Massacre were one of the most underrated finnish bands of its time (1982-1988) possibly because they always preferred to choose a D.I.Y. path instead of joining some established label.
Their only Tape on Propaganda Records (issued in Germany on Lp by infamous Rock-O-Rama Records) has never been reprinted on CD and till a second, unreleased album, slept in some forgotten closet until today!
Clear and powerful guitar sounds, raging harsh punk that still keeps a catchy freshness, the trademark of crude and inimitable finnish sound mixed with great guitar sounds, raging solos and great ideas.
Massacre started in 1980 as VARAVENTTIILI in the minicipality of Kuru, then changing name to MAANVAIVA (1983, with the historical line-up of Pete, Kassinen and Kuisma), SOTATILA (late 1983) and finally to MASSACRE in early 1984 when Sekaannus' singer told Pete (Massacre's singer) there were already 3 bands with the same name around.
First release is a self-produced Split 7" with good friends Sekaannus (from Virrat, next to Kuru: they will release one more Split 7" and a Split 12" in 2008-2010 when both bands reform) and then a full whole session that results to be splitted in the "Tuho" 7" Ep (Tuho Records, 1984) and the "Verinen Katu" Tape (released on tape only by Rites Tapes, Australia, 1984)
When Propaganda Records approaches the band to sign a contract for an Lp, finnish punk it/s at the top of its popularity in Europe: international mini tours and releases on foreigner labels start to spread names such as Rattus, Terveet Kädet, Riistetyt, Destrucktions, Appendix, Bastards, Kansan Uutiset, Vaurio to a wider international attention. BCT Tapes in USA and the later infamous Rock-O-Rama Records from Germany are among the most actives label spreading the verb of finnish punk at this time
No wonder that Massacre signs to Propaganda for a self titled Lp in 1985. But this marriage lasts shortly mainly because of the licensing trouble to a controversial german label which disappoints the band in continuing recording under some "established" music company.
Following again the path of self-production they keep releasing another Split 7" with the strange punk-art band Miquel Co (1986).
At this point the sound evolved from a earlier crude finnish punk to a more hc-metallic edge sound with great riffs and incredible energy on the 1st Lp
Furthermore in 1986 is developping and experimenting again with new ideas and sounds which result in an unleashed mix of hardcore-metal edged crossover in the split 7" with Miquel Co
In Brazil, the great and seminal local punk label Ataque Frontal will re-release a good collection of this materiar on an Lp under the name "From Womb To The Grave" which basically remains as the most famous and spreaded release of the band so far.
This crossover-metallic edged path will be furtherly developped during the ill-fated last 2 years of the band's activity when, first an Unreleased Lp due to be out on swedish label Hardcore Horror Records (later renamed Distortion Records) and a last unreleased Demo recorded in 1988 mark the final legacy of the band, which will play its last gig in 1988 before reforming again in 2004.
The sound in these last 2 releases 1987-1988 is pure raging, tight and kicking hardcore-metal. If other bands finnish bands before turned thrash or crossover-metal (Rattus, Terveet Kädet) with not 100% convincing results, Massacre still keep the freshness and melodic hardcore approach mixed with unaltered punk rage into a new form of tighter guitar sound and heavy double-kick drumming with lot of solos and new powerful, crossover-filled riffs and patterns. Definitively the best stuff ever recorded by a finnish punk band during those years when many bands started experimenting with crossover, thrash or metal sounds.
The band is active again since 2004 and still playing locally or in South America with unaltered freshness and revived energy. You'd worth checking them playing live one day as they truly missed a full acknowledgment at the time when great other names such as Rattus or Terveet Kädet or Riistetyt cemented their fame due to a huge substain by established and media-covered music labels, while Massacre kept following a total diy approach.
This 3 x CD Box Set will feature every Massacre recording ever made, including a lot of unreleased stuff.
Each CD will come with reproduction of original artwork (front and back) and a 20-page booklet will go further in detail on the band's history, narrated with humor and great memories by the band's singer and charismatic leader Pete Väisänen.
There will be every song ever recorded by the band, included never-heard before tunes, songs which were played only live and never recorded in studio, alternative version and also the ultra rare Split Live Tape with Bastards released by Propaganda Records in 1985
But what makes this 3 x CD compilation even more exclusive are the CD 2 and CD 3 which will feature for the first time ever on a digital support the first S/T Lp (Propaganda Records, 1985) never reprinted on any format since its original release and the never heard before "A Dream" Unreleased Lp 1987 which was planned to be out on swedish Hardcore Horror/Distortion Records and never saw the light of the day.
We were lucky to find the original master as Mats/Distortion thought it was lost during a fire in 1988 but luckily moving some stuff and packages from one flat to other in 2012 he found a box full of DAT Tapes and 3/4" reels including the supposed lost Massacre Lp
All the tracks have been remixed from original masters and reels and original tapes.
Due to some time restrictions we had to cut out 3 songs only: 1 rehearsal version of a demo song included on CD 1, one unreleased rehearsal song whose audio quality was unfortunately too bad and impossible to be included and - sadly but necessary - the only cover song ever made by the band, "A Hell On Earth" by Discharge and recorded live during one of their final gigs in 1988. Fortunately this song can be found on the free giveaway "Grave Updated" CDr made by the band so it's not lost or gone!
Except for those 3 (and painfully necessary) cuts, the CD will feature every record, every session, every song (studio, rehearsal or live-only existence) ever recorded from the band during its first incarnation 1982-1988.
The 3 x CD will be out on late february/early march 2013 and the price will be approximately (to be honest I hope to fix the price at) 20 euros, which I believe is quite honest for being a clamshell box set including 3 CDs, 75 songs and a total of 4 hours of a pure, wonderful page of finnish punk history on music
The box set is limited to 500 copies and first 100 copies will also include as bonus gift, reproduction of old articles taken from local finnish punk fanzines 1984-1985. As they reproduce exactly the original pages, they will be in finnish language only
Further details will come soon, I hope to be able to include a flyer or some sampler and artwork right now but I don't know how to do, sorry.
MASSACRE - FROM PUNK TO THE GRAVE (Complete Recordings 1982-1988) BOX SET 3CD:
Tracklist
CD 1:
Split 7" Ep With Sekaannus (26-02-1984)
1 - Sä Uskot
2 - Kuollut Maailma
3 - Juhlavalssi
Tuho 7" Ep 1984 (same session as Verinen Katu Demo 03-06-1984)
4 - Luuletsä Olevas Vapaa?
5 - Kuolleet Sankarit
6 - Ihmiset On Tyhmiä
7 - Rotat
8 - Rikkaat On Köyhiä
9 - Tuho
Verinen Katu Demo 1984 (same session as Tuho 7" Ep 03-06-1984)
10 - Mikä On Totuus
11 - Sunnuntai
12 - Roskaväki Hallitsee
13 - Massacre
14 - Pala Taivasta, Pala Maata
15 - Vapaa Maa
16 - Hiroshima
17 - Sodat
18 - Se on Lopponut
19 - Uskonto
20 - Lanka Palaa
21 - Tähtien Sota
22 - Verinen Katu
Unreleased Demo 29-07-1984
23 - Pahaa Unta
24 - Pyhää Sotaa
25 - Petetyt
26 - Ajatus
27 - Harhaelämääs
28 - Elämä Vol. 1
29 - Elämä Vol. 2
Bonus Tracks
30 - Huora (Rehearsal 1982, under band's name MAANVAIVA)
31 - Vakivalta on turhaa (Rehearsal 1983, under band's name SOTATILA)
32 - Sa oot myohassa (Rehearsal 1983 under band's name SOTATILA)
33 - Kaljaa (Live in Kuru 04-1984, never recorded in studio...3 different singers during the song!!!)
------------------
CD 2:
Massacre Lp 1985 (Propaganda Records/Rock-O-Rama Records)
1 - Sotaleut
2 - Pyhää Sotaa
3 - Elämä
4 - Sokea
5 - Pelkuri
6 - Kuolema
7 - Eläinten Vallankumous
8 - Uhri
9 - Harhaelämääs
10 - Yhden Illan Elämä
11 - Tuomio
Split 7" Ep With Miquel Co. 1986
12 - 1986 (Run For Your Life)
13 - The Last Dance
Split Live Tape With Bastards (Propaganda Records, Tape 1985)
14 - Rotat + Verinen Katu
15 - Sotaleut
16 - Kuollut Maailma + Uhri
17 - Odotus
Bonus Tracks
18 - Punane lippu (Rehearsal 1984, unreleased)
19 - Mix (Rehearsal 01-07-1984, unreleased)
20 - Sankari (Rehearsal 11-11-1984, unreleased)
21 - What have you done to me (Rehearsal 01-03-1987, unreleased)
22 - Tuuli (Live in Kuru 01-08-1985, never recorded in studio)
------------------
CD 3:
"A Dream" Unreleased Lp 1987 (Hardcore Horror Records, Sweden)
1 - Intro + Fight Back
2 - I Believe in Love
3 - Run for Your Life
4 - Heaven & Hell
5 - A Dream
6 - My War
7 - Let Me Out
8 - Emptiness
9 - Fire
"A Dream" Demo 1986
10 - New York
11 - A Dream
12 - Revolution Of The Animals
Demo 1988
13 - The Call + The Shout
14 - The Dust
15 - White Hell
16 - What
17 - The sign of death (Live in Kuru 15-05-1987, never recorded in studio)
http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/8473/4z44.jpg
Their only Tape on Propaganda Records (issued in Germany on Lp by infamous Rock-O-Rama Records) has never been reprinted on CD and till a second, unreleased album, slept in some forgotten closet until today!
Clear and powerful guitar sounds, raging harsh punk that still keeps a catchy freshness, the trademark of crude and inimitable finnish sound mixed with great guitar sounds, raging solos and great ideas.
Massacre started in 1980 as VARAVENTTIILI in the minicipality of Kuru, then changing name to MAANVAIVA (1983, with the historical line-up of Pete, Kassinen and Kuisma), SOTATILA (late 1983) and finally to MASSACRE in early 1984 when Sekaannus' singer told Pete (Massacre's singer) there were already 3 bands with the same name around.
First release is a self-produced Split 7" with good friends Sekaannus (from Virrat, next to Kuru: they will release one more Split 7" and a Split 12" in 2008-2010 when both bands reform) and then a full whole session that results to be splitted in the "Tuho" 7" Ep (Tuho Records, 1984) and the "Verinen Katu" Tape (released on tape only by Rites Tapes, Australia, 1984)
When Propaganda Records approaches the band to sign a contract for an Lp, finnish punk it/s at the top of its popularity in Europe: international mini tours and releases on foreigner labels start to spread names such as Rattus, Terveet Kädet, Riistetyt, Destrucktions, Appendix, Bastards, Kansan Uutiset, Vaurio to a wider international attention. BCT Tapes in USA and the later infamous Rock-O-Rama Records from Germany are among the most actives label spreading the verb of finnish punk at this time
No wonder that Massacre signs to Propaganda for a self titled Lp in 1985. But this marriage lasts shortly mainly because of the licensing trouble to a controversial german label which disappoints the band in continuing recording under some "established" music company.
Following again the path of self-production they keep releasing another Split 7" with the strange punk-art band Miquel Co (1986).
At this point the sound evolved from a earlier crude finnish punk to a more hc-metallic edge sound with great riffs and incredible energy on the 1st Lp
Furthermore in 1986 is developping and experimenting again with new ideas and sounds which result in an unleashed mix of hardcore-metal edged crossover in the split 7" with Miquel Co
In Brazil, the great and seminal local punk label Ataque Frontal will re-release a good collection of this materiar on an Lp under the name "From Womb To The Grave" which basically remains as the most famous and spreaded release of the band so far.
This crossover-metallic edged path will be furtherly developped during the ill-fated last 2 years of the band's activity when, first an Unreleased Lp due to be out on swedish label Hardcore Horror Records (later renamed Distortion Records) and a last unreleased Demo recorded in 1988 mark the final legacy of the band, which will play its last gig in 1988 before reforming again in 2004.
The sound in these last 2 releases 1987-1988 is pure raging, tight and kicking hardcore-metal. If other bands finnish bands before turned thrash or crossover-metal (Rattus, Terveet Kädet) with not 100% convincing results, Massacre still keep the freshness and melodic hardcore approach mixed with unaltered punk rage into a new form of tighter guitar sound and heavy double-kick drumming with lot of solos and new powerful, crossover-filled riffs and patterns. Definitively the best stuff ever recorded by a finnish punk band during those years when many bands started experimenting with crossover, thrash or metal sounds.
The band is active again since 2004 and still playing locally or in South America with unaltered freshness and revived energy. You'd worth checking them playing live one day as they truly missed a full acknowledgment at the time when great other names such as Rattus or Terveet Kädet or Riistetyt cemented their fame due to a huge substain by established and media-covered music labels, while Massacre kept following a total diy approach.
This 3 x CD Box Set will feature every Massacre recording ever made, including a lot of unreleased stuff.
Each CD will come with reproduction of original artwork (front and back) and a 20-page booklet will go further in detail on the band's history, narrated with humor and great memories by the band's singer and charismatic leader Pete Väisänen.
There will be every song ever recorded by the band, included never-heard before tunes, songs which were played only live and never recorded in studio, alternative version and also the ultra rare Split Live Tape with Bastards released by Propaganda Records in 1985
But what makes this 3 x CD compilation even more exclusive are the CD 2 and CD 3 which will feature for the first time ever on a digital support the first S/T Lp (Propaganda Records, 1985) never reprinted on any format since its original release and the never heard before "A Dream" Unreleased Lp 1987 which was planned to be out on swedish Hardcore Horror/Distortion Records and never saw the light of the day.
We were lucky to find the original master as Mats/Distortion thought it was lost during a fire in 1988 but luckily moving some stuff and packages from one flat to other in 2012 he found a box full of DAT Tapes and 3/4" reels including the supposed lost Massacre Lp
All the tracks have been remixed from original masters and reels and original tapes.
Due to some time restrictions we had to cut out 3 songs only: 1 rehearsal version of a demo song included on CD 1, one unreleased rehearsal song whose audio quality was unfortunately too bad and impossible to be included and - sadly but necessary - the only cover song ever made by the band, "A Hell On Earth" by Discharge and recorded live during one of their final gigs in 1988. Fortunately this song can be found on the free giveaway "Grave Updated" CDr made by the band so it's not lost or gone!
Except for those 3 (and painfully necessary) cuts, the CD will feature every record, every session, every song (studio, rehearsal or live-only existence) ever recorded from the band during its first incarnation 1982-1988.
The 3 x CD will be out on late february/early march 2013 and the price will be approximately (to be honest I hope to fix the price at) 20 euros, which I believe is quite honest for being a clamshell box set including 3 CDs, 75 songs and a total of 4 hours of a pure, wonderful page of finnish punk history on music
The box set is limited to 500 copies and first 100 copies will also include as bonus gift, reproduction of old articles taken from local finnish punk fanzines 1984-1985. As they reproduce exactly the original pages, they will be in finnish language only
Further details will come soon, I hope to be able to include a flyer or some sampler and artwork right now but I don't know how to do, sorry.
MASSACRE - FROM PUNK TO THE GRAVE (Complete Recordings 1982-1988) BOX SET 3CD:
Tracklist
CD 1:
Split 7" Ep With Sekaannus (26-02-1984)
1 - Sä Uskot
2 - Kuollut Maailma
3 - Juhlavalssi
Tuho 7" Ep 1984 (same session as Verinen Katu Demo 03-06-1984)
4 - Luuletsä Olevas Vapaa?
5 - Kuolleet Sankarit
6 - Ihmiset On Tyhmiä
7 - Rotat
8 - Rikkaat On Köyhiä
9 - Tuho
Verinen Katu Demo 1984 (same session as Tuho 7" Ep 03-06-1984)
10 - Mikä On Totuus
11 - Sunnuntai
12 - Roskaväki Hallitsee
13 - Massacre
14 - Pala Taivasta, Pala Maata
15 - Vapaa Maa
16 - Hiroshima
17 - Sodat
18 - Se on Lopponut
19 - Uskonto
20 - Lanka Palaa
21 - Tähtien Sota
22 - Verinen Katu
Unreleased Demo 29-07-1984
23 - Pahaa Unta
24 - Pyhää Sotaa
25 - Petetyt
26 - Ajatus
27 - Harhaelämääs
28 - Elämä Vol. 1
29 - Elämä Vol. 2
Bonus Tracks
30 - Huora (Rehearsal 1982, under band's name MAANVAIVA)
31 - Vakivalta on turhaa (Rehearsal 1983, under band's name SOTATILA)
32 - Sa oot myohassa (Rehearsal 1983 under band's name SOTATILA)
33 - Kaljaa (Live in Kuru 04-1984, never recorded in studio...3 different singers during the song!!!)
------------------
CD 2:
Massacre Lp 1985 (Propaganda Records/Rock-O-Rama Records)
1 - Sotaleut
2 - Pyhää Sotaa
3 - Elämä
4 - Sokea
5 - Pelkuri
6 - Kuolema
7 - Eläinten Vallankumous
8 - Uhri
9 - Harhaelämääs
10 - Yhden Illan Elämä
11 - Tuomio
Split 7" Ep With Miquel Co. 1986
12 - 1986 (Run For Your Life)
13 - The Last Dance
Split Live Tape With Bastards (Propaganda Records, Tape 1985)
14 - Rotat + Verinen Katu
15 - Sotaleut
16 - Kuollut Maailma + Uhri
17 - Odotus
Bonus Tracks
18 - Punane lippu (Rehearsal 1984, unreleased)
19 - Mix (Rehearsal 01-07-1984, unreleased)
20 - Sankari (Rehearsal 11-11-1984, unreleased)
21 - What have you done to me (Rehearsal 01-03-1987, unreleased)
22 - Tuuli (Live in Kuru 01-08-1985, never recorded in studio)
------------------
CD 3:
"A Dream" Unreleased Lp 1987 (Hardcore Horror Records, Sweden)
1 - Intro + Fight Back
2 - I Believe in Love
3 - Run for Your Life
4 - Heaven & Hell
5 - A Dream
6 - My War
7 - Let Me Out
8 - Emptiness
9 - Fire
"A Dream" Demo 1986
10 - New York
11 - A Dream
12 - Revolution Of The Animals
Demo 1988
13 - The Call + The Shout
14 - The Dust
15 - White Hell
16 - What
17 - The sign of death (Live in Kuru 15-05-1987, never recorded in studio)
http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/8473/4z44.jpg