Depression - Australia, Australia (1985)^{Release ID: 54106}

Until recently, my exposure to Melbourne hardcore punk/crossover thrash outfit Depression was limited to their 1988 sophomore album "Thrash Till Death: Studio Tapes" which I picked up on while still a just a young chap that was finding my way in the Sydney extreme metal scene of the early-to-mid 1990's. I tended to associate with members of older bands at the time, often through my girlfriend who was fairly well connected & knew everyone that was everyone in the local scene. We used to frequent metal shows & goth night clubs on weekends, events that often ended up continuing on at someone's house so that the debauchery that was going on at the club had the opportunity to play out more fully behind closed doors. It was at these after-parties that I'd discover a lot of the more underground Australian metal releases with them being played at loud volumes by older & more experienced metalheads while everyone partook in whatever ungodly shenanigans they were into at the time. It was in that environment that I'd first hear Depression who I was led to believe had transitioned from their early days as a hardcore punk act for that particular release. I knew pretty much fuck-all about hardcore back in those days so I assumed that Depression's second album would be the only one of their releases that might interest me but my experiences over the last few weeks have proven otherwise & have also shown me that this Melbourne act played a far more significant role in the early Australian thrash story than they're generally given credit for, being largely absent from the conversation on documentaries such as "Thrash or Fuck Off!" which details the early players who contributed to the birth of the thrash metal movement in this country.

By late 1985, Depression had put out a fair bit of material from the time they first formed in 1982. There are a couple of early demos floating around with 1983's "Body Dump" tape being a relentless, high-speed hardcore assault that struggled to contend with a rubbish production job. 1984's "Money Chain" single saw the band starting to add more variety of tempo & incorporating chuggy, palm-muted riffs that were more commonly found in metal, a concept would be further expanded on their self-titled debut album that would be released in March of 1985. In fact, "Depression" would actually include four or five genuine crossover thrash tracks amongst the twenty-six short bursts of energy it contained & some of that material would likely have represented the most extreme music to come out Australia to the time as far as I can see. The "Australia, Australia" E.P. would appear eight months later in November 1985 &, unlike most local metal historians, I believe that it's here that the Aussie thrash (& subsequently extreme metal) story first begun.

"Australia, Australia" contains nine short tracks that fly by in quick succession but there's enough variation in their approaches to allow the individual tracks the chance to differentiate themselves from one another. The E.P. still sounds very much like a hardcore release from a production point of view with a layer of dirt & grime having been allowed to protect the song-writing from ever becoming too accessible & this is further accentuated by the snotty punk vocal delivery of Spike whose journey with Depression would end after this release. Original drummer Danny had been replaced with Nothing Sacred & future Hobbs Angel of Death skinsman Sham Littleman who delivers a high energy & very capable performance here but would move on to other things before Depression's next studio effort. The most noticeable difference between the "Depression" album & "Australia, Australia" though is the significantly increased ratio of punk to metal in the guitar work of band leader Smeer whose riffs now appear to unapologetically showcase the influence of bands like Slayer, Anthrax & Exodus which made for a much more appealing prospect for this ol' thrasher. In fact, the role that this component plays in the sound & feel of "Australia, Australia" is so important in its aesthetic that I find it impossible to understand how the E.P. hasn't been claimed as a crossover thrash record previously with no sign of any such connections being found online outside of the band themselves claiming that their sound combined punk & metal in interviews. When you listen to the releases of the other supposed early thrash bands of the local scene from the same period (see Nothing Sacred, Renegade, Prowler, Armoured Angel, etc.), you'll discover that Depression were really the only ones who had any right to claim that they were a genuine thrash metal act too which makes their omission from the discussion even more perplexing.

Of the nine songs on offer, I'd suggest that seven of them have a strong enough metal component to be tagged as crossover thrash while the short & violent "TV Lies" & "Dirty Fucken USA" stay predominantly in hardcore territory & "The Plan" takes kind of an each-way bet. This is all good shit though with Depression continuing to prove themselves to be capable song-writers by not delivering a single dud track. The energy levels are infectious & I honestly struggle to keep still during this record which can only be a good sign given the importance of the physical reaction in music of this intensity. Regardless of which genre they should rightfully belong to, it's hard to deny that the title track, "TV Lies", "The Box", "Eternal Genocide", Copper Chopper" & closer "The Side Up" are all really solid & enjoyable anthems for a misspent youth &, while I'm not usually all that big on crossover thrash, I'd have to suggest that this leaves "Australia, Australia" sitting up in elite territory when it comes to my more favoured crossover releases which is really saying something.

It's honestly baffling that a release like this one has managed to not only go unrecognised by the Australian metal scene for so long but has also failed to gain the sort of attention it deserves from the hardcore market too from what I can see online. While I may not be the most knowledgeable reviewer on the topic of hardcore history, I definitely know good music when I hear it & this is it ladies & gentlemen. It's also worth noting that 1985 would be the year that the earliest crossover thrash releases of any note would first see the light of day on a more global scale (S.O.D.'s "Crab Society North" demo & "Speak English or Die" album, D.R.I.'s "Dealing With It!" album, Slaughter's "Surrender or Die" demo, Concrete Sox's "Your Turn Next" album, Corrosion of Conformity's "Animosity" album, etc.) so that makes "Australia, Australia" a little more significant from an international & historical perspective as well, particularly given that I regard it as a stronger record than a good chunk of those releases. Now, if that sort of statement doesn't encourage the old skate-punk in you to explore this criminally undiscovered Aussie gem then I'm not sure what will. Get stuck in guys!

For fans of D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies & S.O.D.