NUFO are coming from Graz, Austria and this is their new release and it contains nine songs. NUFO are playing nineties styled melodic punk hardcore and if I must compare it to some band, it would be a mixture of No Fun At All and all those California’s bands we love, like Pennywise for example. That means fast songs, ultra melodic beautiful singer’s voice topped with backing vocal harmonies and superb songwriting. Lyrics deal with isolation, hysteria, dealing with personal problems in your head, keeping the faith and trying to stay normal in this crazy world but also with a touch of engaged politics, also humor and self irony too. I think some of the song themes were influenced with covid lockdown and some of the themes remind me of what I was thinking during that pandemic and I can totally relate to most of the lyrics on this album. My personal favorites are ‘Transparent Barriers’, ‘Hysteria’, also ‘Tear Gas’ and ‘Keep Your Faith’. Bandcamp version of the album also contain the lyrics, so it is a whole package, I recommend this one, since this is an awesome melodic hardcore punk album.
Austria´s Deadends are in no way strangers to this zine, since I saw their set in my neighbouring town of Varaždin, later on in Slovenia at Petroleum Beat Festival, I immediately fell in love with their music and also they are such nice and friendly crew, I hung out together with Tom at Punk Rock Holiday when his other band Ants! played their final show. Anyway, this is Deadends new full length album and it is a continuation of their awesome mixture of emotional melodic hardcore and punk rock with harsh yet melodic vocals, backing vocal harmonies, great lyrics and songs that remain long in your ears and head after listening and making you listen to them over and over again. I must mention some songs that remained keeping warmth in my heart like Good Intentions, Better Excuses with such great lyrics and melody that I can relate to. I love how Deadends make everyday themes and fantastic songs that make you smile, your eyes moist and your skin crawl with goosebumps. Lyrics deal with depression, anxiety, love, loss, hope, life and coping in today´s world. Some other songs that I mention as highlights for me are the title song, also Ghosts & Demons, Habit To Endure. But, I just can´t get enough of this album. I am so happy this one came out.
BZFOS are back! Shock Rock Rebels is the new, tenth album in the twenty blood soaked years these Vienna based fiends walk among us. This is the second album this band got away from their more psychobilly horror oriented history and evolved into melodic horror punk rock band, in fact doing what they want is what Dead Richy Gein and his gang do best. I can say this new collection of songs is somehow one level up continuation of their previous opus All These Fiendish Things. This new one contains melody, horror, sarcasm, black humor and gore, just like a good horror should do. I consider Richy one of the greatest horror movie fiend authorities in Europe and I love what he does and I can safely say this album and the previous one are the best this band has done yet. Although hits like Stop Writing Songs About Your Girlfriend, Damien, Belial, This Night On Halloween and other horror songs are my favorites, Off With Their Heads is absolute hit for me, being the fastest melodic anthem with slight political touch between the lines. There are rock songs, there are metal influences and hard rock, but common denominator behind it all is good old horror punk rock. Great album. Also, check out their videos because they are quite little nice horror movies.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 