Review: Bloodstained - Headless Kingdom

Bloodstained emerge from the depths of hell to drop filth and dirt into your useless life. There is a fury driving this record, most of the time it moves at frenetic pace filled with jagged riffs and crushing drums. Musically,the project is of a high caliber, the tracks are well engineered and hit in all the right places. I will go as far as to say they’re top of their weight division right now. The riffs, the vocals, the drumming - everything about this record is nothing short of a tour de force. The songwriting is on point and the way that everything they put into these songs flows together is genius. They deliver the brutality, but at the same time a lot of the riffs and hooks are memorable. You get drawn into the album from the first listen, and the more time you give to it the more you discover.

One thing that can be said about the music is that it is truly fucking evil. Not in a goofy meaning, but really brutal and depraved sense of a word. From the record packaging to the lyrics to the sound samples, the overall theme of the album is negative, as it was recorded solely as an output to share their bleak reflection of humanity and its dirty deeds. Exploring realities of life that turned into the intersection of cruelty and depression, the album does not leave much hope regarding where the human race is heading.

For one thing, Headless Kingdom actively invites comparison to Kickback or Arkangel, if not exactly musicwise, than definitely in the overall vibe. Shit, since Kickback days, Europe was seriously lacking bands that could create such dense and dark version of hardcore.

This is not a band that walks middle ground, but rather one that is confident about their style and message and has been taking it to the next level with each release. I am glad to see Bloodstained still going strong, having a deal with a label with a recognition and distribution like Filled With Hate is definitely a good thing for them. I hope this will turn more heads and they get attention they deserve.

Review: Bloodlands - Nihilistic Dimension

Bloodlands hails from Finland and features members of Ratface, No One Is Safe and couple other local bands that make you expect quality. What they offer is heavy, thick metallic hardcore with an old school death metal twist. This combination is more often a miss than hit, but they kinda get this formula right. Over past few days I’ve been really getting into this album and the more I listen to it the more I start to appreciate its strong points
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While Nihilistic Dimension is not without its flaws, it is a very entertaining and solid release showcasing wide range of skill and ideas. Despite all the heaviness, the main vibe is hardcore, so it’s not straight up death metal and it’s definitely not deathcore. For the most part the music is brutal and to the point as they keep tracks time down around two minutes. The tempos range from slow to fast, and most of the songs are driven by thick midtempo rhythms, filled with tight riffing, tremolo picking, pounding drums and booming double bass. From time to time they toss in some badass solo, but it’s done in right amount. All the way throughout the album the band as a whole hold together tightly, these dudes know what they’re doing. The production is crisp, even sometimes too crisp for my liking as some more dirt and distortion would do this album good.

The record was put out by the band themselves, so if you dig their sound do your part and get to getting.

Review: Creepout - Ovskvre Tortvred Order

Japan’s reigning kings of hardcore Creepout come back with new ep which was put out by FWH Records as MCD (as far as I know, there’s a vinyl version of the release as well). One look at the front cover and you know they carry on with their Cleveland worship thing. Everything about the package, from the layout to the logo (designed by Dwid himself) screams Holy Terror. They are trying hard, to the point some might call it biting a bit too hard off of Integrity/In Cold Blood style, but since there’s nothing bad about the music as such I have no problems with that.
With the music taking a similar approach as band’s previous record, a split with Integrity, Ovskvre Tortvred Order brings on the heavy, metallic side of hardcore with a grim, negative twist. I remember Tribe Called Hardcore had more NYHC/OLC flavor to it, but this time it’s all darkness and depravity.
The riffs are bit more technical than before, the music definitely got heavier and the overall vibe drifted much more into darker corners. The vocals are brutal like they should, dude’s doing great job.
I am not sure I get all the lyrics though, some of it sounds bit odd. It's almost like they were trying to sabotage this record on purpose coming with some cheesy lyrics like ‘Shut the fuck up and go away (4x)/ Fuck you bitch ass (3x) / I want you nothing’. It’s like Dwid going all out Rick Ta Life style. Either they were not giving a fuck at all or were trying too hard. I look at the lyrics are integral part of harcore, so this made record’s impact lesser than it should’ve been. But other than that, the record is dope. Check it out!

Review: Life Sentence - Marked For Death

Life Sentence are from Albany, New York and this is their debut ep which dropped last year via Panda Claw records. Marked For Death is definitely my type of shit, aggressive and no bullshit. The band lays down heavy but tight hardcore that place them somewhere along the lines of Last Dayz, Soul Search or Death Threat. It’s not a rocket science, you just gotta put together some tight riffs, strong drumming and pissed off vocals and that’s it. The track Under Siege is a fine example of band doing it right - a monster stomp with furious vocals. This shit is pretty basic, but take it as a compliment. The title track also gets the job done and is my another favorite. Another proof that most of the times simplicity is the best. Truth be told, none of the 4 tracks in here go below a certain level of standard.

The lyrics are down to earth and with lots out of the gutter attitude that makes this stuff very relatable. Some of this stuff might seem bleak and negative, but the ultimate message is to hold your own. Every kid reading this can relate to that type of real life poetry.

All in all, this is a solid record which seems to have slipped under the radar when it came out. If you haven’t checked it out, you’re missing out.

Review: Last Dayz - Ready to Die

So, this is the end. Ready to Die is band’s last release, and when I am writing this review it’s long past their farewell show. Sure, it’s a shame, but you gotta respect a band that decides to call its quits when they are on top of their game. So many bands just drag on and on till the point when nobody really cares that it's not even funny.

Anyway, back to this ep. How badass I would like their last record to sound? Well, it’s that badass. Welcome to the world where words like delicate or gentle don’t exist. The band kept moving forward with each release getting constantly better at their craft. With this final ep they sound more creative and skilled than ever, but they also sound more pissed off than ever. Tough, hard-hitting hardcore stripped down to the barest bones, proving that Poland should be 52nd state somewhere between NJ, PA and MI.

In their weight division, they just were much better than anyone else in Europe at the time. The ep was put out by Ratel Records and they made sure the package is solid and worth your money. Get it if you haven’t already.

Review: These Streets - Life From The Gutter

I love when you cop a record from the band you know nothing about and the very first track hits you so hard you don’t even know what happened. That's was the case with this ep by These Streets. Things go into high gear immediately with tough vocals over stomping grooves and sharp riffing. The band goes hard on every of four tracks on this ep, with some really dope and better than average guitar work over tight ass section. The occasional solos make the ep that much better.

The drums are way forward in the mix, but after a while it didn’t bother me at all. As far as the vocals go, the dude flows nicely with a sense of purpose in his voice when he spits stories of relationships gone sour, standing your ground, making right (or bad) choices in life and society pressures. Now and then he gets support from the crew, and man, those gang vocals sound like snatched straight from old Biohazard album.

If I was to say anything negative about this ep, I can’t lie, my first thought when I got this record was that this is some ugly ass cover. I don’t get it how they could allow it to happen, such a dope record with such a lame front artwork. I am glad my natural curiosity to discover new bands and integrity as a reviewer didn’t allow me to write it off at start.

All in all, I'm really feelin' the overall vibe of ep and I would recommend everyone to check this band out.

Panda Claw Records
These Streets

Rat Path / Drag Me Under - Split

Rat Path didn’t disappoint with the two chunky, thick and aggressive tracks they deliver. It’s not a huge departure from Mean Streets, but the song writing and execution is tighter than ever. It's some hard-ass riffs over a heavy drums and fat bass, with sick and straight up menacing vocals. Behind Bars has a nice groove to it, and the breakdown in the middle crushes. I imagine kids are going crazy when they play it live.

Hunter Gatherer is faster with a cool thrash vibe, but once again the slower part at the end is flawless. What I like about it is that it’s all time in your face, but somehow the band manage to find something fresh and new to add to that style. Rat Path might be slept-on in many circles, but they’re definitely a band to watch. Listening to this type of hardcore makes you bad ass.

I don’t know much about Drag Me Under except they’re from Reno, NV and this is their third release after two full length records . The band reminds me of the trend not so long ago when bands were focused on mosh parts and basically everything mosh related. Mid-tempo, metallic stuff like Throwdown or Hatebreed with gruff vocals and breakdowns and groove. Can’t say I miss those times that much, but since that trend died down I don’t mind to listen to such band from time to time. I’m cool with it cause there are only two tracks, not sure if I could stand a full blown album.

Panda Claw Records, 2015

Souls Search / Minus - Split 7"

Souls Search / Minus - Split (Closed Casket Activies) - I had no doubt that this one would be dope when it was announced. Soul Search opens up with two tracks of what they’re known for - crushing hardcore with stompy breakdowns, chugging riffs, hateful vocals and a gritty overall feel. I know a lot of people were saying these dudes were jacking Dmize style in the beginning, but fuck them cause this band has been getting better and better with each 7” they drop.

Not to say there’s no NYHC here, actually it’s all over these two tracks, but there’s a lot of heavier stuff as well. All in all, they keep a good balance. I be honest, Soul Search is one my fav bands right now, this shit is a cut above most of the hardcore I've heard this year.

I gotta say that as much as I am fan of Soul Search, I wasn’t aware of Minus before listening to this ep. And I was missing out, cause the two tracks from them definitely leave good impression. They hold their own against Soul Search, with delivery that’s as heavy and unrelenting, but their flow sounds less rough with more dynamics and tempo changes. The vocals are nice, this dude puts a lot of emotions into his delivery and spits every word like he means it.

All in all, very cool ep. You got two bands with not that different sound but with their own style of executing it and they both rip. Very powerful stuff.

Forced Order - Eternal War

Forced Order - Eternal War 7"(Ratel) - Considering that after releasing this ep the band got signed to Revelation, I gotta applaud the business skills of Ratel staff to hunt down new talent in hardcore. Well, after their demo that dropped in the beginning of this year it was plain to see the band is up to great things. The fact some of the members are (or were) also in Twitching Tongues, Soul Search, Disgrace and Harness could also have played a role.

Forced Order plays hardcore that owes a lot to 90’ metallic new school with tons of beefed up riffs, stomping breakdowns and relatable, but seriously aggressive lyrics. They pull enough of their own weight though and that’s what makes them stand out. Some people compare them to old Integrity or In Cold Blood, but I don’t know. It’s pissed off as fuck and the vocals sound menacing, but it doesn’t have that evil vibe. Not to say there’s not substance in their music. Hell, these songs are packed with enough nerve and force to crush concrete. The dude who does vocals sounds like hatred for the world is the sole purpose of his existence. I respect that!

The guitar work on this one is tight, maybe I’m getting older but I dig all the solos they throw in now and there. Considering most of the tracks barely hit 1,5 minute mark, the amount of hooks and tricks they put into these songs is amazing. It grabs you from the first track and never let go. Definitely a killer ep!

The Real Deal - Demo 2014

The Real Deal - Demo 2014 (Straight & Alert) - Cleveland hardcore is a brand and whenever you hear someone using that term you kind of automatically expect the music to be dark and grimey, very much in vein of classics like Integrity or In Cold Blood. The Real Deal rep Clevo core to the fullest, but their music is something different that you would expect. And it’s good, cause I really got caught by surprise by this demo. It’s heavy and hard-hitting, but its vibe is more down to life than crap like church of satan and shit. All the songs are dynamic with sharp riffs and fat drums, and the vocals get the job done with no-frills approach. There’s enough fast parts to keep old school kids satisfied, but they also know how to deliver heavy stomp part that will get kids kick shit out of each other. There's some Clevo influences but more in vein of OLC or Heavyweight, and there’s some more NYHC-flavored vibes as well. All in all highly recommended!