1/5/26.
Every once in a while I'll go on to Maximum Rock N' Roll and peruse the reviews. There's a lot there and I'm not a fan of hardcore, so it's definitely hit and miss. But the reviews are easy to read and there's always a listening tab for the quick auditory litmus test.
I immediately liked Die Benjamins. First, as stated before, I have a thing for German punk. Second, this seemed to harken back to late 70s punk. So, I read the review and it mentioned that the lead singer is Annette Benjamin from Hans-A-Plast, a legendary German punk band from the late 70s/early 80s (I'd never heard of them). I did some investigating, and sure enough, they have three great records that have all been reissued by Tapete Records.
To be honest, after listening to Hans-A-Plast, I'm partial to this 7" from Die Benjamins. Yes, it's less punk, but still plenty punk. Other members were in bands Drangsal and Die Nerven. This 7" is being released by German label Tomatenplatten. Both the band and the label are based in Berlin, Germany.
