Two swell old-style DIY comps, the real, help-out-your-friends, fuck-the-money kind of DIY. These could as easily have come out in '83 & '84 as '99 & '00 like they did. Vol. 1 has four bands, including the Netherlands' Antidote, and the mood is sort of uptempo punk. Left me unprepared for the extra asshole Vol. 2 tore me. Seven bands here (two from the first volume, but they got better! And faster!), over 71% balls-out thrash from some of the best bands you may never have heard of (Goddamn Ditchdiggers, the Stillborns, Unfortunate Sons, Aaargh, Planet Trash, and the rest).
–doug (Ditchdiggin Records, 106 Horaney St., Longview, TX 75601; www.angelfire.com/tx2/ditchdiggin)