VIRULENCE.

Sweet anthology of live / rare / out-of-print / hard-to-find / never released tracks of these Orange County hardcores who eventually (de)volved in the overrated/over-hyped mess that is Fu Manchu.
While I expect none of you to agree w/ me about Fu Manchu, the fact remains that Virulence was an interesting band in a far more interesting scene than the "desert rock" vibe. Enjoy this one, educate yourself on some long-lost O.C.H.C.

(Props to that trendy label that put this out. Best record they have released in a LONG time - especially one that doesn't involve the label "heads" as part of the "band")...



Virulence - If This isn't A Dream… 1985-1989

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LOVE CANAL.

Old-school Orange County HC that I thought for years was an East Coast / NY scene band for some reason - in fact, I wish they were, because I was never that big a fan of the O.C. version of HC - always felt it was too "suburban" & "war-paint skanky" or whatever - kinda like that scene from "CHiPs", or "Quincy", ya know? Besides, BLACK FLAG set the bar too fuckin' high for most bands.

Anyways, back to Love Canal...

I think the first song I heard by them was "Hitler's Brain" and yeah, it's still a jam, as is this unsung HC gem from the Left Coast. They were only around for two or three years, but they put a stamp on the scene, playing all those Mega-huge Hollywood HC shows, and this record is proof of their capabilities.

There's some funny bits in here as well, back when "hardcore" bands still had a sense of humor - unlike most of today's heavily-tattooed/girl-pants-wearing set - which I find to be quite humorous in itself...


Love Canal - It's A Dog's Life So Blow It Out Your Ass

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PHOBIA.

For over 15 years now Phobia has been destroying eardrums with their brand of grindcore that somehow (after what seems like a million releases) never gets stale or repetitive.
Definitely masters of the genre, I hope they never go away...



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Phobia - Destroying the Masses

*Re-upped 08.25.08*