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• Why (1981)
• Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing (1982)

Why (1981)

7

Visions of War / Does the System Work / A Look at Tomorrow / Why / Maimed and Slaughtered / Mania for Conquest / Ain't No Feeble Bastard / Is This to Be / Massacre of Innocents (Air Attack) / Why (Reprise) // Realities of War / They Declare It / But After the Gig / Society's Victim / Fight Back / War's No Fairytale / Always Restrictions / You Take Part in Creating This System / Religion Instigates / Decontrol / It's No T.V. Sketch / Tomorrow Belongs to Us

Meet the angriest band you'll ever hear. Even though they existed quite a bit before The Exploited, Discharge rose to prominence around the same time, i.e. at the beginning of the 80's, when punk was declared dead and a new generation of enraged kids had stood up to voice their disgust with the social and political situation in Britain. Like The Exploited, Discharge were heavily influenced by the first wave of British punk bands, but right from the start, they infused it with a generous dose of hardcore fury, which they basically co-invented. It wouldn't have been this amazing, if it weren't for the fact that the band sounded almost incredibly furious and disgusted on their earliest releases. Two and a half decades after they were released, their first few records are still white-hot slices of undiluted rage and relentless passion. When future producer Mike Stone saw them perform in 1979, he assured them they couldn't play for shit, but he sure loved their energy, signed them to his newly formed label (Clay Records) and had them release three EP's in 1980, all of which are included on this re-release: Realities of War, (songs 11-14) which was allegedly recorded and mixed in three hours; Fight Back (15-19) and Decontrol (20-22). By this time, the band consisted of brothers Terry "Tezz" Roberts (drums) and Tony "Bones" Roberts (guitar), bass player Rainy and vocalist Cal Morris. Shortly after the third EP, Tezz was replaced by Dave "Bambi" Ellesmere, who completed the line-up that released the 10-track mini-LP Why in 1981.

There are several reasons why you might hate these songs, even if you're a punk fan, as the music's monotonous, totally devoid of a few catchy melodies and as raw as a wound you get from beating yourself with a blunt axe. Vocalist Cal Morris wouldn't even recognize a vocal melody if it was presented to him on a big-ass wedding cake, the rhythm section again and again seems to have only one goal (i.e. reach the end of the song as soon as possible), while the repetition of circular riffs creates a grind that simply had no equal at the time. Nowadays, it's almost incredible that this kind of music actually wound up on the indie charts (and stayed there for a while): it's ugly, repetitive and almost impossible to single out any songs. But, as suggested above, their lack of diversity and notoriously crude attack is made up for by the sheer power of the songs, shorts blasts between 70-90 seconds long (this release clocks in under 32 minutes) that are driven by disgust with politics and anti-militaristic protest. Whereas the rants of The Exploited's Wattie could be annoyingly dumb and juvenile, Discharge's pamphlets enforce the "music as statement" effect even more. Instead of long, boring tirades, Discharge's lyrics often consisted of only a few barked lines, clear enough to let you know what they were about, but also unspecified, so that they almost seemed to contain a universal message. The foam-at-the-mouth delivery of Morris is definitely an acquired taste (if you consider it taste at all), but each time he stretches a line's last word ("Wounded by bomb SPLINTEEEEEERRRSSS," "My head is filled with fear of war, fear and threat of WAAAAAAAAARRR," etc) it's a pure adrenaline blast. The horrors of war would remain a favorite topic and also remain central on the band's first full-length album Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing (1982), but right from the start these guys knew how to effectively bring a message, even though Mike Stone had to sell the first copies from the boot of his car. If you wanna learn more about the most distinctive unit of the "Real Punk"-movement and hear for yourself where countless 80's punk/trash/metal bands were looking for inspiration, Why might be an ideal starting place.

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Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing (1982)

9

Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing / The Nightmare Continues / The Final Blood Bath / Protest and Survive / I Won't Subscribe / Drunk with Power / Meanwhile / A Hell on Earth / Cries of Help / The Possibility of Life's Destruction / Q: And Children? A: And Children / The Blood Runs Red / Free Speech for the Dumb / The End // Never Again / Death Dealers / Two Monstrous Nuclear Stockpiles / State Violence State Control / Dooms' Day / Warning / Where There's a Will There's a Way / In Defence of Our Future / Anger Burning / The Price of Silence / Born to Die in the Gutter / The More I See

This is the Reign in Blood of hardcore punk. Way ahead of the game at the time of its release and nowadays, the followers are still trying to catch up. Simply put, I have never, ever, heard an album that's this brutal, aggressive, angry and seething with rage. There have been several bands around that succeeded in capturing a similar intensity (you name them), but none of them managed to keep that visceral force intact for half an hour, like these guys do. The Never Again EP, released at the end of '81, already saw the band head for heavier territory, but whereas that EP sounded a bit under-rehearsed (perhaps because drummer Gerry Maloney had only just replaced Bambi) and too amateurish production-wise, everything falls into its place on Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing. The relentless barrage of comparable riffs on the rampage is still there, but the band now plays with a heavier attack, conjuring up a monotonous grind that's almost industrial in its mechanical fury. Several critics criticized the band for being too monotonous and dull ("They're no fun"), and while that's certainly an understandable reaction - because they simply didn't know how to evaluate a racket like this at the time - it is an album that deserves to be met on its own terms and judged by its own criteria. Of course it's worthless if you're looking for melodic innovation. Of course it's disappointing if you're in it for subtly built-up climaxes and flowing dynamics. But… you shouldn't have expected that in the first place. This album is a wall of bricks and the only thing it wants you to do it run against it with your eyes closed. Just like this album is wholly dedicated to the fine art of warmongering, it is also a medium-sized battlefield in itself, a place of thunderous noise, chaos and shrapnel, blood and guts flying in all directions.

Whereas Why seemed to point a finger at (too) many culprits at once, Hear Nothing is its focused big brother, fully aware of who the enemy is and fighting it with its own weapons. Basically you could divide the album in two halves that roughly coincide with the actual album sides. The first half has the band address issues like deception of the masses ("Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing") and the ignorance of citizens ("The Nightmare Continues"), being drafted and forced to walk in line ("I Won't Subscribe"), power abuse ("Drunk with Power") and investing too much money in the M.I.C. ("Meanwhile"). This criticism is not offered through an analytical discourse, but by short bursts, rants that mirror the tactics of any government that has ever attempted/succeeded in trying to keep the masses quiet/ignorant with deceiving rhetoric. And the music works as a perfect accompaniment to this indignation, as the combination of punk fury and forays into metal riffing create an explosive, venomous cocktail that's extremely effective. Whereas the speeding "The Final Blood Bath" almost sounds like a revved-up version of The Stooges' "I Wanna Be Your Dog," songs like "The Nightmare Continues" and - especially - "Protest and Survive" will show you why this band was so revered among 80's metal bands and even considered as one of the inventors of the punk/metal crossover that would become more popular in the ensuing years. As such, is perfectly plausible that bands like D.R.I., Slayer, and basically all the early thrash/grind/crossover bands, owe some to this band. Even Metallica (remember them? Once a fierce rock band) recorded two of their songs.

As if the first half of the album wasn't even enough to get you a heart attack, it's the second half that gets to the point: the terror of a nuclear war. "A Hell on Earth" sets the tone with almost four minutes of ragin' wrath, a relentlessly pounding rhythm section, circular guitar riffs, disjointed solos, vocals barked by a drill sergeant on speed. Like all protest music, the package serves the message and again, the sheer ugliness and brutality of the "music" is a reflection of what it addresses/criticizes. To even strengthen their point, the band used (pseudo) educational footage, a dry voice explaining the results of a nuclear blast, accompanied by howling sirens and crying babies. Of course it's only a gimmick, but because of its perfect placement, it almost comes as a shocking, gut-wrenching smack against the head. When the next song, "The Possibility of Life's Destruction"), starts off, the album reaches its blistering peak, a scorching catharsis and one of the most effective anti-war statements you'll ever hear (experience/endure). Further song titles speak for themselves ("Q: And Children? A: And Children," "The Blood Runs Red,") and yes, they sound exactly like what you've come to expect. "AND CHILDREN, AND CHILDREN!!" Taking their approach to an extreme the band uses only one line during "Free Speech for the Dumb" and then closes with "The End," the apocalyptic aftermath of so much stupidity. Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing is understandably an album that has inspired probably hundreds and hundreds of bands, because of their fiercely anti-political and anti-militaristic message and the unfathomably fierce way in which they tried to make their point - paving the way for an entire generation and style of bands to come. The one major point of criticism one might come up with is the album's numbing monotony, but as argued above, the band learned that the goal justifies the means and the means are ideally suited, as is the razor-sharp production. Or would you prefer a conceptual anti-war album embellished with sugary harmonies, polkas and mellotrons? Make Love, Not War? "Give Peace a Chance"? This album fucking kills.

Note: The 1998 CD reissue (which I have) adds the 1981 Never Again EP (15-17), the "State Violence State Control" / "Dooms' Day" single (after which guitarist "Bones" left to form Broken Bones), the 1983 Warning: Her Majesty's Government Can Seriously Damage Your Health EP (20-23), and a few songs that appeared as 7" singles. Goddamn punks and their billions of EP's/singles. As such, the reissues of Why and Hear Nothing get you about everything the band released up 'til 1984. But if you happen to own an original vinyl issue of this album -> I'm your man.

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