SCRATCH — Drop The Needle: Boston Punk Anthology (review)

SCRATCH — Drop The Needle: Boston Punk Anthology album cover Split · 2013 · Alternative Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Time Signature
Let's drink some beer...

Genre: punk / hardcore / hard rock / alternative metal

"Drop the Needle: The Boston Punk Anthology" is a collection of tracks from Smegma & the Nunz, Celebrity Death Certificate, Scratch, Mallet Head and the 1985 line-up of Gang Green. Thus it documents the history and diversification of the Boston punk scene.

The tracks by Smegma & the Nunz, which also dominate the release, are by far the punkiest and represent the punk end of the hardcore continuum. This imeans that, although there is plenty of chaos and aggression, there is not much metallic about the Smegma and the Nunz tracks. But, if you're into punk, then you definitely don't want to miss out on tracks like 'Bourgeois Lad', 'Joke's on You' and 'Napalm Sticks to Kids'.

Gang Green are represented by one track - namely, the original version of 'Let's Drink some Beer' from 1985, which is actually superior to the 1987-version from "You Got It". Compared to the 1987-version, this one is actually more metallic, but in comparison with their later output, we are still in the more punky end of hardcore. Needless to say, if you drink beer, this should be your anthem.

The two Celebrity Death Certificate tracks are more in the vein of hard rock with a slight punky twist. This also applies to the two Mallet Head tracks, although these also seem to feature elements from what would later be referred to as alternative metal and grunge.

The three tracks by Scratch are alternative metal songs in the vein of Alice in Chains and Soundcarden. They are quite heavy and a sense of darkness emanates from them. With the exception of the hardcore punk attack that is 'El Mostro', the Scratch tracks really capture the essence of the more grunge-oriented territory of alternative metal. Scratch only released one EP, which is strange, given that their style pretty much epitomized early 90s alternative metal.

Fans of the Boston punk scene should definitely check out this anthology. Given that Smegma & the Nunz are the dominant artist on this release, the main target grup of the release are admittedly punk fans, but there are some goodies for metalheads too.
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