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Joski – Chorus

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This is the first single from Joski featuring three new tracks, ‘Chorus,’ ‘I’m the enemy,’ and ‘Close.’ This is their second CD and marks their signing to Casket Music. The information sheet called this an EP but I would class it as a single because there are only three songs, and the first track is the name of it, but there you go.

The first track here, ‘Chorus’ is a good helping of Punk Rock. This is a fine helping of Melodic Punk Rock and is presented in a truly British way. The vocals show no signs of turning American on you as they are extremely British and unlike many bands out there, this band seem to be proud of their accents and use them with great enthusiasm. The vocals on this one are truly melodic and create a really relaxed environment so you can put your feet up and listen away. The drumming here is extremely strong, and there is a great sound being produced from the guitars so this is an all round great tune which is well worth listening to. This has been chosen as the single and you can see why, it is a strong track with extremely melodic vocals and a very laid back feel about it. This is one that I won’t be forgetting in a hurry and will probably be playing for months. The second track on show here is ‘I’m The Enemy,’ another tune of Punk Rock fineness. This is another laid back, melodic Punk tune and again has been carried out really well. The drumming is fast and furious, the guitar playing smooth and the vocals amazingly melodic. This is still a good tune, but nowhere near as good as the first track as ‘Chorus’ is an amazing tune and any songs after that will struggle to beat it. It is good none the less and is still well worth a listen. Sometimes you can find with singles that the main track is good but the others have been put on just to build up the numbers a bit but with this, it is definitely not the case as it is a good song too and not lacking. The last track here, ‘Close,’ is another highly melodic tune with relaxed guitars, slower drumming, and mellow vocals. This is the mellowest of the three tracks and although it is mellow I still like it, it is my least favourite of the three but even still, it is certainly not a bad track and really holds itself together.

So, here are three tracks of melodic Punk Rock that are well worth a listen and well worth you buying, even if it is just for the amazing ‘Chorus.’ You can ask for this at HMV as they can order it in for you because it is being distributed worldwide by Plastichead so make sure you get out there and tell them how much you love Joski. Also, make sure you request it to be played on all of the major radio stations and hopefully we can get ‘Chorus’ some serious airplay and get those singles selling out!

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3 Colours Red – Repeat To Fade

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This is the latest single from reformed UK band 3 Colours Red who in the old days had 8 top 40 singles and two top 20 albums so they now have a lot to live up to in their reformation. This single has 3 tracks, the first being the title of the single, ‘Repeat To Fade’ and the other 2 being ‘Shopping Trolley Children’ And ‘Vitriol.’ They are all great tracks in typical 3 Colours Red style and show that splitting up and reforming has only made them stronger and has done no harm to them as a band. I can see why they have chosen this song as a single as it is extremely powerful and definitely shows 3 Colours Red at their best. ‘Repeat To Fade’ is a great track as it is a strong tune that does well to keep your attention throughout and shows no signs of being boring. The guitar playing is extremely strong and I feel that this is what makes the band so powerful as it is what makes them stand out from the pack. The other two tracks are also of a good 3 Colours Red standard although I feel that they have chosen their single wisely as it is the most powerful track on here and blows the other two away without a shadow of a doubt.

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Household Name Records 2002 Sampler Compilation

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Ok, this is a compilation CD comprising of some of the best bands on Household Name Records with many different genres of music coming in here, with the downright punk rock, the plain hardcore, and the infectious skacore. The label strives to get the best music out their, and in my opinion they definitely do this because every band that they sign have considerable talent for what they do and this CD certainly reflects this.

The many different styles on show here show bands of an extremely high calibre with the best tracks from all of your favourite bands. You have the Skacore on this CD represented by Milton Keynes very own Capdown, and the track which they provide for this CD is the skank inducing ‘Faith No More.’ This is an extremely heavy track, showing Capdown’s fine Skacore at its best as this is one of my favourites by them and I was really pleased to see it on here. It is extremely guitar heavy, with fast drumming, extreme vocals and a great Ska feel about it that makes you realise that this is Capdown that you are listening to and once you learn this it is something that you will never forget.

There are also plain old Ska tunes on this one without the core such as Kenisia, and to a certain extent Big D. Ok, if you want you could categorise Big D as Skacore but I really don’t think that they are to be honest, as they have a blinding horn section, awesome drumming, great guitar playing, and the most amazing vocals you have ever heard in your life. Sure, their vocals do have a tendency to go Hardcore sometimes but they are not always like this and they are not just heavy for the sake of it, the band go heavy when they feel that they need to go heavy to put across their points. Kenisia on the other hand are more of a Ska Punk outfit with a distinct Ska beat about it, with an added flavouring of Punk and infectiously catchy lyrics. The vocals here are what make it so special, with a Ska feel throughout they are always strong and stand out as being far more than your average, run of the mill Ska Punk band that seem to be one a penny at the minute. Lightyear also provide a quite Ska’y tune with ‘Three Basics,’ one of their popular tracks from the critically acclaimed ‘Call of the Weasel Clan.’

If Punk Rock is more your thing then maybe you should check out Antimaniax as this track is a good example of Punk Rock with extremely Punk vocals and also a slight Ska feel about it. Other Punk songs that seem to stand out here are Captain Everything’s ‘Picture Of You,’ (an infectiously catchy tune with a very English feel about it,) The Take’s ‘Gene Pool Song,’ (Punk how you’ve always imagined it,) and Adequate 7’s ‘Two Minutes’ (one of those songs that no matter how many times you listen to it, it is never enough and you always have to go back for more.) Not to be forgotten of course is the classic ‘Drunks and Punks’ by The Foamers, which you may have heard on their self released ‘Football EP.’ A great track of Punk Rock fineness from a band that know the scene back to front and have Punk tunes that you would die for.

Ok, last stop – Hardcore. There are many Hardcore bands on this CD and this is still good to here, as once upon a time Household Name Records was all about Hardcore so it is good to see that they have not forgotten their roots. You have the Swedish Punk scandal of Da Skywalkers, Fig 4.0s aggressive hardcore, Five Knuckles angry and meaningful ‘State Of Awareness’ – one of the first songs I heard by them and still one of my favourites, Thinktank’s melodic-hardcore at the flick of the switch take, and my favourite of them all – Red Lights Flash with ‘The Red Tape.’ This is an amazing track and in my opinion is probably the best track on here. This has to be one of my favourite bands of all time, this band is an extremely exciting one with hardcore vocals, biting guitars, and heavy drumming. If this isn’t a great combination then I honestly don’t know what is. Ever since I set my eyes on this band they have been in my CD Changer. Not one for the faint hearted this one, but ones for the likes of me who love a lot of bite in their music and have a personal motto that is ‘the angrier the better.’

So, there you have it – one of the greatest compilations ever put together by man and released on the best British label that there is, that’s right, Household Name! Get a load of this as for only a quid you can be in on the action so get in touch with the label now you stingy git – its only a quid at the end of the day, even if you don’t like it it’ll make a good beer mat!

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Hondo Maclean – Plans For A Better Day

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Hondo Maclean are a Welsh four piece and with this CD they are making their debut – and what a fine debut it is indeed! Here are four tracks from the quintet being released on Mighty Atom Records, the home of such great bands as Funeral For A Friend and Goatboy and they play extreme music going from heavy to melodic and knowing exactly when to do it in order to create the greatest effect.

This is a band that is like no other and with this release show that instead of following a trend, they are creating a new one. They are unlike other bands of the same sort of genre as their music is less predictable and much more unique than most. Here are four awesome songs and with track 3, ‘Asia Argento’ they attracted the lady herself as a fan (movie star of XXX fame.) This is my favourite track on the CD as it has some serious bite and is a totally awesome song with great vocals like you have never heard before. Yes, they go from melodic Emo to hardcore but not like any other band of the sort, they are really something special and when they are being emotional the emotion is intense yet when they move on to the more hardcore aspects it really sounds like they mean it and you are really drawn in by it all.

So, there you have it – here are four tracks from a band that go from melodic to hardcore with their own special twist and the music which they produce in doing so is really something special and draws you in. This band are one to look out for in the next couple of months as with bands like Funeral For A Friend already making a name for themselves there is no reason why this band shouldn’t be able to do the same sort of thing.

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The Unsuccessfuls Demo

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This is a four track demo CD from the Ska band ‘The Unsuccessfuls’ and consists of four tracks showing off their great Ska music.

As soon as it kicked off I knew that this was going to be something special as here we have some awesome instrumental music to get you skanking away and just generally enjoying yourself. The instrumental side of the music just really makes you want to get up and start skanking around the room and there is a lot of instrumental here and much less on the vocal side of things. The vocals that there are here are done well though and have interesting lyrics, but it really is the instrumental side that steals the show here. There are four awesome tracks of Ska here but it is not happy clappy Ska-Pop with catchy lyrics, this is proper Ska with serious and in some cases rather sinister lyrics that really get you thinking. So this is music that is not only enjoyable but gets you thinking as well, so you get to use your brain and it is done extremely well. My favourite track here is track three, ‘Carry The Light’ as it just really made me want to skank. It has a feel good factor about it and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of it. This song has a really Two-Tone feel about it and could easily have been written by one of the greats. The vocals are really cool on this one and I absolutely loved it as the vocals were great and then the instrumental section was totally amazing. This was an awesome combination which made way for a truly great tune.

If you like Ska then you will love this as it is an awesome little demo from a great Ska band that I would love to hear a lot more from.

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Hed:Strong Promo

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This is the first CD to be released as part of the Hed:Strong ‘Singles Club,’ and the song which they have chosen is ‘Destructive Love Song’ with the previously unreleased track, ‘Beg To Differ’ as a B-Side. Hed:Strong are a band that combine Punk with Post Hardcore, and also throw in a bit of Metal just for good measure.

‘Destructive Love Song’ kicks off with some really cool, distorted guitar effects before throwing you into the great vocals which are clean, tuneful and full of energy. The fact that the guitar riffs are raw and the vocals are clean works really well as the two really compliment each other. There are the more melodic, emotional vocals and then there are some others which take a more metallic approach and it really works together well and fits like magic. The drumming on this track keeps a good, steady pace that really fits the music well and there are also some amazing bass lines that will possibly have you creaming your pants! This is an awesomely done track which has great style, passion and energy – a great tune to kick off the Singles Club with!!

The B-Side, ‘Beg To Differ’ is also a cracking little tune mixing Punk up with Post-Hardcore and Metal. It is an emotion driven tune with a hell of a lot of rhythm and energy. It has cool guitar riffs, strong bass lines, well paced drumming, and clean vocals that are powerful and really show that this band have great potential and have an amazing vocalist. Considering this is the B-Side for the single, it is an extremely great track and as it is a previously unreleased track it is obviously relatively know and shows that the band are still coming on strong and making some fine tunes.

This is a Maidstone band that knows exactly what they are doing – I know this for a fact as they have penned two great tunes here that are full of energy, fun, and general zest for life. This band has progressed a lot since I saw them at Peace One Day in 2001 – make sure you check this band out people and I swear you will enjoy them!

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The Throwbacks – Open By Hand

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This is a 5 track EP from a little known band called The Throwbacks from the lovely town of Swindon. Track 1, ‘The Birds’ is a class song as the vocals are interesting and catchy. The guitar playing is nice and fast and then the drums gel really nice too so it is nice to hear it all fitting together so cool. For an opening track it is really brilliant as it leaves you wishing for more and you don’t really want to frighten people off in the first song do you! The second track, ‘Going 735’ is also cool as again the vocals are superb and with an awesome guitar solo what more could you ask for?! The lyrics are also cool on this one as they are nice and political and not just some dumb ass 14 year olds singing about how they like to wank. The drumming is fast again on this one and again it seems to all fit together perfectly to create a top notch song. ‘Passed You Out’ on the other hand, the bands third song on this EP and is quite poorly recorded so does not come out too well. The vocals and the instrumental side sound like they are not even the same song as they both seem to be doing their own thing in it but even so there is an awesome guitar solo in there and I am sure that the band are proud of this as it is the highlight of the song as it is raw and fast. Track 4, ‘A New Generation’ gets back to the bands cool song creating skills. I think that this one is superb as the vocals are nice and Punky, the guitar playing is fast and the drumming gives you a nice background beat to keep it exciting and get your feet tapping. I particularly like the ‘society wo oh oh’ bit as it sounds really cool and the two voices blending in together works really well and creates a superb effect so this is extremely pleasing and I found it to be the best bit of the song – which is cool as I thought it was an awesome song. Now its time for track 5, ‘Fuck The Poseurs.’ This is the shortest track on the EP but in my opinion it is the greatest damn track on the CD! It’s super catchy and gets you tapping your feet to it and it got me singing to it at the top of my voice (not a nice sound.) It is quite fast and is a nice, bouncy and fun track. I love the drumming on this CD as it is nice and fast and the Guitar gives out a really cool sound too – and as for the vocals well they blow me away on this one, they are magnificent.

So overall this is a totally cool EP as there are four awesome tracks on it and then one which is a bit iffy but it is not very often that CDs are perfect so hey – they’re only human! The standout track for me is definitely ‘Fuck The Poseurs’ on this CD as it is such a high quality song and I just feel that it is the greatest track they could have chosen to end the EP with and I am sure they ended it with this for a reason. So, two cool tracks at the beginning and another two at the end with one slip up in the middle – nice one.

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Hedroom – Skunkmonks EP

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Ok – here is a 4 track EP from Oxfordshire’s Hedroom with their style fusing Funk, Rap Metal, Ska and Hip Hop. If you have not heard of this band then you’ve had your eyes closed because this band has just embarked on a mammoth UK tour of their Morning Wood single (started in February – ends 2nd of August at The Victoria Inn, also playing are No Comply.)

This little CD kicks off with track, ‘skunkmonks,’ a cool little tune with awesome vocals. It’s a good track to kick off the EP with I feel because its not the best track on here but by all means it is not the worst and is a cool tune that grabs your attention and keeps you listening. Actually, they could have picked any of the songs on here because none of them are rubbish – they all have a certain degree of quality about them. Take this one for example, the guitar and bass playing is good, the drumming is superb, the vocals are sublime, and there’s a nice little sax ending which sounds pretty ace – what more could you ask for?! This little saxy ending leads on to the next track, the critically acclaimed ‘morning wood.’ Ok, I’ve heard tracks like this before many a time – yes it’s cheesy, yes it’s inoffensive and that’s exactly why it’s done the job in getting them some serious media attention. If bands like Whitmore do it then why shouldn’t anyone else eh… Even though it did annoy me I did find myself humming it after listening to it so there you go – its certainly one to get people wondering who the band is – has definitely served its purpose.

Right, with track 3, ‘in da cell’ the standard seems to have upped the standards and is an excellent song. The rapping style vocals work really well – with their Zack De La Rocha styling and when the chorus comes through it is extremely powerful and you’re really not expecting it. There is some good drumming on this one I noticed and like I said – the vocals are extremely strong. Ok, the last track on this EP is ‘W.D.M.C’ and this is by far my favourite track on the whole CD as it is a really laid back song which I just found appealed to my taste with its Ska feel with great Sax playing and again great vocals. The band seem to have really found their feet with this track as it is superb and has much flare.

So here you have it, here is a four track EP from the Thame bases Ska, Funk, Hip Hop, Rap Metal fusion band that is hedroom and has three class tracks (skunkmonks, in da cell, and W.D.M.C) and one Ska-Pop song that really didn’t appeal to my taste but is sure to appeal to many other peoples tastes as it is catchy, uobeat and full of rhythm.

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Cubic Space Division – Self Titled Album

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This is Kent’s masters of metal, Cubic Space Division’s first album and will be released on Undergroove Records on the 10th of November. Cubic Space Division are an extremely talented band that produce some fine metal with awesome guitar hooks, and some amazing vocals. This is a 9 track effort and clocks in at just under 51 minutes.

This is a great album from the quartet showing off some of their amazing music – I was wondering when this band would release an album and after a year of waiting, this eagerly awaited debut has finally come. I have been a fan of this band now for quite some time and when it arrived was pleased to be hearing their amazing bass lines, slamming guitar riffs, awesome drumming, and quite frankly astounding vocals. There are some fine, fine tunes and one of my favourites has to be ‘Bohemian Grove.’ ‘X-Axis’ is also a great tune with a hell of a lot of bite, power and aggression. It is a really strong tune and is extremely raw and I always like to hear a nice, raw sound in a band – makes it feel more like you are seeing the band live at a gig rather than merely listening to them on CD. I have a lot of respect for this band as they are a truly amazing band that have a hell of a lot of talent and have much to offer with their awesome metal tunes. It is their Guitar riffs and bass lines which really put a smile on my face as they are delivered with such amazing style – there must be some really talented musicians behind these instruments! There is just so much aggression and raw anger taken out with the cracking guitar riffs and they are just so strong that it is unbelievable. Undergroove Records has provided us with many a fine band, but I think that Cubic Space Division are definitely the best at playing their instruments as the delivery is absolutely spot on perfect.

If you are a fan of fiery Metal with outbursts of Emotion then give this band a listen and hopefully you will enjoy what they do – as did I. I have said this before about bands and I shall say it again – if this band isn’t massive before long then I will be extremely surprised as they are definitely a band who deserve to be huge as the musical talent is there and they have a fine ability to pen a good tune.

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Crazy Sadie – Middle Finger Technology

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This is a 6 track CD effort from Crazy Sadie, a four piece metal band based just outside of Thurrock in Essex. They play metal in the style of Anthrax, Slayer etc so if you are in to bands of this kind of genre then check them out. They play some storming metal with crashing drumming and a distorted guitar sound to produce a nice little base to lay their vocals on, which quite frankly are amazing. The top tunes on this CD for me are ‘Human’ and ‘Murderland due to the sheer power and aggression that these two tracks give. They have an extremely raw sound and I feel that these two tracks would be enough to get them a label signing on the basis of, as a label would hear this much and just be totally blown away. There is amazing energy in this record and when listening to it you can feel it vibrating through you and crashing around on the inside of you. I would say that this band have some serious potential and this mini album proves that they have something amazing going and with the right label and the right backing they can go far in this industry. It was recorded at the renowned Mushroom Studios and again they have performed wonders and helped the band to create a raw and aggressive CD which could help them to get signed and hopefully will. This band is an extremely exciting band and if you are looking for a new favourite band then this might just be the one! Storming effort by Crazy Sadie here and from a genre which I am not usually too fond of, I am quite impressed and it could be enough to change my mind about it all!

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