Desperate Times - Hard Target
Desperate Times is probably one of my favorite bands to come out of Poland lately. The band is heavily influenced by tough NYHC sound, but with slick thrash twist that makes these song sound even more bad-ass. This is band’s debut release and it rips with pace and ferocity. All the tracks are so tight and focused that it makes you wanna hurt somebody. If you dig Bitter End or Madball this is for you. The band is not ashamed of their influences and it shines through across the EP, but they also got their own way of doing things which is cool and keeps things from becoming too derivative. The band is both furious and smart as you also get some intelligent and down to earth lyrics about friendship, hard life and the fucked up system. This 7” is sure to impress any fan of the good hardcore.
Identity - Planet Crusher
Identity is one of the coolest current bands to come out of Poland and even thought I am not that much familiar with their previous releases, I dig Planet Crusher totally. The vibe of the ep is sharp and vibrant, channeling crossover influences that have Cro-Mags stamp all over it. Identity capitalizes on fat riffs and tight grooves, while the singer is doing awesome job sounding strong and vicious. These are some truly skilled dudes, but the feeling counts more than the skills in hardcore and it’s cool they didn’t fall into the trap of technical wankery. Instead, it’s as nasty and grimy as it should be, delivering bitch slap after bitch slap to the pathetic face of humanity with every tone and verse. The songs are hard and to the point, but at the same time they pack enough killer hooks and awesome leads that listeners with more sophisticated musical tastes than mine can also enjoy this stuff. The title track is truly a banger with a massive pro-mosh part, but actually all of the songs go hard.
Reality Check - The World On My Shoulders
Reality Check is another band coming from Poland that you need to check out. This ep is one of the coolest records I’ve bought in recent times, packing 5 tracks of fast but groovy hardcore that makes me think of LA bands like Donnybrook or Piece By Piece with a hint of East Coast sound not unlike Death Threat. You get everything you need from a record like this - fat and catchy riffs, heavy drumming and sick bass lines. The vocals are pissed off and so are the lyrics. Gang-shout choruses are a must and the band doesn’t disappoint here neither, executing that element flawlessly. Production-wise, the ep has a perfect mix for that type of hardcore sounding both raw and beefy. The album cover is dope, showing what a monster this band is live. This is gruff hardcore done right! Be one a lookout for band’s upcoming split 7” with France’s xDigx!
Iron To Gold - the Power Of One
Iron To Gold’s ep dropped last year and was immediately praised for delivering music that maintains good combination of rawness and vibrant. The ep holds four songs hitting around the 8 minute mark and I like ‘em all. Iron To Gold is musically skillful and much more aggressive than many other bands out there. If bands like Judge do nothing for you, you might wanna just keep on walking. The guitar sound is sharp, drums and bass lay down a tight groove on top of which forceful vocals lash out with anger and energy. Lyrically the band is firmly planted in real life topics, touching personal and social issues. The record is solid. It has an exceedingly dynamic vibe and tons of catchy hooks. It’s a short energy blasts with just the right amount of groove thrown in to keep things interesting.
Stout will play couple of shows all across the Europe in October, including shows in Poland, Germany, United Kingdom (Ninjafest!) and more!
More hardcore from Italy! Traces Of You bring fast and fairly straight forward hardcore that blends both heavy and melodic parts. The shouted vocals make the package complete and even though I am not the biggest fan of this style of singing, they get the job done. Generally, it makes me think of modern hardcore but with a heavier tone. Something in the middle between Terror and Comeback Kid, I think you can get the idea.
Strength For A Reason is streaming couple of tracks from the upcoming album Through Cold Eyes on their Stereokiller profile. This is band's first release since 2009 and sounds like a logic follow up to Burden Of Hope, but on steroids. All the new songs songs hit hard as hell! Along with the new Clenched Fist and Rotting Out albums, this is probably gonna be my favorite album of the year. Keep your eyes open cause the record will be out on Fast Break Records soon.
Crowd deterrent and Race Riot 59 will drop split called "Beasts From The Northeast" via Unholy House Records! Except to hear new songs in the beginning of May!
6131 Records have launched pre-orders for new Downpresser album called 'Don't Need A Reason'. Not much is known about the release right now except that it's gonna be dope!
Incendiary continues to strive for perfection. Knowing their previous material I expected only good stuff from this release and I am not disappointed. With Cost Of Living, the band proves it still got what it takes, and their dynamic and powerful brand of hardcore is only getting better. One of the more striking elements of the album is how good the songs flow together, each one delivering force with plenty of attitude.
Human Animal is a new band from Erie, PA started by couple of dudes who cut their teeth in some of the most awesome classic bands from that area (too many names too mention, read the interview!). But it’s not about bringing back the past, Human Animal definitely can stand their ground. When band’s debut ep dropped last year I knew they still got it. It packs so much heaviness that you can't ignore it, but there’s also a lot of finesse to these songs. Some nice metallic vibes makes you think about the 90’, but everything is sharp, fresh and up to date. Check out the interview to learn some cool stuff about the band, but also some insights into the history and current state of Erie scene.
Somehow I missed this demo when it came out in December last year and just came across the band recently. Trap City is supposedly the first release from this Cali band and it brings six tracks of heavy and tough hardcore. What struck me most about this demo is the fact that Mastiff sounds really sharp and on point all the time, and there’s a lot of cocky attitude in the music which is always good. The sound quality is great, all the songs are awesome and I am sure most of you will enjoy this demo as much as I do. Download it!
