Saturday, January 19, 2008

Back to the J-pcore Basics


BASTARD - No Hope in Here (Discography)

As Carl Panzram or Gary Ridgway are to serial slaying, or Slayer's "Reign in Blood" is to thrash/speed metal, so is Tokyo's Bastard to J-pcore-- the absolute fucking pinnacle. "No Hope in Here" compiles everything they released in their brief 1988-91 existence. The first eight tracks are taken from the beyond essential LP, "Wind of Pain"-- an absolute monster of d-beatin' fused with metallic fury. The production is breathtaking-- razor sharp, but not at all clinical. Tokurow's gruff, commanding vocals are up front, but never at the expense of Zigyaku's immaculate riffing and brief, piercing solos. Koba's flawless drumming hammers the final nail in the House That Discharge built-- in fact, I dare you to find a better d-beat album not made by Discharge.

They were far more than clones of the UK legends, however. It's difficult to explain to anyone new to the style, but there are nuances to their sound that separate 'em from their heroes-- it can sometimes be as simple as an icy pick slide at the most bone-chilling moment, or the way they completely shift gears from intense hardcore thrashing to slower, anthemic passages that, while seamless, can disorient a listener in a way Discharge never could ("Flash Out" being a prime example). The remainder of this collection is comprised of their "Controlled in the Frame" EP, and various compilation appearances.

Essential.

Look in the comments for goodies.
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14 comments:

  1. Jake Thee PopeJanuary 19, 2008 at 6:57 AM

    http://sharebee.com/ac2e06be

    pw = sln2008

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  2. ConvertidoJanuary 19, 2008 at 9:38 AM

    Hell yes!! I cannot say thanks enough for this one. I have the 12" but no record player and somehow my CD "walked off" and I cannot find it. You made this Texan very fucking happy on a cold Saturday!!!

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  3. slobodan burgherJanuary 19, 2008 at 12:38 PM

    Thanks, I am hoping this will be a upgrade to the scramblepot of Bastard stuff that i have already.

    "I dare you to find a better d-beat album not made by Discharge"

    Sure no problem: Anti Cimex - Raped Ass LP (i.e. the Raped Ass 7" + Victims of a bombraid 7" re-released as 12 incher in the earli 1990s)

    Anti Cimex - Criminal Trap (Mini - LP) ain't too far off either...

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  4. Jake Thee PopeJanuary 19, 2008 at 2:49 PM

    Anti-Cimex is a good call, but it was, after all, a dare.

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  5. MogoJanuary 19, 2008 at 3:10 PM

    nice one, thanks as usual :)

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  6. Lo-res VisceraJanuary 19, 2008 at 5:29 PM

    Wow holy crap am I ever enjoying this!
    Thanks as always ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Back to the J-pcore BasicsJanuary 19, 2008 at 6:57 PM

    [...] Back to the J-pcore Basics As Carl Panzram or Gary Ridgway are to serial slaying, or Slayer’s “Reign in Blood” is to thrash/speed metal, so is Tokyo’s Bastard to J- [...]

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  8. SlobodanJanuary 19, 2008 at 9:58 PM

    ha ha ha, yes yes. Thanks it sound fucking smashing and I am enjoying this one.

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  9. marshottentotJanuary 20, 2008 at 5:56 AM

    Hey, fellers...
    Anyone have Kyojinbyo's 'Fukkatsu'? How about some real garbage thrash like Z, State Children, Tranquilizer, & Gudon's 1st? I'm putting together a Japanese Noisecore comp and wanna make sure I'm not missing something incredible.

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  10. Jake Thee PopeJanuary 20, 2008 at 6:27 AM

    Try these:

    An out of print thread
    Ridiculously large archive of Japcore
    Z: http://www.7inchpunk.com/?p=983
    Kyojinbyo: http://www.7inchpunk.com/?p=397

    ReplyDelete
  11. slobodan burgherJanuary 20, 2008 at 2:15 PM

    Marsgottentot should also scan the backlog of the Damaging Noise blog (http://damagingnoise.blogspot.com) - you may find Sean's cd-r comps good, like the Japanese Noise Allstars, Killed by Seanocide etc.

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  12. marshottentotJanuary 20, 2008 at 6:42 PM

    DIGGING!!! Thanks 'Gai's'.


    go ahead and roll your eyes.

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  13. wedgeJanuary 26, 2008 at 10:12 AM

    its not that i DONT like Bastard, ive just always felt theyre one of the most overrated Japanese Hardcore (which is a sub-genre unto itself, but i digress...) band EVER. i got the 7" & LP when they came out, and was lucky enough to get copys of the "Triple Cross Counter Tour" 7" & "Go Ahead Make My Day" LP comps that theyre on when i was residing in Kyoto damn near 20 years ago. a good band, but all the hype? PLEASE!!! they always struck me as a Death Side clone; but a damn good one at that. i just never did, and probably never will understand the "GOD" status that has been attatched to this band. i wouldnt even call them "d-beat" for a couple of reasons. 1) the term wasnt even coined until years AFTER they broke up; & 2) they play JAPANESE HARDCORE, and Japanese Hardcore is a certain style unto itself. sure, theres TONS of bands from Japan who happen to play Hardcore Punk & its derivatives, but ARENT "Japanese Hardcore". (for example; about 90% of the Japanese bands on 625 meet this disqualifying criteria...but im digressing again...). that all being said, i have a live video somewhere of Bastard when they played a support gig on the 1st Extreme Noise Terror Japanese tour ( a tour i missed by DAYS when i came home from Japan...FUCK!!!). IT KICKS LIVING FUCKING ASS!!! i traded a hi-quality dub of it to Jun over at Overhead distro a few years ago, so track it down over there & youll understand...an interesting side-note- this band eventually mutated into the Almighty JUDGEMENT, which released 4 7"es & a CDEP on HG fact in the late-90's. the 3rd ep ("Haunt In The Dark") is almost the EXACT line-up of Bastard, and its BETTER than anything Bastard ever did. my opinion,of course, but im still sticking to my guns after all these years...a damn fine band, but NOT the gods theyre hyped to be.

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  14. SteveJanuary 26, 2008 at 5:23 PM

    Lookin forward to hearing those nuances, thanks

    ReplyDelete

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