UK Punk And Oi (UK):
Vision Of Hell - "This latest release from Teeside punks, Dogsflesh, is a must for any fan of UK82 style punk. It is the vein of The Exploited, Discharge, English Dogs and The Varukers and it certainly kicks arse from start to finish. The CD is well produced with great gravely vocals and good, tight musicians. Dogsflesh are not afraid to say what they think and the artwork in the booklet compliments the lyrics. It is pure UK82 punk but still fresh, up to date and in your face. Highlights on the CD include the title track, Vision of Hell, which is a thrashy number that had my foot tapping! Also really enjoyed X.B.B, with its intro from the film Scum. It is a bit slower than the other tracks and the lead guitar really stands out throughout it. Dogsflesh have a great energy which also comes across in their live performances. They have an informative website and a good myspace page where you can listen to tracks from this quality CD." --Jeanna
Fungal Punk (UK):
Vision Of Hell - "Bludgeoning hardcore here that radiates an intolerance of anything mild and not totally committed to bursting eardrums. Typical early 80's violence soundblasts the listener from all directions as Dogflesh ply their trade with stunning effect.
'Borrowed Time' stretches sinews, strains ligaments and hurts real bad. It whips the listener to attention raising welts of pleasurable agony with its intense work-out of all things brutal and punishing. The song drills straight to the epicentre of the hardcore soul and is up there with all other discharged works from the coherent speed demons. The throbbing intermission of ominous guitar, bass and drums halfway through is totally head damaging stuff that punks everywhere will buzz to. A simple riff guaranteed to get those skulls nodding! There is no let up as 'Sleazebag' points fingers, confronts and then beats the living daylights out of anything indecent. Brutal noise, straight to the heart of the matter lyrics all intertwine around the throat of the deviant groomers and deals with a social disease in no uncertain terms. The production is spot on here and with a volume set at 'bleed' you can go at it full tilt and let that anger splatter the walls.
'Fuck All' hits a hard bass groove which is soon smashed by intense guitar and usual fury of vocal. The crazed question posed of 'What have I got' is wretchedly angst and finalised with the songs title. The blast is liable to have the hardcore fraternity pounding their heads with zealous joy as is the pulsating 'Last Renegades' which is more orthodox and a pure sound of the early 80's with a more up-to-date production. 'Kids Kill Kids' deals with sensitive subject matter and is delivered with the same riotous resonance that has dominated thus far. Perhaps the blandest track on the CD and one that disappears beneath it's more violent and striking counterparts although the final gun shot is somewhat unsettling. The tumbling drums that accompany the chorus of 'Psycho Bitch' make the song what it is and the now typical verses are neatly sliced by these intermittent rolling explosions.
The relevance of this kind of music is debatable today in punks somewhat over critical scene and ridiculously divided gigging arena. Punk is more than just about the racket a band makes but in some ways too many noises that are too remote to even consider themselves punk are passed off as such. We have no such controversy here and Dogsflesh make no intentions to be anything other than they are and that is a damn fine hardcore band. It is what it says on the tin so there you go. The signature song 'Dogsflesh' backs this theory up albeit a song that isn't really about the band.
'That's Life' hails loud about standing up for being yourself, having a voice and the tortuous hell of the enforced day to day procedures. A common punk theme and a common enough piece of tuneage but the persuasive insistence works and despite the fact that these old fuckers are starting to get on a bit there is enough belief in the vocal output to make it listenable - loudly if you take my advice and the print on the disk.
The next 3 are more of the same and 'Yesterday's Heroes', 'The Threat Remains' and 'Vision Of Hell' all gush a clinical accuracy and mire of ire that draws in the punky curiosity. All the comparisons that are going to be made here are blatant but Dogsflesh hold their own and in fact outdo most of what their counterparts throw out. The choice pick of the previous three grenades is the slow deliberate guitar chug that sinisterly rolls along during 'The Threat Remains', taking deep breaths before exploding once more. The fact that the pace is slightly toned down indicates what I feel to be an oversight on the bands part in as far as the CD not including one or two less speedier tracks and relying more on threat and imposing riffs rather than going in with all fists flying. Just a Fungal consideration to mull over before the next recording.
We end with 'X. B. B.' (Ex Borstal Boy perhaps) and as if by magic we have a slower, seething piece that backs-up my previous thoughts and what a great song it is. The focus seems more exact and the looming rhythm commands attention. Just what was needed and a great way to end.
It's fast, it's high standard production and it rouses with passion - oh and the bonus is that it finishes with the best track of the lot. In this country Dogsflesh don't get the appreciation they deserve and so travel further afield to punkers who love the noise - don't force this CD to go the same way." --Fungal Punk
Street Voice UK Music Magazine (UK):
Vision Of Hell - "If you're into 80's UK punk Exploited/Discharge style then you'll pretty much enjoy this release. It does help when some of the band were around back then as they've got the sound pretty spot on with a modern day touch. There's twelve tracks in all and they're not bad numbers at all though 'Fuck All', 'Last Renegades', 'Dogflesh' and 'Yesterdays Heroes' did it for me." --Steve DIY
Big Wheel Online Magazine (US):
Vision Of Hell - "Upon taking out the CD to play, the words, "PLAY VERY LOUD" in red are not hard to miss, and I did just that and set the speaker to the loudest setting. Needless to say, I got complaints from my neighbors about the music, including a very angry sibling who had been woken up by the noise. Success! Not only was the music effective in causing a disturbance around me upon being played loudly, but it also was effective in making a good impression on this reviewer. Whatever happened to the kind of Punk bands like G.B.H, A Global Threat, and The Exploited brought to the table? Well if you’re looking for it, Dogsflesh has it, and their album "Vision of Hell" is an energetic ode to UK 82/Street Punk.
The album art screams absolute Street Punk, from the bright colors to the pictures featuring Street Punks with mohawks, chaos and destruction, and politics. The lyrical content is also full of the makings of Street Punk, from songs about perverts, violence, all leading to the band’s anthem "Dogsflesh", which most every Punk band always provides in their own albums. Though many of us have long forgotten about UK 82/Street Punk, this album is a full nostalgic reminder of the Street Punk phase that we’ve all passed through during certain times of our lives. It’s a fun reminder and the album almost makes you want to re-live it all over again. If you’ve been missing that part of the Punk family, Dogsflesh’s "Vision Of Hell" is good listening, out on Unrepentant Records." --Stephanie M.
Punk Rock, Hardcore, and Ska Music Resource n Review (US):
Vision Of Hell - "sharp,fast and right to the point hardcore punk rock influenced by the exploited and spitting lyrics just the way you would want the chaos punx too,OLD SCHOOL TO THE MAX and from looking at the cover of this cd and inside jacket this really is the vision of hell with punk rock attached to it,punx NOT DEAD AND THEY MEAN IT!,everyone i present to you dogflesh in the FLESH!" --beth
Skrutt Zine (Sweden) review of DOGSFLESH 'Vision Of Hell':
"They´re mates with GBH, English Dogs and so on on My Space and that gives us a little hint about which type of music the group plays. It´s really good description of their music because the type of music they plays is as they say: UK82 punk. Exploited seems to have been a really big influence. 12 tough songs which is build up as I want them because I´ve grown up with this type of punkrock. It goes really fast but it´s never missing melodies in their music and the lyrics is easy to hear. The usual punk lyrics is made in a very good way and they feel true in some way and of course the pictures of terrorist attacks on the record sleeve helps us think this is for real."--Peter Thorsson
Punk Rock Review (US) review of DOGSFLESH 'Vision Of Hell':
"To be honest when I first took a look at the cover of this album combined with their name “Dogflesh”& album title “Vision Of Hell” I thought I was going to be tortured with reviewing a death metal band. So when I heard the crusty punk sound of Dogflesh I was pleasantly surprised. Musically, Dogflesh are similar to the early UK Subs, but where UK Subs spit out balls of fiery rage, Dogflesh lighten their lyrical bile with sardonic humor. The music is rooted in the typical Oi! punk influences: the Sham 69, Cock Sparrer, and early UK Subs. It's melodic, punchy, and fast, delivering the necessary bite without ever becoming too abrasive or sugary for the average crusty punk."--Jonny Taint
Hard Rock Info (Sweden) review of DOGSFLESH - Vision of Hell CD:
"This is yet another one of those old punk bands from UK that suddenly decide to reunite after 20 years, and I don't have a problem with that, especially when I haven't even heared about them before.
Their music remind me of bands like GBH and THE EXPLOITED, so to me it's really good stuff! If you're into good old British trash punk, check 'em out"
