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)
(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)
(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)
(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)
(https://www.facebook.com/WisdomInChainsPAHC?ref=ts&fref=ts)
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)
(https://www.facebook.com/WisdomInChainsPAHC?ref=ts&fref=ts)
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