Blast From the Past: Combat Wounded Veteran - 11 Song 7-inch

Combat Wounded Veteran was one of the most influential bands in the short-lived power-violence movement of the '90s. This seven-inch record, simply titled 11 Song 7", is just that: a pure testament to the simplicity by which this band exercised its brutality onto the masses. A simple hard-stock paper insert spray-painted and taken to town with rubber stamps of televisions, this first effort would set up the neon visuals of consequent releases and the great graphics guitarist Chris Norris has lent to many No Idea releases.

My introduction to this band was when my old band (at the time named Enclave) opened for them, Spazz, Assück, and Cavity at the sorely missed Cheers in Miami back in the tail end of 1996 (or was it early 1997?) and buying this little record from them. Needless to say, the 11 tracks on this slab were a permanent fixture on my turntable for many months! In their seven-year stretch, they would release many EPs and splits and a number of full-lengths, but it was this little puppy that got the ball rolling.

On this release, I believe the band was comprised of Ponch on vocals and bass, Chris and Davy on guitars, and Mark on drums. But it's hard to tell, and I've lost some of the inserts. This rager flies by in ten minutes, but there are some choice tracks of unrestrained visceral intention that reflect the humor that was behind their overall work. Tracks like the opener "Eat More Blood Money," "I Gotta Slingshot, Wanna Get Hurt?," "The Brown Tie Is a Clip-on," and "Some People Ask Too Many Questions" set them apart from contemporaries who took themselves way too seriously.

While we could go into specifics on a track-by-track manner, I'd rather discuss the particulars of the recording. This seven-incher was recorded at Morrisound Studios by Assück's Steve Heritage, and the first pressing was of 1,500 records in 1996 with a repress of 500 featuring a different cover treatment and aptly titled 11 Song 7" Repress. Although I've never actually seen a copy of this on sale, I've been told that it rarely crops up. Your best bet would be to purchase the discography CD/LP This Is Not an Erect, All Neon Body on No Idea Records.

Pure power-violence bliss. We'll see more of their releases within these pages soon; in the meantime, enjoy an MP3 of "Eat More Blood Money" by clicking here.