G.I.S.M. lp.

[Sprague Dawley]

WOAH, saw some "Live 82-83" lp fetchingly priced for under 2,000 yen.. looked pristinely new, this is a re-issue?

Never realised GISM was an acronym, can't remember what it stands for now... (head was in even more of a fog than usual at the time, clasping me brand new CORRUPTED lp...)@

[Zeno]

It's a recently issued bootleg by the great bootleggers at Absolute Power. I heard the sound quality is suck-ass though.

[steve eldritch]

Zeno said:

I heard the sound quality is suck-ass though.

Unfortunately most bootlegs do.

From what I've heard G.I.S.M. always stood for different shit depending on what Sakevi was into at the time. I don't know shit about this band.

[ghoul]

God In the Schizoid Mind
Guerilla Incendiary Sabotage Mutineer
Grand Imperialism Social Murder
Gay Individual Social Mean

I forget the others....Randy Uchida rest in peace.

Thanx to Simon for this :

GISM gDetestationh 12" (Dogma/City Rocker, 1984)
One of the most truly demented hardcore records ever released, GISMfs massively influential gDetestationh set an enduring precedent for Japanese metalcore and remains a global cult favourite to this day, status due in no small part to its absolutely original method of combining punk and metal influences in equal doses. While the idea of mixing the styles was not entirely new by 1984, the choice of metallic inspiration certainly was. Punks elsewhere were digging the new sounds brought by early ANTHRAX, METALLICA and SLAYER precisely because these rough-hewn upstarts presented a marked contrast to the decidedly unpunk mainstream arena metal acts; GISM, on the other hand, embraced the cheese with unlikely but effective results. In fact, it might even be somewhat misleading to refer to some of GISMfs rockist influences as gmetalh at all, at least as most understand that term in 2002, and therein lies the secret of Japanese hardcorefs successful appropriation of gmetalh ever since, even as the crossover did untold damage to Western hardcore. American and British outfits took their cues from the speed/thrash and nascent death metal sub-genres. This initially lead to strong hardcore records fortified with the crunch and power of metal, but quickly lead to weak hair-farmer fodder as the metal went from influence to allegiance (see the CRO-MAGS and DRI entries for examples). Given that these newer forms ultimately emphasized leaden heaviness and yawn-inducing technicality over the punk priorities of energy and rawness, such disappointment seems in retrospect to have been inevitable. GISM-- and more specifically late guitarist Randy Uchida-- avoided this fate by instead drawing inspiration from earlier, pre-thrash forms of hard rock and purist heavy metal, especially the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) bands. Comprised of the young, unrefined UK metal outfits like IRON MAIDEN, SAXON, SAVAGE and DEF LEPPARD that appeared in the late e70's and very early e80's, the NWOBHM was to heavy metal specifically what punk had been to rockfnfroll in general circa 1977-- a revolution from below that rejected bloated prog excess in favour of a leaner, more down-to-earth approach. The NWOBHM is perhaps now best known for providing bands that would go on to become the old guard that they aimed to reject-- and for being METALLICAfs key inspiration-- but it was clearly also a crucial influence on GISMfs energetic, muscular metalpunk.
Similarly, the bandfs bizarre glammish appearance and squealing guitar solos betray the influence of exactly the sort of post-AEROSMITH hard rock that was all the rage in North America at the time, often with barely-disguised (if embarrassing, from this side of the fence) punk roots. Flamboyant rockers like MOTLEY CRUE, FASTER PUSSYCAT and Finlandfs HANOI ROCKS were infamous for playing quick, sleazy hard rock that was inspired more by the NEW YORK DOLLS and the SEX PISTOLS than BLACK SABBATH or MOUNTAIN. Dreadful stuff indeed, but in GISMfs capable hands, these disparate influences were to be grafted onto the traditional DISCHARGE/MOTORHEAD chassis, souped up to reach the occasional TERVEET KADET sort of tweaked velocity, given an extra dose of genuine psychosis and transformed into something strange and wonderful. Obnoxious as hair metal was, it remained far closer to the sound of rockfnfroll than the otherwise more acceptable thrash metal that was to corrupt Western hardcore into virtual extinction by the early e90's. The overwhelming influence GISM (and their like-minded contemporaries GASTUNK and the EXECUTE) maintained on Japanese hardcore transmitted these influences effectively, ensuring that even the fiercest, heaviest outfits-- DEATH SIDE, BASTARD, CRUDE-- were able to incorporate the gruff vocals and wild lead guitar work that have become the hallmark of A-list Japcore, without ever sacrificing an ounce of punk energy and roughness.

[Zeno]

steve said:

Unfortunately most bootlegs do.

As far as I'm concerned, Absolute Power is THE premiere bootlegger. Their releases are worth the price for the presentation and information provided alone. They/He are a true fan of the music. I doubt this LP in question is a good idea for a GISM neophyte. Get the new CD, or find someone to burn you the early stuff. I have all of it on CD, so if you'd like a burn of any of it, I'm sure we can work something out. I can rip it all to MP3 so it fits on a single CDR. Would that work? What other elder statesman Japanese HC do you wonder about? I might as well fill the CDR up. Private message me about it, with your address.

[People Are Nuclear Poisoning]

I think Absolute Power is going downhill since it's only one guy doing it, but it's still the only bootlegger worth buying from. (Yen2000 seems a bit too much though.)

Here's the review I wrote about this for www.bacteria.nl

GISM- "Live Tokyo 1982-1983" LP
(Absolute Power 2003)
Another live document of the early Japanese hardcore scene. GISM is probably the most well known Japanese hardcore band ever, and many bootlegs have seen the light of day since the early nineties. Absolute Power did one of the better with the ‘Human Condition’ LP, so my expectations for this one were high. Well, first of all, in my opinion this boot is great, and an essential document of an era. This features live performances by the band in their early days, the 82 performance are the earliest GISM songs ever to be released, and feature a different guitar player than on their studio recordings. The sound is bad, the songs are raw as fuck punk, and the whole performance is a total noise assault. The 83 performance features guitar player Randy, and features a lot of  more typical GISM songs, known from their 12” and comp appearances. The sound is a bit more civilized, but still very noisy, and the songs differ quite a bit from their later studio versions. I really don’t know if these recordings were already available on the internet, because I never download music with my computer, but even if they are, get this for the nice artwork and interesting booklet. It’s great that Absolute Power try to document this period, instead of using more accessible recordings from their later period that everyone already has, like other bootleggers do. For the collector nerds, there’s a version with slightly different cover, limited to 51 or so, and a test pressing. Get this. (Maarten Punk)

[MrBates]

Thanatos'_embalmed_botfly said:

WOAH, saw some "Live 82-83" lp fetchingly priced for under 2,000 yen.. looked pristinely new, this is a re-issue?

Never realised GISM was an acronym, can't remember what it stands for now... (head was in even more of a fog than usual at the time, clasping me brand new CORRUPTED lp...)@

He said Gism.. Hee hee hee YEAH jism jism cool.

[Greg]

Ghoul, can't forget a few more interesting official ones:

From Detestation CD: Grubby Incest Stripper Mastitis.
From SoniCRIME TheRapy: Genocide Infanticide Suicide Menticide, and Gnostic Idiosyncracy Sonic Militant.

Also, thanks for the two reviews, guys. Very interesting reads. I have the new Absolute Power bootleg as well, I was very interested to see it, because the original Absolute Power is a good item to have as well.

I haven't listened to it since I got it several months ago, but I remember it having a very, very poor recording. Still a very important listen, nonetheless. I do like to hear the different sound before they officially recorded, though. If I remember correctly, they play Tear Their Syphilitic Vaginas To Pieces, and Sakevi barely sings at all, which means I get to sing along when I listen.

Also, Ghoul, indeed... RIP Randy Uchida. When did he die? It was a few years ago, I believe, but does anyone know the exact date or cause? I heard it was cancer.

[antonisarmed]

armed-death.freehostia.com
hellenic cult black death metal band.
cd"return 1991-93...2006.." by in metal we trust records.
tape version of the cd by brazilian goat music records.
split 7"ep coming soon.