RELEASE: LEPER - Frail Life
RECORD LABEL: Kink Records RELEASE DATE: 25 Jan 2020 BAND ORIGIN: Umeå, Sweden STYLE: Hardcore Punk / Raw Punk REVIEWER: Coffee Punx
Straight outta Umeå, Sweden, the city with one of the coolest punk scenes in Sweden (there're lots more of course), and, may be one of the coolest ones in the world. From members of such projects as Fukushima, U.X. VILEHEADS, Amöba, to be honest, i didn't know any of these bands, but they're more than worth to check them out, thanks to discogs. Frail Life is the second official release, according to bandcamp, the first 4-song Demo tape came out in 2017, all 4 songs appeared on new LP. Since then, sound hasn't changed a lot, may be become even a little bit more raw, which i found great!
The cover is pretty easy made, but it gets your attention immediately, at least this what happened to me when I first saw it. LP has 9 songs on it and each song is not more than 2 minutes long (ok, ICBM is 2:05 but it's sounds better to say like i did haha). I really like the parts in ICBM and Faster, with repeating of the word "you" in the first case and "sick" in the second one. Luckily, you can check out the lyrics without having a record in your hands, I have an LP, by the way. So, lyrics, as i've said, are really nice, I really like text in "Faster", it's suits to the times right now perfect, "Living in the endtimes is such a fucking bore, Just waiting for the chaos to erupt and end it all" and repeating this sick part in the end is sick:) Leper plays quite usual hardcore punk music, which you can hear by many bands nowadays, but it still really intense and with lots of really cool parts, I enjoyed guitar and bass a lot, but yeah, everything played really well, and, yeah, it's catchy. I decided to check out some live videos to get some more impression about the band, and, I should say, I would really to get to their show, hope it will be possible soon. Check this one out: Leper live i Stockholm (23/2-2019). I guess i'm a fan:) My personal tops are: Good Boy, ICBM, Faster, Search Light, Frail Life. IT'S 7.5/10.
1 Comment
RELEASE: THE LOWEST - Cult
RECORD LABEL: Hasiok Records RELEASE DATE: 5 May 2019 BAND ORIGIN: Warsaw, Poland STYLE: Hardcore Punk / Metal REVIEWER: Coffee Punx
Truly dark hardcore record by The Lowest from Warsaw, members of such bands as Nothing Between Us and Reality Check. This is their 4th release according to bandcamp. OK, they also had a compilation in 2013 which also came out on Hasiok Records in 2018. So, yeah, I decided to listen to it one more time after some months and heard it from the other side. I don't mean I found it less cool before, it appeared on my radio show by the way:)
The first song Alpha is kind of intro to the record, which is perfectly preparing you to the other songs, but still gives you an option for fantasy, how it's gonna sound like. Band is combining the dark metal riffs with hardcore parts and singalongs, which, I think, makes it sound individual. I really enjoyed reading the lyrics while listening, especially in "144 000", anyway they make the record sound kinda mysterious. I must say, I was always thinking of Fall Of Efrafa while listening, not much, but still, it's interesting if they were influenced by the band somehow. It's not new, many bands use this sound or try to, don't know if they make it on purpose. In the case of The Lowest, they don't use it everywhere, only partly, which is good. Even though I'm listening to this release for the second time right now, on a sunny day, outside, it gives you many space to think about things a lot. I enjoyed it. I'm always wondering how the bands are putting the tracks order, because, when I did it with my band, it was a lot of discussion, but The Lowest did it perfect, I assume the thought about this a lot. And, yeah, Omega is the best as the last song of this record. Cover is well done and perfect for this music. My personal tops are: Ceremony, Follower, 144 000, Omega. IT'S 8/10
RELEASE: COLD BRATS - S/T EP
RECORD LABEL: Nothing To Harvest Records / Summercide Records RELEASE DATE: 31 Oct 2019 BAND ORIGIN: Bucharest, Romania STYLE: Hardcore Punk / Post-Punk / Noise REVIEWER: Coffee Punx
May be one of my most awaiting cancelled shows in this spring in Hamburg. Cold Brats should have been touring over Europe together with Pakt, but they did a small tour with Education from Rome in January, which is really cool. The band has members of such projects as Void Forger, Rotheads, Cardinal and Bastos, to be honest, I knew only last one, the rest is... thanks discogs:)
Luckily, I've got this 7'' few day ago, finally I could dig a little bit in the shops in Hamburg again. This record is the 2nd one of 3 records by punks from Bucharest. 3rd one has all songs from the previous ones + 1 new. I really love electronic parts and noisy guitar on this record, it's a new cool thing in the bands sound nowadays, and yeah, I guess it was saxophone in the last song, "Life, And Nothing More", fucking great, this all makes them sound really unique. The art is really cool, I also found a poster with lyrics inside the record and it's crazy, looks like a very well made poster. The band mixing english and romanian in their lyrics, at least in first song, Split Sabers. I really can't make many references to other bands, but there probably are many, may be using saxophone also took place in last Halshug record, but anyway it's really great. My personal tops are: Split Sabers, Republic Of Dust (I assume the text is about Romania, really cool one), Life, And Nothing More (love acab songs haha). It's perfectly sounding hardcore punk record with some cool experiments with a sound, and yeah, noisy enough. Cold Brats has their own recognizable sound as I've mentioned before. As I don't know much about punk scene in Bucharest and Romania itself, it makes it more fascinating. I've just heard this record 5 times in a row and many more in the recent months, it's more than worth it! Hope to see them live one day. IT'S 9/10
RELEASE: DISCOVERY - Earth To Fucker EP
RECORD LABEL: Erste Theke Tonträger RELEASE DATE: 21 Mar 2020 BAND ORIGIN: Bay Area, CA, USA FORMED: ? STYLE: Hardcore Punk REVIEWER: Coffee Punx
Second release by Discovery from Bay Area, CA. I just found out it was a second one, first one sounds like rehearsal room recording, which is probably was. So, Earth to Fucker is a debut EP then. It came out on one of one my personal favorites, Erste Theke Tonträger from Mannheim, just in the beginning of this strange year, 2020. It sounds like many hardcore punk records nowadays, but when I listened to it to the end for the first time, I wanted more, another time, and i bought a record at a friend's record label and mail order in Hamburg. I think it worth to do a small review, despite the fact I still don't really know how to do this properly.
To be honest, the first impression is the cover, it's really cool, I suppose it has a reference to a second song, "Bore Hole". First song make you feel the record from the start, I love this drums part in the beginning and yeah, "fuck you pig, i'll bury you in your shit". Luckily, I have lyrics and they're just great, "bore hole bore hole make me sick to make me well", I love it. Earth to fucker remembering me some of the old Warhog songs, but it's only the advantage. It's the well done record, it has everything I love in hardcore punk music, cool musical part, great catchy lyrics. Despite the fact that I can say that each single song on this record is a hit, my personal tops are: "Bore Hole", "Machine", "Nothing", "Earth To Fucker". The band luckily made a small tour on the west coast in January, just before pandemic. I wish I can catch them somewhere on tour and hopefully soon. IT'S 9/10 |
AuthorPunk collective based in Hamburg and Berlin. Archives
January 2021
Categories |