Where you're talking New York hardcore, Underdog should feature right up there with the likes of Agnostic Front, Cause For Alarm and Murphy's Law. Unfortunately for all of us though, just when all looked set for Underdog to really kick on, they imploded and split. 

Having reformed in the past few years this discography provides a timely reminder of just how seminal the New York scene was back in the late 80's. Spawned from the CBGB's Sunday matinees, Underdog had the off-the-rails live shows to match their straight down the line hardcore. Centred around the axis of Richie Birkenhead and Russ "Wheeler" Ignay, their music followed similar lines to Cause For Alarm. No messing, straight up hardcore at heart with the vibe of the skateboard scene they had strong links with, but they also like to chuck a fair bit of melody and more than the odd guitar solo into the mix. Richie's vocals also give them a definitive edge, ranging from raging catharsis to some pretty powerful straight-up singing.

This collection pulls together all their best stuff (though how you define best with a catalogue as consistently strong as theirs is anybody's guess), including demos and their breakthrough-in-waiting album 'The Vanishing Point'. Unfortunately that album title became a little too prophetic, but fortunately their legacy never went away and as their back catalogue was previously bloody hard to find, this disc comes as welcome reminder of just how good NYHC was back in the day. 

An absolutely essential release for any hardcore fan, which will have you skanking like a good 'un and grinning like a Cheshire cat.

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