AMG Review of Metal Circus

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

A five-song EP bristling with energy and pummeling guitars, Metal Circus is the first indication of Hüsker Dü's greatness. With these five songs, the band shows more invention, skill, and melody than it did over the course of a full album with Everything Falls Apart, and both Bob Mould and Grant Hart emerge as significant songwriters. While they both stay within hardcore conventions on Metal Circus, their songs illustrate that they would break free of its constrictions on their subsequent, masterful double album, Zen Arcade.