Nordend are from German hardcore scene and this is their new e.p. containing five songs. I love this one. It is a perfect mixture of modern melodic hardcore with some metal and street punk influences, yet retaining one leg firmly into old school hardcore influences. If I must compare them to some band, they reminded me in some parts of Comeback Kid. Lyrics are in German language with vocals which vary from shouted, angry screaming, spoken word and melodic singing, all that meaning singer is fantastic. Energy Nordend delivers is also totally touchable, you can sense it and almost touch it in the air floating around you and in you. Songs are mainly your fast hardcore punk with some excursions into moshing and metalized parts here and there. As I understand and speak German, lyrics deal with personal demons, survival, coping and finding strength to go on and battle depression, everyday and look deep into yourself and transform all hardcore energy and heart into something worth living and positive. My personal favorites are A-Okay and also Selbstportrait. Great record.
Germany has been always great black metal scene and Wolfmond Production brings us some really awesome releases. This time it is a new opus by Lost Shade. This is their fourth full length opus being in the scene since 1999. This opus contains ten songs. Music of Lost Shade is fast and kind of raw black metal, but also song structures have some epic warrior battle melodies, with lyrics more oriented towards pagan side of things. Vocals are black metal screaming, not too extreme but I can also hear some chanting and some spoken word in some songs depending on the atmosphere. As I said, this is black battle pagan metal par excellence. Lyrics are in German, but I understand the language so my personal favorites on this one are Ewige Vergeltung, great epic song with such eerie piano song ending, also Hexentanz and Leichenmarsch. It kind of reminds me of old school Mystic Circle in its epicness, but without synth and symphonic passages. Good epic pagan battle black metal.
Minus Youth are hailing from Stuttgart, Germany and this is their new e.p. This one contains four songs of metallic hardcore, not unlike All Out War, Earth Crisis, but with some street punk roots touches like Madball. I really enjoyed this one so much. Lately, I really enjoy these newer releases of hardcore scene and bands coming out, so many and I am glad after being thirty years in the scene that this is still thriving and pumping scene alive and well and will never die. Music of Minus Youth is aggressive, up tempo and also thrash metal influenced in guitar parts but still hardcore to the bone. My personal favorite on this little e.p. is Sun, title song containing breaks and speed, just what any great hardcore anthem should have. Vocals are harsh, backing gang vocals too, but in all there are no death metal singing masked in hardcore, this is a great hardcore shouter on mic here. Also, song I must highlight is Tens to Thirties. Great e.p. and great hardcore band.
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