IDLE YOUTH Cd (Scum rds)
This new US band plays old school punky Hc with female vocals
in the vein of FAST TIMES, but they're not as good. It's sad
the production is not more powerful. The lyrics are quite ok,
these guys aren't afraid to tell what's on their mind and that's
cool. Decent first cd. http://www.geocities.com/iythrash/
(Y.B.)
VIIMEINEN KOLONNA "aistien juhlaa" Cd (Hardcore holocaust)
Very typical scandinavian (finnish) dis-core that brings to
mind TERVEET KADET and the likes. Half metal, half punk : with
a pretty punk cover artwork and a totally metal back-cover art.
Same goes for band members (mohawks mixed with long hairs) and
the lyrics too : DISCHARGE type short songs dealing with war,
death, darkness, negativity, power… http://viimeinenkolonna.cjb.net/
(Y.B.)
"FUCK ART ROCK" Festival, 06/ 07/ 08-06, St Brieuc,
@ wagon (show review)
I only went there on the third day. Lots of people from all
over Brittany had turned up (500-600 people ?). Basically, every
single tramp, freak or outcast living in the west of france
were there. And since it was the third day, most were very tired
and very drunk too, which made it all the more funny for the
SxE'r that I am. :) The show started late with LES GLAUCHOS,
a local 100% working class folk-rock band that is not related
to punk at all… But they were damn funny ! These guys
sang anti-establish ††?? ??ment, humorous or drunkard songs most people
in the audience could relate to. 4°7 were next. These guys
from the south of france played good and tight varied punk :
some songs were punk-rock, some punk-Hc and some melodic Hc,
which made for a pleasant listen. Their friends from NEMLESS
were next and played good, tight melodic Hc a la BURNING HEADS.
They said this would be one of their last shows. CONDKOI, also
from the south of France, played great and tight Hardcore with
3 (good) singers ! They were impressive and very powerful. Back
in the days me and my friends would listen to quite a lot of
psychobilly, so I was looking forward to seeing HELLBATS, but
I was disappointed. They played psychobilly with a metallic
guitar sound, and the mix of those two styles was not a good
idea. Besides, the songs were really repetitive. The audience
was made of psychos (75%) and skins (25%), which pissed me off
because they didn't support the other bands and only turned
up in the place when the psycho band was on stage. Duh. LYSTERIA
were probably the best band of the day. It's a powerful punk
band from Besancon made up of a bunch of angry girls and one
guy. They play good punk-rock with a saxophone and nice female
vocals. Great. I had heard so many bad things about LES DESTROPOUILLAVES
that I actually thought they were not that bad. :) They sure
play typical French punk-rock, they sure write goofy songs about
girls and alcohol, but I don't think they take themselves too
seriously. They reminded me a bit of TULAVIOK. The audience
sur ††?? ??e loved them. This was 20" DE CHAOS' last but one show,
and they played it with a new guitarist and only one vocalist.
It's sad cos the last time I saw them they were really good.
Metallic crust with screeching female vocals. Ok stuff. I didn't
get to see MANOR FREAKS because it was already 4 AM and I still
had a long drive ahead of me. (Y.B.)
BLIND SOCIETY "our futures looking bleak" Cd (Outsider)
This is fairly basic but powerful American punk (-street punk
?). Decent lyrics (better than I thought actually), photos of
all their spiky friends… can't say this band is groundbreaking
but wait and see ? blind98@juno.com
(Y.B.)
E.S.B. + SYLVESTER STALINE + YACOPSAE + SANITY'S DAWN, Rennes,
07/06/03, @ Mondo bizarro (show review)
The show started early and unfortunately I missed the first
(local) band. SYLVESTER STALINE, besides their excellent band
name, play fairly basic "power violence"/ thrashcore.
They were not bad at all, but they need to rehearse more. YACOPSAE
surprised everyone with their incredibly tight and fast thrash.
These guys are excellent musicians, they've been around for
a long time but I never really enjoyed their records. Live,
they sounded like a HELLNATION rip-off, but a good rip-off for
sure ! SANITY'S DAWN, from Germany as well, played pretty good
"power-violence", but would be better if they had
more personality. Good show. (Y.B.)
UPS Cd#1 Cd-R compilation (UPS)
3 bands from 3 countri ††?? ??es. VALS, from Holland, play basic political
punk. They're far too basic to be fun. CRASHED OUT, from Indonesia,
also play basic political punk, but 1) they're from Indonesia
so I'll forgive them and 2) they do it better than VALS. Some
of their songs even have a fast Hardcore beat. MELEE, from the
USA, are truly great ! They play super fast angry punk/ punk-Hc,
and remind me a bit of old Spanish Hc bands. I think all of
their recorded tracks appear on this Cd, which is a good enough
reason to buy it. I was sorry to read that they had already
split up. r.ups@wanadoo.nl
(Y.B.)
SATIRNINE + RANDY, 25/05/03, Rennes, @ Mondo bizarro (show
review)
Nice turn-up for a sunday. SATIRNINE are an all-female 77 punk-rock
band from Sweden. Honest, they sound (and look) like they just
toured with the CLASH or the NEW YORK DOLLS. They were pretty
good and had a lot of charisma. RANDY also play 77 punk-rock,
and they're from Sweden as well. No hardcore, no metal, no garage,
just pure and tight 77 punk-rock. Pretty good stuff. (Y.B.)
TEKKEN Cd-R
When I put this into the player, I thought to myself "ok,
let's go for 45 minutes of unbearable noise". The sound
quality is much better than on their previous recordings, and
the songs actually sound quite "hardcore", so I was
positively surprised. It's still 100% silly and goofy grindcore.
Short songs, no solos, no lyric sheet (but explanations are
provided), nice artwork… It's still a band that's bet ††?? ??ter
to see live, but this record was pleasant (apart from the last
techno-electro-noise remixes). Skud-rds@voila.fr
(Y.B.)
AFRAID OF THAT DAY "incomer" Cd (Youth culture)
This is really well done modern Hc (1/3 of emo, 1/3 of metal,
1/3 of Hc) and makes up for a pleasant listen, but it has plagiarism
written all over ! Man, these (polish) guys should be on EULOGY
or GOODLIFE. Same artwork, same music, same lyrics… Not
bad at all, but no personality of their own. And the lyrics
don't really make any sense at all. www.youthculture.straightedge.pl
(Y.B.)
CATHETER "preamble to oblivion" Cd (Self made god)
One album + one Ep of american grindcore. No metal, no punk,
juste pure, fast and good grind. Decent social, personal and
hateful lyrics. I liked this. http://www.smgrecords.prv.pl/
(Y.B.)
TEAR IT UP "the december 2000 session" Cd (Coalition)
1 Lp + 2 Eps of American thrashcore that sounds a bit uninspired
to me. So many bands play that style of music nowadays, you
really gotta have a strong personality to stand above. TEAR
IT UP are decent, not to say good, but those songs don't stick
to my mind (same problem with DISCARGA - see review below).
However I was positively surprised by the lyrics. http://www.coalition-records.com/
(Y.B.)
THE ELEKTROCUTION "vagina dentata" mCd (emergence)
Wow, this is the first time I ever see a small sized digipack
! This is so cute ! THE ELEKTROCUTION are a garage-punk-rock
band from Rouen, France. Not bad at all, but not really good
either. They're too slow for my tastes. Silly love songs as
always for a garage band. vincemergence@hotmail.com
(Y.B.)
LACK OF REASON "defined" mCd (Bleu rds)
Pop/ rock/ emo from Saint-Etienne, France. Features ex-members
of UNEVEN and ?. Honestly, I don't enjoy that kind of music.
There are lots of bands on MTV that play pop which is better
produced and better played too, so why waste time listening
to second rate stuff ? Pretty decent socio-personal lyrics.
lackofreason@hotmail.com
(Y.B.)
SKIT AGONY + MANSIC + FLEAS & LICE, Rennes, 15/05/03, @
Mondo bizarro (show review)
Unfortunately MAKILADORAS cancelled their tour and were replaced
by French dis-punk band SKIT AGONY. SKIT AGONY play basic scandinavian
punk, and when I say basic I mean it. But they don't care, they're
drunk, and they're quite funny to see live. MANSIC were quite
a good surprise, they were described as "punk'n'roll"
on the flyer, but no such shit, err, I mean thing here, as a
matter of fact MANSIC (from Sweden) play pretty good punk-rock.
Almost street-punk. They had some very decent songs, and even
used a violin which gave them a nice folk touch (a la POGUES).
Not bad. FLEAS & LICE were… drunk, as always, and could
hardly stand up (up the punx, uh ?). They play fast, messy and
chaotic drunk punk. There's nothing better than being a Straight-edger
in the middle of a drunk-punk crowd, believe me. I spent a nice
evening. (Y.B.)
DISCARGA "happy night electric experience" Cd (Läjä)
Brazilian super tight and super fast thrashcore. And well-produced
too, but this is no surprise as the band features ex-members
of ABUSO SONORO and POINT OF NO RETURN. Musically they remind
me of bands like LÄRM or MANLIFTINGBANNER. Well, I think
it's good, really good, but I have never been a huge fan for
this kind of music. It's fast and powerful but there are no
melodies. It's just that : fast. It needs something more to
make it memorable. I need to tap my toes when I listen to music.
And the lyrics aren't translated. Grrrr. Apart from those minor
details, let me repeat it : this is good ! :) laja@altavista.net
(Y.B.)
LES FEUX DE L'AMOUR cd (Chimeres)
Crazy and goofy french grindcore. Drums, vocals, and one distorted
bass. They were (were : I think they disbanded recently) probably
very funny live, but I can't say I enjoyed their studio recordings
much. Good lyrics and a great band name, though. :) tupipotes@free.fr
(Y.B.)
RECUSANT "discography 93-96" Cd (Atrazin)
70 minutes worth of british experimental punk. You know, THE
EX, CRASS, DOG FACED HERMANS, HEADACHE, that kind of band. Totally
crazy music mixing punk, folk, free-jazz, traditional tunes
and (pretty good) political lyrics. I've never liked this kind
of stuff, but if you're into it, don't miss this. atrazin@hotmail.com
(Y.B.)
EASTFIELD "fanaticos para trenes" Cd (Beat Bedsit
rds)
Very decent typical British punk-rock. I ain't got much to say
about this, it's good but the songs become a bit repetitive
in the end. I had a real hard time understanding the lyrics,
but basically they deal with social and personal matters. This
band also put out another Cd that sounds exactly the same. be@bedsit.fsnet.co.uk
(Y.B.)
F MINUS + FIVE KNUCKLE, Rennes, 10/05/05, @ Mondo bizarro (show
review)
FIVE KNUCKLE were a good surprise. They're 5 british youngsters
who play varied, energetic and original punk-Hc. Some of their
noisy or experimental riffs get on my nerves, but most of their
songs are good. F MINUS, they were quite good as well and play
fairly basic US punk-Hardcore. Not bad. The only thing that
annoyed me is that such an average band can gather 150 people
just because they are on HELLCAT, but I know dozens of punk-Hc
bands who are better than them, and would only draw 20 people.
:( (Y.B.)
DENY LIFE "soundtrack to a mass riot" Cd-R (demo)
New French band (from Paris). Sure, the reviews and flyers said
"a mix of Hc and grindcore", but to be more precise
it is a mix of METAL-Hc and grindcore. The band is definitely
metal. Mostly New York Hc kind of stuff, with short and fast
bursts of grind. Decent sound quality and…-(where's the
goddamn lyric sheet ?!). Decent demo overall. guillotpierre@hotmail.com
(Y.B.)
HEY YOU fanzine #2 & #3 (in french)
Un zine breton, c'est pas fréquent, principalement axé
NyHc/ Oï/ Old school, avec une formule classique : interviews,
chroniques (disques/ zines/ concerts) et en prime quelques opinions
& scene report. Au sommaire du numéro 2 : AGNOSTIC
FRONT (entendre Roger Miret déclarer "A.F. est le
meilleur groupe de Hardcore américain depuis toujours",
ça va ducon, t'as pas les chevilles qui enflent ?), BODY
BAG, LUTECE BORGIA + un historique des CLASH. J'ai bien aimé
le ton du zine, parfois humoristique, sérieux quand il
le faut, et toujours enthousiaste.
tws.heyyou@free.fr (Y.B.)
NEDERTHRASH IN OPKOMST compilation Ep (U.P.S.)
One cool and active dutch label, and one brilliant compilation
featuring 7 raging dutch bands. Fast-core, thrashcore, crust-core,
you name it. All bands are good, the sound quality is good,
there are 6 different covers for you to choose and one thin
vinyl (I first thought it was a flexi). Great record. I have
no idea when this came out. 2 years ago maybe ? r.ups@wanadoo.nl
(Y.B.)
LE NOMBRIL #2 newsletter
Encore une bonne petite feuille d'info 100% punk/ punk-rock
(voire Oï) dans la lignée de TANT QU'IL Y AURA DU
ROCK ou UNE VIE POUR RIEN. Que dire de plus. C'est gratos, c'est
clair et bien présenté, y'a plein de news, des
chroniques, et une interview avec le groupe punk anglais FILAMENTS.
Cool. youn@freesurf.fr
(Y.B.)
HERESIA/ GRITOS DE ALERTA split Ep (U.P.S.)
How is it 99% of all labels in history have always put out black
vinyl ? Coloured vinyls are so much nicer ! This one is awesome
! And it's obvious they put a lot of dedication in the artwork/
layout. Very nice. It's sad the sound quality doesn't live up
to the expectations you get when holding the Ep in your hands.
I had already heard good things about GRITOS DE ALERTA, and
they rip hard. Total Scandinavian/ Brazilian power-punk, very
similar to FORCA DE MACABRA and all their clones. Excellent.
Same goes for HERESIA, but with a more DISCHARGE-esque sound.
Good stuff, but I prefer G.D.A. All crust/dis core fans should
try and find this slab of vinyl ! r.ups@wanadoo.nl
(Y.B.)
UNE VIE POUR RIEN ? newsletter
Bien sympa cette newsletter 100% skinhead mais sans conneries,
en tout cas j'ai rien noté qui m'a fait sauter au plafond.
Des news, un sacré tas de chroniques, des interviews
avec 8°6 CREW (posthume), KTS et SURVET SKIN (pff…),
une jolie présentation, et bien sûr un prix 100%
DIY. Ha si la scène skinhead était toujours comme
ça, j'aurais pas revendu mes Doc marten's, hihihi. Et
ça parle presque pas d'Acrude rds, un miracle. benjamos@free.fr
(Y.B.)
BOXED IN Ep (Crime scene)
I'm not sure, is this Sned's new band ? Anyways, it sounds so
much like all the other Uk punk/ thrash/ crust/ squatter bands
: EBOLA, SAWN OFF, HEALTH HAZARD… Maybe not as tight. To
be honest, 10 years ago I would have loved this, but after having
heard one zillion bands play thrashcore, I can't say I was impressed.
Still a decent release, and quite good lyrics too. boxedinhc@yahoo.co.uk
(Y.B.)
DECLINE'S COMING #2 fanzine (in french !)
Pourquoi tant de zines français en français ont-ils
des noms en anglais ? (et cette remarque est aussi valable pour
les groupes). En tout cas ce zine que je ne connaissais pas
m'a vraiment bien plu par sa sincérité, son enthousiasme,
pas de prises de têtes, pas de naïveté, juste
quelques chroniques de concerts, de disques, de livres où
l'éditeur n'a jamais peur de dire ce qu'il pense, idem
dans les interviews, bien menées et intéressantes
sans pour autant révolutionner l'histoire du punk-rock
(NO TIME TO LOSE, TAGADA JONES, MONONC' SERGE). decline@wanadoo.fr
(Y.B.)
OBLITERATE/ DIN-ADDICT split Cd (Skud)
2 grind/ death/ crust bands from Slovakia and Hungary. I'm quite
sure I've heard OBLITERATE before, but there's probably been
1000 bands by the same name so… They have a full death
metal sound, fast & powerful with gruff vocals and social
lyrics. DIN ADDICT also sound like a crust band gone metal,
but they are more grind oriented. They're quite ok, the sound
is good but the production could have been more powerful. Nice
cover artwork for both bands. undislessed@voila.fr
(Y.B.)
MIDAS Cd-R (demo)
This new crust band from Bordeaux, France play decent chaotic
crustpunk a la SICKNESS, DISBEER, DISCHARGE, DOOM and so else.
Ok, it's just another "dis" band you say. But MIDAS
are quite powerful, and they never said they wanted to be original.
This demo is a good start. I'm sure in a few months, and with
a more powerful sound, they will be ready for international
split Eps. But where is the motherfucking lyric sheet ?!? If
I want to listen to sweet music, I'll buy a pop Cd. If I want
to listen to powerful music, I'll buy a metal Cd. But if I buy
a punk Cd, I want the goddamn lyric sheet !! undislessed@voila.fr
(Y.B.)
ANAL BEARD "go !" Cd-r
ANAL BEARD have put out several cd-r's on which they have burnt
their out of print (?) vinyls and added live recordings as bonus.
This one has a 10" from 1998 + a live show from 1999. I
had never heard of this band before, but to be honest I am not
a big fan. ANAL BEARD play goofy and silly Uk punk-rock along
the lines of WAT TYLER, but they are way less funny. I guess
they grew up listening to the TOY DOLLS, too ? www.analbeard.co.uk
(Y.B.)
ROTTEN EGGS SMELL TERRIBLE #7 fanzine (in French !)
Quand j'ai vu le sommaire, je me suis dit, "houla, il vit
dans le passé ce mec !" Et puis en fait, j'ai trouvé
le contenu intéressant parce qu'il est allé chercher
des vieux briscards de la scène des années 80
pour leur demander, avec le recul, ce qu'il pensaient de tout
ça (j'ai toujours rêvé de faire une rubrique
identique sur ce site, mais pas eu le temps). Donc, on se retrouve
avec Vlad des BRIGADES (et de INFORMERS, mais là il parle
des BRIGADES) et aussi DAU AL SET (vieux groupe de Toulouse).
Sympa. Plus loin on trouve deux groupes "modernes",
mais moins intéressants : MAÏTE LES MOULES et CREVURE
(de Poitiers). Et aussi un dossier sur le végétarisme,
mais au lieu de pomper des tracts à gauche ou à
droite comme font tous les zines, il a interviewé 3 végétariens
sur leur cheminement et leurs activités. Pour finir,
un tas de news et chroniques, avec ici encore une bonne part
de nostalgie (c'est pas moi qui vais m'en plaindre). mundodrama@aol.com
(Y.B.)
HK mCd (Maldoror)
First Cd for this new French label, and first Cd for this new
French band as well. HK play intricate modern Hc with hundreds
of influences mixed in ; Hc, metal, emo, noisy… I'm sure
they will appeal to a wide range of kids. Their sound is quite
powerful and dark, at times they remind me of BLACK FLAG, ACME
or newer bands like BURN HOLLYWOOD BURN, ACRIMONIE, and probably
many other noisy bands I'm not familiar with. Quite social lyrics,
and a great original packaging to boot. maldororpunx@free.fr
(Y.B.)
VITUN ÄPÄRÄT catalogue
Nice German mailorder list into extreme stuff (fastcore, crust,
grind, noise). Very decent prices. Tapes, vinyls, Cds and zines.
Also comes with a column about pornography and an interview
with BIZARRE X/ EYE HATE LUCY/ MASS SUICIDE SOCIETY CONSPIRACY
(German thrashcore). http://www.continue.to/fail
(Y.B.)
L'HEURE TARD n°38 fanzine/ newsletter
Grosse newsletter ou petit fanzine, en tout cas ça paraît
assez régulièrement et c'est hyper éclectique.
Pas mal de poésie dans ce numéro, beaucoup de
chroniques (magazines politiques, fanzines musicaux ou littéraires),
un long et bon article sur le sport, des news rock/ punk/ hardcore/
noisy/ etc… Et le pire, c'est que c'est gratos ! [Didier
Trumeau, chemin de grand champs, 18100 Vierzon, France] (Y.B.)
G-77 "peine de vie" Cd (Exutoire)
A bunch of kids from various French bands (FINGERPRINT/ UNDONE,
ACRIMONIE/ CLOUDBURST) got together and decided to start a heavy
Hc band a la HIS HERO IS GONE/ TRAGEDY. While the influences
are a bit too obvious, this is not too bad. I absolutely love
the lyrics, but I think the music lacks power. http://www.exutoirerecords.com/
(Y.B.)
RAVI "we also are what we have ruined" mCd-R (Boudiou)
A very nice & original layout, a good sound quality; and
quite original music make up for a good first (?) demo. RAVI
are a mix between French emo ("screamo") and melodic
Hc. They remind me a bit of BODA at times. The music's really
beautiful, the lyrics are personal and uninteresting. ravi@doityourself.com
(Y.B.)
SPAZM 151 Cd (busted head)
Who said there were only rednecks in Texas ? This is truly awesome,
angry and super-powerful punk from Dallas ! Sounds like POISON
IDEA/ MDC/ NECRACEDIA/ DISCHARGE with pretty good hateful lyrics.
The vinyl version came out in 2001 on a Us label, and this is
the Cd version on a Swedish label. "Everydody's always
talking about how good it used to be, they've given up on life,
they're living in mediocrity. So stop whining about the scene
now or how the bands all fucking suck, if you wanna see some
change, then raise your voice and rise above !" (I guess
I could dedicate this to quite a few friends…) http://www.bustedheads.com/
(Y.B.)
DOMESTIK DOKTRIN cassette (Parau)
Within a few months it seems this band has made a name of themselves
in Indonesia but also in the rest of the world as this tape
just got repressed (and "censored" by the pressing
plant) on 7" by 625 records (USA). And their "success"
is well deserved, because they rip ! D. DOKTRIN play hyper fast
Hc blasts with really intelligent political lyrics, they even
have a sense of humour, and the production is perfect. There
is a reason why everyone loves them but it is also something
I could repproach them with : they sound very "westernized"
(does this word make sense ?). http://www.domestikdoktrin.cjb.net/
(Y.B.)
PLUS LOIN QUE LE BOUT DE SON NEZ #2 fanzine
Un bon gros pavé que le numéro 2 de ce fanzine
Lillois branché Hc (plutôt SxE old et new school,
mais pas que.). La présentation est sympa, une bonne
partie du zine est écrite à la main, mais ça
engendre un gros gâchis de papier (et d'argent) puisque
tout aurait pu tenir sur deux fois moins de feuilles. Interviews
avec le zine DERNIER COMBAT, avec STAND AS ONE (le groupe Lillois,
pas l'ancien label du mec de Acrude/ Sludge/ Aachen/ Dog day
sunrise/ The crab song, Colours, etc), VUUR, INDICATION, 21
ENEMY + quelques chroniques, flyers, articles/colonnes/opinions
sur la scène, la politique, etc.). xarnox@netcourrier.com
(Y.B.)
DAS OATH "Japan tour 2002" Cd (Coalition)
I have no idea if this is a limited edition or not. Either ways,
it features one split Ep, two Eps and compilation tracks. The
older tracks from 1999 are really good, very fast thrashcore
and yes, the band features CHARLES BRONSON and MAINSTRIKE members,
so you know what to expect. I don't like the most recent tracks
much. They're still super-fast, but much more crazy and de-structured.
The lyrics are in the same vein and don't really have any meaning.
I saw the band live once and didn't like them, especially the
vocals/ singer. http://www.coalition-records.com/
(Y.B.)
PROPAGANDHI/ CRIA CUERVOS split mCd (Diabolik)
Two words to describe this Cd : rip off. This is a live recording
(= no studio costs), there are only 10 songs clocking in 20
minutes (= mini Cd, cheaper to produce than a full-length),
the layout is bad (no lyric sheet, no info, no video track),
and it is selling for a high price ! To top it off, the sound
quality is average and there are no unreleased songs ! Live
recordings are ok when they bring something more than the studio
sessions, but this is definitely not the case here. Stay away.
www.dblk.fr.st
(Y.B.)
PN "the art of being we" Cd (Funtime)
I think they put out two cds before that, which I thought were
pretty good, and I saw them live once. PN are an underrated
Belgian modern Hc band (mixing emo, metal, Hc, you know, everything).
They're good musicians and honestly I'm surprised they're still
on a fairly small label. This new album sounds much more melodic
than the previous ones, and will for sure appeal to the NU-metal/
grunge crowd. There are more and more slow and melodic parts
and the vocals are sung. The lyrics are senseless. It's not
bad. Not really my thing. http://www.funtimerecords.com/
(Y.B.)
SECOND RATE/ FLYING DONUTS split cd (Sanjam)
Those two underground french bands are getting really big, and
actually one of them recently signed to a major. They both play
rock, French rock, with various influences (mostly melodic Hc,
noisy, emo, maybe even grunge or NU-metal at times). I can see
why they're getting big, it's tight, it's clean, they've toured
a lot, on the other hand, their music didn't seem groundbreaking
to me. 8 tracks. No lyric sheet. sanjamrec@aol.com
(Y.B.)
KIDS GO FREE "E" (Sanjam/ Underhill)
2 labels that used to put out hardcore records team up to release
this 100% pop-rock album from Spain. KIDS GO FREE could easily
be in the charts or on MTV, except their music is a bit too
simplistic. sanjamrec@aol.com
(Y.B.)
WARPRAYER newsletter
This is a great and regular email-newsletter for all those into
fastcore/ crust/ grind. It comes out everyweek and it's full
of reviews, contacts, and randoms thoughts. loserdotcom@t-online.de
(Y.B.)
DESTROY ALL BORDERS compilation Ep (Where's your anger)
Nice international DIY fast-Hardcore comp with 6 up-and-coming
bands from France, Malaysia, Germany, Guatemala, Brazil and
the Usa. It's a good comp, but I was a bit disappointed by the
bands: FACE UP TO IT play old school Hc a la TEEN IDOLS, unfortunately
the production is not powerful enough. I've never been a huge
MASS SEPARATION fan. They play grind/crust. CRUDE BE play decent/
average thrash-punk. FUERZA X : good thrashcore but poor sound.
ESTILHACO : ok power-crust with gruff vocals. And MELEE : good
lyrics, US thrashcore/crust, here again the sound could have
been better. wheresyourangerrecs@yahoo.com
(Y.B.)
ULCERRHOEA/ SIVIILIMURHA split Ep (Vitun aparat)
Crazy band names here. One from Germany, one from Finland. ULCERRHOEA
are great ! They play brutal grind/ crust with a good powerful
sound and ok lyrics (in the social vein). Why oh why did they
choose to share this ep with SIVIILIMURHA ? This band is bad
! They play goofy hc/ grind with an annoying voice, untranslated
lyrics in finnish, and a failry bad sound quality. What a waste.
http://www.continue.to/fail
(Y.B.)
FACE UP TO IT/ CRUCIAL SECTION split Ep (Ratbone)
It's never good to expect too much from a record, you always
get disappointed. Everyone raves about CRUCIAL SECTION (from
Japan). Their 3 tracks are decent but the sound quality is average,
and the music ain't groundbreaking either. Just as all japanese
bands, they forgot to include a lyric sheet. FACE UP TO IT fit
well on the other side, as they also play fast positive/ old
style Hardcore. Their tracks are much better than on the first
demo, the lyrics are great, but here again the sound quality
is only average. The layout for this ep is great, both bands
show potential, but maybe a split demo would have been better
? :) nightbrings@yahoo.com
(Y.B.)
2 MINUTOS DE ODIO/ ROT split Ep (Building rds)
2 MINUTOS DE ODIO sure have listened to LOS CRUDOS. Fast spanish
Hc with screaming (but not emo) vocals and political lyrics.
Too bad the sound quality ain't that good. ROT, from Brazil,
sound much more crustcore than on their previous releases. Still
fast as fuck, with more personal and social lyrics. Good split.
building_rec@hotmail.com
(Y.B.)
INFECT "estrepito" Ep (Commitment)
Forget about the silly DOUGHNUTS or all the other lame emo-noisy-riot
grrrl bands that ever existed ! INFECT is the first ever (?)
all female old school fast-core band... and from Brazil too
! (I'm wondering, if they had not been female, would anyone
have noticed or "signed" them ? :) ). Honestly, female
or not, they're awesome. The music is super fast, the sound
is good for a first Ep, and the lyrics are absolutely brilliant;
they deal with social matters from an almost communist point
of view, as well as with more personal issues. I really think
I'm gonna move to Sao paulo someday… xinfectx@hotmail.com
(Y.B.)
POINTING FINGER "transcend" Ep (Commitment)
These bastards sure know how to write catchy riffs. POINTING
FINGER hail from Portugal, they've put out a couple demos, one
split cd, appeared on various comps and they share members with
several other Portuguese Hc bands. These 6 new songs are a good
follow-up to their previous releases, still with the uptempo
old school sound, mixed with a couple melodies. There's more
and more of a BETTER THAN A THOUSAND/ Y.O.T. influence, which
is both great and sad. Raging music and intelligent words, ain't
that the perfect Hc blend ? The awesome lyrics (and explanations)
deal with Tv, society's standards, the military, homosexuality,
etc etc. Can't find anything bad to say. Maybe the sound is
a bit too good for that style of music. :) http://www.pointingfinger.pt.vu/
(Y.B.)
ON A SOLID ROCK "where kids don't play" Ep (Commitment)
It seems COMMITMENT is getting astray from the typical SxE old
school sound with his latest releases. When I heard the first
notes of this Ep I thought to myself "is this shit on GOOD
LIFE ?". It's weird. Basically, this is old school with
strong modern Hc influences and a Rock'n'roll beat (they're
from Finland, so chances are high they are influenced by the
latest Scandinavian trend). The vocals are particularly weird.
Sometimes he screams, sometimes he shouts, sometimes he sings…
I think these guys are trying too much to "sound different".
The lyrics deal with social topics. They remind me a bit of
ENDSTAND, but I like ENDSTAND much better. www.onasolidrock.cjb.net
(YB.)
SATURATION "beware the living" Lp (Self-released)
I had never heard of this band before and I have no idea if
they are still around as these tracks were recorded in 1998.
SATURATION are from Quebec (Canada) and play powerful crust/Hc
with a heavy sound along the lines of TRAGEDY, HERESY or HIATUS,
but not as good as any those three bands. :) The sound quality
is good, the lyrics are negative and the orange vinyl is awesome.
saturation@fastmail.ca
(Y.B.)
SHOTGUN Ep (Rampage)
Typical Japanese raging punk-hardcore. They have that great
japanese sound, there's no info about the band and they didn't
include a lyric sheet. Oh, and it took me 15 minutes to figure
out at which speed to play it. And I'm still not even sure it's
45 RPM. rampagerecords@gmx.net
(Y.B.)
FAIRFIGHT (2nd Ep) (Commitment)
This pretty much sounds like their first Ep ; Dutch typical
old school SxE hardcore. The sound is good, the musicianship
is decent and so is the layout. It's really quite ok except
it doesn't "bring anything new". The lyrics deal with
friendship in general, now that's a topic that really bores
me, but a couple songs are written in a heartfelt way ("homesickness",
"superiority by authority"). xcommitmentx@yahoo.com
(Y.B.)
DENAK/ HYPOPTALASIAS split Ep (Outrageous defecation)
Funny label name. :) Well, I was disappointed. I love grindcore,
but there are quite a few rednecks in this music scene, so I
was looking forward to receiving a split Ep with two good (intelligent)
bands. HYPOPTALASIAS have put out a good split Cd-R before that,
and a 10" more recently. On this split Ep, they play decent
fast grindcore/thrash, but nothing groundbreaking. I think they
had more goofy songs on their Cd-r. I heard good things about
DENAK, and I did hear one of their split Ep's. Their 5 tracks
are from 1999, and they too sound quite average. Grindcore fans
will like this, but I'm sure both bands can do better. nico@doityourself.com
(Y.B.)
WHAT WENT WRONG "think about your worst enemy" Ep
(I owe you nothing)
This portuguese band plays kinda typical old school SxE Hc,
but they have incorporated a couple modern sounds, mainly emo.
They remind me a bit of Slovenia's LOWPUNCH, but they're not
as good, slower, more melodic, and their lyrics are way less
interesting (they only deal with friendship problems). I'm left
with mixed feelings about this one, but I will be happy to check
out their next release. nothingxrecs@hotmail.com
(Y.B.)
PAPY BOARDING "weapons are not our rescue" Ep (Selfreleased)
This Ep came out several months ago. The band is from my area
but I only saw them live once, and they ripped ! They started
out as a punk-rock band but nowadays they play old style Hardcore
; 7 SECONDS, WITHIN REACH, ADRENALIN OD, etc. The music on this
Ep is really good and the lyrics are decent as well but sometimes
I don't even understand the meaning because their english is
terrible. I wish they would sing in Spanish (they have a song
in Spanish) or French. Anyways, I believe this band is a bit
lazy, because they have only put out one Ep and seldom play
live. What a shame. [David Plaire, 19 impasse Martin Luther
King, 44800 St-Herblain, France] (Y.B.)
COJOBA "el arte de la irreverencia" Ep (New wave)
This Ep came out in early 2002, it's 4 tracks of great punk-rock/
punk-Hardcore in the pure COJOBA tradition. Catchy hooks, nice
vocal harmonies, good social lyrics. I think the drum-machine
is recorded a bit loud, and the vocals a bit low. Apart from
that, no problem. Oh yeah, the cover is quite ugly. cojoba@prhc.org
(Y.B.)
FIGHT FOR CHANGE "more than drug free" Ep (Commitment)
The key word here is "cliché".The cover, the
font, the lyrics, the fast old school music… everything
has been said and done before, neverthless, this Ep kept me
interested. First, they're from Portugal and portuguese bands
rule. Second the sound is good and the music is fast, honest,
to the point. The lyrics show a lot of dedication, sincerity,
and some intelligence on topics like drugs, religion, society's
standards, animal rights… Definitely not the SxE jocks
and posers here. xcommitmentx@yahoo.com
(Y.B.)
INCIVILIZADO fanzine (in Spanish)
Small political hardcore zine from Colombia, in spanish. Has
a couple columns and an interview with Chile's ENTREFUEGO (modern
hc). Not bad, but not much to read either… xmontag5x@yahoo.com
(Y.B.)
DAR A CADA UNO LO QUE ES SUYO "vigilados" Cd-R demo
Geez, what a band name. And one more good New York Hardcore
band from Colombia. DAR A CADA (etc) play varied NyHc with metallic
parts, mosh parts, fast parts. They're quite original. The sound
quality is good and the lyrics are of a political nature, dealing
mainly with the situation in their war-torn (or terrorist-torn
?) country. http://www.daracadauno.8m.com/
(Y.B.)
REACCION PROPRIA cassette (Persistencia rds)
REACCION PROPRIA are a good New York Hardcore band from Colombia.
They've got two great tracks on the "Evolucion Bogota hardcore"
compilation. They're better than the tracks on this (first ?)
demo, because the production and the musicianship here sound
less tight to my hears. But either ways, this is still a very
good cassette, 6 tracks, good sound, good personal and social
lyrics (child abuse, drugs, death penalty…). Try it ? xmarioandresx@uol.com.co
(Y.B.)
JOIN THE TEAM PLAYER & LET IT BURN RECORDS free sampler
Cd
Sampler Cds are cool, of course, because they're free or cheap.
But I can't help but think that all this money could have been
spent on producing new bands instead. I don't know. Anyway,
these two (German) labels fit well together as they both put
out quite "fashionable" music; metal, modern Hc, melodic
Hc, emo-ish pop… There are 20 bands on this Cd but I can't
say any of them made a big impact on me. PAINT THE TOWN RED
(modern metal (-Hc ?)), SAVING THROW (metal), EVEREST (pop),
FEAR MY THOUGHT (varied metal), THE HOPE CONSPIRACY (varied
Hc), DARK DAY DUNGEON (metal/NyHc), MAX REBO KIDS (one of the
only real Hardcore bands on the Cd; oldschool/moshcore a la
STRIFE), CLOSET MONSTER (catchy melodic Hc/ pop-punk), DARKEST
HOUR (metal), ARMA ANGELUS (with a name like that… guess
what… heavy metal), NEWBORN (modern Hc), HOLD REGAINED
(modern Hc/emo), ANTHEM OF THE CENTURY (nice mid-tempo old school
Hc), DAWNCORE (modern Hc-metal), BOY SETS FIRE (those two songs
sound like grunge music to me), HIGH HOPES (posi-core), MY HERO
DIED TO DAY (metal-core). http://www.letitburnrecords.com/
(Y.B.)
INERTIE #1 fanzine
Faire une feuille d'info gratuite passe encore, mais un zine
de 70 pages en prix libre ; ça tient du suicide !! (euh,
12 centimes d'euro ton zine libre, ça le fait ?). Sinon,
comme pour tous les premiers numéros, la présentation
pêche un peu, mais je crois que le but de ce zine n'est
pas de divertir non plus, alors… On se retrouve avec des
opinions sur l'action directe, sur Israël, sur le syndicalisme,
sur l'éducation, sur le Vort'n'Vis, de bonnes interviews
de A.v.i.s. (végétarisme), FORCED TO DECAY (m'ont
pas paru très intéressants ces allemands), OUTFACE,
AFFLICTION, URBAN BLIGHT, etc etc. Quel putain de pavé.
Ca me semble être un bon début. xjibex@hotmail.com
(Y.B.)
COJOBA "sin excusas" Cd (Anaconda)
Let me start this off by saying this is a great album. Keep
it in mind. This is COJOBA's second real album, before that
they put out two demos and one Ep. The sound quality is really
good, but according to me it is too clean. There's too much
vocals and too much drums, not enough guitars and bass. A lot
of people will love it, but to me it lacks the raw punk sound
and the garage feel. What else. The music is good. There are
some great moments ("la muerte", "perdido",
"caso omiso" (damn, on this one Taina sounds so much
like Jae/ APPLE),…). But I like their previous demos better.
I think this album lacks the little spark that makes COJOBA
such an awesome band. Same goes for the lyrics. They're good,
but I think the previous ones were more subtil, maybe more in-depth.
However I like the fact that they have songs dealing with the
situation in Puerto-rico and the people or problems they face
everyday (songs like "fantasia estadista", "dale
fuego" or "perdido"…). I think that's about
it. According to me, the perfect COJOBA recording would be a
mix between the vocals of the first demo (awesome harmonies
and chanted choruses) and the music of the second demo (incredibly
catchy riffs and varied punk-Hc tunes). If you're into punk-hardcore,
and not allergic to Spanish language and female vocals, don't
miss this. Oh yeah, I forgot to say they have a [real] drummer
now, and one that fits their music style too. cojoba@prhc.org
(Y.B.)
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