Band: Discharge
Title: War Is Hell / Disensitise
Label: Candlelight Records
Distribution: Bertus
Release date: July 4th 2011
Review: CD (re-release)

Punk and Metal, it’s like water and fire. They can’t live together, yet they might be able to create wonderful things as well – smoke and fog, you see…
When I started to explore the Metal-worlds (over two decades ago), Punk and metal were sort of hostile entities, yet the immeasurable differences between both of them shortened like snow for the sun. Genres like Hardcore and Grindcore did combine elements from both scenes, and it wasn’t that hypocrite anymore as from the nineties on to admit you might like both musical directions. Many extreme music scenes still make use of both genres, yet again: during the earliest years it was somewhat equivocal.

Discharge were such a band that was part of the Punk-scene, yet their recordings, and live gigs, were appreciated by many Metal-heads as well. It was the case back then, and still many formations mention Discharge as one of their biggest influences. These hardcore punkers originally started during the second part of the seventies, somewhere in the neighbourhood of Stoke-on-Trent, mainly to pay tribute to acts like The Buzzcocks, The Exploited (even though these Scots were formed a few years afterwards), The Clash, Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys or The Damned, mixed with the metallic heaviness of, for example, Amebix or Motörhead (even though the earliest years were especially Punk-based, lacking of the heavy side of Metal).
As from the eighties, Discharge got considered a ‘major’ act and inventors of the D-beat sub-genre. There were a handful of successful singles and EP’s, but their full length debut, Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing (1982) was extremely ‘popular’ (aha, what a contradiction: Punk versus popularity). As from that moment on, the style got heavier, more metalized. All new recordings came with a thrashier approach, yet never the initial Punk-basics got betrayed, and especially as from the nineties, Discharge weren’t a Punk-band anymore, yet a Metal / Punk / Crust-crossover.
There were many moments of silence, mainly during the nineties, but the band still is active. And since the new millennium started, the band indeed recorded new stuff. Two recordings will now be re-issued through Candlelight, the self-released 2009-album Disensitise and the 2008-compilation-LP War Is Hell.

Disensitise gets re-issued with inclusion of two bonus tracks, making the total running time over forty minutes. The album indeed ideally combines sleazy Hardcore-Punk with no-nonsense (Thrash) Metal (at times extremely Retro-thrashing!), with addition of old styled Speed / Heavy solos and lead riffs (more than once both Amebix and Axegrinder, and even Venom and, of course, Motörhead, come to mind), and a masterfully performed, still somewhat d-styled back rhythm section, lacking progressive techniques yet concentrating on forward-pushing power. A very positive element is the cohesion, caused by 1) firm tracks written by, clearly, experienced minds, and 2) the line-up, at that moment stable for seven years or so, if I’m not mistaken.
It does differ from the past (read: the early eighties) and some (would-be) ‘true’ Punk-heads will think melancholically about those early years, when killing a fascist cop was rather a statement than a reality. Yet some do consider this recording (I guess it was the seventh full length) as their strongest one, because of the maturity (structural and compositional), the cohesive tracks (see above) and the honest Retro-approach, lacking modern additions that stink of easy-money-bullshit.

War Is Hell was originally released as LP (vinyl only) through Unrest Records and it was another compilation with Discharge-material. Done before and therefore less interesting, now clocking thirty four minutes. In fact it compiles the 2003-LP War Is Hell Tour 2003 and tracks from their 1978-demonstration cassette / The Beginning Of The End EP. The result is rather simple and elementary, but that is nothing else but the core of True Punk and Retro-Thrash, of course. And simplicity can rush complexity easily (yet this discussion I’m not going to start, at least not this time). Critical lyrics, punkish shouts, Speed Metal solos, aggressive riffs comparable to the tradition of Thrash Metal, Hardcore-harmonies, this collection is a sign of incorrect correctitude, the virginal way.

Discharge are the answer on next question: how would Venom sound if they covered The Exploited? Got the picture?

--/100

Ivan Tibos.