I've been running behind on this, but Crimes Against Humanity Records recently dropped a fucking ton of reissues from longstanding Swedish crust icons Driller Killer, the first of which is "Total Fuckin' Brutalized!"—combining 1994's "Brutalize" and 1995's "Totalfuckinghate" on one CD for a total of 26 tracks in just under an hour's time. For no particular reason whatsoever, I was never a huge Driller Killer fan, I don't know why, but for the most part this collection of early material is straight up D-beat mastery: No frills, no bullshit. Expect basic, surging power chords; chaotically rocked out solo bursts; gruffly barked vocals; generally short tracks... it's basically the textbook "Discharge but heavier" framework. And shit, several of the songs are in the total Discharge vein of barely using any lyrics at all:
The sound of death fills the air
Acts of violence
Amounts of blood on the ground
Acts of violence
Simple enough, eh? Both albums were recorded at Studio Fredman, but they retain just the right amount of the noisy ruggedness you'd expect from the crust realm. Each sounds perfectly suitable, but "Totalfuckinghate" does start to develop a little more of that crisper, crunchier sound (not to mention slightly longer songs)—and though it plays back fairly consistently against the "Brutalize" tracks, that does add some punch and start to leave a mark. I'm all for it. The booklet keeps it simple with the original cover art from each album, lyrics, and recording information. Liner notes might've been nice as I personally don't know a great deal about Driller Killer's background, but the most important elements are all covered, so screw it. I've admittedly started to lose some interest in this particular niche in the last couple of years, I guess because there are so many bands that are all kind of operating in the same space, but it's hard to say. Whatever the case, I can certainly still appreciate crusty D-beat punk done right, and that's damn sure what you've got here. Original? No. Not now, nor in the early- to mid-90's. But there's a great sense of energy that makes for some hard-hitting material, and that's what counts.
Driller Killer "Legacy of Anger"
Driller Killer "Eternal Warfare"
Driller Killer "Food for Worms"
Driller Killer "Ruled by None"
It's only $9 straight from the label, so make the grab if you like what you hear:
Comments
“Eternal Warfare” again proving that no song that starts with an air raid siren will be bad. This stuff is definitely less metal and a little more Clay Records than the D Beat stuff out there now. Good pick up.
5.8.2007 | By Johnny