Anti-Cimex - Mini LP (1986)

Anti-Cimex Mini LP (1986)

Two years down the line from 1984's Victims of a Bomb Raid came this self-titled mini LP in 1986. One can only wonder how this record was received back in the day. It's no secret that the mid 80s was the time of crossover, punks could play metal and vice versa. However, nothing is ever that black and white. There were a fair amount of 'haters' when it came to the cross-pollination with metal...and rightfully so in some cases. While this record certainly isn't 'metal', there are moments here and there, especially with the lead guitar, that could make you think so.

Don't let that put you off though. The basis for the whole record is D-Beat. From the drumming to the riffs, not much has changed since Victims of a Bomb Raid. I mean, they even re-record Set Me Free from Victims...

Whether or not Discharge's musical direction 1984-onward was an influence can only be speculated. But there are definitely similarities in tracks like (the second half of) Criminal Trap, Time To, and more obviously, Pain Killer. Considering that the line-up is the same (as far as i know) the musical progression is impressive. They've all become much better at their instruments, which is always nice to notice.

The production on this record is much more cleaner than their previous records. It's probably not that much of an exaggeration to say that Anti-Cimex were becoming pretty popular in Sweden...well, as popular as punk gets. Which no doubt meant that fancy recording studios were becoming available for them to use. The guitars are pretty meaty, the drums are punchy, the bass has a rad distorted tone, and to top it off, the vocals are still aggressive...not quite as venomous though. it must be said.

This is a very good record. You could argue that it's slightly metal-damaged. But sometimes that's not a bad thing.

Linky, Link:
https://mega.co.nz/#!hNgEiajQ!r_2AO38ehYyLqiHxmPV_hPxb_Ye4WxLksL8SEP2Im7s