Germbox – Noise for Zeros

Creamy Loop 7”
Caulfield Records, 1992

Here’s the perfect way to kickstart Noise for Heros: a posting of one of the fiercest 7″ slabs of noise rock ever to rage out of the midwest. Germbox was a criminally unknown and underrated band from Kansas City from the early ’90s that played with an intensity that most people weren’t ready for at the time, featuring dynamic songwriting, sickly swirling guitar, a galloping rhythm section, and a vocalist with unhinged screams that cleared venues of all but the hardcore. On par with anything that AmRep was dishing up at the time (the debut Today Is The Day album Supernova would be a good reference point) and as brutal as bands like Unsane, Dazzling Killmen, Zeni Geva, or Swans, this single should be part of any noise hound’s collection. Sadly, Germbox didn’t last long enough to record an LP, but this amazing 7″ and their debut Groaning Bridge 7″ is collected on a CD entitled Fraction of Exaggeration along with some unreleased and compilation tracks on the now defunct Caulfield label.

DOWNLOAD:

Germbox – “Godtrot”

Germbox – ‘Spit”

LINKS:

http://www.myspace.com/germbox

2Comments

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1

Danny Gibson on February 17, 2009 at 12:47 pm

Hey, thanks for the Germbox! I grew up in KC, so I remember these guys. I’ve never been able to get my hands on any of their material except for one track on a Caulfield split with Molly McGuire and others. Much appreciate the upload. Any idea what the KC scene is like these days? I’ve been away for about 10 years. Cheers.
2

admin on February 20, 2009 at 11:32 pm

You’re welcome. You can track down their posthumous “Fraction of Exaggeration” release on iTunes, which has these tracks, plus their track from the Caulfield comp. 7″ you mentioned above, their debut “Groaning Bridge” 7″, and a few previously unreleased tracks. Totally worth $8. KC (and Lawrence), as always, has a thriving and overlooked scene. You can read about a couple current faves of mine — Fag Cop and Ad Astra Per Aspera — in the Best of 2008 post.