Gotama Studio from Italy brought us couple of really awesome releases recently. This time it is about hardcore. Not Quite My Tempo are technical metalized hardcore from Italy and this is their debut e.p. containing four songs. Music of NQMT can be described as a mixture of metal and hardcore, leaning somehow on both sides, with technical skills and riffs in the song structures that make some song parts almost mathematically correct in playing. Vocals vary between brutal growls here and there and screaming in almost mix of anguish and sorrow, thus making atmosphere even more darkened. There are also some spoken word and emotional melodies like in awesome my favorite off this one being Clouds. Songs are named: Breathing, Clouds. Frames, Tarnished. This is a mighty debut release.
Italy has one of the best underground hardcore scenes in Europe and Lacerhate are hailing from Cremona and Bergamo area. This is their brand new album out with Australian 10-54 Records.
What to expect from Lacerhate? These guys play very darkened metallic hardcore, with some even blast beats and d-beat influences like in awesome 15(Inhaled). But, most of all they play this modern version of metal hardcore with both legs more into metal than punk rock although there are some little punkish influences in the song structures here and there. Guitars rip like chainsaws, through groovy and moshing parts but also fast thrash metal influenced parts like one of my favorites called Icky drops. Vocals are brutal, but not that death metal growling style, no, they are hardcore screaming and shouting with couple of spoken words here and there and also a clean part or two if I heard it right hehe. I love the creeepiness of Interlude with eeried piano parts that carry to Gone, one of the best songs on this record. Lacerhate remind me of Fury of Five and Integrity in a way, so this is a great hardcore album if you are fan of such hardcore style bands.
Soulprison are coming from South Germany and this is their brand new e.p. containing six songs. These guys play a modern version of hardcore not hiding, in fact being very proud of their metal influences with thrash metal groove zipping all around my ears while listening to this one. This is aggressive modern apocalyptic vision of hardcore musically not unlike Earth Crisis, All Out War or maybe even Snapcase. Vocals are hardcore shouted with voice coming even from heels of the singer with occasional screaming backing vocals and some beatdown growling in between. There are some atmospheric parts like excellent acoustic intro of Mental Wasteland. I love the vocal interplay between two voices in Legacy Of Pain. The title song, Vision Of The Void is somehow most highlight in my personal opinion providing good mix of up tempo and moshing parts, because I am an old school sucker who still likes his hardcore a bit faster and more punk rooted than metallic, but that is only my personal taste. Of course, there are great metallic hardcore bands out there like Soulprison, check this one out!
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