Agastopia are hailing from Bulgaria and this is their new release containing nine songs. The music on this album is varied and if I must describe it would be melodic hardcore punk with some groove parts and almost alternative indie rock parts but enough harsh to keep your hardcore heart beating for listening the music of Agastopia. Like grunge influences meet hardcore punk and skate punk. Lyrics are personal and deal with death, facing your inner demons. aggression, being empty inside, depression, jealousy, suicide and other themes from very personal angle of being. There are couple of faster more straightforward punk songs like excellent ‘Dead’. Vocals vary from angry shouting to more melodic clean singing and fit just perfectly to the songs along with backing vocals. My personal favorites are ‘Dead’, ‘Terrified’ and ‘Just Do It’. This is not your straightforward hardcore record but it is a great music if you open your mind and ears to a bit different music style and quite original if I can admit.
Strike Twelve are punk rock band from Southern California and this is their full length album containing 14 songs of nineties influenced melodic punk/skate punk and if I must compare it to some other band it would be Pennywise, but more melodic than Pennywise. Vocals are great so melodic and sweet but backing vocal harmonies are superb too, just check out ‘Brother’, one of my personal highlights on this record. There are some reggae influences in that song and they fit perfectly to the song. This is more nineties influenced skate punk with less philosophy yet at the same time technical, fast and having also pure mid tempo punk rock songs, wicked bass solo and this all would be nothing without great musicianship. Other songs I must mention as my highlights would be ‘Not a Phase’, ‘Baseball Bat’, ‘Isn’t the Same’. I listened this album couple of times in a row, so it was really hard for me to stand out some favorite songs because album as a whole is one big hit and it will melt your face off with melodic punk.
Time for some Southern California skatecore SINCE WE WERE KIDS! to grace the pages of this webzine. There are 16 songs on this beauty and it is all fast skate hardcore punk with angry, shouted, but sometimes melodic vocals. This is old school par excellence. The musicianship is tight and the record as a whole is an energetic bomb in itself. This is hardcore like we were used since we were kids hehe. The songs are short but hit straightforward in your head and melt your face off with their energy and blistering guitars, topped with fast drumming and angry vocals. I tried to find and name some personal favorites, but the record as one undivided whole is superb, so you will find your own favorites, because I love this record, every song from beginning of ‘Counterfeit’ through all those short bombs to ‘Intense Energy’ and ‘Winner’s Life’. So, I guess I still named some of the favorites on this record. Superb, my recommendation,
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 