My name is Adam Szulc. I was born in 1971 in Poznan, Poland. At age 15, I became a barber and a Straight Edge, and I’ve remained so to this day. I used to play drums in the hardcore/sxe bands Cymeon X and Respect. For years, I’ve been running my own barbershop in Poznan, where I combine traditional men’s barbering with hardcore music. In 2021, I was inducted into the Barbering Hall of Fame at the National Barber Museum in Ohio. I’ve been writing album reviews since the 1980s. I’d be happy to write one for you.
Cock Sparrer / Die Toten Hosen- "True to the Bone” Split EP (Randale Records)
What a fantastic anniversary! Because, in case anyone didn’t know, thanks to these guys, punk rock is turning… 100 this year! It’s simple math: the English band Cock Sparrer, as the veterans on this team-up, are celebrating 55 years of playing, and the German machine Die Toten Hosen are celebrating 45. That adds up to 100. Simple, right? I’ve admired and respected both bands for years, though I got to know the Germans first. They were very popular in Poland in the ’80s and toured here; also, two major Polish bands recorded covers of their songs that are known to almost everyone here. The London hooligans Cock Sparrer, on the other hand, found their way into my tape player a few years later, since access to Anglo-Saxon music was restricted during the communist era.
Back to the EP. It features four tracks — two on each side. Each band contributes one original, previously-unreleased song and one bonus track.
The musicians from both bands have known each other and been friends for years, so “True to the Bone” is a natural outcome of that friendship —especially since Cock Sparrer is gradually saying goodbye to live performances, and their album from two years ago,
Hand on Heart, is widely regarded as their farewell album. Be that as it may, we have their new track here titled “Frontline Heroes,” which was recorded during the sessions for that 2024 album. The second track is “Nowhere to Be Found” from the same album, and anyone who likes their vibe, their tempo, their guitar solos, Colin McFaull’s vocal tone, and the overall flow of their music will love these songs. Nothing more, nothing less — these are solid, expertly crafted tracks from one of the most important pioneers of street OI! punk rock.
The two Die Toten Hosen tracks are, as always, played to get you moving and dancing. The first is “Alles oder nichts,” sung in German, and the second is a cover of The Clash’s “I’m So Bored with the USA,” played with more vigor and spirit than the original version. Die Toten Hosen is classic Deutsche punk, loved around the world for its simplicity, humor, and predictability. On top of that, Germans drink hectoliters of beer while listening to this music!
For fans, this EP will be a great addition to their collections of both bands’ music, and for those unfamiliar with these older gentlemen, it will offer a concise introduction to what they’re all about. Besides, 100 years of punk rock only happens once!
Tim Barry - Clear Blocks Ahead (Chunksaah Records)
I fell in love with Tim Barry’s music the moment I found out that the Avail frontman had a solo country-music project. That was 20 years ago. “What the heck?” I thought, and I bought the album
Rivanna Junction, which to this day remains my favorite of all his works. His latest album,
Clear Blocks Ahead, is his ninth, and those who follow his music closely can see that Tim Barry has shifted his Americana/rebel country sound toward more folk-oriented forms in the vein of Bob Dylan’s protest songs, though he’s probably closest now to the one-of-a-kind bard Woody Guthrie.
This album features 12 original songs by Tim and a cover of a Jim Ward song (from the bands At The Drive-In and The Mars Volta.) On four tracks, Tim is joined by his teenage daughter, Lela Jane, and the whole album — as always with Tim — evokes strong emotions as he sings about the social issues of the modern world. He does this through the lens of his own experiences and his beloved Richmond, VA. This perspective is particularly intriguing, as Tim is able to focus on a topic as if through a lens and, by pairing it with simple music, make it resonate more deeply.
Folk music is all about the lyrics, but if a punk singer writes the lyrics, the result has to be something that will appeal to the punk scene too.
The first track, “W.W. Pool,” gives the impression that this album will be somber and very sparse instrumentally. So here we have deep bluegrass-based ballad sung in a style quite typical of Tim, though this style is harder to take in than it was years ago. There’s less of a catchy melody here, and more of a message.
I thought that would be the direction of the entire album, but the second track, “Still Lit,” pleasantly surprised me with its full instrumental arrangement, a snappy chorus, and the melodic timbre of Tim’s voice. It sounds like a hit! Next up is “Wreck-less,” sung together with his daughter, and this track, too, deserves to be called a hit. Again, as in the first track, Tim plays almost entirely on his own, accompanied by soft drums and a bass line tucked away in the background, while his daughter’s vocals add warmth to the song.
And that’s what this album is like. On the one hand, it has the vibe typical of Tim and his singing style, where he almost tears his vocal cords out while shouting rebellious lyrics; on the other hand, we have beautiful arrangements, interesting compositions, sing-along choruses, and a thought-provoking message about the modern world.
I really like these stories Tim writes about Richmond and its surroundings. On every album, the author communicates with us, weaving his love for his city between the lines. The standout tracks on this theme are “Too Richmond for RVA” and the previously mentioned “W.W. Pool” as well as “Miller & Rhoads,” in which Barry speaks out against the city’s commercialization, its hipster culture, and its shift from an authentic, genuine, working-class, and artistic Richmond toward the “RVA” brand concocted by PR specialists. This problem is everywhere; it’s the same in Poland, where cities are eager to hand over power to developers, causing the soul of the old city to fade away a bit. We also have another song here related to the neighboring city of Roanoke. “Hello from Roanoke” is a powerful track with a sonic guitar and an intriguing wall of noise.
I was in Richmond this past August. I really liked the city. I went to a hardcore concert at the Canal Club downtown and was hoping to run into Tim there. Unfortunately, he wasn’t there, but there were posters from his shows at that club with almighty Chuck Ragan from years ago. The album
Clear Blocks Ahead ends with the beautiful track “Thank You (For All the Songs),” which, despite everything, leaves us feeling optimistic.
To wrap things up, let’s sing along with Tim Barry to “…it’s a beautiful day…” from one of the songs on this album. Which one? You’ll find out, dear readers, once you’ve listened to it.
A great and important album this year — and it will likely turn out to be one of the most interesting releases of the past 12 months.
I highly recommend it.
Dezerter- Wolny Wybieg” (Mystic Records)
Dezerter is the oldest punk band in Poland, hailing from Warsaw and playing continuously since 1981. Let’s be honest: 45 years is quite an achievement, especially since the band has never taken a break and has consistently stayed true to its humanistic punk rock focused on free thinking. American listeners may know the band from the album
Underground out of Poland, released in 1987 on MaximumRockandRoll Records. This came about thanks to Joe Shithead of D.O.A. who, while playing a few shows in communist Poland, befriended the guys from Dezerter and secretly smuggled their recordings abroad, which ultimately led to the release of this album.
Wolny Wybieg (“Free-range”) is their fifteenth album, on which they cement their status as the most important and uncompromising punk rock band in our country. The release of this album coincides nicely with their anniversary as a band, and these eight new tracks have been well received by fans and music critics alike. From the very first track, Dezerter doesn’t let up on anyone they’ve set their sights on. The main enemy in the lyrics is humanity itself — a species that, in the lyricist’s view, wreaks the greatest havoc on planet Earth. Dezerter is consistent in what they do. Their punk rock races along in a somewhat old-school style reminiscent of some of the early albums by the Dead Kennedys or the Youth Brigade, but with a distinct Slavic edge. However, one must give them credit for not wavering and staying the course for years, serving as a sort of guiding beacon of opinion for many people.
They play fast and tight punk rock bordering on hardcore mayhem, which is the band’s trademark. Among these songs, the first track, “Burza” (“The Storm”), certainly stands out. It hits the listener with a moderately fast tempo, reminding us that even when Dezerter isn’t racing at breakneck speed, they still pack a massive punch. The title track, which follows “Burza,” is also good. It’s a calmer number that strikes a sensitive chord in the punk rock soul. The very hardcore “Jad” (“The Venom”) is excellent — our local punk rockers will surely start more than one proper pogo to it. However, on this album, Dezerter draws heavily on references to 1980's Polish rock music, especially the band Klaus Mitffoch, which is an absolute legend in Poland at the intersection of alternative, new wave, and punk rock. Their lyrics are still sung in Polish, and this is certainly one — though not the most important — reason why Dezerter is highly respected here.
Wolny Wybieg is a solid album that leaves no listener indifferent, and I recommend it to listeners from across the pond.
Madball- Not Your Kingdom” (Nuclear Blast Records)
Madball’s tenth studio album shows that Freddy Cricien is no longer that adorable kid
who used to fall asleep in the drum kit at Uncle Stigma’s concerts. A lot of water has
flowed down the Hudson River since then, and Madball has grown into a major player
on the global scene of raw hardcore.
Not Your Kingdom is the first album recorded after the band parted ways with
bassist Hoya. This marks the first time Freddy has faced the reality that, since the
band’s lineup solidified in 1993, he is the only remaining member from that era. It’s
no easy task to shoulder the entire weight of the band’s popularity as well as past
and future. However, he succeeded, as this latest album has been well-received by
fans around the world — and I, the undersigned, also enjoy it. So, let’s take it one step at a time.
There are 14 tracks here, which aren’t anything new, but even though Madball
is a fairly predictable band, they still manage to surprise. Admittedly, three tracks are
unnecessary: “Rebelude,” “Sunrise,” and “IWI.” They sound like intros to the next
tracks, yet they have separate titles and occupy separate spaces on the vinyl. I think
that for a band like Madball, padding the album with extra tracks is completely
unnecessary. However, the first two singles released online have already whet
appetites for what’s to come on the entire album. These are, in order, “Rebel Kids,”
with its New York street core vibe, and “Tethered,” which is pure Madball — exactly
what their fans expect. The latter track could serve as the meter prototype from
Sèvres for this album. Because this is Madball in its purest form: slightly slow-paced,
yet highly dynamic, with a furious Freddy on the mic and a full arsenal of modern
21st-century hardcore production techniques. This past summer, I saw them live in
Poland. They played those two tracks there, and they were very well received by the
audience, but the fact is that in Europe, Madball has carte blanche — their mere
appearance on stage shatters the system, let alone playing new tracks from their
(then) upcoming album.
On “Not Your Kingdom,” two other tracks also work exceptionally well - ones with what I’d call a
signature Madball trait. I’m referring to the blazingly fast, short tracks in the style of
the brash ’80s hardcore scene, when it was precisely the speed, ferocity, and
length — or rather, the brevity — of the songs that set the tone for hardcore music.
These are “Flammable” and “Don’t misStep.”
“Clockwork,” featuring Anthony Comunale of Killing Time, is also excellent. This track
deals with the inevitability of the passage of time, so the participation of a vocalist
from — ironically — Killing Time makes perfect sense here. The album wraps up neatly
with “Chase a Dream,” leaving us wanting more — and that’s probably the best thing
that can happen to both the artist and the fan.
Belgrado - "El Encuentro” EP (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)
Belgrado is a band based in Barcelona, Spain, but interestingly, its lineup includes
musicians from Venezuela and the United Kingdom, as well as a vocalist from
Poland. They’ve been around since 2021, and this 12-inch is their fifth release and also
their latest vinyl offering from earlier this year.
“El Encuentro” features four tracks sung in Polish, leaning toward powerful, modern
electronic music with influences from the European Cold Wave of the 1980's and
pop/disco music from the same era. Lead singer Patricia has a major influence on the
direction of the band’s music. Her charismatic vocal tone takes us on a journey back
to the early days of the Eurythmics, while adding a delicious touch of punk and new
wave edge. The musicians, for their part, have focused on capturing the spirit and
direction of the 1980's, which remain a cornerstone of rock music to this day.
On this single, the band refreshed its punk image and replaced the live drums with a
programmed electronic beat. This instantly takes us back 40 years in a time
machine. Back then, electronic drums were synonymous with modernity in music,
and synth-pop bands often used them interchangeably with programming and—as
some may remember—those flat, square drums that produced otherworldly sounds
still associated today solely with that era.
Belgrado has skillfully found its identity by blending various musical styles, and each
member’s background plays a huge role. The dynamics and energy of these
recordings are Latin American, the concept is British pop/rock/new wave, and the
driving force is gloomy Cold Wave from Poland. All three styles are close to my
heart, because they echo the sounds of bands I still listen to today. These include the
Basque band Kortatu, the Venezuelan band Sentimiento Muerto, a whole army of
Britpop bands, and the timeless, genre-defining album
The New Alexandria by the
Polish new wave group Siekiera. As I’ve already mentioned, the entire story is
steeped in the musical atmosphere of the 1980's.
The album opens with “Bezsennosc” ("Insomnia”) which sets the tempo for these
recordings, and Patricia’s beautiful voice brings out its Slavic character most vividly.
“Moje Mysli” ("My Thoughts”) blends deeply with dub drums. “Labirynt Marzen” ("The
Labrynth of Dreams”) on the other hand, has the most British feel, while the closing
track, “Spotkanie” ("The Encounter”) brings all the elements together into one.
I’m very curious about these recordings — especially the live version — and I’ll
definitely go see them in concert when they’re playing somewhere near me.
Darryl Jenifer - The Weather Channel” (ORG Music)
Darryl Jenifer is a legend of the Washington, D.C. hardcore scene; after all, as the
bassist for Bad Brains, he co-founded the band and recorded its most famous albums
with them. To this day, he is regarded as one of the most influential bassists in the
history of hardcore punk and reggae. Above all, he became famous for his incredibly
fast, precise, and technical playing, which defined the genre.
This year, his first full-length solo album was released. It’s his first recording in
16 years since his debut album,
In Search of Black Judas. That album was an
attempt to blend new concepts with the old Bad Brains sound. On the new album,
Darryl explores entirely new sources of musical inspirations. He also finds himself as
a musician who doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone and plays whatever is in
his heart.
The Weather Channel features eleven tracks, including nine new compositions and
two fresh takes on Bad Brains’ greatest hits from the album
I Against I. These two
are the opening tracks, "Sacred Love II” and “Re-Ignition II.” These were the first ones I liked,
because as a self-proclaimed fan of covers, I enjoy
different versions of punk rock songs I’m familiar with. On the other hand, die-hard
purists might not be pleased, because Darryl is experimenting and juggling a new
style for him — and I’d even go so far as to say he’s creating it from scratch.
Darryl hired jazz musicians, and as a result, this album sounds like the soundtrack to
a café playing smooth jazz. There’s a bit of variation here and there, but the
musicians mostly focus on maintaining a relaxing mood and a leisurely tempo — and
they do it perfectly.
These are professional musicians, and the names featured on the
recording are impressive. Among them are John Medeski, an avant-garde jazz
keyboardist from the Medeski Martin & Wood band; Ben Perowsky, a percussionist
with The Ben Perowsky Trio and the Moodswing Orchestra; Jack DeJohnette, who
recorded his parts shortly before his death in 2025; multi-instrumentalist Karma “Chogyi” Marco and German composer Karl Berger, who
composed and conducted the string parts. The latter also passed away before the album’s release.
This album had to be something special. It was recorded at a studio near Darryl’s
home in Woodstock, NY, and is a compilation of fusion, jazz, dub, rock, and — above
all — beautiful harmonies combined with professional musical arrangements. This
elevated Jenifer’s music to such a high level that he would never have achieved with
his Bad Brains bandmates. To call it eclectic is an understatement, because these
guys juggle genres, and while the main glue holding it all together is jazz on one
hand and Darryl’s bass on the other, there’s much more going on here.
It’s worth noting that all the tracks are instrumental, and what I like about them is that
there’s no sense of urgency — everything builds slowly, allowing you to savor the
entire concept. Of all the tracks, my favorite is “Punkbomba,” which really
explodes — but it’s an explosion of funk and bossa nova, though given Darryl’s
expressive bass, I’d call it “bassa nova”.
I’m glad that two members of Bad Brains are already releasing their solo recordings.
After all, aside from Darryl, who I’m reviewing here, there’s also frontman H.R., who
has recorded quite a few solo albums and is still touring. There’s also Dr. Know and
Earl Hudson, who have recorded a bit in side projects, but it’s never been as
distinctive as the work of the two colleagues mentioned above. I’m rooting for all of them. Here’s to more music!
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