Interview: Embitter

New born fire legion out of Poland. I recommend this to anyone who likes Arkangel and Reprisal and often finds themselves thinking how sick, corrupted and unmoral this world has become. What can I say, Orwellian is just THE shit, bruh. That record has all the time-honored and perhaps even cliched tropes of European metalcore golden age. The violence, the darkness, the mayhem. Get berserk!

For those unfamiliar with the band - what people should know about Embitter?
That’s a tough question to begin with and to tell you truth I am not sure where to start. I guess, all you need to know that we are a band supporting vegetarian & vegan lifestyle. Some of us are straight edge and we do love metalcore. Morning Again, Arkangel, Integrity - shall I name more?

The music on the Orwellian is dark and heavy and grimy in the best tradition of classic edge-metal. I was curious what made you gravitate towards that type of sound?
We had some kind of an idea what to play when we had recorded our first EP but looking back, it was some kind of a fight between directions we wanted to go. Starting the band we had different understanding of metalcore. Mine was Unbroken, Poison the Well but for example Adam’s was clearly Arkangel or Length Of Time. “Orwellian” is a more complex and solid piece in my opinion. It gives a clue what you may expect from the upcoming LP. We managed to work out let’s say our way to play this kind of music.

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The 2019 Hardcore of Summer: Heavy Runner - Life Music

If you’re a fan of Stout but it’s too grimey for today, maybe it’s a Heavy Runner day?

At first glance, this is one of that not-to-be-fucked-with kinda bands, but put that Life Music to test and quickly realize this team of tough looking macho mother fuckers got nothing but love and PMA in their hearts. Lyrically, this is some uplifting and positive stuff. That type of keep-ya-head-up music that can get you through a rough day. And musically, the closest bands I can think of with Heavy Runner would be if Cold World, Stout, Biohazard, and Turnstile had a baby. I don't even know if that makes any sense, but that's how I feel. Life Music keeps a high standard of fulfilling the kind of formulaic shit I desire in a heavy ass hardcore while flying off in a some unexpected, crazy directions. This is the only beatdown record that I would feel comfortable playing at family bbq. Fuck negative shit, enjoy life!

Demo Daze: Ca$halot - Реальность боли

Ca$halot is one of the bands that you find on accident browsing bandcamp and end up really enjoying. Metallic hardcore from Izhevsk, Russia, a city over 1,200 km east of Moscow where they make Kalashnikov machine guns. Реальность боли came out in March and I've never even heard of it. The way it sounds is nice. Not amazing but nice. I think many of you will be surprised by the quality of Russian hardcore bands if you start paying more attention to the scene over there.

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New Blood: Chaver

>>Leipzig, Germany-based hardcore with style that goes from punk to metal and back
>>New record called Transference is just out via Injustice Records

For those that don’t know you, please introduce yourself and tell us where you’re from?
First, thanks a lot for your interest in Chaver and for asking us these questions. So yeah, we´re Chaver. The 3 of us are chris, winny and willi and we play a mix of heavy hardcore, riffy metal and fast punk. Our base is Leipzig in the eastern part of Germany. We started in 2016 and released a couple records since. First was a Split 7“ with german powerviolence band BATTRA// and a year later in early 2017, we pressed our 1st EP STROKE on a 12“ vinyl. Later that year, we recorded the SWAMP EP tape and very luckily, INJUSTICE records was down to put it out it. In february 2019 we finally released our first album through INJUSTICE on a yellow 12“. It’s called TRANSFERENCE and we´re very glad how it turned out. Between our releases, we´ve been pretty much touring through Europe all the time. Weekenders and tours through small diy clubs as well as festival appearences. We´ve tried to play as much as possible and put heaps of effort into it. We still are.

What’s your goal with this band?
Wow, that’s a tough one. Our Goal with this band? There are a couple. Writing better songs all the time. Bring heavier riffs, have thighter drumpatterns, wich fit the overall song atmosphere better, writing lyrics that display our feelings, yet deliver the message more on point, having better songstructutres… all summed up, becoming better songwriters. Then, we would say, become a better liveband. Play thighter, play a good mix of songs, have the sound as good and as heavy as possible, having the live process more professional technicwise. that last thing goes hand in hand with trying to play more professional concerts and also venues to deliver a better concert (for example when it comes to sound and light). On the other hand, we´ve always supported the diy scene in small squated houses and stuff. We don´t want to miss that and feel very compfy there as well. and if you play good, you can pull a great set in the most primitive (technicwise) places as well, that’s for sure. we would also like to see more places then we´ve had so far. we´re planing to visit at least 8 new places in 2019. lets see how this turnes out. for sure, we want me people to know about Chaver and to listen to our music. That’s for sure. a dream would be playing somewhere overseas. Maybe we get to have this possibility one day.

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Ad Of The Day

Gut Reaction: Leeway NYC - I'm Your Pusher

So Leeway has a new video out and I decided to check it out. It's called I'm Your Pusher and is all sorts of fun. Everything sounds 100% on point musically and I can't imagine anyone not liking this track. Powerful riffs and vocals laced with a mixture of menace and paranoia. Eddie seems like a guy that has been through rough ass time in his life and got no problem wearing his pain on his sleeve. You can't fake it!

When I first got into hardcore I slept on Leeway for a bit, and I regret it. Still, I've never listened to anything by them beyond the first two albums so I have no idea how this song fits the evolution of the band. I don't even know if that type of thinking makes sense given it is band's first new music in like 25 years. This I know, nothing they record in 2019 will be discussed in the same terms as Born to Expire or Desperate Measures. But it's fine. That's not the point. These dudes have been in and out involved in hardcore since Leeway days were over so to me this reunion is legit. Can't wait to hear rest of the tunes they've been working on lately.

Download: Combat Shock - Retaliation

Russia’s Combat Shock caught my ear in 2017 with the release of Sacrifice demo, which I’m still hoping gets a physical release one day. Fast forward to 2019 and Retaliation drops, four tracks of crossover madness that fuses the rawness of bands like Carnivore, Crumbsuckers and Leeway. Lyrics are about war, society day and end of days. Plus Sepultura cover. This shit is insane in the best of ways!

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Video: Heavy Runner - Life Music

Heavy Runner goes hard and violently on this track. Think Stout by way of Turnstile with a heavy All We Got Iz Us-era Onyx vibe. This is forward thinking stuff!

Download: Last Wishes - D.Y.P. Promo

THIS A BATTLE YOU CAN'T WIN
BUT ITS NOT A FUCKING GAME YOU'RE IN
WE'LL KEEP UP THE FIGHT UNTIL THE END
YOU'LL BE ON TO THE NEXT TREND

DEMONSTRATE YOUR PRIDE

D.Y.P

Ireland's Last Wishes just dropped new promo tracks and I could tell from the first note that this one is a winner. The material, clocking in at little more than 10 minutes, is extremely focused and cohesive. Definitely best stuff they put out so far. Listening to Forced Into Sin I feel like this is the kind of hardcore that Fury Of V could be doing if they were still around making new music. You can really tell these dudes are from the gross part of town!

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New Music: Big Cheese - Tower To The Sun

Painkiller Records are releasing a discography comp by UK's Big Cheese and along with all the older tunes there's a new track called Tower To The Sun that is filthy, massive and menacing as you’d come to expect from the band. It has a dope Bad Brains by Breakdown vibe and the chorus sounds beastly. Peep it below.