DOGSFLESH - VISION OF HELL

Bludgeoning hardcore here that radiates an intolerance of anything mild and not totally committed to bursting eardrums. Typical early 80's violence soundblasts the listener from all directions as Dogflesh ply their trade with stunning effect.

'Borrowed Time' stretches sinews, strains ligaments and hurts real bad. It whips the listener to attention raising welts of pleasurable agony with its intense work-out of all things brutal and punishing. The song drills straight to the epicentre of the hardcore soul and is up there with all other discharged works from the coherent speed demons. The throbbing intermission of ominous guitar, bass and drums halfway through is totally head damaging stuff that punks everywhere will buzz to. A simple riff guaranteed to get those skulls nodding! There is no let up as 'Sleazebag' points fingers, confronts and then beats the living daylights out of anything indecent. Brutal noise, straight to the heart of the matter lyrics all intertwine around the throat of the deviant groomers and deals with a social disease in no uncertain terms. The production is spot on here and with a volume set at 'bleed' you can go at it full tilt and let that anger splatter the walls.

'Fuck All' hits a hard bass groove which is soon smashed by intense guitar and usual fury of vocal. The crazed question posed of 'What have I got' is wretchedly angst and finalised with the songs title. The blast is liable to have the hardcore fraternity pounding their heads with zealous joy as is the pulsating 'Last Renegades' which is more orthodox and a pure sound of the early 80's with a more up-to-date production. 'Kids Kill Kids' deals with sensitive subject matter and is delivered with the same riotous resonance that has dominated thus far. Perhaps the blandest track on the CD and one that disappears beneath it's more violent and striking counterparts although the final gun shot is somewhat unsettling. The tumbling drums that accompany the chorus of 'Psycho Bitch' make the song what it is and the now typical verses are neatly sliced by these intermittent rolling explosions.

The relevance of this kind of music is debatable today in punks somewhat over critical scene and ridiculously divided gigging arena. Punk is more than just about the racket a band makes but in some ways too many noises that are too remote to even consider themselves punk are passed off as such. We have no such controversy here and Dogsflesh make no intentions to be anything other than they are and that is a damn fine hardcore band. It is what it says on the tin so there you go. The signature song 'Dogsflesh' backs this theory up albeit a song that isn't really about the band.

'That's Life' hails loud about standing up for being yourself, having a voice and the tortuous hell of the enforced day to day procedures. A common punk theme and a common enough piece of tuneage but the persuasive insistence works and despite the fact that these old fuckers are starting to get on a bit there is enough belief in the vocal output to make it listenable - loudly if you take my advice and the print on the disk.

The next 3 are more of the same and 'Yesterday's Heroes', 'The Threat Remains' and 'Vision Of Hell' all gush a clinical accuracy and mire of ire that draws in the punky curiosity. All the comparisons that are going to be made here are blatant but Dogsflesh hold their own and in fact outdo most of what their counterparts throw out. The choice pick of the previous three grenades is the slow deliberate guitar chug that sinisterly rolls along during 'The Threat Remains', taking deep breaths before exploding once more. The fact that the pace is slightly toned down indicates what I feel to be an oversight on the bands part in as far as the CD not including one or two less speedier tracks and relying more on threat and imposing riffs rather than going in with all fists flying. Just a Fungal consideration to mull over before the next recording.

We end with 'X. B. B.' (Ex Borstal Boy perhaps) and as if by magic we have a slower, seething piece that backs-up my previous thoughts and what a great song it is. The focus seems more exact and the looming rhythm commands attention. Just what was needed and a great way to end.

It's fast, it's high standard production and it rouses with passion - oh and the bonus is that it finishes with the best track of the lot. In this country Dogsflesh don't get the appreciation they deserve and so travel further afield to punkers who love the noise - don't force this CD to go the same way.