The debt of gratitude we owe Ronald Regan will be hard to repay. If he hadn't showed up and polarized America, would US hardcore have ever risen to the heights it achieved in opposition to him? Fear of dieing in a nuclear war and a badly bleached spikey hair cut where all you needed to be an 80s hardcore hero and Portland's Final Warning had that locked down. A major thirst for beer didn't hurt either-especially if you were from Portland.
Not quite as famous as Poison Idea or the Accused, Final Warning rocked out in the same area and faded "into Bolivia".(thanks Iron Mike) Take a helping of the Accused and mix in a lot of Discharge,GBH, and Broken Bones and you will get a feel for the sound. 80s US hardcore-but with a heavy UK influence. 5 studio tracks and a live set make up this limited to a thousand run CD from Southernlord(one of the dudes has Pacific Northwest roots -think Brotherhood or Galleon's Lap though not Sir Mixalot or Mudhoney) "Rain of Death" and "The Bunker" are the standout tracks to me from their only single. "I quit" from a comp single has a more Poison Idea feel and is pretty killer. Sound quality on the live set is surprisingly good. They would have made a good cross over band if they had hung in there.
If you are sick of rocking Crucifix or your other 80s favorites, this is a good re-up to keep it interesting. It is only a matter of time before the nostalgia machine runs out of good things to reissue, but until then this is enjoyable trip down memory lane. GW Bush is easily as fucked up a president as Reagan and things are as bad for the middle class now as they were in 82 so where is the fucking killer disenfranchised youth music? Even a rote hardcore resurrection would be understandalbe and acceptable.
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