THE ERECTIONS

 

There's a special place for this brand of punk. TOM & BOOT BOYS were my introduction, I snagged the Punk s Are Alright EP on my first trip to Japan and couldn't tell if I was listening to some proto/retro spikey punk attack or the sound of the future. The answer, of course, is that I was listening to both at the same time. Japanese punks have flown this flag proudly for so long that a cottage industry of supporters and worshippers have taken punk clichés to heights that even those 1996 boot boys couldn't have imagined. This is pogo punk as life - not as a lifestyle, mind you....as life. Stand Up Fuckin' Punks started it for THE ERECTIONS - their first vinyl release after a couple of CDr demos. That was fifteen years ago, and here in 2026 we are talking about "Noise For The Boys" and feeling grateful for punk. 

STAND UP FUCKIN' PUNKS

KAGAMI

 

I feel like it was just yesterday when I posted a five minute long hardcore tape that felt like the greatest thing since sliced bread (a ridiculous saying, by the way....sliced bread is fine, but it's nothing special unless the bread itself is special). These five minutes come from Tokyo circa 2021, and they manage to grab early '00s fastcore, US82 by way of TOTAL FURY style retro hardcore and modern Japanese treble heavy punk all at once. They get in, they get out, there's no bullshit. Who wants bullshit? Nobody wants bullshit.

KAGAMI

WATCH FOR ME GIRL

I was ripping a ripper last week while I was getting some other shit done, so the jams were mostly lurking in the background. I heard RAMRODS blast through two sets of late '70s Detroit proto-punk followed by a VIKINGS single, then the tape flipped and there was a ROCKET 455 demo from 1994 and mostly this shit is still in the background but I'm still grooving pretty hard on the sounds.....and then I heard the guitar. I knew the song instantly, but the knowledge was buried in the recesses of my sad, cluttered brain. I stopped to focus because this track demanded full attention - the guitar riff I recognized was from DMZ, but this was different. Better, even. And I kept listening; SINIASTER SIX, SUPERSNAZZ, TEENGENERATE, DEVIL DOGA, ACTION FAMILY, THE WOGGLES blast their way/s through timeless bangers from DMZ and I was reminded how bananas the '90s Japanese garage punk scene was just as I was reminded how much DMZ still flies under the radar. TEENGENERATE covering "Mighty Idy" is probably the highlight of your day and in case you're wondering...? No, I didn't get anything else done that day. 

WATCH FOR ME GIRL

WIPES

 

Some punks in the 40-and-older set gonna listen to this and blurt out TOTAL FURY and RAZOR'S EDGE and I want you to listen to me when I say: 'They're right.' Don't know where this band came from (hint: it's Japan) or how I missed the EP on Crew For Life or the BOYCOTTT SENTENCE split (hint: I'm old and out of touch), but I'm here now and I am on Team WIPES. Shit, I'm the fukkn team captain or the head cheerleader or some shit. "Stupid Sense Border" into "Midsummer" is pretty much perfect, and I take this moment to give thanks to Thrash Tapes for the domestic cassette version of this unsung masterpiece (the Japanese wax is on Hardcore Survives, and is now atop my need list).

W.P.O.

MAKE WAR NOT LOVE

 

Not sure there's an appropriate way to write words about this comp without just blurting "Look at the bands, dummy" but I'm gonna try. A Euro boot from the early '90s (when these tracks were practically contemporary but already legendary), Make War Not Love compiles a handful of Japan's most legendary first wave hardcores in one place. It's been re-booted several times by and for generations of new fans - COMES, GISM, KURO, CRIME sharing space with lesser knowns HEADLESS and ANTISEPTIC, this is as close to essential Japanese hardcore as you can get without any GAUZE tracks. 

MKE WAR NOT LOVE

ORDER

 

ORDER are future punk. The first time I saw them it was clear that they were simply on another level, and they just flitted around, exploring over everyone's head for much of the late 2000s. A wild mix of jerky, post punk, NOMEANSNO riffs on hallucinogens, spaced out freak jams and STALIN-esque Japanese fury, all while running with the fierce charging hardcore set. They just exist on their own plane, and it always felt like they were just exploring their surroundings with each release (there are a lot of them). "Küsö" is the choice cut on this 2008 release, which compiles the Toyota and Saru EPs. It's over in a flash.

KOMBINAT

EIEFITS

 

Six tracks from 2014, courtesy of Tokyo's EIEFITS. Their pedigree alone should pique the interest of anyone who pays attention to punk (KGS, SLOWMOTIONS, LIP CREAM, THE HECK, COLORED RICE MEN...you get the idea), but what EIEFITS do is far more interesting than a 'members of' list. Wild and unhinged Japanese hardcore punk with a garage tinge fronted by Saho's vocals that really make me want to blast some BLACK FORK first thing in the morning. The second side ramps things up notably, closing with T.T's leads driving the title track to the finish. Treat yourself. 

SAME SAME

SCUMBAG

Completely fucking unhinged Japanese hardcore circa 1988.  "Happenstance" is on the Enjoy Your Youth.. comp (which I just sold - why did I do that?) and everything else here either appears on the FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS split or the Have Fun More Fun demo. This copy is from the Pat Wright archives, so it may have been a dub from someone, or a promo sent into Gilman or KALX. No matter really, the point here is wild ass hardcore (think IDORA or IDOL PUNCH, not your typical fare) and Pat writing "hardcore - 18 year olds" on the label. Because the band were 18 year olds? Because hardcore 18 year olds would eat tracks like "Fuck You Arch Girl" like it was cereal? Either answer is acceptable. 

SCUMBAG

SLEEPERS

I should make it clear that self titled SLEEPERS disc is genuinely one of the greatest unheralded Japanese punk releases, and that "テントセン" is on a very short list of my favorite songs of all time, so anything I say about this 1999 demo is transparently biased. SLEEPERS was a combination of THE GAIA guitarist and HELLCHILD's rhythm section (technically it was their original drummer and their final bass player, but their respective tenures did overlap, and I'm splitting hairs...), which helps explain the collision of sounds even though it would be impossible to predict that it would work this well. Three of the four songs here appear on the aforementioned full length disc in a much more polished form ("No Weep," the cut exclusive to this demo, is unsurprisingly brilliant) so there's a "completist only" argument to be made here - you would lose that argument but you could surely make it. This is an indispensable blast of metallic hardcore fury and addictive melodies, Yumirin's guitar solos are wild and unhinged (hell, not just the solos), and the double bass bursts in "Endless Fall" should be legendary and not relegated to bargain bins and nerds-only discussions.  All praise the internet for uncovering a copy of this tape for me, it was well worth the postage. 

SLEEPERS

DESTRUCTION

Under the radar Japanese hardcore re-delivered to the masses by Black Konflik. DESTRUCTION present like a full on crasher crust outfit, but they nuance with blasts and with anarcho punk and - *gasp* - emotional and/or impassioned segments....the result is notably more memorable than you average second tier blown out crust outfit. Compare to ACME, or even 1000 TRAVELS OF JAWAHARLAL at time, and then consider their roots in the galloping hardcore that their island nation is known for. Yeah....it's real good. Choice track is the 5+ minute "Believe It," and after blasting this collection I surely believe. 

KESEI GAINEN NO HANKAI: DESTRUCTION 1998 - 2011

Link replaced, appreciation as always to those who keep me in check. Mistakes happen, but can you really complain about "accidentally" getting the DECONSTRUCTION demo in your file folder? No...I didn't think so. 

SOLO SE OYE PUNK

You've seen these comps before...I mean, if you have paid attention to The Escape then you have seen them before. There are four volumes of Solo Se Oye Punk (that I know of), and I might argue that this one is the most crucial (though Volume 1 is pretty fukkn essential) - basically, this is the perfect international hardcore punk mix tape. The one that your friend never made you because your friend didn't have the KORO single and had never heard of RAPPRESAGLIA. It's like internet-era punk making the pre-internet-era tape you wish had helped you change your life instead of listening to DEPECHE MODE until you were 17 and then finally figuring out that Punk Rules and that yes, you do need to listen to ATAQUE FRONTAL to be happy. This one leans heavy on Italy, USA and Sweden (I guess that's fair), but Finland, Japan, Poland, Spain and Peru make notable appearances. File under: Essential. 

HARDCORE

THE LAST SURVIVORS

Malaysia's Black Konflik have been cranking out crucial cassettes for well over a decade, and their standard of quality (both in content and presentation) has only gotten better. Enter this reissue from Japan's THE LAST SURVIVORS. With a discography of a whopping three EPs over their 15 years of activity, it's easy for a band like this to slip between the cracks....until you fukkn listen to this shit. Relentless high energy punk music with a fierce snarl and tracks for days, I have a hard time thinking of a modern band with a catalog this flawless. Not once ounce of filler found in these scant nine bangers....fists clenched, throat raw, volume maximum, pogo one notch higher. 

RAW PUNK DESTRUCTION: 2001-2016

Next Mission: see THE LAST SURVIVORS live...

PØVLACION

Blazing Japanese raw punk seemingly obsessed with Spanish language hardcore, specifically the band coming out of Southern California over the last decade or so. Five rippers sung in Spanish (of course) driven by a bass that walks over straight ahead riffs and allows the guitar to noodle at will - it's never overkill, but it's always right. Five tracks on this 4 Songs Demonstracion, which leads me to believe that I'm missing a cover somewhere in the mix? All of 'em are bangers, though, so who cares! Commence full body pogo in 3, 2, 1.....

4 SONGS DEMONSTRACION

MICROFILM

I feel like things have been pretty raw at TEHQ for a few days now. I also don't feel like there's any reason to clean it up. 2004 demo from Japan's MICROFILM is blown out hyper fast and frantic hardcore delivered the way that apparently no one outside of that island can. Even when they drop a catchy riff ("Revenge"), these kids are so amped and full of energy that you want to jump through the walls. There are hundreds of Japanese bands, especially from the '90s/'00s, that slipped between the cracks and flew constantly off of the outsider radar...and a lot of those bands are really fukkn good. Readers:  I present MICROFILM.

WRISTCUTDEMOTAPE

SAWPIT

This band's records are too often overlooked in my opinion. Crazy catchy '90s melodic punk with an unmistakable (even if unintentional) Bay Area influence, they released one EP and two splits (FORMER MEMBERS OF ALFONSIN and BONESCRATCH) before calling it quits sometime around the turn of the century. I feel like they came to the states once...but I can't really be sure about that. I can, however, be sure that this tape feels very good.

1st MATERIAL

BURST IN YOUR HEAD

You like Japanese hardcore? Cool, because I like Japanese hardcore. So what's the problem? Ahhh, there's no problem at all, because we are all listening to Japanese hardcore. Anyone who want's to tell me anything at all about this band is more than welcome to make themselves heard, because I know nothing more than this tape with no info or song titles, and I want more than these four songs...and I'm sure you will too. Because you like Japanese hardcore.

GENOCIDE STREET MONUCCA

ALLMASH

Drum machine driven, crazy catchy Japanese punk with sing alongs galore, this was a ¥50 score in that heavenly box crammed full of tapes at Punk & Destroy. I would like to visit that box again...

POLYETHYLENE TRISTESS

SLETGGER

SLETGGER

BLUNTHEAD

Fully charged late '90s Japanese hardcore that shows hints of US crust/hardcore influence. Only two songs here, but they are both pure burners.

BLUNTHEAD

DEFIANCE OF SHIT BASTARDS

Met these dudes on my first trip to Japan in 1996, and then when FUCKFACE returned later that year, we played with them in Tokyo. We figured it was going to be good...but nothing could have prepared us for D.S.B. live. I know it's a rather typical thing to say, but I do not think that any of their releases can touch this demo. Happy New Year.

NO FIGHT. NO GET.

NO STATIK in Baltimore at Barclay House tonight. WARxGAMES, SLEEP DISORDER and OLD LINES will be melting our faces.