Jerry's Kids
Is This My World?

The "chaos" was a fundamental weapon to show what kind of bastards a band was made of. Sure, today there are few who become shocked by a band's name since some formations have seriously touched the pinnacle of indecency. In 1982, calling yourself Jerry's Kids (a name stolen from a charity foundation set up by Jerry Lewis) seemed like a great middle finger to many. It is known that Boston hardcore was ruthlessly cruel, uniquely scratchy, and developed in a way completely different from the Californian style, or rather, different from any existing type. 

But here we are not talking about that positive hardcore that characterized a scene for years, which gradually became a sort of Anti-Punk. In Jerry's Kids played some irresponsible drunkards, a random name: Chris Doherty, a character much more famous with the formation of Gang Green.

Well, I believe that none of you will be surprised to learn that listening to "Is this my world?" there is so much commotion that you are left semi-dazed. But an "important" change was also applied in this album. That classic hardcore in some tracks like "Raise the curtain" changes its skin, introducing new sounds made of more cadenced and stern notes, with metal influencing this music more and more, so much so that solos (played poorly) can be heard that reminded much more of the N.W.O.B.H.M. school than rock n roll. With "Lost", you can perceive the band's need to get heavier with muted and low notes, simultaneously leading to the construction of a different vocal line than usual, brushing against what would become CrossOver in the future. But don’t confuse me, there are plenty more bands transformed into a sort of punk-metal, and these Jerry's Kids are still not ready to be fully incorporated into such a movement. The anger and crass "rude" way of expressing themselves, uncompromisingly in the most direct way, are still the backbone of this formation's way of making music.

Of course, with this album, we were in the early days of the genre, and Jerry's Kids were nothing more than a sort of "super group"; they had little future in their career, and today their name echoes sporadically among the long list of bands that ignited the American Hardcore scene.

Tracks on the level of "Crucify me", "Lost", "Break the mold", or the infamous "Vietnam Syndrome" make this album a classic for enthusiasts of the genre. I appreciate it, but in all honesty (more so because of personal taste), I would say that I have listened to better albums than this.