Sunday, August 22, 2010

Assück - The Audio Death Collection 1989-1998 (revised 8/08/10)



Grindcore perfection from St. Petersburg, Florida. This is as good as it gets. Assück created an effortless blending of hardcore punk and grindcore/death metal, in a way i'd never heard before or since. The band's first full length LP, Anticapital, is my favorite recording in the genre, only after the early Napalm Death Peel Sessions.

This is a collection of 7"s, compilation tracks, demos and live tracks, most of which are not on the band's 2 CD releases. Excellent sound throughout. Enjoy.

Assück: The Audio Death Collection

1996 line-up:
Steve Heritage - guitar
/ vocals
Rob Proctor - drums
Steve Kosiba - bass


The song "Alabaster" is the last song the band released. It was featured on the 403 Chaos Comp: Florida Fucking Hardcore CD in 1998 on Schematics Records (Steve Heritage's label). The comp was a collection of hardcore/punk bands that have played at 403 Chaos in Tampa, FL. The CD was packaged as a ten-inch, filled with lyrics, fliers, and contributions from the zines In Abandon and Haili. Tracks (mostly exclusive) by Reversal of Man, Tomorrow, Assuck, Strikeforce Diablo, Hot Water Music, Combat Wounded Veteran, Cavity, Omega Man, Nineteen Hundred and Twelve, Early Grace, Discount, Dragbody, Twelve Hour Turn, Cease, Hankshaw, Bird of Ill Omen, I Hate Myself, Scrotum Grinder, and Jud Jud.
"Alabaster" was also on the Can't Stop This Train comp CD in 1999 on Join The Team Player Records. The song was recorded sometime after the Misery Index sessions at Morrisound Studios. The Misery Index LP was released in 1997 on Sound Pollution Records. Jason Crittenden replaced Steve on bass after the LP was recorded, and did a couple of tours with the band.

The song "Corners" was featured on the Big Pants Waste Precious Fabric comp CD, released in 1995 on No Idea Records. The CD (mastered by Steve Heritage) was included with No Idea Fanzine issue 11. 10,000 were pressed. Paul Pavlovich is on the vocals for this version of the song, and Steve Kosiba played bass. "Corners" was re-recorded for the Misery Index LP a year later.

Big Pants Waste Precious Fabric was an excellent compilation, and a great document of all the different sounds that were going on in the punk scene during the early-mid '90s. From Assfactor 4 to Rain Like The Sound Of Trains, from Drop Dead to J Church. And everything in between.

1992 line-up:
Paul Pavlovich - vocals
Steve Heritage - guitar
Rob Proctor - drums
Pete Jay - bass

The Bloodless Unreality comp 7" was released in 1992 on Forfeit Records (Forfeit 01). Artwork by Paul Pavlovich and layouts by Steve Heritage. Mastered at Fullersound. The sleeve came as an 8 page booklet with lyrics and info on the featured bands. All great tracks by Destroy, Hellnation, Confrontation and Assück. "Procession", from the Anticapital LP, was remixed for this comp with a bass track added in. "Blindspot" was on the Blindspot 7", originally released on Open Records in 1992, and re-released by Schematics Records that same year, and by Sound Pollution in 1993 as a limited European tour edition. The Blindspot 7" was the band's first record with a bass player (Pete Jay). It was recorded in June/July of '92 at Morrisound Studios in Tampa. FL, and mastered at Fullersound. Great artwork again by Paul Pavlovich. Produced and engineered by Scott Burns. An incredible 7" with a sound that perfectly bridges the gap between Anticapital and Misery Index.

The Apocalyptic Convulsions comp 10" was released in 1992 on Ax/ction Records. Limited to 1500 copies (500 came with bonus 7"), the comp included a poster insert with liner notes contributed by each of the bands. Amazing cover art by Morbid Mark. The 2 Assück tracks from this comp, "Anticapital" and "Spiritual Manipulation" were both previously on the Anticapital LP. I'm not sure if these 2 tracks were re-recorded, or if Pete Jay just added bass tracks to the original LP recordings. Check out the Infest post for further info on this (mostly) great comp.

1989-1991 line-up:
Paul Pavlovich - vocals
Steve Heritage - guitar
Rob Proctor - drums

The State To State 7" was released in 1992 on SOA Records. With the exception of a spoken-word piece called "A Nation's Tear" (spoken by Dawn Wilson, and early roadie for the band), all tracks had previously been released on the Anticapital LP. These songs were recorded September 16-19, 1991 at Morrisound, Tampa, FL. Released in 1991 on Sound Pollution Records on blue and black vinyl. Engineered by Scott Burns and produced by Rob Proctor and Steve Heritage. Anticapital was re-released by Sound Pollution in 1994 on CD, along with the tracks from the Blindspot 7", the 2 tracks from the split 7" with O.L.D. (1991 No System Records), and the track from Bllleeeeaaauuurrrrgghhh! (1991 Slap A Ham).

Even though these tracks are on the Anticapital LP/CD, i decided to include them here for 2 reasons. First, the sound is much fuller than on the album. It's ripped from the Old Days Nostalgia 3xCD (SOA Records). And second, these 4 tracks just flow perfectly together, it's the perfect ep.

The Necro Salvation 7" was recorded in 1989 at Morrisound, and released in 1990 on Rigid Records. Engineered by Scott Burns, produced byAssück. Original pressing was black and white sleeve with green vinyl. Later repressed on No System Records with different cover art. Some versions came in a 10" sleeve, not sure which label or pressing though. I've come to love this ep over the years. Less political than the later records, this one is lyrically more sex and Satan. Juvenile, but with tongue planted firmly in cheek, with a few moments of greatness, and little hints as to what was to come. This is a really nice sounding rip. Best i've heard yet.

Next up is the band recorded live on January 10, 1990 at a sports bar called Body Talk in N. Pinellas Park in Florida opening for a band called Meatwagon. Roughly 25 songs, really good quality. Sounded like a fun show.

Ending out the collection is a nice treat. The hard to find, entire 17-song "Born Backwards" 1989 demo. This is a nice, loud and clean sounding rip (320). Best you'll hear. I didn't remove any of the tape hiss as i didn't want to mess with the sound, but aside from a few tracks (like the first one), it's hardly even noticeable. The wall of noise music actually covers up 90% of the hiss.


It's mind-blowing how much this band progressed both musically and lyrically in one year.

From the Discog site:
Final line-up:
Rob Proctor - Drums (Crucible, Anthem Eighty Eight, No Fraud, Manic Dose, Nasty Savage, Cease, Discordance Axis)
Jason Crittenden - Bass (ex-Reversal of Man, Early Grace, Anthem Eighty Eight, Frogg Pound)
Steve Heritage - Guitar, Vocals (ex- Jud-Jud, Bombs of Death, Anthem Eighty Eight, People's Court)

Past line-up:
Paul Pavlovich - Vocals (currently in Track the Curse)
Dave "Spinach" Malinski - Vocals/Roadie
Austin Farrell - Roadie/Tour Manager
Daryl Kahan - Vocals "1993/1994 European tour" (ex-Citizens Arrest, Abazagorath, Funebrarum, Forced Expression, Taste of Fear)
Pete Jay - Bass (ex-Meatwagon, No Fraud, Manic Dose, Peepole, Black Queen, currently in Oakhelm)
Steve Kosiba - Bass (ex-Inhumanity, Scrotum Grinder)

26 comments:

  1. Awesome band, thanxxx for this! 'Alabaster' is also featured on the 403 Chaos compilation from 1998, which is an awesome & well put together compilation (http://southfloridamusicscene.blogspot.com/2009/01/403-chaos-florida-fucking-hardcore.html).

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  2. Only 500 of the 1500 "Apocalyptic Convulsions" comps came with the bonus 7".

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  3. Thanks for the info Andy, and thanks for the Apocalyptic Convulsions rip.

    XemonerdX, thanks for the info and link.

    Paul's vocals on that 1990 set are fucking rabid.

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  4. Fucking amazing collection, a septic ton of thanx. My first intro to the band was the Old Lady Drivers split when that first came out. Blown the fuck away. Hands down my favorite grindcore, maybe top ten bands all time, not just for the torturous music, but DAMN, the fucking lyrics! Thanx again sir.

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  5. "...around, the cycle rotates, on the axis of despair. Untouched by question, we merely sit, and stare..."

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  6. Great post! Thanks. A few corrections... Track 23 and 48 are 'Acidic Death', not 'Audio Death'. This was the first song the band wrote. Kosiba played on track 2 'Corners'. The bloodless unreality tracks were lifted from anticapital... not re-recorded. Crittenden played on 'Alabaster'.

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  7. Big fucking thanx ! Together with ND one of the best Grindcorebands ever. Always wanted to hear some live stuff !!

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  8. heretic, thanks for the info. I fixed the post based on what you wrote, but left Audio Death as the title on the demo track. I've seen it labeled as Audio Death on every demo i've ever seen online (dozens), plus he clearly says "Audio Death" before the song in the live set. Maybe it was originally Acidic Death and later changed? Anyway, it would take too much work to re-do the cover.

    Also, you mention he Bloodless Unreality tracks being lifted from Anticapital, but one of the songs is from the Blindspot ep. And Procession definitely sounds like bass was added to the recording, if it wasn't re-recorded entirely (listen to the Bloodless Unreality version compared to the State to State ep version).

    Would you happen to know if Alabaster was recorded during the Misery Index sessions, or after? I'd like to get the info as accurate as possible.

    Thanks again.

    Vin

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  9. Oh! I forgot... voice on "A Nation's Tear' is Dawn Wilson. She was a roadie in the early days. Her namesake is also in the title 'Dawn of the Necrophile'. And since you included Farrel as a roadie/manager... you might also credit Malinski as a roadie (US only?) for many years post-Blindspot. Malinski took over vocals after the Kahan-European tour. Malinski was in the band for writing all the Misery Index songs but left before MI was recorded.

    There is a decent Malinski-era Japan-tour video on youtube:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP-EHrS8ufI

    Also, Malinski is still grinding (Worlds) with songs at:
    http://www.myspace.com/worldsgrind

    His voice is brutal. As good as Heritage, maybe better than Kahan. Although, I have only seen Kahan on video.

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  10. Thanks Vin!

    It is irrefutably 'Acidic Death'. Check out the final lyric... 'burning, ripping, peeling, macabre!' I have also seen it on the web as 'audio death' but that is inaccurate. The riff is derivative of a pusmort-era attitude adjustment song. I don't think the band would deny that. But I agree, it's way too much hastle to redo all your work.

    Notice in the live set that they played the OLD-split-EP songs but no Anticapital songs. Also notice that Pavlovich talks about Proctor leaving. He is referring to Proctor's NS/DRI/SOIA tour. When Proctor returned, Anticapital song-writing began. The songs 'Sacrificial Worship...' and 'Exxon Maimed The Planet' were dropped after this show and never recorded or played again (almost certain). Actually, I think most of the demo songs were last played on 01/10/1990. Proctor was gone for nearly a year. However, there is a RARE demo somewhere... a side band with Pavlovich and Heritage. It was called LRA (Life Rots Away). The band featured vocals, git, and an ACTUAL BLENDER (blender name was Quasar?). Maybe they made this when Proctor was absent? I recall it being quite hysterical. Anyway, LRA did versions of songs with the titles "Sacrificial Worship...' and 'Exxon Maimed The Planet". You would be a hero if you hunted down that demo and posted it!

    I stand corrected... the bloodless unreality song was appended, not lifted. The Anticapital tapes resurfaced during the Blindspot session so that Jay could overdub a bass track. I had forgotten that. Assuck frequently pulled the dual-release-comp-track gimick. You noticed.

    Alabaster was long after Misery Index. Kosiba played on MI. Crittenden played on Alabaser. Crittenden joined the band and did at least 2 tours before Alabaster. Also, Scott Burns had switched careers inbetween MI and Alabaster, leaving the band to engineer the song on their own.

    I may be tapped on Assuck trivia. Let me know if you want to play MITB trivia!

    You did considerable research on this! Fantastic post!

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  11. heretic, thanks for all your help. I updated the cover, the file and the post info. I really appreciate it.

    As far as MITB, even though i had every piece of vinyl they ever put out (before i sold it all), i doubt i'd want to go head to head with you on trivia. You seem like more of a fanatic than me.

    Vin

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  12. Sadly, I've got nothing to contribute to the intense sharing of Assück knowledge above, but it's great to be able to read these kinds of specifics. I can always count on this blog for some information I didn't know about bands I love.

    It's been about a year since I discovered blogged and quartered and it's great to see that the jaw-dropping rarities keep on coming! You've created a fantastic resource here and I'll keep spreading the word about it.

    Looking forward to your next post as always.

    k

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  13. Hey -- just some clarification: Crittendon did not play bass on the song "Alabaster," Kosiba did. It was his last recording before he left the band.

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  14. this is fucking amazing.... i have been in love with this band since i first heard them 14 years ago (holy shit!!). it's awesome that other people still feel the same about this band as i do.

    good job, by the way, you've really done your homework...

    wow.

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  15. The song title is definitely Acidic Death. It's hard to say if that was the first song we wrote because Heritage and I (Rob Proctor) were playing together all the time (since he lived at my parents house) and had written many songs. I wasn't gone for a year, that DRI/Nasty Savage/Sick of it All tour lasted for two months in the winter of 1990. I left for that tour a few days after the Body Talk show with Meatwagon (Pete Jay was the guitar player for Meatwagon). I was kicked out of Nasty Savage after the tour so I had plenty of time for Assuck. It's crazy to read this stuff, I think you guys know more about it than I do. Thanks to Vin for putting all of this together.

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  16. I remember coming home from a show at Middlesex, NJ college and these cops pulled us over (prob for the amount of stickers on the car). Aynway they started with the usual questions until my friend grabbed a flier with Assuck on it and strted to read off the band names to the cop. He read their name wrong (not taking into account the dots above the s) and read it as "ass-suck". At that point the cop just shook his head and told us to get out of there. I never really listened to assuck (nor can I find the dots on my keyboard) but your comp is just as good as any place to get started--thanks Vin--DougF

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  17. There is some great information on here ! Those were some good times. There are a few live tapes from the first Japan tour that Spinach has. One of these days they will get released.

    Austin Farrell

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  18. Good job, Vin. Thorough as always.
    I have a pile of live cassettes somewhere, but time is not good to cassettes. I'll dig around one day. I also still have copies of my zine with their tour diary, probably in the attic.
    -Frank Cassidy

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  19. Beyond fucking stoked you posted this! I first heard this band 5 years ago when I was 15. And have been in love ever since, to me the perfect grind band. So thanks for this!

    Also, the vocalist (Paul) started a project with a bunch of dudes from Florida (Obituary, Six Feet Under, Down By Law, Denial Fiend and Paineater) called Exitsect. There's only one song on their page, and i've waited 2 years for more. Nothing yet. It's awesome, just wish there more tracks.

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  20. Henry from Floor also played second guitar (I believe) for them for a while.

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  21. D-Bags who steal content are lame.
    Found this one for you:

    http://sinner69downloadz.blogspot.com/2012/01/assuck-audio-death-collection-1989-1998.html?zx=437054b07c057f80

    Thanks for all the hard work, as always!

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  22. Holy shit, thanks for this, I love Assuck,they're the greatest grind band. How has Google never brought this blog up before?! I've only just found it.

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  23. the link for this is down, can you put up a new one?

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  24. GoodGrindcoreIsHardToComeByMarch 2, 2014 at 1:16 PM

    A million thank you's!!! I love this compilation. I feel dizzy when reading that Assück trivia, a real die hard fan!

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  25. hello everyone!
    please, if someone has cover artwork of "Born Backwards" demo in any digital shape or is willing to photocopy/scan the original artwork for maybe few €€ or $$, get back to me at my email:
    karmakumulator@gmail.com

    thanks all for your time!

    best,

    M.

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