Category Archives: Reviews

(review) Touche Amore – Lament

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Touche Amore are Los Angeles based hardcore punk band. Their approach to songwriting and exploring some new territories outside the box brought them great respect and love in the hardcore punk community.

The music of Touche Amore is emotional and melodic hardcore in its base, also punk rock from which it all evolved, yet the band is not afraid to explore the territories of screamo, noise, post punk and even pop and play with them, thus creating a sonic landscape that just makes you sink in the songs and let them take you to some other place, where there is no pain, no depression and no sadness, place where you can face the Sun with the honest smile on your face and raise your hand, point the middle finger to the world and all the ghosts that haunt you in your black heart.

This new record contains 11 songs and I think that is the best to listen to this album as a whole because it carries the story in a way. It is not a concept album per se, but I understood it that way. The fast hardcore punk parts in some songs like awesome Feign shows the band´s roots and punk rock upbringings. But, atmospheric parts are what enriches the songs and makes them real jewels in the hardcore punk crown. Lyrics are poetic, but understandable and when I read the lyrics I am reminded why I love hardcore so much all these almost thirty years. Jeremy Bolm´s vocals are just fantastic, from screaming parts to cleanly sung melodic parts are impressive how fast they can transform. It is soo hard to take some songs which I can consider as favorites above rest because the record is fantastic, but I will try: Feign, Reminders, A Broadcast.

https://toucheamore.bandcamp.com/album/lament

(review) Love Equals Death/The Static Age – Split

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After years of hiatus Love Equals Death are back with a new split e.p. together with The Static Age.

This is a split e.p., so both bands are represented with two songs on each side. I personally didn´t listen to any of them, so it was a revelation. The Static Age side are two songs of post punk with even pop influences and nice synth undertones melodies in Recover, nice emotional melodic song. But, of those two I find The Fan and the Bellows more straightforward, upbeat song, although I like both of them, so ethereal, so otherworldy and beautiful.

Love Equals Death side with Dust and Flight of the Banshee I liked more, being fast straightforward and melodic punk just the way I like it. Flight of the Banshee starts with a scream of the banshee and it is more of a horror punk song and this is for me the best song on this record of them all.

Nice effort from both bands.

https://www.facebook.com/say10records/

https://www.facebook.com/SBAMrecords/

(review) Enemy Alliance-Damnation Dawning

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Enemy Alliance come from Sweden and this band features Rodrigo Alfaro of Satanic Surfers, Intensity, Atlas Losing Grip…and Stefan Bratt of No Fun At All, Atlas Losing Grip…This is the long awaited record and it features  13 songs, one being kinda outro. What to say? This record justified all the long days waiting because it is awesome.

Listening to the songs, we can not escape the comparison to the bands these two legends play or have played in. Trademark beautiful Rodrigo´s voice leads us through fast almost thrash metal punk hardcore angry songs, melodic skate punk fast parts to more gentle and emotional slower songs like fantastic Incarcerated or Final Warning. Also, I would like to say that Moth is also one of my favorite songs on this record, those violin parts or cello whatever it is, still make goosebumps on my skin. The guitar work is beautiful, riffs are catchy and aggressive at the same time, almost in some songs I can hear that nineties spirit and I feel I am still alive in that glorious time when we were kids. The third song I love somehow above the rest of the material is No Justice No Peace. Lyrics are superb mix of personal and political.

Fantastic record!

https://enemyalliance.bandcamp.com/releases