RUNNING OUT

'Rather be in hell' MCD

Perspective Records

Running Out is a brand new hardcore band from Brabant, Holland. This is the home town of euro hardcore legends No Turning Back. They've been together around 2 years now, having played shows mainly in Belgium and Holland. My good friend Mike, who is also singing in A Strength Within, just released their first EP via his great label Perspective Records (home for bands like Ashes, 18 Miles and of course ASW; check also the great compilation 'This Is Belgium' they've released).

'Rather be in hell' includes 5 songs of modern angry yet pissed off hardcore music in the vein of Backtrack, Expire and Trapped Under Ice with a touch of Rotting Out.

You know the deal I guess... Heavy guitar riffs, super tight rhythm section, aggressive vocals and groovy tunes that will make you mosh like there's no tomorrow. 

I'm really stoked that the european hardcore scene is going strong and bigger every day. Embrace the underground bands, support Perspective Records and get the Running Out CD. Hopefully it'll be available in Greece via Uprising Hardcore Distro anytime soon.

www.runningout.bandcamp.com

www.perspectiverecords.com

WOUNDED KNEE

demo 2012

self-released

I miss the good ol' days when I had spare time to write reviews regularly in this blog. This blog occupied much of my free time back in time with a minimum amount of reviews per month being 10. 

Talking about good ol' days... Good Old Days was one great band from Poland that I had the honor to release a 3-way split CD including them, along with Austria's Bounz The Ball and Straight Opposition from Italy. I even booked a show for them in the missed but not forgotten Street Attack squat in Thessaloniki back in May 2008.

So, when their bassist Wiktor sent me a message in FB half an hour or so ago introducing me to his new band called Wounded Knee (feat. Dispel The Crowd ex-members, as well) and offering me to  review their debut demo, I knew I had to do it ASAP; immediately.

So here we are... The feeling of stealing some time from work in order to do things you love is unbeatable... So the last moments before my daily routine ends are dedicated to Wounded Knee!

Their demo includes 4 songs of great NYHC influenced hardcore with that strong European touch we all dig. If you are into Agnostic Front and Madball you'll definitely like this. But if you are into modern stuff like No Turning Back, Cornered and Backtrack, you'll like this, too.

Just give it a listen. Give it a try. The underground hardcore scene is overwhelmed with little hardcore diamonds; let's seek for them and forget the mainstream bullshit.

Reviews are great, by the way. See you soon.

www.woundedkneepl.bandcamp.com

This week is HOT.

Tuesday 16/4 Gingko Biloba Hardcore

Saturday 20/4 Brutality Over Athens Fest at AN Club
Tuesday 23/4 Trio Comple live at Zero

powered by World's Appreciated Kitsch Collective

World's Appreciated Kitsch

online sampler 2013

-Spread the word-

www.worldsappreciatedkitsch.bandcamp.com

www.worldsappreciatedkitsch.bigcartel.com

www.voodooarts.tumblr.com

CODE ORANGE KIDS

Love is love // Return to dust LP / CD

Deathwish Inc.

Code Orange Kids is a bunch of youngsters coming from Pittsburgh, PA, with the only aim to deliver chaotic hardcore / metal to the world. This is their 2nd full length album, and they have also released a demo, a tape and a split 7" with Full Of Hell, a band that they often tour with.

So to get things straight, with an average age of 19 years old, Code Orange Kids became the new hype just after they left high school and Deathwish Inc. picked them up. And they are one of the few bands out there that they fucking deserve this kind of hype.

Their new album is a masterpiece of Converge-ish hardcore, strongly influenced of the Deathwish stuff. But the weird thing is that Code Orange Kids do not fall in any genre, they just create theirs, using violent breaks, sharp guitars, peaceful soundscapes and aggressive female / male vocals. 

Love is love // Return to dust includes 10 songs of non-conforming art and uncompromising poetry. If you are a fan of Converge, Rise & Fall, and maybe Unbroken, you should get this immediately and offer yourself the new thing that is so much influenced by the aforementioned but on the contrary so unique that cannot be compared to anything.

Code Orange Kids tour Europe along with Full Of Hell this summer. Watch out for them.

codeorangekids.bandcamp.com

deathwishinc.com

ANTILLECTUAL

'Future history' 7"

Shield | Angry Chuck | Destiny | Lockjaw | No Reason

We are going a bit slow with the reviews and that's due to extremely lack of time and major involvement in a bunch of other projects right now. But we never leave this blog to starve and every now & then that we get a good record, we are here to present it to you...

So, for those we remember, Antillectual played in Greece 3 shows in the end of 2011, incl. Positively Positive Hardcore Fest 5 in Athens, a show in Volos and a secret show. Those that attended the shows already know that Antillectual is probably the best political melodic punk rock band that The Netherlands have to offer nowadays. They are active since early 00s and they have already released 3 LPs and 2 7"s, meanwhile they are preparing their 4th LP to be unleashed anytime in 2013.

'Future history' is their latest 7" that the post officer brought to me a week or so ago. The record comes in eye-catching solid orange vinyl, feat. OK artwork and a download coupon.

I was surprised to realize that the band has mellowed down so much comparing to their earlier releases. 3 out of 4 of the songs of this record are very soft, more pop than punk rock; nothing to do with the melodic hardcore / punk harshness of their earlier material.

That's not bad at all since the band still maintains its passion and intensity, plus the importance of politics. You hardly even meet any bands of this style caring about politics... Antillectual deal with topics like sexism, girls' participation in the scene, racism, neoliberalism and the whole crisis thing. 

Fans of Hot Water Music, Rise Against, The Menzingers and Propagandhi should check them out.

antillectual.com

shieldrecordings.com - noreasonrecords.com

destiny-tourbooking.com - lockjawrecords.co.uk - angrychuckrecords.com

DIG

Socially disabled 12"

Street Survival Records

'not from the right place, not with the right face. trying to do what it takes not to sink. avoiding to get eaten up and away by my harassing demons inside. my own shadow taking hold of me, becoming my best enemy. blinding me into a silence nightmare, a mutism i couldn't fight. forcing a fake apathy to everyone not to see how weak i have become, for hyenas not to come. used to know what i wanted, used to be passionate, used to make no compromise. used to know what i wanted, used to be passionate, used to live as a free soul. it's not hard to pretend you are. all the words i didn't get back then make so much sense all of a sudden, i still hate crowds and everyone in. but if you look deep into my eyes you can see through the lies, that i'm not a fucking bad guy that your hate should run dry. forcing a fake apathy for everyone not see how weak i have become, for hyenas not to come. used to know what i wanted, used to be passionate, used to make no compromise. used to know what i wanted, used to be passionate, used to live as a free soul. don't wait for me. struggling against the ghosts of what could have been, of what should have been, i'm done with the fighting.'

The first demo of DIG was released back in 2010 and the cover was featuring a picture of Notorious B.I.G. That was already a reason to make me dive deeper into the band's profile. The record cover of their first 12" was also intriguing. An X-ed hand tying the shoelaces of a pair of Nike sneakers. I always hated to see pictures / covers featuring commercial 'straight edge' related symbols and i find it a bit silly to make you record seem like a multinational company's advertisement. But that X on the hand was really huge. Reminded me of the 90s.

So, DIG is a great heavy hardcore band from Paris, France. And I can definitely say that I dig their music and the negative yet honest attitude towards society and the world in general. 

They are releasing a split 7" with Poland's Reality Check anytime soon.
If you are into bands like No Turning Back and Cornered, check them out for sure. 

xdigx.bandcamp.com

streetsurvivalrecords.com

DEATHROW

100%

Ratel Records

'I know I'll wind up cold and dead

On a sidewalk curb with a broken head

But my friends are here for me

We stick together till our dying days'

When I first got into hardcore I strongly believed that this music is simply not just music. It was the friendship, the unity and the respect parts of this movement that made me fall in love with hardcore. It was the intension to change the world and there was only one way to achieve this; unity.

After almost 12 years I still ask my self if it's worth doing this. If hardcore is still about friendship and unity, when all I see around me is backstabbers and fake friends that care only for themselves and just to have fun. I still wonder who's gonna be by my side when I am in need. 

One thing's for sure. Hardcore will be there for me. Or at least my idealism of hardcore. 

Enough...

DEATHROW is an amazing hardcore band from Warsaw, Poland, and they seem to care about friendship, they seem to care about common goals, and last but not least they seem to care about having fun at the end of the day. If you like your hardcore tight, tough (not tough guy) and heavy, you should listen to this record. 6 songs in the vein of Cro-Mags, Maximum Penalty, Warzone, No Turning Back and Agnostic Front (obviously not the metal period), that will make you keep spinning this record on and on. 

Poland is definitely the ideal place for hardcore in 2013.

MY SISTERS - MY BROTHERS 

FIGHT AGAINST THE ODDS, NOT EACH OTHER

www.ratelrecords.com

www.deathrow.bandcamp.com

SUNSHINE SS

Teen choices 7"

Sacred Plague Records

Is anyone reading this into early USHC?

If the answer is no, you have 2 choices; either read the next review or listen to hardcore 2013 in you tube. On the other side, if the answer is yes, here are some useful steps to help you brighten your world. a) buy this record, b) listen to this record, c) spread the word about this record.

SUNSHINE SS have obviously nothing to do with any racist / neo-nazi scum. SS is used in an ironic way and if you a any narrow-minded politically correct bonehead and you cannot get the irony, you can throw up your pride in the nearby toilet. 

SUNSHINE SS come from Asheville, North Carolina, and this is their 2nd 7", released by the hard-working label Sacred Plague (that have also released stuff for bands like Uncurbed, Warvictims, Enabler and Krang). It includes 6 songs of nitty gritty old school punk / hardcore, not unlike early Black Flag, Jerry's Kids, The Germs and Adolescents. Forget the chugga chugga guitars and the brutal vocals my friend, this is hardcore circa 82.

'Banned from the record store' is already a fav of mine. What a title?!

Get this and shut up.

www.sacredplague.com

WORK FOR IT

'No escape' 7"

Elephant Skin Records

'they're walking with fake smiles, 

still pretending that they love

in fact they've already judged me

i've never had the chance to say how i feel'

I guess you have already figured out that the Polish hardcore scene is not only the best of the Eastern European area, but probably Europe's number one, as well. Tons of quality bands arise every day, including Last Dayz, Thug X Life, Reality Check, Identity, Stone Heart, Bloodstained, The Lowest, Deathrow, Government Flu and many more, while the shows are crowded as hell. Moreover, great yet dedicated labels like Ratel Records, Last Warning Records and Elephant Skin Records carry the torch of the Polish hardcore movement. Enough with the prologue...

Michael - Elephant Skin Records / The Wonder Years fanzine wanted a bunch of My Turn LPs to distribute in Poland, so what a better way to get some of his releases in trade?! 

Work For It's 'No escape' red piece of wax was released in late 2012 and it consists of 4 songs (around 10 minutes long) of 90s hardcore strongly influenced by the early NYHC scene. Bands that come in my mind are Cro-Mags - of course - Breakdown and Leeway's more hardcore tunes. The songs are very tight and heavy while there's a strong feeling of  melancholy, due to the personal yet melancholic lyrics. 

The artwork is ace and there's a sticker, a download code and an Elephant Skin A4 page with an article about hardcore 2013. Get it now.

www.workforitbandcamp.com

www.elephantskinrecords.com

WAK2013

--> 20.1 Holy (IT), Ruined Families, Dream Long Dead, Hedvika

--> 1.2 Oldschool Rednex, Soul Resistance, Lunatix

--> 15.2 Strength Approach (IT), Wake The Dead (FR), My Turn, Against All Odds, The Vagabonds 77

--> 2.3 Peter Pan Speedrock (NL), Mamma Kin, Corpses

--> 15.3 Traces Of You (IT), Never-Trust, Discrased, t.b.a.

--> 18.3 MXPX (USA), Bandage, Flipstar

--> 27.3 Patsy O' Hara (DE), t.b.a.

--> 20.4 Embrace Destruction (NL / IT), Soundkrash, One Of These Days, Streetwise, Procreate

+++++

SEASIDE REBELS

Changing times... 7"

self-released

This is the first review for 2013 and coincide with the release of this amazing 7".

Seaside Rebels is a brand new street punk band from Rhodes island, consisting of members that have also played in bands like Oi! Askimoi!, Broken Glasses, BMW Rockers 57, Ασσύμετρη Απειλή, Trio Comple and Χαλιαμάγκουρες.

The record includes 4 songs (that last around 14 minutes) of great street punk / old school oi! music, with a strong 80s vibe. There's a melancholic atmosphere floating in the air and this feeling could only be obvious in the good ol' days. 

The lyrics deal with the society, friendship and personal experiences. These are very good lyrics and have nothing to do with some stupid cliches of the genre. I really like it when bands expand their minds and stray away from the overused lyrics that a music style 'needs'. 

'Changing times...' is definitely one of my favorite local releases for the last couple of years and I am glad that there's quality punk music (don't care about specific styles) in this dying country. Can't wait to watch them live.

Support Seaside Rebels.

31.12.2012 // 18.30
Day_six

So the tour is over.

Last night's show was great, with all bands giving it all.

Despite the fact that we arrived in Athens around 20.00, almost tired to death, after almost 11 hours of driving, ALECTO proved once again that they are one of the best local bands nowadays. Don't miss their 'Minyma' 7"; World's Appreciated Kitsch proudly released this.

It was nice to meet my sweetheart Voodoo and a lot of other friends!

We found my car's window broken after the show and that was not good at all, considering the fact that we drove from Athens to Volos just right after, into heavy rain and windy weather... Bad luck, shit happens.

Happy new year to everyone.

Keep the faith.

-WAK & ALECTO-

30.12.2012 // 02.40
Day_five

Woke up in Timisoara around 11.00, still tired, still sleepy.

We saluted everyone and visited that mall once again in order to have lunch. We were supposed to meet with the Intakt guys and go together in Belgrade, but we couldn't find each other, so we headed to the highway and arrived in Belgrade after 3-4 hours. The Romanian - Serbian borders were the easiest to pass during this tour. 

It was already 17.30 when we arrived in Belgrade's downtown (after messing with the big city's traffic for almost an hour) and parked the van outside the parliament (!). We called Rasha, the local promoter, who came after a while and picked us up. We had tea at a nearby place and then we went for some fast food. We even visited 2 record stores, one was closed and the other was kinda expensive. The weather was definitely bad; cold and rainy, so the best haven we could find was the venue (called Panic Room something). We were glad to meet the Intakt guys once again, they seem to be very dedicated and that is what matters at the end of the day. The show started around 21.30, Intakt played first, and I really enjoyed their set this time, even though I was completely tired. ALECTO hit the stage right after and they delivered a nice show in front of -let's say- 40 crusty metal punks. I had to mention that most of the people inside the club was kinda old (like me maybe...!); no youngsters at all, weird.

So, after the end of the show, we drove straight to Tanja's house in order to have some rest. After getting lost a couple of times, we finally reached the house, had some funny incidents with Tila the dog, and crashed for the night.

Day_six

Woke up kinda early (I think 9.30), but left the house around 11.

After a couple of stops at gas stations we passed the borders kinda easy again and arrived in Sofia around 18.00.

The trip was long but it was OK; nice conversations and good music helped a lot!

So, after getting lost for half an hour, we found Grindhouse Skatehouse, Sofia's best venue... The stage is on a mini skate ramp and this is definitely amazing. It was great to meet Niki and our friends from Expectations plus a lot more guys & girls from the Sofia hardcore / punk scene that we are affiliated with. We had some great vegan sandwiches and pizzas plus a raw vegan cake that Mitko (Tigersuit fanzine) has kindly prepared for us (check the photo below)! The show started around 20.00, Expectations played first and I have to say that they are a fucking amazing band, you should check them out. Throat Fisting, a modern metal band, were next and then we had ALECTO. The place was almost packed when Alecto started playing their first song, 'Slow life decay', and every one kept moving till the last song, 'The furies'. There was a bunch of  7"s sold after the end of the show and that's a good sign that a lot of people enjoyed the show!

Start Today were next, their first show (something like an one-time reunion) after 2 years, and the kids went crazy. Stage dives, circle-pits and constant sing-alongs. Start Today (feat. Jordan from Expectations and our friend Danail from Youngblood Booking - Plovdiv) covered 7 Seconds' 'Young till I die', as well, and that was intense!

The lights went off, we loaded the van and headed to the best place in Sofia; Ugo pizza, ha! Had tons of food and laughed till there was no tomorrow. Right now we are at Niki's place, ready to take a shower and sleep. The alarm is set to 9 since the trip to Athens is almost 9 hours long. Can't wait for the Slavebreed's release show. It is the best way to end this fucking year. Represent!

Van essentials: Darkthrone, No Turning Back, The Ramones, Ceremony, Hatebreed, Iron Age.

28.12.2012 // 12.15

Day_three

Woke up on Wednesday morning around 10.30, had some delicious breakfast and left Positive Youth's headquarters in order to start our trip to Novi Sad. The engine of the van couldn't start for about half an hour and we got a little bit worried about this situation but after a while everything's was fine. So, we arrived in Novi Sad around 17.30 and met with our buddy Boyan outside of his house. There was warm vegan food inside and a bunch of sofas for us to rest and even fall asleep for seconds, tired as we were. Next stop; Black Bull, a small basement pub downtown. We went into the usual procedure (unload the van - find a safe place for the van to park - set up the back line - set up the distro - have some drinks - wait for the show to start) until 21.30 that Helltard from Belgrade started to play their powerviolence / fast hardcore / grind core 18-song setlist. They were good enough and you should keep an eye on them if you are into that kind of stuff. 

There was a funny incident during their set, though... A totally drunk police inspector approached Thanos and busted his balls for some minutes, asking about ancient Greece, and even offered to him to finish violently Helltard's set in order to watch Thanos playing with Alecto... There was a misunderstanding for a while and even cops arrived just before Alecto hit the stage, but nothing serious at all.

So, Alecto played a decent set full of intensity. I really love the energy this band unleashes. 

After the second usual procedure (bring the van - load the stuff - drive to the place we are gonna sleep), we entered Black Sheep Collective's headquarters, that amazing hardcore 'office' located in the centre of Novi Sad town. But we weren't there alone. More than 20 people arrived and the place turned into a punk bar / party till 3.30 in the morning. One thing was in my mind the whole time, though... Sleep! And yeah we got what we deserved after a while.

Day_four

Boyan woke me up around 9 and told me that we have to park the van in another place... So we did. Then we had some breakfast, talked a bit with Boyan, visited a music store to buy some stuff that Thanos needed for the drums and we left Novi Sad around noon. The road to Romania was more than bad so the 150km were equal to 3 hours driving. Fortunately we had no problems at the Serbian - Romanian borders. You know the deal, they force you to open the van, they ask what's inside, you say 'we are musicians', they ask you if you carry drugs and weapons (!), you answer no and you leave.

So, we entered Timisoara around 16.00 and went straight to a house where our friend Alec and the rest of the Cluj - Napoca crew were staying (and cooking for us). We stayed there for half an hour and then headed for a walk. It was freezing cold so we stopped at the first ...mall we found and did some shop-seeing before having a warm coffee. Then we returned to the aforementioned house, had some dinner and drove to Atelier DIY, the place were the show was about to take place. Atelier DIY is located in an industrial spot outside of city's center and it's definitely one of the most underground places I have ever been to. Tavi from Pavilionul 32 (and also local hero) was waiting for us and right after we were the ones waiting for the show to start, while people starting coming in. Clitgore played first, a gore grind duo with drum machine... Then Vera Renczi from Cluj, feat. ex- Stuck In A Rut members, delivered their powerviolence / fast hardcore set (they covered Charles Bronson, as well) and left the stage to Intakt from Belgrade. Intakt is a crust metal / punk trio and were definitely the best band of the show (excluding Alecto, of course!). Alecto got on stage around 00.30, a time when almost everyone in the room was absolutely drunk. I was expecting a boring show, but on the contrary, the people seemed to enjoy Alecto's set and the stage-dives had no ending. 

Pavilionul 32 played last, a type of punk / hardcore that is not my cup of tea, but they were just OK.

We left the place around 2.30 and drove downtown in the house that we crashed. 

The rest is history that you will probably read soon.

Van essentials: Suicidal Tendencies, Last Witness, Valient Thorr, Deez Nuts, Doomriders, Vision.

26.12.2012 // 01.30

Day_two

Well, today was really hectic...

Woke up around 10.30 after having a good 8-hour sleep at the cosy and warm house of Dimitar and his brother. Had a coffee and then Vasko came to visit us. Talked for a couple of hours about everything varying from the hardcore scene to the Balkan history. I have to say that Vasko is one of the smartest yet most outspoken guy I have ever met. He can talk for hours and hours, and he never talks bullshit, he knows so many details of the history of our area. We left the house around 13.00, visited a local record store for a while and then started the trip after saluting our buddies.

We've been through the borders a lot of times but we had that positive feeling that everything would be OK that time... But on the contrary, we had to deal with corrupted border police once again in Macedonia... After they held us waiting a bit, they asked us to pay (secretly) 20 euros, got 2 of our vinyls and even tried to get us saying that Larisa and Volos are a part of Macedonia... Do the math.

Then we have to face the Serbian border police... They held us in there for almost 1 hour and a half, searching for everything (literally everything) in the van, after having body searched us one by one in an investigation room...

Completely pissed off we continued our trip to Kraljevo, where we arrived around 20.00.

Kraljevo is a nice yet quite city with a population of 100,000 citizens. Vojkan and his cousin (they also play in a well-known underground hardcore band called The Truth - used to be called as The Truth Of XXX) have established the Pozitivna Omladina (translated into Positive Youth) collective and they organize shows regularly trying to spread the positive hardcore / punk message to young people in Kraljevo. The show took place in a tiny room in the attic of a rock bar called Rock Club Bounty. The room was packed with a lot of youngsters and some not that youngsters. A local metal / punk band called Punished played first and the crowd went nuts immediately, since Punished is the one and only heavy band in Kraljevo, existing since 1992. They even played an encore consisting of Youth Of Today's 'Honesty' and Napalm Death's 'Scum'. Hooray!
We wanna thank their drummer Vojin, for his help concerning the drum equipment.

ALECTO took the stage around 22.30 and delivered an intense half an hour show playing the 4 songs from their 'Minyma' 7", a bunch of songs out of their previous CD plus a new untitled one. The kids were into their music and rewarded Alecto with mosh pit and stage divings.

We loaded the van afterwards and headed to the office of the collective, ate tons of chili con minced soy and mashed potatoes, and we are now ready to sleep for ever!

Tomorrow we'll have a 3-4 hour drive to Novi Sad; can't wait to meet crazy Boyan and his crew.

Goodnight!

Van essentials: Raw Nerve, Last Hope, Χατ Τρικ, Bastions, Senses Fail.

25.12.2012 // 01.00

Day_one

It's already Christmas time so we wish you the best and may the spirit / force be with you.

So, we just came back from a short walk in Skopje's city center. The landscape is amazing with a river splitting the city in two parts. Moreover, there are way too many yet huge statues all over the place...

It's too late for a city that is not called Athens, so almost everything is closed and our dinner got restricted to a shitty multinational fast food chain. Nick's mother gave us lots of food so we had an extra choice, at least.

Let's rewind a bit...

I woke up around 11.30, left my precious behind and headed to Billy's place to get the van. Helped a bit Billy and Jack to load the back line and stuff, and started the trip around 13.00. Then I picked up ALECTO guys from Velestino (near Volos) and headed towards Skopje. We passed the borders kinda easy this time and arrived in Skopje at 22.00. Dimitar's (Hardfaced) bro show us the way to their house and then we went for that short walk.

First show tomorrow is in Kraljevo, a 4-5 hour drive from Skopje. 

We will leave around noon after having breakfast with our buddies Dime & local hero Vasko (Bernay's Propaganda, XAXAXA, ex-FPO).

'Night and peace.

Van essentials: NOFX, Oldschool Rednex, Στίχοιμα, Ομίχλη.