Ultra Violence was a N.Y. hardcore band whose initial output was peppered across nearly every one of Big City’s ‘80s compilations their first time ‘round. Nothing wrong with that at all, as some of the best bands from that period never got past “compilation band” status, but now they’ve managed to release their first proper album some twenty-nine years after they first stomped terra. What you get here are ten new (circa-2009) recordings of older tunes that sound like they could’ve easily been recorded back in the band’s heyday. Tacked on after the recent recordings are their original recordings from the 1980s, all in their original states of dubious sound quality, which will no doubt offend the sensibilities of the kids who’ve grown up in the ProTools and CD world, but will give older folks a moment to pause and reflect on what measures bands would go to just to be heard back when the term “punk” didn’t come with a copyright symbol and a sponsor’s logo next to it.
–jimmy (Welfare)