Tag Archives: metal

(record review)MBURNS-“More To Life Than This”(NOTA BENE Records & Publishing)

MBurns from Croatian town Crikvenica, Rijeka area have a new album out and it was about time to review it in this zine.

a1135319485_10

The guys were formed in 2006. and played an impressive list of gigs throughout the region and European countries, gathering experience what we can hear in their music. This is their brand new studio opus of 12 tracks.

Everyone who knows me can tell that I dont like metalcore very much. MBurns play that vision of modern metal, with some groovy riffs, aggressive and fast forward songs and a lot of memorable melodic hooks. The melodies and clever use of clean, almost atmospheric vocals is what sets Mburns apart from similar bands making me love their music on this awesome album. Production wise the album sounds world class and if the guys were from Germany or USA they would sell 10 000 discs and play the largest festivals in the world. Almost every song on the album has a unique atmosphere making it aggressive but almost sad and desperate at the same time(for example excellent “Come Meet Us At The Bottom”). Another highlight of the album is in my opinion “Burn It To The Ground” which is an absolute hit. Last weekend the guys played at the gig near my hometown but I made it just in time for last song because they played first of three bands that evening and we were late. I am usually sceptic about bands and albums of this style but this one is a world class album by the world class band!

8,5/10

Follow the band on FB: https://www.facebook.com/mburnsofficial/

Get the album: https://mburnsofficial.bandcamp.com/album/more-to-life-than-this

 

(gig report)DEBELI PRECJEDNIK(Os)+ BEDNJA(VŽ)+MBURNS(CRIKVENICA)-17.02.2018.-Stara škola Novi Marof

Nova godina je uveliko počela, drugi mjesec je prešao polovicu, a gig sezona se polako zahuktava i neće puno proći do sezone festivala i lijepog vremena. Kako bolje prekratiti vrijeme nego otići na gig u Novi Marof .

26907754_2005384116452483_2290700141982683493_n

Do navečer nismo znali ustvari hoćemo li krenuti uopće tamo, no u večernjim satima mala, ali draga ekspedicija se uputila iz Čakovca prema Novom Marofu. Iako je bilo prilično ružno vrijeme, lijala je kiša, srećom se nije ledila na tlu zbog temperature u plusu, pa je put prošao brzo u dobrom društvu i zajebanciji. Parkirali smo se na dvorištu ispred Stare škole točno usred gadnog blata i pridružili ekipi koja je ispred ubijala vrijeme i bavila se uobičajenim punk rekvizitima i ikonografijom svakog punk koncerta. Ono što volim na koncertima u Varaždinu i Novom Marofu je da se okupi ekipa koja brije na punk, hardcore i metal neovisno o lineupu. Ljudi na sceni su gladni koncerata i to je dobro, jer je homogenizacija scene na nivou.

Nažalost, pošto smo se pozdravljali sa nekim prijateljima ušli smo unutra taman kad su MBURNS iz Crikvenice završavali svoj set tako da sam uspio uhvatiti pjesmu ili pjesmu i pol i ljudima, a i bendu se nastup svidio. Koliko sam uspio čuti, sviraju neki metal ili metalcore.

Za svoj nastup se pripremala BEDNJA dok smo mi popili koju pivicu. O njima je već bilo riječi na stranicama ovog zinea, tako da ih ne moram posebno predstavljati.

IMG_20180217_232545

Ovo im je bila promocija studijskog albuma prvijenca koji je stvarno odličan. Svijeće su upaljene, intro je počeo i Bednja je suvereno na bini odrokala svoj set. Ono što mene fascinira kod ovog benda je s kakvom lakoćom prelaze iz mirnijih atmosferičnih dijelova u black metal ludilo i blastbeatove. Nažalost, one fine melodije kojima su podložene pjesme su se malo slabije čule, bar se meni tako činilo ovog puta. Mislim da su u otprilike sat vremena odsvirali cijeli album “Doline su ostale iza nas” i upravo s tom pjesmom završili regularni dio seta. Nakon toga su još na bis odtutnjali jednu stvar sa Matom iz Satanik Multikultivatora kao gostom na vokalu.

DEBELI PRECJEDNIK sam zadnje gledao uživo prije otprilike tri i pol mjeseca, a zadnjih nekoliko godina ih gledam uživo barem tri do četiri puta godišnje. Od 1995.kada sam ih u Klubu u Čakovcu prvi puta slušao uživo su mi jedan od najdražih bendova i koliko god puta ih vidim uživo, uvijek su mi dragi.

IMG_20180218_002014

Koca je ovog puta bio prilično inspiriran, više od uobičajenog, što se dobro vidjelo od govora između pjesama do stage nastupa. Otvorili su sa “Marionette”, preko provjerenih “Waste of my time”, “Another day conquered”, a prije “Guilty Conscience” saznali smo od Koce jednu tužnu, a veselu vijest. Naime, Fićo iz Novog Marofa, legenda tamošnje organizacije koncerata i super lik, odlazi krajem ovog mjeseca trbuhom za kruhom u Irsku. Kao i mnogi drugi, morao je otići da nađe pristojan posao koji omogućava pristojan život. Tužan sam jer ideš, ali nek ti je sa srećom Fićo! Uvjeren sam da će te netko dostojno zamijeniti i da će se tradicija odličnih koncerata u Novom Marofu nastaviti. Debeljaci su odsvirali i dvije nove stvari, “Warzone” koju prije nisam čuo, odlična hardcore pjesma, te već poznatu “Nema me…u apotekama” koja je već sada apsolutni hit i meni jedna od najdražih pjesama. Uz “Subotom Kićo…”, “Surrender now” i još neke, došli smo do tradicionalnog kraja koncerta uz “Zaboravi”, “Pušku” i “Koljena”, te na kraju neizostavno “Farmersko srce”. Nakon završetka giga polako smo krenuli doma i uz strašnu i gustu maglu u kojoj je vidljivost bila oko metar nekako se dokoturali do Čakovca. Udruga mladih Alternativa je opet obavila odličan posao, a idući susret s Debeljacima je ako ne prije u svibnju na Petroleum Beat Festivalu u Petišovcima.

Back to back books with Pantera history, Rex Brown book vs Zac Crain book. Which is better?

I was really happy when I finally put my paws on the long awaited Rex Brown autobiography regarded as an inside story of Pantera. We all know Pantera. They were and still are one of the milestones and legends of American metal scene and worldwide extreme music scene.

After the years of success and extensive hard working tours and partying, the band broke apart and imploded in itself in 2001., with the final ending being brought with the tragic murder of Dimebag Darrell on stage in Ohio by a madman in 2004. Since the band was and still is a big part of me, because it was Pantera who brought me with a couple of other bands in my formative years on the extreme music  scene, I was eager to read how bassist Rex Brown saw all of the turmoil, music, heartbreak and tragedy.

Now that I have read the book, I am kinda disappointed. I was expecting to read the more in depth story about the whole thing and the whole story behind Rex book is very thin like some paper ready to float in the mist of memory. There are no juicy party stories included in the book, and I was expecting some knowing that Pantera was a party juggernaut in full sense of the word. Also, the whole breakup thing is kinda vague, like Rex really could not guess or knew not why did it happen. The one part of the book that brought tear to my eye is the part where Rex describes the funeral and in memoriam for Dimebag, the man whose loss still impacts the scene and me as a person a lot. Although the book is kinda let down, it is by no means something to avoid, so get it and read it. The fans of Pantera will be satisfied but for us who expected something like Nofx Hepatitis Bathtub book, we will be disappointed with this one.

The other Pantera book is written by Zac Crain and it is in fact concentrated on the life and times of Dimebag Darrell through his formative years as a guitar player and then with Pantera until his untimely death at the hands of a madman during the opening of Damageplan show in Ohio in 2004. This book has many more stories and fun but also emotions and was really nice to read it. It is not better then the book by Rex, but offers interesing side view to all of the road Pantera went together. What bothered me in this book was that it was way too much idealised and too subjective to read. Rex Brown book was much more objective although the guy was a co founder of Pantera and brother with these guys for the most part of his life.

In the end, the only thing for you remains to read both books and form your own opinion about the story of one of the biggest metal bands of all times.