"This band kicks ass. Balls out, fast catchy punk with lots of hooks and attitude, but very little pretension. Really raw production but you can still hear everything in the mix. Damn, this is great!"(RM)
Maximum Rock'n'Roll Magazine No. 207 2000
"Well I was blown away by the first record and let me tell this one picks up right where the last one left off! Fast and powerful right off the bat. No fucking around here. This band means business and they aren't afraid to get right up in your face and tell you what they think. I'm so proud I can claim this band as a VA product and one day I'll get to see them live and I doubt they will disappoint me at all. With the 13 tracks of good early DC hardcore punk influenced music this band has my vote for the 'fuck yeah' list! One last thing, The picture on the back of this CD of I would assume the singer looking half... ha yeah ok, looking just drunk out of his mind latched onto a girl just made this for me!!! All hail the Goons! Watch out emo bands from DC the Goons are here." (-Beau)
Slug and Lettuce Magazine #64 Jun-Aug 2000
Yes! This is what PUNK ROCK is SUPPOSED to sound like! I have to laugh every time I read a review proclaiming punk rock to be "alive" because some pathetic, generic, watered-down, piece-of-shit, wanna-be-on-the-Warped-Tour clone band has unleashed a third rate slab of sped-up dog shit! Please!
Punk rock IS INDEED alive, but its vitality has got nothing to do with the fucking mall punk scene! Punk rock is alive because of bands like The Goons----bands that understand that there's more to the genre than fashion and formula! "No Leaders", this DC band's second long-player, is a 13-song, 21-minute ROMP that dishes out not only the fundamental velocity and volume, but also guts, balls, fury, attitude, and COOL SONGS! Yes! This is hardcore punk rock that just RIPS! In a just world, The Goons would inspire the wildest mosh pit in the land while all the Pennywise clones would get laughed off of every stage in America!
Check out the furious, violent rhythms, the vicious, roaring riffs, the bad-ass lyrics, the catchy choruses, and the feral vocals (delivered by the one-and-only Serge, who is THE MAN!)! This band has the raw intensity and melodic appeal that 99% of their peers do not have! What can I say? THIS RULES!
THE GOONS: "No Leaders"
FILE UNDER: Hardcore punk rock
Check This Out If You Dig: Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Minor Threat, Angry Samoans, Dead Kennedys, Youth Brigade, Adolescents
In A Word: Killer!
Now Wave Magazine 2000
The Goons really come into their own on this album, evolving from a pretty good band into a blistering unit. A hot and fast punk affair featuring spot-on, assaultive songs that have the rare combination of pulverizing power and catchiness. In a way at least. This is aggro, not pop music. "White Tide" gets things started with a speedy blitz and the Goons don't flag for the next twenty or so minutes. Serge's over the top, bellicose vocal style - simultaneously soulful and cutting - is a defining characteristic and the lyrics express a cynical viewpoint on different issues, but they just as readily go for the ever-handy middle finger exhortation for "Hey You". Interesting cover design transposing Uncle Sam and the four living US presidents over a nuclear backdrop. No good punk or hardcore anymore? The Goons lay waste to that idea within a few seconds of the opening chords.
Al Quint Hit List Magazine Vol 2 #3 - 2000
"Energetic, driving early '80s SoCal style Hardcore Punk played with uncompromising aggression and a fair dose of melody. Four chord bursts of raging sing-along sensibilities, and raw fuming rage on songs like 'Self Destruct', 'Young Man' and 'Hey You' conjures up images of intense circle pits and mammoth sing-alongs. Not wholly original in style or approach, the unbridled energy and intensity with which these guys tear through song after song still sets them apart from the pack."
Under the Volcano Magazine #58
"This CD comes from American Punk Records (aka 'The Label That Never Puts Out Shitty Music'), so before even listening to this I knew
it would be good. Yup, I was right! From the first few seconds of listening to this disc you know it will rip you to shreds by the time it's
over. The music is very fast and rock'n'rollish (like the Dead City Rebels) but with less emphasis on guitar tricks and more flat-out heavy
rawwwwk noise. My recipe for making a band like The Goons: Take the raspy-voiced drunk from your local rock'n'roll dive bar, put him
infront of a deafeningly loud punk band, take away his beer, and watch him unleash a pissed off fury of sloppy rock mayhem right in your
face. Great lyrics too. Pissed off and sometimes disturbing, but definitely way above being just pointless yelling. "
World Wide Punk October 14, 2000
"The Goons are on American Punk Records, a more fitting name there couldn't be, or 'gasp' American Metal. You can't call the Goons anything but heavy. They top their trade with "Media Bombardment" and give us another classic in 'Self Destruct'. I think it's the singer's voice more than anything that gives this band it's metal edge. He reminds me of somebody, actually quite a few, underground metal singers from the mid-80's. The Goons can rock like alot of those great bands, check out 'Young Man'. That could be Krokus (remember them, they were big) in the Hardware era.. This is definitely a punk rock band though, as they clearly demonstrate on 'Closing Time In America'. I think The Goons are what east coast power defines. Their blending of styles at times produce masterpieces of rock n roll. They fucking jam like angus and the boys at their best, and we know everywhere you go, they call that rock n roll. This is it at it's finest, The Goons are at that level sonically. Just listen to 'RTD' blasting along propelled by the riff from hell, the smooth vocal rant. The fucking Goons got this thing going on, in the underground it's called 'giving them hell'. Maybe you only be so lucky as to have The Goons cranking 'Never Say Die' the day they throw your punk ass in the hole!
Slam Magazine #2, 2001
How many of you are aware that one of the best punk rock bands in the country resides in Baltimore, MD? My guess is all too few, but unfortunately I'm also guilty of this crime against the scene. Despite having attended numerous Goons shows over the years, I've never once picked up one of their recordings. So, when No Leaders was dropped into my lap, I was excited to see what this great live band could do in the studio.
Much to my surprise, the answer is that they can blow away not only anything I've ever seen them do in a live setting, but just about every single punk album that's come out this year. Upon first listen, No Leaders ran me over like a steamroller, and as the disc ended I found myself scrambling to catch up with said steamroller that I may have the pleasure of being run over again.
"White Tide" begins No Future's 20-minute rampage with a blindingly fast, yet still melodic punk song that reminds me of bands like the Stitches or the Candy Snatchers, ie bands that infuse the sound and vibe of '77 punk with the speed and aggression of hardcore. This song (like all the others) flies by so quickly I barely know what hit me; the guitar solo in particular has me begging for more, since it's only about five seconds long.
As for the other 11 tracks on the disc (13 tracks in total are listed on the insert, but there are only 12 on the disc for some reason), they race by in a similarly pleasurable fashion. Some tracks take on a more straightforward hardcore vibe (sort of like the Exploited, but without sucking) and some sound more like trashy rock and roll, but every single song blows me away.
This is a disc that I want to play again and again, and if you do yourself the favour of picking it up, you'll feel the same way. It's a shame that this band doesn't tour more, because if the country new about them, they would easily be the kings of the '77 set. However, just because all your friends aren't listening to the Goons (yet), don't let that stop you from checking out one of the best bands out there today.
Deep Fry Bonanza 2001
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