On October 22, New York hardcore pioneers Heart Attack will celebrate their 40th anniversary with a reissue of the very first New York hardcore release, God Is Dead. Recorded in Queens and originally released in 1981 on the Damaged Goods fanzine label, the highly collectable and often bootlegged 7” had an initial limited edition pressing of under 300 copies.Our take: Reissue of this 3-song ripper from 1981, one of the first New York Hardcore records and a legendary grip for punk vinyl collectors. With only 300 copies of the original pressing, it’s been hard to find and expensive since it came out. I guess the band didn’t think it was that strong and didn’t want to keep it in print, and while it may not be on the same level as the Bad Brains and Minor Threat records that were coming out around the same time (what is?), it’s still a scorcher in my book. The title track (which is actually the b-side) is a stop-start masterpiece that sets up the framework Agnostic Front would expand on for United Blood, and it would be a NYHC classic even if it didn’t have the historical distinction of being the first example of it. On the other side, “You” is in a similar vein, but my favorite has always been “Shotgun,” a more tuneful track that also appeared on the New York Thrash compilation, where it fit in next to punkier bands like Kraut and the Mad. Velvet Elk’s reissue expands the minimalist layout of the original pressing, adding a cool photo of the band in front of CBGB on the back cover and an essay about the EP from Lyle Hysen, whose label Damaged Goods Records originally released God Is Dead. Whether you’re coming at God Is Dead as a historical artifact or just a ripping hardcore punk record, you’ll leave satisfied.
