The last few months... (LP edition)

BIG WATER - I'm here to drink Nattys and fuck Shit up, and I'm all out of Things to fuck up
BIG WATER are three guys out of Kansas City, Missouri who blend Noise-Rock, Screamo, Post-Hardcore and Mathcore. With its spastic nature and its goofy song titles this feels like something that came out in the early 2000s. Think FEAR BEFORE, DAUGHTERS or TRANSISTOR TRANSISTOR. It's that kind of nervousness that doesn't allow anything to stick in your head, but then again, songs and parts just fly by in a hurry, with not one of the 14 tracks cracking the 3-minute-mark. Therefore, this is nowhere near boring. To me this is more of a record that feels really cool on first impression but kind of lacks in the long haul. I truly appreciate their effort though. (Bandcamp)

BLACK INK STAIN - Incidents
"Incidents" fascinates me. There are not many records in 2021 that got more spins from me and the sole reasons for this is, that I couldn't comprehend that one album to this very day. This is monotony in its purest form, up to the point where I'm questioning myself if I'm listening to the same song all over again or if this just might be one huge song?! Neither is true, in fact. The repetition is a form of art here, just like the masters of monotony, UNSANE, used to operate. At times this is as ugly as any UNSANE-record but the French men also love their epic melodies, their JESUS LIZARD-like silliness, the calculated simmer of SHELLAC and the famous but oh so irresistible HELMET-Groove... and all that with the make up of today. I'm a sucker for those thrilling build-ups and the big and heavy riffs, just put this on repeat for me and I'll keep nodding my head til' the end of day, without questioning anything ever again. (Bandcamp)

DUCHAMP - Slingshot Anthems
German supergroup with (former) members of DONOTS, WATERDOWN, PALE and SCHROTTGRENZE. "Slingshot Anthems" is an obvious homage to the likes of LIFETIME, KID DYNAMITE or NONE MORE BLACK and the band doesn't hide their intentions a bit, even delivering some prominent guest spots with the likes of Jason Shevchuk (KID DYNAMITE, NONE MORE BLACK), Dave Smalley (DAG NASTY, etc.) and Brian McTernan (BE WELL). This works pretty well throughout as this nice, little tribute album that's just there for the fun of it. And you can tell that the band had lots of joy recording and writing these songs. It's no "Germany's Best Dancers" but it's a sureshot if you're in that style of Hardcore/Punk. (Bandcamp)

FEVER STRIKE - Spin
"Fever Strike blends a progressive style in the vein of Snapcase and Turnstile, while keeping to the roots of hardcore". So it is written on the band's Bandcamp-Site. And yeah, that hits the nail on the head. The shouter reminds me a lot of Daryl Taberski and also musically there are some similarities, but FEVER STRIKE are way faster and way more to the point. Still the variety is extremely solid if you take into account that this debut album is merely 17 minutes long. I especially love the guitars who are killing it. This is a neat record that proves that Hardcore in 2021 is on a clear upward trend!  (Bandcamp) 

GENOSHA - Our Consequence
These guys out of Virginia quite possibly flew under several radars, since this is already their 4th Full Length after their formation in 2014. If you like SHAI HULUD, A LIFE IN YOUR WAY, IT PREVAILS or even 7 ANGELS 7 PLAGUES and early MISERY SIGNALS you should definitely check this out. This is some break-y, very metallic and harsh Hardcore with just the right amount of melody to keep it bearable for not all too experienced listeners. (Bandcamp)

HAWAK - nuoc
This got quite the hype among Screamo listeners. Dave Norman called "nuoc" a potential album of the year and in all seriousness, do you disagree with the most important "Skramz"-figure of the last 10 or so years? You don't have to, cause this seriously slaps. Featuring former MATSURI members, these veterans know what they do. HAWAK deliver heavy KIDCRASH vibes, which is a good thing as I was totally into them during their "Jokes"-phase. Also this sounds somehow like NATIVE but definitely more emotive. HAWAK in general combine the technical aspect of said bands with screamo ferocity and beautiful, heartfelt melodies. This is great and passionate stuff that brings me the nostalgia big time but somehow manages to feel unique all the way through. (Bandcamp) 

HUNDREDS OF AU - Acting from Remote Satellites
Album number three from these New Jersey-natives centered around the almighty Tom Schlatter. They once again bring the Screamo goods. It's nothing groundbreaking, nothing you'd not expect and maybe just maybe it's a bit too much "by the books", but if you like the predecessors or some other Schlatter-related Bands you will be satisfied with this one. (Bandcamp)

ORPHAN DONOR - Unraveled
This just might be the most heaviest album to torture my ears since... the last ORPHAN DONOR-album?! The opener is already heavier and meaner than anything from last year's "Old Patterns". Altogether this is one big "MORE"-record. "Unraveled" is more heavy, it's more complex, it's more insane, it's more chaotic, it's more epic and what baffles me the most, it's way more melodic than "Old Patterns". Mastermind Jared Stimpfl took a more Sludge- and Noise-orientated approach on this new album but it's also really artistic. There's much beauty to be found in this ugly, uncomfortable, ominously bastard of a record. (Bandcamp)

PIET ONTHEL - ambo(l)enitaksu(p)odulu
This is a solo project out of Malaysia that wears its influences on its sleeve. The blistering Emoviolence has a lot in common with legends like ORCHID, JEROMES DREAM or LOUISE CYPHRE. That being said, the melodic edge, the thin production and the somewhat melancholic feeling of this album gives it a different touch. (Bandcamp)

QUICKSAND - Distant Populations
The 4th QUICKSAND album is no surprise by any means. The uncertainty was higher four years ago, when they released their comeback record "Interiors". "Distant Populations" is a QUICKSAND record as you'd expected, but I still like this more than its predecessor. The production is better, pretty lively indeed, still the guitars have more crunch to it. The album is heavy on slow, half-ballads but I think they do a good job with songs like "Brushed" or "Phase 90". "Distant Populations" is no "Slip" but it borrows more from it than "Interiors" did. This probably is what their comeback should've sounded like as it combines the heavy riffin' stuff from the 90s with the dreamy, calmed down sections in a more satisfying way. I enjoy "Distant Populations", but it's no revolution, at best it's a solid evolution from QUICKSAND's 2017-outing. (Bandcamp)

THE RAGING NATHANS - Waste my Heart
The Artwork for "Waste my Heart" is probably more of a joke cause this is straight up Pop-Punk. THE RAGING NATHANS don't reinvent the wheel but they know what they do, they do it in a sincere and honest way and they sound fresh, despite being a band for twelve long years now. If I'd had to come up with a comparison, i'd say that this settles right in between FACE TO FACE, NO USE FOR A NAME and THE LAWRENCE ARMS. It's even cleaner than any of those bands ever sounded but the trio just gets away with all the sweet near-cheesiness they produce during this 30+ minutes. Songs like "Out of Touch" or the Title Track are smashers, while the second half of the record has some flaws. (Bandcamp)

SNAG. - Death Doula
This is SNAG.'s second LP clocking in at a tight length of 18 minutes. This is still pretty packed and divers though, with a song like "Purgatory", bringing the LOMA PRIETA-like chaos in 70 seconds, standing next to the nearly 5-minute long epic of "Paradigm Shift", that walks the route of FUNERAL DINER. SNAG. sound nostalgic and modern at the same time and with that mentality they just fit perfectly into the stuff that was being released the last couple of years by labels like Zegema Beach or Middle Man Records. Besides the horns, that add some orginality to their style, this is nothing new but at the same time it's done pretty well and with a lot of passion. (Bandcamp)

STARS HOLLOW - I want to live my Life
Something for the broken hearts, right out of Iowa. STARS HOLLOW's debut album caters to fans of the new wave of Emo, specifically speaking this is in the vein of TINY MOVING PARTS, ORIGAMI ANGEL or NIIICE.. Their songs are more slower, melancholic and melodic though. The beautiful intro sets the tone for a record that is put together really well, eventhough the trio never tries to innovate on that kind of style. The lyrics are pretty emo-ish and cheesy at times but I think that's a strong point of the album, at least if you're a "trained" Emo-listener. So get you your hanky and check out these gentlemen! (Bandcamp)

TRIGGERMAN - A Place in the Sun
This has to be the surprise of the year, at least in my books. I know TRIGGERMAN's 1992-album "Dead like me" for a long time now and I think they flew under the radar quite a bit, but then again, it was not like that this album was some kind of overlooked masterpiece. It was a solid slap of Melodic (Post-)Hardcore and then TRIGGERMAN disbanded in 1995. In 2012 they came togehter for a re-recorded collection of older songs, probably planning or speaking about a new record, but what do I know? So, what do you expect in 2021? A band that wasn't that well known in the early 90s come back with their revival-album and yeah, for sure, they fly once again under the radar. This time around it's kinda different and maybe, just maybe some folks will call "A Place in the Sun" an overlooked gem in the 2030s or 2040s. But yeah, what do I know? What I know is, that this is an amazing album! This is not just your usual "we come together once again cause we're bored daddies who want to re-live our wild twenties"-kind of album. This is serious. "A Place in the Sun" is a concept album spawning over four sides of 12-inch, with a coherent story that deals with existensialism, modern society and the hyper-technological world we ought to live in. Lyrically this is some awesome stuff that totally belongs in 2021. TRIGGERMAN also pack it up musically as this is their best and most ambitious stuff yet. At heart this is still Post-Hardcore or Post-Punk but it's breaking borders in every kind of way. You probably could call this "Post-Hardcore goes Prog-Rock", if you like. TRIGGERMAN experiment from the beginning of the record 'til the very end, even incorporating some electronics and numerous samples, but still they never ever forget their roots. Even when "A Place in the Sun" is an hour-long affair that has some weaker moments no doubt, I'm impressed of the high quality, the inspiring lyricsm, the kick-ass character of songs like "Long Way Down" and "A Place in the Sun" or the anthemic character in songs like "How did we get here?". Do yourself a favour and check this out so you can tell all the late bloomers in 20 years that you knew this album when it was released. (Bandcamp)

WIRED SHUT - Tomorrow fades away
New project with former members of SLAPSHOT and SINKING SHIPS. Yeah, right, this is no Shoegaze-Snoozefest nor is it your arty-farty Post-Rock with songs clocking in at 17 minutes. In fact, the whole record is over before that. "Tomorrow fades away" is stripped down to the bones and just pure and evil Hardcore to fuck your life off with tons of hate and pessimism. But it's no Poser or Tough Guy-Bullshit, it's full of power, groovy parts, cool speed changes and memorable lyrics. You can hear both of the mentioned ex-bands in this but I also get heavy CEREMONY or even DANGERS-vibes when listening to WIRED SHUT, which is quite nice. This is top notch Hardcore that got totally overlooked since being released back in June. (Bandcamp)