Cheech - People Against Goodness And Normalcy

Unleashing their tested formula of confident, ąnti-social and whisky obsessed hardcore, Cheech finally puts forth PAGAN Ep and prove they are still knuckled up and ready to brawl!

The fact that Paul Bearer is doing guest appearance here is enough recommendation in itself to buy this EP, but good news is that rather than capitalizing on big names, the band definitely holds their own and once again pump out some vicious shit. The meat of the album is raw hardcore with lots of harsh vocals and thrash riffing, emulating that 90’ sound mixed with the occasionally crushing slow parts. While PAGAN is positive proof of ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’ mentality, it’s good to hear that they’re getting better and better in their craft getting the job done in an impressively direct and brutally honest style. No technical wankery, instead they stick to the basics and fill each of the song with the same high energy groove you loved Blood For Blood, Sheer Terror or Agnostic Front albums for. There aren’t many stand out tracks in here, instead the album works well as a whole. The recording quality is rough, yet this only enhances the vibe of the music. Perhaps the most endearing aspect of this EP is that whatever they sing about, they still maintain that laid back and fun attitude people either love them or hate them for. Overall, if you are fan of their previous albums, make sure you check it out cause once again the band managed to shelf out a bunch of powerful and antisocial hardcore tunes all you lowlifes and outcasts should appreciate.

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

Blue Collar Criminals - Warrior Poets

Warrior Poets is a new album by Tucson based Blue Collar Criminals. Being very much impressed by their previous output and the way they combined punk rock vibe with hardcore elements, I’ve been looking forward to this album since before I even knew it was coming out!

The songs are still on the catchy side and what you get is booze infused melodic punk rock with hints of hardcore that maintains a perfect balance between raw force and melodic catchiness. Compared to their previous album, everything got better. The songs are tighter, more complex and some of the hooks will follow you around for hours. The music is varied and detailed, from fast circle pit parts to mid tempo passages there’s hell of a lot of good ideas going on here. The gruff vocal delivery from the singer Mike works well alongside laying out a tales of drunken nights, street fights, having fun but also touching on some personal issues. The production is much more cleaner, but it’s not overproduced and not stripping it of the edge. The album is laden with stand out songs, but if I had to pick the ultimate winners, that gotta be Tucson City Streets, where they demonstrate some pride in their home town and The Pressure, dealing with personal struggles. They still got a knack for covers, this time doing Warriors by you know who and classic Mommy’s Little Helper by Rolling Stones. These are so good that make me wish they would release a cover album in the future putting their own spin on some classic rock tracks.

Warrior Poets is one of the most energizing albums I’ve heard in a while and there’s a big chance that this one will end up as one of my favorites for 2010.


Review by Dloogi
Label: H8-Piece Records
Year: 2010
Band's website

Cold Existence

Cold Existence are carrying the SOSF flag high and proud in Sin City Las Vegas bringing much needed sense of loyalty and brotherhood with their debut album, Mob Firing/Six Terror Six (just recently released by Filled With Hate Records). Packed with heavy and brutal brand of hardcore, this is must have for everyone into harder side of things!

Cold Existence are carrying the SOSF flag high and proud in Sin City Las Vegas bringing much needed sense of loyalty and brotherhood with their debut album, Mob Firing/Six Terror Six (just recently released by Filled With Hate Records). Packed with heavy and brutal brand of hardcore, this is must have for everyone into harder side of things!!

For everybody who is unfamiliar with your band, could you tell us what Cold Existence is about…

Gonzo Blood: We are a band who is rooted in brotherhood first and foremost. It's a family mentality and a way of life for all of us in the band as well as our surrounding brothers. Our sound is derived from who we are and what we are about, and it's not easily accepted by most. Which is just fine by us.

Bobby Blood: Everyone in the band is related by blood or by crew or both. The music, touring etc is secondary to my purpose of the band which is to enjoy all the good things about being a musician and creating music, and avoiding all of the negative forces that plague music and every other art form.

As for a band who have been around for relatively short period of time and with no official release under your belt yet, you guys have been creating some buzz. Are you happy with the response you’re getting so far?

Gonzo Blood: Absolutely. It's a great feeling knowing that there are people out there who truly feel the way we do. People who are down with what's real and can see through the fog. There are alot of us out there for sure!!

Bobby Blood: It’s a great feeling, realizing you’re not alone in what you love. For a band like us to come from nowhere and have people connecting with what we’re about without anyone telling them that’s what they’re supposed to like…that means something. It means everything to me.

It seems like you guys are starting in a really good moment right now cause while this fake ass emo/screamo whining shit is slowly dying out, hardcore kids seem to be hungry for some raw and aggressive stuff. Would you agree that things are starting to look brighter for bands like yours?

Gonzo Blood: Without a doubt. Every so often some new type of sound emerges and the majority of people are drawn to it for some reason or another. Then a couple of years go by, and those same people drop that certain band or type of music altogether like a bad habit. While on the other hand, you have an ever-flowing, underground current of true music that will never be fully accepted by the masses, but will always remain stronger than ever as the latest fad dies out with a whimper. So I don't know what the future brings for bands like us. I just know bands like us are always going to push the envelope and are going to be around for years to come.

Bobby Blood: The “industry” has changed for sure and the ones who are benefiting are bands like ours who play from the heart. Why? Because we’ve survived through all the trends with no financial backing or media hype. The bands who have been dependent on major labels and trendy fans are the ones crying that everyone is downloading their stuff and God forbid they may have to get jobs some day. Blue collar bands like us have always struggled and have always had jobs. We can tour without eating for 3 days. Our egos are more satisfied with 25 of our fans on our stage in our face than with 20,000 Hot Topic fans or whatever 10 feet behind a crowd barrier worshipping us. I say that from experience. More and more these days kids are just responding to what is real, and not what they’ve been told to like. I’m not saying major label bands aren’t real or anything like that, more power to them. I’m just saying that bands like ours are doing well because now that people no longer tolerate radio stations and MTV or whatever, they’re finding a lot of real bands through technology like youtube that 10 years ago would’ve been buried by deep pocketed major labels who controlled and censored every major media outlet squeezing out competition to their manufactured stars with their kickbacks and power. Bands like our can also survive with no means. We’re happy with whatever we get because whatever it is and however few fans there turn out to be, it’s good enough for us. Quality over quantity, that’s one of my band rules.

You have recently released a video for "Fueled By Hate". How did this come about and what was it like shooting that?

Gonzo Blood: We chose this song for our first video because the message speaks loud and clear as to what we are all about. The concept for the video shares the same idea. We had played some killer shows in Las Vegas at a place called Eastside Joe's up until that point. It's the kind of place where bands like us can really thrive, especially since the kids that go there truly feel our brand of music. Our good friend Eastide Joe lent us the venue for the day, which was too cool. The vid shoot was awesome because we had our good friends come out on a weekday morning and get down with us. The whole day was alot of fun.

Bobby Blood: Again with the changes in the industry DIY is king! We wanted to capture the true essence of Cold Existence and that’s what we did. The place we filmed is where we did our first 4 or 5 shows. Just a semi abandoned house owned by a good friend. We brought in some of our crew and me and my good friend Juan Lara shot the footage. There’s even some live footage in there if you watch closely. I edited the video myself so nothing was lost in the translation. The song was chosen because it’s the epitome of what we’re all about as far as how we feel towards scumbags and backstabbers. Everybody knows a person the song could be about. For me it’s about a particular front man from Las Vegas who happens to be a complete piece of shit lowlife scumbag big mouthed gutless back stabbing chump. I wont say a name because I don’t want to spoil the surprise on the next EP. You’re day is coming though, faggot. You’re going to get your chance to make good on your big talk you didn’t think would ever come back to me. Then you have to deal with me all by yourself, and there isn’t a thing in the world you can do to avoid it.

Could you tell us a little bit about "Mob Firing/Six Terror Six"? What kids should be expecting from this release?

Gonzo Blood: It's our first release of any sort and it has the true feel of an E.P. Half of it is our original songs and the other half was recorded for an upcoming horror flick called Terror 66. It's definetly a hard hitting record that smacks you in the face, no doubt. I really dig how well all of the songs vibe together even though some of them are originals and some are covers. Expect a raw and intense form of expression.

Bobby Blood: My Dad does the Suicidal Tendencies “cat call” at the end of our cover of Two Sided Politics!

So you’re gonna do some shows in Europe this summer. What are your expectations from this trip? It seems like you have many fans over here, especially in Germany…

Gonzo Blood: I am really looking foward to this trip man! We have so much support overseas,
and especially in Germany. I can't wait to get out there and really let loose in a way that I can't even put to words! This will be our first trip as a band to Europe and I expect total mayhem when we hit the stage. No doubt.

Bobby Blood: I suspected we would be most accepted in Germany that’s one of many reasons why we wanted Filled With Hate Records to release the CD for us. The fans in Europe are just awesome. If they like you they act a fool for you! If they don’t like you, they just tell you straight up and then you can just be friends with them haha. I love that honesty. To appear at these festivals and on this tour is a personal milestone for me. I’ve toured the world many times in pre-established bands which is great, but Cold Existence is MY band. I started it, I named it, I wrote all the original songs, I hand picked the line up etc. This is more important to me than anything I’ve ever done in music or ever will do probably. My expectations are simple….to travel some of my favorite countries with my brother, my cousin, my brother from another mother and SOSF comrade Ant and play for 5 or 5,000 fans on any given night. Also to share the road with great bands like Pound For Pound and In Blood We Trust. We’re gonna have the greatest time!

For those who don’t know, what SOSF crew is about and what does it mean for you personally to be a part of it?

Bobby Blood: SOSF is the Swing On Sight Family it’s a worldwide brotherhood. What we’re about is not entirely public information but I will say what we are not about. We are not about jumping people or any of that kind of stuff which is a common stigma attached to organizations like ours. We support our own and we support those who show us respect and approach their craft with respect. We work together as our own community. We do our part to better the things we believe in whether it be hardcore music, venues, bands, record labels, etc. The violence is something easily avoided. You have to really go out of your way to experience that from us but of course you’re always gonna have people and groups who want to test you and we hold it down when necessary. For me personally it means I have family all over the world and they have me when they come to my side of the world. For what we do, touring and traveling through unknown and sometimes hostile territories pretty much living off the land, it’s a great feeling to know your back is gotten.

Could you tell us about your involvement in the upcoming 4th edition of Born To Hate video magazine?

Gonzo Blood: Cold Existence is proud to be a part of Born To Hate Video Mag For sure!! So many awesome bands, I'm blown away that we get to be a part of it. We contributed a live version of our song "Fueled By Hate". I can't wait for the release, it's going to be unreal!!

Bobby Blood: The guys from BTH are amazing dudes and we support what they do and what they’re about. We invited them to be a part of the Fueled By Hate video and they asked us to contribute to the newest volume and we are very honored to be a part of it!

What are your other plans for 2010?

Gonzo Blood: European tour coming up in August. We will definitely be writing new material after that!

Bobby Blood: I want to start writing soon but for 2010 the EP just got released (June) so we’re going to support that for at least the rest of the year!

Thanks for the interview and hope to see you in Europe this year. Any last shout outs?

Gonzo Blood: Just to my family and friends! I couldn't do this without you!!

Bobby Blood: SOSF World Wide what’s good!! My good friends in Europe looking forward to the summer! Props to our family at Filled With Hate Records big thanks for releasing the record and taking good care of us! Thanks to our brother Paul at Afire Studios in Las Vegas for capturing the rawness of Cold Existence and getting us kick started!

Check out their Myspace!

New merch in Seventh Dagger webstore

Seventh Dagger uploaded some new items into their webstore. Check out latest merch from Domestic War, One Choice and some other dope stuff.

Pre-order new Unit 731 album 'Res Ipsa Loquitur'

Res Ipsa Loquitur is brand new full length CD from Unit 731. Ten full songs w/ cover artwork by Angry Blue. If you preorder you will receive an exclusive 11X17 poster of the cover art! Place your order here. Shipping late June!

The last issue of Will To Speak is out

Will To Speak Issue #3 has been available since May. Here's the official release info:
Guess what, Will To Speak Issue #3 is finally out, should be finished at the printer as I am typing this. Long announced, we did not find the time and motivation to finish the zine for a long time, but it's done now. Get in contact with us personally or through will.to.speak[at]gmail.com if you want copies.

In other news, this will probably the last issue of Will To Speak. Thanks for your support. Please start your own zine and go read some books too. Team To Speak.

Interviews with:
- Debaser
- Lewd Acts
- Seed Of Pain
- Ian Wiles of Dead & Gone Records fame
- Ghetto Josh / Hexed Clothing

Plus:
- Photo Exhibition (rabbitriot.net)
- Columns
- Book Club
- Austrian Band News

Purification package deal

Pre-order for Purification package deal containing Banging the drums of war CD and T-shirt is available via Hurry Up Records.

The Killing Fields - new album from All Out War coming in August

“Into The Killing Fields” is official title for new All Out War album which is scheduled for an August 31st release date via Victory records. Pre-orders have already started!

Thin Ice - Revelation Through Tribulation

Back to the Blood & Ink stuff... Here we have the brand new debut EP of Texas' Thin Ice. It was released a couple of days ago and it's available as a digital release, if I'm right... You can get it from iTunes etc. and you know that I think that digital releases are so lame but, hey, we are living in the internet era, get used to it (even though I'll never get used to it...).

So, if you like bands like Buried Alive (ex-Terror, you remember them eh?!) , Shai Hulud and Figure Four, then this is your shit! Go and load your iPod now!
Brutal moshy hardcore that kicks ass from 5 guys that still attend school, holy shit! Oops, I guess this is a blasphemy, as Thin Ice is a Christian band!
To be honest, I'm just kidding, even God would forgive my bad sense of humor. I've no problem with Christian hardcore at all. On the contrary, I really appreciate Jesus Christ's words...
Back to the music, Thin Ice rule, whether you like Christian hardcore or not.
The EP includes 6 songs of intense brutal, metallic, hardcore; one song is a huge 5 minute lasting instrumental one, that I really dig!
The artwork is fine, too.
All in all, a nice release.

Review by Apostolisxxxfrom World's Appreciated Kitsch blog
Label: Blood & Ink Records
Year: 2010
Band's website

Integrity - The Blackest Curse

It's been ages since 'To Die For' was released (2003) and Integrity are back with a bang. The band that defined, along with fellow scenesters Ringworm, the heavy metallic hardcore sound and created the unique Cleveland, Ohio style, delivers their 8th (or something) full length album.

There's also a shitload of compilations and tons of split 7"s (i.e. w/ Mayday, Psywarfare, Kids of Widney High, Hatebreed, Lockweld and AVM just to name a few...) in their discography that starts back in 1989, that's why I cannot count exactly their full length albums! So, after the release of the 7" Walpurgisnacht, 2 years ago, Integrity, suffering a lot of line-up changes during the years, decided to finish 'The blackest curse'. It took them almost 5 years to unleash it to the world. Don't forget that Integrity fell in hibernation, after the release of To Die For, and only woke up for the 2008 European tour with Converge and Coliseum...
Back in 2010... Deathwish released 'The blackest curse' a couple of days ago ...and holy fuck!
This is a masterpiece and one of the best Integrity releases ever! The band returns to that awesome mid 90s sound they built with 'Those Who Fear Tomorrow', 'Systems Overload', 'Seasons in the size of days' and other classics. The music is so intense that nails you down, while Dwid's vocals are sick as hell once more, singing about his favorite and personal apocalyptic issues, including thoughts, religion, mental illness and the likes.
It'll be a sacrilege to mention any influences etc. when speaking about Integrity. Because Integrity is the influence. All this metal / hardcore scene that exists nowadays, with all those overhyped bands, wouldn't exist if Integrity hadn't paved the path. Integrity created a whole scene and the irony in this story is that bands that have been influenced by Integrity (let's say Hatebreed, Converge, Rise & Fall) get way more attention than Integrity themselves ...
Nevertheless, 'The blackest curse' is a cornerstone in the dark & twisted metallic hardcore scene.
Watch out for their upcoming split 7"s with Rot In Hell, Gehenna and Vegas.
And if you ever find a copy of Jagged Visions fanzine no.2, grab it immediately; it includes one of the best personal interviews with Integrity's Dwid ever.

Review by Apostolisxxxfrom World's Appreciated Kitsch blog
Label: Deathwish Records
Year: 2010
Band's website