Chronical Diarrhoea

One of the last practicing thrash bands: in sound like DRI, in spirit more like Murphy's Law crossed with Anthrax.

The Last Judgement
Nuclear Blast
1991
Production: Dusty, scratchy garages from several different houses.

Review: One of the problems of hardcore music was a lack of documentation or any central authority because the movement was underground and thus, past a few central bands, there were many worthy acts who were never recognized. Thrash -- the genre formed of the hybrid between speed metal and hardcore punk, starting around 1982 -- similarly suffered, and while most people can recognize COC or MDC as important to the genre, very few people identify bands like Chronical Diarrhoea.

Tracklist:

1. Intro / Sleep Well
2. Indifference
3. Slow Down
4. Days Of Open Hand
5. Wild At Heart
6. Regress No Way
7. Torment In Fire
8. After The Battle
9. Stagnation
10. Go Slow!
11. Here's Where The Story End / Wave Out
12. Dian Is Dead
13. Bad Taste
14. The Expert
15. Hate You / Outro
16. Go Slow
17. The Expert
18. Hellcommander
19. Pressure
20. Supervising Neighbours
21. Fast Food
22. Problems
23. Glue
24. Passion
25. Sad Is True
26. Acid Freak
27. Flower Power
28. Shit World
29. The Influence
30. J.R.'s
31. B.S.I.
32. Profileless Nation
33. Trademark Adortion - How Thin
34. A Contradiction
35. 007
36. Hate You
37. Indescribable
38. Other Attitudes
39. Doomshock
40. The Never Ending, Indescribable, Incredible, Irregular Hardcore Mosh
41. Flower Power
42. Attack Of The Blurr Demons
43. Ommes Kills
44. Joe's Choice
45. Uncle Ben's Favourite Blues
46. Chemical Terrorism
47. Sick Of You
48. Ha!
49. Senseless Lyrics
50. Slam
Length: 66:09

Chronical Diarrhoea - The Last Judgement 1991 Nuclear Blast
Copyright © 1991 Nuclear Blast

In sound, this band is similar to later DRI in that it uses blocky metal riffs with punk undertones in simple hardcore song structures adapted to the specifics of what each song is expressing; influences from the Cro-Mags and Murphy's Law are also evident. While the riffing is not as advanced or distinctive as that of DRI, songs here have a gentleness and beauty that is not achieved elsewhere in the genre; for starters, this vocalist makes punk-style singing wrap itself around graceful but simple melodies. Chronical Diarrhoea present above all else the exuberant energy of youth that both cannot wait to grow up and cannot get enough of life as is, expanding toward both positive and negative opinions with a joy of living that betrays a basic belief that life is good, and any anger herein is directed toward its objects because they are believed to be capable of change and therefore, should they aspire to free will, should be urged toward it.

Plenty of goofy interludes and jokes and vocal kinks intrude, but over time listening to a CD, these are what is forgotten and not what is retained. Pace of songs varies well and there are plenty of quintessential standoffish punk riffs, as well as hilarious vocal characterizations of society (in the sense of Bad Brains or Suicidal Tendencies); if it has any weakness, it is that the punk style of riffing drones repetitive over time, inevitably. However, at once this album is both a comforting affirmation of order and an encouragement to do better, and in that it unites the best of hardcore and metal even though both genres are effectively deceased at the time of this writing.

BLACK   |   DEATH   |   HEAVY   |   SPEED   |   THRASH   |   GRINDCORE