Thursday, July 28, 2011

Septic Death - "Now That I Have Your Attention, What Do I Do With It?"

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Septic Death - "Now That I Have Your Attention, What Do I Do With It?", my very first hardcore record. Picked it up through the June 1986 issue of Thrasher Magazine when I signed up for my subscription. Pretty extreme album to be ushered in by, definitely not a light weight collection of music by any means. Heavy, intense, manic and just about as raw as it gets. Septic Death really was Pushead's art and vision personified. I definitely had never heard anything like Septic Death up until that point and I'm pretty certain that 25 years later, I still haven't.

Never heard Septic Death? Do yourself a favor and search em' out. Be warned though, they are not for the faint of heart. Prepare yourself for an onslaught of destruction, something along the lines of what bands like Citizens Arrest and Infest went on to do years after Septic Death's demise. A Maximum RockNRoll article said it best, "Religions were formed to create a god, and god was created, so you wouldn't fear death, and the reality of dying is Septic Death". Make and effort, show your hardware. -Tim DCXX

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17 comments:

Dave B said...

You are so right. Septic Death and Christ on Parade were some of the 1st bands that I got into. Never Trust and Teach Your Children well...so intense.

Ben Edge said...

Totally insane music, totally insane looking, and they were from IDAHO. They must have seemed like they were from Mars to your average Idaho citizen circa 1985.

hncreature said...

Oh yeah...got mine with the Thrasher subscription also...sadly mine was warped but that didn't stop me from putting a quarter on the arm of the turntable - That album led me to many many good record orders through Pusmort...Christ On Parade...Final Conflict...Poison Idea...Attitude Adjustment...all the singles...the list goes on - I've found myself saying that Converge kind of..."kind of"...takes me back to those days when I first listened to Septic Death...so indescribable yet so good!

Jim Pitts said...

I saw the Septic Death show at the Farm in SF....they were crazy to say the least! (to be sacrileigious "Drunk Injuns" with talent?) Shame that Brian/Pushead was (supposedly) as tough to work with as his art was intense. It meant that the "real" Septic Death only ever played about 10 shows.......

ShayKM said...

Have to second all these comments here. SD were the first US band to refine the Japanese HC sound and make it even better. Nice to see DCXX give some credit to one of HCs most distinct bands. Another Idaho band from this period was State of Confusion. Caught them at Gilman and they threw it down. Something about those wide-open spaces breeds some heavy shit.

Full Disclosure said...

Excellent article. Would love to hear, see and read more about Septic Death!

Frank Cassidy said...

One of the best posts on here, Tim. I remember the Thrasher ad well. A monumental record.
This would be a great piece to follow up on, as little was known of them.

Anonymous said...

Gore Story!!!

Stormy said...

Septic Death is in my top 10 hardcore bands ever. The song Terrorain is just pure insanity. That was the first S song i ever heard. My roommate back in like 89 or so played it for me and i was floored. Also turned me onto Rudimentary Peni the same day. From there 45 Grave and some other dark bands... It was like discovering a world i never knew existed.

I have the studio discography on my blog at 320 if anyone needs it.
www.bloggedquartered.blogspot.com

They don't make 'em like Septic Death anymore.

Anonymous said...

Great piece, Tim! Youtube, here I come...

Jonathan said...

Wow, what a great giveaway with a subscription, I'd even sign up for Cat Fancy with that album give out. I think you get a beanie with Thrasher now...

I never really liked Septic Death, always went to the Japanese for my more extreme hardcore, I think bands like Gauze, Lip Cream, Systematic Death ect. had a big influence on Mr. 'Head. But I'll give this another listen...'cause I do what I'm told. Haha

dangerclose said...

Great article--it's crazy that anything Pushead touched from this era is worth a bunch-of-bucks at auction--is this the record with a backward track??

crystal pistol said...

THAW!!!!!!!!!!!

Even in the 80's when they were relevant, they seemed very mysterious, you'd get MRR and see a grainy 1" square newsprint photo of Pushead singing, dressed in what looked like rags...from Idaho...what the fuck!? And his artwork back then couldn't be beat, every flyer is a classic, the album covers are perfect, and his reviews in Thrasher opened new doors every month.

But then he got cheesy once Metallica got hold of him.

John Cowell said...

Just when I think that this website can't get cooler, you guys drag something like this out. Sadly, I think Thrasher is a mere shell of what it once was. If you look closely at the article next to the SD add, you'll read that it mentions Keith Morris becoming sXe.

Yehuda said...

Truly a positive surprise to find a piece on Septic Death here.
Can't say I am huge fan, but I can definitely appreciate the originality and creativity of their sound.

Anonymous said...

Being such a music nerd, wasn't that the 'Danzig' issue? I have my old Thrasher's put away safe & secure. By the way, it is funny how it talks about Mike Ness and Keith Morris sobering up in the 'Notes From The Underground' section, I believe...

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