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Reviews

(review) NONTHEWISER – ‘NONTHEWISER’

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The day has arrived and Swedish punks NONTHEWISER who were already featured on the pages of this webzine released new record. As you might know, Sweden has, besides all those metal bands who are great, also awesome punk hardcore scene with Misconduct, No Fun At All, Satanic Surfers, Astream, 59 Times The Pain, Intensity, Atlas Losing Grip immediately coming to mind. Well, NONTHEWISER are from Gothenburg, birthplace of melodic Swedish death metal, but on this album there are 15 songs of melodic punk hardcore and I must admit this is the one of the finest record I have listened this year so far. Besides playing old school nineties influenced melodic punk/skate punk, NONTHEWISER let us hear in their song structures they are from Sweden with THAT sound of guitar in some songs, like fast Iron Maiden like tuned guitars not unsimilar to Gothenburg’s metal bands, like in awesome fast ‘Perplexed’ or ‘Hang us high’. Vocals at times remind me a bit of Koca from Croatian Fat Prezident and I love that kind of voice, emotional yet at times angry and screaming, shouting. Melody lines are perfect, both vocal and guitar main melodies and hooks. Though I am a fan of more faster songs if possible on the album I listen to, there are also some superb mid tempo punk rock anthems on this one, hitters like ‘Grind down hope’ or ‘The good of man’ having that sweet, sweet melody. This is a lesson in melodic punk.

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Reviews

(review) XANDRIA – ‘The Wonders Still Awaiting’ (Napalm Records)

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German symphonic power/gothic band Xandria have been in the scene for almost thirty years now. Led by mastermind Marco Heubaum, only remaining founding member through many line-up changes, this is band’s eighth full opus, first one in six years with completely new line-up. New singer Ambre Vourvahis sounds really convincing with her strong and melodic voice, and her interplay with Marco’s growled and almost black metal screamed voice comes to front in songs like awesome ‘You Will Never Be Our God’, featuring guest performance by Ralf Scheepers of Primal Fear/Gamma Ray fame, being one of my personal favorites on this one. This brand of symphonic melodic gothic/power metal didn’t always sit with me well in the past, but this band always somehow was good and they continue that way. Choirs and symphonic orchestrated parts are epic, bombastic and band is still metal besides that and guitars and their melodies lead the way through soundscape of music which opens up and touches you most inner feelings and fights and struggles. Songs that I can also list as my favorites are: ‘Ghosts’, ‘Your Stories I’ll Remember’.

8/10

Reviews

(review) Anti-Flag – ‘Lies They Tell Our Children’ (Spinefarm)

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Say what you will, or what you want, but Anti-Flag continue to release great albums for decades now. Pittsburgh punk rockers are back with new batch of songs, to be correct kind of intro and ten songs and they are needed now more than ever. War in Ukraine, produced mass economic crisis and recession, poverty and great rift between rich and poor having nothing to eat, rising tide of right wing and fascist populism throughout Eastern and now Western Europe too, those are all themes just ripe for singing along. You will say, melodic punk preaches to the converted, because who will listen to Anti-Flag? Punks, mainly. But, those themes are never to be forgotten and need to be addressed and that makes us think about what is important in life. Anti-Flag have quite a lot of guest performers on this album. My personal favorite songs on this one are hard to pick, but I will try: ‘Modern Metamedicine’ with guest performance by Jesse Leach of Killswitch Engage, ‘The Fight Of Our Lives’ featuring Tim McIlrath of Rise Against, ‘NVREVR’ featuring Stacey Dee of Bad Cop/Bad Cop, but all songs are fantastic. Justin and Chris No 2 interplay with their vocals and band delves mainly in mid tempo melodic waters but there are occasional excursions into more faster, aggressive hardcore punk waters. Great album, long awaited, but the wait was worth it.