Skulldiggers - 1984 Promo/Demo

 

Skulldiggers - 1984 Promo/Demo 

Yet another horror influenced punk band of the 80s, the Skulldiggers were from Idaho, USA who were featured on the Hideous Headchop'n tape (1985) [Bodily Harm & Reality of a Nightmare] and the awesome War Between The States: North tape (1985) [Werewolf & Green Fleshed Zombies]

Apparently among their ranks were Paul and Onj from Septic Death, pretty nifty, huh?

Unfortunatly, they only released a single demo in 1984. The Skulldiggers have a unique sound. It's relentless punk rock, but it's not afraid to get weird, heavy, and chaotic. The obvious comparison is The Misfits, especially Earth A.D. on the heavier and thrashier moments. But the more abnormal cuts like Necromatia show a post-punk vibe with the effect-swishing guitars and tribal drums. Bodily Harm is probably the heaviest, and longest, track here.While Werewolf is a solid mix of weirdo-swishy guitars and punk rock thrashing.

Amongst the eclectic mix is a furious hardcore attack called Hungry, not dissimilar to The Misfits' Demonomania. Following in suit is Reality of a Nightmare which bridges the gap, going from fast-as-fuck hardcore to a slow, chilling dirge.

This is a definite highlight in 80s horror punk. Dig in!

I'm a werewolf on the prowl, all i wanna do is kill

Agony (Agoni) - Execution of Mankind (1986)

Agony (Post-Agoni) - Execution of Mankind Demo (1986)

Whenever the early demo tracks surfaced, which showed Agoni in full raging D-Beat mode and the transition into thrash merchants in 1985 with The Future is Ours, it took until 1986 for them to unleash this: Execution of Mankind

From the limited knowledge available, I assume this is the same line-up. Like I said on my previous posts, due to my bias, I think the early demo is the best thing Agoni ever released. However, their thrash work is still very good. The only problem is the lack of identity. Better than standard thrash, but it's obviously Exodus worship going on here; you can definitely tell that Bonded by Blood had crossed the water by this point (just listen to them fucking vocals). And that's the issue here. This is some cool thrash, but it doesn't blow me away. It doesn't set them apart from their puffy-sneakered constituents.While the early demo was, admittedly, generic for what it was. At least they were one in a few actually playing in that style at that time. As such, despite not being overly original, they leave a lasting impression.

That very criteria: Swedish, punk/d-beat, early 80s. Makes them so much more interesting. As opposed to: Swedish, thrash metal, mid-late 80s. I mean, how many thrash bands were there in the late 80s anyway? Answer: a lot, as record labels could capitalize on the success of the big four and the pretentious wankers who want something more underground, bruh!

Sure, they've gotten better at their instruments. There is more content here; longer songs, guitar harmonies, solos, progressive-tinted song structures, tempo shifts, et all. But It doesn't 'wow' me.

Two tracks here, Deady Legacy, and Execution of Mankind appear on their only LP The First Defiance and Bribed is a re-work from their previous demo The Future is Ours

Overall, a decent demo. But Agoni were forever cursed with being mediocre when they changed their style, and later name, to the metal side. Shame.

Linky, Link:
https://mega.co.nz/#!4AIVzbhb!mWspbQu3w_tzRXNR6h4S-qGd_NzmZIhgS7oKy5UmpQk

Agoni - The Future is Ours (1985)

Agoni - The Future is Ours Demo (1985)

So after the amazing d-beat mastery that appeared on Stockholm's Mangel, what does Agoni's next demo The Future is Ours sound like?

Like thrash metal. It's surprising that it's even the same band. I mean, when was that first demo recorded? It must have been pretty early since the musical growth is pretty big. However, i say that. Metal, although touted as technical, isn't THAT much harder to play than standard punk.

There really isn't much, if any, comparison to the d-beat Agoni. Obviously the drums are playing permutations of the d-beat fairly often. But guitar and vocal wise? Forget it. This is a different band altogether.

In terms of Agoni's 'metal years'. This is probably the best representation. Although I would say that because this demo doesn't outstay it's welcome. With three tracks, each being around the three minute mark, this isn't a long affair. Also, the fact that they were still searching for that sound makes this a bit more raw than the later material.

Check out this review of a show in Leeds, UK. Where Discharge headlined, in all their a-hem "glory", and Anti-Cimex + Agoni were on support.

So, not as powerful or as special as their first demo. As the live review states, this isn't anything special. But it's not bad, just not earth-shattering. Did Agoni ever get that bit more 'power and originality'?

Linky, Link:
https://mega.co.nz/#!wQwE2CZZ!UJkIr9cXPQnt0OX-Grm0bK_xQ8yLpjAoU0EQc28KW2U

Agoni (Early Demo)

Agoni - Early Demo (Stockholm's Mangel Tracks)

Agoni, later Agony, started out as a dyed-in-wool Swedish hardcore band. However, a few years down the line they started to crossover. Eventually becoming a full-fledged thrash metal band with 1988s The First Defiance

While the metal stuff is pretty decent, Agoni were an absolutely ripping Swedecore/Kang-punk/D-Beat band.

The seven tracks here eventually showed up on the great Stockholm's Mangel comp many years after they were recorded. This is some raw, mean sounding punk. The bass is filthy and distorted, the guitars rage in the typical Discharge worship of kang punk, the drums D-Beat their way to hell, and
the vocals are bellowed and powerful.

Apparently Agoni toured the UK in 1986 with Anti-Cimex. Although by 1986 they were a proper thrash metal band. Check out the poster at the top of the page. Anti-Cimex, Varukers, Agoni, Heresy, Napalm Death. Sounds like a hella gig, right? By that point in time, the only 'metal' band there would have been Agoni, who must have stood out like a sore thumb among the hardcore stalwarts.

There is even a review of a gig in Leeds, UK that calls Agoni 'average thrash metal' and 'nowt special'. I'll put it on the next Agoni post.

A neat bit of info: Brit crust legends Doom covered En Rost For Fred on their Hail to Sweden EP which also features songs by Discard, Anti-Cimex, Crudity, Rojers, and Mob 47!

Linky, Link:
Direct: http://www.mediafire.com/?drklurk8wpwfyjn
The awesome Under the Surface blog: http://utsurface.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/hail-to-sweden.html

Asocial Demo (1980)

Asocial - Demo (1980)

Not quite as mean as they eventually became as few years down the line. Asocial were a Swedish hardcore band, D-Beats and all. While this demo doesn't have the best sound, it's a nice insight into
the early years of one of the finest Swedecore bands of the 80s.

Although they don't have the unique identity they carved out with their later work, the songs here are very interesting. With some tracks being melodic, some being brutal, and some being fucking fast for 1980...seriously, this challenges any American band. It's pretty funny how some songs such as Meninglost Liv are fairly melodic, while other such as Vi Behover Inte Er sound like the singer is getting his intestines pulled out. Crazy shit, indeed. And it's not just the vocals that are extreme for the time either. The whole band is absolutely raging through these tracks. To think that Discharge unleashed themselves with Realities of War in the same year! Not only can they be praised for their sheer extremity for 1980, but the actually playing is impressive. With stop-starts, solos (the guitarist ain't too shabby), drum fills, tempo shifts, general band dynamics, song-writing, and just managing not to be one-dimensional playing D-Beat is a feat in it's own.

So, this is a cool demo. Later on Asocial would experiment with some of the approaches they show here. Particularly the speed and brutality. For those who like Swede punk, give this demo a try.

Linky, Link:
https://mega.co.nz/#!lIpxiJLC!n5Z3mIytm5v_38WeTBrkyKRqmwFXMTYEQXmW4sgUESw

Adolf Christ - Dead Punks (Demo)

Adolf Christ - Dead Punks (Demo)

UK Satanic Edge-Crust

FFO: GISM, Amebix, Axegrinder

Adolf Christ are a malevolent force of fuck off. Forged in the flames of hell, Adolf Christ blaspheme incoherently about hell, death, and the edge. We live in hell, motherfuckers.
- Adolf Hitler 

The best demo of the year thus far. My home boys have come far! Crust Punk straight from the ghetto. We live in heaven, bothers.
-Jesus Christ

Xero (Linkin Park) Demo Tape (1997)

Xero - Demo Tape (1997)

Here's a curveball. Linkin Park's demo when they were known as Xero.
I remember being pretty young, before teenager years at least, when I first heard Linkin Park. Back then Kerrang! was on the TV a lot, and at the time it was all about 'nu metal' and 'pop punk'. As such, a lot of that music is nostalgic for me. Basically, what i'm trying to say is that I like a lot of that music. So fuck you, guy.

Xero put out this demo in 1997, with two tracks being the basis for a later Linkin Park tunes 'Forgotten' and 'Runaway'. For me, Mike Shinoda was, is, and possibly will always be the best part of LP. His raps are intelligent, well paced, and are delivered with a great tone. With that said, what makes LP what it is, is the distinctive singing of Chester Bennington. Here, Mark Wakefield is handling the main singing parts. And he is pretty good, setting the template for the style Chester would later run with. This demo has four tracks, two of which went through major transformations in the space of three years, when in 2000 Linkin Park dropped their full-length debut Hybrid Theory.

'Rhinestone' is after-mentioned tune that would eventually become 'Forgotten'. Apart from some structure differences the tune is virtually unchanged to the Hybrid Theory version. 'Reading Me Eyes', along with 'Fuse', are exclusive to this demo as they were never re-worked. Which is a shame,
because 'Fuse' is a great tune. Both tracks are a good mix of rock and rap. Keyword here being 'good'.
LP would eventually become much better, almost seamlessly converging the two genre worlds together. 'Stick N Move' would eventually be re-worked as 'Runaway', and, unsurprisingly, is a highlight of this demo.

So to conclude, the sound quality of this demo is pretty good. The distorted guitar has a very fuzzy sound, but the clean sections are well recorded. The band is tight and confident. And, for 1997, this is pretty innovative. A good demo tape for sure, and a nice look into the past of one of the biggest bands today.

1997 Demo

Linky, Link:
https://mega.co.nz/#!kQw0RDjS!QQ6Gw4ViLO8h6TD4lylOsXfJN48o2q6GbXcn74PUUxQ

Desecration - Damaged By Decibels Demo (1985)

Desecration - Damaged By Decibels (1985)

Tim Yo, of Maximum Rock'n'Roll, reviewed this record calling it 'death metal core' in 1986.

A strange way to categorize a band for sure. Especially when you consider the musical landscape at the time. As far as i'm aware, death metal wasn't really a defined thing. There were various out-there thrash metal and crossover acts, but death metal, as well as black metal, wasn't defined as a legit genre until the late 80s.

The intro to the opener 'It's Just Begun' has the ominous keyboard soundscape of an 80s horror movie, which leads me to thinking that Tim isn't too far wrong. But then the band thrashes out some gnarly malevolent hardcore violence. Admittedly, the lingering chords that preface the hardcore attack on 'It's Just Begun' lead one to think 'hey, it's kinda metal'. But the hardcore surely outweighs everything here. Their version of Sabbath's 'Paranoid' is a fast hardcore blast, which is pretty rad. And 'Nothing Free' follows suit in the hardcore assault. The closer 'Bureaucratic Nonsense', as you may have guessed, is manic hardcore. However, wedged in-between the frenetic blasts of noise is a rough as shit solo and a mighty riff. Definitely the best track here.

This demo is roughly recorded, the drums sound muffled, the bass is inaudible, and the file clips in places. But don't let that put you off. 'Damaged by Decibels' has a ripping guitar sound, lunatic vocals, and is a great representation of 'metal damaged' mid-80s hardcore. Their later records, 'Who's In Control' and a split with Subverse are way more produced and are also worth tracking down.

Linky Link:

https://mega.co.nz/#!ZY5yWSqR!S0AfyGL9sVGhhPJCspClq3IRGVDniWIK5T2ghvDbu0w

And here's Tim Yo's review. Taken from the great 'Kill From The Heart' website.

A four-song "death metal core band" that zips along at a frantic pace, isn't as metal as it is thrash, and avoids lame lyrics and sticks to political/social subjects. A pretty hot debut.

-Tim Yohannan (from Maximum Rocknroll #33, February 1986)