Mal Aux Yeux are coming from northern France and this is their debut album that came out with Gargouille Asso.
There are 13 songs on this record and they are all but one being sung in French, so I don`t understand what are they about, but I let the music speak for itself. The music is harsh and rhythmic complex hardcore punk, not your straightforward charging, but with smart song structures, complex guitar and drum parts, yet still being enough catchy and melodic to appeal to the fans of more melodic side of things, like my favorite song on this record En pleine rue. Faster, more aggressive parts mix with almost math core precise riffs, and angry shouted vocals, sometimes diving into melody fit just perfectly to the music like in awesome Detruire mon corps. There is an interlude almost in the middle of the record to add to the heaviness and atmosphere of the record. Good one, French hardcore punk scene is one of the best in the world.
Time for another hardcore band from New York to grace the pages of this zine. The Great Lie are from The Big Apple and this is their brand new e.p. What we get on this record are six songs of brutal hardcore with metal influences, also streetpunk in some song arrangements. My personal favorites on the record are Devilbox and Island, My Island. The guitar riffs are noise influenced at times and song A Game Of Horseshoes reminded me a bit of 108 in some parts. The vocals are angry and screaming and fit perfectly to the songs, also spoken word in Island, My Island connects atmosphere and emotions with aggression perfectly. This is great e.p. and I would love to see these guys play live to check out how this material sounds and interacts with the crowd.
CF98 are from Poland and they are no strangers to this zine. We did an interview with them a while ago, also reviewed their last e.p. Rotten To The Core.
Now, they are back with six new songs for the latest e.p. called Dead Inside. What immediately falls on your ears is excellent title song with nice lyrics and fantastic chorus. For those who don`t know, CF98 are playing melodic hardcore punk, very energetic, I recommend to see them play live, with singer Karolina doing perfect job as the band˙s forefront member on stage. The vocals and backing vocal harmonies are great and the songs vary from very short one, burst of speed and energy called Shine On, to fantastic songs like Oh Boy and Never Quit when it hits me that these guys are in the scene for 14 years now and going stronger than ever. Lyrics are personal, but they have a message and meaning especially Pink being my absolute favorite on this record. Excellent hardcore, melodic and energetic, done with heart and from the heart.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 