Now reviewed: ALECTÓ, LAST DAY BEFORE HOLIDAY, SAMIAM, LESS THAN JAKE, WITHIN YOUR PAIN, EARLY GRAVES

by marcs77

ALECTÓ Minyma (7” vinyl) 

ALECTÓ hails from Volos, Greece and made themselves known in the HC-punk scene with another moniker -originally they formed as Eternal Hated in 2007.
The new band's moniker (taken off the implacable Furie/Erinya of the ancient Greek mythology the punisher against all moral crimes. Eternal wrath against the lack of morals) perfectly fits both the lyrical and overall concept/message behind the current incarnation of the project and the furious assault they manage to deliver in the form of metallic noxious hardcore punk bastardized with some mathcore-mind-boggling metrics and other more rockish elements.
“Minyma” is the title 4-track 7” vinyl EP.
Just really happy I've got the chance to discover this Greek tree-some and I have now a new cool item in my growing 7”s collection.

Check: https://www.facebook.com/alectogreece

LAST DAY BEFORE HOLIDAY The Way Out (CD)


If you're not starting reading gotanerve-zine today you should know who these guys are and what they play -we interviewed them so if you missed that out go and read it in the archive.
Okay, but for those who just wanna make their up thanks to this review LAST DAY BEFORE HOLIDAY hails from Alessandria, Italy and with last year's “THE WAY OUT” deliver a blend of melodic pop punk kicking in a good amount of energy matched by the unavoidable catchy hooks and happy melodies.
The cool cover artwork gives out pretty much the message behind band's lyrics: try hard and break out the bleak reality a kid or a band can find themselves stuck in. So a positive message: there must be a way out.

My favourite track, if you ask, is the title track but I really liked it whole.
Out via Indelirium records.

Check: www.facebook.com/pages/Last-Day-Before-Holiday/44032022316

SAMIAM Complete Control Sessions (12" LP)


What to say about a SAMIAM record dated 2012? Well, apart from the consideration that they're still around after, is it something like 25 years? Yes.
Berkley's own SAMIAM formed in 1988 after Isocracy disbanded and recorded eight full-lengths and released their music on countless EP, split and compilations.
Last year they released their latest effort entitled "Complete Control Sessions" via Side One Dummy/Hopeless records.
The six-tracks here included have been recorded for Joe Sib's (head of SOD records) radio show and picked out off three of their albums recorded between 2000 and 2011.
Punk rock-hardcore breathing tons of EMOtions. That energic heartfelt emo-core sound which could be coming off the Deep Elm's emo diaries or Jade Tree catalogue.
The opening "Sunshine" takes me back down memory lane -it was on 2000's "Astray".
These not so young dudes are still in this for the sheer passion they put in this band, need to ask more? I won't.

Check: www.facebook.com/samiamband

LESS THAN JAKE Greetings And Salutations (CD)


For every gray day you have in life a spark of sun conveyed by some uplifting ska-core can't be something unwelcome. How could that be?
Gainesville, FL's ska-core flag bearers LESS THAN JAKE, with their brand new full-length "Greetings And Salutations" will just be what you were looking for to blast out your stereo on one of those days.
It's 2013 so I'm sure you know what ska is all about, what punk rock is all about and how the two sounds have finely fused together around about late 90's (at least this period when it got more hype since bands blending the two surfaces the punk scene earlier on as well).
LESS THAN JAKE 8 albums including this one are well known for their crowd-jumping inducing performance and this new records will provide with some new cool tunes to add to their ever growing set-list.
The record is out through Fat Wreck Chords in USA and Rude records in Europe.

Check: http://www.lessthanjake.com


WITHIN YOUR PAIN Little Stars And The Perfect Yellow Keys (digital)


I liked their previous album “Ten Steps Behind”, dated 2011, for its brutal delivery of muscular metalcore.
One year later Milano-Vigevano-Pavia, North Italy based 5-piece records their farewell album "Little Stars And The Perfect Yellow Keys".
Things here got even brutal than on its predecessor but the guys didn't lose their habit not to take themselves too seriously -song-titles like “We are not so proud of this song but our label asked us a cool song like an emmure song” and “Give me fuel, give me fire, give me the fuckin gasoline” docet.
The guys moved on to start out or focus more on other projects so chances are we'll hear from them again.
I really love the punishing Pantera-esque opening track “Mega Lizard vs. Giant Ninja”. I'm already missing these guys.
The record is up for name your price and free download at To React records bandcamp.

Check: https://www.facebook.com/withinyourpain

EARLY GRAVES Red Horse (CD/LP)

These metalheads from San Francisco, CA have been around since 2008 but in 2010 they suffered a heavy jab that could have knocked them out for ever when their singer Makh Daniels tragically died.
The singer John Stachan (of The Funeral Pyre) joined EARLY GRAVES who went on to record and release this new full-length entitled "RED HORSE".
Early Graves is about a fierce unrelenting assoult of thrashing guitars and throaty hardcore scremo spit out by John.
There are definitely death metal, thrash and hardcore influences building the backbone of EG sound.
Considering they hail from the Bay area I would have somehow expected more of stuff a la Devil Drive and Machine Head but the recording is unbelebly gritter compared to those of afore mentioned acts.
The opening "Skinwalker" kicks off with a gloomy, decadent and bloodfreezing clean guitar that might Slayer meets Swedish death metal but a few minutes in the doublekick drums, the harsh screams and churning guitar riffing levels everything on its path matching the fury of post-math-hardcore.
That's some thoughts on one of the 8 tracks.
Hardcore fans don't get scared off by the metalheads tag I put while opening this piece.
EARLY GRAVE's "RED HORSE"=Caustic!
Out on No Sleep records.

Check: https://www.facebook.com/earlygraves