Hey folks, what's up?!? You see, back again, and hey, just one week after the last post already a new one comes up, haha, seems like this blog here is really breathing new life again. Like I've said last week, it took me a week or so to finish a new post and bring it up here. If you ask why then it is very easy to answer to it: Work. I've started my new work this week on Monday and I simply had too much to do so far so that it wasn't possible for me to bring something new earlier up here. Okay, anyway, because here and now a new post is coming up. Again it's a record review post, a package post, too. And at least another one will follow also on this one here, simply because I have so many records that are desperately waiting to be finally reviewed by me for you up here and so I will do. This post will be of the same kind like the last one, which means that it will more or less deal mostly with releases that had been send to me via one way or another in this format or that format by the bands or labels who recorded and released it, after this at least one more record reviews post, also a package post, will follow in a week or so dealing mostly with all the releases that I bought over the last months. And now enough of the introducing small talk, right and straight and direct into the action. Ah, just one last thing: THANKS TO ALL THE BANDS & LABELS THAT KEPT ON AND KEEP ON SENDING ME THEIR MUSIC FOR REVIEWING IT, THANKS A LOT GUYS, THAT'S GREAT OF YOU!!! (PS: And sorry that it took so long in this case, but, okay, like already said before up here, this blog was dead for some months, that's it, and so it took far longer than usually.)
RECORD REVIEWS: OCTOBER 2013 - MARCH 2014; PT. II
DEAD END STREET - "DEAD END STREET"
("AGGROBEAT RECORDS" & HELLNATION"; 7'' EP)
(Released in the autumn of 2013.)
Cool shit, that the pretty young label (at least so my knowledge about it) "AGGROBEAT RECORDS" from the Netherlands send to me via mail, and so a big "THX!!!" goes out to the Netherlands, yes, for sending me this 7'' release of this italian Oi! roughnecks (beside a bunch of other records that will be also part of this review package here and now, so just stay tuned for more Oi! and Streetpunk to come right here, right now). DEAD END STREET were unknown to me before, but what shall I say, everyone makes mistakes. And it is good that this now finally is changed due to this little hard knocking Oi! Oi! Oi! boneshaker release. DEAD END STREET are from Italy and even they are still a pretty new band the guys in the band are all veterans to the Oi!, Punk, and Hardcore scenery. What once started as a fun band side project by former guys of PAYBACK and COLONNA INFAME soon became a proper full band going strong, and they already played shows together with for example ARGY BARGY, NABAT, and KLASSE KRIMINALE. And now here it is, their debut release, a 7'' vinyl EP released by "AGGROBEAT RECORDS" from the Netherlands and "HELLNATION" from Italy in cooperation. On this EP that comes with a pretty cool artwork by the guys from the shop "PSYCHO TATTOO" (who ever may know them...) delivers us four songs in around ten minutes, two songs on each side of the vinyl. And DEAD END STREET play a damn great sort of hard rockin' and dirty rollin' Oi! Oi! Oi! music with clear American Oi! influences and also even clear street raised Rock & Roll influences. Sharp, harsh, dry, yet damn catchy and melodic guitars, great powerful and also pretty melodic yet still hard and throaty enough charismatic vocals, hymnal arranged vocal lines, some strong back ups and really great refrain parts, as well as a powerful roaring and stomping rhythm section make the music of DEAD END STREET. On top energetic and grapping songwriting, and all done and delivered by skilled musicians, and you really here that they aren't around just since yesterday. Also cool lyrics, a gorgeous artwork, and a perfect matching production sound on top of it. If you love THE CORPS and you can't resist the almighty THE WRETCHED ONES and also love some good old THE BRUISERS then make sure to get a copy of this vinyl gem and make sure to have DEAD END STREET on your radar screen, but also keep in mind that thankfully DEAD END STREET are everything but a damn copy'n'paste band, just to point that out. Great stuff!!! Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi! /// Andy
PS: Collectors facts = 320 copies had been pressed in black, and just 20 copies in orange, and then that's it, so make sure to be quick to finally get one of this to 340 pieces limited gem as soon as possible, in case you still don't have one.
(9 of 10 points)
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DRIFTER - "SEPARATE GRAVES"
("D.I.Y."; MP3-Online + Download-Release)
(Released 23th of July of 2013.)
(Download: http://drifter505.bandcamp.com/album/separate-graves /// Up for downloading as a name your price download.)
DRIFTER are a band that wrote me an e-mail a while ago, giving me a link to their Bandcamp site and asking me for reviewing their stuff. And so, there I went and here I go. Delivered like asked, maybe just a little bit later... For all what I do see up there on their Bandcamp site they released this album all the D.I.Y. way, and they are from Albuquerque, New Mexico/U.S.A. and they have also released their third (?) and anyhow new album just two months ago (review will follow). Ah, and for all what I know this is their second album, but I am not 100% sure about it, so don't nail me on that. But what I know is that they play some sort of Screamo and Post (Hard-) Core music, and if you now may think: "Fuck, Screamo, it's bullshit!!! And post what?!? Fuck it!!!" Then that's okay because it's your taste and opinion and who am I too judge, hm, but in the case of DRIFTER this thinking would be totally wrong, period. Here they do give us four songs in sort of around eleven to twelve minutes. It's very energetic and dynamic, pretty intense and emotional music that reminds me of bands like the mighty TORCHBEARER, just for example, and they surely don't need to hind behind them. Also when I listen especially to the guitar parts bands like 454 BIG BLOCK and KALEL come to my mind, also in the playing together with the intense and pretty extreme hyterical scream and shout vocals with this suffering undertone. All is marked by nested arrangements and truckloads of silence/loudness-dynamics-playings, filled with the mentioned suffering lead vocals, crashing as well as playful guitars that mark the songs and the dynamics of them largely, and also with a stunning and totally precise rhythm section. With all that heavy, edged, and bulky guitar work that leaves no room for classic flowing stuff and the nested arrangements of the songs also fans of stuff like NEUROSIS will surely like DRIFTER a lot if they just give them a fair try and one or two good rounds. The sort of melancholic and maybe even depressing but anyhow intense and incredible devastate atmosphere just adds up to it all. That this guys are strong at songwriting and also really strong skilled musicians needs no further explanation. To the lyrics I can't say anything of worth and value and so I'll rather spare me every word more about it, but the (cover-) artwork is a nice one, and the production sound really shines. If you should have (still) any prejudices concerning Screamo (and Post Core stuff as well), hm, then you really should better make up your mind, and why not start to change this at least a bit right here with DRIFTER?!? Strong band, strong album. Cheers. /// Andy
(8 of 10 points)
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DRIFTER - "2014 DEMO"
("D.I.Y."; MP3-Online + Download-Release)
(Released at the 24th of January of 2014.)
(Download: http://drifter505.bandcamp.com/album/2014demo /// Up for downloading as a name your price download.)
And here's the for all what I know third DRIFTER release so far titled just short "2014 DEMO" and it was released just sort of two months ago in the January of this very year of 2014, for all what I would say also again straight up all the D.I.Y. way. Ah, and don't ask me if there are any physical copies of it floating around (and ask me this please also not in case of their before reviewed album). Not much changes to be noticed, no drastic changes to announce and describe. Just a steadying of the quality, style, standard, and also of the passion of their songs and musick, and so this little word ''just'' is really a truly big ''JUST'', if you get what I mean. They made it all even a little bit more intense and they irritate the borders of conventional songwriting and more or less usual dynamics of silence and loudness even a bit more than the last time, but still they manage to keep some sort of a flow in their songs and the writings of them, and the lead singer is really puking out his heart and soul through and with his hysterical and suffering screamings. This is clearly something of interest and value for fans of bands like TORCHBEARER as well as for those of stuff like NEUROSIS, and they tend even more into this whole Post (Hard-) Core direction than before, and this is a good move by them, if you ask me. I can only recommend this little album to you, again a strong release offered by DRIFTER, a band we should all have one or two eyes and ears on. That's it, I'll keep it short this time, the general description of their music how it seems and feels to me you find in the review before and the development of DRIFTER between this two albums I've described also enough, at least I do think so, yes, so that's it for this one here and now. Recommend album anyhow anyway. I just ask me, if all the labels outta there are deaf...!!! Cheers. /// Andy
(9 of 10 points)
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DRIFTER - "THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR ME HERE"
("D.I.Y."; MP3-Online + Download-Release)
(Released at the 18th of January of 2013.)
(Download: http://drifter505.bandcamp.com/album/there-is-nothing-left-for-me-here /// Up as a free official download.)
And after I reviewed already their second and third albums right before I will now also let their for what I know debut release become a part of this post and blog right here and now. This is pretty interesting, especially for getting an idea about the development of a band, in this case of DRIFTER, to have a closer look on their discographie in a row. Their style somewhere between Screamo and Post (Hard-) Core with all the above also already described trademarks, that are surely more or less sort of typical trademarks of that genre(s) or kind(s) of musick, so no need to repeat it all, just read the review on their "SEPARATE GRAVES" album above. But while they started to move more and more into the Post (Hard-) Core direction with their "SEPARATE GRAVES" album and especially with their this years demo here on their debut they are still far more grounded in Screamo and Emo as well, and the songwriting is partly not so much nested (like it is today) but in truth more of sort of distracted when it should have been nested, and such a crappy song like "COLD WOOD FLOORS" you won't find on their two follow up releases no matter how hard you search for it and how hard you want to find one. Don't get me wrong, "THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR ME HERE" is by no means a bad album and it will please especially Screamo (and Emo) fans in a total way, at least I guess so, but how good they really are and what they hold really in store they showed us all just later on with their so far two following releases. They got more tight, more precise, more focussed, and simply better since this one here, but after it is also still a nice shot, it's up for free, and also a nice little lesson in history you can also calmly give this one a shot without risking your ears, even I like them going more into that Post Core direction without a doubt a bit more. And especially all the Screamo (/Emo) kids will probably love this album. Ah, and also in this case don't you ask me if there are any physical copies of it floating (still?) somewhere around. Cheers. /// Andy
(7 of 10 points)
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HALBSTARKE JUNGS & THE WARRIROS - "SPLIT"
("AGGROBEAT RECORDS"; 12'' LP)
(Released during the autumn of 2013.)
(Collectors fact: Limited quantity to 525 copies.)
Here's the next that the great guys of "AGGROBEAT RECORDS" send to me for reviewing via mail. It's a teaming up split release with the young german Oi! band HALBSTARKE JUNGS occupying one side of the vinyl and the legendary Oi! warhorses from England of THE WARRIORS the other one. Two different covers, one to each side (I've chosen the one of the THE WARRIORS side, simply because I like it more, that's it), and the HALBSTARKE JUNGS do deliver four songs in all on their side of the vinyl, and if I understood it correct then they have rerecorded four songs of them this time in English, and- let me say so much already this early in this review- this was a really good move. THE WARRIORS then give us six songs on their side. This makes ten songs in total, and this ten songs run through in around thirty-five minutes of playing respectively running time of the vinyl. Okay, let us start with the HALBSTARKE JUNGS, the young german Oi! band running riot here on this split. They play a sound comparable to the KRAWALLBRÜDER before they totally turned to metallic Deutsch (which means: German) Rock, but sound more tight and more focussed and by far more through and through Oi! like the KRAWALLBRÜDER already back then. (I talk about the "IN DUBIO PRO REO" phase in the existence of the KRAWALLBRÜDER, just that you know it.) Hard and heavy and mercyless forward pushing angry and pissed off Oi! Oi! Oi! musick filled with harsh stunning pretty diverse guitars, a heavy buzzing bass, tight and hard stomping drumming, and pissed off pretty brutal vocals. The three rerecorded songs in English are really strong, but the original one of them in German is just not that much my cup of tea, but that's just a matter of personal taste because anyhow good done is that song as well. Nothing anyhow of or like changing the formula or so, but something really good, to point that out, and so I'll now keep it short. Don't know more by them so far, but this four songs made me really hungry for more. Good lyrics on top of it, and also a strong "Nazis fuck off!!!" good night white pride message as well. Thumbs up. Their artwork rocks as well (even I like the one of THE WARRIORS still a bit more), and the production sound just makes my thumbs go up. Really good stuff, and so they get well deserved eight out of ten points. Then come the old veterans of THE WARRIORS, that are today in Germany pretty often and this means by far too often labelled R.A.C., it's ridiculous, you know, I know, so anyhow. What shall I say here that wasn't said before on which place ever, even in an older review on one of their older split releases some years ago: This is Oi!, Old School England Oi!, stoic stomping, loud and proud, patriotic, rebellious, Working Class, outspoken, and pissed off as fuck. Hammering dry and harsh guitars, pulsating sawing bass, thunderous loud forward marching drums, broad back up chants and sing a longs, and those typical snotty smart and hard charismatic lead vocals on top of it. A sound of their own, and a sound and style that will anyhow please the gusto of all the ones in love with good old english as well as british Oi! like the (original) 4 SKINS, THE LAST RESORT, and the COCKNEY REJECTS, to name just them as examples, but also a sound and style that still offers surprises like for example the Offbeat rhythm and SKA licks of "KEEP IT REAL", a real hymn. All delivered via intense songwriting and by well-versed musicians, and all done with that for english and british musick typical stoic approach, great. On top of it strong outspoken lyrics (and in "WATCH YOU'RE BACK" they use some lyric lines that once had been also used by BETTER DEAD THAN RED in one of their nowadays already older songs, don't ask me what's the deal with that or the story behind it anyhow), great artwork, and beautifully earthy and warm production sound. We get also a nice done cover tune of the forever immortalized THE LAST RESORT classick "VIOLENCE IN OUR MINDS". They get eight out of ten points, too, and especially "KEEP IT REAL" totally rules and also shines with a great guitar work and in particular and especially the guitar solo is pure gold. This makes it in whole also eight out of ten points and I can only recommend it to every Oi! fan and Oi! addict outta there. Really a damn good split album, point and fact. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi! /// Andy
(8 of 10 points)
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MINORIA ACTIVA - "DONDE NADIE PERTENECE"
("D.I.Y."; full length release)
(Already a little bit older.)
(Record facts: Twenty one songs in sixty eight minutes of running time.)
A band from Argentina who wrote me and asked to write about them respectively to review their current album up here and who send me their album via mail at the beginning of this very year of 2014. Unfortunately I got my e-mail account hacked (- Really!!!) and due to this bullshit I've lost some mails and with this some informations. And one mail was the one by the band with all the informations about them and this album. So sorry that I can't give you a proper introduction to them, but bad luck striked. I only remember that this album is already a little bit older and is or was all self released the D.I.Y. way of doing such things like releasing an album, ah, and they are from Argentina, from Buenos Aires exactly. I hope I got it all right. Hm, and or but please don't ask me, for example, in which form and which way this album was released, or something else like this. Ah, and to/for the band two things: (1.) Sorry, that you had to wait for the review on your record a bit (and also sorry for that I failed to answer you, in parts due to the above mentioned bad luck, and in other parts due to me being sometimes a lazy bastard). (2.) Thanks for sending me your album that I probably would otherwise have never ever listened to. Okay, back to the topic, the review on MINORIA ACTIVA's "DONDE NADIE PERTENECE" album. This is a great and really strong album, some really interesting, diverse, multiple varying, and pretty much more or less always grapping album full of different heavy and also emotional music styles mixing Hardcore (Old and New School), thrashing Tribal Metal a la SEPULTURA and SOULFLY, Nu Metal a la ILL NINO, strong forward going exploding diverse and dynamic HC Punk like for example the RAIMUNDOS (from Brazil), and also even some Ethno Rock stuff into one great tasting and more than well flowing diverse and fresh, interesting and surprising cocktail of great Hardcore/Metal/Punk music, without any songwriting breaks, boring fills, or atificially tingle-tangle crap, all is done fresh, sympathic, authentic, and damn heavy and intense. Crushing guitars, full power vocals, damn loud gang shouts, and a thundering rhythm section, all wrapped up into strong songwriting, delivered by very skilled musicians, and all dressed up in a powerful production sound. A very stand-alone band that refuses to be compared to who else ever. That's how I like it. To every one especially into Hardcore, Metal, and also heavy HC Punk music I can simply only highly- and I mean really highly(!!!)- recommend this fucking strong damn great album, so simple is it, and so I will keep it short right now and pretty much end this review with this words. To the lyrics I can't basically say anything due to the language barrier, and to the proudtcion sound I've already said what there was to say. Ah, and the (cover-) artwork is just phenomenal, I simply love it (like the band and album, too). And I only can imagine how great this band must be live up on stage...Want some last words, some closing words? Get it!!! (From where the hell ever...) And best get it now, period. Hardcore!!! Fist!!! Cheers. /// Andy
(9 of 10 points)
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Update, something like six hours later, the same day:
RUNNIN' RIOT - "BOOTS & BALLADS"
("REBEL SOUND MUSIC"; LP)
(Released by the end of 2013.)
(Re-Edition facts: Originally released in 2009 on CD sees this album now it's second run on vinyl with this LP reedition. 500 copies at all: 200 black vinyl; 200 red vinyl; 100 white vinyl. The first time on vinyl it was limited to 300 copies, released by the Ireland based label of "PUNKERAMA" back then in 2011.)
Uh, I somehow really nearly forgot about this one. Lucky enough that I stumbled upon this mistake so soon, so that this album and the review on it still can become a part of this post of today. RUNNIN' RIOT from Belfast, now running riot ;-) for nearly twenty years, and it's good to see a band like this still around. Catchy, hymnal, melodic Oi! of the first class kind. Large, and I mean really large melodic guitar work with great anthemic arranged strong rocking and rolling riffing and even greater melodic leads and really singing solos, catchy as fuck but yet still with a sharp heavyness that comes more like a short warm slap to the face, not like a brutal hit with a cold concrete sledgehammer on the head, that's the biggest trademark of the music of RUNNIN' RIOT, together with the charismatic pretty hard yet still really and also somehow melodic sung lead vocals that are enriched by nice loud back up chantings. The rhythm section acts their part damn great, tight, precise, nicely varying and nicely relaxed, perfect. The songwriting is great, the songs totally filled with power and drive, full throttle energy and attitude without end, we get damn mighty and damn large sing a longs delivered for that hell a lot of other bands outta there would murder, here and there also some charming "CHISWICK" influences come into play when the guitar riffing starts to really shine, and that this veterans are really skilled musicians should be clear anyhow and is here by me just named for the record. Their bandname they carry not without a reason, so COCK SPARRER are surely an influence for them, like for legions of other bands as well. RUNNIN' RIOT manage anyhow to do their own thing and to be a really independent band of their own, maybe somewhere to be located between good old England Oi! like COCK SPARRER, some Pub Rock (obvious), and some good healthy doses of melodic American Oi!/Streetpunk like for example THE HARRINGTON SAINTS, YELLOW STITCHES, and some- if we look just at the guitar work- some PRESSURE POINT as well. Out of this they create their own thing, and I should say more precise: Their own great thing, point and fact. Cool and smart lyrics on top of it, a nice artwork as well, and a pure gold earthy and warm production sound, too. What shall I say or write more, if you should don't have it then it is now the time to change this. A great, a really great album, RUNNIN' RIOT rule okay... totally supreme... totally okay!!! Btw, we get eleven songs in around 42 minutes. Ah, I received this album via mail from Brett Hole of "BLACK HOLE RECORDS" for reviewing it (and so I finally did with this review here), and so: Thanks very much man. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi! /// Andy
(9 of 10 points)
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SHAMELESS - "GUILTY"
("REBEL SOUND" & "LAST ROCKERS"; Picture LP)
(Released somewhere between the late end of 2013 and the early beginning of 2014.)
(Record facts: Eleven songs, thrity-three minutes of running time.)
French Oi! is now up. A to me new band from our european neighbors with a album recorded in 2012 on picture vinyl, a beautiful designed piece, released via "REBEL SOUND" and "LAST ROCKERS". This album was sent to me by Brett Hole and "BLACK HOLE RECORDS", and thanks very much for it. I am usually not the biggest fan of Oi! from France and so I am anything but a expert concerning this specific genre/kind of (Oi!) music, but who cares, because what one should care about is this album because it is really a killer album. Pretty diverse and nicely varying melodic, catchy, and anthemic yet still pretty heavy and hard Oi! filled with a great walking and talking very present bass, heavy guitar riffs and large melodies and leads, a massive amount of hymnal polyphonic parts that invite us to sing a long to on and on, and great smoky and throaty, dry and hard yet somehow still melodic sung lead vocals, while the tight and old school styled stomping and marching drums come also nice into play and make it all round. I like this specific composition of the songs out of the mentioned single parts very much, and what I like even more is the fact that they know very well to nicely change their songs and songwriting all the time bit for bit here and there to keep it all fresh and grapping, not like they would do any extreme breaks or too drastic changes of and in their music, but they keep it all fresh and sort of surprising over the complete running time of this vinyl gem. And this is just great, even more because they know how to do it with keeping their music very old school (without becoming boring retro crap) and also sort of minimalistic. I really like it a lot. Since I am not that much of an expert concerning French Oi!, like already above mentioned, I can't really name you any bands to compare them with, to me they are a pretty fresh and independently band, even especially the leads are very french to me, even this now isn't making that much sense after all, maybe ;-) ... Good lyrics we get on top of it all (they sing in english, so that's no problem, especially after the clean vocals are very good to understand), as well as a dirty perfect production sound, and a just beautiful artwork. This album is highly, and I mean really and truly highly, recommended to you, great band, great album, period. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi! /// Andy
(9 of 10 points)
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THE SHAME - "TULSA OLD SCHOOL"
("AGGROBEAT RECORDS"; Mini-CD)
(Released at the 18th of November 2013.)
(Collectors fact: Released in a limited edition of 300 copies, so if you want one and in case you still don't have it then better make sure to be quick before all the limited ressources are sold out.)
(Musicnerds fact: THE SHAME are pretty much the first Oi! band ever that worked together with the Punk fanzine/magazine "PROFANE EXISTENCE". Not that it would anyhow matter to me or that I think it would be anyhow important, but some may see it different, why ever, and so just for the record I pointed that out...)
THE SHAME started out and kicked it all off in 2011, when the Punk and Hardcore veterans that make THE SHAME and that before played in such bands like ASSEMBLY OF GOD, BROTHER INFERIO, and BRING DOWN THE HAMMER teamed up again to make music, like friends that are able to play and create music may do sometimes. When they did so back in 2011 they decided that it was about time for them to go back to their roots, to go back to Oi! and to give it a proper run, and finally so a new American Oi! band was brought to life and it was named THE SHAME. They recorded a bunch of six songs promptly and released them on various in parts also pretty obscure and rare compilations like "Oi! This is Streetpunk" Vol. III and "VOi!ce of America" Vol. II, as well as also on their own EP titled "THE WORLD IS OURS", and this is or was the above mentioned cooparation with "PROFANE EXISTENCE" (fanzine/magazine and label). And it seems that they also released a full album titled "THE PLAN". Honestly: I know none of the mentioned releases and THE SHAME had been totally unknown to me before. Seems like they are still active, and to gain some attention and momentum outside the States and especially over here in old mother Europe they joined forces with the young up and coming "AGGROBEAT RECORDS" ("THX!!!" for sending this album to me) label from the Netherlands and released all their six first ever recorded and released songs and also three of their already mentioned "THE PLAN" album on this nine songs containing album titled "TULSA OLD SCHOOL". Ah, and they are from Tulsa, Oklahoma/U.S.A., to get this also straight. Okay, now you should know with who and what we deal here and now with in form of THE SHAME and their sort of new old album of the title of "TULSA OLD SCHOOL". One thing that I don't really get is that whole soccer thing going on here, keep in mind that it's an U.S. American Oi! band and since when soccer is over there a big thing... (But maybe I'm wrong about it, if so, sorry, me and my ignorance then I guess) ... seems a bit like a joke/cliché and not really that much authentic... But beside this, this here is a good proof for Oi! running wild and going strong in 2013/2014, and hopefully this will go on. Great mixture out of British Hooligan Oi! and hard stomping American Oi!, somewhere to be located between THE BUSINESS, PATRIOT, and STARS & STRIPES. Fuck yes, and how could you ever go wrong with something like this?!? Right, you simply can't, point and fact. Quick and very well flowing played, hard and yet damn catchy melodic delivered guitar playing, buzzing bass and stomping drums, great sing a longs, loud and proud back up chants, and very charismatic lead vocals that place somewhere between STARS & STRIPES and THE HARRINGTON SAINTS. Good songwriters, skilled musicians, it's all (t)here. I really like it. I mean, it's nothing new and nothing anyhow formula changing, hell no, but who cares, it's some damn good shit and that's what matters at the end. If THE SHAME are unknown to you and if you are an Oi! Oi! Oi! lover especially with a faible for American Oi! then make sure to get a copy of this one. Nice lyrics and nice artwork anyhow (about this whole soccer thing I've said enough already above), and a full throttle high energy production sound. Clearly recommended to you, so make sure to get your hands on it. Ah, and btw, this nine song album has a running time of around twenty-three minutes, just for the record. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi! /// Andy
(8 of 10 points)
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TRIBÜNAL - "ALL HOPE IS LOST"
("D.I.Y."; Tape & MP3-Online + Download-Release)
(Released at the 30th of November of 2013.)
(Collectors fact: First edition on black tape is already sold out, second edition on white tape will be out soon respectively should already be out. The tapes include a download for free link as well.)
Yes, they are back, one of the rawest and most brutal bands that I discovered over the last years, TRIBÜNAL, the god free, drug free, and meat free D-Beat/Crustcore beast from Germany. After I reviewed last year there "F.T.W." slasher they wrote me at the end of the last year an e-mail and the rest is history, and anyhow here's my review on their newest album, titled "ALL HOPE IS LOST", released all the D.I.Y. way (again), and released on Tape as well as in form of a MP3 Download for a name your price pick up on their Bandcamp site. (The Tapes cost 3,00 Euros.) All in all they give us this time five new songs in around seven minutes of playing respectively running time. And this five new songs a are all out attack of raw, noisy, brutal, fast, loud, shredding, ripping, and crushing D-Beat/Crustcore musick for fans of the likes of DISGUST, for example. Brutal shredding guitars, sick and furious guttural shouted dry throated vocals, heavy sawing bass, and harsh hammering drumming non stopp, short and angry, pissed off and outraging short exploding song eruptions dominate the scenery.. Power, energy, dynamic, attitude, aggression, and brutal intensity without an end all the time. This is truly nothing else but a raw and intense as fuck D-Beat/Crustcore massacre that you will love if you are into this kind of musick. I am now waiting just for a proper full length of that quality of TRIBÜNAL and then I am really happy. Untill then I can only recommend this one to you. And then that's it, short little album, short little review on it. Cheers. /// Andy
(8 of 10 points)
(Copy the following link into your browser and then just go there: http://tribunal-dtakt.bandcamp.com/album/all-hope-is-lost)
VARIOUS ARTISTS - "Oi! MADE IN INDONESIA"
("AGGROBEAT RECORDS"; CD)
(Released at the 18th of November of the year 2013.)
(Record Facts: 25 songs in 74 minutes.)
A new sampler completly dedicated to the Indonesian Oi! scene, released by "AGGROBEAT RECORDS" who also send it to me via E-Mail. Thanks for this guys. This sampler offers us twenty-five songs in a total running time of seventy-four minutes. The title should best be enriched by Streetpunk and Punkrock, SKA and Hardcore because it is not only "Oi! MADE IN INDONESIA" but Streetpunk, Punkrock, SKA, and Hardcore as well that's featured on this disc, too. I am totally not familiar with the Oi!/HC/Streetpunk/SKA/Punk(rock) scenery of Indonesia and I feared to get some straight up bullshit stuff to listen to that "scores" with nothing than its exotic bonus. Hm, but I definitely was wrong with that aspectation. Because this is proper music dressed into a proper production sound. Surely, twenty five songs by thirteen bands (expect of one all bands are delivering two songs to this compilation), there simply can't be only gold, but most stuff really rocks and rules. My personal afvorites are for example the FULL TIME SKINHEADS (sort of the indonesian STAGE BOTTLES, musicwise and lyricwise, and also politically on the same page like they proof with their SKA/Oi! anthem "RED INDONESIAN SKINHEAD"), SPIRIT OF Oi! (melodic sing a long and dance to Oi! Oi! Oi! Punk), MOONSTOMP (brutal Hardcore stompers, and not to be confused with the larger than life American Oi! legends), the STA-PREST BOYS (heavy hitting Brickwall Oi!, CONDEMNED 84 as well as the GLORY BOYS are surely no strangers to them), SKINLANDER (fast paced pogo Oi! Punk), THE NAG NAG NAG (great female fronted and strong rocking Oi! of the catchy and melodic kind... slightly comparable to DEADLINE... before they turned into a ridiculous farce), and DOM65 (powerful and very well-versed Skinhead Rock & Roll), but check the bands out for and by yourself, you may see it different or so. A good comp anyhow that you can calmly grab a copy of if you find it. Ah, after it is a compilation I won't say anything about the lyrics, not to talk about politics or what bullshit the hell may else ever. The Old School "SKINHEAD ANTHEMS" styled artwork rules, and all bands deliver their songs in a pretty and surprisingly strong production sound. Good comp, so check it out. Or better get it anyhow anyway promptly. Cheers & Oi! /// Andy
(8 of 10 points)
(Copy the following link into your browser and then just go there: https://www.facebook.com/aggrobeat?fref=ts)
Okay folks, that's it for now for this one. I will try to bring up the next record reviews package post again latest next weekend what means latest next sunday... but anyhow as soon as possible. We will see if I will be able to bring it up earlier this coming week but I'm not so sure about it so better don't wait for it untill next weekend or so and so maybe untill latest next sunday.
If anything little will come up between this two record reviews package posts I don't know by now but I've planned nothing like this, so don't wait for something else.
The next record reviews post or also posts will concentrate on all the physical releases that I bought and got over the last month and it will focuss on different artists like from SUFFER THE PAIN over DISCHARGER and BACKTRACK to A TRAITOR LIKE JUDAS, and from UGLY KID JOE over PRO-PAIN and CALIBAN to PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS as well as from KROKUS to SCHILLER. So you see, a lot of albums dawning at the horizon to come up here and with this also a lot of different genres and kinds of music.
Okay, that's it, thanks for your time and interest, thanks for reading this reviews. Hopefully you've enjoyed it and maybe you've stumbled upon a band or record that you didn't know of so far and you now feel the need to change this. Anyhow, more soon up here, so stay tuned.
Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi! /// Andy
PS: Collectors facts = 320 copies had been pressed in black, and just 20 copies in orange, and then that's it, so make sure to be quick to finally get one of this to 340 pieces limited gem as soon as possible, in case you still don't have one.
(9 of 10 points)
(Copy the following links into your browser and then just go there: https://www.facebook.com/aggrobeat?fref=ts + https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dead-End-Street/101022083331802?ref=profile + https://www.facebook.com/pages/HELLNATION-Store/143426122415136?fref=ts)
("D.I.Y."; MP3-Online + Download-Release)
(Released 23th of July of 2013.)
(Download: http://drifter505.bandcamp.com/album/separate-graves /// Up for downloading as a name your price download.)
DRIFTER are a band that wrote me an e-mail a while ago, giving me a link to their Bandcamp site and asking me for reviewing their stuff. And so, there I went and here I go. Delivered like asked, maybe just a little bit later... For all what I do see up there on their Bandcamp site they released this album all the D.I.Y. way, and they are from Albuquerque, New Mexico/U.S.A. and they have also released their third (?) and anyhow new album just two months ago (review will follow). Ah, and for all what I know this is their second album, but I am not 100% sure about it, so don't nail me on that. But what I know is that they play some sort of Screamo and Post (Hard-) Core music, and if you now may think: "Fuck, Screamo, it's bullshit!!! And post what?!? Fuck it!!!" Then that's okay because it's your taste and opinion and who am I too judge, hm, but in the case of DRIFTER this thinking would be totally wrong, period. Here they do give us four songs in sort of around eleven to twelve minutes. It's very energetic and dynamic, pretty intense and emotional music that reminds me of bands like the mighty TORCHBEARER, just for example, and they surely don't need to hind behind them. Also when I listen especially to the guitar parts bands like 454 BIG BLOCK and KALEL come to my mind, also in the playing together with the intense and pretty extreme hyterical scream and shout vocals with this suffering undertone. All is marked by nested arrangements and truckloads of silence/loudness-dynamics-playings, filled with the mentioned suffering lead vocals, crashing as well as playful guitars that mark the songs and the dynamics of them largely, and also with a stunning and totally precise rhythm section. With all that heavy, edged, and bulky guitar work that leaves no room for classic flowing stuff and the nested arrangements of the songs also fans of stuff like NEUROSIS will surely like DRIFTER a lot if they just give them a fair try and one or two good rounds. The sort of melancholic and maybe even depressing but anyhow intense and incredible devastate atmosphere just adds up to it all. That this guys are strong at songwriting and also really strong skilled musicians needs no further explanation. To the lyrics I can't say anything of worth and value and so I'll rather spare me every word more about it, but the (cover-) artwork is a nice one, and the production sound really shines. If you should have (still) any prejudices concerning Screamo (and Post Core stuff as well), hm, then you really should better make up your mind, and why not start to change this at least a bit right here with DRIFTER?!? Strong band, strong album. Cheers. /// Andy
(8 of 10 points)
(Copy the following link into your browser and then just go there: https://www.facebook.com/drifter505?ref=profile)
("D.I.Y."; MP3-Online + Download-Release)
(Released at the 24th of January of 2014.)
(Download: http://drifter505.bandcamp.com/album/2014demo /// Up for downloading as a name your price download.)
And here's the for all what I know third DRIFTER release so far titled just short "2014 DEMO" and it was released just sort of two months ago in the January of this very year of 2014, for all what I would say also again straight up all the D.I.Y. way. Ah, and don't ask me if there are any physical copies of it floating around (and ask me this please also not in case of their before reviewed album). Not much changes to be noticed, no drastic changes to announce and describe. Just a steadying of the quality, style, standard, and also of the passion of their songs and musick, and so this little word ''just'' is really a truly big ''JUST'', if you get what I mean. They made it all even a little bit more intense and they irritate the borders of conventional songwriting and more or less usual dynamics of silence and loudness even a bit more than the last time, but still they manage to keep some sort of a flow in their songs and the writings of them, and the lead singer is really puking out his heart and soul through and with his hysterical and suffering screamings. This is clearly something of interest and value for fans of bands like TORCHBEARER as well as for those of stuff like NEUROSIS, and they tend even more into this whole Post (Hard-) Core direction than before, and this is a good move by them, if you ask me. I can only recommend this little album to you, again a strong release offered by DRIFTER, a band we should all have one or two eyes and ears on. That's it, I'll keep it short this time, the general description of their music how it seems and feels to me you find in the review before and the development of DRIFTER between this two albums I've described also enough, at least I do think so, yes, so that's it for this one here and now. Recommend album anyhow anyway. I just ask me, if all the labels outta there are deaf...!!! Cheers. /// Andy
(9 of 10 points)
(Copy the following link into your browser and then just go there: https://www.facebook.com/drifter505?ref=profile)
("D.I.Y."; MP3-Online + Download-Release)
(Released at the 18th of January of 2013.)
(Download: http://drifter505.bandcamp.com/album/there-is-nothing-left-for-me-here /// Up as a free official download.)
And after I reviewed already their second and third albums right before I will now also let their for what I know debut release become a part of this post and blog right here and now. This is pretty interesting, especially for getting an idea about the development of a band, in this case of DRIFTER, to have a closer look on their discographie in a row. Their style somewhere between Screamo and Post (Hard-) Core with all the above also already described trademarks, that are surely more or less sort of typical trademarks of that genre(s) or kind(s) of musick, so no need to repeat it all, just read the review on their "SEPARATE GRAVES" album above. But while they started to move more and more into the Post (Hard-) Core direction with their "SEPARATE GRAVES" album and especially with their this years demo here on their debut they are still far more grounded in Screamo and Emo as well, and the songwriting is partly not so much nested (like it is today) but in truth more of sort of distracted when it should have been nested, and such a crappy song like "COLD WOOD FLOORS" you won't find on their two follow up releases no matter how hard you search for it and how hard you want to find one. Don't get me wrong, "THERE IS NOTHING LEFT FOR ME HERE" is by no means a bad album and it will please especially Screamo (and Emo) fans in a total way, at least I guess so, but how good they really are and what they hold really in store they showed us all just later on with their so far two following releases. They got more tight, more precise, more focussed, and simply better since this one here, but after it is also still a nice shot, it's up for free, and also a nice little lesson in history you can also calmly give this one a shot without risking your ears, even I like them going more into that Post Core direction without a doubt a bit more. And especially all the Screamo (/Emo) kids will probably love this album. Ah, and also in this case don't you ask me if there are any physical copies of it floating (still?) somewhere around. Cheers. /// Andy
(7 of 10 points)
(Copy the following links into your browser and then just go there: https://www.facebook.com/drifter505?ref=profile + http://drifter505.bandcamp.com/merch)
("AGGROBEAT RECORDS"; 12'' LP)
(Released during the autumn of 2013.)
(Collectors fact: Limited quantity to 525 copies.)
Here's the next that the great guys of "AGGROBEAT RECORDS" send to me for reviewing via mail. It's a teaming up split release with the young german Oi! band HALBSTARKE JUNGS occupying one side of the vinyl and the legendary Oi! warhorses from England of THE WARRIORS the other one. Two different covers, one to each side (I've chosen the one of the THE WARRIORS side, simply because I like it more, that's it), and the HALBSTARKE JUNGS do deliver four songs in all on their side of the vinyl, and if I understood it correct then they have rerecorded four songs of them this time in English, and- let me say so much already this early in this review- this was a really good move. THE WARRIORS then give us six songs on their side. This makes ten songs in total, and this ten songs run through in around thirty-five minutes of playing respectively running time of the vinyl. Okay, let us start with the HALBSTARKE JUNGS, the young german Oi! band running riot here on this split. They play a sound comparable to the KRAWALLBRÜDER before they totally turned to metallic Deutsch (which means: German) Rock, but sound more tight and more focussed and by far more through and through Oi! like the KRAWALLBRÜDER already back then. (I talk about the "IN DUBIO PRO REO" phase in the existence of the KRAWALLBRÜDER, just that you know it.) Hard and heavy and mercyless forward pushing angry and pissed off Oi! Oi! Oi! musick filled with harsh stunning pretty diverse guitars, a heavy buzzing bass, tight and hard stomping drumming, and pissed off pretty brutal vocals. The three rerecorded songs in English are really strong, but the original one of them in German is just not that much my cup of tea, but that's just a matter of personal taste because anyhow good done is that song as well. Nothing anyhow of or like changing the formula or so, but something really good, to point that out, and so I'll now keep it short. Don't know more by them so far, but this four songs made me really hungry for more. Good lyrics on top of it, and also a strong "Nazis fuck off!!!" good night white pride message as well. Thumbs up. Their artwork rocks as well (even I like the one of THE WARRIORS still a bit more), and the production sound just makes my thumbs go up. Really good stuff, and so they get well deserved eight out of ten points. Then come the old veterans of THE WARRIORS, that are today in Germany pretty often and this means by far too often labelled R.A.C., it's ridiculous, you know, I know, so anyhow. What shall I say here that wasn't said before on which place ever, even in an older review on one of their older split releases some years ago: This is Oi!, Old School England Oi!, stoic stomping, loud and proud, patriotic, rebellious, Working Class, outspoken, and pissed off as fuck. Hammering dry and harsh guitars, pulsating sawing bass, thunderous loud forward marching drums, broad back up chants and sing a longs, and those typical snotty smart and hard charismatic lead vocals on top of it. A sound of their own, and a sound and style that will anyhow please the gusto of all the ones in love with good old english as well as british Oi! like the (original) 4 SKINS, THE LAST RESORT, and the COCKNEY REJECTS, to name just them as examples, but also a sound and style that still offers surprises like for example the Offbeat rhythm and SKA licks of "KEEP IT REAL", a real hymn. All delivered via intense songwriting and by well-versed musicians, and all done with that for english and british musick typical stoic approach, great. On top of it strong outspoken lyrics (and in "WATCH YOU'RE BACK" they use some lyric lines that once had been also used by BETTER DEAD THAN RED in one of their nowadays already older songs, don't ask me what's the deal with that or the story behind it anyhow), great artwork, and beautifully earthy and warm production sound. We get also a nice done cover tune of the forever immortalized THE LAST RESORT classick "VIOLENCE IN OUR MINDS". They get eight out of ten points, too, and especially "KEEP IT REAL" totally rules and also shines with a great guitar work and in particular and especially the guitar solo is pure gold. This makes it in whole also eight out of ten points and I can only recommend it to every Oi! fan and Oi! addict outta there. Really a damn good split album, point and fact. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi! /// Andy
(8 of 10 points)
(Copy the following link into your browser and then just go there: https://www.facebook.com/aggrobeat?fref=ts)
("D.I.Y."; full length release)
(Already a little bit older.)
(Record facts: Twenty one songs in sixty eight minutes of running time.)
A band from Argentina who wrote me and asked to write about them respectively to review their current album up here and who send me their album via mail at the beginning of this very year of 2014. Unfortunately I got my e-mail account hacked (- Really!!!) and due to this bullshit I've lost some mails and with this some informations. And one mail was the one by the band with all the informations about them and this album. So sorry that I can't give you a proper introduction to them, but bad luck striked. I only remember that this album is already a little bit older and is or was all self released the D.I.Y. way of doing such things like releasing an album, ah, and they are from Argentina, from Buenos Aires exactly. I hope I got it all right. Hm, and or but please don't ask me, for example, in which form and which way this album was released, or something else like this. Ah, and to/for the band two things: (1.) Sorry, that you had to wait for the review on your record a bit (and also sorry for that I failed to answer you, in parts due to the above mentioned bad luck, and in other parts due to me being sometimes a lazy bastard). (2.) Thanks for sending me your album that I probably would otherwise have never ever listened to. Okay, back to the topic, the review on MINORIA ACTIVA's "DONDE NADIE PERTENECE" album. This is a great and really strong album, some really interesting, diverse, multiple varying, and pretty much more or less always grapping album full of different heavy and also emotional music styles mixing Hardcore (Old and New School), thrashing Tribal Metal a la SEPULTURA and SOULFLY, Nu Metal a la ILL NINO, strong forward going exploding diverse and dynamic HC Punk like for example the RAIMUNDOS (from Brazil), and also even some Ethno Rock stuff into one great tasting and more than well flowing diverse and fresh, interesting and surprising cocktail of great Hardcore/Metal/Punk music, without any songwriting breaks, boring fills, or atificially tingle-tangle crap, all is done fresh, sympathic, authentic, and damn heavy and intense. Crushing guitars, full power vocals, damn loud gang shouts, and a thundering rhythm section, all wrapped up into strong songwriting, delivered by very skilled musicians, and all dressed up in a powerful production sound. A very stand-alone band that refuses to be compared to who else ever. That's how I like it. To every one especially into Hardcore, Metal, and also heavy HC Punk music I can simply only highly- and I mean really highly(!!!)- recommend this fucking strong damn great album, so simple is it, and so I will keep it short right now and pretty much end this review with this words. To the lyrics I can't basically say anything due to the language barrier, and to the proudtcion sound I've already said what there was to say. Ah, and the (cover-) artwork is just phenomenal, I simply love it (like the band and album, too). And I only can imagine how great this band must be live up on stage...Want some last words, some closing words? Get it!!! (From where the hell ever...) And best get it now, period. Hardcore!!! Fist!!! Cheers. /// Andy
(9 of 10 points)
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RUNNIN' RIOT - "BOOTS & BALLADS"
("REBEL SOUND MUSIC"; LP)
(Released by the end of 2013.)
(Re-Edition facts: Originally released in 2009 on CD sees this album now it's second run on vinyl with this LP reedition. 500 copies at all: 200 black vinyl; 200 red vinyl; 100 white vinyl. The first time on vinyl it was limited to 300 copies, released by the Ireland based label of "PUNKERAMA" back then in 2011.)
Uh, I somehow really nearly forgot about this one. Lucky enough that I stumbled upon this mistake so soon, so that this album and the review on it still can become a part of this post of today. RUNNIN' RIOT from Belfast, now running riot ;-) for nearly twenty years, and it's good to see a band like this still around. Catchy, hymnal, melodic Oi! of the first class kind. Large, and I mean really large melodic guitar work with great anthemic arranged strong rocking and rolling riffing and even greater melodic leads and really singing solos, catchy as fuck but yet still with a sharp heavyness that comes more like a short warm slap to the face, not like a brutal hit with a cold concrete sledgehammer on the head, that's the biggest trademark of the music of RUNNIN' RIOT, together with the charismatic pretty hard yet still really and also somehow melodic sung lead vocals that are enriched by nice loud back up chantings. The rhythm section acts their part damn great, tight, precise, nicely varying and nicely relaxed, perfect. The songwriting is great, the songs totally filled with power and drive, full throttle energy and attitude without end, we get damn mighty and damn large sing a longs delivered for that hell a lot of other bands outta there would murder, here and there also some charming "CHISWICK" influences come into play when the guitar riffing starts to really shine, and that this veterans are really skilled musicians should be clear anyhow and is here by me just named for the record. Their bandname they carry not without a reason, so COCK SPARRER are surely an influence for them, like for legions of other bands as well. RUNNIN' RIOT manage anyhow to do their own thing and to be a really independent band of their own, maybe somewhere to be located between good old England Oi! like COCK SPARRER, some Pub Rock (obvious), and some good healthy doses of melodic American Oi!/Streetpunk like for example THE HARRINGTON SAINTS, YELLOW STITCHES, and some- if we look just at the guitar work- some PRESSURE POINT as well. Out of this they create their own thing, and I should say more precise: Their own great thing, point and fact. Cool and smart lyrics on top of it, a nice artwork as well, and a pure gold earthy and warm production sound, too. What shall I say or write more, if you should don't have it then it is now the time to change this. A great, a really great album, RUNNIN' RIOT rule okay... totally supreme... totally okay!!! Btw, we get eleven songs in around 42 minutes. Ah, I received this album via mail from Brett Hole of "BLACK HOLE RECORDS" for reviewing it (and so I finally did with this review here), and so: Thanks very much man. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi! /// Andy
(9 of 10 points)
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("REBEL SOUND" & "LAST ROCKERS"; Picture LP)
(Released somewhere between the late end of 2013 and the early beginning of 2014.)
(Record facts: Eleven songs, thrity-three minutes of running time.)
French Oi! is now up. A to me new band from our european neighbors with a album recorded in 2012 on picture vinyl, a beautiful designed piece, released via "REBEL SOUND" and "LAST ROCKERS". This album was sent to me by Brett Hole and "BLACK HOLE RECORDS", and thanks very much for it. I am usually not the biggest fan of Oi! from France and so I am anything but a expert concerning this specific genre/kind of (Oi!) music, but who cares, because what one should care about is this album because it is really a killer album. Pretty diverse and nicely varying melodic, catchy, and anthemic yet still pretty heavy and hard Oi! filled with a great walking and talking very present bass, heavy guitar riffs and large melodies and leads, a massive amount of hymnal polyphonic parts that invite us to sing a long to on and on, and great smoky and throaty, dry and hard yet somehow still melodic sung lead vocals, while the tight and old school styled stomping and marching drums come also nice into play and make it all round. I like this specific composition of the songs out of the mentioned single parts very much, and what I like even more is the fact that they know very well to nicely change their songs and songwriting all the time bit for bit here and there to keep it all fresh and grapping, not like they would do any extreme breaks or too drastic changes of and in their music, but they keep it all fresh and sort of surprising over the complete running time of this vinyl gem. And this is just great, even more because they know how to do it with keeping their music very old school (without becoming boring retro crap) and also sort of minimalistic. I really like it a lot. Since I am not that much of an expert concerning French Oi!, like already above mentioned, I can't really name you any bands to compare them with, to me they are a pretty fresh and independently band, even especially the leads are very french to me, even this now isn't making that much sense after all, maybe ;-) ... Good lyrics we get on top of it all (they sing in english, so that's no problem, especially after the clean vocals are very good to understand), as well as a dirty perfect production sound, and a just beautiful artwork. This album is highly, and I mean really and truly highly, recommended to you, great band, great album, period. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi! /// Andy
(9 of 10 points)
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("AGGROBEAT RECORDS"; Mini-CD)
(Released at the 18th of November 2013.)
(Collectors fact: Released in a limited edition of 300 copies, so if you want one and in case you still don't have it then better make sure to be quick before all the limited ressources are sold out.)
(Musicnerds fact: THE SHAME are pretty much the first Oi! band ever that worked together with the Punk fanzine/magazine "PROFANE EXISTENCE". Not that it would anyhow matter to me or that I think it would be anyhow important, but some may see it different, why ever, and so just for the record I pointed that out...)
THE SHAME started out and kicked it all off in 2011, when the Punk and Hardcore veterans that make THE SHAME and that before played in such bands like ASSEMBLY OF GOD, BROTHER INFERIO, and BRING DOWN THE HAMMER teamed up again to make music, like friends that are able to play and create music may do sometimes. When they did so back in 2011 they decided that it was about time for them to go back to their roots, to go back to Oi! and to give it a proper run, and finally so a new American Oi! band was brought to life and it was named THE SHAME. They recorded a bunch of six songs promptly and released them on various in parts also pretty obscure and rare compilations like "Oi! This is Streetpunk" Vol. III and "VOi!ce of America" Vol. II, as well as also on their own EP titled "THE WORLD IS OURS", and this is or was the above mentioned cooparation with "PROFANE EXISTENCE" (fanzine/magazine and label). And it seems that they also released a full album titled "THE PLAN". Honestly: I know none of the mentioned releases and THE SHAME had been totally unknown to me before. Seems like they are still active, and to gain some attention and momentum outside the States and especially over here in old mother Europe they joined forces with the young up and coming "AGGROBEAT RECORDS" ("THX!!!" for sending this album to me) label from the Netherlands and released all their six first ever recorded and released songs and also three of their already mentioned "THE PLAN" album on this nine songs containing album titled "TULSA OLD SCHOOL". Ah, and they are from Tulsa, Oklahoma/U.S.A., to get this also straight. Okay, now you should know with who and what we deal here and now with in form of THE SHAME and their sort of new old album of the title of "TULSA OLD SCHOOL". One thing that I don't really get is that whole soccer thing going on here, keep in mind that it's an U.S. American Oi! band and since when soccer is over there a big thing... (But maybe I'm wrong about it, if so, sorry, me and my ignorance then I guess) ... seems a bit like a joke/cliché and not really that much authentic... But beside this, this here is a good proof for Oi! running wild and going strong in 2013/2014, and hopefully this will go on. Great mixture out of British Hooligan Oi! and hard stomping American Oi!, somewhere to be located between THE BUSINESS, PATRIOT, and STARS & STRIPES. Fuck yes, and how could you ever go wrong with something like this?!? Right, you simply can't, point and fact. Quick and very well flowing played, hard and yet damn catchy melodic delivered guitar playing, buzzing bass and stomping drums, great sing a longs, loud and proud back up chants, and very charismatic lead vocals that place somewhere between STARS & STRIPES and THE HARRINGTON SAINTS. Good songwriters, skilled musicians, it's all (t)here. I really like it. I mean, it's nothing new and nothing anyhow formula changing, hell no, but who cares, it's some damn good shit and that's what matters at the end. If THE SHAME are unknown to you and if you are an Oi! Oi! Oi! lover especially with a faible for American Oi! then make sure to get a copy of this one. Nice lyrics and nice artwork anyhow (about this whole soccer thing I've said enough already above), and a full throttle high energy production sound. Clearly recommended to you, so make sure to get your hands on it. Ah, and btw, this nine song album has a running time of around twenty-three minutes, just for the record. Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi! /// Andy
(8 of 10 points)
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("D.I.Y."; Tape & MP3-Online + Download-Release)
(Released at the 30th of November of 2013.)
(Collectors fact: First edition on black tape is already sold out, second edition on white tape will be out soon respectively should already be out. The tapes include a download for free link as well.)
Yes, they are back, one of the rawest and most brutal bands that I discovered over the last years, TRIBÜNAL, the god free, drug free, and meat free D-Beat/Crustcore beast from Germany. After I reviewed last year there "F.T.W." slasher they wrote me at the end of the last year an e-mail and the rest is history, and anyhow here's my review on their newest album, titled "ALL HOPE IS LOST", released all the D.I.Y. way (again), and released on Tape as well as in form of a MP3 Download for a name your price pick up on their Bandcamp site. (The Tapes cost 3,00 Euros.) All in all they give us this time five new songs in around seven minutes of playing respectively running time. And this five new songs a are all out attack of raw, noisy, brutal, fast, loud, shredding, ripping, and crushing D-Beat/Crustcore musick for fans of the likes of DISGUST, for example. Brutal shredding guitars, sick and furious guttural shouted dry throated vocals, heavy sawing bass, and harsh hammering drumming non stopp, short and angry, pissed off and outraging short exploding song eruptions dominate the scenery.. Power, energy, dynamic, attitude, aggression, and brutal intensity without an end all the time. This is truly nothing else but a raw and intense as fuck D-Beat/Crustcore massacre that you will love if you are into this kind of musick. I am now waiting just for a proper full length of that quality of TRIBÜNAL and then I am really happy. Untill then I can only recommend this one to you. And then that's it, short little album, short little review on it. Cheers. /// Andy
(8 of 10 points)
(Copy the following link into your browser and then just go there: http://tribunal-dtakt.bandcamp.com/album/all-hope-is-lost)
("AGGROBEAT RECORDS"; CD)
(Released at the 18th of November of the year 2013.)
(Record Facts: 25 songs in 74 minutes.)
A new sampler completly dedicated to the Indonesian Oi! scene, released by "AGGROBEAT RECORDS" who also send it to me via E-Mail. Thanks for this guys. This sampler offers us twenty-five songs in a total running time of seventy-four minutes. The title should best be enriched by Streetpunk and Punkrock, SKA and Hardcore because it is not only "Oi! MADE IN INDONESIA" but Streetpunk, Punkrock, SKA, and Hardcore as well that's featured on this disc, too. I am totally not familiar with the Oi!/HC/Streetpunk/SKA/Punk(rock) scenery of Indonesia and I feared to get some straight up bullshit stuff to listen to that "scores" with nothing than its exotic bonus. Hm, but I definitely was wrong with that aspectation. Because this is proper music dressed into a proper production sound. Surely, twenty five songs by thirteen bands (expect of one all bands are delivering two songs to this compilation), there simply can't be only gold, but most stuff really rocks and rules. My personal afvorites are for example the FULL TIME SKINHEADS (sort of the indonesian STAGE BOTTLES, musicwise and lyricwise, and also politically on the same page like they proof with their SKA/Oi! anthem "RED INDONESIAN SKINHEAD"), SPIRIT OF Oi! (melodic sing a long and dance to Oi! Oi! Oi! Punk), MOONSTOMP (brutal Hardcore stompers, and not to be confused with the larger than life American Oi! legends), the STA-PREST BOYS (heavy hitting Brickwall Oi!, CONDEMNED 84 as well as the GLORY BOYS are surely no strangers to them), SKINLANDER (fast paced pogo Oi! Punk), THE NAG NAG NAG (great female fronted and strong rocking Oi! of the catchy and melodic kind... slightly comparable to DEADLINE... before they turned into a ridiculous farce), and DOM65 (powerful and very well-versed Skinhead Rock & Roll), but check the bands out for and by yourself, you may see it different or so. A good comp anyhow that you can calmly grab a copy of if you find it. Ah, after it is a compilation I won't say anything about the lyrics, not to talk about politics or what bullshit the hell may else ever. The Old School "SKINHEAD ANTHEMS" styled artwork rules, and all bands deliver their songs in a pretty and surprisingly strong production sound. Good comp, so check it out. Or better get it anyhow anyway promptly. Cheers & Oi! /// Andy
(8 of 10 points)
(Copy the following link into your browser and then just go there: https://www.facebook.com/aggrobeat?fref=ts)
If anything little will come up between this two record reviews package posts I don't know by now but I've planned nothing like this, so don't wait for something else.
The next record reviews post or also posts will concentrate on all the physical releases that I bought and got over the last month and it will focuss on different artists like from SUFFER THE PAIN over DISCHARGER and BACKTRACK to A TRAITOR LIKE JUDAS, and from UGLY KID JOE over PRO-PAIN and CALIBAN to PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS as well as from KROKUS to SCHILLER. So you see, a lot of albums dawning at the horizon to come up here and with this also a lot of different genres and kinds of music.
Okay, that's it, thanks for your time and interest, thanks for reading this reviews. Hopefully you've enjoyed it and maybe you've stumbled upon a band or record that you didn't know of so far and you now feel the need to change this. Anyhow, more soon up here, so stay tuned.
Cheers & Oi! Oi! Oi! /// Andy
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