Amrep Motors 1995 Models

(Amphetamine Reptile)
by Karl Geising

This was not what I expected. AmRep is rather (in)famous for putting out music for the more noise-conscious among us; Boss Hog, Helmet, and Hammerhead have called this label home at one point. This sampler is more straight-ahead punk rock than usual (whatever THAT means anymore). Don’t get me wrong, there’s some good shit on here. Love 666 is good ‘n’ sludgy (great drum sounds). Today Is The Day satisfies us noisemongers, that is until halfway through the song when it turns into pop shit. Party Diktator is fast, noisy, and loud, so I like it. But there’s also a bottom to this barrel: Halo of Kitten and Supernova both turn in throw-away songs that should’ve never been recorded.

The real standouts on the album are the two tracks that aren’t even remotely in the noise-punk genre. Helios Creed‘s “Tele-vision” is a wash of harsh distorted loops, delay noises, and processed vocals that work well despite the overtly mechanical drum programming. But my favorite has to be a track by a band called SWAT, consisting of the Editors of Answer Me! and Apocalypse Culture with the musical talents of most of Poison Idea. They redo the classic Mac Davis tune, “In the Ghetto,” updating it with lyrics that are un-PC but dead-center accurate. You’ll want to check this one out.