Hardcore scorn!
It is all too apparent now that someone at Room Thirteen doesn't like me. With this CD I feel an act of slightly more than ungentlmanly conduct has been committed and somebody deserves far more than a three-match ban for physical and grievous bodily harm to my eardrums.
Recorded back in 1988 live at Parkhof Almaar in the country famous for windmills, clogs, pornography and drugs we have the horrible pleasure of enduring no less than 17 bloody tracks of blood ridden angst. This is a cross between some of the worst Punk bands of the late 70's and some of the better New York Hardcore bands of the 80's. The music isn't actually too bad, and as guitarist Steve 'Baz' Ballam points out, "We were well rehearsed and playing the fastest/tightest sets since we started out". It is indeed fast, and musically it is pretty tight, however the vocals sound a little like the deranged village idiot has run up and onto the stage and commandeered the microphone for the whole set!
In all fairness Ripcord come out with some good messages in their songs like in 'Censorship' whereby the song (albeit for 40 seconds) has the words, "Twist and turn// your every word// freedom of speech// where has it gone?// Editorial// Manipulation// Processed print out// but will you believe it?". Even the greatly titled 'Drugshit' is an anti-drug song, however when you have a message to deliver then why get someone to growl out the lyrics so quickly that by they time you realise that he's not trying to clear his throat the song is over!
Now perhaps Ripcord were indeed UKHC legends in 1988, however the only thing legendary about this is the guest appearance of Napalm Death/Cathedral vocalist Lee Dorrian....and er, that's it, oh and it ceased being 1988 sixteen years ago, just in case you wondered.
I have no idea the thought process of releasing this but the one highlight is the semi-transparent CD disc which will be the snazziest coaster in the whole of my office. Avoid this like it is a rare and highly contagious disease.