As I said for the couple of times now, the Italian scene never ceases to amaze me with so many bands coming out and delivering killer albums or ep-s, whether they are punk, metal or hardcore, doesnt matter.

This time I have been listening to the new record by Infall called “Silent”. Infall are hailing from the northern part of Italy and they were formed in 2014. One year later they released their debut ep “Nitecomes” via This is Core Records. Now they hit us with their first full length album recorded in Milan and mixed in New York. The album consists of 11 songs making one killer energetic hardcore record. The guys play more math side of hardcore, if I must compare it to someone it would be Converge and Dillinger Escape Plan, but the music of Infall is at the same time crushingly heavy but also has many hooks and subtle melodies layered underneath it all.

Now, many of you who know me will say, but sir, I know you, and I know for certain that part of hardcore is far from being your cup of tea. Yes, it is very true my friends! But, as always in life there are some things that you like even if you dislike the whole picture and this record is one of them. First, I like the songs and the whole album is short and it doesnt become boring while listening and drinking my first morning coffee as I do it right now. The second reason is, I guess I am becoming older (bud)wiser hehe and the bands and music that I would looked with contempt as a kid now sound way different than they would sound when I was a pumped up snotty metal/hardcore kid. The songs have enough fast pace drumming and they are like flowing around me while listening and I feel the hardcore energy that surrounds me, so this means the record is good and has a vibe.

To draw a line underneath it all, I liked this album. The top songs for me are:”(Who) The Hell Is Inside My Head”, “Back Home Early” and “Palindrome”.

8/10

https://www.facebook.com/weareinfall?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/thisiscoremusic/?fref=ts

https://weareinfall.bandcamp.com/releases

This band from Macedonia has been out there on the scene quite a while creating a name for themselves with their melodic post punk with engaged often very political lyrics. This is their fifth full length record that came out on Canadian label Ill In The Head Records.

The album consists of nine songs being the previous unreleased tracks, music for theatres and remixes. The band changed their sound slightly on the previous album because they changed the real drummer and now they operate with drum machine and they changed their sound in more electronic way now sounding like a modern version of the 80-ies electro pop acts. The lyrics are in Macedonian language and as before, pretty politically engaged and straightforward. The overall feeling that I get while listening to the record is very dark although the music flows relatively light with nice melodic vocals and electronic rythms varying from Depeche Mode-styled stuff to more pop and light song structures. My personal favourite on this record is “Koga e dovolno” which I listened for a few times in a row.

This is a music that can be a perfect soundtrack for political uprising but it can also be the music for dancing at home while having a party. I really enjoyed this one and I recommend it to all those who love to listen stuff like this. Now I know why this band became one of the more respected ex Yugoslavia bands. Check it out and also check out other Ill In The Head releases. Bero now operates from Canada where he lives and he does a great job in the scene.

9/10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrnodksyOsE

https://bpropaganda.bandcamp.com/

https://illintheheadrecords.bandcamp.com/artists

https://www.facebook.com/Illintheheadrecords/

The new album by Trapped Under Ice is out! These guys released the new album almost six years after they released their last material. Some of the guys also play in Turnstile and Angel Dust, so I guess they just didnt have time to do the record with this band. This Baltimore based hardcore band plays some of the most atypical hardcore that I have listened lately. The album contains 11 songs that close on in about 14 minutes, so there is the whole album. The songs are different, quite original modern hardcore with jumping grooves but there is also some punkish speedy drumming and some mathcore plus samples thrown in for good measure. There is also some guitar solos like in “Throw It Away”. The singing varies from typical hardcore shouting to more melodic singing. I would like to see and hear this band live, because I am sure that they are fun as hell to see live. While listening to this album, although it was in fact short, I somehow came under impression that the album is much longer than it really is. I am more a sucker for classic street oi influenced hardcore but this one is actually good and diverse album. Check it out!

7/10

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2017 Tour Dates

8.25 Fri – Boston, MA Middle East
8.26 Sat – Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Bazaar
8.27 Sun – Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
8.28 Mon – Albany, NY Trickshots
8.29 Tue – Baltimore, MD The Windup Space
8.30 Wed – Fayetteville NC The Drunk Horse pub
8.31 Thur – Columbia SC New Brookland Tavern
9.1 Fri – Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
9.2 Sat – Richmond, VA The Warehouse
9.3 Sun – Washington, DC St. Stephen’s

9.22 fri – Dallas, TX Club Dada
9.23 sat – Houston, TX Walters
9.24 sun – Austin, TX Barracuda