OFF! (Vice)

Keith Morris’ ranting vocals sound more berserk on the first full-length offering from OFF! than they did on punk brand Black Flag’s essential 1978 EP Nervous Breakdown. He was 23 then, and now, at 57, his sharp, minutelong flip-outs have only increased in potency. “I want to club you like a baby seal, staple your scalp to my steering wheel,” he barks in “King Kong Brigade.” Led by Burning Brides frontman Dimitri Coats’ urgent jigsaw guitar phrasing and Redd Kross sibling Steve McDonald’s bass, OFF! boasts tight, violent execution, where every chord, every drum blast, every scream ricochets essential. These 16 songs in 16 minutes are a lean demonstration of hardcore punk purity that only lacks memorable songs. (Sat., Black stage, 4:45pm)

**.5

This article appears in November 2 • 2012.

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