Reviews: Hardcore, reissues edition
Mecht Mensch/Swiz/Don Martin Three/White Cross
Real quick intro as I’m trying to get this out before band practice. Highest praise to Bobby and No Coast for getting the Mecht Mensch record into so many sweaty hands. I’d never own a copy otherwise. The Swiz box is a godsend, especially when paired with the top shelf literature that is their recent autobiography. Those Don Martin Three LP’s were gone in an instant and I was finally in the right place at the right time. If you’re a Numero critic, hold your opinions for a bit and give this one a listen. Lastly, White Cross. So little to say about it cuz it’s so short. Let the music to the talking. Let your fingers to the walking.
Mecht Mensch - Anthology (No Coast Records)
God damn, this is it. The forever rumored Mecht Mensch collection. With all the time that passed with a previous label taking the wind out of people’s sails, it turned out to be a blessing, with the original tapes of the 7” turning up at the 11th hour. Further delaying the project, but ensuring peak quality. A true Cult Hardcore band. Sure we all know the 7” is absolute top shelf 80’s off kilter hardcore, but the rest of the tracks rounding this comp out are no drop in quality. Imagine being a band pulling into Madison having to face up to Mecht Mensch, Tar Babies, and Imminent Attack. Your A-game may still leave ya looking like chopped liver in comparison. First pressing is gone and already pricey but can still be turned up in remote corners. Second pressing out now, minus poster and gatefold.
Swiz - Complete Discography (Hellfire/Sammich Records)
This one’s been rumored for almost as long as the Mecht Mensch record has been hanging in the balance. And it was worth the wait. While I do have most of this material on vinyl already (humble brag), there was no way I was going to pass this up. Mainly because it was pre-order only and I know not to tempt fate and hope it’d fall into my lap for an approachable price later. The Jade Tree discography was a great document but I always felt like it was made to sound like it was all one session and it maybe ironed out some personality. But none of that matters now because this is definitive. It’s all here, including the demo. For all the noobs that haven’t checked in with Swiz, they’re the definitive late-80’s DC hardcore band. Granted it’s a thin scene for that time period, they would have been the kings in nearly any local scene of that time. Musically, it’s like if Dag Nasty stuck with hardcore and got harder instead of going the opposite direction. Maybe the mid-point between Dag and Bl’ast? It has that muscular intensity that the Bl’ast-ers channeled so well. Shawn Brown’s lyrics still stand up as a higher standard. An untouchable band all the way through. A few years later they did Sweetbelly Freakdown, which felt like a continuation of the vibe. In more recent years the majority of the members have done a grip of records as Red Hare and they’re all a welcome addition to the lineage. Have you ever heard another band that legitimately sounds like Swiz? I’ve been looking for 25 years and the only legit contender is Sweet Jesus. Truly monumental.
Don Martin Three - To Sketch An Arrow (Numero Group)
I’d never heard a single mention of Don Martin Three until Matt Weeks (Current/Calvary/Council Records) name dropped them in a Bandcamp interview (that seems to have disappeared from the site). My immediate thought upon hearing DM3 was that it sounds like if you deprived people of music their entire lives, stuck them in a room with only Current and Moss Icon records and said, “This is music,” and then had them create based on that template. So sourcing their sound from the peak of the early *groan* emotional hardcore bands. And I’ll put my feet to the fire and say that these songs stand up to the aforementioned groups. Not better, but not an embarrassment to stand them shoulder to shoulder. Numero Group really did the world a solid on this one. Granted, I was one of the quick acting patrons that snagged a copy before it rapidly sold out, my opinion may have been a bit different had I missed out. For a deeper dive, seek out the episode of Washed Up Emo with Colin McCann.
White Cross - Fascist EP (Beach Impediment Records)
Perfect record. Absolutely perfect. 9 tracks, only two clearing a minute (barely). Rivals any ‘82 hardcore from anywhere. Imagine being in a scene that had White Cross, Honor Role, and Graven Image. Richmond was rolling —and I’m sure there’s others I’m overlooking! Word is that Beach Impediment’s got more White Cross in the pipeline. If that somehow includes a vinyl pressing of the Tarantula On My Cock tape comp., y’all are never gonna hear the end of it.