I am always glad to discover new bands in this vast and beautiful underground scene that I have been a part of for almost three decades now. Next Door To Heaven are hailing from Russia and this is their new e.p. The theme of the e.p. is battle between two sides of one medal, between artificial and natural within one person. There are five songs on this little record. Music of Next Door To Heaven can be described as mixture of metalcore, modern metal and being melodic above all. Catchy and nice guitar hooks are successfully mixing aggression of metalcore with calm of atmospheric metal creating one really fine soundscape for the listener. Vocals are superb with singer Daria Mazunova being able to reach emotion, melancholy and happiness varying of the song. Her voice reminds me a lot of Anneke from The Gathering. My personal favorite is Unleash The Beast being on of the hardest yet melodic song on this e.p. There is an interesting guest performance by none other than Lord Nelson (ex Stuck Mojo) on Flare Up being more of a rapcore song proving variety and creativity of this band. Really enjoyed this one.
UK metal outfit Broken Calling is back with brand new single “Ghosts” – a charismatic, dynamic and energetic track that sees the formation developing a rejuvenated and improved version of the combination of the members’ individual and collective musicianship. Creating a captivating blend of diversified vocal harmonies, intense screams, gritty guitars, a prominent rhythm section and an abundance of composing talent, “Ghosts” showcases the more aggressive nature of the group through the direct and hard-hitting composition and the genuine sincerity of the utilized lyrics, all further highlighted by the accompanying visualization, providing the perfect backdrop to enhance the deeper themes of the lyrical content.
Broken Calling collectively describes the group’s release further: “This is a song about overcoming adversity and expelling the negativity of your past. Taking control of your own destiny and finding your own path. No matter who you are or what you do. We have always, throughout our career, have championed being valued and irreplaceable, regardless of aspirations and ambition and have always had a message of hope and positivity, despite our music leaning towards the opposite. “Ghosts” is no different. We have come to terms with expelling the ghosts of our past and moving on, becoming new people ourselves and exploring our craft to develop our unique sound. And we want to spread that message to the world.”
Back Garden Light were already featured on the pages of this zine, but this time, they released their new full length album. Hailing from Bordeaux and being formed in 2014 these guys manage to mix melodic punk, pop punk and metalcore in their music and they do it fantastic. This record contains 13 songs. What can we find here? Well, let us start with melodies. For all of us fans and us who love and grew up on melodic side of things, this one is a keeper. Epic melodies, both in guitar work and vocals which are harsh when needed and also emotional and melodic at the same time in song parts that make your skin crawl with goosebumps and make you wish for more. I am usually not an avid fan of metalcore, I am more on hardcore punk and skatepunk side of things, but this one is a keeper sounding energetic and modern at the same time, yet retaining that old school pop punk feeling. The lyrics are personal, but I can totally relate to them in many songs. My personal favorites are: The Right Side, On My Own and Live And Learn. Great record!
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 