Taiwan Balek are in no way strangers to the pages of this zine. These guys are coming from Toulon, France and are playing punk rock. This is their new release, an e.p. containing 6 songs. This is the band´s second e.p and the music is beautiful melodic punk bordering at times with hardcore influences.
I love the opener Godzilla vomited on n.a. being upbeat punk rock song with beautiful melody, short but sweet. Hardcore punk influences can be heard in Because I know, a song that somehow reminded me of Croatian band called Fast Response that I love so much. Nice mixture of more shouted and angrier vocals, cleaner leading vocals and speed with more groovier chorus. Love how the energy flows through the song. Red option starts as s more mid tempo punk song, evolving into such beautiful verse melody with harmonies on backing vocals and some stop and go in the song structures, reminds me why I love all the nineties skate punk bands that I grew up on in the last almost thirty years of me listening to this music and being in the scene. Some harsher noisier hardcore influences in this one too. State of mind is another faster straightforward melodic hardcore punk song, being one of my personal favorites on this record. I surrender is also one of my personal favorites, because I love more faster material and how this band plays it is amazing, and how much energy they deliver with their music. This one has awesome gang backing vocals, just made for singing along at the gigs. Hmmm, now I remember there are almost no gigs. Shit, depression is a nasty thing. The title song reminds me that we are still here and will not go anywhere. So, the struggle continues. Listen to this awesome record and make it easier for you in these troubled times.
Following on from the anthemic, angst-driven, previously released single “Grow Up”, dynamic pop-punk quartet Octopus Montage now presents “Right Here With Me” – the latest installment of the group’s creative activity! Embracing a variety of musical influences, this single supplies interesting grooves and developments throughout its entirety, keeping the movement intriguing and enticing by utilizing atmospherically layered guitar work and emotionally charged and staggering vocal lines. “Right Here With Me” clearly brings a certain poignancy establishing the Octopus Montage’s sound by raising, channeling and maintaining an impressive amount of sincerity through a roller coaster of verses and choruses, based on the melancholic instrumentation, which only further outlines the personal and lyrical nature of the song, as does its visual representation as well.
Unfolding the essence and the missive of “Right Here With Me” further, Octopus Montage collectively adds: “If there was ever such a thing as a “pop-punk ballad”, then this is our hat in the ring. The track focuses on a long-distance relationship and the emotional effects that this can have on an individual. It is somewhat fictional, but has elements of past experiences and points out the reality of some relationships. The somber feeling throughout the track suggests that although not angry, the storyteller wishes that the mentioned in the song relationship could have continued however, admits of the difficulty of being with someone when they are not nearby “another city I just don’t vibe with”. Despite not being based fully on a true story, this single continues to prove that we aren’t afraid to speak about our opinions on tough subjects and continues the narrative of our sticking it to the man approach.”
I met Kris Manning at Punk Rock Holiday 2018 and we became buddies and again in 2019 and he is just a great guy and his energy and effort he does for the scene is just inspiring. He runs a small label Sound Speed Records with awesome bands and this compilation is important and dedicated to all of us who grew up in the nineties listening to endless compilations discovering new bands.
These 15 songs feature 11 different bands from the label and most of them are known already, like fantastic Chaser, CF98 from Poland or awesome Krang from Czech, For I Am from Belgium or Holland´ s Drunktank, but also Apathy Cycle and The Dead Krazukies or Flag On Fire and The Grim are sure to become your fan favorites. This is superb compilation containing skatepunk, melodic punk rock and hardcore for everyone of us fans and those who wish to discover new bands.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 