Death Side – The Will Never Die

The official reissue of Tokyo’s DEATH SIDE non-LP output. 40 tracks collecting Satisfy The Instinct 7” (1988), The Will Never Die 7” (1994) and All Is Here Now 7” (1994). Their compilation tracks from Smashing Odds Ness!! 8” (1987), Eye of The Thrash Guerrilla LP (1988), Hang the Sucker Vol.2 LP (1989), Game of Death LP (1989) and Starving Dog Eats Master LP (1991) as well as their tracks on the CHAOS UK split CD (1993) Starting up in the mid-80’s DEATH SIDE, together with LIP CREAM, bridged the first and third wave of Japanese hardcore punk. Bringing to the stage new influences, and the brooding Japanese hardcore sound. By making something totally fresh, they forged the trademark sound most people think of when thinking of traditional Japanese hardcore. Their extremely fierce aesthetic, sound and attitude gained them a nearly mythical status. Following the Japanese tradition of bands organising their own gig nights, DEATH SIDE together with friends, created the legendary Burning Spirits concerts and tours, which saw every classic band of the era play, from LIP CREAM, CRÜCK or BASTARD to SYSTEMATIC DEATH, ??? or NIGHTMARE. This gig night gave their style a new name, which has been used broadly to describe contemporary Japanese Hardcore. By playing relentlessly all over the country they inspired a new generation of maniacs that ended up starting bands all over Japan. The band came to an end in 1995, and spurred another batch of classic bands like PAINTBOX, FORWARD or JUDGMENT. But that’s a different story.