Review- Stare by Havenfield

Harrison NY based Havenfield recently released Stare, and listening to it I get a really big Citizen and Balance and Composure vibe. This is their first EP, and it definitely comes out strong and I hope to hear more from these guys. On production, this release gives off a feeling of melancholy, with rough sounding but at the same time subdued guitar parts, and a melodic feeling to the tracks.
 The guitars have very melodic and catchy lead parts, and the riffs are very nice. The bass-lines are tight and give good rhythm to the tracks. The drums are well tracked, and give good movement to the tracks as well. Instrumentally I get a huge Balance and Composure vibe, particularly their release Separation. The effects on this release are very well done, and just add to the strong atmospheric ambiance that the tracks give off.
 Vocally, I get a strong Citizen vibe, but also a Balance and Composure vibe if Jon Simmons vocals were a little lighter. They're strong, and pleasant to listen to and add to the feeling of the tracks. Lyrically this album follows themes of other bands in the genre, it's formulaic and works well for this band. Overall, this release earns itself a 7/10, and I hope to hear alot more from this band in the future, possibly even seeing them play live at some point.

Havenfield's Bandcamp

Staff picks for January/Febuary

These last two months of the new year have seen some really great music, here is what we picked for our top fives.

Scott-

1. Restarter by Torche

2. Disobedient by Stick To Your Guns

3. American Beauty/ American Psycho by Fall Out Boy

4. Soul Sour by BADBADNOTGOOD and Ghostface Killah

5. Viet Cong by Viet Cong

Rouz Bouz

1. Hyperview by Title Fight

2. Non Stop Feeling by Turnstile

3. Supersonic Home by Adventures

4. Disobedient by Stick To Your Guns

5. Cool by Gottem

Stephen

1. Sonic Bloom by Give

2. Fashion Week by Death Grips

3. Non Stop Feeling by Turnstile

4. Hyperview by Title Fight

5. Supersonic Home by Adventures


Nick

1. Juggernaut by Periphery

2. Disobedient by Stick To Your Guns

3. If Youre Reading This Its Too Late by Drake

4. Jack U By Jack U

5. Sour Soul by BADBADNOTGOOD and Ghostface Killah

Upcoming Shows Friday 2/27- Thursday 3/5

Every Thursday or Friday we will be posting shows coming up in the week. The shows that are being brought up are local shows, DYI shows, Fests, tours, general admission shows and ballroom shows. Most of the shows we will be covering are the tri state area with NYC, Long Island, upstate until Albany, New Jeresy, and Connecticut. If there is a big show thats worth traveling we will cover it. Shows are mostly rock so punk, hardcore, ska, metal, indie, alternative and pop punk.
Feb 27
1. Terminal 5- Sleater-Kinney, Lizzo. This is the second show in NYC of the Sleater Kinney reunion tour.
2. Brooklyn Night Bazaar- Have Mercy, Banquets, Reublic of Wolves, Soda Bomb, Heeney. Free show in a really cool venue.
3. Santos Party House- Hostage Calm, Such Gold, Captain We're Sinking. The last Hostage Calm show in NY so you check it plus Such Gold are great live.
4. VFW Post 6431- Shorebreak, Nice Shot Kid, Phase Shifter, Common Wealth, Check Engine Light. Local pop-punk/easycore show in Brentwood, New York.
5. Snapper Magee's- Drug Shock, Blast Mat, Two Fisted Law, The Paddy Wagons. Connecticut punk rock local show.
Feb 28
1. Webster Hall (The Grand Ballroom)- Behemoth, Cannibal Corpse, Aeon, Tribulation. Two insane metal band doing a mega tour with each other.
2. Terminal 5- The Gaslight Anthem, Northcote, The Scandals. Check out that 59 sound rocking the city.
3. ABC No Rio- Tin Vulva, Paisaneska, Numata Su Ingay, Lakras. This is a benefit show for the workers. Any ABC show is great to support because DIY.
4. The Knitting Factory- Screaming Females, Priests, Tenement, Vacation. This is the Rose Mountain release show and there are two shows an afternoon and night show.
5.Saint Vitus- Yacopsae, Bastard Noise, Fistula, Sick/Tired, Psycho, Chainsaw to The Face. Great venue great lineup.
6. The Clash Bar- Hollow Earth, Pharaoh, Divider, Forever Losing Sleep, Hounds. Hollow Earth NJ stop of the tour with killer A389 band Pharaoh.
7. Revolution Music Hall- Society's Downfall, Thirsty!, No Face, Playing Dead, The Shipwrecks. A local hardcore/punk show against cancer.
8. The Grand Victory- In Circles, Warn The Duke, Gangway, But Pyrite, The Worth While Fight. A Saturday matinee for Punk Island New Blood.
9. Cherry St. Station- Two Fisted Law, Jonestown Pizza Party, The Lost Riots, Cry Havoc!, Goat Herder. CT punk/hardcore show.
10. Black Thorn 51- Sworn Enemy, Brick by Brick, Maniac Rise, Anaka, Decimate the Living, The Car Bomb Parade, Patterns of Decay, Descend into Grey, Paralysis. Queens show for Queens legends Sworn Enemy.
March 1
1. The Grand Victory- Nihilistics, The High and The Mighty, Altercation. Rare show for an early NYHC band the Nihilistics.
2. Sinclair's Pub- Hollow Earth, Divider, Annulment, They All Float, Death Dealer. Hollow Earth stop on Long Island with some Long Island locals.
3. The Acheron- The Ukiah Drag, Uniform, Honey, Fur Helmet. Experimental Punk show.
March 2
Saint Vitus- United Nations, Black Clouds, Loud Boyz, Crushed. U.N. a  screamo super group featuring members of Converge, Thursday, and GlassJaw.
March 3
Saint Vitus- Nails, Incendiary, Death Cycle. Nails and Incendiary will destroy this venue dont miss this one.
Palisades- Trash Talk, Ratking, Lee Bannon. Trash Talk first date in NYC.
The Paramount- Dropkick Murphys, The Mahones, Blood or Whiskey, amd Bryan Mcpherson. Dropkick put on hell of a show and this is night two.
March 4
The Paramount- Dropkick Murphys, The Mahones, Blood or Whiskey, and Bryan Mcpherson. The second night in Long Island.
Webster Hall (The Marlin Room)- Trash Talk, Ratking, Lee Bannon, Show Me The Body. The second night of Trash Talk in NYC.
Saint Vitus- Self Defense Family, Makthaverskah, Creative Adult. Support Deathwish bands.
March 5
The Grand Victory- Enziguri, Taxi Driver (Boston), Weird and Pissed Off, Nerves End, The Breaking Sounds.

Interview with Abandoned by Bears

I had the pleasure of speaking to the dudes in Abandoned by Bears recently, and got to ask them a few questions related to their music, some of their favorite music, and touring possibilities. Check it out!

1. Who does what in the band? "Fredric and Leon both do lead vocals, Alexander and Jacob plays guitar, Zebastian plays the drums and I (Gustav) plays the bass."
2. How did you guys start out as a band? "We started out summer 2012 right after both my and Alex and Fredric (at the time a good friend of mine) and Jacobs old bands broke up. We started out with the intention to mix all the sounds we like which in this case was a love for both poppunk and metal/hardcore, instead of choosing a already great drummer which we barley knew we picked a good friend with the idea that he would take the chance, give it all he got and we would be a 100% sure he was a person we would enjoy spending all this time with, so we picked Zebastian. A year later we stumbled upon Leon and it basically felt like he had been a part of the band since the beginning. We tried him out on one of our live shows and the day after he was a part of the band.
3. What do you guys think/expect of the easycore revival? " We don't expect anything but we think it's great! Everything that spreads the word about the genre is amazing! "
4. has the reception to your release When Nothing Goes Right, Go Left! been as good as you had hoped? "Absolutely, for us it's one of the more overwhelming experiences we have had. Spending all that time and hard work on something makes it so much better when you get that good feedback. "
5. What are some of your influences as a band? "We all have such different taste, but you could say it's all from the easycore we play to electronic-lounge-jazz. We are all very open to new stuff and new genres. "
6. What bands are you currently listening to? "As i said earlier we are all very open to new stuff and different sounds. But if we need to keep it somewhat close to the genre we play, I personally have listened alot to the latest New Found Glory and Forever Came Calling albums. I've also have started to listen to some of the older Motion City Soundtrack albums, their 2005 release "Commit this to memory" is a masterpiece. If you haven't heard it, listen to it now!"
7. Do you guys expect to ever tour stateside?
   "Words can't describe how much we want to and if we could we would go yesterday. So with that said im pretty sure we will play the states, the only question is when?"

Thanks again to the guys in Abandoned by Bears, check them out here on their Bandcamp

Review: Always Losing By No One Rules (RIP)

Alright no one rules broke up, which sucks a lot they were the most underrated Long Island band. Always Losing, on Solid Bond Records, is their first and last album ,but God damn it kicks you right in the face. Fast paced hardcore kinda like a skate thrash/hardcore kinda mix, plenty of opportunities to two step and circle pit wishlist keeping it in balance. Honestly Ilove this one of my favorite releases of 2014 I messed up a lot so only saw this band once but man I love this band live their energy the crowds reaction on point. This whole album fells like one big book all the songs just jump into the next no stopping this album at all reminds me of the Cro Mags Age of "Quarrel" in the way it just doesn't stop each song busting in where the last left off.  Overall the album is very very good, but sometimes on a song like Delusion I feel like it has a sick intro than turns into a different song, I mean I don't want the same thing but it sounds so out of place compared to the rest of the song. A lot of time and effort was put into this album its a shame that they broke up/
Overall 9.7/10 RIP I wish theyd do another show
No One Rules Facebook
Solid "we don't ship stuff people order" Records  Bandcamp

Stick To Your Guns, The Amity Affliction, Being As An Ocean, '68, and In Hearts Wake at Gramercy Theatre 2/22/15

Last Sunday Stick To Your Guns played a sold out at Gramercy Theatre in support of their new album Disobedient. It's been over since STYG played NY and the fans were excitied for them.
The first band of the night was In Hearts Wake. In Hearts Wake is an Australian metalcore/post hardcore band. I didn't see all of their set. I got in maybe three songs in. From what I was hearing it seemed alright not really my style but the fans were going off and singing. Plus there was alot of people there for them which is great. I think its safe to say that most Australian metalcore bands do well in American (Parkway Drive, Northlane, Etc).
The second band of the night was '68. '68 are a noise rock duo from Atlanta, Georgia. This is Josh Geogin's new band. He was the lead singer of The Chariot (Long Live!!!) and Norma Jean. I thought this band was a great for a few reasons. Reason one, a noise rock duo playing with metalcore band. Reason two no one got it expect me and five other people. Reason three if you know Josh Geogin you know its going to be different and wild. '68 was wild and I want to see the, again but in a basement or some where small. If you like Noise Rock than check out this new band.
Up Next was Being As An Ocean. BAAO is an Post hardcore band from California. Personally I feel they're a mix of Touche Amore and La Dispute with some metalcore influences. The fans were going crazy for them. I was really digging their material live because I try listening to them multiple times but I couldnt get into it. The lead singer kept coming into the crowd which I love because I believe that's a great big middle finger to barricades. The one thing I didn't like about the singer in the crowd is that no one was on top of each other. At punk rock show the lead singer would be surrounded by fans on top of each other. At BAAO fans just sang and surrounded the singer. Overall I recommend seeing them.
The Fourth band of the night was The Amity Affliction. TAA are another Australian metalcore band and its cool that STYG brought some Australian bands out for this tour. I wasn't really into them. Very generic metalcore band with the clean vocals on the side but the crowd was really into them. I'm not taking anything from this band because I'm not really into that style of music but for this band I see they got a big following. It seems more girls are into this band and I wasn't interested into the sound. The only thing I liked about this band is that the bassist had a Converge shirt on haha but if you are into metalcore like this than I recommend The Amity Affliction.
The final band of the night the one and only Stick To Your Guns. This will be my seventh time seeing them. STYG are a hardcore/ Melodic hardcore band from Orange County, California. STYG came out and Gramercy theatre erupted. STYG set was mixed in with mostly their albums Diamond and Disobedient. Its rare to hear older songs from them expect their staples "Amber" and "What Goes Around". That's not bad but STYG always plays a good show. This is one of the bands that got me into hardcore and I've been a fan since 2010. There was a few disppointments about this show. 1. Half the place left after The Amity Affliction which sucks for Stick To Your Guns. 2. It seem like STYG focused alot on the upcoming breakdown in the song. It felt more metalcore than hardcore. 3. I really didn't like We Still Believe in acoustic setting but I respect them for doing that. Overall I still loved them and I could see them over 100 times. One thing i truly loved was the STYG asked for three circle pits and people did that. It's rare for people out are hardcore/metalcore going off for circle pit more than once. If Stick To Your Guns comes to a town near you go seem them it's worth it.
Stick To Your Guns 9/10
The Amity Affliction 7.5/10
Being As An Ocean 8.5/10
'68 10/10
In Hearts Wake 7.5/10
The Gramercy Theatre 8/10
Concert 8/10

Review- Restarter by Torche

Just today, Stoner/Sludge/Doom metal band Torche put out their record Restarter, and after a good listen I have to say one thing, TONES. By far this is one of the most noisy records I have heard this year, with a crunchy and loud tone this definitely classifies as one of these "wall of sound" type records. Using a lot of reverb and at such a high volume, you are certainly in for a great, loud listening experience.                                                                                                                          Production wise this record is very good, and again, loud. The use of reverb and spill is done in such a way that it gives the record a very ambient feeling. Some tracks are very gloomy, as is the case with the first track, but others are more fast paced, as the case with say the fourth track. The drums are very well recorded, and vary between a mid to fast tempo beat depending on the track. The bass tone is really nice, and gives great beat and atmosphere to the tracks when spilled over the guitars.
  Vocally this release reminds me alot of other stoner/sludge/doom metal acts, peticularly the band Black Pyramid. Strong atmospheric vocals on this record make it just that much more enjoyable. This record is for certain for fans of Black Pyramid, Elder, Acid King and Stoned Jesus. Overall, this release gets an 8/10 for strong production, instrumentals and vocals, a great release from Torche.

Listen to Torche's new record here
 

Review - You’re Gonna Miss It All by Modern Baseball

Hey guys! Here we are again with “You’re Gonna Miss It All” by the still fairly new Emo/Pop-Punk band Modern Baseball who got their start as an acoustic duo from Maryland and later acquired their bassist and drummer after moving on to college at Drexel College.  So if you go to Drexel you might have heard of them, and if not, you’re missing it all!

            From the first second I listened to You’re Gonna Miss It All, I fell in love with Brendan Lukens’ vocals accompanied by Jakes not to mention the lyrical composition.  The subject matter is that of a down college student who merely notices things as he grows up and starts to take these experiences and look back on them as he relates them to his life now.  There are plenty of bands that can write songs about heartbreak and all that other unnecessary crap because who needs love when you’re famous and just writing these songs to fill albums (right?).  The thing that sets Modern Baseball is the fact that Brendan knows how to mock himself and bring himself down in a way where the listener can feel like they’re going through it with him in songs like “Rock Bottom”, “Fine, Great”, and “Apartment”, Brendan will take you through every girl he had ever met and fallen in love with and how it went until the eventual end.  He also knows how to incorporate a lot of modern problems about how Facebook, instagram, twitter, etc. really can break a relationship, and I feel that this fact makes the album a lot more real.  This album will have you feel and relate from the very beginning until the very end.

            Here come the unfortunate dislikes with the album.   Now I talked a lot about the subject matter but vocally Brendan and Jake are very monotonous this whole album with respect to the pitch that they sing the songs in.  There is very little variation in the way they go about singing.  Now I’m not knocking their vocal style because it obviously works very well for them but I like my album with a little more color on such an instrumentally sound album.   And the same goes for their production, instrumentally the production is A+ but the album is a lot of high end and not a ton of low end or bass, but that’s not a deal breaker.

            In the end, I really liked this album from start to finish.  I’ll give this one an 8/10.

All Out War, Xibalba, Rude Awakening, Absolute Suffering, Jukai, and Brick By Brick at AMH 2/20/15

Last night All Out War played at Amityville Music Hall in Amityville, New York. It's been awhile since this band played Long Island. Xibalba also played last night and it was their east coast record release show for their new album Tierra Y Libertad. The other bands that played last night was Rude Awkening, Absolute Suffering, Jukai, and Brick by Brick. Just by reading the title you know right off the bat there was a warzone last night.
The Venue last night Amityville Music Hall is one of the best venue right now for the Long Island scene. Almost every hardcore show is here and its always a good time. This was my 10th time being there. The only problem about with the venue is when its a pack out show its hard to move around but people always manage. Also this place is run well and the owner of the place I say thank you for the shows that I've seen there and I plan to come back more often.
The first band of the night was Brick By Brick. Brick By Brick are  a hardcore band from Troy, New York (TroyCore). This was my second time seeing them. My first time was at Black N Blue. I can't recall the first time but this time they were descent. This band is a little bit on the generic side but give off a good live performance.The crowd gave them a little bit of a pit but overall they were descent. They bring back that metallic hardcore sound from the 90's I recommend seeing them if you are into that style.
The next band was Jukai. Jukai is a haardcore/metalcore band from Long Island. First note the crowd went off. It's safe to say that LIHC people represented a band from their area last night quite well. Jukai was very heavy and I was really hype finally seeing this Long Island local band. Their stage performance was fantasic and the crowd just ate it up song after song. To be honest I wish they played a longer set.
Absolute Suffering was the next band and they were alot heavier than I thought they will be. Absloute Suffering are from Springfield, Mass and they actual replace The Banner last night because The Banner had to drop. A.S. did make up for it though and for a band thats unknown they kick butt. The crowd let loose during their set. This band also are a hardcore/metal band. If you get a chance to see this band do it.
Rude Awakening was probably the most traditional hardcore band of the night. R.A. are from Merrimack Valley, New England. (MVHC) The crowd mosh and stage dive for them. A young kid got on the stage a sang the last verse of the first song. Rude Awakening are a really good live band. The younger crowd was going off for them because they are a new band. Dont miss out if they came by you.
Since the fall of 2013 I've been waiting to Xibalba and it was worth waiting. Xibalba are from Pomona, California and they fuse hardcore and death metal. Xibalba are extremely heavy and violent band. They were great the only problem was the crowd not going off. Yes the breakdown hit and people were going after each other but i mean no circle pits and not alot of head banging. It's seems people were just waiting for the breakdown but this not take anything away from the band. It was great finally seeing them and they were unstoppable. I want them to come back already and probably hardest band right now.
All Out War was All Out War.This was my second time seeing them and they are alot better the second time around. The first I saw them was at Black n Blue and they didn't really interest me. Last night was alot different. People going off and I guess the older crowd that was there felt back in the 90's. Most of the bands last night are influence by this band so seeing the creators of this style of hardcore was awesome. The pit was very ignorant and it got crazy. All Out War is probably the heaviest old school band and their proved that point last night.
All Out War 9/10
Xibalba 9.5/10
Rude Awakening 9/10
Absolute Suffering 8.5/10
Jukai 8.5/10
Brick By Brick 8/10
Amityville Music Hall 9/10
Concert Overall 8.5

Review- Devotion EP by Boulders

Rochester easycore outfit Boulders released their Devotion EP last night, and giving it a listen, this is a strong easycore release, stronger than most easycore bands out there in a scene that lacks bands, good or even at all.
 Production wise this EP is very strong, with a positive, energetic feeling to it. There aren't any audible hiccups on the recordings and everything is very audible. The instrumental and vocal tracking is very strong, and leads to a very strong and pleasant listening experience. Instrumentally this band has some strong riffs and leads, and I can draw some commonalities to bands such as Chunk! No Captain Chunk! and Set Your Goals. The drums give a great feeling to the tracks and are easy to move to, and the basstone is very nice on this release.
 Vocally this band is stronger than most bands in this genre, and have a great transition between yelling, singing and metal styled vocals. I get a really strong, and good vibe from them for sure. There are also some great genere crossing elements, with some thrash and traditional metal themes sonically.  Lyrically this band follows the general theme of pop punk/easycore lyric material but it works for this band, making for some catchy banger tracks. Overall, this release gets an 8/10 as it comes out strong, and is definitely enjoyable but doesn't do anything extremely unique and jaw dropping. I'd highly recommend listening to this release.

Boulders bandcamp

Review- Juggernaut:Alpha and Juggernaut:Omega by Periphery

Yes that’s right folks the time has come for the long awaited release of Juggernaut: Alpha and Juggernaut: Omega from the hard-hitting Maryland based band Periphery.  Placing at number 22 in the charts during its opening week, Juggernaut opens with a song called “One Black Minute” depicting life in the occult including human sacrifice and mothers being hung upside down, thus bringing us to the concept of this album.  Now they didn’t reveal an insane amount about what it actually is and what it all means, spencer only said that he gained a lot of influence from his knowledge of the occult. 

            Periphery has been in the game long enough to know what they wanted this and all of their albums to sound like, so it’s needless to say there were little to no production problems to this album.  My only gripe thus far with the album would be how much of the album they actually leaked before it came out,  after all the leaked songs there were only give or take 6 or 7 songs that we hadn’t heard.   The common fan would jump at this chance to hear the new and coming material but I sat there shaking my head because with all of this coming out onto youtube, who needed to pre order the album and take away the excitement of ripping open that packaging like a toy on Christmas day and just having that rush of adrenaline you get from the first listen off of a fresh album, having said that, I digress back to the material.

            In terms of material, this album really shows how far periphery has come from their first release.  It’s a really nice blend of all 4 albums (2 albums and 2 EP’s to be exact) that came before it, with the raw brutality of P1 and the technicality and orgasmic production value of P2 this long awaited record was the exact breath of fresh air that Periphery’s fan base needed.  They’ve teased their fans for a good 2 years before releasing any sort of real material before playing the song “Psychosphere” at Revolution Bar and Music Hall in Amityville, New York on their Escape From The Studio Tour in 2014.  From there they released my personal favorite “The Scourge” onto youtube and so on and so forth.

            All in all, the material is fresh and unlike anything they’ve ever released, from the (dare I say) “ballad track” that is “Heavy Heart” to the sheer heaviness that is “The Bad Thing,” I cant really point out anything REALLY wrong with either Alpha or Omega so ill give this bad boy a 9/10.

Review- Some Divine Ashtray by Fero Lux

In 2012, Ft Lauderdale based mathcore band Fero Lux put out Some Divine Ashtray. I did not know what to expect going into this as I am not all too familiar with Mathcore. But this is arguebly one of the best local releases I've heard in a long time, even if it is a little older. It's so beautifully sporadic and well put together at the same time. Something else that this release does in my opinion is create a great sense of sonic imagery, where you can just imagine something to the music.
 Production wise, this release is stellar, and gives this great feeling of just sporadic and anxious rage. The instrumentals are very in your face at some points, but very mathy and complex in others. This feeling of disorganization ruminates through the whole record but far from in a bad way. The guitars have some great leads and catchy, complex riffs, the bass has a great tone to it that you can certainly feel through the whole record. The drums give great feeling and keep a really good pace with the tracks.
 Vocally I am absolutely just, enamored with this record. The tonality of the vocals makes for a unique and interesting listening experience. The switch from these high falsettos to low, normal metal sounding vocals to a skramzy style is something I've rarely heard on a record before, I draw a lot of similarities to the band Protest the Hero, and that's certainly something good I think.
 Do I think this release deserves a ten, yes, absolutely. I can't find a single thing that I don't like on this record, and I HIGHLY recommend picking it up off of the band's bandcamp. Keep an eye on these guys, I expect they're gonna go really far someday.

10/10

Fero Lux's bandcamp

Review- View From The Shelf by North Runner

Today, Suffern New York based North Runner released View From The Shelf, their second EP. After giving both a listen I can say that this is a strong follow up to the first release, All That I've Got. This band is definitely for fans of Balance and Composure, 2012 Title Fight (Floral Green), Turnover and Into It. Over It.
 Production wise, this record is fairly well done, my only complaint is that the recording quality sounds somewhat grainy on certain tracks, particularly on the second track. Other than that, it gives for an exciting, emotional release that you can definitely stage dive or whatever pop punk kids do now a days. Instrumentally this EP shines as a more emotional, exciting record than their other ones. The guitar leads and riffs are very well put together, and remind me of Floral Green or Separation. The bass is excellent, and on the title track, the intro bass line is absolutely stellar. The drums are well put together, and give a nice beat to the tracks as a whole, the cymbal use is great and gives a feel very similar to other bands in the genre such as Balance and Composure.
 Vocally, I'm satisfied with the EP, but they aren't anything very unique or special. They give me a a feeling of Title Fight on some tracks, Balance on others which I think works for the tracks that this band is trying to do. Overall, I have to give this EP a 8/10, because from what they came from on their first release, to now, is absolutely great, and overall leads to an enjoyable listen. I would wholeheartedly reccomend listening to this release.

North Runner's Bandcamp

Review- Welcome To The West Coast by Lionheart

Northern California based hardcore band Lionheart put out Welcome To The West Coast in 2014, and is a strong followup to their 2012 release Undisputed. This album follows the general format of modern, west coast hardcore, a formula that works for this band.
 Production wise, this album is very good, with no audible audio hiccups, as well as everything being very audible and clear, as well as being adrenaline pumping and exciting. The instrumentals are very solid, with the very notable west coast hardcore style that we all know. The leads and riffs are typical but they work very well for what this band is doing, trying to make hard hitting hardcore. The drums are solid and give great rythm to the track and overall great, as is the bass.
 Track wise this release has seven tracks, of which my favorite are Rest in Power, Hail Mary and Wasteland. They follow the general theme of west coast hardcore, however as I said, it absolutely works and makes for a great record to listen to. This band's release only makes me more excited for another full length, which leaves me to give this release a solid 7/10.

Check out some of Lionhearts songs here.

Review- Keep You by Painos Become The Teeth

Baltimore based Pianos Become The Teeth released Keep You in October, and I have to say it's certainly different than their other releases such as Old Pride or The Lack There After. This record keeps to the haunting, almost painful music of Pianos but adds a softer undertone to it, the vocals are not screamed at all such as on other releases, but keep that same haunting feeling. After listening to this album and older releases, I can draw a lot of connections to what Title Fight did with Hyperview, with the adding of a shoegaze element into their music. Basically they made shoegaze not boring, this record was definitely exciting to listen to, in a somber kind of way.
 Instrumentally, the record has a lot to offer, with melodic harmonies and catchy riffs, nice bass and great drum work. The production quality on this one is also very good, as you can hear everything clearly, and without anything in the way of roughness on the recording. Vocally is where this album really shines, as they took a more subdued vocal style to the skramzy vocals that they did on previous releases. It fits the current shoegaze trend without sounding like The Smiths and that I can appreciate more than anything. And that's why this release gets a solid 8/10.

Listen to Keep You here

Review- If Youre Reading This Its Too Late by Drake

    Canadian rapper Drake has been met with a lot of success in the game, however does he have enough credibility to release a mixtapewithout any sort of hype or marketing? Apparently so, with the release of If Youre Reading This Its Too Late. This mixtpae makes for Drake's fourth mixtape, and is a strong followup to 2009's So Far So Gone. This could be considered an album and a mixtape interchangeably.
 To start, this mixtape is very well produced, the beats are easy to move to and have great feeling to them. The samples have elements of R&B along with elements of classic hip hop and the synth in the background is a nice touch for sure. Drake himself on this album comes out strong, his tone changing from track to track from a higher pitch to a lower, His verses are strong as are the hooks to the tracks. Lyrically this however is nothing special when it comes to Drake, but this formula works for him. Overall, I give this mixtape a solid 7/10, and I am certainly anticipating his next album.
 

Review- Outlook (Instrumental EP) by Azure Noise

New York based Post Rock/Post Hardcore project Azure Noise released Outlook in 2013. I don't know a whole lot about the band outside of their material on bandcamp, however they're definitely worth listening to. This release is extremely atmospheric, and the instruments are phenomenally recorded.
 Instrumentally this band is all I could ever want, atmospheric, yet fast paced instrumentals. The guitar riffs and harmonies are excellent and overall very relaxing to listen to. The drums are very audible on this release, and add a great rhythm to the tracks themselves. The bass is definitely well done, and overall makes for a great listen. Some of my favorite tracks on this release are Promises and Broken.
 I got a chance to speak to Mark Valentino, who told me that new material should be out by the summer with any luck. Keep an eye out on this band, they're definitely something cool and I hope for nothing but the best for them. Hopefully the new record will be just as good as this, and their other material, I'll be giving this record an 8/10

Azure Noise

Review- The Lame Mistakes by Pompo and the Community College Rejects

Self proclaimed Clown Punk//Pop Punk outfit Pompo and the Community College Rejects have been a force to be reckoned with in groups on Facebook like The Defend Pop Punk Group. With a huge internet fanbase and a strong entertainment value I have to say that these guys have earned a place in my heart as one of the most entertaining bands I've listened to, and yet still haven't seen.
 The band follows the general music style of pop punk that most of us are familiar with. And the instruments are well produced and put together, with catchy riffs and drum patterns which are easy to move to. Overall the production quality on this EP is really good, and makes for an easy listen.
 The lyricism is where this release really shines, with lyrics relating to the internet, a certain Cuban vegan straight edge ukulele girl whom I have interviewed on this blog and not getting banned from DPPG, this album is an absolute gasser. The entertainment value is where I have to give this release its points, but instrumentally it's just what it is marketed as, pop punk. Overall, this album earns an 8/10, mainly because of the superb entertainment value of this release. It's absolutely unique and something rare to see in a genre that seems to take itself way too seriously.

Pompo The Clown and the Community College Rejects bandcamp

Review- Piece of You by Light Fire Down

 Light Fire Down is a melodic punk/pop punk band from Weymouth UK, and I got a chance to listen to their second EP, Piece of You. I'm fairly impressed honestly, because this does not sound like anything that comes out of England, nor anything that contemporary pop punk. This record would be for fans of West Coast pop punk/melodic punk or Patent Pending.
 To start, the production value on this record is very good, very crisp but my only gripe is that the vocals seem somewhat subdued, perhaps they aren't loud enough or that is just me losing my hearing. Regardless of that, the instrumentals are great and well put together on the release. The guitar riffs are catchy, and the drums are nice and fast paced. The basslines are also very well put together which is a big plus for me.
  Vocally they have a feel that is very similar to Patent Pending or The Offspring if they were a little more subdued. Overall they are pleasant to listen to and I don't have any particular issues with them. The lyrics are formulaic of the genre, about girls in one way or another but that's just nitpicking, as they make for a relate able and enjoyable record. Overall, this release gets an 8/10 because it's actually fairly unique from other pop punk/melodic punk bands are doing now.

Buy Light Fire Down's release here

Review- All This Time I've Felt Like Nothing by Take Care

Maryland based pop punk act put out this record in October of 2014, and after giving it a listen I am thoroughly impressed. For a pop punk band this record is not generic and well produced and that I give alot of points to them for. To start, this record is incredibly well produced, there aren't many audio hiccups, and it sounds very crisp.
  The instrumentals are formulaic to the pop punk genre, but it clearly works for this band. The guitars have a bit of a crunch to them, and the bass is audible and adds a good feeling to the tracks. The drums are well tracked and overall very solid. The vocals are where this band really shines I think. The high notes are well hit, and add to the catchyness and clarity of the lyricism. Lyrically this band follows the pop punk mold, writing about girls, love, loss and the like, but honestly as the band says in their description, they aren't trying to change anything about the genre, overall they're catchy and lead to a banger of a record. I could definitely see this band taking off, and I would like to see it actually, as they have alot of talent.

Overall, this record gets a solid 7/10, as they arent doing anything super unique, but it's certainly fun and enjoyable.

Take Care's Bandcamp

Regulate interview

Tonight we got to speak to Sebastian from Regulate, we got to ask him a few questions and we froze our asses off doing that, so thanks again to him for doing the interview!

PB- First tell us who does what in the band
"I write all the lyrics and we get together for practice, and usually Kevin or Jarred the two guitarists they have a riff in mind and they play that and we all feed off of that. Usually harry comes up with his own shit and DanMax does his own thing also. So usually the guitarists come up with a riff and we just base off of that."

PB- So how did you guys come together as a band

"So 2013 harry and Kevin and I were on tour, I was doing merch for two of the bands they were in, No Good News and Bellwether and one of them had an idea like hey we should start a hardcore band when we get home, and I was like yeah we should. And then we got home and January 26th I remember the day cos’ I got into a car accident that day and went to a show after and my parents got really mad, but anyway, we hit up our old bassist jarred and got together and recorded it in Kevin's basement and put it up on Facebook. So really somebody had the idea on tour."

PB-What are your major influences as a band

"I guess just new York hardcore bands, District Nine, Madball, Bulldoze, Burn, stuff like that."

4. Have you been able to use regulate as a platform for issues that mean something to you?

"Nothing like politically or socially, ya’ know its more of a platform for myself to scream about whatever I want really."

5. Now you guys played FYA fest a while back how was that for you?

"That was crazy, one of our friends said that one of the bands couldn't play anymore so if we could get to Florida, we could play. So then two days later we drove down and played, it was absolutely incredible."

6. Do you think FYA got a lot more people into regulate

"Yeah definitely, I mean its the first fest we ever played, the farthest south we've played was Richmond. That fest was the most people we ever played to hands down, crazy overwhelming and definitely more people know about us now."

7. What does Straight edge mean to you?

"Uh, I dunno I guess its like, its just not a thing in my mind, i’ll be straight edge for the rest of my life but its not a conscious thing anymore. If somebody offers me a drink i’ll just say no thanks now. When I was younger I was definitely a dickhead about it, like why the fuck would I want to drink, but now that i'm almost an adult, its more like, to answer, its just abstaining from things that aren't right for me, but I don't give a shit if anybody else does it."

8. whats your favorite thing about Long Island hardcore

"That there are a group of 30 to 40 kids that go to all the shows, and they range from all ages and even if were not friends we acknowledge each other. Since Long Island isn't that big, its cool to see them every time. I’m not originally from here, I moved here from Brooklyn when I was ten but I always went to long island shows, so it means everything to me. I love it, I wouldn't wanna live anywhere else."

9 Favorite Long Island Band currently?

"Currently, King nine, No Good News, Incendiary."

10. Any shoutouts?

"Shout out to long island fuckin’ New York, lobster gang, bellwether,  no good news, king nine, just everybody, all of long island, Bob Wilson the guy who put us on FYA fest, Scanlon who books all our shows on long island, him and Jake Zimmerman are fuckin' the reason hardcore shows on long island still happen. You guys, thanks for doing this, I've never done an interview before so yeah."

Regulate's Bandcamp