Blacked Out are from Vancouver and this is their new e.p. out with Thousand Islands Records. There are five songs on this e.p. The music of this band is fast energetic hardcore punk, leaning more on melodic side of things, more like skatepunk. But, they are enough technical to satisfy fans of technical skatepunk, yet leaning enough in the nineties old school genre waters, to satisfy also fans of old school melodic punk with some metal thrown here and there in the song structures. For me the best songs on this e.p. that I recommend are I Don˙t Know and Tribalism. Nice one indeed!
Code Orange from Pittsburgh are back with their new, fourth full length album. Originally hardcore punk band, over the years they retained their hardcore roots and basics, complementing them with the modern groove metalcore, electronics, sludge elements making interesting song structures and arrangements sounding aggressive and progressive at the same time. The new batch of songs offer everything, from faster straightforward hardcore punk, to slower sludgy rolling thunder and atmospheric keyboard and sample backed parts. The vocals are strong, from typical hardcore/metalcore shouting, to clean singing, evil menacing whispering to spoken parts. I am usually not an avid fan of modern hardcore, but I sometimes like some bands who are not afraid to venture into deep waters of extreme music and take the best from all planets and incorporate it into one amalgamation which works out perfectly. This record is one of those records.
Recommended songs: Who I Am, The Easy Way, Last Ones Left.
At the tail end of 2019 the Burnt Tapes returned back to the Ranch production house with producer Daly George (Creeper, Milk Teeth, Boston Manor, Darko) to record a couple of new tracks to bookend their debut album, ‘Never Better’.
A year after the album release, they present their first single ‘Greek Wood’. The track sees the band return on top form, by delivering the listener a healthy dose of what Burnt Tapes do best: Melodic punk rock with lyrics of regret.
Vocalist/Guitarist Pan says ”’Greek Wood’ is a coming of age song in all the wrong ways, lost youth, lost love, lost time. It is not a penis metaphor, although it could be if you want it to be.”
The band had to put various tour plans on hold whilst we all keep safe and sort out this COVID-19 problem, but expect them to return to the road as soon as possible.
Burnt Tapes are known for creating their own unique brand of melodic punk-rock: ‘regret punk’. Inspired by emotive heavy-hitters like Iron Chic, Hot Water Music and The Lawrence Arms, Burnt Tapes create stories through gruff vocals, layered melodies and tattoo-worthy lyrical twists.
New York is currently going through hard times like many other cities and countries in the world with that virus shit spreading all around. But, that wonderful city has always been a synonime for hardcore scene, my favorite scene which I love since I was just a little kid.
When I heard that Drew Stone made a documentary about the scene, I knew that one should be fantastic to see, with Drew being one of old protagonists in the scene and knowing how this should be made. I watched all that New York Hardcore ten questions series on You Tube wishing the movie would come my way soon. Now, I finally saw it and was not disappointed. All of the main old school guys are there like Roger Miret, Vinnie Stigma, Jimmy Gestapo, Ray Cappo, Porcell, CIV, Rob Kabula, Danny Diablo, Freddy Madball…the movie has a lots of talk, but also enough interesting live action footage and streetwalk, flyers, old venues not to be boring or too thin. It covers all segments of the scene from old school raw in your face hardcore punk, over youth crew sxe bands, crossover with Crumbsuckers, Biohazard with more metalic edge to nowadays kids and bands. It made goosebumps on my hands when they interviewed two very little kids, boy and a girl about hardcore in the street, then instantly I knew that the future is bright and there will be enough kids left to take over after we are gone and hardcore will not die, you will die. Fantastic movie! I got to see it again to remember all the details I lost upon first watching.
Thanks to the loving people at Zegema Beach Records, I was able to find out and listen to this fantastic band from Spain. Crossed play an apocalyptic mixture of hardcore punk with dirty crusty influences and also screamo, even black metal stuff, combined with some d-beat and good old hc punk. This 13 songs are fast, hit in the head, but also have some lighter atmospheric parts like great song Swallow, one of my personal favorites besides Colored Pain, Barely Buried Body and Ghost. The vocals are so varied, from shouting, black metal screaming to some ominous whispering, so they add dynamics to the already interesting song structures and arrangements. I would recommend this stuff as one of the best albums of this kind of music that I have listened in the last couple of months. Go get this one, you will not be sorry.
Ice-T and legendary Body Count are back with the new record. When I was a kid in highschool and Copkiller came out, I was starstruck and we adored this band, being so rebellious, so streetwise, blending thrash metal and hardcore. I came from metal into hardcore punk, so I always had my metal roots and love for metal until these days. The next album Born Dead was a blast too, later albums were good but never reached the level and mythical place of first two albums in my eyes. Those newer records were probably as good if not better, but you know, when something is myth in your head, it is hard to leave it or change it. Let˙s talk about the new one. The title song which came as a single was not something that I liked a lot, because it is too slow and too one way roadlike. But, fortunately this album has some standout blasting songs which hit you like fist in the eye and slap on your cheek. Point the Finger(featuring Riley Gale) is an anthem against cop violence for all of us who were harassed by the cops in our lives. Body Count still does what they do best, mix thrash metal with street hardcore to get the best of both worlds. Bum-Rush is a groove metal hymn that reminds me a lot of nineties. This time the band pays hommage to Motorhead and Lemmy covering Ace of Spades and they did it nice, reminded me of those Exploited medley covers which Ice did with Slayer on Judgement Night movie soundtrack. Hatebreed˙s Jamey Jasta is a guest on Another Level, slow and strong song with great lyrics. Remake of old hit Colors is a right one for this millenia so new kids can hear it, it reminds me of that fantastic movie which is one of my all time favorite movies. I miss faster songs, the groove is still here, the lyrics are here, Ice-T˙s dramatic voice is still here, also charisma, but there are just too many slower songs. When I˙m Gone is most emotional and melodic song of the record featuring guest vocals by Amy Lee. Not to discover just all, you will have to listen for yourself. This is not the best BC album, but it is damn fine.
Svetlanas is a band that functions between Italy and California and this is their brand new, fifth studio album out with Demons Run Amok. Olga, Nick Oliveri, Diste and Steve delivered fine piece with this new one. The album is featuring ten songs of unbridled, original and new punkrock with garage and hardcore influences, also some electronics thrown in here and there to make songs more interesting and fresh with super arrangements. Led by Olga˙s angry yet at times screaming, but also melodic vocals, driving guitars and great fast paced drums, this album is definitely a winner. I must admit that I never listened to Svetlanas prior to this record, but now I am a definite fan. We already heard two fine singles Jump and All I See Is Red, but rest of the material is even more powerful. Pussification Of Punk Rock and Karma Soldier are personal favorites of mine, being bombs of energy spat in the face of society. I can only imagine how this band sounds live, I am sure they are fantastic! Great album, I am definitely a fan.
