In the late '80s when some hardcore bands were injecting funk into their songs and others were slowing things down and getting more and more schlocky, there were still new bands determined to play faster than ever but still managed to move away from the accepted formulas and make things a little dark in the process. The Bay Area was prime for shit like this, perhaps a reaction to the impressive array of high profile thrash bands from the region, and bands from here often seem like they have a different edge. Take CHRONIC PLAGUE from Albany (that's near Berkeley, and the town where a relatively well known band from area was formed around the same time this 1986 demo dropped) - first track is really just a crossover thrash screamer, but other shit starts to creep in on "Disillusioned" (especially the intro) and these primitive sounding yet quite complex bangers with their crackling guitar and teen frustration make a serious impression even on first listen. Do not expect a produced or polished assault - this is raw and very very real garage thrash. Also, I'm pretty sure the dude playing bass was my roommate in San Francisco ten years after this was recorded.
1 comment:
i love stuff like these. this is why i keep checking your blog, thanx man, you rule !
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