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Hello and thanks for reading. This week I will write about the recent LEGION OF PARASITES reissue on General Speech. This record was released forty years ago, and this is the first time it has ever been reissued! It was originally released by Fight Back in 1984. If you don’t know, Fight Back was a side label of Mortarhate Records. I’m not sure what the intention behind the sub-label was, but I know Mortarhate was operated by members of CONFLICT. Somewhere along the way, Cherry Red picked up the rights to this record, cos I can see this pressing is licensed from them. I think the actual record sounds excellent, and the packaging is nice and proper. The photos were printed perfectly on the back, and often photos print fucked up unless the person doing the formatting/layout knows exactly what they are doing. This pressing was slightly enhanced by including an insert, as the original did not come with on (...at least that is what I thought until I just checked Discogs, fuck.) Someone recently uploaded a picture of an insert and they said you could get it by writing the band. I have never seen a copy with one, damn. While the insert inside this reissue is a bit different than the one I saw in Discogs, it does still include lyrics. When listening to political bands I think it’s especially important to get a lyrics insert. I feel a bit silly saying political bands, but you know what I mean? I mean those bands who really take the time to write thought provoking lyrics and use their music as a weapon. Not like those bands whose lyrics are about petty things like social ridicule. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for criticizing your peers, but more often than not, I don’t find those lyrics very entertaining. (The perfect exception to what I’ve just said is SHAVED APE.)
Anyway, LEGION OF PARASITES certainly has elements of that early anarcho sound, but there is a bit more to it than the traditional Crass Records formula. On this EP specifically, they kind of remind me of SUBHUMANS actually, but overall they have more of an aggressive sound. They really lean into that on their LP that followed the year after. Overall, they really remind of ANTI-SYSTEM (one of my favorite English bands.) Funny enough, ANTI-SYSTEM also started out with more of a traditional anarcho sound and evolved into a pummeling monster on their LP.
Alongside General Speech’s recent reissues, we also got some other releases he is handling distribution for in the US. I didn’t know this band existed until I saw these LPs. DEAD ENDS was from the Philippines, and it’s safe to say this is the first band I have ever heard from there. They pumped out three cassettes from 1985 to 1987 and this is the first time they have ever been reissued. Naturally, this really increased my interest, and after checking them each out just once, I grabbed a copy of them all for myself. I haven’t spent much time at all with them outside of work, so I have only been able to take the music in. After a brief look at them, the packaging seems nice. Each includes a sticker and double-sided insert filled with text. I will have to spend some time outside work to really explore the releases, but I think I already favor their third LP the most, Damned Nation. Coming from an uncultured noob, I am guessing the opinion is probably not common, haha. That one stuck out to me the most though, but probably cos it sounds the most hardcore.
I can’t leave without mentioning that the KRIEGSHOG LP is back in print! I realize that there are probably a whole crop of younger kids who may not be familiar with the band since they disappeared for a long time. I know they had peppered out those EPs way after the first few 7"s and LP, and I remember one being a posthumous release? Maybe I am totally mistaken. LVEUM has put the LP back in print, and it’s coming alongside a brand new LP I have a lot of anticipation for. If you haven’t heard them before, immediately check out their debut LP that is now back in print. I think it is safe to say this is a modern masterpiece, and a copy belongs in every single record collection. Alright that’s all I got for today. Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone for your support.