Tax Slave - Bohemian Grove/Religion

Before I get to the review proper, I've got an interesting little story to tell. When I first popped this into my computer, the player grabbed a CDDB entry that showed the disc as "Een Dak Boven Mijn Hoofd" by a band called Nubia. I was well aware that this was not, in fact, what I had just put in the disc tray, but now I was curious. A little searching turned up this link. Go ahead, click on it, I'll wait. Back? Yeah, it's fucking weird.



According to the band's myspace (cringe) page, Tax Slave is made up of three members, but I'm fairly certain that this record was made when Tax Slave was only a one man operation. That's something you don't really see much nowadays, especially in punk rock, but here not only does it not detract from the songs, it's surprisingly effective at providing a sense of intimacy between the songwriter and the subject matter.

Looking at a few other reviews, I see Ryan Sullivan's voice compared to Jello Biafra, which makes about as much sense as comparing Biafra to Ronnie James Dio. They sound nothing alike. Similar politics? Possibly, but Sullivan's deep, almost spoken vocals fit much better with the eerie, sinister feel of the music than something in a higher register could.

As the title suggests, there are only two songs on the record. When the first song - Bohemian Grove - starts off, you may get a vaguely industrial kind of vibe, but don't let the drum machine fool you. There's nothing cold or sterile about either of these songs. There's a good degree of humor in the songs, something I always appreciate in political punk rock. Even if I agree with you, beating me over the head with your ideas is the fastest way to get me to stop listening to you. Luckily, you'll find none of that here.

All in all, this is a good disc, and one I'd recommend to any punk rock fan with half a brain. "Destroy everything for no reason" street punk fans need not apply.

Killing Joke - Hosannas From the Basements of Hell ( Cooking Vinyl '06 )

If 2003's KILLING JOKE was a hell of a rebirth for a band who've strayed off into misguided commercial ventures ( Brighter Than a Thousand Suns '86 ) and techno drapery ( Democracy '94 ) then this new offering puts this monumental band back where they belong, as sonic renaissance masters. Killing Joke is the soundtrack for all worthy destruction and Hosannas From the Basements of Hell is the best form the band have seen since their debut in 1980.


As the stunning artwork suggests, this is altogether a darker affair than the previous record, brooding and throbbing from grand opening to curtains with an untouchable style. While the first two tracks could be from a number of KILLING JOKE albums, the unique character of this new work really kicks in on the 3rd, Invocation with it's slow-burn chugging riff and sweeping orchestral backdrop... it's got the lush charm that bears a direct link to Jaz Coleman's classical work outside the band.

Further on down into the thick barrage, Walking with Gods and the wonderfully titled Judas Goat bring this musical apocalypse to dizzy heights. Where KILLING JOKE stand alone is in the fact that none of their peers who still ply their trade are capable of constructions of this quality. I doubt that even the once mighty Public Image Limited ( KILLING JOKE were often mentioned as a sort of understudy at their onset ) could manage anything remotely as creative had they dragged their existence this far.

By their own admission, KILLING JOKE always were the beautiful contradiction - a band of intellectual thugs - so it's no surprise to know that lyrically, it's about as Jaz Coleman as you can get - all impending doom, poetic anarchy and a rallying of the masses against pretty much everything, but even with the wonderfully numbing trademark drone of Geordie Walkers' guitar, there is an over-riding positivity about this - Which has always been the KILLING JOKE formula when it works... expect beautiful music, but not as you know it!

Simply put, this is a masterpiece from master craftsmen and music with soul for those of us who enjoy having our ears pulverised from time to time! - BOZ

ON THE NET:
Cooking Vinyl
Killing Joke

Paranoid Visions: "Outside In"-The Vinyl Years 1986-1989 ( Toxic Records/FOAD)

Keen observers of musical heritage will note that in rock-band speckled Dublin in the 80s, two significant polar opposites define the decade. The first, U2, represented success, good management and a childhood dream come true for anyone willing to be a yes man in the music industry.


Then there was Paranoid Visions who represented zero budget, frustration and the fine art of antagonism. While U2 and hangers-on left the country to conquer the world, Paranoid Visions and their generation represented the mass exodus of bodies from a country in the height of an economic depression - many of them simply left the country.

Paranoid Visions existed as all genuine punk bands do, as a tumultuous etity driven by a quest for something more. Their early slew of tapes and subsequent vinyl output were remarkably prolific considering that there was little precedent for DIY releases in Ireland apart from a scattering of bands who managed one 7 inch before vaporising or reinventing themselves to fit in with the order of the day.

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Outside In is the first order of business from the reconstituted Paranoid Visions, collecting 6 vinyl releases from 1986 to 1989, and presenting the band's range as both creative and indignant. The 4 tracks from 86's The Robot Is Running Amok are the band's primal scream of tribal multi-vocal rhetoric. Something More in particular holds up as a fine example of spirit and venom over ability as it crashes and stumbles loosely, determined by sheer bloody mindedness to reach it's conclusion. Also from "Robot" is an early take on Strange Girl, subsequently retreaded several times, becoming one of the band's signature tracks.

From their near legendary Schizophrenia album, tracks like The Other Half Lives, Rhythm of Injustice and Outside In were a huge leap of faith. This wasn't just straight 80's punk played better, it was the band finding an aboriginal sound without looking to what was going on in England at the time, reverberating with weird gothic undertones and a controlled but no less noxious anger. Visions, the closing track from "Schizophrenia" still sounds threatening and agitated and remains one of the bands finest moments.


The celebrated I Will Wallow (10"), a piss take on Dublin's Jesus happy valedictorians, was in the days before U2 sued people for this sort of thing and has long since enjoyed it's place in history. The live version of Look at Me, included here, is vintage Paranoid Visions venom at it's finest.

Ever the festive participants, City of Screams was released in 1988 to coincide with the Dublin Millennium celebrations and expanded on the "Schizophrenia" sound with gems like The Feast and Time Bomb, although Beauty Queen is absent, no doubt due to one of Paranoid Visions many real life soap operas! Tribute has the one of the finest lyrics ever written by an irish punk band, but it wouldn't mean anything if you weren't from Dublin!!!!


The Final 2 EPS of the 80's, Autonomy and Blood Empires are as diverse in their content but also signaled a band at the end of an era when they probably should have been aiming towards a second album. This did eventually happen with a far more "professional" line-up, but Paranoid Visions never seemed to be about professionalism, and the spirit of what made them a significant entity is encapsulated here.

20 tracks in all and arranged in a non-chronological manner, Outside In combines the vital giblets of the band. It would probably be a misrepresentation to describe it as their glory days though - this sort of music existed against all odds, made no concessions and ultimately paid the price for not being part of the right club. A cherished insight into a band who embraced the crown of disgrace amongst musicians!!!!!! - BOZ

ON THE NET
Paranoid Visions
Road Records"