Tag Archives: melodic hardcore

(review) passionplay – passionplay

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This is a bit older release that has been out for couple of months now, but no matter. Passionplay are from Providence, and this is their brand new release containing 8 songs. The music of passionplay is basically hardcore punk with screamo and even crust/powerviolence influences in the song structures. The music is fast and energetic with screamed vocals, fast drumming and made for playing live and enjoying it at hardcore show. The lyrics are personal, some of them are rather short but hit you in the eye, I like the longer ones, which in combination with well and smartly written music become nice anthems for your hardcore heart to relate to in battling personal demons, loss, despair, anger, having hope, living life the best you can. My personal favorites on this record are: Haunting This Empty Page, Abaddon and My Odyssey.

Go get this one, nice hardcore indeed!

https://passion-play.bandcamp.com/album/passionplay

(review) Lockjaw Records released Waterweed´s LP Diffuse on vinyl!

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There may have been a shortage of gigs and festivals this year, but we can’t deny the incredible memories we have from previous years and the excitement for the return as we all recharge for the next round.

Flashback to April 2018, when waterweed were invited over from Japan for Manchester Punk Festival and their first European tour. In some instances, this feels like a lifetime ago but sometimes it seems only yesterday. A lot has changed since then, but what definitely hasn’t changed is the total awesomeness of waterweed. Following up Brightest with another a third excellent full length Diffuse in April 2019 on CD format.

We are super pleased to announce we have pressed, not only Diffuse but waterweed to vinyl for the first time, out today December 4th 2020.

The vinyl is coming on Galaxy effect, transparent Reverent Black Grape with a smokey swirl of opaque pale green stars. We have bundled the vinyl up with an exclusive shirt design featuring photography from Cold Front Photography snapped at the bands incredible performance in Rebellion at Manchester Punk Festival 2018.

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Biography
Formed in Osaka 2003, waterweed have been at the forefront of the Japanese post-hardcore and screamo movement since the beginning of the scene supporting bands such as Between The Buried And Me, SHAI HULUD, TRASH TALK, THE CHARIOT. The band have since released 3 albums & 2 EPs.

They have toured all over Japan and the far east, and at notable festivals in the territory such as ROCK-O-RAMA, the event where old and new, underground and mainstream bands get together. ROCK-O-RAMA was the spark of movements and events such as MANPOWER, the event waterweed has held with bacho, FIVE NO RISK and PALM.

They performed on SHADOWS’ debut album as support members.

SHADOWS was formed by the ex-members of FACT, the host of ROCK-O-RAMA.

In 2018, waterweed were invited to the UK for the first time to play Manchester Punk Festival and re-releasing the critically acclaimed album Brightest via Lockjaw Records for a new European fan base. Following the release, the band continued from Manchester to tour over Europe.

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waterweed are:

  • Tomohiro Ohga (Bass, vocals)
  • Shotaro Ono (Guitar)
  • Hayato Teratsubo (Guitar)
  • Shigeo Matsubara (Drums)

(review) Touche Amore – Lament

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Touche Amore are Los Angeles based hardcore punk band. Their approach to songwriting and exploring some new territories outside the box brought them great respect and love in the hardcore punk community.

The music of Touche Amore is emotional and melodic hardcore in its base, also punk rock from which it all evolved, yet the band is not afraid to explore the territories of screamo, noise, post punk and even pop and play with them, thus creating a sonic landscape that just makes you sink in the songs and let them take you to some other place, where there is no pain, no depression and no sadness, place where you can face the Sun with the honest smile on your face and raise your hand, point the middle finger to the world and all the ghosts that haunt you in your black heart.

This new record contains 11 songs and I think that is the best to listen to this album as a whole because it carries the story in a way. It is not a concept album per se, but I understood it that way. The fast hardcore punk parts in some songs like awesome Feign shows the band´s roots and punk rock upbringings. But, atmospheric parts are what enriches the songs and makes them real jewels in the hardcore punk crown. Lyrics are poetic, but understandable and when I read the lyrics I am reminded why I love hardcore so much all these almost thirty years. Jeremy Bolm´s vocals are just fantastic, from screaming parts to cleanly sung melodic parts are impressive how fast they can transform. It is soo hard to take some songs which I can consider as favorites above rest because the record is fantastic, but I will try: Feign, Reminders, A Broadcast.

https://toucheamore.bandcamp.com/album/lament