D.O.A. - Hardcore '81 LP

Label: Sudden Death

Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, DOA formed in the late ’70s in the wake of the first punk wave. The band took their cues from acts across the pond like the Clash and Stiff Little Fingers, matching razing guitars with equally sharp political sloganeering. Of course, DOA has managed to outlive its peers and continues to release records and tour out of their homebase in Canada.

It was with Hardcore 81 that DOA came into its own, while also putting a name to the North American strain of faster and harder punk in a formal manner. The self-named anthem that begins the record is the first indication, Biscuits leading the charge with double-time snare whacks. But this is more than just head-down rocking.

The band’s rhythm section turned over the year after Hardcore 81, with Rampage quitting and Biscuits leaving to play with Black Flag (and then the Circle Jerks and eventually Danzig). DOA made other good records in the years to come, but never ones quite like these.