100% accordance.

What life is all about.

(''What life is all about.'')

Don't fool yourself!

Midwest Live & Loud Weekend, 23./24./25. May 2014, Chicago, Illinois/U.S.A.

If you are into great Oi! music and living in the States in the Chicago area or can go there without any problems then you should make sure that by any means you will be there from the 23. to 25. of May in 2014 to attend this great happening, the "MIDWEST LIVE AND LOUD WEEKEND 2014" with already a big bunch of damn great and even more than this bands announced to enter the stage to tear the place down!!! I would love to go there, but honestly I don't think I will have the chance to do so, but if you are at least in this case a more luckier guy than me then just fucking go there. I mean the TEMPLARS, THE BROADSIDERS, OXBLOOD, FORCED REALITY, FEAR CITY, BRASSKNUCKLE BOYS, NOi!SE, FATSKINS, BRASS TACKS, PIST'N'BROKE, DOG COMPANY, and the BRASSKNUCKLE BOYS, just to name my favorites of all the great bands that are currently already announced, what could ya wish more for... Great billing, so make sure to be there!!! Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!

In remembrance of 09.11.2001...

Look at yourself before you judge others!

Tonight just a little picture, and then that's all for now. Found it, loved and still love it, wanted to post it, just a great and so damn true message. Especially all these arrogant fucks (for example of the ''political'' kind) in self-love who think they are true greatness formed to a walking human being should keep this words finally close and dear to their small blind minds and ill cold hearts... clean up your own messed up life before you only think about to just dare to judge upon others, and take some good close looks at yourself and ask yourself who gave you the right to see yourself better than others and what gives you the right to only think you are better than any other outta there and can judge them... take close looks at yourself and if you are honest at least to yourself at least finally one day then you surely won't find that much... Great message, so look at yourself before you judge others!!!

Record Reviews August 2013: "Reviewpackage" feat. ABRASIVE WHEELS, CRACKS & SCARS, HATEBREED, HEAVY EYES, PATRIOT, REVILERS, RUST, SHADE OF MANKIND, TERROR, THE GUV'NORS, TRIBÜNAL, VARIOUS ARTISTS, VIOLENT ARREST, WHITE FLAG DOWN

Hey folks, right at the moment which means at the third of August 2013 I started working on what is planned to be the package post of Record Reviews in and for August. Maybe the part one of all in all two or even more to come up posts of this kind this month after a pretty big load of records is up to be reviewed this month, but maybe also the solely Record Reviews post for this very month, we will see how I decide to handle it in the end. (After this post comes up at the last day of August you may have already came by yourself to the conclusion that I decided to put all record reviews in just one post which means this one here so don't think a second record reviews post of/for August 2013 will come up following this one today/tonight.) I've settled a few records together, again and of course, covering a wide distance of music from Oi! and Streetpunk (this time pretty present again, in contrast to the last time) over Punkrock to Hardcore and then onwards on to Crustcore and ending with totally apocalyptic and sinister Grindcore, from physical releases to MP3-Download/Online-Releases. And this time all the records are pretty new ones with basically all of them being from 2013 and some of them being released just very recently or are even so far unreleased and anyhow you will find a lot of stuff finally again here in the dephts of this very post. We will see if more records of which and what kind ever will add up to the list of and for this package post so far, and if maybe some Metal or something else totally different or totally obscure will be added up to it (and no, it wasn't added up), we will see. I can't tell it right now, but what I can surely tell is that after this post I will start to lay the final cuts on the posts of the first theme days finally to come up here first, before I will do anything else up here on and with this very blog again. Okay, anyway, I think for this time it is enough of the introducing small talk and so before we finally start with the record reviews I just wanted to say a very, very big "THANK YOU GUYS, YOU ARE GREAT!!!" to all the great people out there of bands and labels who send me their stuff in for reviewing it, and with this post I deliver what you asked me for, the reviews on your records, and maybe you can even also relate to and agree on what I think and write here and now about and to your releases (after the fact that only sending me something don't guarantees a good rating), but anyhow again THX to you guys!!! Okay, and now that's it, so here we go, let the games begin which means let the record reviews start:

ABRASIVE WHEELS - "SKUM"
("REBEL SOUND RECORDS" & "BLACKHOLE RECORDS"; LP)
(Buy it for example right over @ http://blackholerecs.com/)
(THANX very much to the "BLACKHOLE RECORDS" guys for suprisingly sending me this album in its complete promo MP3 version, very cool move by you, so THANX really a lot for it.):
Old Punk veterans ABRASIVE WHEELS finally make their return in 2013 with their more or less ''new'' and "SKUM" titled album, being released via "REBEL SOUND RECORDS" and "BLACKHOLE RECORDS" on LP. This album is their comeback album after something like 25 years of nothing and was released via "CRASHED OUT RECORDS" originally already in 2009 but just on CD and now in 2013 it is released on LP and this for the forst time ever on vinyl. It was released in July in this in different various colours coming vinyl edition, and if I understood it right and correct then also brandnew material by ABRASIVE WHEELS is something any fan can expect to come... and this means surely sooner than in 25 years... ;-) Okay, honestly ABRASIVE WHEELS had been pretty unknown to me before. I can remember that I once got an album of them from a good friend of mine and I used to listen to it back then for sure, but, hm, it was a different time back then, something like over an decade away now, to say it so, and I simply drank by far too many back then, haha, so I can't really recall any memory to my mind, haha... ;-) So let us say this is pretty much my first real time with them, with ABRASIVE WHEELS, so let us start it again: First of all, here we have a really great artwork. Then we get really good music. Punkrock, sometimes of the harder kind, sometimes enriched with big loads of glamy Rock & Roll and Hard Rock with some slightly Heavy Metal-esque flirtings in it, and also pretty often with good healthy doses of Oi! Oi! Oi! music in it all. Sounds like a pretty good mixture, right? It does. Right! It's all done very hymnal composed, especially the mid paced rockin' and rollin' Hard Rock inspired songs like for example the mighty "SOLDIERS PRAYER" shows it perfectly, with big and catchy refrains that cheerfully invite you to sing a long to and with them being the centre point of the songs in most cases, with very melodic yet still pretty powerful sung catchy styled charismatic lead vocals, very strong and really cool guitar work lines, and especially the leads and solos really shine out in most of the cases, and with a very precise and tight to the point played strong and hard rocking rhythm section consisting out of bass and drums, not to foget the full throttle back up chantings, and very cool suprises we get also pretty often like for example the Offbeat SKA licks and Oi! chants in the heavy cracking straight and fast forward Oi!/Streetpunk slasher "JONNY LAW". It's all done in a well-versed and skilled way, the arrangements of the songs are mostly fresh but at least always good and better, the pace of the songs is changed clever, from song to song as well as in the single running songs, the songwriting is strong and done pretty grapping. Skilled musicians and songwriters are surely here at work, and that's always good. It's all done very catchy and melodic as well as pretty strong rocking and rolling in the most cases of the here given songs, so if that's how you like your Punkrock than you will surely celebrate this album heavily, and this then also surely for good reasons. I would like it even more if they would have added more heavyness and a stronger pissed off attitude here and there, but that's just a matter of my personal taste and don't takes away anything of the quality of "SKUM" in whole. It reminds me somehow of the "PUNK JUNKIES" album of G.B.H., but more ''softer'' (not meant negative here and now) and by far more catchy and melodic and sing a long orientated than this very album, but maybe you can say that you can find ABARSIVE WHEELS somewhere between G.B.H. (especially to or in that "PUNK JUNKIES" era) and OXYMORON, maybe, but that's not working out really because they surely do their very own thing here, but take it just as a loose starting point in case you don't know them already by now. We get at all twelve songs in around fortythree minutes, and strong lyrics, a great production sound and the already mentioned totally thumbs up artwork. All in all I can only recommend this to any Punkrocker and Punkrock fan outta there. So go and test it, or better: Go and get it, period. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!
(8 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/#!/abrasivewheelsofficial?fref=ts)
(https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Abrasive-wheels/92224010051?fref=ts)
(https://www.facebook.com/blackholerecs)

HATEBREED - "THE DIVINITY OF PURPOSE"
("NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS"; CD)
(Released in 2013, my copy is a copy of the limited version that features one bonus track and comes in a damn great designed digi artwork package.)
(Go and shop it for example right and direct  here: http://www.nuclearblast.de/de/, just click yourself through to the mailorder/catalouge section of the site, but you should be able to buy it more or less anywhere.):
Fuck it, yesss, finally I have it, the new HATEBREED album titled "THE DIVINITY OF PURPOSE" and released via "NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS", and it seems that this very label sneeks more and more out of the strictly to Metal limited and also into the more and more open for Hardcore department with signing great acts like AGNOSTIC FRONT and now also HATEBREED, just to name this two pretty much most prominent ones. And don't forget that SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and also PRO-PAIN once were signed to the band roster of "NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS". Anyhow, back to the topic, the new HATEBREED album "THE DIVINITY OF PURPOSE". Okay, HATEBREED and me, myself, and I... that wasn't a love right from the start. Their first releases had been okay stuff but nothing I could really celebrate enthusiastically, their early stuff had been from my point of view a nice but anything but good or necessary EARTH CRISIS rip off (I'm talking about their "SATISFACTION IS THE DEATH OF DESIRE" album, for example) and when then the big and bigger and still bigger becoming hype used to set in and start I simply couldn't understand it by any means (I'm talking about their "PERSERVERANCE" album), and it took all the years untill finally "THE RISE OF BRUTALITY" was released when they started to conquer also me. And now today in 2013 with many years down the road they release with "THE DIVINITY OF PURPOSE" their in my book so far clearly damn fucking best album to date and conquer me in a totally overwhelming and supreme way and also they release with it one of the very, very best albums for 2013 for sure as well, so expect this to be found way up high in my this years top ten album list by the end of this year up here on this very blog. This is totally hymnal and anthemic to the core everything down crushing metallic and brutal forward milling and squalling bulldozer Hardcore filled with truck loads of ultra heavy and devastating brutal guitar riffs and great anthemic melodic guitar leads as well as embossing solos, backed up by bulky and beefy massive bass and cracking drum work, enriched by loud and broad and fat gang shouts, and crowned by one of the most charismatic lead singing voices in todays and yesterdays and probabaly as well as hopefully also tomorrows Hardcore and Metal scenery. Greatly skilled musicians that are even better songwriters deliver the songs in a shining way full of intensity and energy and dynamics, filled with grapping arrangements, full throttle moshing and down beating grooves, great diverse pace and rhythm work, and all done heavily sing a long compatible and incredible hymnal and anthemic with the larger than life refrains being clearly a big center point of the songs what gives them their incredible hymnal character. We get also amazing upbuilding and personal lyrics, a truly shining great artwork, and one of the most heavy and harsh bombing production sounds heard so far this year. My personal favorites are without a doubt "HONOR NEVER DIES", "BEFORE THE FIGHT ENDS YOU", "INDIVISIBLE", "DEAD MAN BREATHING", "THE DIVINITY OF PURPOSE" and "BOUNDLESS (TIME TO MUDER IT)", but don't expect the other not mentioned songs to be anything but awesome. Nothing left to say but GET IT and thanks for this album to the HATEBREED guys. Outstanding!!! HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!
(10 of 10 points)
(PS: After HATEBREED pretty much cultivated a style of their very own over all the years and became with this certain style a big role model for legions of countless other bands today outta there I will spare me any words about comparing them with this and with that band(s), because this would just be a stupid and ridiculous farce without any sensemaking weight.)
(https://www.facebook.com/hatebreed?fref=ts)
(https://www.facebook.com/#!/nuclearblasteurope?fref=ts)
(https://www.facebook.com/#!/nuclearblastusa?fref=ts)

HEAVY EYES - "CHAINS OF LOVE"
("D.I.Y."; MP3-Download-/Online-Release)
(Download it over for a name your price deal @ http://heavyeyeshc.bandcamp.com/):
Here's a to me totally new Hardcore band from Hungary straight out from the cold hard concrete of the streets of Budapest. A band that I got aware of one more time due to the great work of the cool guys behind the amazing "HARDBOILED WEBZINE" site (http://www.hardboiledzine.com/ - you can also find a for free download link of this demo on the site, just click here to go there: http://www.hardboiledzine.com/2013/06/demo-daze-heavy-eyes-iron-chains.html, I don't know but I pretty much think that this is a somehow by the band authorized DL link, but don't know it anyhow for sure, I'm just guessing here and now...), thanx one more time again folks for all the bands that I have discovered due to you and your inspirational work. HEAVY EYES are pretty much one of the if not even the first ever Hardcore bands from Hungary that I ever got aware of. And what shall I say, it's a good release, this for all what I know D.I.Y. way done demo release titled "CHAINS OF LOVE", released for all what I know as a MP3-Download release online but I am pretty sure that it should be also released in a physical format, which one ever this may be. The "CHAINS OF LOVE" demo gives us four songs in about twelve minutes. And this four songs in twelve minutes are pretty heavy and very groovy Hardcore with some especially rhythmic Rap/Hip Hop influences thrown into the mix, and a lot of stunning and crushing, grooving and cracking guitar riffing, a tight in time and to the point played rhythm section, some fat crew back ups, and... yes, and really terrible lead vocals. Not only that English isn't really the favorite language of the lead singer, so it seems, but also simply the quality of the lead singing really needs to be improved a lot, from power to style to delivery of the singing/the vocals. I hope they fix this in the future, because the lead singing really spoils some also bigger portions of this release. Okay, anyhow, we also get nice grooves and cool somehow pretty much old schoolish mosh parts and fast raging up tempo assaults as well, some nice suprises like the LIFE OF AGONY inspired refrain of the title track "CHAINS OF LOVE" are also content of the mix that HEAVY EYES deliver. To the lyrics I can't say really anything with worth and so I better spare me every word more about it, but the production sound is really heavy and hard, thumbs up, and the (cover-) artwork totally rules. So, okay, please do everything that your lead singer takes care of improving his skills and delivery, and beside this just work on focussed on what you do and already did, then the next time it will get even better and maybe turn out to be a real bombing hitter. So we have here a good record that I would say every fan of bands like ONESTA and stuff like this should check out promptly. HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!
(7 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/heavyeyeshc)

MADDOG SURRENDER - "MADDOG SURRENDER"
("SKINFLINT MUSIC" & "MFS PRODUCTIONS"; CD/LP)
(Buy it for example straight over @ http://shop.skinflintmusic.com/)
(Many "THANX!!!" to "SKINFLINT MUSIC" for sending me the complete promo MP3-Version of this by me long awaited new masterpiece by the (al-) mighty MADDOG SURRENDER, fucking great of you, so again: "THANX!!!" a lot.):
Fuck it, hell yeahrrr, MADDOG SURRENDER are finally really back for more and this they underline with the release of a new full length album that will be put out in a cooperation way between "SKINFLINT MUSIC" and "MFS PRODUCTIONS" and I think this pretty soon from now on by the end of August or the beginning of September, if I now recall it right and correct. I don't know for sure which release format will be choosen, CD and LP or both are well possible. So keep your eyes open and check for example the link above to go direct to the shop of "SKINFLINT MUSIC" and buy it direct there from the original source. So okay, after this straight into that record we're talking about - the new self-titled MADDOG SURRENDER album -respectively the review on it by me. After something like five years of waiting for a new sign of live by/of MADDOG SURRENDER they give us ten brandnew own songs in around twenty-nine minutes total running time. And you can expect them to stay true to their style, sound, and attitude, but that they have also developed and enriched their style and sound with new and fresh ideas. They play a mostly mid paced and always heavy and brutal stomping American Oi! with some nice clear British Oi! influences in it and they got rid of basically all the Streetpunk flirtings of the past (but that had been anyhow only very few ones and also ones of the good and not of the bad and sucking kind and way), and they became even more heavier and harder than before... and also even better than before. Hard hitting and harsh delivered heavy and brutal, yet nicely catchy and melodic guitar work, great shining and nicely diverse brutal and intense lead vocals, good portions of loud shouted gang back ups, a heavy crunshing and rumbling sawing bass playing and forceful and tight stomping drums are the ingredients that surely make the music of MADDOG SURRENDER, boncracking heavy mostly mid paced songs that anyhow still offer enough variations and even more intensity lead the way, and a lot of great hymnal sing a long and anthemic guitar leads with here and there some swedish marks as well as overall high quality arrangements  really let it all shine bright in a rusty and dirty street raised way. The guys behind MADDOG SURRENDER are around in this band for many years since 1999 now (even surely there had been changes of some of the bandmembers here and there anyway and also even surely they improved definitely over all the years) and so they know how to play their instruments and to write songs and both in a very skilled way. So if you love (American/U.S.) Oi! music somewhere between THE WRETCHED ONES and THE 86'ED on the one side and THE 4 SKINS and CONDEMNED 84 on the other side and then take this imagination and add some few Sverige Oi! impressions to it and one hell of a truckload of an very own identity and character, yes, and if you then like the imagination and the impressions that you get from out of this then you should surely wait for this album and buy it like basically every Oi! fan outta there should do because otherwise you would miss one of the best shots of 2013 for sure, period. This album will pretty sure make it into my top ten list for 2013, point and fact. Ah, and on top of it we also get nicely diverse rough lyrics, a dirty and earthy yet pretty heavy and just great production sound, and a great (cover-) artwork (yes, I love English Bulldogs), so you see, this is the complete package. Highly recommended and so just get it as soon as it will be released, and this is a damn fucking order, no discussions. Cheers & Oi!Oi! Oi!
(10 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/maddogsurrender?fref=ts)
(https://www.facebook.com/#!/SkinflintMusic?fref=ts)

PATRIOT - "THE SPIRIT OF REBELLION"
("RANDALE RECORDS"; CD)
(Released already last year in 2012, the long awaited comeback of this roughnecked American Oi! veterans; released also on LP as well as on CD.)
(Buy it for example over @ http://www.randale-records.de/news/news.php; just go to the shop area of the site.):
Hell yeahrrr, they are really back, the almighty PATRIOT, damn it, finally, they are really and truly back, great!!! I waited for this for a long, long while. Honestly, for many years I would have never expected this album, a new PATRIOT album, to ever come to the light of day, and then it was finally announced some years ago... and then bad luck striked and music and all this stuff became very unimportant (to say it with this maybe not all so perfect fitting word) for Eddie Bastard, singer and frontman and (if I am now not going into the totally wrong direction) last founding member of PATRIOT, and so again some years came and passed (by) without anything ever happen. But then, in 2012, finally PATRIOT did it and released their new album titled "THE SPIRIT OF REBELLION" via the german record label "RANDALE RECORDS", damn it, finally, yessssss!!! I got aware of it at the very end of 2012 and was all about: "I need to have this!!!" But then due to many reasons, mostly monetary ones, it took again a half year and finally my beloved girfriend made it to a present from her to me at my birthday this June, hell yeahrrr, and since then it is on heavy rotation without end. Oh, how I love it that PATRIOT are really finally back!!! One of my all time absolute favorite bands ever!!! (And I am talking not only about Oi! or Punkrock music, point and fact.) I was totally curious about and because of this album, and not at least because of the very long time of a decade or so between the precusror album "WE, THE PEOPLE" and this very new one "THE SPIRIT OF REBELLION". I was also thinking a little bit something like: "Did they keep the standard of them?!?" and stuff'n'things like this, and I was also curious how they would develop their style this time again, like they did developed their style from album to album on and on always a little bit also in the past, developed and pretty much improved and advanced. And you know what, both questions I can easily and calmly answer with "Yes, they did!" and this for all in all at least all the new thirteen song reasons we get here delivered from them. And so, like you all my already have guessed, we get thirteen songs, twelve brandnew and one back in 2010 new recorded version of their all time classic "AMERICAN CREW" (this time titled "AMERICAN CREW 2010" as its the 2010 version of this song), at all and this in around thirtyseven minutes at all, and this album was released on LP as well as on CD, and I have and review the CD version. And like I already wrote, they developed again quite a bit, and also they advanced and improved their sound and style, all with keeping their way up far high standard of the quality of their music. First of all it's clear to say that they raised up the pace of the songs and that they moved quite a bit away from their old mid paced American Oi! style, and also they became quite a bit more aggro and serious than before, so that hard partying sing a long drinking songs aren't really to be found in that form here on "THE SPIRIT OF REBELLION". But PATRIOT, even Eddie Bastard is the only remaining original and founding member, are too clever to create a just monolithic angry and pissed off album, and so they change quite well between different paces, rhythm arrangements, and also moods of the songs, so that they keep it all really damn fresh and grapping and with some cool suprises like for example the SKA Offbeat guitar licking and rhythm arrangement during the verses of "HATE CITY (A BABYLON MY OWN)" or the great bass lead line you can find in "LOCKDOWN" they keep it not only fresh and  make it also not only grapping, but create also damn interesting songs and with this a damn interesting album that demands for many good reasons your attention and time to be gladly discovered in its whole beauty and quality. The songwriting is, like you may can think already by yourself, damn great and even more than this, and the musicians are all very skilled and that Eddie Bastard owns one of the most charismatic voices in Oi!/Streetpunk/Punkrock/etc. pp. as a lead singer should be known anyhow. The album is beside Eddie Bastards voice dominated by the great diverse and tight, precise and to the point played guitars, that offer great forceful and pushing riffs and great rhythms, as well as totally high class and thumbs up leads, melody lines and solos, as well as it is dominated by the great and very present, really shining bass playing. Full throttle back up chants, and also powerful and fast and always totally precise drumming then round it all up and make this album complete; and this means also that they make it to the complete package. Ah, and by the way, ''at least'' damn great changing between pissed off fast paced raging up tempo tracks, angry mid paced heavy stompers, and great melodic and catchy sing a long Oi! anthems and hymns we get non stopp here on this very one from PATRIOT. My personal favorites are the totally sing a long hymn "SEE YOU IN HELL", the great arranged "HATE CITY (A BABYLON MY OWN)", the great nicely by the shining bass dominated "LOCKDOWN", the smasher "TEARS OF THE DAMNED", the angry and pissed off title track "THE SPIRIT OF REBELLION", the melodic and just hymnal "A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH" and it's also the most happy partying song to dance hard and happy to on here, the heavy mid paced cracking stomper "EVIL EYE", and also their new recorded old classic "AMERICAN CREW 2010", but also the not mentioned songs really shine and are pure platinum and purest gold songs. To this all we get very strong lyrics, covering a wide disatnce of topics from songs and lyrics dealing with personal issues to critical and then openly political songs, and also some way of life words are to be heard on this one. And all on that typical high standard that the lyrics of Eddie Bastard and PATRIOT had more or less always been.  Also a very cool artwork we get (beside the cover art, but maybe it's just me not liking it...), and a great dirty, yet heavy production sound. This album is a must have and so just go and get it as soon as possible in case that you still don't have it. Finest Oi! Oi! Oi! music from the U.S.A. that will make you go nuts in your boots. If I would have it got already in 2012 it would have surely climbed way up high in my top ten album list cracking at least into the top five for sure. Great to have you back PATRIOT and hopefully more will come in the future. Awesome!!! Get it!!! Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!
(PS: That PATRIOT play a style of their own should be clear, so sorry for the fact that no band names to compare them were given by me, this is just greatest and finest American Oi!, hell yeahrrr!!!)
(10 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/patriotoi?fref=ts)
(https://www.facebook.com/pages/RandaleshopRandale-Records/213545295368031?fref=ts)

PLAN OF ATTACK - "BRISBANE Oi!"
("LONGSHOT MUSIC", "REBEL SOUND", "PUG MUSIC", "PIRATES PRESS" & "BLACKHOLE RECORDS"; 7'')
(Buy it for example over @ http://blackholerecs.com/)
(THANX very, very much you cool guys @ "BLACKHOLE RECORDS" for sending me this album via E-Mail as the complete promotional MP3-Release, yes, that's really great of you, so once again just THX very much for doing this.):
Australia Oi! is fucking back!!! Not only are R*U*S*T back and this even better than before, but also the mighty PLAN OF ATTACK are finally back with a new little album and this is this very one here, the "BRISBANE Oi!" titled new 7'' vinyl single of the boys, released as a corporation affair between the above mentioned labels. ("BLACKHOLE RECORDS" aren't listed on the backcover, but after they send me this little album I would say that they have also acted their part in releasing this one, because why they should send it to me if not, I mean... you see where I'm going.) So, okay, what to expect from the new PLAN OF ATTACK vinyl single 7'' album: Three songs, titled "STICK TO YOUR GUNS" on side a and "USED TO BE WANNA BE" and "ALL THE LESSONS" on side b, in around seven minutes of harsh and brutal Australia Brickwall Oi! of the heaviest and damn forceful kind. They play it rough and tough and pissed off as fuck, damn heavy and powerful smashing into your face, honest and authentic brutal crushing and forceful stomping, all packed into nice grapping songwriting with tons of power, force, energy, and 100% honest and real attitude as well as nice fresh ideas (like the somehow Country-esque slide guitar styled guitar lead of "ALL THE LESSONS"), all done incredible massive and bulky, heavy and beefy by skilled musicians that deliver it in a on all levels just great and if not even more than this way. The "BRISBANE Oi!" by or of PLAN OF ATTACK is build with grumpy heavy and hard throaty sung powerful lead vocals that are backed up by massive loud and proud crew shout back ups, and incredible tight and heavy, dry and dirty, rough and tough as nails and fresh kept guitar work, and a stunning and shredding precise to the point played rhythm section. It's all garnished with a nice natural groove work and the sing a long potential is incredible high, the refrains are larger than life and the whole arrangements of the songs are pure gold, and the charismatic delivery of the lead singer really shines out bright. Ah, and don't make no mistakes, this is no Streetpunk and no Streetrock Oi! Rock thing like many of their australian short cropped mates have going on (like THE CORPS, THUG, and R*U*S*T for example), this is also in no way anyhow some Hardcore thing, no, this is thru and thru pure Oi! Oi! Oi! music and this of the best kind. Comparable to their australian mates of BULLDOG SPIRIT but without the Hardcore in it, and all in all and even more PLAN OF ATTACK have all what it takes to be the australian answer to the mighty RAZORBLADE, and you know what, they are at least as mighty as they are and they do it all their very own style and way, and for this up with the thumbs and this very high in the air. We get also cool battle scarred way of life lyrics, a great production sound, and a cool first class artwork (yes, I simply love brass knuckle art, yeahrrr), so this is really the complete package. Any Oi! fans outta there should really grab one of this babies because if not than they surely could easily miss one of the best releases of 2013, point and fact. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!
(10 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/pages/Plan-of-attack-Brisbane-Oi/219741224717207)
(https://www.facebook.com/blackholerecs)

R*U*S*T- "ROUGH, READY & RAZORED"
("LONGSHOT MUSIC", "REBEL SOUND", "PUG MUSIC", "PIRATES PRESS" & "BLACKHOLE RECORDS"; 7'')
(Buy it for example over @ http://blackholerecs.com/)
(THANX very much all you guys in "BLACKHOLE RECORDS" for sending this album as an MP3-Release to me, fucking cool and even more great of you, so THX very much again):
After I've taken notice again of the Australian Oi! machine of the name of R*U*S*T after listened to the "MESS WITH THE BEST... DIE LIKE THE REST" four way split (the review on it is part of this very post here as well, so just read on) I have to say that it's just great that I also received their new 7'' via E-Mail by "BLACKHOLE RECORDS" (the label isn't listed for what reasons ever on the backcover but after they send me this album I would say that they have also participated in releasing it) because I am really gotten damn hungry for more of that R*U*S*T stuff to come, hell yeahr, and here it already is, next new R*U*S*T material, oh hell yeahrrr, that's just great. If all in life would work out like this... ;-) So, okay, R*U*S*T seem to be definitely back with two brandnew releases, the mentioned four way split and this single, both on vinyl, and what we get here underlines it even more that they are definitely back on the attack again. Four brandnew songs R*U*S*T give us on this vinyl disc, namely "THE CURSE OF ROCK & ROLL" and "A SHADOW ON THE PIER" on side a as well as "SHE'S GOT SOMETHING TO SELL" and "BOOTS & BUCKLES" on side b, and all four songs are true killers. Their by dirty Hard Rock and noizy heavy Rock & Roll influenced Oi! Streetrock they surely play also today on this one, but how they do it, just fucking damn great, period. Today on this album they play it even more tight and heavy than before, and even more Rock & Roll and Hard Rock and, of course, (Heavy) Metal than before, just listen to the heavy bombers also filled with double pedal drumming of the titles "THE CURSE OF ROCK & ROLL" and "SHE'S GOT SOMETHING TO SELL" and you will know what I mean. Combine MOTÖRHEAD, ROSE TATTOO, AC/DC, and a little bit of AIRBOURNE on the one side, and THE BROADSIDERS, THUG, THE BRIDGEBURNERS, and maybe some THE TRADITIONALS and THE ANTI-HEROS on the other side, mix it all through, and then add especially heavy doses of THE CORPS and also of MURDERER'S ROW to it, don't forget to add a srong own characteristic identity, yes, and then you should have a pretty good idea of what R*U*S*T are giving to us here. And they deliver it in a damn great way, intense and grapping, amazing songwriting and highly skilled musicians that know what they have to do and what they do and how they have to do it, and they do it great, if not even more than this, and the delivery is done by heavy and strong rocking nicely diverse and pretty brutal guitar work, snotty yet heavy and pissed off grumpy Rock & Roll styled lead vocals, rumbling pounding drums and a stunning bass work. And, like already said, it all they do damn great skilled, thumbs up. On top of it we get a bunch of cool streetcharmed Rock & Roll lyrics, a dirty yet heavy perfect to the music fitting production sound, and a first class and very cool artwork. I don't know what to say more, maybe just that especially fans of bands like THE CORPS, THUG, THE BROADSIDERS, THE BRIDGEBURNERS, and MUDERER'S ROW really have to test R*U*S*T out promptly, as well as fans of MOTÖRHEAD and ROSE TATTOO that are at least only a very little bit open minded will surely find something to rock the fuck out to here with R*U*S*T and their new little vinyl baby, ah, and of course I can also say that I can only highly and calmly recommend this great little album to you out there. Great stuff!!! If they keep this high quality up over the distance of a complete long player we can and should prepare ourselves for one hell of an outstanding album to come for us, definitely, period. I would just love to see and especially hear them going even more into that Hard Rock/Heavy Metal department the way they do it already, because they do it fucking great and it suits them perfectly and from my point of view it would be even more consequent and even better, but that's just my personal perception and nothing that important anyhow. Now just get this single and fucking enjoy it, because it definitely is a damn fucking great release. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!
(9 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/rustpunk)
(https://www.facebook.com/blackholerecs)

SHADE OF MANKIND - "NO MORE HEROES" & "NATURA HUMANA ABRAXAS (FIRST MOVEMENT)"
("D.I.Y."; MP3-Donwload-Online-Releases)
Download "NO MORE HEROES" over @ http://shadeofmankind.bandcamp.com/album/no-more-heroes-mobs-cover and download "NATURA HUMANA ABRAXAS (FIRST MOVEMENT)" over @ http://shadeofmankind.bandcamp.com/track/natura-humana-abraxas-first-movement):
SHADE OF MANKIND from Brazil are back again. While they are still in the recording process of their full length debut album "VVE ARE THE PLAGUE" they give us two new songs as free downloads with the aim to heaten us up even more for their full length debut album to be finally released (as if this up-heating would be necessary in any way...), and hopefully this will be still in 2013 and if I could wish it for me then better sooner than later. This here are two single songs, the MOBS cover "NO MORE HEROES" which is so far unrelased and their own new one "NATURA HUMANA ABRAXAS (FIRST MOVEMENT)" that was so far released  on a to me totally unknown and obscure underground compilation with the title "UNDERGROUND AS PAMPAS VOL. II", and so there are also two single download codes, each one to each song. The only thing that confuses me is the fact that the two tracks, that had been released already in May and in April 2013 (but I just got aware of them recently), had been recorded and all done by Roderick Hellion respectively Roderick Deimos (how he calls himself today) himself in a solo way, but I always thought that SHADE OF MANKIND had become a proper band these days with playing live shows and all this stuff... who knows... at least not me... So, okay, back to what I know: First comes now "NO MORE HEROES", the MOBS cover, done in the way of SHADE OF MANKIND. The original one is unknown to me, band and song, but if I got it right then it's some Japanese Hardcore that is now transformed into Brazilian Audio Violence (that's how SHADE OF MANKIND name their very style by themselves these days and this for good reasons so that it is surely a very good description of what they are delivering and doing). Straight forward pushing and storming incredible hard and heavy programmed drums are the backbone of this up tempo paced fast and straight forward devastating mercyless Hardcore slasher, the bass is rumbling in a evil mood in the back while the crushing brutal sawing and shredding guitars drive it all forward without taking any prisoners. The vocals are heavily distorted throaty and guttural grunts and screamed shoutings done in or with a pretty spoken word styled approach to it, a little bit weird and at first you have to become familiar with it, definitely, but then it totally sticks to your head and surely convinces you. This is straight and fast forward up tempo mercyless and no prisoners taking heavy and brutal Hardcore done by SHADE OF MANKIND and I really like what I can hear here. I can't compare it to/with the original of this very song, but what I hear here I really like. To the lyrics I can't say anything, but the recording sound conquers and the little cover that comes in the download with the song totally rocks. I can only recommend it to you, if you are into extreme musick, so go and get it.
(8 of 10 points)
Then here and now comes the second new song that they have released on their Bandcamp site, "NATURA HUMANA ABRAXAS (FIRST MOVEMENT)", brought to us after a short intense intro speech taken from an japanese election speech (on Bandcamp they give us a translation into english) and then it crushes forward. This is easily and surely one of the best songs of or by SHADE OF MANKIND so far, at least in my book. Heavy and especially brutal and aggressive noisy and dirty Hardcore with some slight and few Crust and Grind impressions in it and a Holy Terror backbone delivered by great charismatic brutal screamed shouted lead vocals, totally crushing and crispy guitars, pissed off roaring bass, and high energy heavy hitting powerful drumming or drum programming. This song is pure force and sheer intensity. Don't know what I should now write more after the song runs in shortly under two minutes, but any fan of brutal and no prisoners taking dark and sinister Hardcore with a apocalyptic Holy Terror backbground and some (very) few Crust and Grind influences really needs to know this one and will surely enjoy it as much as I do, definitely. So this is highly recommended and I can only say get it and go rampage on it. Very good lyrics in a anarchistic spirit (no, I don't mean that bullshit stale Anarchy ideology of certain circles out there, I mean the idea of an enlighted and self-contained life in freedom behind it all, not that stale and dumb perversion that the named ideology made out of it once), a great crushing recording sound, and a very cool coverart to it we get as well. Nothing left to say, this is a damn great song you really should have to know if you are into the described musick, period.
(9 of 10 points)
(http://shadeofmankind.bandcamp.com/ - check it for more releases of the band)
(https://www.facebook.com/shadeofmankind -  get in contact with Roderick Deimos and SHADE OF MANKIND)

TERROR - "LIVE BY THE CODE"
("CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS"; CD)
(Released in 2013, this is the brandnew album by this living Hardcore legends from Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.)
(Buy it just for example over @ http://www.centurymedia.com/; just visit the store section of the site, but you should get it anyhow pretty much anywhere.):
This is an amazing album, the new TERROR album titled "LIVE BY THE CODE". I loved (and still love) this band since I first listened to their "LOWEST OF THE LOW" debut release many years now ago and my love of or for or to them never ever faded away over the years, instead of this it used to grow on and on and on over the years, due to the incredible high quality of the releases of the band. And now it pretty much reached a sort of its climax for so long, with the new album "LIVE BY THE CODE". Heard of its very release date and with a happy go lucky handicapped smile on my lips I went totally precise in date and time to the record dealer of my trust and bought it promptly. Jumped in my car to drive back home, put the disc in my carstereo, pumped up the volume, and full throttle and pumped up to the max I drove back home. And right from this moment on which means right from the start TERROR conquered me in a totalitarian way with their new born child of the name "LIVE BY THE CODE". I loved TERROR right from the start when they took Old School Hardcore (from my point of view always clearly influenced from NYHC and Boston HC in the case of TERROR) and simply muscled and tightened it up and added something like a hard to describe X-Factor of their very own to it and made it fresh and so turned it into their very own New Old School Hardcore L.A. Style. When back then they also started to add fresh made and then fresh kept good old Bay Area Thrash Metal influences to it to make it all even more shine I enthusiastically cheered up to this, and so I did too when they added great and strong more present melody lines to their music, sound and style, and so from "LOWEST OF THE LOW" and "ONE WITH THE UNDERDOGS" over "ALWAYS THE HARD WAY" to "THE DAMNED, THE SHAMED" and from their on over "KEEPERS OF THE FAITH" to now "LIVE BY THE CODE" they always knew to come up with fresh and grapping new material, and today maybe even more than ever before. This is just amazing Hardcore of the finest and highest quality, full of intensity and energy non stopp, filled with grapping and clever songwriting, fresh rhythm arrangements, and just great and you with them taking changes of the pace and rhythmic arrangements, no matter if you look at each song as a single one or if you take a look on the album as a whole ''concept''. We get again a advanced and improved album by them, don't ask my how they did get it done, with adding fresh stuff in healthy portions to their formula, and this means this time a more hymnal approach than they did before as well as it means that they stick to their style and keep it true and that they also keep up the damn high quality and even improve it. This is Hardcore by any means and pretty sure a phenomenal definition and an impressive statement of what Hardcore can be today in 2013. Metallic, rough, brutal, aggressive, devastating, moshing, and tough as nails, as well as hymnal and anthemic and with this catchy and pretty melodic in its very own way at the same time, filled with blasting all out attack going diverse, intense, and skilled guitar work, a clearly every opposition atomizing perfect and tight brutal and heavy rhythm section, loud and fat broad crew back up gang shouts, and above all and it all crowning this totally harsh and charismatic lead vokillz, and all wrapped up together by great songwriting. My total personal favorites are without a single doubt "I'M ONLY STRONGER" (total killer anthem), "INVASION", "LIVE BY THE CODE", "THE MOST HIGH", "COLD TRUTH", "HARD LESSONS", and "THE GOOD DIE YOUNG". Total killer tracks. But make here no mistake, because the not mentioned tracks are also total smashers, definitely. To compare TERROR with any other bands would be total non sense, because they should be known today pretty well and also because they became a role model for countless other bands out there today, and so I spare me every word about any other bands to compare them with. We get also totally great lyrics, a sheer brilliant artwork with a clear positive message carried on its pages, and also a bombing fat production sound. So, what shall I say here and now more, this album is clearly one of the very best albums of and for 2013 and so by any means just get your hands on a copy of it. Amazing!!! HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!
(10 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/#!/terrorhardcore?fref=ts)
(https://www.facebook.com/#!/centurymedia?fref=ts)

TRIBÜNAL - "F.T.W."
("D.I.Y."; MP3-Download/Onlinerelease & 3'' CD-R)
(Download it for free and/or buy it in its 3'' CD-R physical format over @ http://tribunal-dtakt.bandcamp.com/album/ftw)
(THANX very much to TRIBÜNAL for sending it me via E-Mail for free and to catch with this my attention, a nice and cool move by you, so again: THANX very much for it.):
Now comes something sinister and brutal, something damn heavy and incredible doomy, "F.T.W." styled devastating dark D-Beat Crustcore by TRIBÜNAL, a for all what I understood (I hope it's a correct understanding) a one man band that started finally back then in April 2013 after several times of thinking about doing so. And it's good that it finally came to happen. TRIBÜNAL is meat free, god free, and drug free, so let us say it's vegan, straight edge, and atheistic, and it's also self proclaimed primitive and raw. All good and fine, if you ask me, but just add brutal and heavy, hard and aggressive, sinister and devastating, rough and tough to it, yes, and the picture will get even more clear, precise and better. And you shouldn't forget about the very high level of intensity that TRIBÜNAL do offer to us the listeners with this very one here. Heavy distorted harsh sawing and brutal shredding sinister guitar work, raw and noisy, aggressive and dirty, backed up by massive and stunning raging rhythm section going without mercy and without regrets to work, and brutal and pissed off yet somewhat suffering sounding pretty charismatic throaty shouted lead vocals, and all songs done in a mostly uncompromising pretty fast paced way of a heavy raging D-Beat Crust assault. And from my point of view there's also a slight Old School Death Metal influence to be noticed, but with the Crustcore and D-Beat taking clearly the lead. This is a raw and primitive, heavy and dark, brutal and noisy bastard out of DISGUST, EXTREME NOISE TERROR, and HELLHAMMER and POSSESSED and it will really please your gusto if you are into that kind of raw, evil, and heavy stuff. TRIBÜNAL are already a really damn good band with a nice pretty strong own character already, and a no prisoners taking approach as well as an straight and direct attitude of that kind. To the lyrics I can't say anything, but they seem to be very pissed off and straight to the point/face outspoken. The raw and thundering recording sound of this "F.T.W." titled demo is pure gold, and the (cover-) artwork is just a cool shot. I can only recommend this release to any fan of dark, heavy, apocalyptic, and brutal music, and I am really looking forward for more of TRIBÜNAL to come and this hopefully pretty soon.
(8 of 10 points)
(http://tribunal-dtakt.bandcamp.com/)

V.A. - R*U*S*T, THE GUV'NORS, REVILERS, CRACKS & SCARS - "MESS WITH THE BEST... DIE LIKE THE REST" 4 - WAY SPLIT RELEASE
("BLACKHOLE RECORDS" & "PUG MUSIC" & "AGGROBEAT"; Double 7'')
(Buy it for example over @ http://blackholerecs.com/)
(A extra big "THANX!!!" goes out the cool guys in and of "BLACKHOLE RECORDS" who used to send me this album here as a complete promotional MP3 album, really great of you, so again "THANX!!!" hell a lot for doing so guys.):
Oi! Oi! Oi! Streetrock & Roll is the order of the fucking day right now right here!!! Oi! from Australia, from Denmark, the U.S.A. and fucking Germoney of course. This is an all out Oi! attack and to say and get this straight right from the start I fucking love this little gem of an album, point and fact. It will make it maybe or propably into my this year's top ten list because it runs and runs on heavy rotation through my speakers since I received it quite some time ago. It's a 4 way split release featuring the australian Oi! Streetrock & Roll roughnecks in R*U*S*T, the danish dynamite Oi! Punk'n'Rockers of THE GUV'NORS, the amazing U.S. American Oi! silverbacks in the REVILERS, and the silverbacked german Oi! newcomers of CRACKS & SCARS. This will be released or is already released as a double 7'' vinyl release (surely in a limited way and in various different forms, but don't ask me more about it here and now). It all is kicked off by Australia's finest of R*U*S*T. I did a review of their earlier release back then in 2011 and it is the last release of them that I know of. (Here you can find the mentioned review of mine on their "LEAN MEAN STREET MACHINE" album: http://manslaughterthuglife.blogspot.de/2011/02/oi-oi-aussie-rock-roll.html. And for sure to this four way split double 7'' release they released these days also a new 7'' of their own and my review on it is also part of this review pacakge and you may have already read it.) And they surely convinced me back then and so they do it also today. And also a bit more than they already did so back then. Hard forward driven strong rockin' and rollin' australian Oi! PunkRock heavily dominated by the really damn tight and strong, dustdry and boneshaking heavy, earthy and dirty, harsh and forceful guitar work that shows some cool portions of diversity and leads the path of the great fresh kept rhythm arrangements and the energetic and dynamic pace work, really great. Imagine a mixture out of AC/DC and ROSE TATTOO with a MOTÖRHEAD impact and it all hardly on Oi! in the way of heavy pushing mid paced American Oi! maybe like the awesome THE BROADSIDERS and the also brilliant THE BRIDGEBURNERS and the damn cool MUDERER'S ROW, and then you may get an pretty good idea of what R*U*S*T are all about, and fans of the almighty THE CORPS will also find what they are looking for. Beside the great guitar work we also get charismatic snotty lead vocals, nice backing ups, and a very beefy and straight and save to the point played powerful rhythm section. The two new songs of R*U*S*T on this one here, "EX GIRLFRIENDS" and "SUICIDE SUNDAYS" really rule and rock even more. Great, period. Lyricwise we get some funny and cool snotty streetcharmed wisdom about relations and how to spend your weekends right... Also the two songs come in a great, dirty and earthy yet very heavy and harsh production sound. Perfect match. R*U*S*T do take 9 out of 10 points home with them. After R*U*S*T we turn our heads to good old mother europe because it's time for some danish dynamite, because THE GUV'NORS are up next. Strong rockin' street raised Oi! Punk Rock & Roll is now the order of the day. (I've done back then a review on what's for my knowledge their so far last full length album and the review you can find here: http://manslaughterthuglife.blogspot.de/2010/08/red-white-danish-dynamite.html.) What shall I say, Sleaze Rock and Oi! Punk mixed with good old Punkrock noize really fit together if it's all done by the right guys, like in the case of THE GUV'NORS. Mix COCK SPARRER and THE BUSINESS with GUNS'N'ROSES and NASHVILLE PUSSY, add some THE HELLACOPTERS and the BACKYARD BABIES to it, and make it all round and tasteful with the some very few portions of THE RAMONES and THE DICTATORS, and you know where to start your journey with THE GUV'NORS. Great diverse and heavy yet catchy and melodic as fuck guitar work, damn charismatic great sung fresh and snotty lead vocals, nice back up chants, and a great precise and tight forceful rhythm section at work, all mixed together by fresh and cool songwriting and done by skilled musicians, and don't forget the harmonica a.k.a. mouthorgan. Great stuff and very unique anyhow, just great!!! Also cool lyrics and a great production sound on top of this two songs. Thumbs up!!! And also THE GUV'NORS take 9 out of 10 points back home with them. And this more than well deserved. Then the second 7'' comes into play, al least I do think so, after I have it as an MP3-Album, like above mentioned. But anyhow up next is American Oi! from the United States of America from out of the Boston, MA area (at least I think so), and up next are the amazing the REVILERS. This band had always been somehow under my radar so far, always knew about them, somewhere here a old demo or so of them is lying around (a demo that I liked very much) and I think last year or maybe already two years ago they released a full length that should be pretty good and better and I was always heavily interested in them but somehow a real proper contact with their mentioned album never ever came to happen, why ever. Anyhow, now that I know their two songs on this one here, titled "DON'T TELL ME" and "8 SECOND SOCIETY", I think even more that it's about time to change this finally. They give us great strongly by heavy rockin' and pretty heavy played, yet catchy melodic lead lines offering guitars dominated American Oi! with a good dosed 1977 Punkrock impact including a nice "CHISWICK"/very early SKREWDRIVER feeling when it's about the forceful forward pushing guitars (but far improved than the mentioned band back then), and they give us all this on a damn fucking high level of quality and with a very own note on top of it. Great guitars, very heavy forceful sung lead vocals, loud crew back ups, and a great powerful rhythm section, all thrown into the mix with great songwriting, energy and dynamic non stopp, delivered by skilled musicians with the right real attitude in a very smpathic way. Mix THE TEMPLARS with some ADOLF AND THE PISS ARTISTS and THE ANTI-HEROS, add some very early SKREWDRIVER to it, here and there some STARS & STRIPES portions and round it all up with a very high quality and an very own characteristic, not at least due to the perfect guitar work and the amazing lead singer. Great the stiff middle finger showing authentic rebellious lyrics and a perfect matching clear yet very powerful and nicely warm and earthy production sound comes to it all on top of it. Amazing stuff!!! I really need more of/by/from this band, point and fact!!! The REVILERS do take 10 from 10 possible points with them, and this by far more than only well deserved, period. After the REVILERS the final band and probably or better surely also the final side of this four way split program comes, and this time we go to Germany with CRACKS & SCARS coming now for all of us. I was really curious to finally listen to this band after I've heard that former members of the amazing GUTS & GLORY would be playing now under the banner of CRACKS & SCARS. And after GUTS & GLORY had been from my point of view definitely the best (and by far way too shortlived) Oi! band to come from Germany in the last decade my expectations had been very high. I know maybe this is unfair because who the fuck am I to expect something like this and who said that they would still play in that department... but that's just how it is/was, so that's it. Did they dissapoint me? No. Period. They give us also two songs, titled "GOIN' NOWHERE" and "LIGHT AND DARKNESS", and they play a style and sound comparable to what they have done under the banner of GUTS & GLORY. So expect great and better than this Old School yet fresh kept real Oi! without any retro bullshit but with a lot of own and fresh and new ideas what gives them their own identity. Mix COCK SPARRER and COCKNEY REJECTS with BONECRUSHER and OXYMORON and you should have a pretty good idea of what CRACKS & SCARS are all about. Powerful and very catchy great guitar work, a incredible strong lead singer with a very own style of singing somewhere between Roger Miret and Raybo with some Sucker portions in it as well and all done in his very own way with a great own charisma, a rumbling cool bass at work, and very precise and tight yet also nice diverse drumming. Skilled musicians are this more or less veteran ones anyhow and they even know more to write fantastic songs. While "GOIN' NOWHERE" is a little bit too hectic here and there "LIGHT AND DARKNESS" is a true and pure anthem and shines even more, a perfect done Oi! Oi! Oi! sing a long hymn. Cool and good, authentic and sympathic underdog lyrics and a strong production sound they offer us also as well. Maybe they just didn't need to change their bandname, but that's something they surely will know better and that's also anything but anyhow only slightly important. All in all they take 9 out of 10 points with them. So all in all we get four bands and each offers us two songs what makes eight songs at all that run for about twenty minutes, to give you also some cold hard facts here and now. I think I've written all what there was to write, and so I think I can calmly now finally close this very review with this words here now. Just two last things: The artwork is fantastic; and if you are into Oi! and Streetpunk and Streetrock & Roll and Punkrock music in general you simply have to call this double 7'' release here your very own, so don't wait just get it, point and fact. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi! - Ah, and the final outcome then is now...
(9,5 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/blackholerecs)

VIOLENT ARREST - "DISTORTED VIEW"
("D.I.Y."; MP3-Download-/Onlinerelease)
(Download it for a price of seven british pounds over @ http://violentarrest.bandcamp.com/album/distorted-view)
(If all the announcements are true then it will be released by "BOSS TUNEAGE" in the- near- future of this very year of 2013, but don't ask me if on vinyl or on CD or maybe even via both physical formats.):
Here's a new release by a legendary or at least semilegendary Hardcore band from out of the underground dephts of the U.K. and that was pretty which means in this case totally unknown to me before and that is around for quite some years now with releases out via labels like "GRAVE MISTAKE" and "DERANGED RECORDS" for example and that consists out of members that before VIOLENT ARREST had been active in bands like RIPCORD, SPITE and the amazing HERSEY and this very one here is already their sixth release as VIOLENT ARREST, so you can easily and clearly talk about U.K. Hardcore silverbacks and veterans. And maybe you have now already also a very good idea of what you get here, if not maybe I can help ya out: Old School Hardcore with Oi! and Punk influences and filled with tons of hate and rage and a through and through antisocial and anti-establishment rebellious attitude. This is heavy and brutal and harsh Hardcore for fans of bands like NEGATIVE APPROACH to bands like BLITZ as well, and so expect tons of harsh guitar shreddings, brutal vocals and broad shoutings all yet somewhat hymnal and sing a long friendly arranged, and a stunning and boneshaking rhythm section consequent at work. It's all done pretty fresh and with a very huge dose of energy and dynamics, and the aggression is also very high and it all makes this a entertaining ride through a rough and tough pissed of stormy heavy raging Hardcore sea. Eight songs in about eleven minutes, short cutted and to the point played Old School Hardcore Punk songs. Nothing new, for sure, but incredible exploding fresh, of course, and really fucking heavy and harsh delivered in a brutal and aggressive as well as rough and tough as nails way. Good stuff, damn sure, even I would have loved some longer lasting assaults and some more new approaches to it all, because here and there it's pretty stale, okay, but that's just a matter of my personal taste. Rebellious lyrics, nice artwork, and a fat and loud blasting production sound. Anyhow, check it out, get the download or wait for the physical release or get them both if you are into above described music and/or above named bands, and this should be interesting for Hardcore roughnecks, Oi! hard knocks (no matter if Skinheads or Hooligans or what ever), and Punkrockers with a faible for a more heavy style as well. Test it, or just get it anyhow anyway promptly. HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!
(7 of 10 points)
(http://www.myspace.com/vapunk - Yes, they still have a MySpace site, if that's today not also already Old School then I don't know it, haha ;-) ...)

WHITE FLAG DOWN - "NEVER SURRENDER / OUTLAW"
("SKINFLINT MUSIC"; 12'' LP)
(Buy it for example directly over @ http://shop.skinflintmusic.com/)
(THANX very much for the great guys who run "SKINFLINT MUSIC" for sending this album totally for free to me, great of you and THANX very much once again.):
This album was sent to me by the great guys in/of "SKINFLINT MUSIC", it is about to be released repectively if and when you read this it was released by the very end of July 2013, if I am now not totally wrong with this, and it will be or is out in various strictly limited black and white vinyl versions. So far I have it "just" as the official promotional MP3-Download-Version, as it was nicely sent to me in this form. Okay, WHITE FLAG DOWN are a L.A. Punkrock or maybe better L.A. Streetpunk band with a, so my impression, clear "CLOCKWORK ORANGE" theme and attitude, hm, so let us talk of L.A. Clockwork Streetpunk. The band was totally unknown to/for me before this very one here, and it's a good thing that this finally changed. About the past and history of this band I simply know nothing, but okay, not that important to me right here and now, it's by far more important that I know this album, their newest one. It's titled "NEVER SURRENDER / OUTLAW" and seems to me to be some sort of a compilation of two previous shorter running EP albums of them with two new exclusive bonus tracks added to this album. Anyhow, and after WHITE FLAG DOWN had been unknown to me before all the stuff featured on this one here is new and fresh for me. WHITE FLAG DOWN play pretty tough rockin' Streetpunk with strong guitar runs as the perhaps most marking element, guitar runs that consist out of nice riffing attacks, great rocking organic naturally grooves that also show some "CHISWICK"/early SKREWDRIVER influences (just listen, as an example, to "ROCK & ROLL"), fresh leads and some cool solos as well as some nice suprises and fresh outcomes are shown here and there (listen for example just to the amazing "MALCONTENT KILLING MACHINE" and its strong metallic bulldozer middle section and you'll know very good what I mean). Add to this snotty "I don't give a fuck!" styled lead vocals, and a damn tight and heavy rockin' and cool rollin' rhythm section, yes, and your fresh and good tasting Streetpunk cocktail is finished and waiting to be rocking out of your speakers loud'n'proud. Nice varying rhythms and nice varying paced songs, all not too heavily so that there are no holes in the flowing songs and the also very well flowing album as a whole, if you got what I want to say with that... if not: It's meant in a positive way. Take U.S. Oi!/Streetpunk maybe somewhere between the BRASSKNUCKLE BOYS and FIRST OFFENSE, CL1 and DIRTY WATER, add to this a big dose of good old Rock & Roll and some early SKREWDRIVER impressions, keep in mind the own character of WHITE FLAG DOWN and that they copy'n'paste no one and then you should have a pretty good idea where to start with of what this L.A. Clockwork Streetpunk roughnecks hold in store for you and me and us. They aren't inventing anything new but who cares for that, because what they do they do damn fucking good. I just would wish that they would deliver it all maybe a little bit harder and the refrains could be here and there still a little bit more anthemic, but this are anything but major problems. And so I can calmly recommend it to all the Oi!, Streetpunk and Punkrock lovers outta there. So go and get it!!! Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!
(8 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/#!/whiteflagdown?fref=ts)
(https://www.facebook.com/#!/SkinflintMusic?fref=ts)

Okay, that had been all the reviews on records/releases for this one so far. Currently I can't tell you when the next record reviews will come up, maybe at the end of September (but surely and definitely not earlier than this) but maybe just some day in October or even just at the end of October, I don't know it by now and so I can't tell anything about it. This is mostly because I will finally first get the first theme days done and up here, FINALLY, and just then when this is done I will start working on new record reviews. And after such a big and long post consisting out of several more or less detailed reviews on quite many records like this very post here really takes its time to get it done I really can't tell you when I will or better when I will be able to bring the next record reviews post up here. That's the main reason. A second reason is simply the fact that currently I don't have that much records in the pipeline waiting to be reviewed. The reasons for this are easily named:
(01.) I don't have that much time and mind for music right at the moment with a lot of trouble and even more and also really big changes going on (once again) in my life so that really a lot is in the making on various fronts so that music and dealing with it currently is, sadly enough, not that important on my to do - lists and my take care of  - lists these days.
(02.) At the moment right now I also can't spare that much money to go and shop music, what's pretty sad and sucks but it's just how I announced it some months back in one of the retrospection on 2012 posts and so even it sucks drastically (because there are a lot of releases out and a lot of new 2013 releases are released or will be released because of which I am truly strongly curious) I won't cry and bitch around because of it, because that's just how it is, yes, and then that's it, so simple is it.
So currently there are three records that will be definitely featured in the next record reviews post, the fucking strong new 7'' of THE ENEMY titled "LIE TO ME" (strong Oi!/Streetpunk tunes; THANX very much to "BLACKHOLE RECORDS" for sending it me), as well as the "DEMO 2013" by UNDER THE CHURCH (young Sverige Death Metal lunatics firing their hard hitting and hot old school cannons) and the "MALESTORM" titled album by the Stoner/Doom/Sludge hellhounds of IRON & STONE (a really strong and charismatic band and album a friend of mine has pointed me to). I am pretty sure that some more releases will add to this short list over the next one or two months, just wait and see. Now that's all for now, THANX very much for your time and interest. We will read us again, your dear Manslaughter Andy.

 

Record Reviews July 2013: "Reviewpackage" feat. COLD REALITY, CRUSHING CASPARS, CRUTCHES, DAMAGEPLAN, DROPKICK MURPHYS, LOOSE ENDS, MACHINE HEAD, MORIBUND SCUM, NEW WORLD, OVERPAIN, PINCHER, SCORPIONS, TAKEN BY FORCE, U.D.O., WISDOM IN CHAINS

Hey folks, what's up? Everybody's fine? Eveythings good as well? I hope so. First thing: No, this blog is still not dead!!! With this set straight, what's else left to say: Here everything goes pretty fine. Beside the fact that I work since the end of May untill now week for week nearly 60 hours on five days a week and so beside working anything else is very rare, especially free time, and especially on week days I can't really talk about a private social life anymore, currently. But things will change again some day, hopefully soon, and then also this blog will be brought to new life. But currently I just don't get it done, too less time, too less energy left, and so also the first theme days will come later, again, and when new record reviews will come we will see and what else will come and when we will also see, can't tell anything about it for sure right now right here. When I started this post we had still May, eight days before we would have reached the month known as June. A lot of work used to take a lot of time and so beside the 2 DIAS DE SANGRE interview more or less nothing else used to pop up here for quite a time now. This means not at least, that also the announced package of reviews on records post, that you read here and on which I start(ed) working on in May with only very few new stuff got done over June, didn't popped up here like primarly planned in June, but in July. But okay, anyhow, then now it comes up in July and June was a complete dead month up here, won't hurt anyone, I would bet, but you can bet that it totally sucked and sucks from my point of view, not at least also in general June was a pretty much complete dead month. Don't ask me now, if a second reviewpackage will come in July but pretty sure, at least currently I think so, the first theme days up here will come and pop up here in August, at least that's how I have aimed it now in my bull's eye. What will more come beside this, hm, currently I have not one single small idea, workful times, there's other stuff going nuts in my mind than what about I will blog next. Okay, back to this post here, that will feature reviews on records in various forms- digital to physical- and of various release dates and years, new, older, old, you will find in between this three stages everything, and also musicwise you will find a lot of different styles and genres respectively reviews on records of several different styles and genres, but with Hardcore owning clearly the leading role this time (at least I would say so). By the way, I don't know how you feel with and about it but I really start to like this package format of the record reviews posts more and more. Just hope that you feel about it at least a little bit the same. Anyway and anyhow, I think now it's by far enough with the confusing introducing words here and now, now it's about time for the record reviews to start, so let's go!!! (And when you are through with this, stay tuned for more new stuff to come up here as soon as it's anyhow possible for me.)

 

COLD REALITY - "DEMO 2013"

("D.I.Y."; MP3-Download-Release)

(Download it for free for example over @ http://www.hardboiledzine.com/2013/04/download-cold-reality-demo-2013.html):

Cool shit, Hardcore from Hungary, so far, I think, unknown to me before. And it's good that I changed this these days, so that I made them known to and for me, thumbs up, this here is Roughneck Hardcore from Hungary and a through and through, for what I know, D.I.Y. release that was, for what I know, released as a official and free MP3-Download but don't ask me if there are any physical releases and if so in which form(s), anyhow, but I stumbled upon this band and release due and thanks to the great guys of the "HARDBOILED WEBZINE" (http://www.hardboiledzine.com/). Okay, COLD REALITY give us six songs in about eleven minutes including one heavy stomping pretty cool intro track. After the intro the Hardcore assault from Hungary kicks off loose without taking any prisoners. Eleven minutes filled with slamming heavy and dirty, harsh guitars, a bulky and beefy roaring and rumbling rhythm section, and all leaded by nasty and angry shouted barked out vocals. It's all done tight and with a good dose of skills, technical ones as well as songwriting abilities, and also some nice ideas. Slamming two steppy parts with a lot of moshing potential, fast paced raging and mid paced grooving parts, all done pretty well without a doubt. I would just wish to hear more of an own identity and a singer that really adds some guts and some healthy doses of brutality to his voice and singing style. But it's anything but bad, nah, no way, this here is a good album and a good starting point that is just lacking some more own ideas and creative moments and a higher skilled singer so that it failes to stick out more right from the start. But it's surely a good album anyhow, so check it out. Especially if you are a fan of acts like BULLDOG COURAGE or also (the early) WISDOM IN CHAINS, and if you add in your imagination a good bunch of slammin' slightly metallic two steppin' moshin' and down beatin' moments to it and you like your imagination of COLD REALITY that you get from this than even more than before, yes, then perfect, check them out really soon. A nice artwork, a dirty buzzing rough'n'raw production sound, and a bunch of nice lyrics we get on top of it all, lyrics and artwork are part of the download. Check it out if you are into Hardcore and want some fresh'n'new up to date New Old School Hardcore. I would ask for more creativity and a more strong own identity with more grapping fresh ideas and a at least still a little bit higher grade of the overall quality as well as for a strong improvement of the singer, but for now it's all anything but dramatic and all in all we get here a nice little good round of cool moshing Hardcore tunes. Surely a good album, and with it so, if you like so, a good start, so if you are into Hardcore musick make sure to test it out, period. HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!
(7 of 10 points)

(https://www.facebook.com/coldrealityhc)
(http://coldrealityhc.bandcamp.com/)

CRUSHING CASPARS - "FULL FLAVOR"
("D.I.Y."; CD & LP)
(Originally already from 2001, the debut work of the band.):
The CRUSHING CASPARS are a nowadays already pretty long running Hardcore band from Germany. But beside this I have to admit that I am anything but familiar with this very band. I just saw them live on stage over the last three years or so for two times or so, the last time just some short months ago, and both times they totally rocked my ass off and heavily convinced me. And so the last time I decided to go and shop and buy a album of them. And I wanted to grap their newest one... and after the sticker "new album" was popped up on this one I bought this one. It was there to buy as a CD as well as a LP but after the LP was some Euro bucks more expensive and the CD also features a bonus track I decided to take the CD version with me. Okay, at home I wondered why the guys on the photos mostly looked not by far like the guys today up on stage and since when the CRUSHING CASPARS are a D.I.Y. band again, and also why the artwork is a so incredible cheap joke for such a long running and well established band... and after I asked the mighty Google gods I got aware of it that this is or was originally the debut work and release of the CRUSHING CASPARS. So now don't ask me if this is a rerelease edition done in the D.I.Y. way or if this are just the last copies of it being desperately sold these days, I have not a single clou, and also don't you ask me why they sticked up the sticker "new album" on it at the concert, maybe to fool clueless folks like me (if so then it worked out good, at least in my case) or something so like this, I have also in this case not a single clou. Okay, anyhow, so now comes my review on their debut from 2001... but after I think this is a little bit without any real substance I will now keep it short from this point here now on, so don't you wonder: This is especially metallic as well as slightly Punkrock influenced and also pretty Party compatible and looking at the attitude of the band strictly antifascist bulldozer style Hardcore in the tradition of a band like PRO-PAIN and their NYHC fellows in S.O.D. and M.O.D. (just music wise) and add also some Westcoast Skateboard Hardcore a la SUICIDAL TENDENCIES to it, full of heavy grooving and heavier moshing guitars, brutal shouted but also suprisingly often clean sung lead vocals, fat back up chants, a heavy and great done pretty often very funky bass work, and stunning bulky drumming. Nice songwriting, a big load of power and energy, a good dose of fresh ideas (and I mean ideas that are also today still pretty fresh), but also with too much songs so that too much average song material spoils a little bit the all in all good impression and taste of "FULL FLAVOR". A album that still calls a mostly fresh taste its own, still, after twelve years now after its original release date year. Nice lyrics on top of it, cheap terribel and horrible artwork, and a pretty good powerful production sound on top of it. Nice stuff that you can calmly buy if you are into above named bands and kind of Hardcore, but to be honest don't pay the full price on it (like I did), don't let them fool you (like me), and better check the CRUSHING CASPARS out live on stage and with one of their newer and far more improved releases, because this holds more meaning and sense and potential in store than this pretty old semi-legendary release. Nice shot anyway. HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!
(7 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/crushingcaspars?fref=ts)

 

CRUTCHES - "D-BEAT TSUNAMI EP"

("D.I.Y."; 7'' & MP3-Download-Release)

(Download it for a name your price pick over @ http://crutches666.bandcamp.com/):

Fuck it, don't ask me why I totally forgot about reviewing this little gem untill now. Released quite some months ago already in the autumn of 2012 as a 7'' as well as a MP3-Download-Release as a name your price pick. The MP3-Download-Release is a through and through D.I.Y. affair, but please don't ask me about the 7'' release, I don't know it, not at least because I only call the MP3-Download-Release of this piece my own. Anyhow, on we go, ah, and if you read this very blog of mine and my writings about musick up here now already for a little bit longer than CRUTCHES should be no strangers to you anyway, and if you're into Crustcore and D-Beat of today and especially the one of the swedish kind than CRUTCHES should be anyhow anything but strangers to you. This is their still newest release to date and on it we get three "new" songs by them in around eight minutes, titled "LET'S START A FIRE", "SJÄLVUTSKITNA", and "KAOS RÄNNSTENSSJÄLARNA". And about two song titles I don't even have a single little idea what they mean, haha;-). They developed quite a bit like you can easily hear it here on this very one without any doubts, taking the steps from good and very good to great. Their self-titled demo was fucking damn good, but this here, this here is a forceful step forward in the right direction and pushing the quality standards onward forwards. Great changing of the pace and the rhythm structures of the songs, giving us a good done mixture out of fast forward up tempo raging musical hate bolts and totally devastating everything down tearing and destructively crushing mid paced heavy weight groovy rockin' and rotten rollin' bulldozer runs. Shredding and sawing, crushing and noisy guitar riffs, outstanding great and incredible heavy and distorted roaring bass playing that is really standing heavily in the first line and manages it also easily to give the guitars a kick to the back, heavy pounding and sheer exploding D-Beat drums, and a hysterical highly aggressive forceful screaming lead singing voice, this are the ingredients that make the sound of CRUTCHES. And they did all even far more tight and intense, grapping and dynamic then before. Just put some more suprising guitar parts and a healthy dose of a bigger diversity into the lead singing, and the next time around CRUTCHES will surely manage to grow even bigger and better than "just" great like this time. Lyricwise I can't say that much about it all, but they label themselves as a political anarchist A/E D-Beat band. And while I'm pretty sure about the fact that the "A" stands for the Anarchist part I have no clue for what the "E" shall stand, but who cares, anyhow a pretty left winged political affair, just that you know about it in case you may should have a problem with it, but then that's your problem, ha, and not mine. As far as I can say something about the artwork I think it's a okay one, not bad, but I think it would be more possible to do out of what I think is/was the main idea behind it all, anyway, not that important after all and who am I to judge, so forget about it. The dirty and loud roaring, heavy production sound is pure gold and fits perfect to and with the musick. This here is all in all a damn great release and a step forward for CRUTCHES, one of the best Crustcore and D-Beat bands today around, and I can only highly recommend this nice little dirty shining gem to all of you outta there that are at least slightly interested in Crustcore and D-Beat musick of today. So get it and go fucking nuts about it, period!!! Burn down and plunder a police station near you. Now!!!
(9 of 10 points)

(http://crutches666.blogspot.de/)

DAMAGEPLAN - "NEW FOUND POWER"
("ELEKTRA"; CD)
(Originally released in 2004.)
Here's a pretty old release, I mean it's been nearly for ten years now around, so yes, you can easily say that this is a pretty old release. After the split up of the almighty and larger than life PANTERA the former band members went half for half seperate new ways. The one half, Phil Anselmo and the former PANTERA bass player Rex, went on to play here and there also together in such bands like DOWN, ARSON ANTHEM, SUPERJOINT RITUAL, and some more, while the two brothers Dimebag Darrel and Vinnie Paul went on and formed DAMAGEPLAN and to play in or on REBEL MEETS REBEL. It all should drastically end, when Dimebag Darrel was shot dead by a mentally deranged nutjob up on stage during a DAMAGEPLAN show by the end of 2004, and so there was no opportunity or chance for more to come from DAMAGEPLAN than this very album here. I always loved PANTERA (always means since their "COWBOYS FROM HELL" milestone) and I always thought it sucked that they went seperate ways and when I heard of Dimebag Darrel being shot dead back then I was really damn fucking shocked of it. Back then I was right from the start very interested in DAMAGEPLAN but however I never bought this disc untill two or three months ago when I stumbled upon this record in the local record shop for a low price of something around five Euro bucks or so. Don't ask me why I never bought it back then or sometime else before. I think why I didn't buy it back then was simply due to the fact that back then Metal music had no real relevance anymore for me, something that only slowly changed again finally especially over the last years. Why I never bought it sometime else since then is maybe due to the fact that I totally forget about it untill I finally saw it again. I don't know, but maybe this are the reasons or some of them, who knows. But anyhow, maybe also not that important at all. Ah, and only because I just bought it now pretty recently I decided to do a review on it by my own here and now, wouldn't hurt anyone, wouldn't do harm to anybody. So, okay, expect some Groove Metal (how I hate this term) in the tradition of PANTERA, and this won't make you wonder, right, right, with a good dose of some new ideas and ingredients to it all, so that DAMAGEPLAN had been anything but a PANTERA ripp off clone band. Expect a phenomenal strong guitar work, outstanding and outshining like nothing else, thundering demolishing diverse and skilled drumming, a evil cracking and angry roaring bass at work, and hard and brutal, yet melodic and clear, pretty charismatic lead vocals, all done in a grapping way of songwriting, diverse and fresh and interesting and full of suprising twists and turns and far enriched and developed in some sort of a proggy direction, and about the phenomenal high skills of the musicians with and at their instruments we don't have to talk about here and now anyhow. Musicwise the only problem is that I can't shake off the feeling that they somehow didn't go full throttle, that for some reasons and which one this had ever been they always kept one foot on the break. I can't describe it anyhow better, but it's also anything but a major problem. And what makes this album really shine is the fact that despise the nearly ten years it's now already old it still stands its very ground and sticks out and is far more fresh and interesting than by far most of all the other Metal albums released since them or today. Really greatness at work. Fans of PANTERA as well as FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD, ANTHRAX, KILLINGCULTURE, but also SOIL, GODSMACK, and other comparable bands will love DAMAGEPLAN and if you are in the described target group and for which reasons ever still don't know DAMAGEPLAN then make sure you change this as soon as possible. My personal favorites are without a doubt "NEW FOUND POWER", "PRIDE", "REBORN", "SAVE ME", "CRAWL", "BLINK OF AN EYE" (larger than life hymn, period), and "BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA", but also the other songs damn know how to fucking stand their ground, point and fact. Good lyrics, a great production sound, and an okay artwork we get on top of it all as well. So, nothing left to say, but that I highly recommend this one to you. If you still don't have it, then get it now!!!
(9 of 10 points)
(http://www.damageplan.com/)

DROPKICK MURPHYS - "SIGNED AND SEALED IN BLOOD"
("BORN & BRED RECORDS"; CD):
(Released in 2013.):
Here it is, the new masterpiece album by the almighty DROPKICK MURPHYS, definitely one of my absolutely favorite bands for far over an decade or so surely now, and after having the pleasure to enjoy them one more time live on stage in January 2012 I was damn hungry and demanding for more and new stuff by them. And with this album they delivered. And one more time they refused to dissapoint me, hell yeahrrr!!! "SIGNED AND SEALED IN BLOOD" was first announced to see the light of day in December 2012 but then it suddenly somehow took a little bit longer and the rays of the sun came to its face just in January 2013, so this time delay is pretty sure the reason for the strange happening that a in January released album features a Christmas Song on it, what is otherwise a little bit weird and would be maybe also at least a little bit mis-/displaced, hm, but it's also not maybe but definitely anything but important, so forget about it. But what you definitely shouldn't forget about is this amazing album that will definitely conquer a well reputated place in my this year's top ten album list. From a Irish Folk Punk/Celtic Punk band ("a" band is not that right, let us maybe better say "the" band or "one of the" bands) they moved on to a totally unique band combining Irish Folk music, classical (American Working Class) Rock (& Roll) music, and Punkrock and Streetpunk and they made this their very own thing, and this they proof here one more time again. And this time they do keep it fresh and alive-lively, exciting and nicely suprising and diverse. And you know what, I wouldn't have expected anything else, to be honest. Blending THE CLASH like Punkrock with a some PRESSURE POINT like Streetpunk flair with Irish Folk, much Irish Folk, and BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN like American Working Class Rock & Roll, and also add here and there some "FORTUNATE SON" like CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL flair or feeling to it all, some U.S. American Working Class Roots Rock, ya know, and out of all this they create their totally very own thing. And this one more time. Hell yeahrrr!!! Heartfelt yet energetic, heavy yet melodic, sharp edged'n'aimed and hard hitting guitar playing, emotional yet harsh double voiced lead vocals and great full throaty crew shout back up chants, brilliant and goosepimples for free giving Irish Folk instrumentation, and a forceful and diverse and versatile rhythm section, out of this ingredients the DROPKICK MURPHYS create one anthem after another here on "SIGNED AND SEALED IN BLOOD". Great versatile and diverse, grapping and interesting, fresh and suprising kept songwriting, all delivered by great musicians and all in a very alive and lively way, and in some ways definitely more spontaneous and apertured, more punky than the last (but also more than great) album, to leave the strict frame of a concept album behind them this time again was the totally right decision, just take a listen to this masterpiece here. Larger than life lyrics full of attitude and pride, a incredible beautiful artwork, and a first class production sound then finally make this one here to the complete package. A mighty, nah, a almighty album and a statement of its very own. My personal favorites are the amazing opener "THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN", the incredible emotional "ROSE TATTOO", the dynamic and energetic anthems "BURN", "THE BATTLE RAGES ON", and "DON'T TEAR US APART", as well as "OUT ON THE TOWN", and the drinking song hymn "END OF THE NIGHT". But also the other not mentioned songs are totally must-hear-and-go-nuts-to-songs, trust me. I can only recommend this very one to you, highly recommend it, point and fact. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi!
(10 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/#!/DropkickMurphys?fref=ts)

LOOSE ENDS - "FREE SPIRIT"
("D.I.Y."; MP3-Online-EP)
(Get it @ http://www.hardboiledzine.com/2013/04/demo-daze-loose-ends-first-degree-denny.html or try your luck over @ http://rottenyoungearth.blogspot.de/2013/04/loose-ends-free-spirit.html):
Okay folks, up next are LOOSE ENDS with their 2013 release "FREE SPIRIT", a little album that as far as I know it is released all the D.I.Y. way and as a MP3-Download-Online-EP by the band itself. But that's just what I know, so if I should be wrong, okay, then I wasn't that good informed after all. Then just drop a line and I correct the wrongs as soon as I find the time to do so, ah, and then I would also delete the download links a little bit above, if the guys in the band don't want them up here. Just drop a line and I will take care of it asap, no problem. LOOSE ENDS had been new to me, but it seems that at least they already have put out a demo release before this very one here, and they are coming from Kenosha, WI/U.S.A., as far as I know. Here we get four songs by them in around nine minutes, and this are four songs in nine minutes of bad ass heavy hitting heavy weight mid paced metallic Hardcore in the tradition of a band like MERAUDER (maybe far more "BLUETALITY" than "MASTER KILLER"...) and stuff like this. Heavy weight mid paced forward rumbling crushing metallic Hardcore tunes that mostly stick in the mid tempo department without any really fast paced up tempo outbursts, all carried forward by the throaty and rhythmic accentuated shouted lead vocals and the heavy and stoic crushing pretty to very metallic guitar riffing, while the fat rhythm section is backing it all up pretty to very well in a beefy and bulky way. It's all done good and maybe even (and maybe even far) better that "just" good, no doubt about it that this guys know what they do and how to do it, they are definitely skilled musicians and all this, and that there are surely a lot of mega happy go lucky heavy ass fans outta there of and for this I know as well, but honestly not that much me, myself and I. Like I said, it's good without a doubt, but I really miss something and of this something I miss even a little bit more to a lot and this something I will here and now easily name with just: Diversity!!! With: Suprises!!! With: Changes!!! With: Pace variety!!! With: Grapping moments!!! With: Interesting arrangements!!! Because, honestly, for me to really please my gusto and keep me entertained and to keep my attention it all simply just sounds too equal and too much the same, and also too much like heard already a thousand times before. All good and fine and with a truck load of hate for the world delivered, but simply not grapping enough, at least personally for me. But I know that probably legions of you guys outta there will see this in a total different light and if mid paced roaring metallic Hardcore in the way of MERAUDER (and or but without being too creative and too diverse...) is exactly your thing, then don't think twice and test LOOSE ENDS with their "FREE SPIRIT" because they will pretty surely leave you satisfied, it's just not that much my sort of protein shake, that's it. Desperate lyrics, a sinister artwork, and a heavy production sound we get on top of it all as well. If you are in the by me described target group then you will love LOOSE ENDS and if here would be a different other reviewer than me then they would probably get a by far more higher rating here but so... It's just me who's here and so that's what they get from me due to above described reasons, that's it. Anyhow, just that you not forget: HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!
(5 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/looseendskeno?fref=ts)

MACHINE HEAD - "UNTO THE LOCUST"
("ROADRUNNER RECORDS"; CD)
(Originally released already back then in 2011.):
Now comes a review on a record that's already a little bit older now, released already two years ago from now back then in 2011, but after it's for all what I know still today the most current album release by MACHINE HEAD the review on it by me will come up here and now anyhow anyway, hm, and I think it won't hurt nobody, it won't do harm to anyone outta there. And don't ask me why I missed out on reviewing this very album up here so far. I don't know it, couldn't tell you any answer to this question. Okay, MACHINE HEAD, eyh, I think I really don't have to introduce this band to anyone outta there, hm, and that with their debut album "BURN MY EYES" back then they created and gave birth and life to a groundbreaking and lifechanging album is also a fact that I am pretty sure is clear to anyone outta there, at least if you had been already active around back then in the glorious 1990's. Also their second album, "THE MORE THINGS CHANGE... THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME", holds many points in my book. After this their Nu Metal phase wasn't really anything for me, beside two or three songs of "THE BURNING RED". And "SUPERCHARGER" was (and is) a total no-go for me. But then with "THROUGH THE ASHES OF EMPIRES" and "THE BLACKENING" they really made up good for this, even far more with the first named one than with the second name one. And then "UNTO THE LOCUST" came out and was released by MACHINE HEAD, and it caused some rumours and such stuff and sort of divided the fans in a love and in a hate group, or at least that was what I could get aware of in my social environment. But, honestly, I couldn't and still can't really understand this stuff, to hate it there's no reason, as well as there's no reason to overwhelmingly fell in love it, at least from my standpoint. I mean, it's a good album and the development of the sound and style of MACHINE HEAD is very consequent and that this guys are outstanding good musicians is also clear without a doubt, and how to write songs they know damn sure for good and this also right and direct from the start of the band. And the development is straight, consequent, and logical. They became even more proggy and playful and somewhat classical in a sense of traditional or classical (Heavy) Metal music, and they often remind me of the old glorious METALLICA but without being that good, without coming even close to this grandmasters. But who could ask for this... no one!!! So, if you love proggy arranged and very long and pretty often with a classic Metal influence and poppy and catchy arranged hymnal and melodic refrains enriched Thrash Metal with a clear traditional (Bay Area) Thrash Metal touch, filled with  dominating guitars, charismatic lead vocals, and a massive stunning rhythm section and done in a mostly fresh kept (or tried to be so) way of songwriting all delivered by outstanding musicians, then get this one. And if you are like me which means a enthusiastic fan especially of the two lifechanging monumental METALLICA albums "MASTER OF PUPPETS" and "...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL" then risk an ear as well, but don't expect them which means MACHINE HEAD to come even close to be that good like the originals which means METALLICA had been back then. Interesting lyrics, a bombastic production sound and a nice and good fitting artwork we get on top of it all as well. A good album, a really good album, a damn good one, no doubt about it, but I miss that specific and typical MACHINE HEAD something, that harsh and cliché free heavyness and authentic musical brutality, that more new school than old school flair, so they sound to me a little bit too much like some band else these days, not like MACHINE HEAD how I fell in love with them. But that's just a through and through subjective perception and also it takes away nothing of the quality that these album in a musical sense holds without any doubt in store. So, if you maybe really still don't have or even know it, still not today, then give it a try if you are into Metal music, period.
(8 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/#!/MachineHead?fref=ts)


MORIBUND SCUM - "REDNECK EXECUTION"
("D.I.Y."; Demo Tape & MP3-Download-Release)
(Pick it up over @ http://www.mediafire.com/download/b3c1smko0jswlrd/Moribund+Scum+-+Redneck+Execution_Demotape+2013.rar):
Whoaa baby, next round we move only something like 35km away from my hometwon to the city of Braunschweig, and this time another Crustcore platoon awaits for us in form of the local (anti-) heroes of MORIBUND SCUM. I never knew that a band like this existed in Braunschweig anyway, but okay, you (which means also: I) can't know anything. Especially if you are just in it for the music these days and couldn't care less about all this "scene-hype-interna-bullshit" crap farce. But that's a different and another story to tell and would totally demolish the frame that a record review offers, hm, and this story would beside this also be totally misplaced in a record review. Anyhow, back to the topic, this very review here on the "REDNECK EXECUTION" by MORIBUND SCUM. It was released all the D.I.Y. way by the band itself, and this on Tape as well as in the form of a MP3-Download-Release, I call the last or second one my own. It's up on their Bandcamp site as well as the great "CRUST DEMOS" blog offers a free download link, I think provided or authorized by the band itself, and this link you can find above at the beginning of this very review here. All in all we get seven songs in around twenty-eight minutes total running time. And what we get, yeahr, easy: Crustcore!!! Sinister, brutal, aggressive, and apocalyptic metallic Crustcore. It's a very, and I mean really a very heavy and brutal, sinister and desperate, aggressive and pissed off affair that knocks and storms, roars and pukes, spitts and crushes out of the speakers leaving nothing but totally dead burned earth behind. A destructive hellstorm of Metal fueld D-Beat inspired apocalyptic sinister Crustcore. Shredding and roaring, crushing and sawing brutal heavy harsh guitars, a evil and grunty beefy rumbling bass, forceful destructive tight played ultra heavy bulky drumming, and harsh throaty grunted and shouted brutal lead singing vokillz. This is really evil and heavy Crustcore!!! A tight and intense sinister and apocalyptic Crustcore beast like machinery build up on a D-Beat foundament and enriched with heavy doses of aggressive and evil mad thrashing Metal. Imagine a mixture out of DISGUST, NONE OF THE LIVING REMAIN and the almighty SLAYER, and then you have a pretty good imagination of what MORIBUND SCUM are hammering out here with this release. They have already also created a sort of an own identity but could work this out even more and also more precise, as well as they could try to work some more musical diversity in the mix, but they make up good for this with, hm, yes, with an sheer incredible high level of intensity and tightness. Okay, the (cover-) artwork is okay but pretty cliché and so nothing ''special'' more worth mentioning, the same is more or less too say to or about the lyrics, more or less, but not bad anyhow. The dirty production sound, dirty yet heavy, is a damn good thing and fits perfect to the musick. Anyone into Crustcore and D-Beat should definitely check this guys out, because MORIBUND SCUM hold a lot of great potential in store and they showcase also already a lot of it, just put some more diversity in the mix and then it will be even (by far) better the next time around. Fucking good shit, I hope for more to come some day soon.
(8 of 10 points)
(http://moribundscum.bandcamp.com/)
(https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Moribund-Scum/127870723990378?fref=ts)

NEW WORLD - "DEMO 2013"
("D.I.Y."; MP3-Download-Release)
(Download it for example over @ http://www.hardboiledzine.com/2013/04/download-new-world-demo-2013.html):
First of all: I have no idea about if there had been any physical releases of this one been released or if it was solely released as a MP3-Download-/Online-Release how it is provided and spread for example by the great guys that run the amazing "HARDBOILED WEBZINE" from where I took and gave you the download link. That said now straight and direct into the review on this release, the "DEMO 2013" titled all D.I.Y. release by NEW WORLD, a young (and at least for me totally new) strong going and promising Hardcore band from Southern California upon which I stumbled due to the already mentioned great "HARDBOILED WEBZINE" site. What they give us is tight and heavy, fucking hard and only slightly metallic Hardcore somewhere between a band like TERROR and some sort of STRIFE like metallic New School Hardcore with some healthy NYHC doses added to it. Rough and bitter, angry and aggressive throaty shouted harsh lead vocals, stunning and demolishing guitar work, and a ultra heavy rhythm section at work, that are the ingredients out or on which NEW WORLD create and build their songs, and they work nice ideas in their pretty good between raging fast up tempo tracks and heavy tons weighing grooving mid paced songs varying song material. Really bad ass Hardcore with a nasty attitude to it and all very authentic and not at least because of this very sympathic. I really hope to hear more from them as good as this (if not better) and this hopefully pretty soon. Maybe nothing anyhow groundbreaking new, but who cares as long as this is done that damn fucking good like in the case of NEW WORLD done it with their "DEMO 2013" here?!? Right, no one cares and this for some good and justified reasons!!! On top of it we get good lyrics, a nice artwork, and a great rough and tough, dirty and heavy production/recording sound. I can only recommend this one, a pretty, nah, a damn good starting point. HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!
(8 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/newworldhc)

OVERPAIN - "UNDERRATED OVERHATED"
("D.I.Y." & "ONE TWO SIX CLOTHING" & "FATALITY RECORDS"; CD & MP3-Download-Online-Release)
(Buy the CD if you can, and for so long or if you can't then pick it up over @  http://www.hardboiledzine.com/2013/03/download-overpain-underrated-overhated.html)
(Extra big THANKS and much RESPECT for the band for letting everyone who's interested in it/them download the album officially for free even it's a full proper release and not a "just" a demo release, THANX guys, that's damn great of you!!!):
This is a damn cool band with a really damn cool release, I am talking/writing about OVERPAIN from Salonika City in Greece, a band that spits and fires out one hell of a great Hardcore album with this very one here, "UNDERRATED OVERHATED", a 2013 release done by the band in corporation with the above mentioned label and the above mentioned clothing line. This is heavy and devastating, brutal and harsh, aggressive and bulky no prisoners taking mercyless Hardcore at its best, somewhere between the almighty legends of FURY OF FIVE and the outstanding KNUCKLEDUST. So you may already start to get a good idea what OVERPAIN are all about. No compromises making and no shit taking real deal Hardcore, authentic and without any cliché image gimmick crap that can't stand a reality clash to be noticed anywhere. Thumbs up for that, period. Skullsmashing guitars, bonecracking drumming, nosebreaking bass playing, fat and broad crew shouts, and charismatic damn heavy lead vocals, what could ya ask more for, especially when it's all crowned with energy and dynamics non stopp, and all is also done damn fresh and grapping with a pretty own character to it all and a very sympathic real and authentic attitude, musicwise cultivated with shining songwriting and made round by first class lyrics, a damn great artwork, and very heavy and dry, fat and broad production sound. I won't make any more words now here, because I think I've said/written it all and all in all enough. And for everyone who still didn't got it by now: This is a great release by a first class band and it's highly recommended to anyone who claims he/she/it would be into Hardcore musick. If so, then get it!!! The real deal!!! HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!
(9 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/#!/overpainhxc?fref=ts)

PINCHER - "KILLING MACHINES"
("D.I.Y."; MP3-Download-Release)
(Download it for free over @ http://pincher666.bandcamp.com/):
Here's a russian all girl band that I stumbled upon due to the great "CRUST DEMOS" blog (http://crust-demos.blogspot.de/), and hey, like you can see just by judging by the colorfull artwork this is surely no Crustcore/D-Beat stuff and so a really rare obscurity on the mentioned great blog and so my attention was caught up in the mosh for sure and I checked the Bandcamp site of PINCHER and got the official for free download of their newest 2013 full length album "KILLING MACHINES" (don't ask me if there are any physical copies of which format ever) which is, so it seems to me, a through and through D.I.Y. release affair done by the band itself. The members of PINCHER had been active before in a, if I understood it correct and right, sort of Grunge band named DIET PILL, they come from Moscow, Russia and "KILLING MACHINES" is their full length debut that follows up their precursor split release with the Moscow Hardcore outfit ME NOT ME and live on stage their covers of "RAINING BLOOD" by SLAYER and "STEP DOWN" by SICK OF IT ALL are real crowd pleasers, or so the story goes. What PINCHER play is a pretty aggressive and dominated by very melodic yet heavy and, like already said, aggressive guitars Crossover sound'n'style of Punkrock and Thrash Metal. They kick it off with a great "MORTAL KOMBAT" movie title theme tribute cover and then follow seven songs and the album lasts for around twenty one minutes. This is guitar dominated melodic yet heavy and aggressive fast forward going Thrash Metal plus Punk Crossover, fired up by melodic and catchy, yet aggressive and heavy guitars, clean yet pretty harsh vocals and a forceful raging rhythm section with some good healthy doses of crew back up chants added to it all. The songwriting is kept pretty grapping with clever changes between heavy and fast slightly chaotic fast forward raging tunes and more grooving heavy mid paced nicely hymnal arranged headbangers. The band seems to have a very humoristic and maybe also ironic standpoint and view of and on it all like the "MORTAL KOMBAT" intro and a through and through party track like "UNTITLED BOOGIE" do proof, so do songs or better songtitles like "A WOMAN'S PLACE IS IN THE KITCHEN", "KILL 'EM ALL", and the "TAXI DRIVER" sample in "THE WHO" as well. And a strong feel good party moshing feeling is somehow giving the whole album sort of life. A very sympathic release anyway, coming with a great old school movie poster styled cover artwork, with sarcastic and ironic, humoristic lyrics in both, english and russian, and with a nice cover of the MOTÖRHEAD" classic "BOMBER on top of it. All in all this is not that exactly my sort of protein shake drink but I really enjoy it and I can calmly recommend it to you, at least risk an ear, and after it's for free just download it and if all goes out good enjoy it, period. Fans of punky Thrash Metal and or heavy metallic thrashing Punkrock will love PINCHER anyhow anyway for sure. Nice shot, hopefully more of this sympathic band will follow this up and back this up in the future. Good stuff!!!
(7 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pincher/188623614514401)
(http://vk.com/pincher666)

SCORPIONS - "STING IN THE TAIL"
("SONY MUSIC" & "COLUMBIA MUSIC"; CD)
(Released in 2010 as the final studio album of this german legends.):
What, the SCORPIONS?!? Haha, I could swear this pops up in some of your heads, haha, but I can calm your mood down... ups, or maybe not... because, yeahr baby, the SCORPIONS. A band that was very important to me when I was a kid and a young teenager. Always loved and still love their style and way of Hard Rock music, the same as I always loved and still love AC/DC and ZZ TOP, for example, and their specific kind of style and way of playing Hard Rock and making it their very own. But, to be honest, the last really strong and necessary album, at least in my book, of the SCORPIONS had been "FACE THE HEAT" from back then in 1993, and so I was curious when I heard in 2010 that the SCORPIONS will release their last final real proper studio full length album and then say goodbye with it, curious about it, but I was also thinking of how they will do it, as good as since 1993 not anymore? I was in doubt. And so I took a listen to it... and I was heavily convinced. I bought it, celebrated it heavily, and... then the CD suddenly dissapeared. Don't ask me where it went, it was gone. And so I also did no review on it so far. Two months ago or so then I saw it in the local record store for just five Euros and took it with me. And, yes, since then it's again and again on heavy rotation, and so now here finally also comes my review on it, like it or not, just take it, haha. And I will keep it short from now on, at least I'll try so, and so, yes, let's go: They are as good as they hadn't been it since 1993 anymore so far, strong and hard rocking and boneshaking energetic and dynamic rolling, full of power and attitude and positive energy, and all done damn authentic and with this also really sympathic. Hymnal arranged and interesting composed songs with mighty refrains, great melodies, and done and written and played by damn high skilled musicians and especially the guitar playing marks heavily the songs as well as the whole album and is really a characteristic trademark of the SCORPIONS, yesterday and today (if you want to say it so...), and that's really cool. This is just real great Hardrock flirting with all the clichés of this very genre, but after the SCORPIONS invented most of them with other Rock and Hard Rock bands of that age and time it's all more than just good and fine. Skilled and diverse songwriting, and from fast Rockers to melodramatic Ballads we find a lot of songs of different mood and style here on "STING IN THE TAIL". Best songs in the bunch are without a doubt "TURN YOU ON", "ROCK ZONE", "RAISED ON ROCK", "STING IN THE TAIL", "SPIRIT OF ROCK", and "THE GOOD DIE YOUNG", but check also the other tracks out. Nice lyrics and a nice artwork, as well as a bombast first class production sound we do get on top of it all as well. This is a great way to say goodbye by a legendary and great band, love this stuff.
(9 of 10 points)
(http://www.the-scorpions.com/german/)
(PS: Please don't ask me why my scanner failed in scanning the colored artwork of the coverpicture in a colored way... just take it like it is now... as you can see it above.)

SCORPIONS - "COMEBLACK"
(SONY MUSIC" & "COLUMBIA MUSIC"; CD):
(Released in 2011, a album filled with re-recordings of old classics and covertunes.):
Okay, after their announced final full length studio album "STING IN THE TAIL", reviewed right before this very one here, it should have been pretty clear to/for everyone that this wouldn't be the last thing to come from the SCORPIONS especially after "STING IN THE TAIL" was a pretty big success, and so one year after "STING IN THE TAIL" they released this very one here, "COMEBLACK", a album full of rerecorded versions of a bunch of their old classics and with coverversions of their favorite songs respectively a bunch of them. Okay, and just for the record, also a double live CD had been released since their final last album and now a "MTV UNPLUGGED" affair is in the making. Okay, so much to the last final album thing... but I think we all now the story from some other ''occasions'', not only from the SCORPIONS. They rerecorded their old classicks "RHYTHM OF LOVE", "NO ONE LIKE YOU", "THE ZOO", "ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE", "BLACKOUT", "WIND OF CHANGE", and "STILL LOVING YOU". Okay, beside "STILL LOVING YOU" and the totally unnecessary "WIND OF CHANGE" definitely also all mighty classicks in my book. Coverversions they had recorded and done of "TAINTED LOVE", "CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION", "ACROSS THE UNIVERSE", "TIN SOLDIER", "ALL DAY AND ALL OF THE NIGHT", and "RUBY TUESDAY". Okay, the coverversions, hm, let us say about or think of them as a heartfelt affair of them, hm, but beside the T-REX cover "CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION" (great original one, really strong covertune) they are all anything but necessary or something like this. Not done bad or so, but simply nothing you need on a record at home. But their rerecordings are really great and especially the guitar department add a lot of sense and character and quality to the old famous classics and make them really shine one more time again, especially "RHYTHM OF LOVE", "NO ONE LIKE YOU", "THE ZOO", "ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE", and "BLACKOUT". Just damn fucking great amazing Hardrock of the finest kind, period. Okay, let's get it straight, all in all this album is anything but necessary and surely more sort of a fan milking affair than anything else, but I got it for a small price in a store near by and if you are into Hardrock and/or a SCORPIONS fan than you can get it calmly anyway because you will surely enjoy it like me.
(8 of 10 points)
(http://www.the-scorpions.com/german/)

TAKEN BY FORCE - "WE WILL REMAIN"
("D.I.Y."; MP3-Online-Download-Release)
(Get it here @ http://www.hardboiledzine.com/2013/05/demo-daze-reapers-path-conqueror-taken.html):
Here's a band that I discovered one more time due to the mighty "HARDBOILED WEBZINE" site (http://www.hardboiledzine.com/) and which I pretty sure wouldn't have come to known without this great site. This is a Hardcore band from Australia and this is their so far 2013 output entitled "WE WILL REMAIN" and for all what I do see or know this is a pure D.I.Y. thing and don't ask me if there are any physical copies around. I just know of the MP3 Download that the "HARDBOILED WEBZINE" guys offer (it's the link you can find here above as the download opportunity) and I just hope that this is a sort of a official link for which the band gave their okay and if not so... who knows... just drop a line or two with leaving a comment and I will take care of what-ever. Okay, TAKEN BY FORCE give us five songs in about twelve minutes and the order of the day is no bullshit taking, no prisoners making, no regrets knowing, no mercy showing real deal heavy and moshing metallic bad ass Hardcore that will make you totally go nuts if bands like TERROR, KNUCKLEDUST, FOLSOM, and BACKFIRE!, as well as AGNOSTIC FRONT, BARCODE, HATEBREED, and HOODS are way up high on your personal favorite playlist. Demolishing heavy and agressive, forceful raging and powerful moshing guitars, dry and throaty shouted brutal lead vocals, and a bulky and beefy rhythm section to back it all up heavily, back up chants on top of it. Short kept and to the point played anyway despise the shortness nicely diverse songs, all clever arranged and grappingly written, delivered by skilled musicians (and songwriters, too), and all in all a band that really deserves to get a good fair proper record deal, point and fact. They do it all already nicely their very own way and without copying anyone or anything, and I don't know what to say/write here and now more, I can only highly recommend this release and band to you. Good lyrics, cool artwork, and a really strong production/recording sound we get on top of it all for free. So by any means, if you are into Hardcore musick then just make sure you know about these great guys from Down Under, period. Great!!! HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!
(9 of 10 points)
(https://www.facebook.com/takenbyforce?ref=ts&fref=ts)

U.D.O. - "SOLID"
("GUN RECORDS" & "AFM RECORDS"; CD)
(2013 Rerelease edition of this album originally from 1997.):
Stumbled upon this CD some months ago and remembered the boneshaker "INDEPENDENCE DAY" that was respectively is on it, in fact as the opener of this very album here. I decided to just grab and buy it, and so I did. And thankfully I did so. Originally released in 1997 this album was lost somewhere totally under my radar, beside the above mentioned song, like also all the other U.D.O. stuff. I mean ACCEPT had been of some importance for me, clearly and surely and without a doubt, but U.D.O., the "solo" band of Udo Dirkschneider, legendary singer of the legendary ACCEPT, I had never placed in my book. Never really listened to. Why ever. But now, when I saw this disc and remembered the hard rocking bulldozer Heavy Metal stomper "INDEPENDENCE DAY", yes, then I was somehow just totally blown away and simply got it. And, like already said, thankfully I did so and got it. This Rerelease of "SOLID" is part of a Anniversary Re-Release series that includes, I think so, all U.D.O. albums so far, but please just better don't ask me of what kind of anniversary we are talking here, I don't know about it. The rerelease features four bonus songs, three audio songs and one video track, "INDEPENDENCE DAY" in a live version and as a video track and demo versions of "WARCHILD" and "MAD DOGS AND LOADED GUNS", while the original album features eleven regular tracks. And this are eleven bonedry skullcracking tracks of hard rocking stomping teutonic Heavy Metal filled to the max with dry throated aggressive and brutal sung totally charismatic crowbar lead vocals, larger than life refrains, outstanding harsh, heavy and full power high skilled guitar work, thundering drumming and pulsating bass lines, no fancy trendy crap, no kindergarten bullshit, no shit taking and no compromises making teutonic Heavy Metal music somewhere between ACCEPT, AC/DC, and RUNNING WILD with a strong own unique character and still fresh and standing strong and proud also today. How great this music named Heavy Metal can be you see and hear here. Strong lyrics, cool artwork, great production sound, high skilled musicians and grapping and diverse songwriting. This one here is highly recommended to anyone into Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, point and fact.
(9 of 10 points)
(http://www.udo-online.com/)

WISDOM IN CHAINS - "THE MISSING LINKS"
("I SCREAM RECORDS"; CD)
(Originally released in 2012.):
I totally missed out on the 2011 EP or 7'' "POCONO GHOST" and I also haven't in mind yet that "EVERYTHING YOU KNOW" (my review on it from back then in the days of 2010 you can find here: http://manslaughterthuglife.blogspot.de/2010/07/for-rest-of-my-time-on-earth-ill-chase.html) is now already four years old with being released back then already in 2009. Damn it, how fast time marches on... It's weird, but when I look at my ever ongroing record collection then I realize more and more that I already came a long way from back then up to now and this current day... Okay, but here's now not the place and also not the time to become nostalgic and melancholic. Haha, don't worry, calm down, haha;-). Nah, this is and will be a review on the last year's album by WISDOM IN CHAINS. I missed out on it untill May 2013 when I finally bought and got it. Way too late for it to become a part of my top ten album list of 2012, and you know what, otherwise it would have been definitely part of it, and a very prominent part after I have to admit that it would have gotten the place ranked no. # two. And who knows, maybe they would have managed to even conquer the place ranked no. # one. Who knows... Okay, with that said, what do we get here? Thirteen songs in about forty-four minutes, filled with not only one of the best but the best Hardcore of today. Despise the evergroing flood of different and maybe also not so different styles of Hardcore today it's easy to see, hear, and say that, yes, that: WISDOM IN CHAINS are the damn best fucking Hardcore band of today, period. They grew on and grew on over all the years and they cultivated themselves and what they do, their music, their lyrics, their message, their style, more and more over all the years to finally become this Hardcore masterpiece that they are today. And what they already showcased on their last full length from 2009, "EVERYTHING YOU KNOW", they showcase even by far more here and now on and with "THE MISSING LINKS" from 2012, and it seems and feels to me only consequent and logical. (And like I've said I don't know the "POCONO GHOST" 7'' from 2011, so don't nail me on that, that's just my perception, and I get it from the two mentioned full length WISDOM IN CHAINS albums.) And what I mean is how incredible strong and by all means justified self-confident they became over the years, which they demonstrate how they manage it to open their music so far like they did and (hopefully also in the future still) do so and how damn strong they are in creating their very, very own thing, making Hardcore and their definition of it totally their very own. Musicwise they take Hardcore as their foundament, raised on NYHC like SICK OF IT ALL and AGNOSTIC FRONT and MADBALL and on Boston Hardcore in the tradition of BLOOD FOR BLOOD and also DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR, and they keep it and hold it dear to their hearts, adding also few Holy Terror Hardcore a la INTEGRITY like influences into the mix, and they hold it all dear and close to their hearts, without a doubt, but they enrich and cultivate it with melting it together with strong doses of Metal influences they draw from various genres and bands out of Metal musick from old METALLICA to somehow very clearly by classical Heavy Metal influenced rhythm arrangements especially in the verses parts of some of their songs, as well as with strong epic and somewhat somehow proggy classical 1970's Rock impressions, and here and their surely some good healthy doses of Punkrock and Oi!/Streetpunk influences also still come into play as well as they showcase their love for and knowledge of and skills in Rap/Hip Hop., and they manage to form out of it a through and through consentaneous composed form of music, of Hardcore music that you won't hear anywhere else. Not that way. Not that good. Not that great. Not more than great. Not like here. They build it all around the incredible larger than life damn charismatic lead voacls that differ from brutal shoutings to hymnal sung aggressive shants, as well as around the incredible tight and heavy, hard and brutal yet damn symphonic and melodic, diverse and rich on variations being high skilled guitar work, and all is backed up by a skullcracking and bonesmashing dustdry and tons of steel weighing heavy rhythm section, a beefy und bulky machinery working precise and diverse and tight and right in time to the point. And on this foundament they work with symphonic guitar leads, classical and somewhat proggy Rock and Metal arrangements, larger than life goosepimples for free non stop offering melody lines, great arranged and composed amazingly strong flowing Rap vocal lines, breath taking intense and tight atmosphere that otherwise only a band like INTEGRITY knows how to create, and even by far and much, much more. You simply just have to discover it all by yourself, it's too much and gets too hard for me to describe in english, a language that's not my native one. But trust me, this is a very special and a totally unique one that needs and wants and deserves to be discovered in its whole overwhelming beauty and quality/class by yourself and not through my words, with which I can only draw a anyhow anyway too uncomplete picture of it here and now for you. Just one last thing: This is overwhelming awesome and amazing!!! Also the lyrics, very diverse and detailed and covering a wide distance of topics, totally rule and conquer, absolutely know to convince, first class stuff, and the same is to say to/about the phenomenal strong artwork of the album, and the high quality first class production sound is just purest platinum, point and fact. What I also love is the clear antifascist standpoint of WISDOM IN CHAINS but that comes without any fingerpointing and without any AFA propaganda bullshit, thumbs up, that's always good and righteous and still necessary. Ah, and also this typical HC cliché tingel-tangel crap bullshit thing you won't find here in and with WISDOM IN THE CHAINS, because they know it better and keep it 150% authentic and with this also sympathic instead of creating a false oh so tough gimickly image build up on and around bullshit false HC stereotypes and clichés of today. My personal favorites on this very one here are definitely "GHOST OF BUDDY" , "THE MISSING LINKS (ANNUNAKI GENETICS)" (that is also featured as a bonus song in its instrumental version, "VICTORIUM", which is also one of my favorite tracks up here), "TOP OF THE WORLD" (feat. SLAINE), "SLEEP", "DEFEND PROTECT", "PEACE TO MY FAMILY", "DON'T BRING ME DOWN", and "BLACK OUT THE SKY", but also hell sure the other songs on this very own here absolutely totally conquer all and everything. So, okay, nothing left what I could say now more here, this is an album that I consider to be an album that you must have, so if you maybe still don't have it then don't think twice but just get it, it's the best of the best, period. WISDOM IN CHAINS are without a doubt the best Hardcore band of today. And also beside Hardcore they are one of the very best bands of today, no matter which genre you may pick. Breathtaking and amazing, just totally awesome, period. HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!
(10 of 10 points)
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