Live records can be either good or bad - there is no middle ground. Gehenna is a clear example of doing it well (The Catharsis Split and The Hope Guzzo Bootleg respectively) while other recordings sound like complete dog shit. Reproach sounds immaculate on this LP, bringing energy and attitude to the table.
Reproach is a band that automatically makes me want to thrash. They aren't ground breaking or genre busting but they put out record after record of solid skate thrash in the vein of Infest and A.N.S. - whom the band did a split with. Their tracks are catchy yet savage and they mix just the right amount of aggression and good times. Between the lyrics about skateboarding and hating the police, the band could be seen almost as a parody but a quick listen to the music proves that insight wrong. What is clear: Reproach loves skating, drinking, and causing chaos.
This is a live cut from 2008 and features material spanning their discography. I cannot comment on the between the song banter since I don't speak Belgian but it certainly seems like it was a good time. Each song is presented nice and clear with Stijn's recognizable vocals (The same Stijn of Blind Of Faith). With a lot of live recordings, things seem muddled but I really like the production; the intensity is still there but it's well mixed. Reproach blow through a good twenty-one tracks in the span of seventeen minutes. Besides the usual skate anthems, the band covers GG Allin and Black Flag. "Drink, Fight, Fuck" is a great cover as is "Gimme Gimme Gimme" and both go with the other material (Like live recordings, covers are usually hit and miss. Either the band does the song justice or just butchers it to the point of ridicule). Since this is a live album, there are no lyrics since they can easily be found in the other records - which are for the most part still easily found in myriad distros around the world. Everything is tied together nicely with a cool, collage sleeve. It gathers various flyers for both bands - Sunpower and Reproach; the end result is easy on the eye rather than messy and unorganized.
Sunpower was a band that caught me off guard. I had heard tracks here and there but never really sat down and gave the band a solid listen. I will also admit that I bought this album solely for Reproach's contribution (The simple fact that it was a mere $5 was another determining factor). That being said, it was foolish to blindly bypass Sunpower. The band powers through fifteen tracks of fast hardcore. Is it as good as the Reproach side? No, but it is better than 85% of the other 'hardcore' bands out there. Sunpower has a handful of other releases including an LP titled 'Bondage' has been on my buy list for a while. After hearing their side of the split a couple times, I cannot help but make a connection to the Dead Kennedys, especially the guitar work. Check out the band for sure.
With any split, the winner must be picked and in this case it is clearly Reproach. I only wish I saw them when they came through the States a couple years back since Belgium is quite the road trip. This split is from a press of 1000 copies - 800 black, 100 blue, and 100 red. Reproach is probably one of my favorite bands going and I've heard rumors of a brand new LP sometime in 2011. Thrash punk at its finest.
A quick note, if you check out the band's YouTube page, you can find a couple of animated videos that correspond with the tracks "Onward To Destruction" and "Rat Race". Completely gnarly art that reminds me of Super Jail - especially the over-the-top violence and gore.
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