I won´t lie to you, I first heard of Vio-lence when first Machine Head legendary album Burn My Eyes came out and there was an article in Metal Hammer and a picture of young Rob Flynn who used to play guitar in Vio-lence prior to MH days. Then I listened and immediately loved the three albums of these San Francisco thrash metal legends. Now, the band is reformed again and released new music after more than two decades first with cover of Dead Kennedys classic California Uber Alles, then with this whole new e.p. which contains five songs. Through these songs, Vio-lence managed to release strong statement with strong mixture of old and new blood in the line-up consisting of whole extreme music scene veterans unit, capable of doing great things in their all out thrash metal assault. Angry vocals, courtesy of Sean Killian, great and fast songs with groove parts, blistering solos, double bass drum sonic charge and lyrics that deal with anger, death, society and its diseases is more than contemporary today, yet bringing a breeze of old school metal winds to the new millennia. Welcome back we have been missing you.
San Francisco has always been fertile ground for metal and many great bands come from the Bay Area and around this glorious city. Nite are relatively new band in the scene, formed in 2018 but the members of this entity are in no way new or fresh in the scene having played in many bands and projects. This is Nite´s second full length opus and it contains eight songs. The music of Nite is melodic heavy metal but done with blackened style. That means many melodic hooks and solos, anthemic guitar riffs and catchy songs, but vocals are way different giving the whole darkened atmosphere. Guitarist/vocalist Van Labrakis sings, well it is not really singing but a mixture of growling, whispering and almost spoken voice in some parts, giving special, almost Lovecraftian atmosphere to this opus, although it is a nod to all old school NWOBHM masters through metal´s vast history. My personal favorites are Acheron, Kronian Moon and Heliopolis. Lyrics deal with more sinister and fantasy themes this creating a mixture of beauty with melodies and unrest and dread with horror atmosphere. I am glad I discovered this band.
Sub Dio released their same titled e.p. and I listened and reviewed it for our zine.
The San Francisco hardcore punk band is made of Brian Moss(vox/guitar) from Great Apes, The Ghost, Olehole and Hanalei with Shane Hendry(Reunions) on drums, Ryan Marshall( Great Apes) on bass, Rob Carter(Great Apes) on guitar and Danica Von Hartwig on lead vocals.
There are five songs on this e.p. The music of Sub Dio is hardcore punk with some bizarre song structures here and there. Besides fast hardcore punk songs like Takies or Skeeters, there is a bit bizarre slower song Credible Fear which adds to the variety and greatness of this band. Danica´s shrieky yet melodic vocals are superbly interwined with Brian´s shouted, yet also melodic voice creating one unusual yet interesting whole. This is old school hardcore punk with middle finger pointed high in the air and facing all the polished and clean shitty stuff that passes for hardcore nowadays. I recommend this one if you want to scratch the underground and find another jewel in the crown of our scene.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 