I have died and gone to DISCHARGE heaven! I haven't heard hardcore punk this good since the 80s, and I was actually almost conscious then! This thing blew me away! It's only about 20 minutes long, but every minute is full of crush, kill, death, blood, and attitude!

Well, enough exclamation points, let’s get to the meat! This thing is like a great (insert favorite food here). I mean, when your spoon hits bottom, you are actually sad, and upset that it is over. Tasty bite after tasty bite goes down the 'ol pie hole, causing ultimate taste bud bliss. When it is all gone, your thoughts turn only to which nearby person you should kill to get more (or is that just me? Barbecue anyone?). OK, you get my point. I listened to this thing with the same look in my eye that I had when I got those early DISCHARGE albums in the 9th grade. Hardcore Holocaust has got a gem on their hands here. VIIMEINEN KOLONNA consists of former (current?) members of WASTED and UUTUUS, (the latter of which won Finland's prestigious 'U' award for having the most “U”s in their name). All lyrics are in Finnish, which lends to the overall crushing theme of the record. Like their fellow countrymen TERVEET KADET, you can hear a lot of British hardcore punk influences, a la BROKEN BONES, and a little GBH; as well as some American influences as well, like ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT. Some songs have a more thrash metal sting to them, such as "Viimeisten Paivien Portot" and "Suuri Babylon", but this thing is hardcore through and through. I’d consider it a collector's item, because it is an instant classic for the genre.

The way the guitar follows the bass in some of the songs, you would think it's 1982 all over again. The harsh vocals are delivered with incredible consistency from Kaide, and the production is superb. I wouldn't change a thing except for the length. The pics on their website could be subbed for any punk band of the early 80s. The cover art of some sort of satanic Jesus holding a pig in the Pope's hat is rather disturbing, especially since I have no idea what the lyrics mean. Get this one or die trying! Long live the punks!

- Murtaugh

OFFICIAL SITE: www.viimeinenkolonna.cjb.net

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