Saturday, October 18, 2008

NO WARNING - Suffer, Survive


NO WARNING
Suffer, Survive
Warner Bros. Records
8/10





No Warning combines hardcore and metal in a manner that grabs your attention and never lets go for the duration of “Suffer, Survive” ending up as something of a mix between labelmates Linkin Park and Suicidal Tendencies in terms of the band’s overall sound.

This mix comes off as being a lot tougher than it sounds, with “Modern Eyes” coming off like a bag of gravel in flight through mid-air, coarse and uneven, but weighty and bruising upon impact. Vocalist Ben Cook can let loose with an angst filled blast of verbal venom just as easily as he can launch into a highly tuneful refrain, abrasive as his delivery may be.

Catchy choruses never hurt, and this record is filled with those. Riffs are designed for maximum force, whether ringing chords or chugging mosh-inciting power rhythms. No Warning are at their finest when they let loose inhibitions and just bust the music out, which makes it such a pleasant surprise that there’s not a clunker in the bunch here.

Each of the songs on “Suffer, Survive” has the ability to get your neck snapping’ and your body moving, regardless of your own personal musical tastes. This is a band that has the personality of a Daisy Cutter, the chops to back it up and most of all, ass kicking jams that will have you counting the days until they arrive to destroy your local concert venue.


Written By: Musclehead

Saturday, October 11, 2008

SWORN ENEMY - The Beginning Of The End


SWORN ENEMY
The Beginning Of The End
Abacus Recordings
7/10




There’s little question as to where Sworn Enemy fits into the extreme music landscape. Playing an upfront form of modern hardcore with a serious helping of highly metallic riffs, this is a style that was once known as crossover music, best represented by bands like D.R.I.

Due to the emergence of even more extreme forms of the metal, hardcore vocals were required to evolve toward being even more abrasive, most likely as a result of crossover bands sharing the stage with metal groups whose fans were more accepting of the style than the punk crowd.

Although artists and fans at times bemoan the stereotypical classifications that crop up when a band harbors a specific set of identifying attributes, such generalizations are impossible to avoid in the case of Sworn Enemy.

Like following a recipe, the group has thrown together x and x ingredients, namely gruff, angry white boy barking, neck-snapping guitars that alternate between bullet train chugging and jagged, Slayer-flavored dual-axe strafes. Thick breakdowns and jackhammer bursts of energy alternate as the group slams it down during strength-laden outings such as “Scared Of The Unknown”, “All I Have” and “Absorb The Lies.”

Thematically, the group touches on somewhat predictable subjects, among them the topics of unity, pride and mental vigor and determination. This is the flag of the movement whereas the music reflects the constitution of an entire scene. It is refreshing to find that Sworn Enemy is interested in giving the fans something that digs a bit deeper into the old-school as most bands today merely reference bands like Biohazard and Pro-Pain when seeking to build up a measure of New York tough-guy credibility.

Instead, Sworn Enemy steers their music in more of a thrash metal direction, a sound preferable to many metalheads whom never quite understood the actual nature of hardcore music and it’s roots, which are firmly embedded in punk rock.

You’ll find no pseudo-rapping or hip-hop thrown into this mix either, with tracks such as “Beginning Of The End”, “No Second Chances” and “We Hate” all serving as sufficient grounds for throwing elbows and making the pit rough.

In terms of being a cohesive outfit, Sworn Enemy assuredly has their act down pat. The styles of the players as individuals mesh together in a most excellent fashion. “The Beginning Of The End” is a recording that finds Sworn Enemy sticking with their guns and busting out they type of music that fans expect.

To pair this band up with the like-minded moshcore acts like Throwdown or Hazardous Waste would make for a no holds barred skankfest on the concert trail. If these guys can execute this material with the vigor captured on this recording, many of these songs are going to be the scapegoat for plenty of bloody noses and that’s exactly what the fans expect. While it doesn’t break any fresh ground, it delivers that which is promised without remorse or lament, making it exactly the type of album that fans have been hanging on tenterhooks for.

By: xkingofallcorex

TERROR - Lowest Of The Low


TERROR
Lowest Of The Low
Trustkill Records
8/10




A reissue of Terror’s first full length, originally released on Bridge 9 Records shows the group could lay the hardcore smackdown just as well in their early days as they do so well today. No nonsense, stripped down tracks like “Don’t Need Your Help” and “Keep Your Distance” were made to get the crowd pumped, and it’s hard to imagine a mosh pit not breaking out during intense ragers like the skull pounding “Push It Away” or the ultra energetic “Life And Death”.

Live favorite “What Have We Done” is represented both in its original version and in a violent rendition portrayed on the live portion of the disc, which was recorded in Tokyo and originally released on Alliance Trax in Japan. Fans also get a chance to check out the band’s side of their Deathwish Records split seven inch with Ringworm, as “Out Of My Face” and “Nothing To Lose” are represented here as well. The tracks that were cut live in Tokyo are excellent, imparting the true energy and out of control insanity that is a Terror live performance. “Push It Away” stands tall as one of Terror’s toughest live tracks, while “Keep Your Distance” closes things out with an aggressive burst of energy.

Also of note is the group’s studio rendition of Dag Nasty’s “What Can I Say” that seethes with all of the intensity of the original. The record contains some hype, refurbished cover art as well as all of the lyrics to the songs, including liner notes giving the story behind each track. If you consider yourself a fan of true hardcore and you haven’t checked Terror out as of yet – What in the Hell is the matter with you?

This is mandatory hardcore shit right here.

Written By: xkingofallcorex

THE ZIMMERMANN NOTE - New Deception


THE ZIMMERMANN NOTE
New Deception
Inner Strength Records
8/10




TZN is a group which sounds more core than it really is due to the fact that the bass drum is less than prominent in the mix. What you are hearing from the drums is a lot of snare, a lot of cymbal and a bit of the aerial toms. In terms of speed, you have to respect their use of souped-up pseudo blast beats which emphasize some very traditional sounding metal riffs of several different styles.

Having said that, the drums could certainly be much louder and with a bit more compression and maybe a juicier sounding set of hats. So many things end up sounding less like Lamb Of God and more like Winter Solstice because of it. Axe-wise, The Zimmerman Note has a lot of great things happening here.

Most types of metal and hardcore fans will get into the grinding riffs and wicked scales fairly quickly. The group can also kick things up a notch in the technical department performance-wise. The MCD is also successful of striking at the root of things without becoming a sleeper in terms of arrangement and overall songwriting. All of these tracks fit very well together. The packaging contains a map, which is always handy when you’re out cruising around selected areas of France, Belgium and Germany. Seriously, it is.

Lyrically, you’ll find this record to be angry and impressionistic. Topically, for instance, this is some pretty heavy matter that might be interpreted in a many number of ways. Considering the five track collection’s packaging, one might believe that the thematic substance of intent is war. If so, these meanings are underlying in many areas of the recordings whereas generalizations and random thoughts are often conjoined.

But irregardless of all of these factors, if you enjoy metal and you’re looking to get your ass kicked with some extraordinarily slamming, heavy music, ‘New Deception’ will do the trick quite nicely. These songs all jam pretty well in a unique manner and the band members each put forth a good amount of individual effort.

If you listen to a lot of weak music or think Roses Are Red is a really heavy band, then The Zimmerman Note may be just a tad too abrasive, heavy and blissfully deep for you.


Written By: Musclehead

Friday, October 10, 2008

BLACK MY HEART - Before The Devil


BLACK MY HEART
Before The Devil
Eulogy Recordings
7/10




Roughened hardcore that explores the style’s darker nature is what “Before The Devil” is made of, with vocalist Wheeler leading the charge with appropriately barbed-wire throated barks and screams. Black My Heart indulges in their fair share of chugga-chugga riffing, but their more up-tempo guitar rhythms are more reflective of thrash metal. With lines continually blurring between types of music, the group’s fury-filled material would be something that the pissed-off hardcore kids would definitely be attracted to.

“We Weren’t Brought Up Right” finds Black My Heart closing things out with a massive, Biohazard-style hardcore chant, while the frenzied, rapid beat of “What You Know About?” makes for ample pit fodder. Sometimes the vocals tend to drag behind the riffing a bit, which makes the band stand out, but at times seems out of place.

Keith Dece is a qualified basher, implementing plenty of inventiveness into his technique. He’s really skilled at building drama during the song and his well-placed fills and rolls make the more standard hardcore riffs that much more interesting.

A dark vibe surrounds songs like “My Way” and “Thick As Blood”, not only a result of production, but of the playing style of each of the band members. Nine tracks in almost thirty minutes indicates that these guys put a little more thought into their songwriting than many hardcore outfits, but a little more for the money wouldn’t be so bad either.

By: xkingofallcorex

BEOWULF - The Re-releases


BEOWULF
The Re-releases
I Scream Records
8.5/10




A lesson in old school crossover if there ever was one, this double reissue taking us all the way back to 1986, a time when more extreme forms of heavy metal were merely gaining their legs. Beowulf broke out of Venice with an OTT sound influenced by the likes of Motorhead and for that matter, Motorhead’s influence - alcohol.

Gathering upbeat intense rhythms in the vein of Uncle Lemmy, Venom and the more closely related Suicidal Tendencies (this initial album was, of course, originally issued on Suicidal Records), Beowulf musters up the perfect musical backdrop for a punk-as-fuck roadhouse, wailing guitars, grunted lyrics and all. Some comparisons may be drawn to bands like Angelwitch and Diamond Head as well, drawing a parallel to the style Metallica was brandishing around the same time. “Beowulf” actually has a very similar feeling to “No Life ‘Til Leather” in many moments, but its obvious that the Cali-based bashers were much less concerned with melody.

Vocally, Dale Henderson often relays a mixture of Lemmy and Glenn Danzig (The Misfits era). It’s a pattern that becomes more apparent on the group’s second record, “Lost My Head.” By this point the band sound a touch tighter, but they’re no less abrasive and determined. The record has a driving quality that also carried over to bands like Excel, but no other group in the prominent Venice scene achieved such rawness while maintaining a focused integrity.

For those that had experienced these two great records the first time around, this re-release should prove to be sufficient reason to pick up an oversized flannel a Dogtown skateboard and a can of silver spray paint, but more importantly, this release will provide an immense amount of perspective for those that were not around to hear it in 1986. Easily one of the most influential and coolest bands to rise from the golden shores of California during that time period, Beowulf literally made history with the 25 cuts that grace this crucial offering. Grab a six-pack and crank this one up. Either you’ll relive some great memories or you’ll be making some brand new ones.


By: Mick Griffin

BARCODE - Showdown


BARCODE
Showdown
Nuclear Blast Records – 2005
8/10




If you are not a devotee of straight-up, fist-pumping old school hardcore anthems that hit you like a gunshot to the skull, then you can stop reading this right here. But, if you find yourself to be inclined to rip into a skanking frenzy when you hear ‘the real thing”, then this is your opportunity to discover one of the brashest, boldest HxC bands currently making a massive impression on the scene today.

With tough traditional anthems like “End The War”, “Rise To Dignity” and the muscular, hard hitting title track, “Showdown”, Barcode have set themselves up for major success in the hardcore scene. These five bashers have no trouble ripping up the idea that old school hardcore is no more as they launch into a social diatribe such as “Fanatics” or a throwback cut like “Drinkslinger” that recalls the spirit felt in the music of hardcore legends Murphy’s Law in a major way.

As the group pounds through the torrid “In The Pit”, you can envision the insane walls of death that this band must generate in a concert setting. One of this year’s brightest hardcore records, the sixteen tracks which grace “Showdown” provide nothing less than elbow throwing, head cracking sonic thunder at it’s finest.

Top it all of with one of the coolest, most creative album covers in recent memory and you have a beast that is just dying to be unleashed in your favorite moshing location. Make way for the roughhouse attack of Barcode.


by: xkingofallcorex

BANE - The Note


BANE
The Note
Equal Vision Records – 2005
7.5/10




Nitrous-fired, knuckles-up angst permeates the grooves of “The Note”, but at times Bane reflect the distinct vibe of being hardcore “lite”, just this side of aggression, with their signature hardcore element most often being the voicing of a phrase of lyrics, the attitude behind those words or the envelope surrounding a hit-hat count-off. These small enhancements further flavor the charged up expressions of the group and the small bit of restraint throughout their performance allows for a shred of danger, a gremlin lurking behind each note. A prevalent hardcore anthem surfaces in “Hoods Up”, which features some instrumentation that’s comparable to older Suicidal Tendencies.

One thing that detracts from the album on the whole is the fact that the vocals are not that varied. After a time, the monotone nature of the singing takes its toll. Just a touch of variety would be nice. Taken in smaller doses, tracks like the driving, barked-out “Pot Committed” become more enigmatic and thusly, much more interesting to repeat. Meanwhile, “My Therapy” offers a floor tom rhythm that drives the song into a chorus that is illuminated by crushing gang vocals.

The chugging closer “Swan Song” ends things with a substantial thumping, which would be a natural crowd sing-along cut in concert. It can be said that the angle that Bane collectively take on hardcore is a bit different and the variations upon traditional themes are admirable.

An album with substance and a sufficient amount of hardcore credibility, “The Note” is by no means innovative, but it is a fairly good listen for fans of this particular lifestyle and sonic presentation.


By: Mick Griffin

ALOVE FOR ENEMIES - The Harvest


ALOVE FOR ENEMIES
The Harvest
Facedown Records
7/10




An ominous introduction entitled ‘Prologue’ gets things started on ‘The Harvest’ as Alove For Enemies gear up for the gruff, dark sounding ‘Angels Don’t Burn’. The band does a good job of mixing things around a bit. The addition of a complete stop in the middle of the track makes for an interesting point of emphasis Erich Barto has a baritone, scratchy sounding voice that fits the band’s dark tones quite well.

The group manages to pull off some heavy antics on ‘Smoke Screen’, and brings a very core feeling to ‘The Hour Of Decision’. Lyrically, the band is dialectically “Good”. They emphasize Jesus Christ in their lyrics, going so far as to refer to their messiah by name several times, which is unusual for a band which sounds so completely dark and ominous.
You’ll find some decent guitar melodies here as well as many pit igniting riffs and beats. The group has a fair sense of arrangement. It sounds as if they made a concerted effort to keep their songs interesting. This is a band that is obviously trying to get a message across to people with their music.

If you find religion offensive, this might not be a band you’re going to want to get into, at least if you’re paying attention to that sort of thing and the same thing could be said for bands that are the complete opposite of Alove For Enemies thematically, but their lyrical content is certainly a factor that stands out, like it or not.

The crushing axe work on ‘Blood Covenant’ is like a wall of sound which simply cannot be denied, providing a strong backing for the raspy singing of Barto. The band is really riff oriented. You won’t hear many melodic guitar parts or solos here, but a lot of thrashing rhythms that are tight, heavy and very powerful.

‘The Truth Of Trumpets’ is hard hitting and contains HxC gang vocals that accent the tracks powerful chorus, making for a strong close to the disc. Alove For Enemies will appeal to fans of heavy music in general. The hardcore elements added into the group’s music show the roots and influences of the band, but they certainly have a large amount of crossover appeal.

If the pit is where you live, ‘The Harvest’ makes for one Hell of a… that is, Heavenly hardcore soundtrack!


By: Mick Griffin

Born From Pain - War


Born From Pain
War
Metal Blade
8.5/10




This band just gets heavier with each release. On War, you’ll find a thicker production than the band’s last outing. It seems like Born From Pain is intent on issuing a meatier sound than on last year’s razor-sharp sounding “In Love With The End.” In all actuality, this record is reminiscent of the more hardcore stuff that Sepultura achieved with Max at the helm. Whether such a shift in tone was intended, it succeeds.

From the chanting intro at the album’s onset, you know you’re in for an abject pummeling. On the standout cut “Stop At Nothing,” thick breakdowns and massive gang vox hem up a cut that’s pure muscle. Barcode bring the fury with plenty of backing shouts and the album is further marked by guest appearances from Napalm Death’s Barney Greenway on “Behind Enemy Lines,” a particularly abrasive anvil slap and “Doomsday Clock,” where Sick Of It All’s Lou kicks in some pissed-off ranting.

With thick-as-a-brick guitar tones magnifying the records pounding hardcore sounds, the result is one damn heavy platter. Given the fact that Born From Pain is twice as productive as most of their peers in the Nu Hardcore scene, they’ve thrust themselves amongst the industry’s best in rather short order. War is an album that will beat you black and blue and still, you’ll scream for more. Born From Pain has the gloves off, what are you waiting for? Get your face in front of this massive hardcore fist!


By: xkingofallcorex

Thursday, October 9, 2008

TO THE LIONS - Baptism Of Fire


TO THE LIONS
Baptism Of Fire
Goodfellow Records
8/10




Channeling the sound of bands like Chokehold and Terror, To The Lions aims for a stripped-down hardcore sound on “Baptism Of Fire.” This style suits the band well, as the band tears through no-nonsense stomp sessions such as “Ride The Apocalypse,” “Born To Die” and “The Forsaken” with abrasive viscosity. To be fair, the biggest disadvantage of the entire affair is the tendency of To The Lions not to stray too far away from tried-and-true hardcore formulas.

There are most assuredly patterns to be found within the band’s music, but even so, these guys take the hardcore mantle and run with it. For what it’s worth, the heart of the band shines through so greatly that the formulaic approach is of little consequence.

A plethora of pit-inducing riffs lurk on “Baptism Of Fire,” and naturally, the album has its share of breakdowns as well. But the major focus behind much of these songs lies in driving rhythms. Whether the group chooses to propel the highly aggressive “Amnesia” with a razor-edged, old school chug or relies on pure weightiness during “Final Chapter,” the result is at all times uncompromisingly heavy.

For those of you who revel in the old school sounds, “Baptism Of Fire” is refreshingly honest, undoubtedly moshable and true to everything that hardcore music ought to be.


By: Musclehead

SSS - Short Sharp Shock


SSS
Short Sharp Shock
Earache Records
7.5/10




Upon hearing the self-titled debut from S.S.S, listeners may be inclined to believe they’ve unearthed an old, unreleased Billy Milano record. The vocal similarities are uncanny, while the crossover-style riffs to be found here are reminiscent of what one would expect from either Method Of Destruction or Stormtroopers Of Death very early on.

A NYC tough guy attitude prevails during tracks like the abusive “Monster” and the bluntly provoking “Last Man Standing” that’s hard to ignore. But there’s also a real metal edge to what S.S.S is doing in comparison to other bands that wave the modern NYHC flag.

Check out the Kerry King-like solo during “New Dogs” or the blatantly metallic introduction to “The Answer Is Never” for proof that these guys are influenced by metal bands just as much as by acts like Gorilla Biscuits. Covering a lot of ground that’s often ignored in favor of more extreme turns, S.S.S. has the capacity to prime you for the pit, but the majority of sounds on this record are merely nostalgic.

Still, with most new acts going the way of Hatebreed sound-wise, it’s refreshing to hear a hardcore band that remembers to pay homage to the roots of the NYHC underground. Check the bonus track, “Black Night, White Light” for an excellent nod toward the genius of Cliff Burton and a much more thrash metal-oriented sound than you’ll hear on the rest of the entire record. S.S.S. might not be the most original band around, but its doing something completely different than most.

Along with labelmates Municipal Waste, S.S.S is fully prepared to restore the mosh pit to its proper glory - bruises, broken bones and bloody noses and all.


By: xkingofallcorex

The Handshake Murders – Usurper


The Handshake Murders
Usurper
Goodfellow Records
9/10




A bitter, pointed jab of skin-piercing aural amplitude makes the music of The Handshake Murders the sonic equivalent of eating barbed wire (or as the album cover indicates, puking screws).

Rat-maze rhythms and suffocating contortions of sound are to be found in bountiful quantities throughout “Usurper,” as The Handshake Murders makes their move in redefining the clever, ear-bending insanity delivered by comparison acts like Coalesce. “Painted Contortionist” offers a unique twist on homicidal intelligencia, churning and fashioning sonic structure into knots.

Meanwhile, “Messenger” melds gruff battery with rubber-band riffing and virulent, violent tonal abstractions. Meshuggah devotees will find a new sort of kick upon amidst the hoarse screams and warped licks of the suitably jagged “Mind Bender,” a cut that slices the air like softened butter and repeatedly thumps like a busload of steel-toed boots.

There’s still room enough amongst the pack of bizarro metal bombardiers for the sort of abstract creative binge that The Handshake Murders has undertaken. Followers of tech metal will discover that “Usurper” gives a whole new meaning to the words “Do the twist.”


By: Musclehead

Palehorse – Amongst The Flock


Palehorse
Amongst The Flock

Bridge Nine Records
3/10




While you can give Palehorse points for stepping outside the box with non-stereotypical themes about The Illuminati and how they plan to kill you, Amongst The Flock fails to rise above patent mediocrity. Rudimentary Metallica marches augment repeated bouts of HxC slop - plain and simple, Palehorse pales in comparison to today’s modern hardcore leaders.

Yes, hardcore kids wear tin foil hats too, and you can bet that the pissed peeps in Palehorse catch a daily dose of the Alex Jones Program, but beyond that, this is really simple, average sounding stuff. During “Bleed The Sheep” one would swear that this group was trying to rock the fuck out, but the tones are so flat and mundane, it’s hard to feel good about banging your head along to it.

If you know your music, you’ve seen plenty of local bands churning out this type of stuff. You can definitely mosh to it but it doesn’t kick your ass like it ought to.

Instead, listeners get some tepid, clunky chunking and nasty bulldog growls about your impending untimely demise at the hands of the global financial elite…or whatever.


By: xkingofallcorex

Scars Of Tomorrow - The Failure In Drowning

Scars Of Tomorrow
Scars Of Tomorrow
The Failure In Drowning
Victory Records
5/10




Have you ever stopped to wonder why they don’t put some crazy flavors that are really different together in ice cream? Few would disagree that Strawberry/BBQ Pork ice cream sounds like a pretty disgusting proposition.

Scars Of Tomorrow has quickly returned with The Failure In Drowning and throughout the record, these guys seem like they have a hard time deciding what kind of band they really want to be. With certain types of this metalcore-type stuff, the personalities of the sounds don’t always meld well. Scars Of Tomorrow would have a great shot at making pure deathcore. Thanks to sturdy production, most of the heavier passages on this album sound just fine. In contrast the band shifts into melodic sequences, which sound good as well, but never quite match up with the heavier sounding song parts. Thirdly, the band does a weird slowed-down hardcore thing that sounds totally out of place amongst the really heavy parts. Sometimes the group switches things up and goes for a melodic riff with the growls, but most of the combinations sound forced and unnatural. There’s also a strange clean/growl vocal mix thing that happens where the two sounds drop in and out and these parts just sound bad.

Scars Of Tomorrow have showed a lot of promise in the past. Unfortunately, this record falls short of expectations and the band’s confused direction is the main reason. Why can’t you find Strawberry/BBQ Pork ice cream? Because it won’t sell and neither will this record.

By: Musclehead

Bloodjinn - This Machine Runs On Empty

Bloodjinn
Bloodjinn
This Machine Runs On Empty
EastWest/Pluto
8/10


In the years passed since the release of its 2003 effort, Leave This World Breathing, Bloodjinn has reserved a fair amount of aggression. Pent up and pissed off, the North Carolina metalcore outfit has returned with this voracious new effort, This Machine Runs On Empty. Expect nothing less than a furious torrent of animosity ranging from five-foot-thick walls of sound to progressive harmonies similar to those heard on Trivium’s groundbreaking effort Ascendancy.

While the sound of Bloodjinn on this record owes much to bands like Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage and The Haunted, this group of raucous rockers has enough personality to stand out on their own. Violence prevails on the rapidfire growlfest “Truth Within,” where vocalist Joel Collins issues tormented screams and threatening, under-the-breath whispers. A bit of inspiration from The Great Southern Trendkill is merged with chin-splitting breakdowns and guitar melodies that breach the perimeters of melodic death metal.

A Zakk Wylde-style lick sends the double-kick fueled “Break The Silence” into overdrive as Joel explores lower vocal registers that are guttural enough to be considered in the death metal vein. Opener “In The First Degree” creeps toward you in very Static-X fashion, before the band launches a full-on pit-stomp assault. Speed suits Bloodjinn well. But their ear for tempo shifts makes that speed all the more deadly.

Four years is a long time between records for a young group like Bloodjinn. Thankfully, the band spent its time wisely. Though listeners who balk at the first evidence of a breakdown may be leery, Bloodjinn has enough ass-kicking charisma to slam the point home. This Machine Runs On Empty, is one of the biggest surprises this year.

By: moshninja

Japanische Kampfhorspiele - Fruher War Auch Nicht Alles Gut Review

Japanische Kampfhorspiele - Fruher War Auch Nicht Alles Gut
Japanische Kampfhorspiele
Fruher War Auch Nicht Alles Gut
Bastardized Recordings
8/10



Bet you a dollar you can’t say it. Japanische Kampfhorspiele. Go ahead, try to say it. Now try to say the title of the record. Fruher War Auch Nicht Alles Gut. What in the Hell is that supposed to mean?

Back in the day, we listened to bands with cool names like Twisted Sister and Motley Crue. These days, kids are listening to bands called Japanische Kampfhorspiele. Seriously. What in the hell is that? These kids are listening to shit and they can’t even say the name of the band the right way. Does it get you any action to step over by the pop machine at school and say “Hey baby, let’s skip the next class and listen to some Japanische Kampfhorspiele?” Because that used to work with Motley Crue every time.

Metal kids used to don their leather vests and studded wristbands to play air guitar and bang their heads singing “Running With The Devil.” Judging from this collection of various recordings from 1998-2002, what kids are playing air guitar to these days would be tunes like “Sich Fur Technik Interssierende Grosse Jungs” and “Alle Wollen Gut Aussehen [Und Tun Es Nicht].” What the hell?

So, the bastards are at it again and this time around, they’ve thrown all of the old shit from Germanic grindpunk hipsters JaKa onto one neat little CD. 32 songs that will grind your face off faster than a rotating wire wheel. Consider this a history lesson of one of the more inventive batch of grind practitioners going. JaKa has always kept the punk spirit alive in their music and this is your chance to see where cool records like “Hardcore To End The First World” came from. Now try to say the title of the record.

By: moshninja

To This Day - Chapter 1: Between The Bridges

To This Day - Chapter 1: Between The Bridges

To This Day
Chapter 1: Between The Bridges
1981 Records
4/10
Official Website


Hardcore music can be so frustrating. Remember when Punk started out as being about non-conformity and individualism, only to fall victim to becoming the antithesis of its own intent? Hardcore bands are in exactly the same boat these days. Lots of bitching and posturing, you can mimic it even if you just picked up an instrument and the box in which you can operate musically is so small; a mosquito's ass is large by comparison.


The sticker on the CD says for fans of Hatebreed, Every Time I Die and Dead To Fall. What a shit crock, because this record sounds nothing like those bands. It's some of the hands-down, poorest name dropping imaginable. To This Day (that's an inspired name, you've got there, guys) pretty much imitates LCD modern hardcore with so little stylistic variation it’s flipping mind-numbing. Let's say this; it doesn't take a college education to beat the hell out of the E string, alright? Much of the time, Chapter 1: Between The Bridges sounds like a kid that's learning to play guitar is strumming along to the recording. It's that rudimentary. Monkis, the band's drummer has some talent and it rises to the top when the band’s elementary song structures allow, which ain't too freaking often.


So with Chapter 1: Between The Bridges, you can expect plenty of what hardcore is all about in this day and age, i.e. - the same old shit. Maybe those 90 lb. weaklings with uber-low self esteem need music like this to make them feel like they have a place to belong. Maybe they need to go and eat a big, thick, juicy steak as well.

By:Musclehead