Mason Dixon Mayhem

(Game Two)
by Jon Sarre

There’s a lot of unhappy people in the world today, I’ll tell ya that for nothin’. That’s why it’s good we have hardcore around, because it’s the perfect release for youngsters who, otherwise, would be robbing 7-11s and driving their cars into telephone poles at high speeds (ever get that urge?). It’s really much better to get that aggression out in the mosh pit, in the company of other like-minded sociopaths. The three bands on this comp make the perfect companions for that anti-social activity.

Compression plays spacy hardcore with a vaguely metallic edge, and they sure as hell ain’t happy campers. Their four selections were recorded in a basement, and it sounds it, too. Luckily, the vocals are intelligible. The singer has some pretty sophisticated lyrics, especially on “Angriest Flower,” a great “love you/hate me” style dirge.

Last Rites is heavier, with better production. Pretty standard HC, but they speed it up every once in a while. The guitar players mix it up a bit too, which is really cool considering the limited framework they have to work within (guitar soloists will be considered enemies of the people and will be dealt with accordingly). My favorite here is “Broken Glass Reflections.” The song gets right to the point and the vocals are distorted to produce a creepy “psycho calling from the phone booth across the street at 4 AM” feel.

No Compromise is the way Rollins-era Black Flag would sound if they were starting out in the HC scene today. They’re not as together as Last Rites or Compression, but it works in their favor since they get the chance to scream and bang on things (I guess those are the drums, bad production again) during breaks in the riff. Bring that goddamn fuzz tone guitar up the mix though! So there it is, three more reasons not to jump off a bridge.