Guyana Punch Line - Direkt Aktion

This one definitely stands the test of time for me. Direkt Aktion was released through the very solid Prank Records in 2003 and I'll continue to go back to it again and again and find it sounds just as good as the first time. Guyana Punch Line were a hardcore-punk band formed from members of In/Humanity, Antischism, and .fuckingcom, and were based out of South Carolina. Part of what keeps this album so well is its brevity (13 songs in about 20 minutes) and its diversity around the fast-paced music. The vocals settle in the screamed/yelled department, chords are progressed through fairly quickly, but the rhythm is tight and well developed. Drums are tight with the rest of the music as well and sound pretty decent in regards to the recording. Vocals are biting and witty political criticisms, a large part of the feel of this band comes from it. The band didn't last all that long after this release, calling it quits before the year was out.


Guyana Punch Line - "Direkt Aktionists Daily Affirmination"

This song follows a short (30 second) noise track entitled "The Electric Cha Cha Macarena Boogie Slide", so the return to the open guitar chords and subsequent bass line is more pronounced when the songs are listened to in succession (as on the album). I like that they allowed the bass to have the lead here in the beginning, it changes things up a bit. When the vocals kick in, we get the more typical Guyana Punch Line sound. Terrorizing up and down the spectrum as the simple chords are ran for longer stretches before both vocals and music intensifies, the chord changes sticking with each word screamed. They bring back the bass leadwork towards the end of the song, before returning to the main part of the song again to close things out.


Guyana Punch Line - "Security"

I think my favorite song on the album. "Security" starts out with an eerie guitar riff that builds when the band comes in and then changes and speeds up, getting a head start on the vocals. The music and vocals are as tightly played here as anywhere else on the album. The drumming stands out on the song as well. The pounding beats of the snare accelerates the pace near the midpoint of the song and variety is seen in rolls and cymbal play.

This is truly an album where if I go to it, I listen to the whole thing. The songs flow into each other with little to no breaking, and the whole thing is right to the point. The closing song, "Terror in Toyland" carriers some of the better vocal moments on the album and I would say is the band catching a "second wind" if they ever showed signs of slowing down in the first place. After the band split up, the non-vocals portion of the group went on to form Thank God, while the band's singer, Chris Bickel went on to focus on his noise project Anakrid. You can find Direkt Aktion through the Prank Mailorder page for about $10 with shipping included (Media Mail).