Apparently they just got punk in Montana, because this sounds as good as an early 80s hardcore comp [It IS!], with no jadedness or crossover metal or whiny vocals. The only nod to 90s hardcore was a movie sample to open Venal i.v's furious hardcore song. But they redeemed themselves by getting it wrong - the movie sample was longer than the song! Also outstanding was Deranged Diction, the Banned, and Disgruntled Nation, who sound like they just learned about 1983 hardcore, so they're playing extra fast to catch up. Also notable, Pat Phlymm who plays bouncy acoustic guitar with intentionally awful punk lyrics -Roctober #42, January 2006
Regional
comps used to be so important in hardcore. Here is one that documents
a god fearing state where it's not easy to be a punk. Great bands on here.
-Equalizing X Distort Volume 6 issue 2, January 2006
A
historical retrospective of Montana hardcore including everyone from Missoula's
hyper thrash godfathers DERANGED DICTION (1983!) to modern day torch-bearers
ASS-END OFFEND. As a fan of female singers in punk rock I enjoyed SASSHOLE's
brand of crust-core with snotty, melodic vocals. So much of this sounds
like it was recorded in the 80s, even though most of it from the 90s and
later. That's not a bad thing—I mean they're all broken up anyway,
and what's the difference between a rad old 80s thrash band and a rad,
80s-sound-ing, 90s thrash band? PAT PHLYM breaks the mold with silly,
gross acoustic songs like "8 Stinky Stenches." 13 bands, 49
songs, and a totally excellent zine-style insert with lots of personal
histories, band discographies, lyrics, etc. A quality regional comp! -MaximumRockNRoll
#268 September2005
49 track compilation of past and present Montana
hardcore and punk rock with killer presentation. Now, I just can’t
fault this, this rules. You got DISGRUNTLED NATION, ASS END OFFEND, VENAL
I.V., SASSHOLE, THE ANTI DIFRANCOS, MISCREANTS, HUMPY, PAT PHYLUM, G.O.P.,
THE BANNED, DERANGED DICTION and BASTARD SQUAD. We’re suckers for
comps here at NFT and when great ones like this come along, we are excited
for ages. It’s so cool looking and something interesting in a time
when punk rock has gotten so far from interesting it hurts. Really fuckin
cool. -No Front Teeth ‘zine (11/21/04), London, UK www.nofrontteeth.co.uk
An awesome idea for a compilation, especially one from a scene not too many people are familiar with. This disc has tracks not only from Missoula’s current crop of hardcore punk, but also long lost stuff from DERANGED DICTION (probably the most—only?—famous Montana HC band), THE BANNED, and lots on mid-90s bands that helped shape the current scene. ASS END OFFEND and their total in your face crushing hardcore sit atop the pile of newer acts, which includes VENAL i.V. (sxe guitar/drum thrash), ANTI DIFRANCOS, SASSHOLE, HUMPY (awesome snotty thrashpunk) and more. The older stuff is awesome; DERANGED DICTION would have been legendary were they from Boston or San Francisco...but instead their rock is preserved for the new generations fit kids in Montana. Lots of photos, history, and personal stories from the people who made the history. A great compilation on so many fronts. (-Robert) Slug & Lettuce #74
As you can probably guess from the title, this is a compilation from Montana that spans a twenty-year period. There is a good mix of new and old on here with twelve bands playing forty-nine songs. The packaging is pretty good and provides some history on the bands as well as rants about the scene in Montana as well as a complete list of resources. Bands included are Disgruntled Nation, Ass End Offend, Venal I.V., Sasshole, The Anti Difrancos, Miscreants, Humpy, Pat Phlymm, G.O.P., The Banned, Deranged Diction, and Bastard Squad. Most of the music is mid to fast pace hardcore and punk. There is some quality stuff on here and it is a good compilation from a scene off of the beaten path. -JB, Heartattack #44
Quite an interesting compilation of Montana punk and hardcore bands. This CD features cuts from DISGRUNTLED NATION, THE BANNED, and MISCREANTS, among others. I especially dug the ANTI DIFRANCOS and the warped music of PAT PHLYMM. This comes with a cool booklet with info on all the bands, plus a short history of Montana punk rock. -(Doug) Profane Existence #46