S.V.S. - Hell Near (1986)
By the name, title, and country they come from. I was expecting more of a crazy GISM vibe. However, SVS are actually really melodic. There's plenty of guitar histrionics, speedy riffs, and pounding drums for hardcore enthusiasts to get their teeth into. But at the same time the vocals and chord progressions are very British punk. I'd guess there were multiple influences going on here.
Which isn't surprising considering the unashamed mish-mashing the Japanese are known for.
Apparently this was produced by Lip Cream's Naoki, who is thanked on the back of the record. Which is a neat bit of info! This is definitely one of the better recorded Jap punkcore groups.The drums are a particular highlight, with spazzy fills beated out over d-beats and bass-snare-age. The guitars are a mix of Brit punk rhythms, fast chuggy thrash, racing hardcore, and crazy lead work. The bass has a cool tone, not quite distorted but not clean either. The actual bass lines are mostly following the guitars, however, between the rad tone, racing pace, and occasional bass splurges, the bass playing is a highlight. The thick, slightly distorted bass tone gives the guitars the opportunity to get extravagant with lead-age. Which is very cool in a traditional punk style. Along with the guitars, the vocals are melodic and catchy...most of the time!
Unlike some their contemporaries, the album art is intriguing....well, kind of. Sitting around a table is, what I assume could be, the band members wearing shirts that either have a world flag or a little emblem of a world flag. The weird thing is that the members also have masks of the, then present, leaders of the counties they are supporting on their shirts. Because the education system failed me, I am only familiar with Ronald Reagan (America) and Maggie Thatcher (Great Britain). I have no idea who the mask for Japan is, and I have no hope in hell figuring out who the guy for the other country, of which I have no idea, is! I'm guessing they are playing some sort of card game, maybe gambling with the world? And I assume that America is winning the game, which Japan is losing, with missiles being shot in Japan's direction much to America and Great Britain's amusement. So like I said....a pretty weird and wonderful record sleeve!
Dude in the top left taking androgyny to the next level!
Unsurprisingly, there ins't any info about the actual band members on the net. It really does make you think what happened to a lot of these Jap punks. Did they just stop playing? or did they go on to play different music? Alas, I'll probably never know!
S.V.S. probably wont stick out to those seeking relentless and extreme noisecore that the Jap punk scene has become known for. Neither will they wow the metal-damage crowd. However, if you like original British punk. This could be down your alley.
Linky, Link:
No comments:
Post a Comment