Tag Archives: New York

Reviews, Various

(review)AGNOSTIC FRONT-Get Loud(Nuclear Blast)

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NYHC legends Agnostic Front are back with brand new studio album, four years after the last one called The American Dream Died was released. The new record containing 14 new songs in a way continues where the last one left off, delivering in your face old shool hardcore with a lot of fast songs reminding me a lot of the old days of this band. The first single Spray Painted Walls and its anthemic riff deliver the right beginning of the record, before fast old school hardcore miniature Anti-Social sets in. The streetpunk and oi roots of Agnostic Front are more than obvious on every record band makes, so the title track is pure streetpunk oi anthem with main bass line being the skeleton of the song structure. Conquer and Divide is a bit more metalic fast song, reminding for example of songs written for Another Voice or Warriors albums.

The second single I Remember is sure to become one of live favorites with catchy main riff, great sing along part at the end and Vinnie Stigma delivering some vocals along with Roger. Dead Silence is another AF song styled like all the material from the last couple of albums, metalic, yet having that familiar streetsmart vibe.  AF Stomp is a short instrumental ideal for live intro. The song that connects on Stomp, namely Urban Decay is another great streetpunk anthem nodding head to old school street oi punk with great lyrics, as always. Snitches Get Stiches is probably the greatest song title I have heard in last couple of years, sounds cheesy, but AF always lived what they sang about, along with Cro-Mags, so this is great hardcore anthem. Isolated is a song about being angry, alienated and discarded from society. In My Blood is for me absolutely one of the highlights on this album being a song  about why we are all still in this music and scene and I am sure this one will also be favorite live. Attention is a song that would fit equally in Madball opus, being hard, groovy and aggressive. Pull The Trigger actually reminds me the most of One Voice era songs and I love it. Devastated is a hardcore anthem for singing along and wanting more.

This is one of the top five AF albums and one of the best in last ten years or so.

 

Reviews, Various

(review) Freezing Cold-Glimmer(Salinas Records)

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ei

Freezing Cold from New York are releasing their debut full length album with Salinas Records. This band comes from New York and they grew up there in diy music community of Big Apple, deciding that their band will bring their vision of music to the listeners who love to travel with soundscapes somewhere else. This album contains 11 songs of gentle, melodic emotional punkrock laced with pop punk and indie influences all throughout the song structures. This album, while listening to the music reminds me of walking through the crowded streets on a day under steel grey sky, yet somehow the Sun starts to shine and warms my face and everything is inded much, much better and I smile back again. I don` t know, this is how I feel while listening. The vocals are melodic, clean, nice, yet somehow fit in the songs perfectly, coupled with dissonant, melodic, almost at times etherial riffs and drums coupled with super bass lines. I usually like more faster, more hardcore approach to punk, but this one somehow suits me just perfectly. I love the emotions of Hand Wringing Hands, And The Morning Light, also Pill Box. Bittersweet album, somehow brings up depression, yet also heals depression.

http://www.salinasrecords.com/

Reviews, Various

(record review) CJ RAMONE-The Holy Spell(Fat Wreck Chords)

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CJ Ramone was once bass player for the legendary punk band Ramones. Now, he has his solo career for years creating great melodic punkrock. I listened and reviewed his new record out with Fat Wreck Chords.

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I love his solo albums, somehow Last Chance To Dance was a milestone, with all the hits, and he never managed to put out the new record with the same amount of superb songs as that one. The new one has 12 songs in his memorable style, meaning straightforward melodic punkrock without much philosophy, leaning on the Ramones legacy, yet creating something unique and original, not being clone of his former band. Besides punkrock, CJ Ramone almost country influenced atmospheric half ballad Hands Of Mine is a great song, different from the rest of the material. There are also faster punk hits like There Stands The Glass(one of my favorites),  One High One Low or Rock On. Lyrically CJ stays in the same vein of his previous works with personal themes from love, death, happiness, coping with life and all that. I also love his full voice very much being somehow for me a cross between Ozzy Osbourne and Michale Graves hehehe at least I hear him like that. This is a decent collection of punkrock songs, but still not great as the album I mentioned above. But, great punkrock, better than many others out there.

7,5/10