Archive for Hardcore punk

Rytmihäiriö live in Tampere

Posted in Gig, Live with tags , , , , on 19th October 2019 by izaforestspirit

I Revolt, Rytmihäiriö
Jack The Rooster, Tampere, Finland
18th October 2019

Autumn is here. The leaves are falling, the nights are getting longer and Halloween is only weeks away… I haven’t been to a live show since the Rammstein performance back in the summer. There have been a few gigs that caught my attention but I simply did not have the time. Last night I decided to take a gamble and try something new. This was one of those occasions when I knew very little about either of the bands. Rytmihäiriö is a band that I have heard of but I am not too familiar with their music. Someone claimed that they are similar to Turmion Kätilöt, whom I like, so I decided to check them out.

The event took place at rock pub called Jack The Rooster. The pub serves food in the day time then it is transformed into a small live show venue at night.

First up was I Revolt. This is an up and coming Finnish band which was established two years ago. Their style is pretty difficult to classify. It sounded like an amalgamation of thrash metal, metalcore and Entombed-esque melodic death metal. I wasn’t super keen on their cover of a Slipknot song but the show had its good moments.

Someone told me once that there is a thin line between what is hardcore punk and what is thrash metal. Well, Rytmihäiriö is somewhere around the boundary zone. The guitar riff patterns bear some resemblance to thrash metal but the vocals and the overall attitude is decisively more hardcore punk. Perhaps a little too punk for my liking. They have their fans and they drew in a sizable crowd. Sadly the music was not something that I enjoy.

Overall, it was a decent night out. Now I know what Rytmihäiriö are all about. I like thrash metal but hardcore punk has never really been my thing. I Revolt put on a good show and it would be interesting to see how their sound develops.

Iza Raittila

Agnostic Front talk “The American Dream Died” track-by-track

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , , on 2nd February 2015 by Pieni

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The Godfathers of of New York hardcore, AGNOSTIC FRONT, will release their 11th studio album on 6th April 2015 via Nuclear Blast Records. Produced by Freddy Cricien (MADBALL singer and AF-frontman Roger Miret brother) and engineered, mixed and mastered by Paul Miner (H2O, TERROR), “The American Dream Died” will feature guest appearances by Cricien, legendary AGNOSTIC FRONT/MADBALL guitarist Matt Henderson, Toby Morse (H2O) and Lou Koller (SICK OF IT ALL). Cover art and track-listing as follows:

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01. Intro
02. The American Dream Died
03. Police Violence
04. Only In America
05. Test Of Time
06. We Walk The Line
07. Never Walk Alone feat. Freddy Cricien, Toby Morse & Lou Koller
08. Enough Is Enough
09. I Can’t Relate
10. Old New York
11. Social Justice
12. Reasonable Doubt
13. No War Fuck You
14. Attack!
15. A Wise Man feat. Matt Henderson on guitar
16. Just Like Yesterday

Miret wrote the following about every of those tracks;

The American Dream Died: “It’s a harsh look at what’s going on today in our society. The intro that precedes this song says it all! It’s a reaction to everything happening around us right now. The higher ups are out of control!”

Police Violence: “This is our reaction to what’s going on in our country regarding the unprovoked brutality of our citizens by those who we pay to “protect and serve” us. If they are going to act like criminals, then they should be prosecuted as one! They have some kind of elite fraternity-like understanding that they protect each other with. Don’t abuse your badge!”

Only In America: “It’s sad to learn that the people who serve in our military and risk their lives fighting in wars come home to the government not giving a shit about them, especially if those veterans were wounded mentally or physically. They gotta go through a lot of bullshit just to try and get a little help and support. You’ve gotta be blind if you don’t see that, only in America. This is why I strongly believe the US Government should stop policing the world, and start caring for the issues right here in the USA!”

Test Of Time: “Learning from the past is important, to help you move forward and not make the mistakes we did in our youth. Longevity is the key to success. We won’t get left behind.”

We Walk The Line: “It’s a statement of who we are and how we live in relation to the hardcore community.”

Never Walk Alone: “We always spoke about unity and how sticking together will help us grow as scene. Hardcore is worldwide now. This is our scene, our passion and it was great to present this song with honorable NYHC veteran’s Freddy Cricien (MADBALL), Toby Morse (H2O) and Lou Koller (SICK OF IT ALL) joining on the anthemy chorus!!! Punk rock/Hardcore is a movement it’s not an image!”

Enough Is Enough: “Protest song! I once read an inspiring quote that went like this “I hold it, that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical” – Thomas Jefferson.”

I Can’t Relate: “Dealing with different people you don’t like in different situations. Could be applied to a boss, ex-girlfriend, someone who lives a completely opposite lifestyle, etc.”

Old New York: “New York City has lost its edge. It’s been stripped of its culture and over run by money. Making it hard for musicians and artist to live there. Now we’re surrounded by transplants and rich hipsters. Let’s face it, it’s not the NYC I once adored. That one is so well documented in one of my favorite movies Taxi Driver! Hence the intro, I Miss The Old New York.”

Social Justice: “Nothing is more disgusting than hearing about a grown man rapping a child. This song talks about a man who got caught in the act and was served street justice stabbed with knives from his head to his toes. Justice served!”

Reasonable Doubt: “Our whole lives we’ve been criminalized for one reason or another. But it’s actually the media, the corporations and the government who are the scumbags. Power to the people standing up against them. Wake the fuck up people!”

No War Fuck You: “Self explanatory, stop creating wars so you can justify your unlimited defense budget and make all your friends rich. Innocent people are dying for your stupid games.”

Attack!: “On some occasions people tend to disrespect and take our kindness for weakness. We have always been known for never taken shit from anyone. Cross the line and we will attack!”

A Wise Man: “Growing up in NYC living in and out of Vinnie’s apartment. Our old friend John always looked out for us like a father figure. He tried to guide us in the right direction and give us good advice. He was a wise man, a friend forever.”

Just Like Yesterday: “This song takes us on the journey through our history as a band, from touring all over the world and making friends that still remain loyal today. One of my favorite lines is “From NYC to the Berlin beat.” It shows our love for those two great cities and our great world accomplishments as a hardcore comunity.”

And then concluded: “We chose this title cause we want to open up people’s eyes to what’s going on in this country. We have a lot to say. Not everyone realizes that our government and the people who run this country are so corrupt, greedy and ruthless. We need to educate the ones we reach. We’re losing our values. We address real issues from full blown corruption and scandals to unjust police abuse and brutality. Everything’s we stood for as a country is going down the drain. But we still somewhat have our freedom of speech. We’re expressing it all through this record while we can.”

agnosticfront.com 

nuclearblast.de/agnosticfront

facebook.com/agnosticfront

Atlases unveil video for Secret Keeper

Posted in News with tags , , , , , on 8th January 2014 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Berkshire hardcore mob Atlases unveiled the new video for Secret Keeper, in the build up to their second EP Upbringing. The EP is set for release on 20th January. You can view the video down below.

Atlases online:

http://atlasesuk.com/
http://facebook.com/AtlasesUK
http://twitter.com/atlasesuk

The Antiquity – A Colossal Infliction of Hate

Posted in Review with tags , , , on 18th August 2013 by hammersmashedlauren

The Antiquity
A Colossal Infliction of Hate
Released: Summer 2013
Hardcore/Death/Groove Metal
Self Released

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Hailing from Scarborough, The Antiquity just recently released their EP, A Colossal Infliction of Hate, marking the first of what they have to offer to metal. This EP has 5 tracks, each of decent length and quality, and totals to a little over 15 minutes long. Upon listening to this EP, I am reminded of a lot of the hardcore/deathcore that is released here in the United States. It’s super monotonous with prepubescent vocals while each song replicates itself in style, guitar riffs, and vocally. With the exception of the monologue in the beginning track, Quarantine, and for a motorcycle revving up followed by a scream in the track BLASTthehorse, the entire EP sounds like one drawn out song.
There were a couple parts to A Colossal Infliction of Hate that I actually did enjoy, however. During certain songs, there would be parts that felt extremely groovy and it reminded me of bands such as Thy Will Be Done, Acaro, and Hatebreed. If more of these kinds of melodic riffs were added to this EP, it would’ve been much more enjoyable to listen to. While I’m not a fan of hardcore music, I felt that The Antiquity did a fantastic job of incorporating elements of hardcore along with the more death metal and groovy parts.

The biggest turn off for me was definitely the vocals. While I enjoyed the range of guttural to high pitched screaming, there were hardcore-styled vocals thrown into there, which are essentially similar to Jamey Jasta’s.  I understand that this is the way hardcore vocals are done, it just did not mix with the music at all. Had the vocalist just stuck to the guttural vocals with the occasional high pitched screaming, I feel the songs would have flowed more and wouldn’t have sounded so sporadic.

I personally would not be interested in regularly listening to this band since I’m not big into hardcore or deathcore, but I would highly recommend it to fans of either genre. I hope to hear more groovy riffs and a better vocal range from The Antiquity in the future, and this is just the beginning for these guys. Hopefully they develop more as musicians and put out a killer CD!

3.5/5

Lauren Gowdy

 

Iwrestledabearonce release new album and video today

Posted in News with tags , , , , on 12th August 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Following months and months of anticipation, post-hardcore band iwrestledabearonce have released their new album Late For Nothing via Century Media today. The album is available for purchase via the usual outlet and the IWABO webstore.  Late For Nothing can be streamed at this location for free.

Iwrestledabearonce has also released an epic new video for their song ‘Boat Paddle’ from ‘Late For Nothing’ at Youtube.com.  Known for their unique sense of humor, the band’s latest video finds the band being called on to save the Earth from an alien with a massive death ray.

Iwrestledabearonce online:

http://iwrestledabearonce.com
http://facebook.com/iwrestledabearonce
http://twitter.com/iwabo

 

Iwrestledabearonce premier new song featuring guitar legend Steve Vai

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , , on 4th July 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

US hardcore band Iwrestledabearonce have premiered their brand new song Carnage Asada which features none other than guitar legend Steve Vai. The song is available for streaming on GuitarWorld.com and will be featured on the band’s upcoming album Late For Nothing, which is set for release next month via Century Media. Carnage Asada can be streamed at this location.

Carnage Asada is one of twelve progressive, jaw-dropping tracks from IWABO’s highly anticipated new album Late For Nothing, which also includes the recently released songs Firebees and Thunder Chunky. IWABO is wrapping up a European tour at the moment and will return to the U.S. later this month for The All Stars Tour 2013 with Every Time I Die.

Iwrestledabearonce online:

www.iwrestledabearonce.com
www.facebook.com/iwrestledabearonce
www.twitter.com/iwabo

 

The CockRockets release video for My Beloved War

Posted in News with tags , , on 19th April 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

London hardcore punk act The CockRockets have released the official video for their latest single, My Beloved War. The video can be viewed below.

As They Burn – Will, Love, Life

Posted in Review with tags , , , , , , on 19th March 2013 by Paul

As They Burn
Will, Love, Life
Released February 19th 2013
Deathcore/Death Metal
Released via Victory Records

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Deathcore has undergone a noticeable evolution in recent years. Gone are the “BREE BREE” pig squeals, needlessly misogynistic imagery inherited from gore metal and the pseudo thug attitude from hardcore, at least for the most part – as is evidenced in this latest effort from French band As They Burn. In its place has come more of an emphasis on groove riffs and quirky song structures that are more inspired by Meshuggah and Between the Buried and Me than the original Death Metal meets Hardcore and Screamo style, moving more towards the progressive metalcore and djent sounds.

Will, Love Life is an example of this more mature breed of death core, with the harsh vocals and groovy riffs leading the way and a strange amount of atmosphere incorporated in this style. The fate of this album may be that it is too much of a transition between styles, being neither fast or aggressive enough to be in the purely hardcore camp (and too well polished in production values perhaps); not musically complex or “Lovecraftian” enough to be considered straight up Death Metal and the guitar work here is also not start-stop-meshuggah-style-palm-muted enough to be in the Djent genre. As a result, this album occupies a grey area between genres that makes it sound more like the logical conclusion of the so-called “New Wave of American Heavy Metal” genre that dominated the early 2000s. I imagine this would appeal to those who want something that treads the line between Death Metal influenced Lamb of God style Groove Metal and the Progressive Metalcore bands that have come to prominence in recent years such as the previously mentioned Between the Buried and Me.

The band is clearly aiming at something new and progressive but get a little stuck trying to incorporate all that makes the modern Death/Metalcore scene interesting and end up sounding generic. The album manages to be more avant-garde in a way than the average Deathcore release most have come to expect in elements such as its interesting song titles but does not seem to have to have a unifying theme or message that more developed genres easily incorporate. This album is interesting because it is a bridge between the current state of Metal along the “core” spectrum and wherever it may be evolving and maturing to in the future. It very nearly manages to get itself written off as being a product of its time, but I think there is enough here for this to be popular among fans of this particular style.

3/5

Paul Gibbins

 

Nouvelle – Home EP [2011]

Posted in Review with tags , , on 6th October 2011 by izaforestspirit

Band: Nouvelle
Album:  Home EP
Release year: 2011
Genre: Hardcore

Home is the new EP from the British hardcore band Nouvelle.  There’s only one major problem I have with this EP and that’s the fact that the vocalist sounds like a very hungover Andrew W.K.  Music wise, it has some good moments such as the catchy guitar riffs in the intros to ‘No Pain’ and ‘Barriers’.  I fail to see the point of the instrumental track at the end; as a statement it might fit the overall theme but why make it into a song?

Is this good hardcore? Maybe… then again as it’s the first time I’ve actively attempted to listen to this kind of music.

2.5/5

Iza Raittila

Verona – We The Hunted [Single Review]

Posted in Review with tags , , , , on 25th September 2011 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Band: Verona
Single: We The Hunted
Genre: Melodic Post-Hardcore
Release year: 2011

”We the Hunted” is the latest single by Newcastle based hardcore sextet Verona. Straight away, the song is an aggressive and pounding assault on the ears of the listener. The vocals are raw, violent and savage keeping that hint of brutality when the melodic riffs are played. The clean vocals are very distinct and unique compared to a lot of hardcore bands that use clean vocals. The drums are well played throughout the song though seem to lack in sections. Another issue with the song is the sound quality during in some of the vocal sections, making the vocals sound extremely distorted and inaudible. The synths add a very different sound to the song as well, whilst not clashing with the hardcore sound of the track. “We The Hunted” is certainly different to a lot of hardcore-orientated songs but still retains the hardcore stylings of Verona. If their next EP or album is anything like “We The Hunted”, then we’ll all be in for a treat.

Nico Davidson

Verona will be playing Valkyrian Festival on 27th November. For more info, click here.

Six Stories Unknown [Band Review]

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , on 2nd August 2011 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Band: Six Stories Unknown
Country: Sweden
Genre: Pop-Punk
Site:
http://www.facebook.com/SixStoriesUnknown

Sweden, musically, is known for bands such as Abba and Arch Enemy, though the country is fast becoming home to an ever growing pop-punk scene with bands such as Almost Today and IKE. Apart of this growing scene are Six Stories Unknown, a five-piece pop-punk outfit from Eskilstuna, Sweden. Though the members are young, they have shared the stage with the likes of Tantrum To Blind and Aim For The Sunrise.

“She Said Happily Ever After” begins with a semi-violent riff, which sounds more like a rock-styled riff than a pop-punk medley. The vocals have a strong element of pop-punk. Like some of the guitar sections, the drums are more akin to rock. The guitars bring out some powerful melodic licks in parts of the song as well. “Still Carry On” has a very strong pop-punk sound all the way through it, but not quite as generic sounding as a lot of pop-punk bands. The guitar riffs are well composed and brilliantly played, as are the drums and the bass. The vocals are powerful as well.

”Fly” sounds to be more alternative rock meets punk in terms of its musical composition. The vocals are strongly pop-punk sounding however which does get a little tiring after a while for the casual listener to pop-punk or for someone new to the pop-punk genre, though there are a few short harsh vocal sections which are more akin to hardcore. The breakdown is an unexpected part of the song but it gives it a fresher and crisper sound. “We’ll Take Over The World” has a strange introduction as it’s composed of synths followed by a very soft, melodic guitar riff. The song is more hardcore dominated at the end. The only major issue with the song is that it’s too short.

Six Stories Unknown are certainly an interesting and exciting band to listen to, though their sound is typically pop-punk the hardcore and alt. rock elements are a great addition to their music, helping keep everything fresh. Six Stories Unknown are a band that pop-punk fans should be keeping an ear out for as they could soon become a domineering force in the international pop-punk scene.

Nico Davidson