CONQUEST
FOR DEATH,
a bi-national quintet that features three-fourths of late-90s
bandana-thrashers What Happens Next? plus the drummer for Japan's
Assfort (whose vacant shoes were filled by his "understudy" Zak),
moderated their harsh socio-political crossover with an odd
Plasmatics
cover and some tongue-in-cheek shtickery. Guitarist Craigums, a former US
Air Guitar Champ who
competes under the name Hot
Lixx Hulahan,
and Alex expressed "disbelief" at the virtuosity of each other's
speed-metal shredding when they weren't head-banging in sync. I found
none of this amusing, preferring biting sarcasm to pseudo-ironic camp
and having little appreciation for metal outside of Motörhead. Vocalist
Devon's kung fu-mosh stage moves were impressive though - he executed
roundhouse kicks over his bandmates' heads - and hirsute bassist
Robert's burly basslines could have definitely been worse.
CRIMINAL DAMAGE lived up to the favorable
reviews I've read in print and online that compare them to an American
version of Voice
of a Generation era
Blitz. Stoic, husking vocalist/guitarist Paul Burdette, better known as
the drummer for PDX d-beat standard-bearers Tragedy and past crust-core
outfits His Hero is Gone and Deathreat, castigated US media coverage of
the Iraq war, PC mudslingers, the ever-growing rich-poor gap and
alcohol-assisted "escapism" beneath a gritty hail of second generation
UK-inspired punk/oi!. Raven-haired drummer Crystal Fisher's
thick-as-a-brick back beats nudged the dancefloor into bouts of
slamming while Crim
Dam's second
guitarist, Tom Wassum,
employed up-tempo leads on "Power of Fools," "Everything That Bleeds"
and "The Choice is Clear" as melodic ballast.
The SUBHUMANS
- possibly due to road-lag from touring the UK, Europe and North
America - started their set on an uncharacteristic bum note and flubbed
the first song, "Parasites", twice in succession. They picked up where
they left off after a brief pause, however, and continued without
further mishaps. Newer material such as "This Year's War" garnered a
favorable response from the crowd but older classics "Mickey Mouse is
Dead", "Work-Rest-Play-Die" and "Religious Wars" incited tumultuous
free-for-alls. Guitarist Bruce's bristling scales underscored
the
vigorously bawled left-anarcho-centrism of vocalist Dick as the
backline, bassist Phil and drummer Trotsky, incorporated reggae,
hardcore and post-punk rhythms into a moody, volatile mix. The
much-demanded encore was preceded by a self-described "punk off the
street" climbing onstage to denounce the SFPD in an unintelligible
drunken slur. Bemused, Dick toasted him with a bottle of water,
shrugging, "I didn't understand a word, mate, but cheers."