Thursday, June 26, 2014

Now reviewed: X-STATE RIDE, A WILHELM SCREAM, ASTPAI, ALL FOR NOTHING, BUIO IN GOLA, BAYSIDE, EDWARD IN VENICE and NUX VOMICA

X-STATE RIDE Self Titled (CD)

by marcs77

You look at the cover artwork, inner photos (picturing views of NYC) and listen to the fast angry punk hardcore contaminated with ample doses of fine melody and metal prowess and perhaps find yourself thinking X-STATE RIDE is a band hailing from the U.S.A. How could you be more wrong?
X-STATE RIDE is a 100% Italian outfit, around since 2001 and with other two lengthy works under their belt, and with this third self-titled outing they're back to prove, if necessary, that the lesson of the likes of Propagandhi, Strung Out, Belvedere or RKL taught to the hardcore punk scene won't be easily watered down, and particularly that burning need to speak out and take a socio-political stand the Canadians never hold them back to make it a staple of their delivery.

Through out the 11 tracks the five-some expresses that hunting sense of feeling like alone observing all the wrongs in this society and system we live in and try, without blasting away cheap few bucks worth slogan-ism, to spark into the listener the will of looking beyond the lies we may get fed with everyday. And there are plenty of fine quotes off George Orwell and those will come of great help for your personal education whether you don't know (shame on you) who this essential English novelist is.
If you like your punk music to be fast a bit mind-boggling, damn catchy and thought provoking, and you're one of those who never felt like skate-punk died, well “X State Ride” is gonna be a very nice addition to your collection.
Ah...X-STATE RIDE are not only a bunch of social-conscious dudes but in the song “X State Ride” they know how to take some piss off themselves and perhaps some famed acts around (listen with attention to the song structure and some guitar licks, I have definitely one from the 90's in mind myself).
Thanks X-STATE RIDE for being what you are and thanks to Indelirium records for releasing their shit.

Check: www.facebook.com/xstateride


A WILHELM SCREAM Partycrasher (CD)

by marcelo

A Wilhelm Scream’s “Partycrasher” is their sixth studio album and their first studio album since 2007’s “Career Suicide”, quite a while if you think about how much constantly they’ve been touring and killing it on stage and how manycrappy bands we have been disappointed to hear in those years.
So let me just say it, the guys in A Wilhelm Scream made me wait far too much time, but it was definitely worth the wait.
The album starts with the tight and fast pace of “Boat Builders” with an unusual “not so impossible “ guitar riff for AWS but the chorus instantly got me singing and finger pointing “no guts no glory!”.
The following songs “The last Laugh and “Devil don’t know” the guitar work starts to get a little frenzy as usual, with the latter exploding into a really strong chorus that will be destined to be a sure staple on the setlist for the next few years.
“Ice man left a trail” and “Sassaquin” are absolute gems that alone carry the value of the album showing what AWS as accomplished to be these days, a band that can play semi impossible stuff with ambitious song structures without being boring or over the top, all mastered with ease and expertise.
The production is not as perfect as their previous Blasting Room efforts (still it mixed there) but still the guitar work of Reilly and Supina shines throughout the album with their classic original and unpredictable shredding as the bass of Brian Robinson is a little less impressive than “Career suicide” and the eponymous Ep but still keeping it thick as always.
The vocals of singer Nuno Pereira are a bit higher in the pitch this and that is for sure great news, is characteristic howl is better than ever and the overall result resemble a lot their incendiary live shows.
The closer “Born a wise man” is an instant classic in line with their tradition of great closers like “Cancer dream” on Ruiner or “we built these city (on debts and booze)”.
As the guitar explode after a short intro the lyrics go trough a little history of the beginnings of the band from the unsatisfactory early gigs to what they’ve become now, still keeping it real.
And as the final line says “There is no one can get it done like us”, I couldn’t agree more, still AWS is technical punk rock at it’s finest.

Check: www.facebook.com/awilhelmscream


ASTPAI Burden Calls (CD)

by marcs77

Though I got to see this band live more than once for not particular reasons I've always kept myself from actually checking out records. Could it be that I always hated the fact the many writers (or the band either) were a bit too much stressing AC/DC to be one of the main influences for these Austrian dudes (mind I pretty much love AC/DC).
So don't do like me and expect for the Malcom's brothers of punk rock. There's definitely much more going on here.
Neustadt, Austria ASTAPAI will be back with a new album on August 22, 2014 with their fifth album since the beginning of '00.
“Burden Calls” packs 13 songs that display their love for the high energy, fast, sweat soaked punk with a rock n' roll beat to it, enough variety not to sound like Ramones but with a right balance of punk urgency and attention-getting hooks that will get you familiar with their stuff after a very few listens.
There's also a good deal of that emo-melodic- hardcore-punk sound you'd have expected from the Jade Tree bands (who mentioned Kid Dynamite and Lifetime?) end of '90 early '00 era and that's definitely a plus in my book.
A song like “Oxygen” sounds like a bluesy rock version of Green Day.
"Death Everywhere” reminds me of Foo Fighters (shame on me for mentioning them, right?).
Ah...the opening track “Single Use” uses some riffing a la Korn (it's that “Blind”?).
Anyhow, please don't care too much to all the references I lined up thus far and go straight listening to this record when it's out.
ASTPAI won a new fan. The more I listen, the more I like it.

Check: www.facebook.com/ASTPAI


ALL FOR NOTHING What Lies Within Us (CD)

by marcs77

Without doubts Rotterdam's ALL FOR NOTHING aren't a new act to the loyal readers of gotanerve-zine -beside the reviews for their releases we lined up a few interviews with the guys as well- and I believe the name of this hardcore-punk band around since mid '00 sounds very familiar for those dabbling into the European hardcore scene either.
“What Lies Within Us”, their forth full-length effort to date, out last April on GSR Music, opens up with a prologue titled “Prologue” that lots do in building up the tension with the guys gang-chanting loud to louder the title of the record over guitars and drums back-up to give way to the truly first full track “Luctor Et Emergo”. Fast old-school meets modern-school with melody and enough punch in the vein of Terror and Comeback Kid, a couple of influences that come up here and there in the record.
“Burn The Lies”, the third song, offers at some point a simple melodic riff with a gothic feel to it, kind of unexpected but it somehow manages to mark the track.
“Black Damp”, an instrumental number, has a feel that make me think to Ride The Lighting album's Metallica, if you concede me this comparison.
Beside above notes I'd say that the album runs pretty much on the same safe trails from start to end, and unfortunately it seems to be lacking of that one or more songs that make it to stand out on their own feet and turn this solid record into a memorable one.

Check: www.facebook.com/allfornothinghc


BUIO IN GOLA Dopo L'Apnea (CD / cassette tape)

by marcs77

BUIO IN GOLA could be fairly labelled as “a compelling journey down to the bottomless and most obscure of the abysses ever to experience” -I read somebody fitting these guys among the neo-crust mold, and I believe this as something to do their attitude or their roots.
The droning, menacing at time angular guitars and the drumming, for most of the song this hits the slowest of the beats to break into super-fast black-grind-metal blast-beats, create a solid impenetrable mass of obscurity as a background for the straining dirge, soaked into the bleakest of the feelings, the vocalist delivers with unearthly drive.
Influences from industrial, post-metal and the more dark and cerebral ambient add a lot to feelings of desolation and oppression you'll be drowned in after the first listen of this album -not for people edging themselves with depression.
The 5 tracks making up “Dopo L'Apnea”, first self-released/produced full-length album for this three-piece outfit hailing from the center of Italy, must be listened to and considered as a piece of a whole opera to be assimilated from start to finish. There will be any light left after the apnea?

Check: www.facebook.com/buioingola


BAYSIDE Culted (CD)

by marcs77

Remember BAYSIDE being on Victory records?, remember “Sirens And Condolences”? It was 2004 how long ago, right?.
Perhaps none of above has any place among your memories either because you were too young or simply into other stuff.
10 years since the release of "Sirens..." the melodic post-whatever-yuo-want-it-to-be rock ensemble hailing from NYC (originally from Queens borough) releases their debut full-length on Hopeless records.
“Culted” moves along the same lines Bayside are well renowned for and it's fire marked by the vocals of Anthony Raneri (voice/guitar), which, though I feel they show to have been refined by some inevitable degrees of maturity, still retain that mark that made me love Bayside in the first place.
These new 11 songs are numbers as equally drenched in sweat, bouncing of punky energy and attitude as catchy, lightly dark-wave flavoured and written by a bunch of not anymore in their teens musicians self aware of what their actual chops are. And believe me it does show.
If you're into punk rock, pop punk and some more alternative sounds this “Culted” will feed you until you want no more.
The juvenile impetuousness that came served with their 2004's lengthy debut its a cut of history not to be replicated anymore (would make this any sense?) but we'd be thankful that a band like Bayside is still around healthy and rocking hard -and, you know, they went through their share of highs and lowest of lows over their years being a band.

Check: www.facebook.com/Bayside


EDWARD IN VENICE “A Heart That Doesn't Bleed” (Digital)

by marcs77

EDWARD IN VENICE has high chances to win the run of the mills band-name contest, gets promo-pictured according to the latest fashion in hardcore punk and plays that bland of melodic hardcore that together metalcore did lot of prisoners among the youngest kids toddling into the today's music scene.
All above things considered I'm sure you now may expect me to show no pity on this band resident in Pesaro, Italy and their sophomore work to date, the new EP “A Heart That Doesn't Bleed” (again not the most original among the titles, right?).
Well, not for the sake of letting you down, if you expected so you would be wrong (and whether you're a follower know why).
I actually like this record and it won't be anything of above cliche-related thoughts to keep me stating this.
It's dead clear the young quintet didn't want to reinvent the wheel but it certainly shows they worked their asses hard to build their chops and nailed down to write a bunch of songs that are as catchy, emotional and easy-listening as they'll be very likely to sweep you away while played out loud off a stage, and turn as much into fine crowd's mosh-inducers.

Check: www.facebook.com/EdwardInVenice


NUX VOMICA Nux Vomica (LP vinyl / CD)

by marcs77

Portland, Oregon's NUX VOMICA releases their self-titled full-length debut on Relapse records and as I learned from the info available on the net this is the first output in 5 years -the quintet started out in 2003.
Nux Vomica (name taken from the highly poisonous strychnine tree Strychnos nux-vomica) delivers a 3-track 40+ minutes album that boldly takes up the hard challenge to blend the extremes of modern underground music from the insane, chaotic, crazed, out-of-control ferocity of some black metal to the slow-murky-low-end-heaviness of doom/sludge to ethereal and dream-like dirges to unexpected bits where they show their melodic sensibility, all with a hardcore punk urgency and attitude.
The final result comes in the form of an album that I wouldn't label “easy-listening” (how could anyone dare?) even for those individuals into above sounds but it seems that's never been what Nux Vomica is all about.
So be prepared to get this record on repeat mode and let the music suck you down where "Sanity Is For The Passive".

Check: www.facebook.com/nuxvomicaband

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