BERSERK: Brent Malkus: guitar, vocals
David Cawley: bass, vocals
Skizz: drums
BERSERK:
Brent Malkus:
guitar, vocals
David Cawley: bass, vocals
Skizz:
drums
OPTION
MAGAZINE (#58 Sep/Oct 1994)
BERSERK. This Baltimore trio has
got it. What is "it" exactly? Seemingly basic stuff, like
songwriting chops and idiosyncratic influences, synthesized with charm, spark
and originality. For starters, they roll out "Giant Robots," a punchy Gary
Numan-style techno-ditty, which kicks right into "My Love Is So Big," a
riff-happy hummer that's equal parts Buzzcocks catchiness and Gang Of Four
art-funk. From there, beginning with the Mouldy-sweet "Blue Hearts,"
things settle down into a more prosaic niche, but with no less satisfying
results: Berserk has mastered the formula for an unflappable mix of dramatic
guitar noise, frantic tempos and shimmering melodies. They also have a
mysterious kinship with the Far East, if only on a pop-culture level. If
there's a single band they resemble, it's Green Day or British-influenced
Chicagoans Naked Raygun, but with more delightfully shameless hooks and only the
minutest trace of hardcore roots. Berserk is more about top-notch
execution than real innovation, but a debut record that's 80-percent memorable
is a grand achievement in the often pedestrian indie-rock world. (Go-Kart, 222
Thompson St. #7, NYC 10012) -- Jason Cohen
CITY PAPER BEST OF BALTIMORE
ISSUE, Sept. 1991
BEST 45 -
BERSERK: "Giant Robots" / "When I Think" Merkin Records
Just when it looked as if it were time to bury the
exquisitely designed seven-inch 45 rpm single instead of hollowly (and
hallowedly) praising it, along comes Berserk, three dippy dudes with exacting
pop standards, tuneful savvy, and a sacred mission to make the world safe again
for fun-stuff rock via the intimate vehicle of the 45. God bless
bassist/frontman David Cawley, guitarist Brent Malkus, and drummer Skizz.
Gleeful as all get-out, "Giant Robots" whisks you into the sing-along world of
Gigantor and other fearless protectors of the human race, who've sworn to shield
us from robot monsters, and you know how nasty they can be; it's equal parts
whimsy, pop-and-fresh melody, and metallic buzz. Yummy. "When I
Think" conjures fuzzy, pleasant dreams of the Buzzcocks, as Cawley friskily
leads the band through a headlong dash while ruing a recent love affair.
Pressed on irresistibly cool industrial robot-gray vinyl.
FLIPSIDE #75, Nov/Dec 1991
BERSERK "Giant Robots / When I Think"
7" Distorted guitar with good melodic, cathy rhythm
tracks and a "normal" sounding lead singer all add up to one thing -- this one
is gonna be a cult favorite. Damn if "Giant Robots" didn't addict me...
definitely buy this. (Thom)
YOUR FLESH
If you're going to buy one Gary Numan, Jap-sci-fi, Pete
Shelley influenced guitar spazz single dealing with a mechanized terror squad
this year, I think this'd be yer best bet. Seriously, I think this is
great. (Brendan Burke)
CITY PAPER BEST OF BALTIMORE
ISSUE, Sept. 1992
Baltimore's
Best Band: BERSERK
If Baltimore has a reputation for
a sound, it would have to be the heavy-funky-dance-psych forged by the
now-defunct All Mighty Senators and Monkeyspank, and still trafficked in by Q,
Cloaca, and a host of others. Those bands often are disparaged as being
part of the "art school scene," but like them or not, 'Spank and the Senators
did more out-of-town gigs than any bands in recent memory, giving folks in D.C.,
New York City, and elsewhere a clue that, hey, maybe there's a music scene in
Baltimore after all.
Of course, there's more to our
scene than heavy-funk. Last year, we picked Berserk's "Giant Robots"/"When
I Think" (Merkin) as Baltimore's best single (and Option Magazine put it
on their Fast 15 list). While the long-awaited Berserk CD still isn't out,
the trio continues to tear up the East Coast with their frantic, frenzied,
feisty razor-pop-punk. Dave Cawley (bass/vocals), Brent Malkus
(guitar/vocals), and Skizz (drums) make music imbued with childlike wonder and a
refreshing naivete, and they hammer it home with unerring, tuneful rock-and-roll
smarts. It's the perfect antidote for the heavy-funk art-school
blues.
CITY PAPER/BALTIMORE WEEKLY,
CRITIC'S CHOICE: MUSIC (April 1998)
Once upon a time, there was a band known as Berserk.
The trio's music was punky and poppy and full of the frantic rock headrush
typified by the band's name. It made a great many music fans very, very
happy. Berserk played a lot and made one really cool CD, but then, a few
years ago, the plucky group broke up. Now former frontman Brent Malkus is
back in town for a visit, so he and the other former Berserkers -David Cawley
and Skizz Cyzyk - decided to reunite for one special night for one special show
that also features Dirty Sanchez and Garage Sale. And we all lived happily
ever after... 10 P.M., the Ottobar. (Lee Gardner)
BERSERK
discography:
Gonna Save The World From Danger cass. 1989 Beef
Platter
"Giant
Robots" / "When I Think" 7" 1991 Merkin
Berserk CD 1994 Go-Kart
COMPILATIONS:
"Giant Robots" (24 track version) on
"Independent Music Fest" comp. cass 1993 MBT
"Kamen Rider" on "Baltimore, The City
That Breeds" comp. CD 1993 Kwality/Reptilian
"My Love Is So Big" on "Altamont
Speedway!!" comp. 7" 1993 Go-Kart
"Blue Hearts" on "I Hear Ya!" comp. CD
1994 Caroline
"Blue Hearts" on "Echoes Of The Nation's Capitol #2" comp. CD 1994
3rd World Underground
"5 Strings" on "Walking By A Building" comp. CD 1995 Hat
Factory
"(If I Was) Ultra 7" & "Blue Hearts" on "Go-Kart vs. The
Corporate Giant" comp. CD 1996 Go-Kart
OTHER:
Giant Robots on the
soundtrack to Justin Case Productions PERMANENT DAMAGE 1991
Giant Robots &
Inflation on the soundtrack to Tromas TERROR
FIRMER, 1999
"My Love Is So Big" music video on the "Best Of Destroy
Television" videocassette, Go Kart 1997
"The Berserk
Reunion Special" episode of Atomic TV
1998
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