V/A "KILLED BY DEATH Vol. 4" Compilation LP

"There was a time when you could get seriously beaten up for listening to music that sounded like this. Now the only thing in danger is your wallet, as anybody who has dipped a toe into the swirling seas of punk collecting will testify. And that's the great thing about Killed by Death -- so many "great" punk singles were produced in such stultifying minute quantities that, without this series, there would scarcely be a soul who'd even heard of them. Which may or may not be a good thing, as Volume 4 leads you into some of the distinctly dubious territory thrown up by the late-'70s/early-'80s (mainly) U.S. punk scene, as it shrugged off its earlier adherence to its Anglo-punk roots and began driving towards the more hellacious hardcore -- with a snarling demeanor to match. Four tracks from the Zero Boys include the brick-bat hurling "Stoned to Death," while Filth's "Don't Hide Your Hate" and Heart Attack's "God Is Dead" are high enough on attitude that the actual musical ineptitude that