Tag Archives: punk

Reviews, Various

(record review)NO REAL HERO-The Forest(Thousand Islands Records)

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Canada is for me still unexplored territory with so many awesome bands coming to my attention every month and this time it was my pleasure to listen and review for our zine the new e.p. by No Real Hero from Montreal, out on Thousand Islands Records. Read on!

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This record contains an intro called Opening and five songs of melodic punkrock. What immediately comes to mind how tight musicianship sounds on this record. The first song Comfort in Sorrow is a nice, personal mid tempo punkrock song with a memorable melody, beautiful chorus and energy. The vocals are very important to me in this genre of music and the vox on this record are just awesome, neither too sweet or snotty which I don´t like, nor too harsh which I also don´t like in this kind of music, meaning these are just right. Broken Waters keeps up in the same pace as the first song, but has some interesting tempo changes and some grooves which make it an interesting song to listen to. This Is Home is musically and lyrically top song on this record for me. Rather dark lyrics which I can relate personally to, and excellent sing along fist pumping chorus make this song a killer! The Forest For The Trees is yet one more killer song on the record, fast paced and it kinda reminded me of Propagandhi, I don´t know why. Red And Black is fast paced and awesome track, a bit dark in lyrics and music, but fantastic to hear. This record is just great, I recommend it.

9,5/10

Follow the band on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/norealheroband/

Follow the label on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thousandislandsrecords/

Bandcamp: https://thousandislandsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-forest

 

 

News, Various

(news)Orange County Punks WANK Debut “Shut You Down” Video; First Album in 20 Years Out Soon

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wank_shut_you_down_video_screenshot

Orange County’s own WANK has debuted a new music video for their latest single “Shut You Down.”

Check it out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMjJB8DCBBE&feature=youtu.be.

Video shot and edited by Frontman Media
https://frontmanmedia.com

Featuring founding members Bobby Amodeo, Spider, Danny Walker, and the new addition of Higgins X-13 (formerly of The Offspring). WANK plans to release their new album ‘White Knuckle Ride’ later this year.

WANK formed in 1995 in Huntington Beach, CA. Mixing pop sensibility, rock chops, and punk energy, WANK (influenced by the Beatles and the Clash, among others) quickly gained momentum and garnered a reputation for themselves with melodic songs and highly entertaining live shows. In 1996, WANK self-released their debut, Get a Grip on Yourself. Their continuing success as a live act brought them to the attention of producer Mike Ness of Social Distortion, who oversaw the recording of “Larry Brown” for a split 7″ on Time Bomb Records (1997.) Ness also produced WANK on their version of “Auld Lang Syne,” their contribution to the comp, Christmas Gone Wrong (1997.)

In late 1997, “Forgiven” was added to rotation at the World Famous KROQ 106.7 in Los Angeles, and WANK was still unsigned. An industry bidding war ensued, and WANK signed an historic record deal with Maverick Records. In 1998, following an expedited major label re-release of Get a Grip on Yourself, WANK took their show on the road, touring with The Specials, Goldfinger, Social Distortion, and Warped Tour ’98. The band parted ways with Maverick Records in 1999 and focused on other projects.

In 2000, Amodeo was diagnosed with cancer, and after years of treatment, he’s back and rock ready. Walker formed and fronted Handsome Devil and was signed to RCA in 2001. Handsome Devil released three albums – Love and Kisses (2001), Knock Yourself Out (2004), and Fully Automatic (2007), and toured with The Used, Lit, Zebrahead, and Warped. In 2007, Walker and friends (from Lit, Adolescents, and Cadillac Tramps) formed Rockers in the Round – an acoustic showcase series. Walker released two singer-songwriter albums – Mumble & Strum (2011) and Salvation (2012). Spider focused on session work and artist management, and he’s still the hardest hitting drummer around.

WANK reunited in 2016, self-releasing their 5 song EP – On with the Show and, in 2017, added guitarist Higgins X-13, formerly of the Offspring. In 2018, WANK is in the studio finishing a new full length album for release. Enjoy – WANK is back.