Balek Panic are coming from Paris, France and this is their new release containing 6 songs of excellent fast and intense melodic punk rock, skate punk or melodic hardcore punk if you like it that way. Music is fast and reminds a lot of nineties punk from California on which I grew up listening. Lyrics are personal with a touch of humor in it like in ‘Tourism Is terrorism’. Vocals are nice, neither too mellow nor too harsh, just as you need it for this kind of punk rock. Melodies are beautiful and every harmony and backing vocals fit perfectly to the song part it was meant to. My favorites are ‘Dreams’, ‘Stuck on the same day’ and ‘Manipulator’ being somehow my highlights of this EP. I would like to see this band play live and would love a full length some time in the future.
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.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 