all reviews by marcs77STRENGTH APPROACH Roma Hardcore State Of Mind (7” vinyl)
From this band, that has been under my radar for a time longer than the average 3/4 years threshold which most great HC bands seem cannot outlive, in the recent times, I got to review only “Stand Your Ground” MCD (yes, I pitifully missed the follow-up “With Or Without You” dated 2012 and out on GSR Music) but now I have finally still the chance to share some thoughts on the latest effort delivered by Roma's hardcore old-school style gladiators STRENGTH APPROACH.
“ROMA HARDCORE STATE OF MIND” is a title which clearly suggests that their tight bond within Roma hardcore-punk scene is really something that exceeds the music, the fashions that come and go and other bullshit but it's something that involves you at a higher and yet deeper level. Something perhaps they let grow day by day over these 17 years as a band.
The press-sheet adds that the whole record comes as a way to pay homage to their home-town but I'd say it's so true that the guys have now all the rights to be considered one the flag bearers of current worldwide hardcore-punk scene along with the oldie but always good and some young names.
Their style takes as musch from the old-school as from those heavy guitars driven hardcore made in NYC.
The EP has been tracked by Alex of Jet Market fame (Alex please don't laugh about the fame bit) and it has really nothing to prove to the records by more established outfits.
The 7” came out in 500 copies so I'm not sure copies are still available but you can get in tough with Destroy Your World Inc. records and ask.
STRENGTH APPROACH: this is Roma Not...
The guys are currently touring Brazil so if they come in your area don't miss out on them.
Check: www.facebook.com/strengthapproach
THE MEMORY Eulogy For A Dead Ocean (CD)
Can an album stil catch your eye thanks its stunning cover artwork today? Yes, I think it can. Even in the digital era of HD small sized pictures an art like the one that graces the debut full-length from THE MOMORY has the inner power to catch your eye (and this not because some scantly clad beauties).
I reviewed the first MCD The Memory released on Indelirium records in 2011, that was entitled “Call It A Come Back”, and wrapped up my piece writing that they had everything needed to take the game a notch up.
“EULOGY FOR A DEAD OCEAN” manages not to let down those early promises since these years spent gigging and touring definitely helped the quintet to be ready to enter again the recording studio and transpose the best material they possible could write on digital support.
The Termoli, Campo Basso based band play the now labeled new school hardcore that takes inspiration from the likes of Comeback Kid (one of their primary influences), Verse, Your Demise, More Than Life to name but a few.
The nine tracks are fast melodic and screamed top of singer lungs catching you into a virtual mosh-pit (this if you're blasting the record in your bedroom, on your car or through your phone).
Really cool lyrics which I invite you to read carefully since can provoke some thought that can be shared to empower ourselves to see the light of the day when the Ocean will raise again in all its earthly beauty.
That's a really welcomed come back.
Check: www.facebook.com/thememoryhc
TERMINAL SICK Nothing More (CD)
Quoting the title of this album there isn't here anything more than metalcore here but TERMINAL SICK, a band hailing from Bologna, Italy that started out in 2003, has luckily all the chops to write and play songs that can stand a good few chances to win a fight against the USA and UK powerhouse names packing the scene today.
NOTHING MORE is their sophomore album and follow-up to 2010's "Diagnosis".
The new effort out on To React records mixes metalcore riffage, heavy breakdowns, brutal and clean vocals, HC gang back-ups with some electronic sampling insertions and some Nu-metal influences.
To me “Nothing More” sounds good and easy to listen to from start to end and I think they owe your support. This at least because of all the sweat and hard work they are putting in this project.
The die-hard fans of the genre can discover here a new favourite and as for the rest you know what to do, right?
The cover artwork it's kinda a bit disturbing, you know that innocent angel like face contrasts with that fist clenched to a bloodstained knucle duster.
Check: www.facebook.com/terminalsick
MARK MY WORDS Indicators (12” picture vinyl)
Quite lotta bands with this moniker. This ensemble named MARK MY WORDS hails from Central Coast, NSW, Australia and is around since 2006.
“INDICATORS”, their new 11-track album is out on 12” format thanks to the dudes at Destroy Your World Inc. and follows-up to the 7” split they shared with Germany's Suffer Survive.
The band is young and charged of sharp impetuosity and will to scream all their disdain.
Fast heavy and thrashy hardcore a la Terror with some kinetic short blast of lead guitars in the vein of some 80's NYC bands and solutions that grab full-hands off HC old-school.
“Indicators” levels everything on its path like a steamroller.
There's nothing new here but Mark My Words play that kind of stuff that just falls on the right side of the hardcore that moves me.
If you keep the record spinning you'll get to hear the guys engaging themselves with a twangy intrumental reggae-watery-jazzy number that shows-off the musicians prowess and reminds a wee bit of Bad Brains (I haven't any liner notes or press so I attribute this piece to the guys but I could be dead wrong).
To celebrate the vinyl release of "Indicators" the five-some is gonna tour Europe this Fall with Strength Approach. And you'll get the chance to testify first-hand what they're made of.
Check: www.facebook.com/markmywordshc
HANDS UPON SALVATION “Entity” (CD)
Since the first time I got in touch with the Indonesian hardcore scene (virtually-wise, I never been there in person), at that time we were getting releases from Dyslexia records for review, I realized how strong of an impact the Belgian H8000 scene had on many bands playing in that country.
The band I'm reviewing today comes from Indonesia as well and it's not a case they play that blend of metallic hardcore. But mind HANDS UPON SALVATION play this style not because the genre is still doing so strong (I have kinda impression they've now lotta more modern metalcore bands there) but just because they are around since 1998.
The five-piece from Yogyakarta has a good number of EP under their belt and debuted last year on the lengthy format with this 10-track work entitled “ENTITY”, out via Hellavila records.
And now I'n gonna quote the praise lines I've personally wrote for their promotional campaign after listening to tow preview tracks “two slabs of fast frantic metallic hardcore much in the vein of the bands of Belgium H8000 scene like Congress, xLiarx, Spirit of Youth, Regression, Shortsight. As much brutal as passionate”.
If you're looking for other reference points I would mention Cassandra, Faust Again, Roma's xPurificatonx and the new flame from UK xRepentancex.
Fans of the genre will be not disappointed and I liked “Entity” a lot too because it's old-school feel. The recordings are very good but it sounds like the band is magically stuck in that pretty groundbreaking and inspiring era going from 1995 to 2000 also known as H8000 hardcore -the label stands for zip code West-Flanders, Belgium- when fast and heavy Slayerish thrashy riffing, Swedish melodic death metal intertwined guitars and black metal like killer screamo contaminated the view of hardcore a bunch of kids had in that area and over that lapse of time).
I regret to say that I don't like the cover artwork but this, however, can't have any affections of sort to the overall verdict on this record.
Check: www.facebook.com/pages/Hands-Upon-Salvation/25613194779
Since the first time I got in touch with the Indonesian hardcore scene (virtually-wise, I never been there in person), at that time we were getting releases from Dyslexia records for review, I realized how strong of an impact the Belgian H8000 scene had on many bands playing in that country.
The band I'm reviewing today comes from Indonesia as well and it's not a case they play that blend of metallic hardcore. But mind HANDS UPON SALVATION play this style not because the genre is still doing so strong (I have kinda impression they've now lotta more modern metalcore bands there) but just because they are around since 1998.
The five-piece from Yogyakarta has a good number of EP under their belt and debuted last year on the lengthy format with this 10-track work entitled “ENTITY”, out via Hellavila records.
And now I'n gonna quote the praise lines I've personally wrote for their promotional campaign after listening to tow preview tracks “two slabs of fast frantic metallic hardcore much in the vein of the bands of Belgium H8000 scene like Congress, xLiarx, Spirit of Youth, Regression, Shortsight. As much brutal as passionate”.
If you're looking for other reference points I would mention Cassandra, Faust Again, Roma's xPurificatonx and the new flame from UK xRepentancex.
Fans of the genre will be not disappointed and I liked “Entity” a lot too because it's old-school feel. The recordings are very good but it sounds like the band is magically stuck in that pretty groundbreaking and inspiring era going from 1995 to 2000 also known as H8000 hardcore -the label stands for zip code West-Flanders, Belgium- when fast and heavy Slayerish thrashy riffing, Swedish melodic death metal intertwined guitars and black metal like killer screamo contaminated the view of hardcore a bunch of kids had in that area and over that lapse of time).
I regret to say that I don't like the cover artwork but this, however, can't have any affections of sort to the overall verdict on this record.
Check: www.facebook.com/pages/Hands-Upon-Salvation/25613194779
THE MEMORY Eulogy For A Dead Ocean (CD)Can an album stil catch your eye thanks its stunning cover artwork today? Yes, I think it can. Even in the digital era of HD small sized pictures an art like the one that graces the debut full-length from THE MOMORY has the inner power to catch your eye (and this not because some scantly clad beauties).
I reviewed the first MCD The Memory released on Indelirium records in 2011, that was entitled “Call It A Come Back”, and wrapped up my piece writing that they had everything needed to take the game a notch up.
“EULOGY FOR A DEAD OCEAN” manages not to let down those early promises since these years spent gigging and touring definitely helped the quintet to be ready to enter again the recording studio and transpose the best material they possible could write on digital support.
The nine tracks are fast melodic and screamed top of singer lungs catching you into a virtual mosh-pit (this if you're blasting the record in your bedroom, on your car or through your phone).
Really cool lyrics which I invite you to read carefully since can provoke some thought that can be shared to empower ourselves to see the light of the day when the Ocean will raise again in all its earthly beauty.
That's a really welcomed come back.
TERMINAL SICK Nothing More (CD)Quoting the title of this album there isn't here anything more than metalcore here but TERMINAL SICK, a band hailing from Bologna, Italy that started out in 2003, has luckily all the chops to write and play songs that can stand a good few chances to win a fight against the USA and UK powerhouse names packing the scene today.
NOTHING MORE is their sophomore album and follow-up to 2010's "Diagnosis".
To me “Nothing More” sounds good and easy to listen to from start to end and I think they owe your support. This at least because of all the sweat and hard work they are putting in this project.
The die-hard fans of the genre can discover here a new favourite and as for the rest you know what to do, right?
The cover artwork it's kinda a bit disturbing, you know that innocent angel like face contrasts with that fist clenched to a bloodstained knucle duster.
Check: www.facebook.com/terminalsick
MARK MY WORDS Indicators (12” picture vinyl)Quite lotta bands with this moniker. This ensemble named MARK MY WORDS hails from Central Coast, NSW, Australia and is around since 2006.
“INDICATORS”, their new 11-track album is out on 12” format thanks to the dudes at Destroy Your World Inc. and follows-up to the 7” split they shared with Germany's Suffer Survive.
The band is young and charged of sharp impetuosity and will to scream all their disdain.
Fast heavy and thrashy hardcore a la Terror with some kinetic short blast of lead guitars in the vein of some 80's NYC bands and solutions that grab full-hands off HC old-school.
“Indicators” levels everything on its path like a steamroller.
There's nothing new here but Mark My Words play that kind of stuff that just falls on the right side of the hardcore that moves me.
If you keep the record spinning you'll get to hear the guys engaging themselves with a twangy intrumental reggae-watery-jazzy number that shows-off the musicians prowess and reminds a wee bit of Bad Brains (I haven't any liner notes or press so I attribute this piece to the guys but I could be dead wrong).
To celebrate the vinyl release of "Indicators" the five-some is gonna tour Europe this Fall with Strength Approach. And you'll get the chance to testify first-hand what they're made of.
Check: www.facebook.com/markmywordshc
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