuclear Blast
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  14
Time:  30 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:       Punk        D-Beat









 


I had low expectations for End of Days, and ended up being pleasantly surprised. I have always loved Discharge's early material, but their albums have been pretty hit or miss for the last three decades or so. That being said, it's impossible to deny the British bands influence. Their pacifist politics inspired a whole generation of anarcho punk bands. Their driving rhythms and brutal approach inspired countless metal bands. Unfortunately, at some points along the way, the groundbreaking crust punk band was reduced to playing pedestrian heavy metal. Fortunately, "end of days" is a rock solid slab of fast punk. It's much closer to the band's classic output ("why?", "hear nothing, see nothing" and "never again") than their clunky 90s metal stuff. It's essentially 14 ripping, two minute tracks.

The songs are short, fast and angry with minimal, repetitive lyrics. It's a formula that's always worked well for Discharge. It can be grim and humorless, but doesn't come across as too preachy. The raging diatribes and protest songs cover all the topics you would expect. There's songs against the state (New World Order, Hung Drawn and Quartered). There's songs against war (Raped and Pillaged, Looking at Pictures of Genocide). There's songs against religion (Meet Your Maker, It Cant Happen Here). There's songs about police brutality and drug abuse (The Broken Law,  Infected).

The current version of Discharge seems to have great chemistry. New singer Jeff Janiak spits out the lyrics with no regard whatsoever for melody. If anything, his voice is even better and harsher than that of longtime frontman Cal Morris. Guitarists and brothers Anthony Bones Roberts and Terence Tezz Roberts crank out one metallic punk riff after another. Both were part of the classic lineup, although Tezz was the drummer (and is largely credited with creating the D-beat sound). Classic era bassist Royston Rainy Wainwright is still holding down the bottom end. Even relative newcomer and drummer David Proper Caution has been in Discharge for a decade. (yes, they all have nicknames AND wear their own band's T-shirts.) I kind of figured these guys were a one (or two) man band at this point, and was impressed by how authentic this version of Discharge is.

It's probably worth noting that Discharge and Broken Bones (originally formed by Bones and Tezz after the first Discharge break up way back in 1982) are essentially the same band at this point. There's always been a fair amount of sharing, but currently Broken Bones is just Discharge minus Rainy. The bands sound similar, but Discharge has always been an overtly political band, while Broken Bones anger was of a more personal nature. When it came time to make a new LP, they went with the greater name recognition of Discharge. (or maybe the material dictated it.) The band does seem to be experiencing a career resurgence. Their postponed, but now rescheduled US tour has been drawing a ton of interest. End of Days goes a long way toward proving that they still are. Excellent album (*Review by Tom Trauma ).
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"disensitise"
Year:  2008
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  16
Time:  40 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Thrash








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"idem"
Year:  2002
Label:  Universal
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  30 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Thrash















"discharge" is the self titled comeback album by the punk pioneers. The album represents one of the more successful re-formations of a group that managed to miraculously carry some of its old energy into a new era, which is a mean feat for a group whose spark was pure adolescent rage. Some ones describe this album as a comeback to the roots of thrash metal, characterized by its overall aggression, fast tempo, simple and repetitive percussive beats and low-register guitar riffs,  characterized by palm muting. Philosophically, thrash metal developed as a backlash against the Conservatism,  often deals with criticisms of the Establishment and concern over the destruction of the environment, war, etc. identically to punk lyrical themes. It was the last album to feature vocalist Cal Morris, who collaborated in this album just in its studio work, neither live concerts nor videos, promos, etc. These thirty minutes were recorded during june of 2001 but put on the market on 2002. Distributed and promoted through record label "Sanctuary" (a subsidiary of major "Universal"), the album became in one of the most successful Discharge albums.
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"shooting up the world"
Year:  1993
Label:  Clay
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  10
Time:  30 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk Metal














In 1993 they released "shootin' up the world", which continued Cal Morris new vocal style, but the songs were significantly heavier than on "massacre divine". The album retains the metal direction, although experiments with strange lyrics, several changes of tempo and innovative structures, coming close to mix of: avantgarde, metal and punk, at times. Difficult to compare, but the album can to remind bands as: Voivod, Celtic Frost or Ved Buens Ende, in their more experimental albums. Cal assembled further versions of the group, but they definitely disbanded few months later.
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"massacre divine"
Year:  1991
Label:  Clay
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  10
Time:  30 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk Metal















In 1990 Cal reunited new members and released "massacre divine", which retained the metal sound, though with a noticeably harder edge than on "grave new world". Cal Morris again changed his vocal style, this time to rougher growling, similar to Brian Johnson of AC/DC. These ten songs combining punk, metal and funk, which can to remind: Primus or Faith No More. They toured widely in support of the record, including their only visit to Japan, but the tour was negatively received and the band just recorded their next studio album "shooting up the world" and disbanded late 1993.
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"grave new world"
Year:  1986
Label:  Clay
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  8
Time:  35 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Heavy Metal















Let's face it: if you've even heard of this album, chances are you probably hate it. Most people do. After all, Discharge were practically the kings of the UK hardcore scene back in the day and made a slew of nihilistic punk albums people (rightly) regard as classics, like 1982's Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing. But in 1986 Discharge changed tack somewhat - they reinvented themselves as a Sunset Strip-style metal band (as evinced by the photo above!). And their fans were almost universally disgusted. Gone was vocalist Cal Morris's gruff bark, replaced by a reverb-drenched falsetto. Gone too were the band's short sharp songs, which made way for extended tunes jam-packed with guitar solos and crunchy riffage. Their lyrics changed too, from brutal minimalist social commentary to something approaching hippie rhetoric. When Discharge toured Grave New World in 1986, they were insulted, heckled, attacked and despised at every show they played, both here in Britain and in the United States (as you can hear in recordings embedded or linked to below). And to this day, few people have a good word to say about the album.

Me though? I love it. In fact, I think it's one of the best records I've ever heard. I love Discharge's aggressive musical take on '80s hair metal and I enjoy Cal's banshee wail (well, on record at any rate - it's definitely better with a bit of reverb, as the live material below will demonstrate).

And so I wanted to create the page to bring together a selection of resources for fellow fans of Discharge, Grave New World or both, so that they could hear the truth in all the tales of hostile audience reactions, band tension and Discharge's alarming (but little-discussed) time as a metal band. You can find line-up and record label info on the album's Wikipedia page. Discharge disbanded few months later still in 1986.
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"never again"
Year:  1984
Label:  Clay
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  17
Time:  30 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:       Punk        D-Beat













"never again" is the second full-length album released by Discharge, in 1984, and is their first compilation album. It should not be confused with the EP of the same name. It includes tracks from their eponymous debut album, and from their previous EP's (extended plays). All tracks are remastered, and remixed, and is considered by Allmusic guide as "a great introduction" to the band. The cover is a work by John Heartfield from 1932 entitled "The Meaning of Geneva, Where Capital Lives, There Can Be No Peace".
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"hear nothing, see nothing,
say nothing"
Year:  1982
Label:  Clay
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  14
Time:  27 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:       Punk        D-Beat








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"why"
Year:  1981
Label:  Clay
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  16
Time:  22 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:       Punk        D-Beat















Discharge started early 1979 in Stoke-on-Trent city, the home of the pottery industry in England and is commonly known as the Potteries, with the local residents known as Potters. Their bottle kilns are well known for their original forms, which designed the old Stoke skyline since XIX century. This bottle kilns silouhette was often used in the first Discharge era artworks (1979 - 1984) and is also the logo of record label "Clay" owned by Mike Stone. The band recorded a demo tape and some singles until 1981, when it issued their first debut album "why?".
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