Rebelles Européens left a mark on the world between all their 45s and LPs. The label came to the forefront of the European Nationalist skinhead music scene, putting out records from its native France and abroad. Founders Gaël Bodilis and law student Brigitte Maljak, both active in the Front National Jeunesse as well as Troisieme Voie and Parti nationaliste français et européen (PNFE), managed Brutal Combat and brought Légion 88, Chauves Pourris, Bunker 84 and Kontingent 88 to lead France's nationalist scene.
Rebelles Européens produced nationalist music almost exclusively* from its inception until its untimely demise. Distinctive of the label was the open display of the Hakenkreuz on some of their releases. French law allowed Third Reich symbolism to be printed and sold publicly until 1994, which dovetailed with the label permanently closing its doors. There have been unsubstantiated rumors the French government forcibly closed the label after a police raid.
My personal favorite LPs: 1. Kontingent - Générations futures 2. Bunker 84 - Liberté 3. Battle Zone - Nowhere to Hide 4. Nahkampf - Schutt und Asche 5. English Rose - Never Be Silenced 6. Chauves Pourris - Jusqu'à la mort 7. No Remorse - This Time, The World 8. Ultima Thule - Svea hjältar 9. División 250 - Sangre de conquistadores 10. Bunker 84 - Notre Combat! 11. Légion 88 - Thulé 12. Noie Werte - Kraft für Deutschland 13. White Lightning - Destiny 14. Verde Bianco Rosso - Europa 15. Dirlewanger - Rockin' for the Golden Race 16. Open Season - Front Line Fighters 17. Ultime Assaut - Délivrance 18. Power Skin - Celtica bianca spada 19. Public Enemy - Our Weapon Is Truth
For compilations, singles and EPs: 1. Grade 1 - Hail the New Land / Let's Rock 2. No Remorse - Smash the Reds / Race Traitor 3. Skullhead - Victory or Valhalla 3. Chauves Pourris - Censuré / Nous on est des sauvages 4. Ultima Thule - Havets vargar / Tonight 5. Violent Storm - Land of My Fathers 6. Battle Zone - Way of Death / Nation of Sorrow 7. Bunker 84 - Vieux continent / Un autre cràne rasé est mort 8. Nouvelle Croisade - Tu aimeras 9. Bunker 84 - Victime des démocraties / France 10. English Rose - Proud Nationalist Warriors / Wasting Away 11. Ovaltinees - British Justice (reissue) 12. Légion 88 - Légion Blanche / J'avais un camarade 13. Légion 88 - Terroristes / Vaincre 14. Tolbiac's Toads - 1983 - 1987 15. Battle Zone - Right to March / Squalor 16. Brutal Combat - Passe A L'ouest / Indo-Europeens 17. Dirlewanger - Nigger Season / Proud of My Race 18. Peggior Amico - Non staremo a guardare / Diritto di marciare 19. Verde Bianco Rosso - Bionda, rossa e nera 20. Ultime Assaut - Paris / La bête immonde
For their various artist compilations: 1. Last Chance 2. Debout, Vol. 1 3. Debout, Vol. 3 4. Debout, Vol. 5 5. Debout, Vol. 2 6. Debout, Vol. 4
*Amusingly, a Dieppe-based 2 Tone Ska band named Machtoc released an LP on this label, apparently unaware of the political leanings. So too did the Italian anti-racist band Klasse Kriminale release their debut LP, although I suspect this could've been the work of Antonella Cavanna, who was active in the band at that time and is known to keep cozy with far-right skinheads.
Thomas Peterson
Prior to the shared dominance of Neofolk, Martial Industrial and Folk Metal within the far-right music scene, evocative and melodically harmonious music rarely found itself manifested in Rock Against Communism. For over three decades, RAC, lyrically and musically, sounded primitive and thuggish; even the ballads of Ian Stuart and his contemporaries channel their working class frustration with a gruff timbre. Kontingent’s Générations futures proves an outstanding exception. Graduating from primordial Oi! origins, their sophomore’s minor key riffs played in unison with acoustics and quality Hard Rock a la The Cult all culminate in producing France’s finest RAC offerings. Only one of two records released on Rebelles Européens’s ill-fated imprint White Metal Records, Générations futures saw Kontingent’s last studio release before breaking up some time afterward, remembered by true believers and weirdoes like me.
A cleaner production marks the first improvement on Générations futures. Although a bit thin, the music here is much more listenable than on the predecessors. The metallic Hard Rock still recurs here, but it’s executed with much better precision and songwriting. The tracks run decent lengths which never overstay their welcome, and the enjoyable soloing breaks up the monotony as well as highlight the guitarist’s flourishes. Also highlighting the album is Laurent Malley’s performance as a vocalist. Abandoning the croaky grunts, he sings with a soothing timbre which only occasionally stumbles over some sour notes. He’s no Bruce Dickinson, but he conveys the albums themes with conviction that's worthier than the vast majority of his contemporaries, including the goat-voiced Saga. His singing certainly redeems his other role on bass; serviceable, but completely pedestrian.
Matthew Gray
As with the production, the guitars highlight the album’s songwriting. Brooding minor key riffs comprise the entire album’s length. The guitar tone is thick, heavy and a bit fuzzy, but not overbearingly so. The album’s Hard Rock reminisces of The Cult, but “Victoire” channels NWOBHM-inspired Heavy Metal with unhindered prowess. Also adding to the album’s aesthete are acoustic guitars played in unison with the riffage on two separate occasions. You'd assume the two would clash unpleasantly and compete with each other for dominance in the mix, but they mesh together in a balanced, evocative harmony.
I never expected the same band which produced shoddy predecessors like 1789 and Au service de nos ancêtres to leapfrog on their final studio release. I even questioned whether these two were the same band, but the rear pressing of this release and some shoddy live performances of these songs confirmed it. Whether or not your personal views diametrically oppose band’s message, the album is just a joy to listen to. A shame this would be their final studio release.
Ah, the magic of French RAC. Nouvelle Croisade has quite a bit of history in Paris's skinhead scene. The band started in 1984 as Malades Mentales before changing their name to Donald Doc. I can only presume the band in those days were apolitical, because after meeting up with the boys behind Légion 88 in 1987, they became Nouvelle Croisade. The band hit the studio and recorded five songs, two of which were released as a single and the other three appearing on Debout Vol. 3. Their guitarist Bruno would later join Alain and company to record Thulé. Around that time, the band called it quits with the drummer Thierry joining Ultime Assaut and then 9ème Panzer Symphonie.
Everything ever recorded, from demos to the studio sessions, would make it to this nifty compilation. Unlike the crude drawings or photographs gracing the covers of most Rebelles Européens's releases, Nouvelle Croisade features a well-rendered illustration of a sword and flag-bearing Teutonic knight standing over a slain Saracen. Thankfully, the production values are a step up from most of their countrymen's records. The guitar sounds beefy with a bit of reverb driving the footstomping rhythms. Everything is balanced, so no instrument is mixed too loud or soft. The biggest drawback here is our lead vocalist, who has that intoxicated off-key moan quite like Robert from Ultime Assaut. God bless you if you can stand his "belting." On this compilation are a few demo songs that didn't make it to the studio.
Battle Zone have a sense of musical sophistication and songcraft that far outstrips other RAC bands of the era like No Remorse and English Rose. Indeed, some of these songs are so good it makes me wonder why this band are relative unknowns, but I suppose they were playing in a crowded market. It’s a sophistication that sadly doesn't cross over into the lyrics department but ho hum. Battle Zone are a bit of a funny band in this sense with vocalist Alex Ellui later renouncing racism (and politics of any kind) when he formed two new international versions of the band: Battle Zone Peru based in Peru where he currently lives and Battle Zone USA with Phil and Perry of The Templars, two projects that sadly for Oi! fans haven’t amounted to any new records. You gotta feel a bit bad for the guy really, it must be hard fighting to keep the spirit of your old band alive all the while kicking yourself for some regrettable lyrics you wrote back in the day. Not that he needs my sympathy or anything…
Things get head achingly confusing here when the band whip out a cover of Bob and Marcia’s old reggae tune ‘Young, Gifted and Black’ entitled ‘Young, Gifted and White’ complete with saxophone. Most amusing to me is ‘Rent Boy’, bashing gay skinhead fetishists - ‘You claim to get turned on by our style of dress!’
The opening track strikes me the most; it's hard hitting with bulldog power and with Alex’s gravelly bark at the forefront, it makes you feel ready for war. Throughout the quality never wavers - this is as hard as Close Shave but boasting tighter musical arrangement. You gotta dig that rather surreal album cover too.
