Banks Arcade were originally formed in New Zealand but now they are based in Australia. This is their long awaited sophomore album out with Arising Empire. This one contains twelve songs. Banks Arcade are very interesting to me, because they mix aggressive hardcore, metal, electronic song parts underneath pop punk emotions and melody. I love how metallic parts fit perfectly into electronic underneath the song structures and I love the use of electronic parts done smartly, like here. The lyrics are personal and love how singer jumps from metalcore screams, hardcore shouting to beautiful clean melodic parts. Some would say this kind of music is poser and commercial, but I like this band and this album very much. Hmmm, maybe I am commercial in my almost fifties haha. Anyway, I would love to hear how these songs sound live, hopefully one day I will. My personal favorites on this record are Don’t Miss, Severance and Last Time, but with every listening I discover something more, so it is a great record in my opinion.
Gods, I love Hammer Horror House movies! They don’t have gore scenes so much or violence, but their atmosphere is what most of today’s horror scene lacks! This is one of the Dracula movie series featuring legendary Christopher Lee as more legendary vampire. The story goes like this: Three men in one 18th century town are looking for thrill until they get to know Courtley, former lord being disowned because he practiced Satanism. He entices them to join him in black mass, during which those three kill him in an act of violence. Little do they know that he was Dracula’s servant and Dracula comes alive to have his vengeance. Now, this is not one of the best movies in the series, but it has its moments, Lee is charismatic as ever although he hardly speaks in this movie. But his face, his eyes and expressions are just fantastic! Of course, Hammer’s movies can’t pass without beautiful women in it, so we have them here also with just a little hint of nudity through a see through dress in some scenes. If I have to recommend where to start with this series, or the best Hammer Horror movies, it would not be this one, but it is still a decent movie compared to what they make nowadays which is mostly sucky to me.
Here is the 3-way split record featuring three bands from different continents and nations. First one are Combust, excellent NYHC which are featured with three songs on this one. Their music is aggressive hardcore but with subtle dose of melody thrown here and there for good measure and they are for me the best band on this release. Blow Your Brains Out are hailing from Japan and they play metallic hardcore with faster and groove parts, they are featured here with two songs and I enjoyed them, because I have not heard any such hardcore out of Japan until now, only hardcore punk and crust bands and some sludge and melodic skatepunk. I must investigate and dig Japanese hardcore scene a bit more. The music of Blow Your Brains Out reminded me of New York’s Killing Time, maybe it’s only me. Last band featured here are Imposter from UK with two songs, dark hardcore punk with metallic overtones, breakdowns and brutal fast drumming. What to say here? Go get this one and check out these band’s if you love hardcore.
