Pioneering LA punk band Legal Weapon was formed in 1980 from the ashes of the Silencers, which Steve Reiner formed with guitarist Brian Hansen and vocalist Kat Arthur. By the time of this riveting 1982 debut LP, the band had Arthur, Hansen, future Adolescents/Agent Orange bassist Steve Soto, and drummer Charlie Vartanian. Just as Exene Cervenka was a primary draw in X and Penelope Houston in the Avengers, Kat Arthur is the major lure that kept this band outstanding, as Hansen and Soto vary the musical action, keeping their hardcore on the melodic side throughout. Essential listening for west coast punk fans!


Our take: For years, Legal Weapon’s 1982 album Death of Innocence was a record I could put on and blow people’s minds. No one seemed to know about it, but it’s so good that, if I had it playing in the background, inevitably someone would pipe up and say, “what are we listening to? This RULES!” Legal Weapon was from LA and if the release date of 1982 didn’t already pique your interest, perhaps telling you that Steve Soto and Frank Agnew were from the Adolescents were the bassist and guitarist will? If you’re a fan of early 80s SoCal punk (and who isn’t?), smash that buy button right now, because this shit will blow your mind. It’s in the same stylistic wheelhouse as records like the Adolescents’ self-titled album, Social Distortion’s Mommy’s Little Monster, TSOL’s first EP, and Bad Religion’s first album, i.e. energetic punk with big hooks and a hazy, sun-bleached vibe. Those hooks hit all the harder thanks to Kat Arthur’s sultry, charismatic vocals and the subtle death rock overtones that pervade Death of Innocence, both of which help Legal Weapon carve out their own lane among the legions of brilliant young bands SoCal was producing in the early 80s. It’s a front-to-back banger, not a dud among its 10 tracks, and if you don’t like it, there’s probably something wrong with you. I couldn’t be more excited that this hard-to-find record is back in print and that we can help get it into more people’s hands.