The Formative Years – Discharge
I vividly remember the first time I was exposed to Discharge’s masterpiece and piece de resistance, i.e. their Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing album.
In equal measure, it was minimalist, heavy, aggressive, political, raw, had barked vocals, distinct drumming and songs that sounded like the sonic equivalent of a targeted assault.
I was hooked straight away and could not believe that such a well-calibrated melange of metal and punk was conceived as early as 1982.
With an unrivalled intensity, confronting immediacy and well-timed sub two minute songs that were stripped of all ornaments, it eclipsed literally all other punk bands in terms of intensity I had heard before.
Needless to say, Discharge’s iconic and distinct aesthetic comprised of confronting black and white imagery along with what became the patented studded leather jacket style along with coining a drum beat that was not only named after them but became synonymous for a whole genre, helped to further set them further apart. They quintessentially forged what was become known as crust core.
If you listen to early Discharge today, it is nigh impossible to not become instantaneously aware of how much they have influenced and created the foundation and template for generations of not only punk, hardcore but also metal bands, especially in the more extreme realms of the genre such as grind-, death- and even black metal.
While Discharge’s evolution and discography took some interesting turns, e.g. a detour into hair metal territory with their album Grave New World, which was not exactly badly done but understandingly not well received by their punk followership of the time, it is one of the bands whose emissions have stood the test of time.
If you are into hardcore punk and for whatever strange reason have so far evaded the majesty that is early Discharge, do yourself a favour and check out Discharge’s early releases or peep their most recent live incarnation at the Hellfest Festival which is testament to the timelessness of their legacy.
