11/2010 | HARDBOILED | hardcore webzine

I Blame It On The Ocean Europe tourdates

I Blame It On The Ocean is playing Europe tour as you read this. Check out the dates below.

26 - 11 - 2010 with STORM{O} + ?ALOS + AGATHA + HUNGRY LIKE RAKOVITZ
@ Villa Vegan - Milan - ITALY

27 - 11 - 2010 with KEITZER + COBRETTI + KAISHAKURIN + ARKTIKA
@ Oetinger Villa - Darmstadt - GERMANY

28 - 11 - 2010 with HOMER + STATE OF MINE + GENERATION 84 + ARIZONA + SECOND BASE
@ Sojo Club - Leuven - BELGIUM

02 - 12 - 2010 with AT DAGGERS DRAWN + GHOSTWRITER
@ Koma F - Berlin - GERMANY

03 - 12 - 2010 pazzo show
@ Wohnwelt - Wunstorf - GERMANY

04 - 12 - 2010 with LIGHTHOUSE PROJECT + EVENWORSE + COLDBURN
@ Cafè Wagner - Jena - GERMANY

12 - 12 - 2010 with DEAD SWANS + THE SECRET + MOTHER OF MERCY +
BRUTALITY WILL PREVAIL + HIEROPHANT + STEP ON MEMORIES + NOT YET FALLEN
@ Jackhole - Vicenza - ITALY

x Barcadia x

xBarcadiax is one of the most uncompromising straight edge bands with fierce sense of integrity and fearlessly outspoken. Their main focus of their brand new output Violent Means, Violent Ends is domestic violence and sexual assault, a topic that has been ignored by many bands. This is time to take a stand!

xBarcadiax is one of the most uncompromising straight edge bands with fierce sense of integrity and fearlessly outspoken. Their main focus of their brand new output Violent Means, Violent Ends is domestic violence and sexual assault, a topic that has been ignored by many bands. This is time to take a stand!

Could you tell us something about Violent Means, Violent Ends? What should we expect from it and when it will finally drop?

We approached everything with the attitude of "if we like it, we don't care what anyone else thinks". A lot of the music was influenced by bands we love like No Retreat, Built Upon Frustration, Grimlock. Lyrically, I wanted to bring things I think are important to light. There aren't too many "heavy" hardcore bands who confront rape, child molestation, human trafficking. I don't understand why that is.

So it’s coming out on Seventh Dagger. Is it important for you guys to be on the label that is backing up your message and promoting the same sober lifestyle?

I think it's important for people to realize they can get a lot more done if they are sober. We have stayed with Seventh Dagger because Danny has always been really awesome to us. I can call him up any time with any problem or question and he's always there with a solution.

The album’s running theme is the sexual assault, domestic violence and life trafficking. What prompted you to touch this import ant topic? Were there any specific stories or people that influenced the lyrics on the album?

A while back a really good friend of mine was raped. I would say that's what set me off. The more I looked into sexual assault and saw how prevalent it is, the more disgusted and pissed off I became. I decided to use my band as a vehicle to drive all of this information into the heads of people who might not be thinking about it or who might not know about it. I also wanted to be a band that lets anyone who's ever been sexually assaulted know they are not alone and there is at least one band, one group of people in this world who care and who actively stand up against what ruined their lives.
Members of this band have also had to confront sexual assault head on. One of us was born out of a rape. What we are about isn't just some front or some way for us to get a pat on the back. I used to wake up every day sick to my stomach because of the horrible shit human beings do to each other. We are actively participating in a fight against sexual assault and those who would violate others. This band is just one part of that fight, a weapon, a tool.

Are there any new insights into this topic that you've gained when you prepared for this album? What do you think the biggest myth is about domestic violence?

I have always tried to get some sort of understanding about the effects of sexual assault. I am always reading stories from woman who survived brutal rapes or children who were molested. The thing that got to me most is how fucking damaging sexual assault is to people. It tears them to pieces. It fucks up so many different aspects of their lives.
I think the biggest myth about domestic violence is people who are abused thinking it is in any way "acceptable" or "okay". I wish people could understand that people who love you do not hit you and if they do, you deserve someone better, someone who won't hit you.

What do you think is the most critical helping factor for someone who has fallen a victim to sexual violence?

Just being there for them. It is their decision whether or not they want to report it or come forward. But I think standing by them, being there are much as humanly possible with love and support can help them through it and help them get the justice they deserve.

Your “Zero Tolerance” t-shirt is strong. What is your view on a capital punishment for a violent sexual crimes?

I think convicted rapists should be killed or locked away until they die. And if locked up, they should not be afforded anything other than the minimal amount of food and water needed to survive. They should be treated like the fucking filth they are. Child molesters, child pornographers, pimps...these "people" should be castrated. I don't care if it's barbaric or inhumane. And fuck chemical castration which requires ongoing injections. Cut their balls off. The worst offenders should be killed without any of the appeals bullshit red tape that costs everyone so much money. These assholes deserve to die. The words "repeat offender" should not exist. And if the law won't do it, there are people in this world who will and there are ways to do the necessary things without being caught.

Have you received any controversy for this t-shirt?

No. Everyone I've seen with one always says that people agree with it and are all about it.

So, after the album hits the streets, what’s next for the band?

Most likely us stealing a van and going on tour until the police stop looking for us. Hopefully that includes Mexico and Europe.

Any final thoughts that you'd like to share?

Thank you for the interview. If anyone has any questions they can contact us. If anyone needs help or wants to help, they can go to www.rainn.org or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE

More on Barcadia here.

Pacto De Sangre

Pacto De Sangre has been on the forefront of the beatdown hardcore in Spain. The band has been working hard to spread their music around and they deserve to be heard. With their latest output out (read the review), it's only right that we check what they're all about.

Pacto De Sangre has been on the forefront of the beatdown hardcore in Spain. The band has been working hard to spread their music around and they deserve to be heard. With their latest output out (read the review), it's only right that we check what they're all about.

First of all, how was 2010 for Pacto De Sangre so far? You guys have released a new record so I guess there’s no reason to complain?
It’s been ok, but it could have been better. For personal reasons, we have been separated until August, but in September most of us came to Madrid and we are currently living here so the band is active again. We would have liked to do more gigs than we have actually done, though now our main priority is going to be the band. We are quite focused at the moment; we hope that our jobs and studies allow us to do gigs abroad.

Now that the new album hit the streets, how do you feel about it? Are you satisfied with the outcome?
It seems that the new album is successfully reaching to many places. We have been sending Cds to people and some Record labels have helped us too. We are quite happy about it. The album can be found either in Europe and America.
It took a year to get it fully recorded, but we are content with the result though we would have liked a more kind of aggressive sound as a final result; that’s why it took so long. However, we did our best but it’s quite difficult to get the sound you originally had in your mind.

What has been the response so far?
The response from people has surprisingly overcome our expectations. Most people did not expect that such a band could come up from a southern Andalusian area in Spain, the poorest region of Spain regarding financial and cultural issues involved in Hardcore. We are getting more and more orders not only in Spain but abroad too. We are glad to have more outsiders interested in our music.

How did you come up with that title "Sangre Joven”? What does this name represent to you?
“Sangre Joven” means “young blood”. We chose it because we are one of the youngest HC bands in Spain, We truly believe that we bring a different and fresh sound compare to what we are used to listened to in our region.

What is the main inspiration when writing lyrics and is there a theme or themes behind the writing of this record?
Our lyrics are inspired in many different issues of our lives, we just need to have quick look around and we can realize about the shit we are surrounded by. The main message of our lyrics is strength and courage to face problems in life and never allow anyone to step you; we also talk about the family, friends and values involved in punk and Hc.

I really like the fact that you sing in your native langue. What was the reason for this move and why do you think so few bands do that?
I think the main reason why we chose Spanish is because any of us feel confident enough to sing in English, we wanted to do something really good and we work much better in Spanish. We know that because of that we are somehow closing doors to many people, but we do also know that there are a lot of Spanish native speakers that like fact and we want them to fully get our message. We have also thought about doing some songs in English for future works but, as we have already said, the main reason for English to be used is that it gets to more people.

When you look at the layout of the album, not only the music itself, but also the image of the band seem to be infused with violence. How much of it is real you and how much is just for the shock value?
Lol, this is not the first time we have been told this. We do not consider ourselves a violent band, you have to look further than a simple image, it portraits a fight against unfairness and the rest of the things we have previously mentioned. I’m sure that many people have searched for the album just because of the cover without even listening to it in the first place (lol). Our music is forceful and aggressive so the cover has to match that too.

What are some of the most memorable gigs you played and what is the craziest stuff kids did at your show?
Of course our local gigs with our people that always support us. We also remember good gigs such as the one in Salamanca (middle Spain) and Murcia (southeastern Spain) though people usually mosh and get on it wherever we play.

What would you say to people complaining about violent dancing at hardcore shows?
We believe that each type of music has its own dance, and when it comes to HC mosh pops up. If you don’t like the dance you can either step aside or go to a pop concert instead.

Tell us something about your other bands, Truth Through Fight and Second Division?
‘Truth Through Fight’ are quite influenced by youth crew bands from the late 80’s and mid 90’s. We have been a quite active band since 2005; we’ve got 3LP and one 7”, besides, several European Tours, South American and the United States. ‘Second Division’ is a tribute to NY bands from the 80’s such as Cro-Mags, Warzone, Judge…we only have one EP.

What is hardcore scene in Jerez like? Any other good bands coming from over there?
The HC scene in Jerez is really small, it could be said that we triggered it with ‘la otra opción crew’ (the other option crew). It’s not a big crew and we are pretty much the main members of it. The good thing of the gigs that we organize is that not only HC kids come to them, but also punks, heavies, rockers, etc., However, since most of us are leaving in Madrid, there has been an important loss regarding ‘la otra opción’s issues’ and we do not know if someone is going to carry on with it. Apart from the bands that belong to the crew, there is another deathcore band and one melodic hc one, but they have just started.

What inspired you to become a part of hardcore scene and how long have you been around?
It all began when we were thirteen years old; we all listened to punk and hardcore bands and some kind of metal ones too. We set our first bands at that age too, ‘primeros sintomas’ (anarkopunk/ska) and ‘NHOM’ (HC punk), there were some more aside projects but they remained like that. Little by little, at the same time we grew as a band, we never stopped going to gigs and seeing other bands from the scene, bands from different provinces and towns, the HC feeling took us over and we couldn’t stop it, so we decided to set ‘la otra opción crew’.

What are some of the albums that have made an impression on you in 2010 so far?
Nasty - Give a shit
Alea Jacta Est- Gloria Victus
Kickback - No surrender
First Blood - Silence is betrayal
Six Ft. Dish – Recreational violence
...

How do you feel about the current state of beatdown hardcore music in Europe? What bands do you support?
We would love it if the beatdown scence ever got here. The Eurpean Beatdown Scene ain’t that big either and we live too far from the countries where most important gigs take place. We know people from the European Beatdown Scene such as Germany, France, England and Belgium and we also know for a fact that they are quite active and there are more bands coming up. We would like to be part this European Scene but we believe that we are more part of the African scene (lol).

Big business and hardcore? As a band that used to release their first recordings DIY, do you feel hardcore scene can benefit from big labels and media hype?
We have never thought that bands that belong to this scene could ever become rich, this is so underground; only in the case that this music went so in fashion for some unknown reason, there might be some big record label interested, but we really like the way it is now.

What are the future plans for the band?
Now that we all live in Madrid, we want to tour around; we are also working on some new stuff and new merch. For next summer, we want to go to America; we would also like to play some gigs in Europe. We are open to any possible offer of someone who is able to set any gig no matter where in Europe.

Any closing comments?
We are really pleased with this interview and thank you guys very much for you interest. We hope that PDS can get into the European HC scene little by little; we are full of hopes about it.

Band's Myspace

Desperate Times

You gotta admit that with the name Desperate Times the band is in tune with the times. This is pretty much a young band but they've just released a State Of Mind Ep which I've been rocking really hard lately. Heavy and harsh hardcore with no bullshit lyrics. Take a few minutes to check what Desperate Times is all about!

For those unfamiliar with the band - what do you want people to know about the band and your music or message?

We are a five piece straight edge band from welland ontario. Our message is probably not the most positive message, if you are not straight edge that's cool we don't want to discourage people from listening to us if they are not straight edge. If you are straight edge that's cool also, come sing along and mosh to one of our shows.

How did you all meet and how long have you all been a band?

Me (Bo) and Josh have known each other since grade 8/9 but then started to hangout like 3 summers ago and I knew josh played guitar and I really wanted to be in a band but I didn't play an instrument so I just picked up a bass and taught myself. Josh knew codey for a while but codey also didn't play an instrument so we said try and sing and see what happens. Luc used to be in a band that codey was good friends with so he suggested him as a drummer so we started to jam. We wrote a lot of bad songs but eventually we got decent at our instruments and wrote "state of mind 2010" we started being a band in 2009 but only got serious last summer. We have had a few member changes but jamie is our newest second guitar player.

What's the toughest struggle for the band like yours? What's the biggest wall to get over?

I wouldn't say this is a struggle but money is an issue when in a band especially when you are starting off. We don't want to make any money but in order to recorded new songs, make merch and play shows it costs a lot out of our own pockets, but its all for fun and if we didn't have this band we would have nothing to do and spend our money on.

For those who have not heard anything from you how would you describe band's playing sound?

Hardcore, fast, heavy. Apparently people say we sound like buried alive, witch is weird because none of us really listen to them when we wrote state of mind.

What have you released so far?

Back when we first started we wrote a really bad split with our friends in thieves but we don't want anyone to hear that. So just State of mind ep.

Who are your strongest musical influences and why?

Our strongest musical influences are probably, leeway, biohazard, obituary and merauder.

And where do you draw your inspiration from when it comes to the lyrics?

From codey thompson- Most of my lyrics are inspired by shitty relationships and even shittier friendships. Before when we weren't a straight edge band i would Sort of hide little straight edge remarks and stuff in there, but now i am thinking of being a little more open about it.

Tell me about band's performance element – what should kids expect from your live show?

Honestly its not always the same if we play in our hometown or somewhere close we have lots of people moshing to us and singing along but if we are playing a town for the first time it might be not as intense. always have fun no matter what thou.

Tell us what you have coming up that we can check for. Plans, gigs and releases planned for the upcoming months?

We are probably doing a split with Easy Way Out witch is like half of Desperate times. Probably going to be recorded at the end of december, 3 new songs for each band. As for shows nothing really we want to write new songs before we start playing some more shows. We would like to do a 3 day tour in march break with Easy Way Out and possibly Planet Danger in Toronto, Ottawa and montreal. Who knows thou.

Any closing thoughts?

Shout out to Easy Way Out, Planet Danger, Troubled Minds and the Author. Also I and the singer of Easy Way Out are making a zine called Climbing Aboard witch should be out in January, look out for that.

Band's Myspace.

Set To Strike

Set To Strike is Pennsylvania based band aiming at heavy old school hardcore sound and just trying to get their name out. They've been around for very little time but already have a demo out and are planning to record some more new shit soon.

For those unfamiliar with the band - what do you want people to know about the band and your music or message?

We honestly are a group of 4 guys who just want to play some true hardcore, with a slight twist in the way we write. My(singer -Joey) lyrics are very inspired by the world around me, from politics, to negativity, to the streets, to positivity, pretty much anything that I can think of that sounds good to write about.

How did you all meet and how long have you all been a band?

The band started as a fun project between myself(singer -Joey), Nikko(bass), Willy(guitar), and Johnny T(drums). We just figured...why not? So we started this band and about 2months into it, Willy had to leave because his other side band was getting pretty serious at the time. So we thought that would be close to the end of us, because where we are from unless you want to play blast beats, death metal, etc. you wont find a dedicated guitarist. However Willy found us a guitar player from the area, Travis. Not only did this fix the band, but Travis has taken us to an entire new level, and I think makes us stand out as a hardcore band, as he always is adding these little odd parts but they go so well with the music.

What's the toughest struggle for the band like yours? What's the biggest wall to get over?

I mean I guess to get heard, like any other band would be the hardest struggle. At the same time we arent really trying to prove anything, or become some huge famous band. But we just want to get heard, maybe inspire some new kids to get into hardcore. Maybe inspire kids with my lyrics, or even just go as far as them thinking from a different aspect of a situation. The biggest wll for us to overcome is touring. We would love to tour as a band, but Johnny T is in school, I'm a new dad, Travis works for a hotel so he works alot, and Nikko is in school too. But I promise you we will tour eventually, even if it means 20 small tours.

For those who have not heard anything from you how would you describe band's playing sound?

This is an oxy-moron when I say this, but I would say very modern old school hardcore. We like to try to keep it a traditional hardcore sound, but with that new twist of things in the mix. Make sense? haha.

What have you released so far?

A free demo that we made in this biker dudes basement. The coolest dudes ever. If you ever get offered by a big biker dude that works at Dominos to record your band.... DO IT! They love doing gang vocals, and just all around nicest dudes ever. I would plug them here to promote them, but I forget their studio name, I will get back on that, actually I'll end up promoting them on facebook/myspace.

We are also in the process of recording a better higher quality demo/ep. It will be about 5 songs. - self titled.

Who are your strongest musical influences and why?

This is a tough one, cause there are so many. Some if my biggest influences go from huge bands, to even bands that I'm friends with. I'm gonna have to say Madball, Kingdom, First Blood, and Black Sabbath. That is very random, but they stick out in my head. They are all groups who have very dominant strong lyrics about the things they believe. Which is what I go for in every song I write.

And where do you draw your inspiration from when it comes to the lyrics?

Everyday life. The positives, the negatives, my friends/family, my lovely wife and son. A big part of my lyrics come from my anger towards politics/governement in general. Thats a whole new can of worms to open though, and we can talk about that in another interview if you would like.

Tell me about band's performance element – what should kids expect from your live show?

We actually had just played our first show recently in Bethlehem, Pa. We were fortunate enough to play with two great bands, Unlearn, and Death Before Dishonor. The show was supposed to be in like 2-3 different venues, but they all cancelled so it ended up in Bethlehem, Pa. Which actually was better in my eyes. A bunch of kids had shown up, good turnout for a last minute venue change. It was all around a great show.

We try to be a very high energy band. Not a band that just stands there, and expects the crowd to do the moving. Every show we try to get more and more crazy. I think a band doesnt need lights, and effects, and all that bullshit. All you need is a bunch of energetic crazy fuckers on stage, ready to have some fun.

Tell us what you have coming up that we can check for. Plans, gigs and releases planned for the upcoming months?

We are currently looking to play anywhere/everywhere possible for us. So if you listen to us and like what you hear... PLEASE get in contact with us, we would LOVE to play your area if we can make it out. Thank you.

Any closing thoughts?

Come out and have fun with us. That is our dream. Not to make tons of money, not to become anything more special than a ton of kids going crazy in a firehall or small club or something of that sort.

Band's myspace can be found here.

No Redeeming Social Value - High in Holland

Well here we have the NYHC gods of self-destruction at the Dynamo club in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

SOUND: the sound is spot on. Heavy, thick guitars; clean drums, crisp snare and pounding bass and toms; discernable vocals. Lots of the songs get the dual vocals done on them, bringing back the extra energy of the old days. Volume is perfect. The band is tight. While i Miss some ex-members, the band is a well-oiled machine here. The drums are ridiculous. The guitars are tough riffs and fast bursts. You can here the elements in total synch. And that another prize of live albums. You here a band take older songs and put them down after years of practicing and playing live; rendering them better then when recorded.

SONGS: These dudes go thru it all. They open with the timeless "More Tattoos". Hard and charging. They go into probably my favorite NRSV song, "Wake Up". I was surprised to hear them still do "Fabio and "Guido" and "Microwave" and it was pleasantly. I forget how good those songs are. The new tunes of "Still Drinking", Beer == Fun", and the massive "Drinking is Not a Game". My theme song "I Hate Everyone" is here in all it's glory. Classics like "Chicken, "New 64", "Olde E", "No Regrets", "Skinheads Rule" all show up on this disc. Two covers get the NRSV treatment; "Drunk at YOT Reunion" (blowe, roaw!!) and "Raining Blood".

VIBE: you get the full NRSV experience. so good. Lots of comments and banter. The total fun, buzzed up vibe of a NRSV show comes through. I am picking up change alone in my room as i listen; fondly recalling the one time i saw them come to Providence (Met Cafe). Wish i had more memories to dance to. Their schticky campy comedy stylings intro the songs and the NRSV personality shines through.

INLAY: a nice pair of boobs grace the cover in a leopard bra. some cool pics, live and goofing off; lyrics to each song - just in case, somehow, you do not have the other cd's (dummy). Full credits and props for the tour. A healthy incentive to buy the hard copy.

BOTTOM LINE:
basically, this gets thrown in with the legends. i will quickly reach for this disc as i would any other NRSV disc; and any other live cd. The sound is perfect; the performance is true NRV. impeccable. Clear, top-notch sound quality capturing the cavalcade of 20 years of music form this blast of a boozed up band. Fast metal riffs to tough guy breakdowns to funny in between babbling. Energy and the feeling of the live show, sing a-longs, all get you swept up in the moment.

I am tired just listening; yearning to be soaked in beer and sweat.

This is guest review by Hutch from Empty Hands blog
Label: Dead City Records
Year: 2010
Band's website

Straight To Your Face - The Struggle

It’s been two years since Denmark-based Straight To Your Faced released an album, but the wait is over with the release of The Struggle. It’s an album of pure hardcore goodness with some of killer tracks such as ‘The Struggle’ and ‘Back In The Ring’. The songs come hard and fast with some slick grooves and sick sing along parts.

The band has a knack for writing catchy tunes so the album definitely doesn’t disappoint. Their style is heavily influenced by NYHC sound laced over with a hint of metal, not unlike bands like Madball, Terror or Backfire!. The songs are pretty much straight forward but they pack them with enough hooks to keep your attention all the time throughout the album. Thanks to superb work of Jakob Bredahl , the production is fat and heavy giving these songs even a bigger adrenaline boost. If you like your hardcore rough and without too much useless technical wankery, you should give this one a go.

Review by Dloogi
Label: Demons Run Amok Records
Year: 2010
Band's website

Of Salt And Swine - Lights Out

If you follow this website you know I’ve got nothing against bands that mix hardcore with metal. When it’s done right, the results can powerful. But on the other hand, there’s a danger that if you inject too much of that metal sound into your music your risk losing the hardcore feel. And when it happens, most of the vitality and energy is lost for me(check the last album from Sworn Enemy if you don’t know what I mean).

So this is no surprise that I’m not a big fun of deathcore genre. No matter how I twist and turn it, this style fails to appeal to my liking. Unfortunately, that’s what Of Salt And Swine is about. Just like deathcore album should, Lights Out showcases plenty of down-tuned guitars, guttural screaming, blast beats and groove breakdowns. With very little variety, all the tracks tend to be indistinguishable from each other as the album drags on with no trace of vitality. And it’s not even band’s fault I suppose, cause they seem to be pretty good musicians after all, but the nature of the genre make it all sound so horribly pre-judged and forced. The fact that the band does very little to distance itself from typical deathcore sound doesn’t help at all. Anyway, if you’re into deathcore you might find this album entertaining, otherwise you will get heavily disappointed.

Review by Dloogi
Label: Innerstrength Records
Year: 2010
Band's website

Fight Alone Today - Mari Berkawan Ep

Fight Alone Today from Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This is their brand new Ep and they want to share it for free! DOWNLOAD

Droplaw - Demo 2K10

Portland based Droplaw plays the type of hardcore that I really like - relentless, ignorant and antisocial. This one brings to my mind the style that East Coast bands were executing back in the 90'. Definitely a band to watch for. DOWNLOAD!

Desperate Times - State Of Mind Ep

Desperate Times brings nothing but no holds barred heavy hardcore and this is their new Ep called State Of Mind. DOWNLOAD IT!

Damage Done - Demo

Damage Done is Salt Lake City based hardcore with a massive heavy groove bringing to mind bands like Hatebreed or Throwdown at their prime. DOWNLOAD IT!

Values - Sincerely

Values is from Sweden and unfortunately they appear to broke up, at least to according to their Myspace. Anyway, give it a listen if you're into emotional, modern hardcore.

Drag Me Under - Bad Ideas With Worse Exicution

Drag Me Under from Nevada, sound like "a breakdown smothered in barbeque sauce.".

x A Call For Revenge x - Vigilantes

xA Call For Revengex is straight edge band with a heavy sound and vigilante lyrics from Mexico, a country caught up in ongoing drug wars. When you consider their environment, you can be sure they ain't joking about their attitude on drugs. You gotta support it!

Exciting news from Reflections Records

Reflections Records is one of the most hard working labels in Europe right now and they continue to bring top quality hardcore to the masses with new and upcoming releases from bands such as Deal With It, Ritual or No Turning Back. They've got a lot of exciting things going on so check this info about the big European tour they're working on and free shipping in November and December.

REFLECTIONS RECORDS TOUR 2011
We're thrilled to to announce the Reflections Records Tour in cooperation with Stronger Bookings! With a great line-up feat. NO TURNING BACK, RITUAL, DEAL WITH IT, NEW MORALITY and MIDNIGHT SOULS (selected dates) we'll bring you a package of hardcore bands that shows that European Hardcore is alive and vivid as never before. This tour will take place from March 17 ‘till March 27. Most dates are either already set or comfirmed but if interested in booking this package you might want to get in touch with STRONGER BOOKINGS (strongerbookings@gmail.com)

REFLECTIONS mailorder news: FREE Shipping
We’ve been adding a lot of stuff lately but are attending a lot of shows as well, so sometimes stuff sells out quicker then that we can re-stock them. When ordering it might help to add some alternatives straight away. Other than that we’re as fast and communicative as ever before. With Sinterklaas and X-mas around the corner it might be a cool idea to get your presents from us as we very well might throw in some surpises in November and December! Check shop.reflectionsrecords.com for all the new items and what cool stuff we have in stock (make sure to keep an eye out on the 2nd hand/rarities section!!).

** For the remaining of 2010, we're offering all of our customers of the online store FREE SHIPPING on all orders over € 75,00. Just add the coupon code 'FREE SHIPPING' at checkout and the discount will be applied to the total of your order. **

REFLECTIONS distro
We’ll be attending the following shows the coming weeks:

November 19: No Turning Back, Touche Amore, Midnight Souls a/o. Mechelen, Belgium
November 20: Nails, Rise And Fall, Touche Amore, Black Breath a/o. MOD, Hasselt. Belgium
November 21: Skarhead, New Morality, 013, Tilburg, Netherlands
December 18: Xmas Mosh. Essen, Germany
January 6: No Turning Back, 013 Tilburg

REFLECTIONS HQ www.reflectionsrecords.com
ONLINE STORE 24/7 shop.reflectionsrecords.com
FACEBOOK PAGE www.facebook.com (add us!)
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Exciting news from No Turning Back - Take Control 2011

It’s been almost three years since the release of their last album “Stronger”… It’s been three years of playing every country in the world where a hardcore band can play, bringing them to every continent on the planet… It’s been three years where a band showed their unmatchable dedication to the music and message they believe in. And it’s been three years of showing the world that they were stronger than ever. Now, at the brink of 2011, No Turning Back is ready. Ready to TAKE CONTROL!

NO TURNING BACK “REACHING FORWARD” limited 7” pre-order now!

With a worldwide release of the band’s next chapter TAKE CONTROL February 15, 2011 we wanted to give something extra and something special for those who have been following and supporting the band since day one. Next to their upcoming new album, NO TURNING BACK recorded four extra songs to be released as a VERY limited 7”, entitled “Reaching Forward”. With four songs of pure, unadulterated hardcore this 7” is limited to 500 copies with 100 on colored vinyl (mailorder only). We are now taking pre-orders. So be quick and don’t miss out! We’ll include a huge TAKE CONTROL promo poster with every order as well. We expect these to come in around the second week of December so you’ll get it right in time for Xmas.

Pre-order NO TURNING BACK – “Reaching Forward” 7" in the Reflections Online Store

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER SHOWS
In the meantime, there’s no stopping No Turning Back as they got
12 more shows lined up this year:
November 19 Metteko, Mechelen - Belgium
November 20 Joc Ieper, Ieper - Belgium
November 26 Essigfabrik, Koln - Germany
November 27 JUZ Illingen, Illingen - Germany
November 28 Beteigeuze, Ulm - Germany
November 29 Alte Maelze, Regensburg - Germany
December 1 Trillbeats club, Dresden - Germany
December 2 tba, Leipzig - Germany
December 3 tba, Cottbus - Germany
December 4 Burning Ice Fest, Monchengladbach - Germany
December 11 Vigo HC party, Mondo Club, Vigo - Spain
December 18 Jay Holland B'day Bash, Bunker, Gemert - The Netherlands

TAKE CONTROL BENELUX TOUR
Right after the holidays NO TURNING BACK will start their first string of release shows for TAKE CONTROL together with Haribo Macht Kinder Froh (+ more). The following dates and venues are confirmed:

January 6 013, Tilburg - The Netherlands
January 7 Nieuwe Nor, Heerlen - The Netherlands
January 9 Het Bolwerk, Sneek - The Netherlands
January 14 Lintfabriek, Kontich - Belgium
January 28 Tivoli De Helling, Utecht - The Netherlands
January 29 Beest, Goes - The Netherlands
January 30 Hedon, Zwolle - The Netherlands
February 5 Baroeg, Rotterdam - The Netherlands
February 6 De Pul, Uden - The Netherlands

TAKE CONTROL RECORD RELEASE SHOWS
February 11 Club Gum, Burghausen - Germany w/ State Of Mind
February 12 JZ Riot, Lichtenstein - Germany w/ State Of Mind
February 13 Innocent, Hengelo - The Netherlands w/ State Of Mind
February 25 tba, Porto - Portugal w/ For The Glory
February 26 Marginália Bar, Portimao - Portugal w/ For The Glory
February 27 Time Out Bar, Montijo - Portugal w/ For The Glory

The Platoon - Birth To Box 7" coming soon on Save My Soul Records

The Platoon will put out Birth To Box 7" on Save My Soul Records. You can listen to peek preview of new tunes here. Those guys have been around for a long time now and still manage to get better and better with each release!

State of Mind Announces Kill Your Idols Tribute 7″ Series

A number of Kill Your Idols inspired friends and fans have gathered together to pay tribute to the band. This is a four part series titled Epilogue with all KYI cover tracks. Each volume is going to be strictly limited to one pressing. This is going to be unique and every volume will include something extra in the packaging. Each cover will be a section of the skull, collect all four to put the big picture together.

You can’t imagine how much doing this release means to State of Mind Records. Listening to and seeing KYI was a large part of growing up and still inspires us to this very day. There is a diverse bunch of bands compiled on this as we thought that made sense since KYI had played with a diverse number of bands themselves. These bands aren’t just doing this to be on a seven inch comp, they legitimately love KYI (most have a member with the Skull tattoo). If you see any of them playing there is a good chance they will play the song they covered. So put on some Kill Your Idols and get pumped!

V/A – Epilogue Vol 1 7” comp

BACKTRACK “Enjoy The Show”
RUST BELT LIGHTS “Autumn”
SEASICK “Hardcore Circa 99”
BULLET TREATMENT “Can’t Take it Away from me”
OFFSIDES “Cast me Aside”
VIOLENT SOCIETY “The Path”

RazorBlade HandGrenade - Page 472

Foundation to record new album

Atlanta, GA's Foundation will enter the studio next month to begin recording their Bridge Nine Records debut. Tracking will commence in mid-December at Ledbelly Studios in Atlanta with Matt Washburn at the helm. Foundation drummer Champ Hammett says, "We are finishing everything we need to do to hit the studio in December with our friend Matt at Ledbelly. We are so ready for this album to be recorded and out for everyone to hear. We are really excited and proud of the record but we are ready to hit the road again."

6131 Records signs Doubledealer

Official press release from 6131 Records: We couldn't be happier to welcome Delaware's, Doubledealer to the ever growing 6131 Records family. The band released their demo on a 7" through Harvcore Records, and after hearing it we knew this was a band we wanted to work with. In early-2011 Doubledealer will be releasing a new 7' on Harvcore followed quickly by an LP for 6131 Records. Make sure to check out Doubledealer if they come through your town. Expect big things to come.

Pre-orders for This Is Australia compilation

Bloke Records is running pre-orders for very limited edition coloured vinyl copies of the "This Is Australia 7". There will be 2 different pre order options, you can pre order your choice of either blue, green, red or yellow vinyl (only 125 available of each) or alternatively you can choose to pre order all 4 for a discounted price. The 7" consists of exclusive and previously unreleased tracks by Blkout, 50 Lions, No Apologies and Parkway Drive and includes a digital download card.

Dominate - No Way Out

New Six Ft. Ditch full-CD available out now

After an endless hiatus for more than 4 years, New Hampshire´s most hated return with their intransigent full-lengt debut, packed with a couple of sheer brutal new massmurder anthems, influenced by serial killers Ed Gein, Ted Bundy and Fritz Haarmann. Six Ft Ditch deliver their most brutal and heaviest songs so far including guest-vocals by Stikman Fury Of Five & Boxcutter and Matthi Nasty, plus an awesome cover-version of House Of Pain meets Helmet's "Just another victim" from the classical "Judgement Night" soundtrack. Hail to the masters of Positive Murdercore. Get your copy here.

Nueva Actitud - Formas de Manipulación

World View Demo II from Bad Seed out on Control Records

Control Records is proud to present the one off vinyl press of this highly acclaimed demo, again a limited pressing, 100 orange wax for mailorders only, 400 black wax. Both colors are available to order in the Control webstore from tomorrow on, 19 october 2010 - 20:00 Central European Standard Time. Also a Bad Seed shirt design will be available to order and we still have a very limited amount of True Colors EPs and Control Straight Edge shirt designs left so act quick!Wilkes-Barre, PA may not have the near mythical historical appeal of New York or Boston when it comes to hardcore but over the last few years it has produced quite a few bands that have shaken up the hardcore landscape and made a mark. Bad Seed are one of those bands although it seems like they were never even supposed to be a real band.
How does that work? Well - when you have a bunch of young men in an up and coming poppunk band (in this case that would be Title Fight) that feel the need to express the harder, darker side of their personalities and their love for classic metallic New York hardcore bands like Merauder (the demo - definitely), early Biohazard and The Icemen... the end result could possibly be a band called Bad Seed and a demo that hit like a nailbomb in late '08. Four songs - all heavy as hell with a vicious bite to them. Nothing complicated or revolutionary but real hardcore done real well.

Bad Seed followed up their demo with a 7'' and a split 7'' with War Hungry on 6131 Records and the occasional live performance but never developed into a real, touring band despite the fact that their name was hot on everyone's lips.

Next up will be a brand new EP from Stick Together - Wilkes-Barre Straight Edge.

Manu Armata - Antagonized

A Short Fanzine About Rocking #28 out now

The winter 2010 issue of A Short Fanzine About Rocking, is out now! It features interviews with Terror, Down To Nothing, Brutality Will Prevail, The Wonder Years, Comeback Kid, The Arteries, Death Before Dishonor, Throats, This Is Hell, Pettybone, Evergreen Terrace and Take Courage! You can order it here.

Ill Omen

Finland based Ill Omen don't play around when it comes to hardcore. Somewhere on this website I've said they're like the attitude of New York and the evil of Cleveland combined in one. Add a little bit of Detroit's coldness and you'll get the whole picture. The band has recently released 7" (read review) and split Ep with Get Stitches!

Finland based Ill Omen don't play around when it comes to hardcore. Somewhere on this website I've said they're like the attitude of New York and the evil of Cleveland combined in one. Add a little bit of Detroit's coldness and you'll get the whole picture. The band has recently released 7" (read review) and split Ep with Get Stitches!

Things have been pretty busy for Ill Omen recently – you’ve got split with Get Stitches! just couple of months after your 7” came out. Are you satisfied with the way things been going so far?
Markus: The Split 7" was supposed originally to come out soon after our own 7", late 2009. We went into studio with a rush to get our songs tracked, but it turned out that Get Stitches! faced some problems and they recorded their songs in couple sessions, so it took a bit more time. I'm just happy that the record is finally out and that Get Stitches! are now getting back to active (they were in hiatus after they recorded their songs). Split turned out to be very good and we're happy with it, i hope that people will like the songs from both bands. With the split we kinda are showcasing also our hometown, Turku's hardcore scene.

I have to admit the new songs sound fucking reckless. How long did you spend on them in terms of writing and recording?

Markus: I think that Dear Friends was written around time we got our "S/T" 7" released and we started thinking about writing some new songs. I had been talking about doing the split with Aku, original drummer of Get Stitches! (who plays on the Split and GS! demo) for awhile after our 7" came out. So when all the plans came reality and we decided to really do the split 7", we started working on our another song, TCHC. I think that the process was something like that.

Heikki and Teemu usually write the songs and then i write the lyrics and arrange them, but them we think of it together to make everything fit perfect. I think that TCHC was actually written little time before we had studio reserved and we rehearsed it quite a lot in very little time, but it's good since it turned out to be a real fucking bomb. Huge thanks to our brothers who came down to lay off some guest vocals, so Pirkka, Juuso and Oskari really made the song complete, bringing some true "Turku style" to the song.

We asked Ville from Breamgod to do some guest vocals on Dear Friends, couple weeks before we hit the studio and he was glad to come, so our side of the split shines because of our friends helping us out, haha. Tracking itself was done in one day, Teemu and Heikki laid down drum and guitar tracks, then all the vocals, gangshouts etc and after that Heikki did some guitar leads etc, it took one whole day. Big ups for Ansa Studios for making us sound great again and stretching their time to our use.

Your sound seem to mix up a different styles of hardcore, what are your biggest influences when writing?

Markus: I can say only behalf of lyrics, since Heikki is our main songwriter musicwise, but i think the overall sound comes from shit we all love, bands like Death Threat, Terror, Metallica, Cold As Life, Furious Styles, Merauder, Integrity and of course all the Finnish bands who have probably influenced us the most. I love so many hardcore bands, as you might have guessed, but things i write are mainly about what i see in life and what caughts my eye. I'm trying to say things i think need to be said, my view on things, good and bad. There's a lot "basic" issues about how our world is bound to go to hell. Humanity is the devil, that's the truth, we are our own devils and human's capability to doing evil is another endless inspiration, you see shit every day in news, you wouldn't ever even imagine could happen. I also draw influences from other stuff i'm into, graphic novels, horror literature, movies and things like that, there's a quote from perhaps the greatest graphic novel of all time, The Watchmen (by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons) on our song No One Watching Over Us, that's on our 7". There's also couple other quotes i've used, including something from bands i love like The Smiths, Machine Head, E-Town Concrete and so on. You'll see the contrast there, i mean we all got really broad tastes on music. Influences, quoting and loaning things are cool, but they can't be everything, so i'm just trying to have my say, you know.

Was it important for you to have your music released on vinyl format?

Markus: For me it is, i think all of us love vinyl records, only our bass player Ode doesn't own record player, but i think he digs 'em still. It's the most impressive and most hands-on experience when you pick up an 7" or 12", check out the artwork, lyrics and take the record and drop the needle on the plate. Nothing beats listening music like that. I think it also sounds better, only downside it that it's really damn expensive to put out a 7" or LP. I hope we put out more vinyl releases in future, but it would be cool that our stuff would be available on CD as well and i'd like to have "digital download" -coupons included, if we in future put out another vinyl release.

Do you have any goals set for the band with the split? Like playing more shows or even tour Europe?

Markus: Most important point with this Split was to get some attention to both bands. Fuck YES we'd tour Europe, if there's any interest and we get things rolling right! So any show organizers, we're all ready to come and take a chance to check out how hardcore's doing in Europe, or anywhere else! I've been talking about getting something set up in Denmark and it's pretty solid as we speak, we are going to play probably 2 shows in there in January 2011, one in Copenhagen and one in Fredericia maybe, after those shows we're heading to Sweden to play Deadfest Winter Edition 2011. Please contact us if you are interested on helping us out and setting shows four us. Only downside it that Teemu, the drummer is going to study exchange to Belgium for couple months in February 2011, but after he comes back, we're down for anything! Another goal of course is to write more material and release stuff, there’s couple new songs already and we’re trying to write more all the time.

And when you started Ill Omen, did you have a distinct vision of what you wanted the band to be or you just go with the flow?

Markus: In the very, very start i think we had some kind of vision to play heavy hardcore, but no significant direction. After we started playing together, it all just came down to what Heikki had came up with, he's making all the riffs and as i said, they build up the songs together with Teemu. Ill Omen was my first proper band, so i was just really excited to get into this, trying just roll on with what would come, learning the ropes and all. I think we just wanted to play hardcore, that was only thing we knew when we started playing.

What’s happening in Finland in terms of hardcore?

Markus: It's going strong. I've been going to shows for some 8 years now and things have changed a lot, but nowdays the scene seems to be growing bigger. There's been quite little of trend shifting, but it has happened here as well. Couple years ago everyone was into really heavy, rugged, streetwise hardcore, but nowdays it's not very cool. Some kids seem to shift "what they are into", through the years in cycles andmost do found their own place eventually, some went away and dissappeared. We got punks, metalcore kids, melodic hardcore / emometalcorewhatever kids, beatdown kids, youth crew kids and so on, but most important is that we got true hardcore kids, who like stuff across the plate and stay true to their ways. Hardcore holds so many different styles under it's label nowdays and everywhere there's always different factions, but there's no fights at shows or anything stupid, people get along but some just tend on liking their own stuff and staying with their own crowd. I think our scene is really good, there's shows happening and people travel from city to city to see shows. There’s lot of independent labels putting out records and kids keep on setting shows, so I think we’re doing fine here, I’d hope that kids all around would check out more Finnish bands!

What are some of the bands from over there we should check out?

Markus: Where do i start... let's see. St. Hood put out a new album and we were fortunate enough to play at their record release show, check that shit out it's on Combat Rock Industry and titled "For The Dead", heavy streetwise hardcore that has also cool heavy metal vibe going on. Then probably heaviest record ever came out from Helsinki is the new album Cutdown, "S/T" is out on Fullhouse Records, they are only getting better and better all the time, heavy shit for everyone who are into Dirty Jerzey shit and man do i love that sound! Last of the "bigger" bands, Bolt put out a stellar new full-length, "Behind Obstacles Lies Truth", Helsinki NYHC like they way it should be played, so good album, it's also out on Fullhouse Records. Then i gotta mention new Alley Gods album "Correcting Wrong Opinions", just out on Poolside Records and Psychedelica Records, it's hard as hell and fast as fuck old school hardcore, it's our drummer Teemu's first band, by the way. There's still more, man i could go on forever, then is You Can't Keep Me Down from Lohja, they play heavy, heavy beatdown hardcore with lotsa humor in it, not a joke band of anything, really good shit. YCKMD has a brand new split out just now with Helsinki's own H8 Inc., Third Man Down, who got little more punk-sound on the split, check both those bands out and pick the split, it's self-released. This years probably two hardest releases are Hammertime 12" and Become A Threat - Method In This Madness LP/CD, both out also on Fullhouse, check their whole catalogue! Foreseen from Helsinki (ex-In On Piece playing NYHC crossover) have gotten their 7" out too, as have Last Laugh and Remissions, so keep on checking out Killing The Legacy for latest great Finnish releases! I could go onforever dropping great names, haha. Peep also Poolside Record's catalogue from their MySpace here: http://www.myspace.com/poolsiderecs

I know you’re working on the first paper issue of the Killing The Legacy fanzine. How far are you with it and what should we expect to find in it?

Markus: First issue is pretty much done, but it's still in progress, graphics and shit need to be done, i think it's out this year, hahaha, at least i hope so. First issue will feature some really random shit by me and Toni (who's doing the graphics etc.), interviews with Trapped Under Ice, Hammertime and Become A Threat + new band Fit My Crime. Trying to make it so that next issue won't take too long after the first one is out. Killing The Legacy -blog is also back on track with reviews and downloads of Finnish bands and old classics, keep on checking it. We have also Killing The Legacy Fest 2011 coming up in Turku city, it's 7-8.1.2011 at S-Osis, Turku, two day fest with some of Finland's greatest bands: Become A Threat, Hammertime, End Begins, Last Laugh, Enemyblood, The Jacklads, The Random Sickos, Ill Omen, Get Stitches! & Ronskibiitti.

Best horror movie ever made? And what do you think about Halloween 2 from Rob Zombie and the guy in general?

Markus: This is a hard one, since i'm a huge horror fan. I'd say as a best horror movie, probably Evil Dead 1, that's it classic shit. I went to see Halloween By Rob Zombie on theater and when it came out and i gotta say it was brutal. The sense of violence was there and this is coming from a dude who loves to see gore fly and guts being spilled, i think Rob made the movie disturbing by purpose. It was a good movie thought, not too shocking but somehow too dull, don't know. I liked the Friday The 13th re-make more, even lots of people say it was crap. I think Rob doesn't make very good music, but House Of The 1000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects were really good movies and probably i'm gonna see Halloween 2 as well, but i'm not waiting very much of it. I love also zombie movies (there's zombie samples from George Romero's Day Of The Dead on our demo), check out Lucio Fulci's movies like City Of The Living Dead and Zombie Flesh Eaters, those are the shit, George A Romero is the man as well.

Tattoos, you’ve got a lot of them! What is your favorite one?

Markus: Yeah of course gotta be inked, haha. Hard to say what is my favourite, most important ones i got are my first straight edge tattoo, x'd hand grabbing my arm, gangsta-ass penguins on my leg and my still in progress backpiece.

Working gloves or tight pants?

Markus: Working gloves, mother fuckers.

How realistic is Ill Omen putting out full length album in the near future?
Markus: We got three or four songs now ready and we've been playing two of them live for some time. We've been planning on putting out an mini cd or something as a next release, don't know yet what's going to happen, but a new release will come out eventually. Were writing new songs currently and hope to record something before Teemu leaves to exchange, but we'll see. Making a full-length is really hard, but we'll do our best, what may come and I hope it’ll come out good.

Anything you would like to add before we wrap it up?

Markus: Thank you a lot for showing interest on us and making this interview!

Ill Omen / Get Stitches! Split 7" is out and available and can be ordered from Poolside Records (http://www.myspace.com/poolsiderecs). Check out "Dear Friends" on our MySpace. Check out Get Stitches! and Poolside Records, thanks to everyone who's helped us out. Anyone interested on booking us to play at your area hit us up: illomenhc@gmail.com

We have a free 3-song sampler available for download, it features “Dear Friends” from the Split and two songs off our “S/T” 7”, so feel free to download it and spread the link: http://www.mediafire.com/?mx16t15rt24plc1

Coke Bust - Lines In The Sand

This is first time that Lines In The Sand by a band with one of the coolest names in hardcore is available on CD format. Six Weeks Records made sure the album is worth your hard earned buck. It comes with 17 tracks from Lines In The Sand LP, and if that ain’t enough, you get 16 additional tracks taken from various band’s releases and compilations, including Fuck The Bar Culture 7”, demo 7” and The Faith cover. 33 tracks in total!

The strength of Coke Bust is that they while steadily dropping bombs of blasting hardcore, they maintain a decent level of groove. Their style can be described as an early 80's hardcore not unlike SSD or Negative Approach. The standout aspect of this album is that the band makes sure that the action never dies down. While most of the songs doesn’t even reach the 1 minute mark, they pack them with enough hooks, leads, breakdowns and neck breaking speed to keep things interesting and maintain a very high energy level. The lyrics is other thing that I like here. They touch many topics, both on socio-political and personal level, and ale delivered in a little bold, but always smart way. Far from preaching or cliché, but at the same make you can relate to the stuff they sing about.

Ok, I might not be into couple of the songs, but the majority is great. As the CD includes material from different releases from the band, song vary in terms of sound quality. And while it’s certainly a style of music that needs to be that slickly recorded, overall the production is decent with every instrument hearable most of the time. While I’m not the biggest fun of this type of sound, I appreciate seeing a band that knows their strengths and stick to what they’re best at.

Review by Dloogi
Label: Six Weeks Records
Year: 2010
Band's website

Hammer Bros - Sleep Forever

I’ve been hearing a lot about this band lately and was eager to check what’s this hype is all about. As far as I know, the band has a couple of releases out already but this 7” is actually the first thing I’ve heard from them. So, does it live up to the attention they’ve been getting? Honestly, this stuff is straight up mind blowing. Heavily influenced by a classic, straight forward hardcore sound, Hammer Bros take things to another, more brutal level.

This 7” is a perfect representation of the gritty hardcore that is practiced as it was originally intended - raw and uncompromising. You get five songs full of anger, violence and manic destructive ways. This album works because band proves they’ve got their own way of doing things and can make a good use of classic hardcore moves to create something fresh and powerful. The breakdowns are crushing, the vocals insane and the adrenaline level never comes down. The best tracks here are mid-paced New Found Ends and thrash fused Sleep Forever, but all in all, every song here makes for a good listen. Check this album and their other releases!

Review by Dloogi
Label: Arrest Records
Year: 2010
Band's website

Ill Omen - S/t

I remember posting their first demo on this website and now, when I listen to this new 7”, I am pretty much impressed with the progress this band has made. Ill Omen brings four tracks of heavy, reckless hardcore with a slick, metallic edge that puts them somewhere between New York and Cleveland sound.

There are a lot of good things to be found here and all the songs come with a solid dose of exciting hooks, dope riffs and there are even solos from time to time. The rhythm section is on point and provide the right amount of groove. Their biggest strength is how they easily mix up different influences while staying focused on straight up in your face hardcore executed with a lot of energy and finesse. There’s nothing forced here, it can be heard they know what they want to achieve with their sound and how to get there.
Putting any more dopeness into these songs would probably result in exploding as this is some high-quality stuff. I definitely hope to hear more from these guys in the future. In the meantime, I am gonna cop their new split they’re putting out with Get Stitches!. I hope Ill Omen will be soon picked up by some serious label for their debut album so they will have the opportunity to finally connect with a wider hardcore audience.

Review by Dloogi
Label: Poolside Records / Killing The Legacy Records
Year: 2010
Band's website

Turn Away - To The Open Sea

At first I didn’t know quite what to make of this album. I mean, ‘Just a Little smile on your face, could save my day’ is not a best line to open a hardcore album. It helps that the band displays some decent skills, the music is detailed and the songs are well crafted, but it still seems poor and lacking in bite. Each time I have feel for some exciting material it never happens.

Even if some of the songs sound decent, they never follow through with some strong hook that would strike an emotional chord in me. This isn’t helped by the fact that the songs rarely stand out from each other. It might have something to do with the production, which is way too polished in my opinion. The vocals are also disappointing, both in charisma and effectiveness. I mean, even if some of the lyrics are well written, the way they are delivered is pretty much disappointing. I am not into hardcore because of the self pity, I’m here because I angry and I when I pick up a hardcore album I want to hear the kids who are as mad at this world as I am.

On the bright side, the songs that grabbed my attention are Leaving The Town and Second Chances, both with its nice riffing and decent melodies. If only they had spiced it up a little it would be dope.

To The Open Sea is a standard effort that very rarely seems to take off. I hope that with the next album they will be able to craft a more aggressive songs. They got the skills, but they need to ante it up a bit.

Label: Lucifers Legions Record
Year: 2010
Band's website

Decades - Cigarette Burns

New song from Decades, Fort Worth, Texas based hardcore with a dirty punk rock twist.

Show Of Force - Pressure

This is new song from Show Of Force and it's tough as f&*k. Those guys obviously know how to play NYHC influenced tunes and I wish more kids would pay attention to what they're doing!

Edge Of Spirit - Destroy

Edge Of Spirit is one of the best hardcore bands that Japan got currently to offer. This is Destroy - a new song off their 4th album "Edge Of Spirit" which will be out on December. Stay tuned!

Overlord

I've never been into 'ex-members of' hype but when you got guys from one of the most respected bands in European hardcore teaming up for a heavy, mosh driven hardcore, you gotta pay attention. Overlord is made up of people who played previously in Born From Pain, The Setup, Diablo Boulevard and Leng Tch'e. Their mission is to deliver the heavy, metallic hardcore sound the way it was played when Under The Knife came out.

Introduce yourself to the world… who is who and how did Overlord come about?

Nicolas: I'm Nicolas and I play bass in Leng Tch'e and Overlord. I joined because all the guys in the band are longtime friends of mine and I thought it would be fun to play in a no-nonsense straight up hardcore band for shits and giggles. And what do you know, people actually enjoy it.
Dries: Overlord is also Andries (guitar+backings), formerly The Setup (co-founder) and Born From Pain and currently main songwriter in Diablo Boulevard. We’ve got Serch on drums (and also hitting hard in The Setup and Bear) and myselfs on vocals (I used to do vocals in The Setup). Actually Overlord was already formed about 4 years ago when Andries, Serch and Nicolas wanted to do a no-nonsense heavy hardcoreband together. At the time Kris (who now sings for The Setup) was doing vocals. They rehearsed for a while and even recorded about ten songs but those never were released and the project never really took off. Last winter we decided to breath some new life in the project and I (who at the time had decided to quit The Setup) was asked to do vocals. Right now we’re finishing off 4 songs from the old recordings but with the vocals from Dries and we hope to release them as a 7” or MCD pretty soon. We’re also playing some shows to get out there and kick some serious butt.

Born From Pain, The Setup, Diablo Boulevard, Leng Tch’e – this list is pretty impressive. How Overlord is different from what you did in your previous bands?

Dries: I think the biggest difference is the way we see Overlord. It’s a spontaneous project without any pressure, ambitions or “musts”. Most of the guys play in bands with heavy touring shedules so we play whenever we can but most importantly whenever we feel like it, without any pressure. The band’s got simple rules: we want to play heavy hardcore, it has to be real good but we keep it simple and we don’t over-rationalize when we write songs. That keeps it all really fresh and fun.

Do you feel any pressure because people might expect more from you because of your past bands?
Nicolas: Personally I don't because my other band plays in a radically different scene and I don't see those two scenes (extreme deathmetal/grindcore and hardcore) crossing paths anytime soon.
Dries: of course people got expectations when they learn about the people involved in this band. Because of our past and current or previous bands we owe it to ourselves to try at least NOT TO SUCK?. But since this is a project we do just because we love hardcore and we don’t feel the need to prove anything to anyone we just enjoy it and don’t care too much about expectations and what not..

Your music doesn’t bullshit around anything and is pretty much delivered in a raw and straight up heavy way. What inspired you to play this kind of music?

Overlord: We all have our roots in hardcore, most of us got into the scene more then a decade ago and we all share a mutual love for heavy hardcore and heavy music in general. We draw influences from the heavy NYHC bands, Hatebreed (Under the knife, Satisfaction, Perseverance-era) but also metalbands like Crowbar, Down.. We just wanted to do a band without too many frills, a band that’s just straight-up heavy. We enjoy playing together and it’s just a great outlet for all of us.

Is there any lyrical theme behind Overlord? Do you feel that playing in a hardcore bands is like some kind of mission to get your message across to the listener?

Dries: The lyrics are the music and vice versa so don’t expect any lightness or happiness there? Overlord is an outlet for anger, the more dark emotions. That can of course mean anger about socio-political issues but also stuff that’s coming from a personal point of view. I mostly write about the world I know but in Overlord I sometimes experiment with the lyrics and more specifically with the point of view and address some issues that aren’t necessarily mine. It’s not all too artistic but for instance I wrote a lyric about the mind of serial killer, which was damn fun to do and a lyric that can also be a metaphor for other issues but a lyric that doesn’t mean I wrestle with same thoughts?

You guys have been here for some time now, I wonder how do you feel about the hardcore scene in Europe nowadays?

Overlord: When you’ve been around as long as we are you notice (big cliché coming up) things go in cycles. We had amazing times with local European bands drawing tons of people to shows and shit going through the roof but right now, for instance in Belgium, less people are involved in the scene, there are not that many shows and only big festival-shows (like the Persistance-tour) or really big bands like Terror, Madball or Hatebreed draw a big crowd. It’s not something to worry about. Young kids will always be attracted to hardcore cause face it, not everyone can relate to the world portrayed in popsongs or R&B or whatever. People are looking for stuff that says something about their live and hardcore will always be there for kids looking for an alternative, an outlet, a positive way to channel anger and frustration about stuff. Hardcore and punk will always bounce back.

The lamest thing about hardcore nowadays is…

Maybe it’s more superficial than it used to be. Kids nowadays don’t have to put in the effort to learn about hardcore and his history. It’s like you can become a hardcore-kid overnight. It’s all there on youtube, the internet.. Maybe that’s the reason why most of them don’t stick around for more than a few years. Maybe they get more easily bored, loose interest because they’re not really touched by the essence of what hardcore means…But then again, this could also be the talk of a jaded old bore so maybe all of this is just plain BS?

What are some European hardcore bands you would recommend?

Overlord: In our region (Antwerp) there are still a bunch of cool bands in all areas of hardcore: Your Highness (think High On Fire), Johnny Unstoppable and Pushed Too Far (both mosh/tuffguy), Bear (mathcore), …Other Belgian young guns like Poison my Blood (metalcore), Hessian (a bit like old Rise and Fall but with a twist), Black Haven (clevo meets sludgy metal), Violent City (NYHC), Get Wise (old school), Generation84 (melodic HC), Golden Bullet (Length Of Time, Congress), Midnight Souls (on Reflections),Trail Of Hope (old school).. Other cool and promising bands: All for nothing, Blood Trial, By My Hand, we all love State of Mind (underrated!), No Turning back (best european hardcoreband), Deal With It, For The glory, of course The Setup and Born From Pain ... Luckily there’s still a lot going on in Europe and luckily all sorts of bands..

What’s your opinion on the new Madball and Terror albums?

Dries: I totally love KOTF! I think it’s a brilliant record. Unlike a lot of people I know I also loved The Damned, The Shamed and I think KOTF is the ultimate mix between that album and the older stuff. It’s one big rush of adrenaline, energy and power but with enough influences to keep it edgy and interesting. The embodiment of the true hardcore-spirit. Like most of us I totally love Madball but I’m just plain honest with you: I don’t listen that often to the more recent albums. Not because those aren’t good or even great albums but it’s a curse for an iconic band like Madball: you get to know them with the classics and you seem to stick to those because they represent a certain era in your life, a certain feeling you associate with those records and unfortunately the new records never seem to grasp that same feeling. But nevertheless, I’ll be checking out the new record anyway.

Hardest hardcore band ever?

Hatebreed (especially end 90’s early 2K) and the usual suspects Cro Mags, Madball. Today Terror.

What can we expect from you guys in the future?

We’re finishing our first 7”/MCD as we speak so expect that one to drop pretty soon. We will keep on playing shows whenever we can and we’ll be writing new stuff. But knowing the agenda of all members we will never be the most productive band on the planet. Our main goal remains: kicking it hard on stage, having a great time doing so and enjoying hardcore to the fullest.

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