Category Archives: Reviews

(review) Still No One – ‘This Is Fuel’

As I sad couple of times before, Italy has such great underground punk hardcore scene. Still No One are new to me, I never listened to them prior to this release. This band comes from Castelfranco Veneto, Italy and this album contains 12 songs. The name of the album is just that for me. Fuel for my old punk heart, melodic punk/skate punk anthems. Nothing complicated, nothing technical or prog, just old school melodic punk not dissimilar to No Use For A Name, of which they reminded me the most, but also all those early Epitaph/Fat Wreck releases from early nineties on which I grew up on. Music is mainly fast, energetic and melodic, vocals are beautiful, created backing vocals harmonies are superb and musicianship is tight, but it would have no means if the songs would suck, but here we talk about superb songwriting. Lyrics deal with personal themes, but also with situations we face in today’s worlds, thoughts about extinction, survival, hiding place where we can be ourselves, keeping the fight and flame burning among other themes. Although album as a whole is a hit for me, with so many great songs and fast melodies, my personal highlights and favorites would be ‘Welcome To Extinction’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Be A Punk’ and also ‘Until The Day’.

Have a listen if you love your punk rock done this way, you will not regret it.

Bandcamp

(review) Heihaizi – ‘Heihaizi’

Time for new from my homeland, Croatian underground scene. Heihaizi are one of the best kept secrets from Zagreb, Croatia, hehehe. This one is a blast of energy, whirlwind of hardcore untamed force just waited to be released upon the world. This one contains 13 songs. Music is old school fast hardcore leaning with both legs in punk roots, reminding me a lot of old school hardcore from USA, namely Circle Jerks, Necros, early Beastie Boys, RKL, early TSOL and similar bands. Songs are short but sweet, full of speed and just driving and thundering on, so the album finishes fast, but just makes you turn around and start it again. If I must compare it to some Croatian band it would be Midnight Climax or Eke Buba, as I understand two guys fom Eke are playing in Heihaizi. This is music from the streets and for the streets, just made for skating and prowling through streets on a warm night. With hard in your face hitters like ‘Let Me In’, ‘Stink’ or ‘Drop’ you just can’t go wrong. I recommend this one to all.

Bandcamp

(review) Dead Sun – ‘Soul Diseased’ (XTREEM MUSIC)

Dead Sun released seventh album by the Swedish mastermind Rogga Johansson, who played, have been playing or is playing in too many famous bands and projects to mention here. For sure one of the most prolific musicians in Swedish underground metal scene. This opus contains ten songs of full blooded Swedish death metal, quite a good mixture of old school Stockholm Swedish death, with Entombed, Dismember and Grave coming to mind, but there is also melody reminding me a bit of all those great Gothenburg melodic death metal bands, namely At The Gates and especially Edge of Sanity, whose work I love and respect so much. One of the songs that are highlights on this opus for me is for sure ‘Sand and Rot’ being melodic death metal lesson, with almost some gothic influenced drumming and structure and having that atmospheric parts with synths and flutes if I am not mistaken, or maybe it is only synth. The album as a whole is epic lesson in melodic death metal with heavy hitters like ‘Tid For Jakt’, one of the two songs sung in Swedish, then ‘Mausoleum Melodies’ and the title song. Melodic death metal is my favorite death metal subgenre, so I love this one. Go listen!

8/10