Thursday 14 November 2013

Doom - War Crimes (Inhuman Beings) (1988)

When it comes to rattling crust-punk with a message, then Doom's 'War Crimes...' has to be one of the best records out there. These guys are somewhat of cult status - hailing from the streets of Birmingham, UK, the same fetid air that spawned Black Sabbath to name but a few. Somehow I always coupled this bunch with that early Napalm Death line-up, although there was more of a punk element to Doom. Even so, this is one grey, fuzzy, dank and often abysmal record that has stood the test of time and rightly so, because the earthy vocal drool of Jon Pickering, coupled with the dirty bass and crusty guitars means that this album sums up late '80s Britain with that hardcore sneer. When I first heard this record it was a time when acts such as Unseen Terror, Electro Hippies, Extreme Noise Terror et al, were doing the rounds - combining that punk ethos with basement speed. Certainly not metal, or well-produced, but that's the point!
8/10

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