"Modern day hardcore bands namedropping Void, Negative Approach and Die
Kreuzen automatically throw down the money-where-your-mouth-is
gauntlet, so when Austin's Total Abuse
does all that and then the singer talks about how he likes to hide
behind a wall of power electronics noise and intone to the audience
dictator-like, I am skeptical. But with the new weed of HC bands like
Fucked Up and Sex Vid (covering the Dead C for heavens sake) the combo
of select history lessons in sound vs. conceptual rulebook out the
window can't be anything but a kool and welcome cardioshock to the
genre. Deranged Records'
comp of Total Abuse's LP/7" and demos doesn't quite yield the Black
Flag-meets-Whitehouse vibe that's been hinted (I haven't seen them
live), but the off-the-rails HC destruction (esp. the smoking demos)
has made me a huge fan. They are powerful, fast and noisy as hell and
the singer's yowl does me just fine; and calling a track "Banned In
Austin" might be funny, but sure doesn't sound like a joke." WMFU –Brian Turner