A Smouldering Wilderness... - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing is (if I may indulge in a cliche, just this once) a study in contradictions. It is a complex epic, yet built of reductively simple elements and clocking in at less than 28 minutes in total running time. It is a punk recording whose lasting legacy is innovation in technique. It is not (nor does it pretend to be) a metal album, yet, with the possible exception of Reign in Blood, no album of the 1980s has cast such a long shadow over the subsequent history of metal.Of course, in the early months of 1982, it is rather unlikely that legacies, much less something as distant as the future ever crossed the minds of the boys in Discharge. Indeed, Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing stands defiantly without a future (and not much of a past either). The lyrics - which take the form of subversive mantras, slogans and phrases repeated until the meme takes hold, and then abruptly dropped - are almost entirely in the present tense. Only The Final Bloodbath and The Possibility of Life s Destruction admit to any possibility of a future, and in both cases, the titles speak for themselves as to what that future would look like.Musically, Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing is violent liberation of the purest sort, overthrowing the conventions of rock music and paving the way for all the extreme music to come. What you won t find here are the pentatonic chord progressions typical of rock-based forms. In the early 70s, Black Sabbath dabbled in chromatic movement, here Discharge go full bore, fragmenting Iommi s most sinister dirges at high velocity, creating the skeletal outlines of the riffing style that would, via Repulsion, Napalm Death and Carcas, come to dominate the grindcore scene, as well as the extreme metal scene by way of Slayer, Master and Kreator. Vocals are reduced to their rhythmic potential, freeing the guitar line from its hitherto supporting role to become the primary carrier of melody (such as it exists in such relentlessly deconstructive music).Structurally, Discharge vaulted beyond rock by transmuting percussion into an ambient pulse beneath the music through the use of the famed D-beat. The structural framework of most rock music is hammered into place by its drum lines with rhythmic repetition forming the foundation of the verse/chorus format. Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing on the other hand, reaches into the past to find classically rooted structural principles. By reimagining percussion as an undifferentiated ambient accompaniment, Discharge was able to develop its music organically through the repetition and evolution of melodic phrases, creating from the maggot infested corpse of rock a gateway to the esoteric and eternal realms popular music had once left behind.
Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing - I first heard Discharge in 1982 at the tender age of 12. The track was No TV Sketch . I was hooked immediately and had to know who the group was. I d heard Black Flag, Circle Jerks,and Fear among others but none jolted me quite this way. I borrowed the 45 Decontrol from a friend and played it endlessly studying the lyrics and mesmerized by Cal s unique,monstrous, and frightening voice. Somewhere between a horrorflick and who knows what...World War Three. That record seemed to define a whole new world for me outside of my junior highdoldrums. Yes my friends, the ever emerging punk scene spelledgirls booze and good times,but the music had to kick maximum... for these other things to have meaning. I saw them wipe the stage clean headlining over The Misfits. Lucky for Danzig and company it wasn t the other way around. I watched aghast forabout a solid hour or so as they played mercilessly. Rainey would have given John Entwhistle a run for his money. I d never seen a bass player other then Zep s John Paul Jones,or The Who s Entwhistle with such frightening command over his instrument. One listen to Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing captures it all. I gave it four out of five stars only because I m dissapointed this band never got to make big budget recordings and they could have been produced to sound like Metallica or something. Shame on you music industry. Perhaps a little too good for the corpo nazis. It s actually a step up in terms of prodution from their previous more primitive sounding records. They must have had a little extra money to play with by the time this was recorded.It s too bad though, because I don t think punk or Rock And Rollever regained this type of glory. Clearly music that was madeby a group(among others) who actually needed to make an important statement unlike the no talents who now make up the marketplace in search of fame,money, girls, and glory. Where are you Today s Discharge.
The Almighty D-Beat! - After Discharge came on to the scene in the late-1970 s, music in general would never be the same again. Discharge s music is some of the most influential music in the world, even 20 years later. They helped create a new genre of music, which took the power of metal and fused it with the politics and anger of punk. Discharge was one of the first, if not the first hardcore bands to come out of England. After I first heard Discharge about a year ago, I never looked at music the same again. The way that they mix radical politics with the most powerful wall of sound I have ever heard is amazing. Many bands have followed in Discharge s footsteps and there will continue to be new bands influenced by Discharge. Now on to the album it self, this is most of Discharge s best work(especially with all the bounus tracks added, it almost plays like a greatest hits.)Songs like The Possibility of Life s Destuction, and I Won t Subscribe are among the best on the album. Discharge gets right to the point and the songs usually are around two minutes or so of absolute chaos. So if you can get beyond nu-metal and grow in musical tastes, take Discharge on, besides it s probably better tham anything you listen to.
The Almighty D-Beat! - After Discharge came on to the scene in the late-1970 s, music in general would never be the same again. Discharge s music is some of the most influential music in the world, even 20 years later. They helped create a new genre of music, which took the power of metal and fused it with the politics and anger of punk. Discharge was one of the first, if not the first hardcore bands to come out of England. After I first heard Discharge about a year ago, I never looked at music the same again. The way that they mix radical politics with the most powerful wall of sound I have ever heard is amazing. Many bands have followed in Discharge s footsteps and there will continue to be new bands influenced by Discharge. Now on to the album it self, this is most of Discharge s best work(especially with all the bounus tracks added, it almost plays like a greatest hits.)Songs like The Possibility of Life s Destuction, and I Won t Subscribe are among the best on the album. Discharge gets right to the point and the songs usually are around two minutes or so of absolute chaos. So if you can get beyond nu-metal and grow in musical tastes, take Discharge on, besides it s probably better tham anything you listen to.
Punk/Hardcore the way it was ment to be - Ask somebody about The Sex Pistols, and they are music historians. Ask somebody about Discharge and they will look at you dumbfounded. Unlike some so-called Punk bands during the glory days of 77- 87, none of them match the speed and dirtiness of Discharge. One of less popular Punk/Hardcore bands, but as well as the most influential amongst bands such as Napalm Death, Terrorizer, Cryptic Slaughter and many others. A band that could match their musical talent with social/political issues-wise lyrics. This band continues to be an influence even by todays means. Absolutley one of the best. Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing is a true classic in every word. Buy it!