Hardcore – Page 19 – Wonderbox Metal

Lambs – Betrayed from Birth (Review)

Lambs are an Italian blackened Hardcore band and this is their début EP.

You gotta love Blackened Hardcore. A sub-genre that takes the best of the violence and darkness from Hardcore and Black Metal? Yes please! This style is getting more and more popular and has already resulted in a plethora of good bands such as Hexis, Plebeian Grandstand, Dark Circles, Ancst, Cowards, Funerals, Protestant and Flesh Born, to name just a few. Some bands go slightly more one way or the other, while others, like Lambs, meet both genres in the middle. That, and a bit of Post-Hardcore thrown in for good measure.

This is a quality little release that showcases what Lambs are capable of, and it seems that they should have big things ahead of them if they can keep this level of quality control and intensity up for a full album. Well, big things for a small sub-genre at any rate.

The aforementioned intensity doesn’t mean it’s a Blackened blast fest, (although they can blast when they need to); Lambs have a darkly emotive and fanged assault that never lets up regardless of the speed they play at. In this way they can be compared to any number of modern violent Hardcore bands, as they keep on pushing and pushing with the relentless riffs, to make sure their point is rammed home; be this by straight forward assaults, dirge-fuelled slower sections or angular, atypical melodies. Lambs cover all of the bases.

There’s only three songs here but contained within them is a lot of dark intent and malevolent ambition. As calling cards go this is up there with the best of the style and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Play at full volume.

Fredag Den 13:e – Domedager (Review)

Fredag Den 13:e are from Sweden and this is their third album. They play Hardcore.

This is aggressive music that’s fuelled by Crust and and d-beat Hardcore. If you like bands such as Skitsystem, Disfear and Martyrdöd then you’re in for a treat here.

Fredag Den 13:e have plenty of groove and rhythm to their sound and a strong recording brings out the best of them. Everything is solid and immediate, which is the kind of impact a band of this type requires.

The songs are catchy and emotive, which is a lethal combination. There are great riffs in abundance and the band have a large amount of energy that they siphon into the songs. A lot of the guitars feature aggressive melodies that sound quite apocalyptic, so much so that Domedager could almost be the soundtrack to the end times after civilisation has fallen.

The singer has a scathing voice and he screams his way through these 36 minutes like a focused ball of rage that nonetheless manages to convey emotion and charisma alongside the vicious diatribes.

One of the things I love about this release is that the songs have this relentless energy that drives them forward. Add to that the emotive, dynamic riffs and songwriting…well, we have a winner here for sure.

This is not a band I was aware of prior to writing this review, but it turns out they could be one of Sweden’s best kept secrets. It’s time to change that – listen to Fredag Den 13:e and get ready to be impressed.

August Burns Red – Found in Far Away Places (Review)

August Burns Red are from the US and this is their seventh album. They play Modern Hardcore.

I haven’t encountered August Burns Red since their 2011 album Leveler, and it seems that they continue to produce quality music that combines elements of Hardcore, Melodic Hardcore and Metalcore into a user-friendly package.

The band somehow manage to be heavy and accessible at the same time, while crucially displaying their own personality and charisma. No matter what they do, they retain their own identity throughout the 53 minutes on offer here and take the listener on a comprehensive journey that shames most of their one-dimensional peers.

The album opens with a bang and the singer’s vocals sound angrier and gruffer than ever. It’s an instant reminder of why August Burns Red are still relevant and exciting in a music scene where a lot of similar bands are shedding their heavier roots for more radio-friendly climes.

One thing I love about this band is how they combine heaviness and melody in such an appealing way. This style of music is usually rife with generic pap, cliché deliveries and boring, done-to-death repetition and I’m always amazed and impressed when bands playing this style manage to avoid all of these, as August Burns Red do on Found in Far Away Places.

The songs have a lot of recognisable elements that mark them out as subtly different from the masses of bands playing this style. I think the crux of it is that the riffs, breakdowns, melodies, leads, etc. here are just that much better than the norm; August Burns Red are just plain better than most bands of this ilk. Couple that with the fact that they have little moments of experimentalism and interesting ideas, as well as a lot of personality and charisma, and you can easily see why they are leaders and not followers.

After this many releases the band totally know what they’re doing and still have that essential passion for the music which appears completely undimmed. The songwriting is tight and focused without seeming forced or staid.

Top marks for a band who are not afraid to be themselves, try new things and above all remain heavy and relevant. August Burns Red have returned and I for one could not be happier.

Witch of the Waste – Made of Teeth (Review)

Witch of the Waste are from Canada and this is their latest EP. They play violent Hardcore.

With some amusing song titles and an album cover that’s oddly disturbing, this is 14 minutes of intensity that’s almost guaranteed to fuck you up.

Full to the brim of technical frenzy and passionate delivery, Witch of the Waste are an exciting brand of Extreme Metal that incorporates aspects of Death Metal, Grindcore and dark Hardcore into their volatile mix.

This is not music that’s purely of the ultra-chaotic variety, although they do have that aspect to their sound; rather, there is a controlling intelligence to the mayhem that tells the players to either let loose or restrain themselves. Dynamics are important and Witch of the Waste have this locked down, seemingly able to hold themselves back or unleash chaos on-demand.

The vocals are savage and abrasive, with insectile screaming and deathgrunts mixing together with the greatest of ease. Like the music, the intensity never lets up.

Releases like this are a great listen. These songs are complex and nasty, yet can change up in an instant to something more atmospheric and considered.

Top release – more please!

Above the North – A Tale They Whisper (Review)

Above the North are a Hardcore band from France. This is their latest EP.

It starts off with melodic riffs that have a firm edge to them whilst serrated vocals scream out over the top. This is the kind of emotive Hardcore that’s easy to connect with if you like the style as it’s instantly engaging yet with a depth to it that bears repeated visits.

Some of the guitar parts and riffs even have a Post-Hardcore feel to them and have a resplendent sheen. The solid sound that the band have shows these guitars off to their full potential and the band sound immense.

Imagine a more traditionally structured Norma Jean, or From Autumn to Ashes minus the clean vocals, or a less abrasive/Metal Zao…Above the North have a lot of talent it seems, as these four songs ably showcase.

Alongside recent Hardcore releases such as Muck and The Black Lantern, Above the North show that you can play Hardcore that has bite without going the massively heavy/angry route that much of Hardcore does.

These songs have a thoughtful, introspective aura to them yet still have energy and passion in spades.

Very impressive. If they can keep up this level of songwriting for the future then their début album will be a thing of beauty.

Check them out.

Fathoms – Lives Lived (Review)

Fathoms are from the UK and play Metallic Hardcore. This is their début album.

The band play modern Metalcore with gruff, angry vocals and plenty of beatdown guitars.

The songs feature twisting, distorted guitars that are halfway between Djent and Hardcore, with more Metal influences sneaking into the mix on occasion.

It’s passionately played and delivered, and none could fault the band’s convictions. This comes across in the songs and the impressions they make.

The heavy riffs are performed with energy and enthusiasm. They seem to thunder out of the speakers and land causing furious damage.

Lives Lived is not all brutal riffs and angry intent though. The band do flirt with a melodic edge sometimes, and the shouted vocals even give way to some more melodic cleans on occasion. These moments are kept relatively infrequent however; enough to make an impact when they are used but not enough to become commonplace or boring.

Incorporating aspects of bands like Dead to Fall, Martyr AD, Martyr Defiled and Darkest Hour, Fathoms have created a very enjoyable début release that hits the spot like a lot of US Metalcore did in the mid-00s, before the style became mired in mediocrity and generic copying.

Highly recommended.

Agnostic Front – The American Dream Died (Review)

If you don’t already know, Agnostic Front come from the US and are Hardcore through and through. This is their eleventh album.

This veteran band keeps going and shows no signs of running out of anger and drive any time soon. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that The American Dream Died is more aggressive than ever.

The songs are short and to the point. Muscles are flexed, doors are kicked in and people are held accountable. This is music with a sense of purpose.

A vaguely Metallic element including the odd guitar solo spices up the Hardcore assault and the tracks are heavy enough to have a strong presence.

Agnostic Front are a band that have always written songs before riffs. Anthems, even. This album is full of them.

Various guests also appear, all of appropriate Hardcore pedigree, but this show is Agnostic Front’s alone.

This is classic, Old-School Hardcore with a modern recording and plenty of teeth. You can’t get more authentic than this.

Music with attitude that delivers the goods.

Dark Circles – MMXIV (Review)

Dark Circles are from Canada and play Hardcore. This is their latest release.

This is dark, violent Hardcore with a D-Beat element.

There’s a tendency at the moment for dark Hardcore bands to have a Blackened influence, (like Flesh Born and Protestant, for example), which I’m all for as it sounds great, and although Dark Circles fit in well with this style, they’re also different; they have a very obvious Punk background that mixes with the Blackened influences to sound warped, disturbed and evil in their own charismatic way.

The best word to describe Dark Circles is hostile. Really, really hostile.

The guitar sound is utterly abrasive and seems sharp and rough enough to do some real damage. On top of this the acid vocals spew all kinds of hatred and venom, so much so that you begin to wonder if the singer is in fact human at all. It’s a visceral display of hostility, (yes, there’s that word again).

There’s a boat-load of aggression here for sure, but it’s not a wild, killing rage; this is focused and tight, and all the more lethal for it.

These songs channel what must be a never-ending rage into coherent and dangerous-sounding songs that have more to them than initially meets the eye. The Blackened, harsh melodies and the angular, piercing riffs don’t just exist to assault the listener; there is method and intent to these tracks, the key to which is the quality songwriting.

Energy, enthusiasm and dynamics are displayed in abundance, and the band know how to pace themselves. They never let up the intensity though, as even in the rarer moments of reflection and almost Post-Metal darkness that they occasionally slip into for short moments, there’s still the rage and hatred, briefly and barely tethered whilst the band collectively get ready to resume their terror strikes once more.

This is almost 26 minutes of state-of-the-art Blackened Hardcore horror. Yes, it’s an essential listen for anyone who likes this kind of thing.

Turn the volume up, turn the lights out and let your anger take over. Dark Circles are here to guide you.

Call of the Void – Ageless (Review)

Call of the Void are from the US and play Hardcore. This is their second album.

Call of the Void play the kind of nasty, violent Hardcore that it’s very easy to like. Somewhat of a cross between All Pigs Must Die, early Eighteen Visions, Early Entombed and any number of Old-School Hardcore bands, this is music that is earthy and pure.

Blasting mayhem and Crust-fuelled carnage make up the bulk of the tracks here. Each song rages and tears at the world through red-tinted vision.

The vocals are non-stop shouts and screams that are perfectly adapted to their environment. They provide a formidable presence and focal point to already intimidating music.

Moments of rough melody and abrasive atmosphere do appear amongst the high-energy proceedings. These glimpses of mercy amidst the violence ensure that Call of the Void are worthy of repeat spins and are not just a throwaway one-shot band.

This is music that’s brutally honest and aggressively focused.

Very enjoyable indeed.

Muck – Your Joyous Future (Review)

Muck are from Iceland and play Hardcore. This is their second album.

The first song on this album is called Provoke Me, and this serves as an ample motto of reference for Muck’s acerbic and violent Hardcore. This is music to fight to.

The band play with a kind of focused looseness, which means that although the band are tight enough to deliver a professional album they also have enough vitality in them so that everything sounds naturally dangerous and beautifully aggressive.

The riffs are a combination of the more modern, aggressive Hardcore breed and a more traditional, Old-School feel. The merger of the two together makes for an intriguing and enticing listen as the band rage through ten tracks of carnage.

Inhabiting the middle ground between Converge’s sharpened aggression and Martyrdöd’s D-beat extravaganzas, Muck form a bridge between the two that allows the listener to enjoy both styles in one package.

Well I’ve really enjoyed this. Listen loud and get ready for violence.