Daily Archives: August 4, 2018

Reviews, Various

(record review)OFF THE MARK-“Aging Disgracefully”(No Affiliation Records)

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Off The Mark released their first album after the five years hiatus on mighty No Affiliation Records, so I was happy to listen to and review the record for this webzine.

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This band comes from Arizona and plays the kind of melodic punkrock with pop punk and skatepunk influences like it was played in the 90-ies when I was a kid.  The album contains 10 songs of emotional, sometime humorous and autoironic but most of all awesome punkrock with heart and soul. When the first song “The Answer” started, I was instantly struck with the great vocals and melodies. I just couldn`t help myself and I know that it is not similar, not one bit but some songs like for example “When You Say” reminded me of later era Blitzkid vocally and in the song structure. I repeat, this is only my opinion and the music that Off The Mark plays has absolutely thematically no relation to Blitzkid. Most of the songs on this record are more pop punk oriented and mid tempo punkrock rythm graces most of the song structures. There are a lot of emotions behind the lyrics and somehow this record goes fine with me. When I was younger I just couldn˙t swallow such bands, but now, as I am older but certainly not wiser, somehow I evolved the taste for these type of punkrock bands. Good album! Top songs: “On My Own” and “Permanent Vacation”.

7/10

Links

Follow the band on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/offthemarkaz/

Follow the label on Fb: https://www.facebook.com/noaffiliationrecords/

Bandcamp: https://noaffiliationrecords.bandcamp.com/album/aging-disgracefully

 

 

Reviews, Various

(record review)THE HUMAN PROJECT-“Clarion Call”

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It  was a rainy Wednesday afternoon when I first heard the sound of The Human Project at Punk Rock Holiday in Tolmin, Slovenia. It was in 2016. I immdiately fell in love with this band, the melodic and energetic hardcore punk with political attitude.

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Now, two years later, it is finally time and their new studio full length “Clarion Call” is out and I am happy having listened to the record and reviewed it for this webzine. The band is coming from Leeds, UK and are one of the tightest, musically technical melodic hardcore bands I have ever heard. This album is even better sounding and even stronger in the song structures then “Origins” from 2013. The new album contains 11 new songs, or should I say bombs of angry and pissed off melodic technical punk. From the calm before the storm intro to “Desperate Times” followed by the angry and fast “Desperate Measures” it is only intro what awaits us as the album progresses song by song. The single “That One Percent” for which you can watch the video below is one of the highest points of this album with so high and memorable chorus and dual melodic and screaming vocals. Speaking of vocals, this band has one of the best sounding and most beautiful voices I have ever heard. The singer sounds like a mix of Ignite and Rise Against vocals, only stronger. “The Rethoric” is not so fast, more of a mid tempo punkrock song with strong stance against those who pull the strings and control the society. I can´t believe that The Human Project are even more pissed off on this album than they were before. “Knocked for Six” made goosebumps on my skin with it´s awesome melody, speed and made me wanting to join the circle pit and just scream with pure hardcore joy! “Carrion” is a kind of short and dark atmospheric intermezzo and then “What We Always Do” crushed me with its strong riffs, melody, angry and in your fave dual melodic/screamed lyrics and the perfect chorus. “Blame” is another, as I understand more personal song with groove, melody and pure punkrock fist pumping chorus. “Pride Before A Fall” is a lovely song that reminded me the most of Propagandhi in the song structure but more melodic and better sounding. Excellent personal lyrics that I can also corelate to. “A Debt To Society” is my personal favorite, melodic, heartfelt but desperate song asking how could, not only UK, but every country go so wrong nowadays. The chorus for this one is made in heaven! The title song ends this album with a blast asking us if we are still dangerous, and Hell, yes we are, making this one a must for all melodic technical hardcore punk fans out there! Awesome!

10/10

https://www.facebook.com/thehumanprojectuk/

 

Reviews, Various

(RECORD REVIEW)BRKOVI-“Hormon sreće”

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Although many people find them controversial and not what they were in their beginings, I found the phenomenon of BRKOVI fascinating.  This band comes from Zagreb, the capitol of Croatia and they fill all the big halls and stadiums of the region meaning Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Slovenia. Everything they did was diy and without a label or some strong hand to back them up. This is their new studio album and I listened and reviewed it for this webzine.

Brkovi - Hormon sreće

The members of Brkovi are the veterans of Croatian underground punk and hardcore scene baking their experience in many bands prior to this one. Brkovi were formed, as the guys say, to mix their love for punkrock, some metal and folk music. The band is very tight and musically one of the tightest  bands in the Croatian scene. Some may like their style with unique sense of humour in the lyrics, auto irony and the lyrics touch everything that is primitive and mindless in some people but are done with a nice line of sarcasm. Some don´t like them and claim that they became what they laughed about in their songs in the earlier days. They remind of the old Yugoslav band Nervozni poštar, but in my opinion Brkovi are better. I find their first two albums awesome. Then they had some great songs on their records and some were awful. Fortunately this album has more great than terrible songs. There are 11 songs in total, with lyrics in Croatian or some hybrid of Yugoslav Croato/Serbian lyrics. There are some excellent songs like “Grad” or “Lenta” and “Odlazim” but there are some terrible kinda folk songs like “Ljubavni rat” that I just couldn´t swallow. The singer Shamso 69 sings better and better with every new album, being more melodic and less folkish apart from some excursions into total folk waters. This is not an excellent album, but it is a decent more punkrock album than folk stuff.

7/10

https://www.facebook.com/punkfolkwellness/

http://www.brkovi.com/