Japanese compilation with Outo, Squad, S.O.B., and Poison Arts. Taken from the beta master version used for the live japanse TV broadcast. Our take: Another month goes by and we get another Japanese hardcore bootleg from some obscure corner of the world. This one is interesting as it goes a little further than the typical “press the officially reissued CD to vinyl” theme. Complete Death was a VHS release featuring live sets by several legendary Japanese hardcore bands at one of the most exciting times for the scene. No doubt you’ve seen the amazing Death Side footage, which I believe comes from this show. The video stuff is amazing—pro-shot with good lighting and multiple cameras—but the audio sounds great too. This LP collects the audio from Sqwad, Outo, S.O.B., and Poison Arts. While it’s not a studio recording, the audio quality is top-notch and well worth hearing if you’re a fan. The only one I wasn’t familiar with was Sqwad. They were a band featuring ex-members of Ghoul, whose song “Oi!” they do here, and their two originals also sound like a Burning Spirits-ified Ghoul. Outo, S.O.B., and Poison Arts are all at the top of their game, and Outo in particular delivers a ripping set of tracks. This is well worth your time if you’re a Japanese hardcore head, and here’s hoping we see a second volume with the Tetsu Arrey, Death Side, Final Bombs, and Systematic Death tracks also on the original video.
