The Formative Years – Anti-System
As far as early and raging UK anarcho punk is concerned, there are few releases that are as perfect as Anti-System’s “No Laughing Matter”.
It feels like every riff is the epitome of how raw, infectious, relentless and unpolished pissed off hardcore punk should sound like.
When I first came across Anti-System, I could not believe that the unique melange of driving drumming, high energy riffing and energetic vocal delivery channelling brutal straight forward anger was recorded as early as 1985, especially given how clear and well-produced it sounds.
Given the blast of pure energy, thrashy components and concisely delivered anger paired with the thoughtful lyrics, it makes it a timeless, unicorn release that still sounds great.
An album jam packed full of intense thrashers and one that set the foundation for what was to eventually emerge as crossover.
If you’d like to find out where bands like Onslaught sources their inspiration from, listen to this.
