(review) The Menzingers – From Exile (Epitaph RECORDS)

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During corona pandemic many bands brought out their acoustic and compilation albums, corona inspiring them to be more gentle, more emotional and re-record acoustic versions of their previous songs from their releases.

The Menzingers re-imagined and re-recorded twelve songs from their Hello Exile opus, making them twelve emotional bombs to make your skin crawl with goosebumps. This is not your usual grab the money during crisis acoustic album. No, this music is haunting, ethereal, takes you to some other place daydreaming while listening. It relaxes you and makes you connect and relate to the situations written in lyrics, because everyone of us has lived through lost loves, uncertainties, heartbreaks, happiness, auto destruction etc…all being part of our lives. I am not an avid fan of acoustic sets, but this rearrangement of the songs works fine for me.  This is a good record to cry, laugh, be happy and enjoy living your life.

Favorite songs: Hello Exile, I Can´t Stop Drinking, Strangers Forever.

(review) Calarook – Surrender Or Die

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Calarook are hailing from Switzerland and this is their debut full length album. When I listened to the intro on the album I thought to myself, oh no, not another Alestorm clone playing boring folk metal called pirate metal. But, fortunately I was wrong. This is more on melodic death metal side of things with growling vocals, epic guitar catchy riffs and perfect balance between aggressive fast parts and more melodic side of things. I must say that violin does a great job here, especially that fantastic violin solo in Kraken´s Chest, one of my absolute favorites on this record. This album sounds like a crosbreed of Amon Amarth, Skyclad, Running Wild and Edge of Sanity combined into one superb whole musical journey. The songs are hilarious, you just can´t go wrong with Quest For Booze or Invisible Pineapples., especially Paul the Parrot hehe. This is fine debut record, I would love to see and hear this band live somewhere, I am sure they make one hell of a party.

8/10

(review) Lost Issue- Rage It (Nothing But A Nightmare)

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Now, this band is a real discovery. Lost Issue are playing basically hardcore punk and this is their four song e.p. But, they mix the fast hardcore punk with melody of horrorpunk and skatepunk, but also with goth and streetpunk influences, thus making one damn fine record with fast music, angry yet melodic vocals and anthemic choruses just made for singing along.

My personal favorites on this record are Lost Issue and Mechanical Hate, being fast almost streetpunk songs with attitude, balls and brains in the songwriting. But, Fire Away and Now That You´re Gone are also superb songs. I am so glad I discovered this one. Can´t wait for the full record.

https://nothingbutanightmare.bandcamp.com/album/rage-it

https://www.facebook.com/nothingbutanightmare/