Various – Brotherhood Of Mono Tone - Hazard Zone Sampler

Despite being an American record label, the term Bastard Loud sounds very British. It's therefore appropriate that UK Hardcore/Speedcore DJ HMS (Rest In Peace) provided the first record on the label. BL005 showcases the finest in underground German Hardcore.

Titanium Steel Screws (what a good artist name!) starts off the record with a healthy serving of Acidcore. Cruising along at a nice BPM, the bubbly Acid line is solid and that rising sound that pops up is fairly effective. I'd like to think tracks like Next was noticed by DJ Dano eventually leading to a Titanium Steel (minus the Screws) release on Mokum Records.

E De Cologne is considered by many underground heads to be one of the most underappreciated geniuses of real Hardcore Techno. And I'm inclined to agree. Alas, this song that Patric Krämer has named after himself is for the most part not great, except for one thing. There's an incredible driving bassline that saves the entire track, I can imagine this would sound impressive on a loud sound system.

The B-Side belongs to Martin Damm. As a Biochip C track, Nightbreed Adventures Part 1, its closer to Hard Acid. I do find the first half boring, however things pick in the second half. The quirky computerised stabs and other bits and pieces in the background. The Acid itself only lasts a few seconds, which is lamentable. Not my favourite Biochip C track. The fact this is a Sampler possibly alludes to a Part 2.....

Biochip C transforms into The Speed Freak for the final and best track on the record. It starts off with a sizeable sample of the famous Manga movie, Akira, before the bassdrum kicks in. My favourite part of Hazardzone is the burning Acid lines that rip across the beats. There's also a number of bleeps, blobs and tasty riffs that keep the track quite entertaining. Awesome Acid Hardcore hidden amongst the stellar discography of The Prince Of Pot! :)

I like that the title of the record is a reference to the record label these artists come from. Although Mono Tone closed down shortly after the release on this record. Which *might* explain why this is called a Sampler, and possibly a reference to a bigger project which was suppose to come out with these artists? Bastard Loud was always a bit more experimental than Industrial Strength with Lenny Dee having a keen ear for different styles of Hardcore. It probably helps that he was DJ-ing all over the world every week! This piece of vinyl is a great retrospective of German Hartcore.

Probably my favourite release on Bastard Loud, showcasing some of the heavy hitters from the German hardcore scene at the time. The A-side tracks can best be described as early experiments in industrial hardcore (years before industrial hardcore was recognised as a genre in it's own right) with heavy percussion and squelchy acid. The B-side features two hardcore tunes from Martin Damm (aka Biochip C and The Speed Freak), chock full of quirky sounds, samples, and more acid. A wicked record which was far from the largely formulaic gabber dominating Europe at the time.

The intro to the B2 track is a great big chunk from 'Akira'...its the scene on the bridge with the preacher where Tetsuo gets shot at by the soldiers with big lasers.

'Laser hold on 3 seconds, focus on narrow range, ready...fire!'