GENOCIDE

Henry Weld, from the website Punk Rock in New Jersey: "Genocide is nasty gutter-punk with a glammy edge. Decent and engaging, but for all its pretense, you can tell it's suburban." I can't tell if that's a putdown or not.

Steven Blush, from his book American Hardcore: "Genocide is from New Brunswick, the vehicle of Bobby Ebz (an inspiration to GG Allin), paralleled the HC days, and appeared on a bizarre 1981 split LP with the OC band MIA called Last Rites For Genocide And MIA. ...for a spell, the band included future Hair Metal hero Rachel Bolan of Skid Row. The nasty junkie Ebz died May 12, 2001."

From Genocide's MySpace page: "Besides a fashion sense that suggested needle Nazis from outer space, and a disposition just this side of liquored-up junkyard dogs, Genocide really ought to be remembered as one of the first bands to realize that there wasn't a whole lot of difference between the punk rock riot of GBH and the hellfire spit metal of Venom. So they played both at once."

Hmm. I never saw these guys; they were more an early 80s-phenomenon, before I arrived in New Brunswick. Apparently I missed something spectacularly frightening. They had their rabid supporters among my associates, and you can definitely see their influence on local heroes Destroy All Bands. And I can't praise enough their strikingly unpleasant promotional materials; you were suitably warned if this wasn't your cup of bourbon.

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