SMASH-Goodbye W.G.C.

This UK trio mixes everything in their music. They are described as punkrock band with britpop and 80-ies new wave influences but in my opinion punkrock in their music is a very loose term. This album contains 8 songs that can serve as some kind of relax music in the background while doing something on your computer, reading the book or something else. The lyrics are okay, kinda remind me on noire movies, I dont know why. That is only my personal impression while listening. The topics are some personal issues, the songs have nice melodies and keyboard backgrounds but unfortunately it is all too soft and mellow for my taste. Maybe youll like it, it is not trashy or bad record. Give it a spin and decide for yourselves. Top songs: “Hedy Lamarr”, “Goodbye W.G.C.”, “Secret Bruise”

5,5/10

https://www.facebook.com/smash-54281614881/

THE MENZINGERS-After The Party(Epitaph)

This American punkrock band formed in 2006.in Scranton, Pennsylvania. This is their fifth studio album and it came out on mighty label Epitaph. The album contains 13 songs of melodic punkrock. All songs are in some mid-tempo, true punkrock style and since I love faster stuff, this album is really not my cup of tea. When I listened to the songs they all had some nice Bouncing Souls vibe but without the energy of the mentioned band. The problem is that every song is quite similar to one another and no song stands out as a killer song that would hit me in my eye and make me remember this record. There are some good songs like “Boy Blue”, “The Bars” or “Your Wild Years” but there are more boring songs on this album than the good ones. If you like honest and heartfelt melodic punkrock then this record is made for you.

6/10

themenzingers.com/

epitaph.com/

OBITUARY-Obituary(Gibtown/Relapse)

With this album this band reached their tenth studio album. Of course, these are Floridian death metal legends, Obituary. I first heard their music when their “The End Complete” album came out. Then came “The World Demise” and I must say that I never considered myself to be a fan of this band. John Tardy has vocal style that never worked for me and the bands prevailing slow to mid tempo tortoise beatdown death metal  just doesnt possess some energy to be convincing for my taste. the album starts promising with fast songs “Brave” and “Sentence Day”. “A Lesson In Vengeance” is slower but great and later it all waters down and becomes slow, songs are similar one to another and it all just doesnt work for me. Closing song “Ten Thousand Ways To Die” is a great song again. In all, this album just leaves some unsaid bitter taste in my mouth. I know that fans love it and also many hardcore kids love it, but to me this one is just an average album.

4,5/10

http://www.obituary.cc/

http://www.relapse.com/

George RR Martin-The Armageddon Rag

Although he is better known for his Songs of Ice and Fire series, this novel is the first one that I have read by this author circa 10 years ago. Now, I have bought this book couple of months ago and read it again. I was enchanted the same as the first time when I read it. Nazgul were a band that was very popular among hippies and rockers playing occult hard rock. Their career abruptly ended when someone shot and killed their singer Hobins during live gig. Now, Nazgul reformed and started playing tour with new singer that looks very much like Hobbins almost as if his ghost takes over the body during gigs. Strange things and murders happen, and the old hippy underground journalist Sandy Blair must discover can Nazgul music wake up the dead? I hate hippy movement and everything about their spiritual pipe dreams. But, this is a damn fine novel, mix of music, horror, thriller and drama about not wanting to grow up. It is very readable and you can absolutely gulp it in couple of days. I recommend this one!

Ayn Rand-The Virtue of Selfishness

Ayn Rand(1905.-1982.) was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is best known for creating philosophical system called objectivism. This book is a collection of her essays and lectures on ethics and morality of objectivism. The concept is that man must be a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute. I can see a lot grounds for Church of Satan and Anton Szandor LaVey thinking in the thoughts of Ayn Rand. The book is just excellent. Rand says that ethical egoism and rational should be our guiding moral principle. She also rejects both socialism and fascism as negative because they both advertise the state, meaning collective in front of the individual and such societies are not welcome in objectivism. Rand rejects faith and religion and also altruism. For Rand, you can aquire knowledge only through reason. She also very much opposes collectivism, statism and anarchy. Laissez faire capitalism recognizes individual and his individual rights, so it is the only right political system for us. I couldnt agree more.  Interesting book, great thoughts and I hope you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

Downfall-Punishment For The Infidels(Memorial Records)

This is the first album by the Italian trash metal quartet from Ancona. The band exists since 2007./2008. and after two ep-s and several lineup changes they released their first album through Memorial Records . The album contains 11 songs in wild old school trash metal style. “The Torture” is an excellent opener which reminds me musically and vocally of old Sepultura  from “Scizophrenia/ Beneath the Remains” era. Of course, Downfall brought their own style in their music and they are in no way only empty hearted clone. It is a vast amount of energy and aggression that kept me high through listening to the tracks. Another highlight of the album is “Pleasure for Murder”. The songs are so good that I hardly kept myself from moshing all through my living room under influence of this full blooded trash metal jewel of the album. Get this album and enjoy the aggression, energy and joy that this band carries in the songs. Top songs: “Corrupted in Black”, “Pleasure for Murder”.

8/10

https://www.facebook.com/downfallthrash/

http://www.memorial-records.com/downfall-store/

Nuclear Altar-Mankind in Decline

If you enjoy soundtrack for apocalypse you came to the right place. Here is the new output by Nuclear Altar, band from the town Požega, Croatia. Požega used to be fertile scene with many bands/projects varying from metal, across crust punk and hardcore. Nowadays there are not many bands left, but some of the stubborn individuals still persist in creating beautiful underground noise. This incarnation of the band consists of two guys(Kktz and Gera) and one girl(Nani). The people involved in this band were creating noise in a few dozen bands/projects and I will name just a few like Antitude, Bad Justice, Fight Back, Nonsense, Hell Back, Masakrist…There are 13 songs on this album including some covers by Hellkrusher, Dislike and UBR. The music is excellent dirty and raw hardcore punk with angry vocals , d-beat and metal influences. The way that the album is recorded and sounds reminds me on golden age of Croatian hardcore punk scene in the 90-ies. There is some unbreakable and wild diy spirit lurking over this album, maybe that is why I love it so much. This album is not for modern hardcore thrill seekers, but true underground dwellers will love it.

9/10

https://www.facebook.com/Nuclear-Altar-291832254335720/

https://nuclearaltar.bandcamp.com/album/mankind-in-decline

The Real McKenzies-Two Devils Will Talk(Fat Wreck)

2016.was great for punkrock scene because many bands like The Descendents, NOFX and others released their new albums. This year is just continuing the fertile new album ground with releases of Cock Sparrer and this band coming out in the early part of Spring. We became kinda used to new album of McKenzies every two years or so, and here it is. The new 14 songs are here, celebrating 25th year of this band and what an album this is! Everyone who knows me does know that I am not keen to listen Celtic punk bands, or as a matter of fact I am not fan of folk influenced punk whatsoever. But, this band is an exemption. The album opener “Due West” is one of the best songs on this album and really lifts the spirit. The whole album is filled with punkrock anthems, great twin guitar melodies and over the top bagpipe passages. The vocals are melodic and the choruses are anthemic, just made for gang singalongs in the front row of the gig. Unlike the awful Dropkick Murphys album, this one is a keeper! I really want to  see this band live for the first time in my life and I can hardly wait! Get this! Top songs: “One Day”, “Due West”, “Northwest Passage”…

9,5/10

https://www.fatwreck.com

http://www.stomprecords.com