THIEV are coming from New Jersey area and this band is comprised of two friends who wanted to play melodic punk rock and they do it perfectly. This EP contains three songs of old school Californian nineties influenced melodic hardcore with that Jersey pop punk influence, like more melodic hardcore version of Bouncing Souls for example. At least that is what I hear in their music. ‘Noise Machine’ is a pop punk oriented straightforward melodic punk song, while ‘The Paint Will Fade’ is my personal favorite being fast melodic pure hardcore song with nice melodic vocal lines and reminding me of Ignite’s faster songs or Chaser maybe, I love this one, but the EP as a whole is superb. ‘A Break In The Fence’ is also faster song, having that nineties pop punk influence with hardcore riffing. Only three songs, makes you wish for more at once. Great little record.
We recently featured The Scuba Kids on the pages of this webzine. Well, Skadavers is a solo project by Blake Runyon of The Scuba Kids. This one featured six songs of ska punk rock with good dose of melodic punk roots and emotional punk. There are also some reggae parts and brass instruments that only add to the overall feeling that should be happy, but it somehow isn’t. There is sadness and melancholy featured and inner struggle to cope and survive in daily life, also fight with you inner demons, at least that is how I heard this e.p. But, there are also some state of the world political lyrical themes if you read between the lines in some songs. ‘Make A Killing’ has that psycho eerie melody on verse and raw punk part making it great. Also, my personal favorites on this one are ‘This Is Hell’ and ‘Where Did All The Voices Go?’. Good ska punk rock.
Besides New York hardcore family, there is also thriving punk scene beneath the ground. Vermillion are hailing from Long Island, NY and this is their brand new EP. This one contains five songs. Music of Vermillion is raw sounding punk rock with lots of street punk influences, also riot grrrl especially in singer’s voice which is phenomenal. Her voice can shout, scream, sing melodic clean lines and change in a second. ‘Needle Up My’ is raw punk with almost grungy feel and superb clean anthemic chorus made for singing along. ‘Vocal Retake’ is more straight forward pure punk song with great main vocal line melody and also dual backing vocal harmony making it with its energy and melody one of my favorites on this one. It also has double bass drumming if I hear it right and reminded me a bit of Bad Cop/Bad Cop in some parts. ‘Send You To Hell’ is short but sweet outburst of hardcore punk anger and speed, topped with screaming vocals. ‘Vermillion’ is more slower, ballad with great chorus ‘I want you dead’ just made for singing along and having that melody to make goosebumps on your skin. ‘Halloween’ has that raw hardcore punk speed back again reminding us that this band is capable for hardcore energy along with gentle melodies. Good one.
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