The album starts smoothly, acoustic guitar, few noises and a whispering voice spoken in… Hungarian about music. Pretty strange for a band from Porto Alegre, Brazil. Don’t get fooled: this is raging, contorted, striped down to the bones, pure hardcore, back to the basics but looking forward music. It’s furious and experimental, cutting and abstract simultaneously. Reminds me of a widely obscure album from 1995, “Mountains of Madness” by H.P. Zinker, a band formed at New York and unfairly forgotten, although, that particular album was Grammy nominated. Anyway, The Bruce Campbell Punk Rock Trio, commonly know just as Campbell Trio, bring to the surface parts from a world of madness.
They says: “This is not a band. This is libel, slander, defamation of character. This is not a band, in the ordinary sense of the word. No, this is a prolonged insult, a gob of spit in the face of art, a kick in the pants to god, man, destiny, time, love, beauty, what you will. We are going to sing for you. A little off key perhaps, but we will sing. we will sing while you croak, we will dance over your dirty corpse!
To sing you must first open your mouth. You must have a pair of lungs, and a little knowledge of music. It is not necessary to have an accordion, or a guitar. The essential thing is to want to sing. This then is a song. We are singing.” Read more Campbell Trio – The Campbell Trio Sings The Blues (2011)
post metal
Lynch. – I Believe in Me (2011)
Lynch. was formed in 2004 by Hazuki (formerly in Deathgaze) – vocals, Reo – guitar, and Asanao – drums, in Nagoya, Japan. With Yukino as a support bassist, they released their first album, “Greedy Dead Souls” (2005) on the label Marginal Works and toured nationally. In 2006, Yusuke joined as a second guitarist and 2007 bring to surface two more albums “The Avoided Sun” and “The Buried”. Their fourth full-length album, “Shadows”, was released in 2009.
In July 2010, the band announced they would be joining a major label and the band started their last tour on their independent label titled “The Judgement Days” in September 2010. Lynch. has announced that Hazuki will not be participating in the “The Judgement Days” due to being diagnosed with “acute pharyngitis and laryngitis, accompanied by swelling of the vocal chords”, but he will continuing studio recordings. Read more Lynch. – I Believe in Me (2011)
Dazzle Vision – Kirari (2011)
Dazzle Vision are a band from Tokyo, Japan and “Kirari” is their forth studio album filled with tasty metalcore songs, Maiko – their female singer and songwriter, Yu – guitars, Takuro – bass and Haru – drums, managed to delivered an energy full, pumping and more colorful material than most of the actually trendy metalcore products from the market. Maiko growls, screams and sing, Yu catches a few good riffs and exciting themes while the rhythm section is balanced and offered solid bases. But most of all, Dazzle Vision write a few exciting themes and good songs.
Formed in June 2003, Dazzle Vision construct on hard rock and heavy metal bases inserting explosive emo/screamo and metalcore elements. In 2006 they toured all around Taiwan, met with good reviews at Spring Scream 2006 an outdoor music festival there, and subsequently released their first album in Taiwan on the waves of the tour’s success. They released their first album “Origin Of Dazzle” in November of 2006 followed by a tour of Japan. Their second album, “Camellia Japonica” was released in April 2007, “Origin Of Dazzle” was re-issued in 2008, followed by their third album, “Crystal Children” in November 2008. Read more Dazzle Vision – Kirari (2011)
Voivod – Warriors of Ice (2011)
I was 19 years old when I crushed into “Nothingface” and since I’m in love with Voivod. Piggy’s death in 2005 lead to the release of “Infini” in 2009 but I was quite sure that Snake (Denis Bélanger), Away (Michel Langevin), Blacky (Jean-Yves Thériault) – the three original members of the band and guitarist Chewy (Daniel Mongrain) recruited in 2008 will put end to the band. “Infini” proofed to be another successful release, the band was touring extensively since and while according to an interview with Langevin, Voivod have been writing and recording new music, but still, it’s too early to think of a new Voivod studio album, they decided to release this live recording. ‘Warriors of Ice” will be available June 14 on Indica Records in Canada and Sonic Unyon Metal in USA June 21. Read more Voivod – Warriors of Ice (2011)
Buckethead – It’s Alive (2011)
Buckethead now days feels like riffing, so “It’s Alive”, the thirty-first studio album by this workaholic and madman guitarist it’s mainly heavy fuckin’ metal. “Lebrontron” kick off pumping like an Iron Maiden anthem while it’s dedicated to LeBron James, the American professional basketball player for Miami Heat. “Tonka” brings some modern tones into the music while “”Barnyard Banties” introducing funk and industrial colors in the heavy glows. “Crack the Sky” shift back to the more traditional approach and have a nice, quiet, acoustic break. “The Hatch” pumping on a funky theme with twisted turns and noisy cut downs. “Brooding Peeps” slow down to some medium tempo, it’s a quite classic construction, heavy and hard themes are crossing each other and Buckethead offers a nice solo. “Picking the Feathers” it’s a Buckethead trademark experiment with a crushing riff, a Spanish-like guitar and lots of noises, a nice and convenient closing of the material. Read more Buckethead – It’s Alive (2011)
Blindside – With Shivering Hearts We Wait (2011)
I’m not quite a fan of the so-called christian rock or white metal. Jesus and rock are not such a nice couple and actually I’m not a fan of JC, further I don’t accept the idea that somebody else did or should pay for my sins and I didn’t met him yesterday at the corner as many lost souls claimed they does. Well, perhaps I’m gonna rot in hell, but let me worry about this by myself, don’t fucking try to convince me and if I can’t save myself, nobody else dose. My favorite line comes from Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), it’s quite Nietzsche inspired, but it says all: “Your God is dead and no one cares, if there is a hell I’ll see you there.” (Heresy) Practice what you preach, but don’t preach what you practice. Faith should be private as sex. But well, once again, I’m just a fucked-up guy.
But leaving aside all my prejudices, Blindside rocks. Read more Blindside – With Shivering Hearts We Wait (2011)
I Spy Strangers – The Kind Of Dirty You Cant Wash Off (2011)
The term stranger is the traditional way of referring to someone physically present in the Palace of Westminster who is neither a member of parliament nor a parliamentary official. Nowadays, strangers – visitors – can watch debates, and can sit in the Stranger’s Gallery. Historically, visitors were not allowed in at all. Parliament still has the right to debate in private, and any visitor causing a disturbance can be ejected, or even taken into custody by the Serjeant at Arms.Attempts to exclude visitors are usually employed simply to disrupt or delay the House’s proceedings, a kind of filibustering. An MP wishing to interrupt used to shout “I spy strangers”.
This kind of so-called post-hardcore few years back would be labeled without a blinking of an eye emo. Read more I Spy Strangers – The Kind Of Dirty You Cant Wash Off (2011)
Like Rats From A Sinking Ship – We Get Along Like A House On Fire (2011)
Like Rats From A Sinking Ship blow out of blue and burst onto the Norwegian hardcore scene back in 2008 with their debut EP entitled “SXY SXY GSW”. The trio became soon one of the most popular underground act of Norway, so, the album “We Got Along Like A House On Fire” is highly expected and raise high expectations.
LRFASS spent the autumn of 2010 in the studio with producer Alex Newport who put his signature on the products of bands such At The Drive-in, Melvins, System Of A Down, Sepultura, The Mars Volta, Death Cab For Cutie, The Locust, Two Gallants, 65daysofstatic, etc, and the new album sounds as it should. This is a contorted blending of hardcore and experimental, post metal, technical, fast and noisy passages are twisted into gloomy and spacy turns or grinding, doom-like moments. The sound it’s raw, unpolished and crushing, it keeps an alive breathing, live approach. Read more Like Rats From A Sinking Ship – We Get Along Like A House On Fire (2011)
Centox – Centox (2011)
Reminds me mainly of Korn, Centox new album is build of quality and traditional nu metal songs. They are not actually re-invent anything, but this is a nice collection of cutting edge guitar riffs, twisted vocals, pumping rhythms, in few words, they put together that makes nu metal rocks. On the other hand, while Korn seems to lost their direction, “Centox” is a nice piece of traditional, full of energy and screamable choruses album.
Centox came together in the spring of 2006 when founding members Cesar “237” – guitars/vocals and Steve Hart began to write songs at a local studio in their hometown of San Pedro, CA. The two hired Daniel Gomez for guitar duties, and Glenn Ellis on bass, both of whom had been in bands with the founding members prior to the formation of Centox. Rene Araujo was put to the microphone and in 2006 the band recorded a 6 track EP followed by the debut album “”Above Them All”. Read more Centox – Centox (2011)
Skindred – Union Black (2011)
Skindred has sometimes been compared to Bad Brains, they got in their vain that hardcore explosion which made them one of the most exciting live acts in the UK, they reminds me of Asian Dub Foundation or the heaviest moments of Subsource, but as well they may be compared to Limp Bizkit. Alternative metal blended with dub and reggae it only can be intense, pumping, explosive. And this mixture formula, blending of metal/rock and punk elements with dub, reggae and electronica, since Apollo 440 and the beginning of the 90s, it’s not quite new, but it’s working efficiently when it’s made with nerve and taste. And Skindred for the past decade proof to have both. As usually, everybody reclaiming the paternity of the genre, but I think music it’s not exclusively about who was the first, but about writing good songs and express something, anything. And Benji Webbe since 1993 with Dub War and after their split in 98-99 and formed Skindred, done excellent works. Read more Skindred – Union Black (2011)
