Review Summary: This is an essential metallic hardcore record.
What happens when you take
Crass and
Iron Maiden, add more distortion and reverb than you really need, and throw in a manic frontman that would shame
G.G. Allin? You get "Detestation", a classic slab of Japanese hardcore and one of the best punk records of all time.
At its heart, despite the metallic influences, this album is deeply rooted in the 80's British anarcho-sound although its filtered through a different cultural lens. While Crass was more or less defined peace-punk this record takes the sonic foundations created on records like "Feeding..." and "Stations..." but inserts a genuine primal violence that almost disfigures its origins beyond recognition especially considering the soaring NWOBHM-style guitar solos that frequently appear courtesy of the late Randy Uchida.
Make no mistake, however. This isn't a tight record with a clean production. It's noisy and sloppy as hell, with a lo-fi production that makes even some raw black metal albums sound over-produced.
What ties everything together are the absolutely insane vocals of Sakevi. He sounds like a man possessed throughout the record, laughing manically, murmuring like an asylum patient, and screaming in poor English. His early antics on stage and relative obscurity in the West only add to the primal intensity of his performance.
All in all, this record is one of the most intense slabs of punk rock there is and should be something that anyone who claims to enjoy hardcore and even heavy metal. Worship this record.
