Tokyo’s D.S.B. were active between 1993 and 2010 and this is the first ever vinyl pressing of their second full-length, 2004’s Substitute.

The year prior, the band had undertaken a raucously received first US tour, which had been organised off the back of their 2001 Japanese tour with Deathreat (with whom they also released a split EP).  On their return to Japan, the band hit the studio determined to take advantage of the resultant high.

Combining both brand new material, and reworkings of some earlier tracks that the band felt had never been done justice in the recording studio, Substitute was born.  It is the sound of a band that was tour honed and determined to capture their unhinged live velocity in the studio.  The onslaught is one rooted in raw punk, liberally fused with the thrashier instincts of late 1980s’ crossover, and then delivered with an utter ferocity that brings to mind the frenetic intensity of their Japanese contemporaries Frigöra.

The barked vocals, and their boisterously deranged backing, alternate between Japanese and English as they confront the constraints of social conformity and economic inequality. It’s a volatile blend perfectly embodied by the rabid riffage of Rebel And Protest and No Imitation Fact as well as the more melodic drama of Liberator.

As it happens, that 2003 US tour was also captured on a tour DVD with excerpts from half a dozen shows spanning Portland to Providence.  It’s now available on YouTube and worth tracking down to get a sense of the energy that shaped this recording.  Packed crowds in sweaty backrooms, teetering in precarious circles around the drum kit, and a band primed to absolutely have it.