Discharge - Why?

Time again for a mid-day Sunday classic and what a huge 12” single / EP this is. On a par with absolutely no other band at the time, Discharge's music is ugly and jagged without the artistic convolution of their no-wave contemporaries overseas, nor the bluesiness of early UK "speed metal" like Venom or Motörhead. It is catchy, repetitive, stomping chords that literally anyone can play, accentuated by drumming that seems to emphasize creating a hellacious racket rather than keep a steady beat. Song subjects are all very serious and socially conscious, yet the lyrics themselves seem more informed by emotions than political studies. Instead of creating a melody, vocalist Cal's grunting shout merely blends in with the rhythm, a fourth instrument unto itself. This was "three chords and the truth" taken to heart, all the way by four guys who refused to be photographed when not performing or to record on anything that had more than 8 tracks. "Why", the 12" alone revolutionized everything. It quite literally gave way for the atonal shredding of hardcore punk, thrash, death metal, and grind, but also the dead-serious political ideals and brutal backing of crust hardcore.
This reissue also includes their earliest 7 inches, filled with countless classics like "Always Restrictions" "Fight Back" "It's No T.V. Sketch" and the instantly recognizable "Decontrol"

Discharge - Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing

A punk rock landmark if ever there was one, Discharge's Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing is one of the most bleak, angry albums to ever grace the underground. The album is important on all sorts of levels, from what it did to the British hardcore scene to the long-lasting effect it had on heavy metal. And the worst part is that time has slowly erased the album from the minds of punk rockers, although the heavy metal tendencies of the band had always made them outcasts in their own scene. But this is the real thing, filled with bitter tirades against the government and predicting all-out nuclear destruction with chilling detail. The unrelenting pound of the music would create a huge movement in the hardcore world, starting first in their own country where bands like the Exploited would bring the metal sound into their music. Time has hardly dulled the effect of the music; this still sounds as relevant as it did in 1982 if only because the song topics are fairly timeless. Tracks like "Protest and Survive," "Hell on Earth," and "Free Speech for the Dumb" are not only incredibly catchy and simple, but pack their maximum impact because of this simplicity. The terrifying screams of "Cries of Help" may be one of the most haunting moments on any hardcore album, while "The End" is an excellent ending track that sums up the message of the album perfectly. Their music before and after this point is quite unpredictable when it comes to quality, but this moment in their career was a very vital one that left an enormous imprint on music, even if most people do not realize it.