Schnogge are coming from Burkardroth, Germany and they play mixture of pop punk and melodic punk/skate punk. There are ten songs on this little beauty of an album. The album starts as atmospheric beautiful intro with acoustic and keys turning into full blooded melodic punk anthem called ‘Antisocial’. What immediately falls to my ears is that vocals have a rougher edge but with guitar melody do mix up really great and belong to the overall picture perfectly. This song, as many on this album has catchy and great sing along chorus with nice backing vocal harmonies. Lyrics on this album deal with antisocial attitudes, humanity, hipsters, punk, fun and a bit of humor. There are also faster songs like ‘Story About Humanity’, sounding great with pop punk influences exploding all over the place. The music of this album brings back smile on your face on a bright and sunny warm day, making you wish that you are on some beach stage, possibly at Punk Rock Holiday enjoying your melon ball and this band in the easy afternoon hours. Songs that I must highlight from this album are also ‘Fuck You’, ‘Love The Hipster’ and ‘What Is Punk’ being my personal somehow favorites, but album as a whole is great pop punk/melodic punk release sure to win you over.
German horrorpunx The Crimson Ghosts are besides The Other most known and legendary European horror punk band. It’s been couple of years since the last one and I was eager to hear what will they do in new songs, judging by couple of singles they released prior to the record I knew I was in for a horror treat! The album offers eleven songs of trademark The Crimson Ghosts horror punk with lots of metallic influences and one of the best singer in the scene. Vlad’s vocals are sooo sweet and melodic, like doo wop singer in a horror punk band, every emotion, whether fear, whether loss, love, murder or bloody vengeance can be heard in his voice. From introspective ‘Of a Guilty Man’, one of my personal favorites, contemplative song about murder, to more metallic ‘On a Succubic Night’ Vlad’s vocal melodies rule sovereignly coupled with awesome guitar work, thundering bass and drum and one of the best backing vocal harmonies in the world. When all three voices join on choruses it makes my skin crawl with goosebumps. Argyle Goolsby of Blitzkid is a guest performer on another personal favorite of mine called ‘The Legend of Walking Sam’, I can only imagine how this hit sounds live. Anthemic choruses continue and songs like ‘From the Underground World’ hit me as a listener making me want to listen over and over again. ‘As the Whisper Grows’ is classic TCG sound, fast hardcore punk with horror lyrics and melody, with touch of metal aggression. Those songs are my personal favorites, but they change as I listen to this album over and over again, so you will have to find yours. If you are a fan, you will adore this record, if you are not, you will definitely become.
Melonball are melodic hardcore punk band from Germany and this is their debut full length album. This album contains ten songs of excellent energetic melodic punk with some fast hardcore punk influences. Songs are full of great main melodies, anthemic sing along choruses and they remind me in some ways of Not On Tour especially faster songs like ‘Sinking’, main singer has a great voice, similar to Sima Brami of above mentioned band. Backing vocal harmonies are great too, just so sweet and Melonball makes you pump your fist in the air with energy, but also besides hardcore energy feeling sweetness and joy because of listening to such great band and glad you found another jewel of the underground. Almost all of the songs on this record are fast, some having more mid tempo punk rock vibe here and there, but returning to fast skate punk after some time. Lyrics are personal but you can also find criticism of modern society and trying to survive this fast and furious modern world, friendship, love, coping with rage among main lyrical themes of this album. My personal favorites are ‘Rage’, ‘We All Go Down’, ‘Lost’ and ‘Your Love’, damn that’s nearly half of this superb album. If you like fast melodic punk hardcore check out Melonball.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 