Enemies - Framing Choices To Silence Our Voices (2012)

After my previous post I became fully committed to writing on here again and one of the first things I did once that blog entry went live was checking out the big box I used for the storage of physical submissions that were sent to me. Lots of work ahead!

Enemies - Framing Choices To Silence Our Voices (bandcamp page)

On today's repertoire we have "Enemies", a 5-piece hailing from Tampere, Finland. The band formed way back in 2011, "Framing Choices To Silence Our Voices" being their first recorded material in the following year. When I was introduced to the band I was told that they play "metallic hardcore" with other influences ranging from sludge, black metal and even grind.

Right off the bat, the band wastes no time on gentle introductions. The first track "Collar" grabs you with a choking start-stop rhythm which gives hints of something dystopian looming ahead. It tricks you with an impression that it will be a moody mid tempo song with a gradual buildup, but instead it takes an extreme turn that dramatically increases the speed. The rushing sounds hit you so hard and you instantly find yourself with increased blood pressure. I was hooked to their sound and I ended up listening to the opening track at least ten times before I finally moved to the rest of the album. This was going to be a great ride.

The following two songs keep you in this rushing vortex of angry sound. During all this I noticed how the instruments and the vocals compliment each other, since all the while it seemed to me like the screaming is just the perfect pitch and somehow overflows the instrumental section and ties it all together. This harmony changes a bit with "Set Back", the track stopping the previously mentioned rush and introduces a more sluggish, atmospheric tone where the vocals seem to be literally set back into the distance. It changes from an angry scream into a wail of sorts. The instrumental ambiance evolves and it paints a completely different kind of image in your head.

This whole release continually bounces between these two states, being superbly aggressive and fast, yet at other times brooding and ambiental. They manage to do an excellent job at both these incarnations and I like the fact that they manage to paint a clear picture of what they are about in the first half of the record. Even the dystopian elements previously mentioned turned out to be correct, since the band tackles some pretty bleak themes of the human condition in their lyrics. With all this in mind I completely let go and enjoyed the rest of the ride until the final tones of "In Ruins" died. That song is an utterly great finisher as it perfectly summarizes the entirety of the record, as if it compressed everything you heard previously into one epic 8 minute beast which trails off in the end and leaves you wanting more.

In terms of production, the album has a perfect combination of being both technical and raw, not too clean and not too dirty. "Framing Choices..." came out on CD and, aside of the awesome cover, the insert features more excellent artwork (all done by one of the band members, Veli) which sets an appropriate mood before you press play.

The years following this release saw "Enemies" put out several other recordings. I gave them a brief listen just to get an idea what is going on with their sound and you can almost instantly hear evolution in the way they play. I will definitely be checking out the rest of their discography and I would recommend the same to you. You can also get in touch with them via their Facebook page found here.

Last but not least, I'd like to thank Vesa and the rest of "Enemies" for being kind enough to send their CD towards me and for initially expressing interest in being featured on this blog. Sorry for the wait, but I hope you enjoyed the read!

Expectations - Self-titled (2012)

All of a sudden I have so many different things to post on here and I found myself not knowing where to turn first. After this review I will be publishing some updates which will happen on the blog, as well as some other ideas I have at the moment. Until then, hope you enjoy the read bellow.

Today we have "Expectations" under the spotlight, a five-piece hardcore outfit hailing from Sofia, Bulgaria, going strong since 2009. Previously, this band has already been mentioned on the blog when I did a tour diary concerning my time spent on the road with "Downfall of Gaia" last year. I saw them live in Sofia, a write-up which you can check out here, and I have to say that I went home fairly impressed. Even if you managed to skip that concert review, the band was on the road through Europe this September, so some of my readers maybe even grasped the privilege to see them live.
So in case you skipped my concert review, what's the deal with "Expectations"? They throw at us some truly emotionally charged modern hardcore, where you can hear a lot of possible influences, ranging from "More Than Life", "Carpathian", "Ruiner" and even some "Funeral For A Friend" moments, all the while being twisted with a touch of their own style. Pretty much everything I liked about them live has been transferred onto the recordings. Usually I end up liking these types of bands more during gigs than on recordings, but here it ended up being equally enjoyable. I ended up rewinding the seven songs present on this release numerous times and each time they just keep growing on you.
Their songs are very dynamic and energetic, consisting of an equal dose of rushing, chest pounding tunes and slower, more dragging sections. The faster melodies can truly throw a punch at your ears, something that I remember surprising me quite a lot last year. There's a fine number of atmospheric sections floating on this release and they manage to slightly push this band away from those more generic and common hardcore acts. At moments, their tunes come close to sounding like a fairly heavy post rockish incarnation and an accent is put on the overall ambient. Faster song sections are pretty straightforward and I really enjoyed them in the same amount as I did live. On top of all that, you notice that the band likes to toy around and experiment with their melodies, so various tempos and styles of playing can be heard on this release.

I also loved the occasional appearances of other band members on vocals, who sound awesome altogether and definitely add a lot of flavor to the overall feel of the tracks. "Only Real When Shared" is an excellent example of this, since it features the drummer on vocals, if I recall well from their live performance. Singalongs, or well screamalongs, are also present which is a thing really loved by yours truly.

This manifestation of "Expectations" comes in CD format, released on 25 March 2012. It arrives in a really neat, high quality gatefold package. Once you open it, the outside expands the cover picture while the inside pages reveal the lyrics. The overall design is rather simplistic, yet oozes with melancholy. If you are interested in hearing or downloading this release you can do so on the band's bandcamp page found here. Additionally, if you desire to grab some other merch, the band has set up a big cartel page, which you can visit here. On both links you will notice that the dudes managed to put out some more new material, an EP named "Gone", so check it out while you're at it.

Overall, this is a really neat release. The band managed to spark a fire with their potential and they don't seem willing to stop. "Expectations" already announced that they are booking a new European tour next May, about which I will make a post soon enough. I am yet to take a listen to their newly released recordings and my readers might beat me to it, but if they continued in the fashion of this self-titled then you have nothing to fear. Check them out, stay tuned for the tour dates and I hope you enjoyed the read.

Black Hole of Calcutta - S/T #2 (2012)

For the past couple of days I've been stuck with music which is somewhat outside of my usual norm. I guess that I get distracted way too easily, like a dragon and shiny objects. Needless to say, you should thank this band for putting me back into my rightful place, since if it weren't for them who knows when I would muster the will to write for the blog again.

Today on the blog there will be nothing but despair, rage and violence. "Black Hole Of Calcutta" comes crawling forward from Portland/Seattle, spreading darkness and chaos. As much as I've seen on the internet, there is various information regarding this project, so I'm uncertain what is the exact year of its birth, but presumably it is somewhere during 2010. Thus far the band already has an impressive amount of releases behind its back, including splits with names such as "Wojczech", "Human Error", "Lycanthropy" and "Bloody Phoenix", to name a few. Given that the band is still somewhat young, their already lengthy discography definitely deserves praise. Additionally, a little bit of info that will surely tickle your interest is that both Ian and Jesse, the strings (vocal and otherwise) and drum players respectively, also contribute to the project known as "The Makai". Aside of them, I'm not sure who else is in the band. The record sheet says that they are a duo, but elsewhere online I saw that they have four members. For the sake of the review, this is one pissed off two-piece.

So as I said in the intro, I've been distant from my music lately, but "Black Hole Of Calcutta" was just the kick I needed to push me back into my usual habits, with a complete frenzy might I add. This release is interested in nothing else other than punching you in the gut and leaving you on the ground either fighting for air or smearing yourself in your own puke.

The opening track "Myth Of Progress" starts off the album with a sludge-like rhythm, dragging around and spewing a nasty melancholic mood. One minute and some seconds into the song you are faced with a rather sharp turn in the dark corridor, since the band jumps at you and starts beating your ears into a pulp. What follows is an angry thrashy hardcore, powerviolence, crusty, dear mother I can't breathe monstrosity. From that moment on, it's all about extremely fast riffs, pounding drums and exerting your lungs to their maximum. Imagine "Masakari", "Enabler" and "Wojczech" having a tea party, then in the midst of it comes "Black Hole of Calcutta" to smash everything.

Once the five minute opener is done, you are continuously faced with short, violent outbursts of madness until the very end. Only two songs barely manage to exceed the two minute mark, so everything happens fast and you have no idea what just hit you. Basically it took me a couple of hours to take a listen to the entire record, since I kept replaying each song a dozen times due to all of them being so catchy and energetic. The thing that really caught my ear is that, despite complete mayhem going on around you, the band manages to insert an exquisite amount of jammy melodies and even flowing, melodic punkish tunes. Shortly put, this band is a whirlwind and at times you are given less of a beating, depending on where the wind throws you.

This record has been released by mutual efforts from two different labels. Release and distribution for Europe was handled by "I Feel Good Records", while "Give Praise Records" took care of the USA. You can check out both of these labels on their websites here and here, respectively. The design is simple, yet effective, as you can see from the cover. The back of the record is done in a similar manner, black with white letters showing the names of the twelve tracks. I have to say that I loved the insert from the very second I saw it. Two drawings are present and they are done in an interesting style which goes so well with the font used for the lyrics. The said font is also really plain, hand-written, but it looks so damn good. A very interesting and appealing record all around.

"Black Hole of Calcutta" managed to throw at us one truly powerful record. Excellent composition, superb production and just a massive sound featuring so much uniqueness, thus I sincerely have no flaws to attribute to these guys. I do feel sorry that I discovered them so late after many of their records, but I will definitely keep an eye out for them from now on. Check them out on their bandcamp page found here and shower them with support, you will definitely not regret it.

Masakari & Tempest (2012)

Replenish Records bandcamp

This review was supposed to appear a few days ago, but I sadly got sidetracked by listening to some random music on youtube. Quite shameful yes, especially since this release is a really important one and should be payed much attention. 

The split about which you will read below has been floating around the internet for a couple of days now, thus most of you are probably familiar with it. Although people are massively downloading it, I noticed that not everyone is aware of the whole story and the actual cause of the split, so this really needs to be corrected, especially since that is the thing that immediately made a wish in me to have the release posted on my blog. The fact of the matter is that this record is the only material in more than a year's time that I handpicked to post, a release which was not previously requested by a band to be reviewed, so I guess that that alone is enough to say how much I was thrilled with this.

Back in December 2011 I did an interview with "Masakari", which you can read here in case you missed it, and one particular question was addressing the band's love for dogs and pit bulls in particular. This record comes as a further explanation and materialization of their, and that of the band "Tempest", infatuation with these wonderful creatures, the split being a benefit for two organizations fighting for and supporting a truly noble cause. All of the money, a complete 100%, collected through this split will be donated to "HugAbull Advocacy & Rescue Society" from Vancouver, BC and "Wiggle Butts Bully Rescue" of Cleveland, Ohio. The wish of both the bands and the record label is to not only support the people associated with these organizations, but to also increase awareness about breed specific legislation and general awareness regarding animal cruelty and ways of how we, as humans, should treat our non-human friends. This is the kind of action through music that definitely deserves full attention and admiration, thus I would appreciate if my readers would check out this split and help the cause if they can. Even if you are not fond of these bands and this label, pay heed to what they are trying to do, since it is truly applause worthy. Also, please visit the websites of the above mentioned organizations for any further information or ways to get involved and help. You can do so on the following addresses:

- "HugAbull Advocacy & Rescue Society"

- "Wiggle Butts Bully Rescue"

Concerning some technical information about the split, it comes in the form of a 7'' EP and is limited to 500 copies with a double-sided fold-over jacket. You can grab it on the website of "Replenish Records" found here or you can just take a listen and download it for free on the above posted bandcamp page.

First in line on the split is "Masakari", the band deciding to contribute with a song called "X. Pain Conceived As A Tool". Press play and get pulverized in an instant, the Ohio quintet opening with full aggression and no remorse for your ears. The song lasts less than two minutes, but it is absolutely enough to set you in the mood perfectly and blow your mind away in the process, continuing with the speed and energy for which this band is well-known for. Ripping out a perfect mixture of hardcore and d-beat/crust, this song definitely heats up the excitement about the upcoming "Masakari" summer tour in Europe. This split also shows what kind of mayhem and chaos one can expect at their show, since the two tracks on their side are actually the same song, one as an "unreleased" and the other as a "live" version. So the live version, track two, comes with a very neat explanation of the song and what this split is about basically. Add to that the fact that the band literally slayed with the way they performed the song and the overall excellent quality of the recording and you get a real time-bomb of a record side.

"Tempest" holds the second half of this split and they hold it firmly. To be honest, I have never listened to this band before, since they are hanging out on my rather long "to-listen" list due to the fact that I'll see them live a couple of times this summer. I saw that people are really saying amazing things about the band on the internet and this split showed me why. Formed in 2007 in British Columbia, Canada, this five piece band charges and tramples over you with a superb combination of dark hardcore and screamo, reminding me of an amalgam consisting of "June Paik", "Danse Macabre" and "Zann". So far I have just listened to this split, thus I don't know what their previous material sounds like, but I can definitely hear a lot of tones influenced by the famous German wave of chaotic screamo. The song on this split, called "Death Rattle", is a purely excellent piece, being overtly aggressive while bearing an amazing atmospheric trait. It paints a rather complex image in the head of the listener with a lot of various shifts in melody, interesting bridges and an omnipresent wave of massive sound crashing on you. Similarly to "Masakari", "Tempest" brought two versions of a single song on this split, one being a remaster and one a live recording. And again they have devastated the audience with the second track much in the same fashion as their split mates. A clean recording where the bass playing really comes as being fantastic, a tidbit I found quite amusing. 

Overall, this is a fantastic split, both because of the bands and their performance, but also because of the action they took with the label to help the lives of others who can't fight for their rights. I myself will definitely be buying this release and I respect anyone else who will do the same, be it for the love of the bands or for the love of our furry (or otherwise) friends. Check it out and thank you.

Cara Neir - Stagnant Perceptions (2011)

http://caraneir.bandcamp.com/

The last review was definitely a wake up call, since I felt really good for finally posting something here. Also, the submission stack keeps piling up and growing, a fact which I am really thankful for, so I am really eager to spread the word about all you girls and boys who keep sending me material, despite the blog moving at the slowest pace thus far. I have the best readers and I love you all.

I have already seen this band on several other websites and blogs, so this might come as old news to some of you. In case you are unfamiliar, "Cara Neir" is a two-man project coming from Dallas, Texas, formed way back in 2008. Garry and Chris started writing the music for this particular release in early 2010, namely March, and slowly progressed to the completion of the album which came in July 2011. "Stagnant Perceptions" officially came out on November 11 2011 and it was self-released by the band. 

For a duo, these guys managed to unleash a really vicious monster onto our senses. This eleven track critter comes roaring with sounds of black metal and crust, with some splashes of hardcore and post rockish screamo. From start to finish, throughout all 45 minutes of music, it is constant mayhem, chaos, extremely fast playing and just an overtly rushing sound, paused only by a minimal addition of slower grim intersections which give a brief atmospheric feel to everything. Truth be told, "Natures With No Plagues" is not a blog famous for its black metal reviews and I am quite young, so to speak, when it comes to the genre, so my knowledge of this particular field might not come as well suited. But on a personal note, as everything on this blog actually is, the thing that really managed to set "Cara Neir" apart from other similar bands is cleanness of the recordings and the overall high production of the release. Usually there is a dose of crunchiness, crackling and general dirtiness of black metal/crust bands, yet here everything is really clean and precise. Don't get me wrong, I loved this kind of "approach" very much, considering it a total merit and bravo-ing the band, but I presume that a lot of listeners of this genre might be repulsed by this. But, to not stray away into discussing tastes and a definition of being true or whatever, I'll continue with my own thoughts. This type of production really aided the band, specifically because their style of song composition is quite interesting and deserves to be heard in such a fashion. There are certain riffs and melody shifts which are somehow so precise and complex that they border on being called technical or even adding a certain "math" tag on their list of genres. As a whole, the songs are melded together really well and your entire experience with this release comes in a single breath. Literally every time I was listening to "Stagnant Perceptions" it seemed as if it was just one song and, for a 45 minute release, this is quite intriguing. Also, it is really cool to note that all those genres do get their time under the spotlight and, despite the melding of tracks mentioned above, songs have attributes which set them apart from one another. This might be due to a number of songs which feature guest appearances, so you get to hear backing vocals from Rachel in tracks 1, 4, 5, 8 and 11, as well as those from Dorian on songs 3, 4 and 5. He also contributes with guitar playing in songs "Dethroned and Leprous" and "The Bridge of Despise". There is just a ton of things going on in all eleven songs and I really consider it to be foolish to try and describe their flow. It is just a release which you definitely have to check out for yourselves to get a proper opinion. I, for one, loved everything I heard.

The above posted bandcamp link provides a download link for "Stagnant Perceptions" and you can also buy their cd, which is by the way limited to 50 copies. I don't know what is currently going on with the band, but for all of you who have a facebook page, check them out on theirs and find out, located here. All in all, definitely check them out, I promise you will enjoy their music!

Ruined Tongues and Colombian Necktie

Got to admit that my writing energy is being drained by another project I have going at the moment, plus I am doing the world a favor by raising five cute little kittens and being their mom is a full time job. Since the furry critters are asleep now, I thought about merging two review requests into one, especially since both these bands asked to be hosted on the blog and later they did a split together. Don't be fooled though, this seemingly cool idea is just present to mask my inability to write properly these days. Read at your own risk.

Ruined Tongue - All Of My Bad Habits 7'' (2011)

http://ruinedtongue.bandcamp.com

First in line is "Ruined Tongue", a five piece band coming from Las Vegas which brings along some quite demented and wild tunes. The dudes got together in 2009 and after a lineup change, a demo and a split with "Residuals" here we are today. I still haven't listened to those recordings, but this 7'' was enough for me to get interested, start writing and promise to check those tunes out as well. This record bursts with seemingly typical hardcore punk, but along the way you notice a really weird twist. A combination of extremely eerie lyrics, raving vocal performance and crazy melodies promises to provide you with an intriguing ten something minutes, which is the duration of the five songs present on this release. Staying true to their description on Last.fm, "All Of My Bad Habits" catches you in a whirlwind of sound, leaving your brain boggled in its wake. 

The thing that initially caught my attention is the vocal, more specifically the lyrics.  All written words on this release are short and simple, yet really bizarre. I don't know if it's just me, but the words managed to spark quite a gloomy mood. It is probably the way the texts are written, since in essence they aren't anything spectacular, it is just that they are overtly direct and without anything holding them back. Completely in your face and the lyrics manage to create a great melancholy filled image whilst you listen. I think that just quoting a part of "Daylight Wastings" will be enough as a preview: "I live my life like a piece of shit, running through bowels of our youth".  What further adds to the overall atmosphere is the vocal performance itself, since the singer sounds like a raving maniac. Once again, it is nothing spectacular or revolutionary, just a scream, bit it is the way he howls and wails, combined with the above mentioned lyrics that make this excellent. At this point you realize how this band is great at sculpting an amazing song with typical tools, since this simple/effective clause applies to the instruments as well. The riffs are flowing excellently, but are cut with unexpected outbursts of violence or nutty sections. A good example is the opening song, "Son of a Biker/Ghost Rider", which is slowly building up only to explode in the last couple of seconds in a completely unexpected fashion. 

This album was really a neat surprise and I really enjoyed it. Needless to say this release is actually old news, since this year has been quite productive for "Ruined Tongue", the band releasing a live album recorded in "Texas Toast Haus" and a split with "Colombian Necktie", about which you will read in a few moments. In the meantime, follow the band and get in touch via their website found here. One last important note, the band is collaborating with three labels, those being "Reckless Minds Collective", "Radical Friends" and "Irish VooDoo Records".

Colombian Necktie - Self Titled (2011)

http://colombiannecktie.bandcamp.com

Yet another band from Las Vegas, "Colombian Necktie" is a quintet or much rather a sextet if you include Tim, the band's "spiritual advisor". Much like their mates from "Ruined Tongue", this band is also signed to "Irish VooDoo Records" and "RMC", through which they plan to release three upcoming splits (one of which is the split at the bottom of this post). Prior to this self titled record, the band has yet one more split release behind them, done with "Pariah" from Southern California. You can take a listen to those tracks on the band's bandcamp page, which I am also yet to do.
The self titled recording brings us five songs with roughly eighteen minutes of tunes, during which "Colombian Necktie" manages to lash out some truly excellent metallic hardcore punk. I was reading some tidbits about the band online and several times they were compared to acts such as "Converge" and "His Hero Is Gone" and I can definitely say that they rise up to those names. Their influences are easily recognized, with a trace of technical playing and some start-stop rhythms of "Converge" and the dirty, unpolished aggression of "His Hero Is Gone", though the band successfully transforms the sound into something rightfully theirs. These eighteen minutes are full of constant violent pounding on the ears, with a minor break in the form of the piano song "Lirit", the aggression taking various shapes. The sound is constantly morphing, one second you have a fluid, melancholic tune and the other second a massive breakdown-like beat which pummels upon you...after which a sluggish tune crawls away and finally turns into an almost gentle harmony. The songs have great twists and turns and really keep the listener under tension and eager for more.

One great addition to all this mayhem is the very production of the release. As I said before, the tracks seem as if not polished, thus you have a constant crunchy sound which goes perfectly with this kind of music, since it gives the instruments a deep, menacing growl. I really had the pleasure to just sit and listen to a specific instrument, being amazed at how I can easily discern every part of the band, despite the chaos of the songs. This extremely added to the overall enjoyment, since you can find some really interesting melodies inside...or just forget about the philosophical stuff and let yourself loose side by side with the aggression unleashed by "Colombian Necktie". Get in touch with the band through their facebook page found here and thank them for an amazing release.

Ruined Tongue & Colombian Necktie - Split 7'' (2011)

This seven inch split, which you can listen to on the above posted bandcamp pages, came out this July. It features four songs, two per band, and I have to say that both names continue doing what they do best.

The two tracks from "Ruined Tongue" come rushing in with that cool eerie style which they imprinted so well in my mind. Their songs dedicated to this split are more punkish in comparison to their "All Of My Bad Habits" and the tracks are both shorter than two minutes. Additionally, I think that here there is a bigger accent on the clash of melody tempos and much less on that unexpectedness trait which their previous release had. Both songs start fast, but moving toward the end they get dramatically slower and dragging. In any case, if you enjoyed the above posted release, you are bound to like their side of the split for sure.

As for "Colombian Necktie" side, their songs are much longer, not just compared to the "Ruined Tongue" side, but to their self titled release as well. Like their split mates, they pretty much remained good at what they do, so if you liked the previous recording you will like this one as well. However, the two songs present here bear much less tension and sudden melody shifts, those being replaced by either flowing and greatly melded melodies (like in the song "Gemini part 1") or the constant effort of producing as much noise as possible (song "I can feel everything......"). Where the former song is in the vein of their self titled release production wise, the latter song took the crunchiness on a whole new level and we have just a giant buzzing wall of sound in front of us.

Either way we get to hear some slight changes in sound and cool details from both bands, which makes this split quite interesting. Both bands are pretty much active today and I am really eager to hear more from both projects, hopefully they will continue pumping out releases like they did so far. Check them out, you won't regret. Enjoy!

Alenah - Mitt Waterloo (2011)

Download

It has been an extremely long, tiring day and I'm finally at home, surrounded by my cats and ready to relax myself with putting some words online. Usually, I post stuff on the blog in the morning hours while drinking coffee, but this one seems like a good night snack.

You should all be well introduced to "Alenah" by now, since this is a band that has been featured on this blog quite a long time ago, actually during its early days when I wasn't acting all smart and writing a wall of text per every post. Yes, this Swedish quintet is still going strong and when Oscar from the band wrote to me about posting this single I immediately went back to check out my review of their previous release, "Sotiga Liljor I Seine". And damn, was that a shitty "review"...yet the dudes enjoyed it, so big hugs for the shown thankfulness. Usually I'd say "yay go back and check it out", but this time you might as well skip it. But what the heck, you might just check it out for the band's sake, so head along and read it here.
Anyways as I mentioned above, "Alenah" prepared for us a single which came out this April. Consisting of two songs, this release really reminded me how good and underrated this band really is. Prior to taking a listen to the single now, I re-listened to their first recording and it once again managed to spark that certain amazement from yours truly. The release was fast, aggressive and rushing past you in a crazy whirlwind of sound, making you want to either break something due to the adrenalin surge or just scream along to the songs. It had a superbly clean sound which the members used to show us just how technical they can be, even amid total chaos. As for "Mitt Waterloo", the quality, uniqueness and the technical aspect were transferred from their predecessor. The thing that is somewhat different is the introduction of the slightly different style of composition. While the second song on the release, "Ett Dödsdatum Satt", provides the well known speedy melody and rushing riffs of "Alenah", the first song bears new traits. Named after the release itself, "Mitt Waterloo" starts out with a slow muted guitar and sounds which you can hardly make out, going between a distant scream and scratchy distortion. Soon it all goes nuts and explodes with insanely catchy riffs and that amazing vocal performance which I enjoy so much. The song goes fast and furious with everything from pounding melodies and pack screaming, until it reaches the middle when tone drops and the vocal is left alone. Explosion again. Vocal alone again. Explosion again and after that, the same melody returns back, but this time somehow stretched and slower, in the end going so far as to becoming completely sluggish and acquires a really melancholic tone while the vocal remains aggressive.
Maybe it's just me thinking way too much about the music I listen to, but this seems like a bit of an experimentation moment on the band's side. Which I fully approve, since it sounds great, especially because it caught me completely off guard due to the fact that they left an impression in my head of a "fast" band with their previous release, the song "Vindspel" being a sort of signature track for me. Of course, they had slower sections, but I guess that they were overshadowed with the other more "in your face" tones or samples and didn't have enough space to leave an impact. "Mitt Waterloo" really managed to mark its presence with a certain emotion and mood, at the same time continuing what the band was known for and somewhat providing a bit of an evolution in the process.
I haven't heard from the dudes since April (NOTE: because you didn't reply to them, idiot), but as much as good old Last.fm says they had a gig recently, meaning they are still very much alive and kicking. The guys in the band are still young and the band itself is quite fresh, thus it would be amazing to see their future work and see what more they can throw at us. In the meantime, check them out and enjoy!

Animal Skins

http://animalskins.bandcamp.com/

I thought about writing the next gig review, actually a festival report from Fluff, but pondered that maybe it is better not to slam you all with yet another wall of text and add some interesting tunes in between to spice it all up. Plus, I am really infatuated by everything that I experienced on the said festival, so I really want to be in an inspired mood while writing about it. But enough about that, time for you to be introduced to an exquisite band.

"Animal Skins" is a quintet from Boise, Idaho, and that is probably the most information you are going to dig up about the band on first glance on the web. Thus far, the five piece has released two extended plays, the first one coming out on 25 January 2011. Named "A EP", the release brought five songs with sixteen something minutes of very interesting tunes. Just to note, despite their bandcamp page showing only four songs, five tracks are available once downloaded. Anyways, the thing you get to hear is a noise spiced mid tempo hardcore mixed with some psychedelic bits and pieces. Sounds weird and maybe randomly put together, but the thing that matters is that "A EP" is an extremely entertaining release and it provided much enjoyment for yours truly. While you listen to the songs, you get this interesting feeling as if sitting on needles, since the tunes hover in mid tempo, as mentioned before, yet at times start reaching toward a more faster speed though never getting too pissed off and wild. Basically you feel as though everything is about to go insane, but it never does, this really mustering a lot of tension while listening and it was exceptionally cool. Having two guitars in the band, most of the times one provides repetitive, but extremely catchy riffs, while the other is responsible for some noisy creations. The listener is constantly thrown between the two, with drums and bass providing just ambient support. Other times however, all instruments blend really well together and form just a massive noise amalgam and you just sense the beating upon your ears. The vocal performance is a complete contrast to the rest of the band, since it is just a constant raspy scream with almost no change in sound.  This is not a flaw however, since it creates the whirlwind effect, as if the vocal is just the only solid thing while the rest of the happenings are pure chaos and constant change. Rare are bands that manage to pull this off effectively and luckily "Animal Skins" jumps in that boat.
Following "A EP", July 2011 saw the release of "B EP" and a lot of changes for the band came in its wake. This time we are faced with four songs grasping us for almost twenty minutes and immediately we notice a drastic shift in their performance. First of all, the instruments became much more crunchy and noisy, which I love so much. Not only did the overall sound started being quite deeper, but the bass and drums don't provide just background tones anymore, this time I feel that they are also thrown into the spotlight on equal terms as the rest. The second thing almost instantly poking your ears is the change of style "Animal Skins" took. No longer slow going and psychedelic, now they carry a gloomy noise imbued hardcore. It was absolutely stunning listening to both releases in a row, expecting something similar and akin to the first one, yet being just completely slammed to the ground and beaten up by fast riffs filled with dread and sluggish behemoths waiting around the corner. The change in style took me by so much surprise that "B EP" just flew by me and left me pondering what the fuck just happened to my speakers.
The ultimate thing about "Animal Skins" is actually the fact that both of their releases are standing shoulder to shoulder with one another, both providing something highly interesting in their own way and right. Their evolution is really a sight to behold and I sincerely hope they won't stop with "B EP", since they certainly show what they are capable of as musicians and should definitely continue exploring their abilities. I honestly urge everyone to give them a try, listening to both of their records in one breath. You can get in touch with the band members over on their facebook page here. Enjoy!

[Fan the Flames] Records - YOUWRETCH & Lord Green

Today is promotion day and this time we have "Fan the Flames Records" on the platter. The label hails from Minnesota, Minneapolis and is of course an independent one. Born in 2011, "Fan the Flames" is still a very young record label, having only these two releases under their belt, but that fact is not to be underestimated simply because the records deliver a serious punch to the ears. Before I review the bands, I'd just like to point out a fact which I read on the label's facebook page, which you can find here, and that is that only recycled material is used for packaging, quite a cool and useful thing if you ask me. So without further ado, let me introduce you to "YOUWRETCH" and "Lord Green".

YOUWRETCH - YOUWRETCH (2011)

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Coming from "Fan The Flames" neighborhood, "YOUWRETCH" is a quintet formed in Winter 2009 and hitting the scene with shows in Summer 2010. The very beginning of 2011 saw the release of this debut EP through collaboration work between "Fan The Flames" and "Forward!" Records. 

In any case, the sound of "YOUWRETCH" has been described as "ambient hardcore punk" and upon listening to the EP I can definitely say that the genre tag is well justified. When I saw the list of tracks and the duration of the release, four songs with somewhere around nine minutes of music, I thought that this will be quite fast and chaotic. Believe me when I say that it is in fact like that, but there is also something unique here that doesn't dip this band into the plain hardcore punk bucket. First of all, despite the songs being rapid and short, they possess buildups of sorts which are highly diverse per track. For instance, there is a post rock/sludge-ish intro to the "The Rider", while "Failure and Worship" has a near "Electric Wizard" on speed like beginning. This was a really interesting composition maneuver by the band, since they throw at you fast and explosive outbursts of sound, but each with its own little twists, making you feel like you are listening to more songs than there actually are on this EP. Also, there are many interesting things happening in the songs apart from their intros, with many crescendo like moments, sudden tempo and volume drops, rushing and pounding hardcore riffs, all actually contributing in such a way that there is really an atmospheric trait to their music. Everything is molded very well into one whole, so despite all these various ups and downs in the tracks the flow is excellent, thus you listen to the EP in literally one breath. 

As for the very sound and the quality of this release, nothing to say but praise. This is just one of those records when every tone is where it should be and nothing is astray. The sound has some crunchiness and a buzzing, brooding trait, so sometimes you have to concentrate a bit to discern guitar and bass playing, but here it simply didn't bother me. This is probably due to the fact that the EP just grabs your attention instantly and takes you for a turbulent ride and there is no getting off the roller-coaster until the damned trip is over. I would, however, like to praise the vocal a bit, since at times it reminds me of the vocalist of "Fall of Efrafa" and I have "Efrafa" raping my speakers these last couple of days almost nonstop. Basically, Jordan, the vocalist of "YOUWRETCH" has a raw, coarse scream and it goes exceptionally well with the instrumental section.

Overall, I really enjoyed this EP and it came as a very nice surprise. Currently the band is writing songs for an upcoming full length and I am very eager to hear in which direction they will take their music. The EP definitely has an experimental notion to it and it was great to listen to what the band is capable of creating. So until their next release sees the light of day, you can check out "YOUWRETCH" on their bandcamp page here or get in touch via their facebook page here.

Lord Green - Last Demo (2011)

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Here is another band under the care of "Fan the Flames", though this one is rooted in Quad Cities, Illinois. There is not much information on the web about this trio, other than the fact that this is actually a re-release of their demo and it came out in February 2011. Ok without anything left for me to say in the introduction, let us get right to the point.

Wow, just wow! Much like to "YOUWRETCH", the amount of amazement came as a great surprise, so officially this day is an excellent one, two completely stunning bands discovered in less than an hour. In any case, "Last Demo" packs eight songs into thirty minutes of tunes, quite a long release as you can see. It comes natural actually, since they play a combination of stoner, hardcore and even some psychedelic rock on top of it all. The way you are introduced to this amalgam of genres is just superb, coming in the form of the song "Spitting Blood (Resuscitation)" which I first heard on their website found here, the song actually not featured on "Last Demo". It starts off with a stoner like tune, quite slow and dragging, the guitar playing with the distortion, the bass kicking the groove a bit and some background drumming to spice it all up. So you sit there and just chill out for the first minute of the song and then in the moment when you just completely relax everything picks up the pace, the screaming ensues, shit goes completely nuts and you are just shaken up with speedy, rending hardcore riffs. And once the hurricane of sound passes right by, you are left listening to some amazing instrumental parts, the band providing near improvised tunes and you feel like in the midst of a storm. This type of unexpectedness in their tunes is almost omnipresent and for the duration of this near half an hour trip you literally never know with what you will be faced next. The skill of the band when it comes to song composition is just excellent and it takes you quite a lot of listens to actually remember songs, simply because they have a very turbulent soundscape. 

The fact that we are dealing with a trio here really adds certain compliments to "Lord Green", since they manage to create quite a lot of chaos and energy coming from only the basic band instruments. Much like "YOUWRETCH", they also have a certain dose of buzzing sounds and distortion filled tones, so the sound gets splashed around you in all directions. A similar thing is happening to the vocal, which is extremely raspy and chaotic, so it fits with the rest of the band in a great way. The recording quality is perfect and that "splash" effect of the sound is superbly captured. 

Needless to say, I enjoyed "Lord Green" as much as the previous band and I can already sense that it will be spinning in my player a lot in the future. I am unaware what the band is up to recently, but as much as I see on their official page they have a show coming up which means they are still alive and kicking. Definitely looking forward to hearing more of their work, there is some heavy felt potential here. Until then you can also get in touch with them via their myspace page found here.

Flags Raised - Now Or Never (2011)

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This review was written a few days ago during some heavy rainfall, so this cover above depicted the view from my window quite fairly. For some reason I forgot to actually post this and didn't check the blog to notice that a post is missing, so here it is now despite the fact that the weather outside is rather nice now.

"Flags Raised" is a quintet hailing from Glasgow which formed sometime in early 2010. Thus far this has been their only release, coming out on 15 January 2011. Although they have just a single album under their belt it is quite enough to make the listener fall in love with their tunes and see what these young lads are capable of. Personally speaking, I only truly enjoy a few handpicked hardcore bands and I have to say that "Flags Raised" are going to be a worthy addition to the group. Usually I need some time to digest bands like this, so to speak, since most of the times I find them kinda blank during the initial listen. Here however, I instantly liked their tunes ever since I took a listen on their bandcamp page (which you can find here by the way).
So, what is going on here making the band so special? First of all, the thing that grabbed my attention almost instantly is the vocal. Thinking about it now, the vocal performance is really hard to explain, since I really consider it a unique one. A coarse, raspy voice with an extremely deep tone, walking on the triple border between screaming, talking and reciting. Nick's performance is filled with tension, simply because of the fact that while you listen you don't know whether he is going to burst into a scream or will a sort of sing along ensue or will you just be left with that tense feeling of unexpectedness until the end. I consider this vocal variety quite an important merit, especially in hardcore, simply because it breaks the usual flat line copy/paste flaw which a lot of the bands in the genre possess.
The above mentioned variety in sound also extends on the instrument section and it is definitely worth a praise. Literally speaking, "Flags Raised" throw a sonic time bomb in your lap and every tick of the clock is maddening, in the most positive of ways. Much like the vocal, the song composition is quite complex with a lot of twists and changes in pace and melody, so once again you don't know what you will get to hear around the corner in a particular song. No matter the speed of the songs, each and every second on "Now Or Never" is extremely charged with passion and the sounds throw a formidable punch to the listener and simply urge you to listen with the volume turned up to its maximum. My absolute favorite is the final track of the release, "It's Not Getting Any Easier", the song being a perfect example of all the great things this band has to offer. "Flags Raised" have a very powerful sound which completely swallows you and you  have a feeling that you are listening to more people playing, rather than just five dudes. The instruments go well with the vocal in the sense that they also harbor a very deep tone and I had a feeling that the bass is much louder than usual, which was quite entertaining to hear. No wonder the cover of their album looks the way it does, since the music really has a darkish atmosphere hovering above it. At times hardcore bands which have that grim tone to their music also incorporate a sludge or crust edge to spice up and extend that brooding feeling, but here they stayed within the boundaries of their mother genre and it definitely sounds great. While we are at the subject of what it all sounds like, it is worth mentioning some possible influences of the band. Despite me considering that they have a lot of things that are unique solely to them, "Flags Raised" remind me at times of a crude and more raw version of "Touche Amore" and also bands like "Crime in Stereo" and "American Nightmare".
And what to say in the end, other than that I really hope that "Flags Raised" are a band that will stick around and provide the world with more music to enjoy. I look forward to hearing something more from them and will definitely keep an eye out for them. You can get in touch with them via their facebook page found here. So what are you waiting for, stop reading and start downloading!

Move the Island - EP (2010)

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This month has been extremely scarce with posts for various reasons. At the moment I acquired two writing jobs, one already in motion, one waiting to start next month and just the preparations for those are really draining my energy for writing. Since I'll keep the blog running of course, you should probably expect more interviews and a bit shorter than usual reviews. But enough rants, let's get this one going.

"Move the Island" is a hardcore/punk band coming from Birmingham, Alabama. This four track EP was recorded in November 2010 and as much as their blog (found here) suggests they immediately went onto writing and recording some new stuff for a full length. There are just a few posts over there and for a second I thought the band stopped existing, but luckily they have several shows in line, so all is well.
So, what do you get in this neat little EP? The majority of sounds in the four songs present here are surprisingly, for this genre, mid tempo. I was actually expecting to hear some maniacal rampage or something similarly wild, but was actually greeted with an easy going record. Don't get me wrong though, this is not a flaw at all, the tunes are very well composed with a lot of shifts in melody and the band is exceptionally well presenting its skill and talent. In the sea of mid tempo playing, there are some faster peaks and it is quite interesting how they literally spice up a song. Thanks to great recording, the sound is completely superb and you can hear everything. At times I was literally forgetting a currently playing song as a whole and was just focusing on a particular instrument. I was very surprised with how well you get to hear the bass and how good the lines actually are.
It's all good and nice, but what does it sound like? Yeah, this question was bugging me during my initial listening, since I really couldn't put my finger on it, a definite seal of uniqueness for this band. In the end, I kinda managed to find some similar projects, but thinking about it now I don't know if it will make sense. "Move the Island" swings on the line of "Bright Calm Blue", creating a bit more punk version of "Asymmetry Set" and at times morphing slower bits and pieces of "La Dispute" into more hardcore. Lyrics are also written in such a manor, bouncing between social criticism and emotional dilemmas. Don't take my words for granted though, it sounds strange, but it makes perfect sense in my crazy mind.
But forgetting influences and all that for a second, the fact that you should take for granted is to just take a listen to this band. I was stupid enough to really delay listening to them just to be in the right mood, yet once I took a listen I realized that I would love their music despite the moment I initially listened to them. So don't make the same mistake as I did and just check them out. If you are not into downloading music at the moment, you can take a listen to "Move the Island" on their bandcamp page found here. Enjoy!

Shat Shorts - Seersucker and Sundresses (2010)

http://shatshorts.bandcamp.com/

Woke up today and felt extremely charged and excited about doing some writing for the blog. Morning sleepiness, some coffee, my cat blocking half the screen and an extremely interesting band to top it all...small things make life fucking great.

"Shat Shorts" is a quintet hailing from Washington, DC, consisting of former members from quite a lot of past projects, including "Dawn Treader", "Mop Attack", "The Summer We Went West", "Bezout's Identity", "Hobis" and "Monument". The dudes got together in last April and by the following September they already recorded this six song tape. In the mail that Andrew from the band sent to me, he mentioned that they play hardcore/punk, but once I took a listen to their material I realized that it was so much more than just plain hc punk. My excitement about writing today was further increased once the tape ended, since there are all sorts of elements flying around in their music which really make "Shat Shorts" your atypical band.

"Amateur Hour" opens up first, comically starting with the whole band just playing some random (warming up) tunes. Drums get in line to get things serious, after which you are greeted with a deep, guitar screeching, evil melody, quite an eerie feel to it. After some time, drums go at it again and kinda separate the song into several repeated sections, a near start stop style if you please. By now you are are still in the so called hc/punk genre, but already drifting away from it, since now bass comes up front with a rather simple line which completely blew me away with how much it sounds great. Seconds later guitar comes above the bass, this repetitive melody going on for some time.

Ok, so I'll stop with the description here, hoping that you got my point. This is about half a song and as you can see there is so much going on. Not only are the melodies diverse, but the instruments sound vastly different from your standard hardcore. Call me crazy, but the bass has a sort of post punk tone to it, a bit distorted but quite solid at the same time. It really sounds great this way especially because it seems to both perfectly fit in with the rest of the band and to be extremely out of this world. The vocals are also raspy and you get a feeling like the singer is performing through a bunch of static, which exceptionally fits in with the overall chaos. Generally, the whole recording seems crunchy and raw, with a lot of crackles going on around in the air and it fits perfectly. My readers probably know how much I praise "clean" recordings, but this just blew my head from my shoulders, I instantly fell in love with this. One would think that this crunchiness would drag along some slow, sluggish tunes, but "Shat Shorts" just bursts with energy. Yes, they have some slower song sections, but there are also extremely fast and melodic parts which are just stunning.

The fact that I wrote this review in one breath, without turning back and after the initial listening gives quite a lot of praise to this band by itself. They really managed to impact hit me so fast and really left a mark in my head. There is really an interesting and unique experimental edge within their music and it grasps your full attention. I definitely recommend "Shat Shorts" to everyone, they are bound to attract your liking. If you are still uncertain whether to give them a try, you can read an interview with them which was done by "dcist" here or if you found my review retarded you can check out their one song being featured in a local city paper here. You can also get in touch and follow them on their tumblr page here. So, what are you waiting for? Go and just enjoy!

Armada - Premonitions 7'' (2011)

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I didn't review a hardcore band/release for quite some time, so I was really looking forward to this. Despite feeling abnormally tired and like I'm in the tenth dimension, I'll try to reflect my feelings for this release as best as I can. This 7'' was sent to me back in February, so hopefully the wait paid off.

"Armada" is a four piece hardcore band from Milwaukee, drawing inspiration from projects such as "Left For Dead", "Extortion" and "Void". They managed to justify their influences in music pretty well, since they packed a load of killer sound within these six minutes that are found on this 7''. I knew that "Armada" is gonna bring something evil and pounding into the speakers and to be honest my first impression was that I will automatically dislike their tunes due to my current pop punk, melodic stuff period which is caused by nice weather and general cheery mood. Nevertheless, they hit you so hard and fast with their music that you are bound to like it, despite external factors. "Palestine" is the opening track featuring some eerie and heavy bass playing along a screechy guitar. This song could definitely be classified as sludge if it weren't for the occasional outburst of sound on the drums, an extremely slow song with several peaks of massive tones. Soon enough "Houses" starts with speed guitar riffs and it all culminates into a complete euphoria driven playing, quite a storming 20 seconds of hardcore, but after the initial aggression it again slows down and kinda drifts away. At this point I thought that I will move this release and review it tomorrow, since I really craved for something fast and I didn't want to leave just my momentary bad impressions. But then out of nowhere "All My Friends Are Dead" hits the speakers with an opening bass line and constant raging madness which last literally through all the songs until the end. They bring out that specific hardcore trait that I like, the choking, spasm like rushing feeling and it just drives you all the way, evil and fast. This is also probably the first time that I actually fell in love with a twenty second song, since "Grotesque" is downright brilliant! Once I went back to the first track and listened to the whole release once again, I began to appreciate the slower introduction more, since it actually makes you think this will be a sluggish album and that definitely makes the aggressive tracks more brutal.

Aside of the great song composition and good playing, recording is clean, so despite the overall mayhem you can enjoy everything. Also, a definite plus in my mind is the occult inspired cover art, which I really think goes well with the sound that they perform and not just the name of the release.

So yeah, I liked "Armada" quite much and I think that the liking is very solid, since they managed to move me despite the general mood I was in, which you have to admit is a powerful trait. In any case, this is a project worth keeping an eye out for. As much as I see on their blog (found here by the way), they had some tour issues and ceased further updates on the site, so I honestly hope that they didn't stop playing in the meantime. Until any further news we get to grab, check out this excellent 7''. Enjoy!

HOME - Self titled EP (2010)

HOME

There was an extreme wish for me to start writing on the blog every two days or so, but I became sabotaged by some kind of slow mood and general sleepiness. I guess that the rapid weather changes really leave their toll on me, as well as the energy being used for studying for an exam I have on Thursday, can't wait for it to be over. But until then, here is something heavy and interesting coming from Austria.

"HOME" is a trio hailing from Innsbruck, Austria formed in the winter of 2009/10, the first time when these three friends got together to create something of their own. When Amadeus wrote to me about their EP he mentioned that they play a mix of sludge/hardcore/stoner/whatsoever and seeing as how much I love the said genres I was thrilled to take a listen. But to be honest, despite the excitement, I actually expected to hear some "classic" tunes and I didn't take a peak at their music until the time came to write about them. Finally after a month the time for this band came knocking on the door and right now I absolutely regret not listening to them right away, since the past month would be much more interesting that way.

Just a few minutes of their tunes were enough to bitchslap me for thinking that this is just an average sludge/something band. Certainly, sludge is at the very core of this band, but there is something very specific which makes "HOME" really stand out from the rest. There is a sort of progressive, at times even psychedelic feel to their music, kinda justifying the stoner part, but it is on a whole new level here. Most of the time, the genres which Amadeus mentioned get to be so heavy and slow that you feel boxed in between strictly accented song sections, like one second we are gonna drop our tone low and the next we are gonna explode and then we will just let distortion do its job. But "HOME" fused that prog/psychedelic spice into their work and it makes a big difference in a way that everything just flows extremely well. You don't sense the above mentioned dams in the songs, rather you get to hear fluid changes happening along the way, yet at the same time you have that sludgy heavy tone being omnipresent.

Reading the text I wrote so far I realize that is quite hard to describe their music without analyzing every sound coming from the speakers. That progressive attribute opened the way for a lot of experimentation with playing, so there is a high amount of various things going on in these four plus minute songs. Sections with crazy guitar riffs, start-stop playing, shifts from rushing and aggressive to gentle melodies, change in vocal performance with singing, growling, screaming and so on... There is really a lot to be heard here and every bit of it is enjoyable. To make matters even better, since we are dealing with a trio having exceptional quality of recording you get to clearly hear absolutely everything. That is also what makes writing about their music a tough task, since I want to say a million things, but have no idea on what to focus first.

Taking that into account, the best thing for you is to just go and take a listen for yourself. Trust me when I say that you will definitely love this project. I am extremely glad that I was contacted about "HOME", this is a worthy addition to the blog and I am excited to keep an eye out for their future work. You can do so as well if you check out their myspace page found here or facebook here.

But before I end this writeup, here is a little special something which Amadeus threw in the e-mail he wrote to me. A live clip of one of their shows which you can watch here! Feast your eyes and ears and hope they decide to do a tour! Enjoy!

Drainland - "And So Our Troubles Began" 12'' (2010) and "Swine" demo (2009)

And So Our Troubles Began

Swine

This band has been circling around on blogs for a while now and I have had it on my computer for more than a month. I remember that when Jamie from "Drainland" sent me an email I just went to check their tunes on myspace and was completely blown away. But instead of just randomly posting them on the blog, I really wanted to take an honest listen to their music and write down something appropriate. Don't know how much this month of hibernation helped, since I'm stunned by "Drainland" each time they hit the speakers. We will see...

"Drainland" is a quintet from Dublin, Ireland and for a start lets just say that they play hardcore. After I took a listen on their myspace, first thing flying into my player was "Swine" and once it started rolling over to my ears I thought that I played some other band. Song number one, "Ark", kicks off fast, aggressive and pounding, very different from what you get to hear on their web page. Somewhere at the middle of the track you get a feeling that this isn't actually your average hardcore band. Tempo drops dramatically, everything becomes slower and almost tormenting, with an extremely raw and primal sound, sometimes reminding me of "In the Final Analysis". By the time "Cathode Rites" hits the speakers you realize that you are dealing with a combination of hardcore and sludge, with their sound constantly bouncing between the two. One second there is this sluggish, distortion filled section and then you just get smacked in the face by a fast and heavy hardcore blast, go so close to sounding like crust. Though variations are present, I have a feeling like this demo has been influenced by hardcore a bit more. For example, the song "Crash" is the longest song and despite the 3/4 of the song being slow and really sludge oriented, you get a sense that the short, violent outbursts cast a shadow on the rest of the song. There is not much balance between the clash of the genres, so you basically get poked into the eye by only one of them.

Moving onto "And So Our Troubles Began"...these troubles could very well be replaced by "changes", since this release opens up a completely new chapter in the life of this band. Once I finished listening to "Swine" and then played this 12'', I really became aware of some drastic differences and important aspects of their tunes, which you can't quite tell if you listen to just one release. I'll elaborate that later...

Anyway, "Jellyfish" starts this one with an amazing "Elodea"-like guitar playing, a trancing, eerie melody, which explodes seconds later, the whole band just kicking you down into the earth. The thing you instantly realize is the magnificent quality of recording, which is just ultimately clean. Yes, I know that sludge should be raw and filthy, but this pure sound serves this band well. Once you shit your pants during the course of this song, you also sense that something is different when compared to the demo, but it's not quite yet apparent. Once the third track named "Limb Template" hit the road, I got a grasp of what "Drainland" did with their sound. In contrast to the demo, they took the two previously mentioned genres and mixed them up so much that it became hard to decipher which is which. On "And So Our Troubles Began" you don't have a feeling that one genre beats the other, since here it is all melded so well. This release is extremely aggressive, noisy and maddening, but at the same time it is epic, dark and just plainly put huge. The sound became massive and with enough volume you get completely swallowed by it. Everything going on here is very fluid and it just flows right past you, not giving you enough time to analyze anything. There are variations in sound, one second slow, one second brutally fast, but it is so well composed that you don't notice the border between the two.

In the end, I abnormally loved this band. I was very happy that I first took a listen to the demo, since it very well shows the evolution of the band and their sound. And, probably more important, it gives you a deeper connection and understanding of the 12'' release. As it was mentioned in the beginning of this writeup, most of you probably know about this project due to it being already present on the web, but those of you who don't I honestly urge you to give this band a try. Some of you lucky bastards will hear them on "Cry Me A River" festival, so better prepare yourself! I really predict a fantastic future for this band and hope that they continue to flourish as they did so far.

You can write to "Drainland" on their myspace page here, follow them on tumblr here or buy their stuff here.

Punishment Due - Demo (2010)

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Every post I'm getting closer and closer to post on time submissions, just can't wait until I start posting immediately once something new comes in. I always feel bad when I post a band and realize that they sent me their stuff a month ago. I suppose interviews and other music related stuff is to blame for that.

Christian, the guitar player in "Punishment Due" sent me their stuff in late December, not long after they actually released this demo. The band hails from Long Island, New York, still pretty young, with this being their first recorded material.

I won't be talking very much about this band, since to be honest this isn't really my cup of tea. I indeed have a rather large batch of hardcore on the blog, but for some reason this didn't attract me that much. There is a certain dose of metal on this demo, with quite specific guitar playing and also this isn't the fast, exploding hardcore I'm more used to, this is more mid tempo stuff. One could say that this band took a turn on more classic hardcore, but sadly that doesn't cut it for me.

Needless to say, despite the fact that I personally don't enjoy this project, I didn't want to ignore these guys, since I'm sure that some of you will definitely appreciate this band more than me. The four songs on this demo are superbly recorded and have a very clear sound and the actual skill with which they play their music is very professional. So, try to ignore the paragraph above this one and give this band a try! You can get in touch with them on their bandcamp page here.

Jackals - Demo EP (2010)

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Haven't posted an actual review for some time now and what better way to get back on track than with a pissed off hardcore release. And I finally managed to lower the downtime between submission and review somewhat, though I should really be even more punctual. Anyway, let's get this show on the road...

"Jackals" are a five piece hailing from Norwich, East UK. This demo brings us six songs with about 10 minutes of tunes, carrying with itself a very raw hardcore sound. I don't delve in this genre very much, so my knowledge when it comes to comparing bands is scarce, but I will do my best to describe the music featured here.

Much like the names of the tracks, the music within has a quite dark tone above the relatively standard hardcore melodies, so much that several times I was on the verge of tagging this as crust. As stated above, the instruments have an extremely raw sound, but what is great about this band is that despite that characteristic you can still hear and discern everything. Most bands with such a coarse sound make so much noise that the instruments choke one another, but here you don't have that problem. Similarly, the vocals are a primal, raspy screaming with a lot of pack howling.

Having all this in mind, it almost comes natural that their songs are quite aggressive. First five songs are really short and violent, throwing at you a fast and reckless punch. The songs have some slower sections, providing you with a bit of rest until it all goes nuts again. Now the thing is that although these songs are interesting because of the dark/primal trait, aside of that they don't really provide anything genuine. I am guessing that someone who is into hardcore more than me could say that this is pretty standard. Here we come to a point when I want to reflect on something and that is the very last song on this demo, the sixth song "You're Nothing". Unlike the previous songs, this song is much longer and it is where the band as a whole really shines. THIS song is what really blew me away. It seems that the shorter songs really minimized the talent of the band and here it comes in the spotlight. Once I heard it I had a feeling that it was another band. All the chaos, crudeness and violence are still here, but twisted with a great song structure and a lot of variation with melodies. With this song "Jackals" really show that they have an excellent talent when it comes to composition and I really think that they should focus more on these kind of songs. I am not suggesting a style change, but I think the combination of shorter/longer songs would be superb and would very well reveal their true talent and potential.

As much as I saw on their blogspot (which you can find through their myspace page found here) the band is already recording some new songs. I am quite looking forward to hear some new songs and I am hoping that they will expand their sound a bit. "Jackals" are definitely worth the attention, so keep an eye out for them.

Some technical details in the end. This EP has been self released, but also in association with "Wineblood Music", "What Would Henry Rollins Do?", "Holy Roar" and "Power Negi". It has also been released on tape by "Sly The Bear". You can buy some of their merch at the link below and you should if you can, looks interesting!

http://www.whatwouldhenryrollinsdo.bigcartel.com/