DISSENSION- Why work for Death? LP (Metal Storm Records, USA, 1986)
It’s incredible how sometimes a record gets forgotten, lost in time, however great it may have been. DISSENSION’s one and only LP suffered exactly this very fate. But why? Imagine this had come out on X-Claim … Was it because of the recordings were released before their time or maybe after theirs? It’s hard to tell which one was the case here (or maybe whether there were more reasons, like being on the wrong kind of label or so). Still, “Why work for Death” came out when Hardcore was dying, maybe dead already and this might be one explanation, why this masterpiece hasn’t been reissued so far. This monster of an LP features 11 tracks worth of flawless, pretty tight and catchy HC, much like an updated version of ILL REPUTE’s “What happens next?” MLP, though I don’t want to belittle DISSENSION’s work which such comparisons.
There isn’t much I could tell you about DISSENSION’s background other than that I seem to remember the band was somehow affiliated to Mick and Vadim of “Guillotine” Fanzine, which was a quite well known paper amongst the underground hounds like myself and featured a great variety of both Metal and Hardcore. A few years ago, to my big surprise, I held a south american license pressing (brazilian or argentian, hardly remember) of this LP in my hands which had a different photo on the back side of the jacket. The original pressings however was on red vinyl and I think I saw some green wax’ed ones too. Please, please – fill in everything else you know in the comments section!
To help this killer piece of pvc-fixed moment of killerness out of the shadows of the past, it’s posted in its entire glory here for a limited time only. Tell your friends & enemies!
Why work for Death?.mp3
B.B.B.mp3
Average american Kid.mp3
Hypocrite.mp3
Sole Survivor.mp3
Telling me.mp3
Fate.mp3
Blackout.mp3
You know who.mp3
Dissension.mp3
Un-optional Conformity.mp3
Anonymous wrote:
i’ve just heard the first 3 songs – i can’t believe it! GREAT GREAT GREAT!!!!!!!!!! thank you eric for this blog!
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Posted on 15-Sep-06 at 9:49 am | Permalink
Peter - KBDRecords wrote:
Ha ha! I started ripping this 3 weeks ago. Remember liking it. But after I’ve ripped the first side I was so sick of it I decided not to post it. Too generic, really.
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Posted on 15-Sep-06 at 9:56 am | Permalink
Luc wrote:
About fucking time this record gets some recognition!
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Posted on 15-Sep-06 at 9:59 am | Permalink
Peter - KBDRecords wrote:
By the way, my copie is for sale. Shot before it goes up on eBay.
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Posted on 15-Sep-06 at 10:00 am | Permalink
marcelo wrote:
It was a brazilian pressing on Point Rock records (also a very weird label for a hc band!) released in 1987. I have this record in my collection and i love it and i already did the same question to myself 1000 times about why it got so forgotten ! even here in brasil mostly people didnt pay attention to this release…
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Posted on 15-Sep-06 at 10:16 am | Permalink
adamski wrote:
I think this is a lost classic, too. Got it from my old buddy Benny Munoz from L.A. back in the early 90’s. I thought it was kinda like HALF OFF from their demo days. Wasn’t one of the guys in TARGET OF DEMAND (L.A. NOT Austria!)? On a metal label, but not metal at all, thank fuck…
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Posted on 15-Sep-06 at 10:16 am | Permalink
E. wrote:
Peter – you’ve got one of the most unpredictable music tastes in the world (nicely put) ….
Yepp Marcelo, you’re right about that – it was a brazilian press. Actually found a spare copy lying around here. So ….
And yes, Admamski – I think TOD and DISSENSION shared the guitarist. Has the KILLER TOD 12″ been re-released – any need for this to be ripped?
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Posted on 15-Sep-06 at 10:27 am | Permalink
Peter - KBDRecords wrote:
Ha ha
. But just lisen to it. It’s gooddamn genErich!!
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Posted on 15-Sep-06 at 10:46 am | Permalink
E. wrote:
I find it rather peteresque in its greatness!
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Posted on 15-Sep-06 at 12:05 pm | Permalink
theunk wrote:
glory yes – but not it’s entire glory, i think the fourth song -hypocrite – is missing.
played this end on end in ‘86 but… don’t think i will today
oh about the brazillian pressing: my copy is on metal storm records “pressed in u.s.a.” in 1986
thanks for posting
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Posted on 15-Sep-06 at 12:27 pm | Permalink
E. wrote:
Problem fixed – “Hypocrite” is there now.
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Posted on 15-Sep-06 at 2:19 pm | Permalink
Anonymous wrote:
hypocrite is still not available. downloads as an html file. Shows not on server
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Posted on 15-Sep-06 at 2:47 pm | Permalink
Eric wrote:
Funny to see this posted. I bought this record way back when – listened to it once, put it back in it’s jacket but left it on the floor. The next day I stepped on it and cracked it, making it unplayable. I still have it in my collection, sitting there mocking me for close to 20 years. I couldn’t remember what it sounded like until now. I’ll agree w/ Peter’s take on it, but now with a digital copy I can finally part w/ it.
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Posted on 15-Sep-06 at 7:15 pm | Permalink
Anonymous wrote:
it’s so funny seein’ stuff like this and love canal’s record and pillsbury hardcore and final conflict getting all this crazy recognition, ’cause back in the 80s i used to see all them bands all the time at fenders ‘n’ such, and it seemed like outside of l.a. no one really knew they existed. all these bands deserve the attention, don’t get me wrong, but it’s sorta like finding out that kid in high school you smoked dope with invented the perpetual motion machine or something….
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Posted on 15-Sep-06 at 8:24 pm | Permalink
Leffe wrote:
Dissension did another LP in ‘88 called ‘We The Fooled’.Have it on tape but it’s a long time ago since I listened to it so I don’t remember how it sounds like.
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Posted on 16-Sep-06 at 3:15 am | Permalink
E. wrote:
It’s rubbish.
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Posted on 16-Sep-06 at 4:04 am | Permalink
malfeitor wrote:
Pretty sure the TOD has never been reissued, which is kind of surprising. It showed up on a few bootleg CDs. I remember picking it up in the closeout bin because I liked the cover.
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Posted on 16-Sep-06 at 6:51 am | Permalink
Anonymous wrote:
can confirm the green vinyl pressing… i still have it.
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Posted on 16-Sep-06 at 11:42 am | Permalink
Anonymous wrote:
this is perfect hc thrash like it should be. too bad i was only 1 year old when this came out ….
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Posted on 16-Sep-06 at 2:23 pm | Permalink
irescreams wrote:
Bought this when it came out and mine is on green vinyl. this was one of my favorite records with RKL, Poison Idea and SNFU. Great hardcore. Still love it.
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Posted on 26-Dec-06 at 6:30 pm | Permalink
Peter - KBD Records wrote:
In case anyone need this I have it for sale now:
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZpswed
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Posted on 27-Sep-07 at 4:46 am | Permalink
Seangoat wrote:
Classic LP. It was released on Black Vinyl , but AZRA did their usual trick of pressing up colour versions and sending them out at random. 250 copies were pressed in RED vinyl , and 100 in GREEN vinyl. There was also a picture disc version. So there you go.
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Posted on 10-Oct-07 at 12:51 pm | Permalink
cdhd2 wrote:
About 10 years ago I lived right next door to Mike Chirico the guitarist for Dissension. I remember he would play every sunday afternoon, so there was this great music coming from next door. Dude was really good.
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Posted on 30-Oct-07 at 12:21 pm | Permalink
Leo wrote:
Yes, it was brazilian pressing. I got one in 1988. Man, almost 20 years back. I still like it. The firts time i listen to it it was too muck speedy to my taste (DK Fresh Fruit was the kind of HC i was udes to).
And i asked million times either why Dissension is so forgotten.
I still have my vinyl in perfect state, but thanks for de mp3. I don’t have Lp player and not even the record with me this year.
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Posted on 30-Dec-07 at 6:17 am | Permalink
James wrote:
Thanks for the post!! Can’t believe that some folks consider this “generic”… it blows away most of the other hardcore coming out in the mid-1980’s!!
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Posted on 28-Jul-09 at 10:21 pm | Permalink
nOpoIntyHeADStocks wrote:
i saw dissension a handful of times and they were great for their era. specially when cumpared 2 90% of their peers! i remember a man with a leather vest on guitar (and yes i recall he was in target of demand) also there was drums without bottom heads on the toms. the singer got hit by a car after the record came out and was in a wheelchair during his rehab. i think they did a couple gigs like this. he then had a child and moved with his girlfriend 2 to san diego. i played in a band with him for a while down here but lost contact with him and we moved on. maybe not evident on record but he was a great front boy and a very cool dude. was dissension generic????? duh, fuck yes. we were all 16 you douche! im sure with little problem you can find someone from the greater long beach area that is more qualified than i 2 wax gibberish about this. maybe vadim. he was in a straight edge band that had a song about buttfucking. dissension was not “alert” and therefore aces in my peechee folder. to answer questions why this record is forgotten or was it ahead of it’s time, i tell u. it’s forgotten bcuz it’s only good in context (u must b 16 in 1986..not 17, 18, or 19 and especially not 28 in 2009). even with this all fresh to our ears at the time we knew all the good shit had already happened. (we=my friends). so, no this is not ahead of it’s time. in order for it to be truly head of it’s time it had to be released in 1952 and even then u had to be 16 in 1986 to appreciate it. and i guess it’s not forgotten cuz here we are.
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Posted on 23-Dec-09 at 7:56 am | Permalink
chonchy wrote:
I HAD THE GREAT PRIVILEDGE OF PLAYING WITH DISSENSIONS WAY BACK IN THE DAY IN SOUTH PASADENA,CA. IT WAS A BENEFIT FOR THE HOMELESS IF I REMEMBER RIGHT,AND IT WAS HELD AT THE CIVIL WAR MEMORIAL HALL.MY BAND PUBLIC DECAY OPENED UP THE SHOW,THEN DISSENSIONS,THEN COSMIC CHEESE,AND FINALLY RESISTANT MILITIA!!!I WILL NEVER FORGET THOSE TIMES!!!!!!!I STILL HAVE THE ORIGINAL DISSENSION LP BUT SINCE I DONT OWN A RECORD PLAYER ANYMORE,I HAVENT HEARD IT IN YEARS!!!!!!! THANX FOR THE MP3′S!!! THOSE OF YOU WHO THINK DISSENSION SOUNDS GENERIC CAN SUCK MY DONKEY DICK!!!! DISSENSION RULES!!!! FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!
[Reply]
Posted on 16-Feb-10 at 1:46 am | Permalink