Interview: Chain Reaction

Chain Reaction is heavy and ungodly hardcore from Belgium started by local scene veterans. Mixing grim observations of modern world with some unrelenting rage, their latest Hangman ep is a definite winner. I predict big things for them, because that ep is right on the money. If you sleep on this band you're a total idiot.

You guys have been in amazing bands before, what is it about Chain Reaction that keeps you excited to still do hardcore? What was it that made you all get together and give this band a go?
The rest of the band (Murph, Sim & Clovis) started jamming and writing songs before I came into the picture. They've all been friends since the 90's and have been doing bands together on and off during those years. So obviously what got us started was a deep-rooted friendship and a love for hardcore. It's the kind of thing that becomes part of your DNA and hard to let go. As they couldn't really find a singer, the option of me joining the band came up when I was hanging with Murph one night, listening to the songs they'd recorded. I loved what I heard and felt like I should give it a shot. I didn't really count on doing bands anymore but fuck it.

I guess a lot of people will expect CR to sound like Rise And Fall, cause that band was huge in it’s time and kids were waiting for that last record that never came. Is there any pressure because of that?
Not sure what people expect, if they expect anything at all. Either way, Chain Reaction definitely is a very different band in terms of sound, dynamics and aesthetics. Obviously, my vocals will sound somewhat familiar but that's pretty much as far as it goes. Pressure isn't an issue really, it feels dope doing a new band and starting from scratch. Plus I've been wanting to do a band with a heavy NYHC influence for the longest time, so I'm stoked to be able to do this. Honestly, pressure is a much bigger deal when you're in a long-running band like Rise And Fall. You always want to outdo what you did before, you worry about whether or not people are still going to like do the band, if enough people will show up for your headlining tours etc.

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Download: 25 Ta Life - Hunting Season 2017

If you don't know, 25 Ta Life was brought back to life by the dudes responsible for the band's early sound (up to Friendship, Loyalty, Commitment) with Stikman (Fury Of V) on vocals. I can't blame them for keeping the name, Rick did everything in his power to shit on 25 legacy so it's only right they want to take it back. On top of playing old material live we get new music as well. It's 3 tracks released to Internets just yesterday:

Hunting Season - the music sounds sick and Sitkman still got that fire in the vocals

From Start to Finish - I fuck with this cut, it got that aggressive NJHC vibe and an excellent take by Stikman

All Heart - top of the food chain!

All in all this one is at least as good as anything you heard on band's early albums. Old pros showing everyone how it's fucking done. Download it below and find out for yourself.

DOWNLOAD

Review: Climate Of Fear - Holy Terror

Debut album from UK's Climate Of Fear. The name of the band sounds familiar and to be honest I was hoping this one to be along the vibe of early Bitter End albums. Can you blame me? Turns out that was misleading cause the band's focus is more on heavier mid-tempo stuff than pure aggressive and reckless hardcore goodness. The two opening tracks are whatever but it gets better in the second half of this short album. Holy Terror is solid as hell, while Entombed sounds fucking great and is a definite stand out. The dramatic intensity of this latter track goes from menacing mid-tempo vibe to slick faster part and this combination is musical equivalent of timebomb.

You can hear they were aiming high when it comes to technicality and complexity in the music, doing what they could with the skills they have to make these tracks engaging and complex. This leads me to question some of their stylistic choices. There are just too many slower parts and 99% of them don't do nothing for me. I could have done without all those basic ass breakdowns they felt they need to do every 30 seconds of each track. That way otherwise brilliant songs, like already mentioned Entombed, don't flow like they should. I guess it's their weird way to show they can play but no one ever asked for that shit.

The production is crisp and clean, it's not bad but I miss the dirt and grime and reverb. Hardcore does not need to be overly produced.

All in all, despite me bitching about some stuff, it's still a solid record. Next time they just need to drop their ego and get rid of that metal wankery and stick to that more straight forward stuff.

Demons Run Amok

New Blood: Combust!

Who runs NYC?

Make sure you check out Demo 7" out on Straight & Alert!

All answers by Andrew

Congrats on the upcoming 7” ep. But before we get to that, tell me more about Combust. How it all began? How long has the band been around?
Thank you man! Combust began because I (Andrew) and the drummer Dave just always had this desire to play in a straight up NYHC band. Something that was in the vain of our favorite bands we grew up on. The band has been around since the beginning of August just about.

When starting the band, did you had any idea how you wanted it to sound or what type of lyrics to write, or did it just came naturally?
Yea, like I said before I literally came to our drummer Dave with the exact idea of just wanting to be a straight up New York hardcore band. This has been an idea in my brain for years but I’ve always been in different bands so I’m glad it finally came to life. I’m really proud of the demo and the way it sounds. As for the lyrics, that’s just something that comes more naturally I guess.

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Video: Negative Self - Underneath The Wave

I got pirate mp3s of their older songs and they were all pro so I'm not surprised I dig this track here. To say this band sounds familiar would be huge understatement. It doesn't take mad brain skills to figure out where they take their style from. This track is Venice Beach at its prime! Grab that shit before Suicidal's lawyers get on it for style theft. The VHS styled video looks good and fits the music. Good stuff!

Looking forward to new record on BDHW Recs.

2017: Best of the worst

WORLD PEACE CAN'T BE DONE

No doubt 2017 was a turmoil on a global scale. People went mental with politics and religion and just having a twisted outlook on how the world should look like. I’ve always been cool with different views than mine even if I don't agree with them, but it seems most people are going bat-shit crazy right now. Right wing, left wing, whatever. They just lost it. Total nuts. The common sense and reason is in retreat. And because the rich get richer and the rest of us stay poor, the problems will only increase and for sure more dumb shit is to come. With all that tension building up there's bound to be release and I know where it's all heading. Conflict is what I predict. World war III. Thinking about all the drama in Middle East, Russia war on Ukraine, terrorism, fucked up politics in Europe and US and Asia - shit is falling apart at high speed. My advice to you, stock up on some serious amounts of canned food and big ass guns and wait for shit to hit the fan. It's only matter of time. Trust me, I'm from eastern Europe so I should know. And like always we'll be the ones to get the ass whooping. Big time.

So yeah, thinking about world peace is giving me headaches, but don’t even get me started on the personal stuff. I've been busy with a lot of shit and all that kept me from updating this blog as often as I could. Hopefully 2019 will be better in that regard. Who the fuck knows?

Freedom of my life, why make it a mess?
Give me a job, I've got to survive
Discriminate me, why can't you help?
Everybody thinks I'm a scum

On the positive note, the more fucked up the world gets, the harder hardcore gets. It’s been always like that. So enough of getting soft, here's the best hardcore of 2017. (I know it's already February but fuck being on time).

TOP FIVE:

Freedom - Never Had A Choice
I got no time to overthink stuff so I need my hardcore to be swift and straightforward, no bullshitting. Life is complicated so hardcore shouldn't. I also love it when bands sound like they're here on purpose and don't take shit from no one. That's why this stuff right here is the best record that came out last year, and possible one of the best in recent years. This is 100% hardcore based on the same mentality that made Breakdown, Negative Approach or 4 Skins. Life in Detroit is not a joke and that record perfectly reflects that.

Unified Right - If I Can't Listen to UNIFIED RIGHT in Heaven Then Send Me Straight to Hell
Fuck yeah, this year was a year of straight up hardcore and this is another record that will go down in history as the finest example of how this shit was meant to be. The founding fathers of hardcore didn't care about nuisance, and nor Unified Right do. This is raw and aggressive but with the right amount of groove and even short periods of melody. In a times when many records are either overproduced or sound like total shit, this one strikes a good balance between grit and being listenable.

Clearview - Absolute Madness
My boys from Brazil dropped this gem at the middle of the year and though I knew it's gonna be good, I didn't expect that level of good. The lyrics, the music, the vibe are all that I want in hardore and more. If you don’t like this record I don’t even want to talk to you.

Templars - Deus Vult
I am not the biggest Templars fan but I dig couple of older tracks from various past records and was curious when I heard they're making a come back. Turned out this is one of the highlights of last year. Battle scarred oi! sound with classic skinhead rock leanings that's rough where it needs to and melodic when it's time for it. Favorite tracks: Take A Stand, Middle Road and Forgotten Souls. Classic shit. I love oi! and this is supposed to be one of the best that US ever had to offer so I might give their past material more spins to find out what I'm missing out.

Crowd Deterrent - Welcome To Youngstown - ep
Too bad this material is is only available in digital form so far, I would definitely cop a cd or vinyl. What can I say, Crowd Deterrent do what they do best. The band has a basic premise and they execute it to perfection: antisocial hardcore that gives no fucks. This was one of the rawest and grittiest records of last year. Call me immature but this band has the best lyrics in hardcore since Demonstrating My Style.


a place called nowhere's where we live our lives,
a total legacy of violence and crime ,
its the environment that molded our minds,
until im cold in the ground welcome to youngstown

Other records that don’t suck:
Cock Sparrer - Forever
No Warning - Torture Culture
Firm Standing Law - Unashamed
Forced Order - One Last Prayer
St Hood - He Age Of Unreason
Terror - The Walls Will Fall
Queensway - Swift Minds Of The Darkside
Life After Death - Friends Fade, Enemies Stay

So yeah, good year for hardcore and bad for anything else.

Review: Rage - Feel The Burn

Another dope record from Straight & Alert recs. Rage hails from Australia and their sound brings to mind the rawness of SSD, old Agnostic Front or No Tolerance but they also worship recent UKHC like Violent Reaction or The Flex. I won’t stand here and pretend I am the biggest fan of new wave of British hardcore but I’ve seen Flex live and shit was epic. These dudes are juggernaut in this game, the set was just them grinding everyone in a room to dust.

But back to Rage and this ep. I knew S&A always delivers quality so I was down from the get go and after few spins it didn’t disappoint this time as well. Feel The Burn is 5 tracks each deserving respect for the intensity of aggression it delivers, hitting hard with musical swiftness and the meanest vocals. That band takes it back to the basics so expect no silly shit, this is straight up in your face hardcore. If this crazy ass dude from Wolf Creek started a band that would sound something like this. The tracks to the end of the record are the hardest. Constant Static sounds fucking epic, they same goes for No Hope. These two tracks alone make me feel like I've already gotten more than my money's worth. Grab this now and get stomping.

Straight & Alert, 2017

Demo daze: Combat Shock - Sacrifice

Russia hardcore still lives! On their facebook I see the band wearing Leeway and OLC t-shirts so I knew this is going to be legit. Old school crossover ffo Foreseen, Power Play, Leeway and so on. There are 4 tracks in here and all of them are pretty damned incredible with all the necessary components from tight riffing to solid section. This is cool ass demo that makes me want to dig deeper into what's going on in Russian hardcore nowadays.

DOWNLOAD|BANDCAMP

In the gutter groove

My man Frédéric is still sitting on some copies of 2nd issue of Gutter Groove fanzine. The list of bands interviewed is fat like a pizza with double cheese crust and includes All Out War, Weekend Nachos, Foreseen, Malice At The Palace, Lodges, True Colors and Integrity. Get yours here.

Review: Slope - Losin' Grip

Slope is a new hardcore band outta Germany and this is their new album on BDHW which does not sound like what you would expect from this label. No breakdows, no snapbacks, no tough guy posturing. It’s more on that hardcore meets alternative rock vibe that’s been so hyped since Turnstile did it. Can’t say I’m much of a fan, but neither a hater. It’s just not my shit. Any day I pick the worst Madball song over best Turnstile track and it’s still a win. To each his own.

Looking at the front cover and seeing the video they did for Goodbye Mr. Dand everything was off to bad start. The band seems to be comfortable in the corners of the mind I don’t like to go. Meaning really abstract shit. I like when hardcore sounds like it could be a soundtrack to Rocky or Die Hard, but Losin Grip feels more like a backdrop to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The song names are all weird and I got no idea what they try to convey with titles like Goodbye Mr. Dandy. Some of this stuff seem unconvincing and if hardcore doesn’t sound sincere then I have problems having that emotional connection with it. At first I was forcing myself to go through some of the tracks because of that. I just felt at the back of my head something ain't right.

I am aware this review is going into negative direction but in reality it’s just me bitching. There are moments that I enjoyed. Musically, they do keep it sharp and there’s fair amount of fine riffing and tight groove to keep my head nodding. Like I said, fans of Turnstile should check it out, but also if you like Leeway, Burn and generally more creative NYHC sound I recommend giving it a listen.

Overall I think these dudes know they craft and I suppose there will be plenty people into this album. No need to put them down since there are tons of bands that are seriously whack, like Wolf Down and all their spin-offs. Slope are only guilty of being on a vibe different than mine but they seem like good dudes. Just with awful taste in clothes and there’s too much abstract shit going on in their heads. If they get their shit together and listen to right amount of Sheer Terror I am convinced their next record will be a killer. This one is still decent though.

BDHW 2017