Sudden Death Overtime

The third album by Boston’s Slapshot, 1990′s Sudden Death Overtime proudly ignores all the trends that had overtaken hardcore since their 1984 debut: no metal moves by the guitarists, no plodding, weed-infused Black Sabbath-like dirge tempos from the rhythm section, no dorky growling from singer Choke Kelly, just straight-ahead straight-edge. The tempos are a hair slower, perhaps, but songs like “Punk’s Dead, You’re Next” and the righteous “War on Drugs” bristle with well-directed anger, and the shoutalong “Get Me Out” is as close as the band had yet come to a regular pop song. Extra points for the deadpan sarcasm on the Hüsker Dü-like straight-edge cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” as well. At a time when hardcore itself, never mind straight-edge, was on the ropes, Sudden Death Overtime proved that some bands were still in the game. – Stewart Mason