irisk/some records. 001 / 6 tracks / 1987

Produced by Chuck Valle of Ludichrist. #1 - Plain white die-cut sleeve with stickered shrink wrap, 500 made. + lyric sheet. #2 - Printed “Lion” cover, different label design (black on white) and lyric sheet. #3 - (supposedly the rarest pressing) Same as 2nd press, but white on black labels. #4 - 12” reissue adds NYC Mayhem demo. #5 - Boot 7” (500 made) has Breakaway plus End the Warzone (ETW) tracks. #6 - Boot 7” on orange vinyl with just the Breakaway tracks. #7 - Boot LP reissue on “Kill for Christ records” with Breakaway & ETW tracks plus 14-song NYC Mayhem demo.

Between 1985 and 1986 Tommy and Craig from NYC Mayhem shaved their heads, became Straight Ahead and produced this amazing, overlooked record; easily one of the best releases of the entire NY Straight Edge genre. 7 minutes of solid, exciting, non-generic hardcore with fierce vocals (sometimes sounding like HR). Production values on this record are amazingly high, the guitar is sharp, and Craig’s bass is a lot less “pling-y” compared to ETW. The occasional guitar solo showcases the metal influence, but definitely fits in with the music. And the cover art is beautiful, too. (MB) [9]

Straight-Edge-Klassiker der Band um Tommy und Craig von NYC Mayhem. Kompakter, begeisternder, innovativer Hardcore mit intensiven Vocals (die hin und wieder an HR erinnern) und einem messerscharfem Gitarrensound. Leichter Metaleinfluss in der Gitarre, der aber recht gut zur Musik passt. Genial (MB).

Tracks: not afraid / breakaway / we stand // right idea / straight ahead / spirit of youth