Yet another new video. This time, from Pennsylvanian hardcore legends Wisdom In Chains. When We Were Young comes off the latest record The God Rhythm (review to come soon). For those unfamiliar with the band, it's pretty much a mix of old school hardcore with more of that tough guy vibe associated with the NY scene. I got into them via the London scene. They used to (and still do) play London a lot due to their connection with Rucktion Records. I just always loved the fact that they had great sing alongs and a straight hardcore attitude similar to Sick Of It All, possibly my favourite hardcore band. From previous records, I wasn't too keen on the band's lyrical content all the time (never thought I'd hear a hardcore song about a dog) but, judging by this track, the band still has it. When We Were Young is about the good times way back when. I'll be honest, it seems as though when you get to a certain age, you start to think about your youth, your friends and all the good times. I've done it myself. In a way, the song I wrote was inspired by the likes of WIC and H2O. Although they may have sung about this kind of stuff before, it shines through that they're still passionate about where they came from. The passion is certainly heard through frontman Mad Joe Black's vocals. He is one of my favourite vocalists, somehow being able to sing melodically with still very harsh vocals. The video isn't ground breaking but I do love a good old fashion band performance and the guys are solid. If you like your hardcore pretty straight up but not afraid of a bit of melody and emotion, check this band out.
For those not familiar with them, The Front Bottoms are a four-piece band from New Jersey who play thought-provoking indie-tinged pop punk. I saw their name floating about the internet around a year ago and decided to check it out. I found frontman, Brian Sella's, vocal delivery interesting and more importantly, the band writes some catchy up tempo stuff. There are times that I feel as though the lyric writing process is some sort of game of potluck; pulling lines out of a hat and just forcing them together. However, it seems to work and has gained them a massive following, especially through the success of their Talon Of The Hawk (2013) album. Back in April, a split with rapper GDP entitled Liberty and Prosperity was released by Run For Cover and Bar/None Records and features new tracks Wolfman and Handcuffs. This week, the band has released a double single, Cough It Out/West Virginia, and a have made a video for each one. West Virginia was the first song out of the two that I saw and heard. The video has its fair share of typically pop punk video elements. Fish eye lens? Check. House party? Check. Friends dressed in costumes? Check? Random shots of nothing in particular? Check. However, the black and white and the fact the house party isn't totally full to the brim make the video slightly different from other pop punk house party videos. The song itself, very much like the video, moves around into different sections, all as catchy as the next. The song will have you singing along to both "Right now I'm just a psycho, hell bent on self destruction" and "Love of my life, gone forever.." and those refrains will remain in your head until a severe injury robs you of your memory. It's a fun song with a great video.
Cough It Out leans towards the band's more folk-punk sound, with a train rhythm pushing the song along. It is a sweet song that fans will soon know all the words to and proclaim them to be about their own lives, but I'm somehow missing something. It took me a few listens to even find the song memorable and notice the catchy bits. Despite the train beat, it seemed to feel lagging behind to me. The video is also nothing special, as it's basically just a day-in-the-life of one of the band members. The song is certainly from the heart but right now I am just not into it.
Both songs are hopefully a helpful insight into the vibe of the next album.
When it comes to punk in Israel, there are certain bands who have the talent, songs and potential to be an almost worldwide success. From the moment I discovered the music for video Silly Thoughts around 4 years ago when I moved to Israel, Not On Tour stole my heart. I have always had a soft spot for female fronted bands but Not On Tour go beyond just being a female fronted band. Along with Sima's strong vocal delivery, the rest of the band are able to play at breakneck speed and harmonise during their super short but catchy songs. They are certainly the most popular band in the more pop punk/skater/hardcore scene in Israel and have also made waves in Europe in the last few years. The band did a Europe and UK tour a couple of months back in light of the new album Bad Habits and the band are about to head out for another tour this summer. Hopefully, the good word has and will spread further.
Being a regular gig goer, I have seen the band a countless amount of times, both at packed shows and at shows a bit light on numbers. Along with classics from the self titled debut, the N.O.T On Tour Ep and second album All This Time, the guys have also played songs which feature on the new album, some of which have been in the live repertoire for quite some time. Album opener, Flip, is a track I think I recognise, although I could just be confused as it is similar in places to a previous track, I Wanna Be Like You (from All This Time). After more listens, the half tempo "This ship is sinking. Save yourself. There's nothing left to see here.." chorus really gets stuck in your head. 4th track, Write It Down, I definitely know from shows. As is common of Not On Tour, the song is short (although at 1:32, it's nowhere near the shortest on the album) and catchy, with its chorus that suggests repeatedly that we'd better..well...write it down. It is one of their songs which is at a nice enough tempo to be able to really appreciate the song fully as well as dance to. I have heard Gut Feeling (track 2) before as they are meant to be bringing out a video for it soon. At 1:19, it is still not the shortest on the album. While listening, I tend to often expect (and hope) that the song goes on for longer. It also has one of those choruses that can easily get stuck in your head, which has sort of been Not On Tour's specialty over the years and there's a fair bit of it here. In Rumours (track 3), they have us singing "This can be over when we say the word..", especially the anthemic singalong part right at the end. Without checking the name of the track, I have been singing one of the songs as "Cos it's a different kind of weapon...Cos it's a different kind of reign." Turns out the song is called Different Kind Of Weather (track 6). Ooops! Close, though. In Stuck In A Rut (track 10), you'll be sympathising with how front woman Sima "Never got things done" and was "Stuck in a rut" but has since "Found a way out." I can relate to this song's concept of having once been lost in life and putting things off but am I completely on track now? Hmm. I don't know. I think I am more akin to seeing myself as "Failing to succeed", as sung in Failing (track 15).
Not On Tour essentially play hardcore punk but the addition of Sima's melodic (although still raw and aggressive) vocals and the band's backing harmonies give their music that pop punk quality. Most songs, with the aid of Gutzy's awesome drumming, are super fast, such as thrashiest song No Communication (track 11) and title track Bad Habits (track 9), but there are still those which go along the more pop punk vein, such as Black Coffee (track 7) and Sick Of This Mess (track 8). The 16 songs on here range between 0:42 (Waiting In Line, track 14, possibly my favourite on the album) to 1:44 mins long (Sick Of This Mess), so you can hear the entire album in one short bus journey. It kind of leaves me wanting more but also wanting a little more diversity. The band have songs in their early repertoire which are more chaotic, have breakdowns and generally show the band's versatility. Bad Habits could do with a lot more variety, in my opinion, but it is certainly not a disappointment. 4/5
Despite being a band since 1989, I remember really only knowing Therapy? through their hit Screamager (maybe also Nowhere) before seeing them at something called The Lost Weekend in London. I was blown away by their set and the fact that they actually incorporated different styles, like industrial and techno, while I initially viewed them as just some sort of old school hard rock band. Despite really only ever having the album Troublegum in my collection and not really paying attention to them since the song Rock You Monkeys (from Never Apologise Never Explain), I've always had a sort of sweet spot for the band. When I heard they had new album, Disquiet, on the way, I just had to check it out.
As some of my readers know already, I posted the video for the band's first single Still Hurts (album opener) a while back and was surprised by the fact they are still churning out pretty heavy stuff. Still Hurts is pretty frantic in the verses, melodic and sweet in the bridge and groovy and catchy in the chorus. It has that iconic Therapy? snare sound (the one that sounds a bit like a trash can) which has always given them a slight industrial edge to their music. The song, as a whole, aptly sets the tone for the whole album. Not saying that all the songs here sound the same, but there's an ingredient that not only ties them all to Therapy? but also ties them all together to the same album. What that actual ingredient is, I'm not too sure, but could be a fusion of the aforementioned snare sound, the guitar tones, the pairing of thumping as well as groove drumming (played by drummer Neil Cooper) and frontman Andy Cairns' distinct vocals. There is nothing on this album which is too "out of the ordinary", which also means there is nothing that feels out of place. Even the incredibly named Vulgar Display of Powder (track 8) unfortunately doesn't live up to the Pantera-esque image I initially had. It still has a fat, heavy main riff, as do tracks such as Fall Behind (track 4) and Helpless Still Lost (track 6). Therapy? have definitely surpassed themselves by managing to write a catchy chorus for almost every song. Tides (track 2) has one that's melodically sung and relatable, the one for Good News Is No News (track 3) will be stuck in your head for days (was for me), that of Idiot Cousin (track 5) sounds like Silverchair's Freak but cooler and the chorus for Torment Sorrow Misery Strife (track 10) is surely going to be a great singalong at shows. The latter, along with album closer Deathstimate, are really the only tracks that are in anyway different to the rest. Torment Sorrow... has a punk feel, reminiscent more of bands like Down By Law or Social Distortion, while Deathstimate, the album's slowest track, stands out due to its spacey stoner riff. Its change of pace makes it a great end to a pleasurable album, which is surprising for me to say as I don't normally like songs this long (7 mins). As someone who hasn't been following Therapy? for a long time, the album was still a great listen from start to finish. My only criticisms are that the snare sound might distract some people and the bass tone on the intro for Good News... is ridiculously 80s and quite awful on first listen. The material on here is heavier than some stuff they have done before but also not as experimental as other material from past albums. Nevertheless, I can't imagine any diehard fans being disappointed with this album. Whether it will get the band new ones is hard to say. 4/5
It has been just under a year since the release of Obituary's latest album, Inked In Blood, and they only now have put out a video for the the song Violence. Admittedly, I haven't listened to the album properly yet, but I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Obituary. Violence is true to form Obituary, albeit probably one of the shorter tracks they've ever done. The video, on the other hand, is not something you'd ever expect from the demonic sounding band. The cartoon style is very comical, more like something a punk band will use. Somehow, the comical story telling of a band going on the rampage fits remarkably well with the heavy, angry track. Sweet dreams!
"Ash?" you say? Yes, Ash. Anyone remember them? During the 90s, the three-piece were known for hits such as Kung Fu, Girl From Mars, Goldfinger and Oh Yeah! from the album 1977 (from 1996), all of which were songs that made me, at about the age of 9/10, think that they were one of the coolest bands ever. It wasn't until the album Meltdown (2004) that the band garnered success with singles such as Shining Light and Burn, Baby, Burn. New album Kablammo! is the band's first full length since 2007's Twilight of The Innocents, the first album released as a trio after the departure of guitarist Charlotte Hatherley. Somehow, both that album and 2012's Little Infinity EP completely passed me by.
Upon hearing the thunderous drum intro to Ash's first single Cocoon (also the album opener), they now had my full attention again; it is an absolute return to form. A slight nod to punkier hits such as Kung Fu, Burn, Baby Burn and even A Life Less Ordinary (from the movie of the same name), the chorus will have you sweetly singing "COCOOOON" along with frontman Tim Wheeler in the chorus. Shutdown (track 10), like Cocoon, is reminiscent of the band's more 'full throttle' material, where songs like Let's Ride (track 2) and Hedonism (track 8, not a Skunk Anansie cover) still rock out yet have a more commercially acceptable quality to them. (On a side-note, the latter's intro reminds me of the title music to a franchise of British adult movies. I'll say no more.) Machinery (track 3) is also fast paced, but has elegant strings and warm vocals that give the song a Manic Street Preachers type feel. The band's softer side, as seen at different stages throughout their career, is still present on this album. Free (track 4) beautifully rumbles away, Moondust (track 6) is a heartfelt orchestral masterpiece and For Eternity (track 11) is essentially Robbie Williams' hit She's The One in some form of alternate universe. As good as the aforementioned tracks are (specifically Cocoon, Let's Ride, Moondust and Hedonism), stand out track on this record is undoubtably Go! Fight! Win! (track 5). Going in the same thumping vein as Envy (the only new song from the Intergalactic Sonic 7"s compilation), the whole song felt like a salute to rock and roll revival bands like Rocket From The Crypt (I can't really think of any others, to be honest). Not only does it have the thumping drumming, but it has a heavy guitar riff, organ hits, a bouncy chorus and... cheerleaders! It is definitely the most rock and roll on this album and possibly the most rock and roll track they have ever done. What would have made it even more impressive for me would have been a brass section, although then it would REALLY sound like RFTC. Kablammo! is an easy album to listen to from start to finish. There's a hint of that "Spaghetti Western" sound hidden in there which I'm not really a fan of, but the album is nevertheless an interesting collection. The slower songs may bore some people and the rockier ones might not be everyone's cup of tea, but this is definitely an impressive album for a band whom many have seemed to have left behind. They still know how to pen a song and are not afraid to show that, even as a rock band initially, they have the essence of pop within them. Cocoon even has a bloody key change. Who still does key changes anymore? I'm hoping this gives them equal success to that of Meltdown from over ten years ago.
Out of all my reviews so far, I have done a lot of local bands and a few touring bands, including the odd fairly big name like Republica and '68, but this takes the biscuit!
Incubus have been a part of my life since around the age of 12/13 when, after hearing from an elder whose musical tastes I admired about bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit, I discovered them along with other bands on the Family Values Tour '98 album. The song New Skin was unlike any of the other rock or metal I was hearing up until then. It had djembe, it had funk elements, it had rapping....it just really grabbed me. The album S.C.I.E.N.C.E, the band's second official full length release, became the soundtrack to my teens along with System Of A Down's self titled debut and more punk stuff like Lit's A Place In The Sun and even Sick Of It All's Call To Arms. As years went on, the band garnered success primarily with the album Make Yourself and later also had hits from Morning View. They may be one of those bands whose original fan base has been disappointed by later releases (myself included) but after about 16 years of never having seen them, I was excited to hear that they were coming here. The new material, that some of you may have heard on the blog already, has impressed me, so that was another reason to go.
It's the evening of the show and I somehow confused myself about what time the show was actually starting. I tried to get to Ranaana from Tel Aviv as fast as I could but still managed to miss opening act Tatran, an Israeli fusion band (I guess). After finally finding the correct entrance and the box office to collect my ticket, I zoom down to the VIP area (not bragging, just explaining) which was right in front of the stage. The venue's layout is a bit different to what I'm used to. First of all, it's outdoors. I've been to outdoor concerts before but they didn't have separate areas with seating before. Normally in arenas, seated areas are to the side or further back and standing room is down by the front....this was the opposite. The stage practically faces a hill of which standing room was from the middle part of the hill upwards. Despite having seating there and an allocated seat on my ticket, I join a few other people who are standing in the aisle.
Of course, there's massive screaming from the crowd at the sight of frontman Brandon Boyd alone. I'm going to admit, back in the day when I had band posters on my wall, I had a Brandon Boyd one. Does it mean I had homosexual feelings towards Brandon back then? Maybe. Do I have homosexual feelings towards him now?.... I think tonight I do! You can't ignore it; the man is pretty. After a dreamy introduction, the band starts things off with Wish You Were Here. Good choice! As the aisle I'm standing in starts to fill up, fans are singing along and there's a little bit of head movement. I can't help but feel the band are a bit static. For those who don't know, Incubus are known for their set up on stage having each member quite a distance away from one another. Not too dissimilar to other bands, especially on big stages, but the Incubus guys are like 5 corners of a pentagon (not pentagram). Apart from the odd convulsion from Brandon, there's not much else happening on stage. It is cool, however, that we see drummer José side on, as we can properly observe his beats and fills.
As the only Incubus records I've ever owned and/or heard in full are S.C.I.E.N.C.E, Morning View and the most recent Trust Fall (Side A) EP, I really only recognised the tracks from those releases and the obvious hits. I didn't recognise second song Anna Molly from Light Grenades but the heavy riff and the beautifully sung chorus had everyone else very enthralled. Even now, I have "I picture your face in the back of my eyes.." implanted in my brain. Following two songs were Adolescents and Absolution Calling. When I first heard Adolescents (from If Not Now, When?) four years ago, I thought it was a super boring song and ignored it up until this moment. I was slightly taken in by the dreaminess of the song and the unconventional vocal pattern. Absolution Calling, in my eyes the second best track form the Trust Fall (Side A) EP, goes down well with the crowd. I even caught myself singing "I REMEMBER FEELING THE OPPOSITE OF FALLIIIING" along with Brandon. This was then followed by a song I didn't recognise at first until the chorus. It was Vitamin, the only song in the set to come from S.C.I.E.N.C.E. Now, Vitamin is a heavy song; it has a cool build up in the verses leading to a rock out chorus along with some funky drum soloing and djembe action. I start to realise that I'm one of the few people in my vicinity (and as I look back, at the concert in general) who is properly going crazy for this song. I'm guessing most people here only know and like Make Yourself onwards, right? To be fair, I have the opposite problem, as people in the crowd join in on songs like In The Company of Wolves, A Kiss To Send Us Off (which I particularly enjoyed tonight and seemed to be a crowd favourite), Here In My Room and Sick Sad Little World (a heavy funky number that I also enjoyed), all of which I hadn't heard before. Obviously, bigger hits Are You In? and Pardon Me were in the set; the former getting people dancing to its sexy slow jam and joining in on the "woo hoo hoo"s while the latter, right from the quiet intro, had everyone passionately singing along to Make Yourself's second most iconic track. Nice To Know You (Morning View) and Megalomaniac (A Crow Left Of Murder) help inject a little extra does of heaviness into the set while newer songs Trust Fall and Dance Like You're Dumb seem a little lost on people. Trust Fall isn't such a great song, in my opinion, whereas Dance Like You're Dumb is not only my favourite off the new EP but one of my favourites songs at the moment. How no-one else is going crazy to this, not even clapping along to the gospel-like section in the middle, is beyond me. As the band goes off, we all know that they're coming back and there's just screaming galore. They return and kick back off with a lovely rendition of "the big chill out hit of about 15 years ago", Drive. Bassist Ben Kenney sits himself upon an amp and the whole performance is pretty sweet as almost the entire crowd joins in on the whole song. This is then followed by two songs I am unfamiliar with, The Warmth and set closer A Crow Left Of Murder. The warmth has a bit of a 311/reggae feel leading to a breakdown ending, all which I really liked, and ..Left Of Murder just rocked out with some cool dance beats and heavy guitars. I may have made a mistake sleeping on that album..
Overall, the setlist is pretty decent and seemed to have most people satisfied. There was one guy shouting for I Miss You who must have been disappointed. Personally, I would have liked some more from S.C.I.E.N.C.E, although Vitamin was quite an interesting and surprising choice. It's funny... when you look back over the band's career, you notice that they were once this dreadlocked Mr Bungle inspired nu-metal band who have now turned into the epitome of clean cut modern rock. I wonder if the band's demeanor is all that different now from back then. As great as the songs were, the band in general seem pretty boring on stage. We had some nice backdrops on screen throughout the set but not really enough from the band themselves. Brandon does his best to check in that we're ok and having a good time but doesn't really talk to us. Also pretty sure he shouted "Tel Aviv!" at one point. Can't really blame him, and most of us here tonight probably are from Tel Aviv, but still...it's Raanana, dude. Guitarist Mike Eizinger just doesn't seem all that excited at all to be playing and even DJ Chris Kilmore could have been a little bit more enthusiastic. From where I was standing, the bass and kick were pretty overpowering throughout most of the set, but I was very near the front. I sort of wonder if I should have been humble and moved further back to see if it sounded any better. All that aside, am I glad I came? Yes! 3.5/5
Tonight, I come back to Koro to check out some bands I haven't seen before for an event entitled Happy Slayer Day, despite not really having any connection to Slayer. It is actually a mixed bag, featuring some death metal, rock and roll and fairly more traditional punk rock. I'm going to keep this as short a review as possible.
Sadistikus
Sadistikus are a (seemingly) young band from somewhere around these parts who play blasting death metal. They, of course, all have amazing hair and have donned death metal t-shirts for tonight's performance; nothing new there. The actual songs have impressively heavy riffs and generally had me and many others headbanging. Most of the band seem pretty static, which is a bit of a let down. However, I guess, when the music is this heavy, you don't really need to move. I did worry about the drummer, though. Poor bugger! Have any of you tried playing blast beats over and over again? You have to be strong for that kind of thing. I can't do it. Unfortunately, I could see the effect it was having on the drummer, as he sometimes fell out of time and even had to stop and get back into the song at some points. That aside, I was actually disappointed their set was short. I was into it. 3/5
The Turbans
Now we get to the rock and rolllll!! The Turbans are a trio from Jerusalem, consisting of two guitarists, Eyal and Gilad, and drummer Yadin. They are one of those bands whose name I have heard and seen listed for shows but I have somehow not seem them yet. I'm glad to have finally managed to watch them because they scratch that little psychedelic rock itch I get from time to time. The band have an interesting stage presence. The two guitarists actually place themselves in front of the stage, with Gilad having his pedals and tiny keyboard on a stand next to him. Both guitarists sing (although Eyal seems to be the lead) as Yadin, from his spot on stage, does some simple yet perfectly impactful drumming.
The songs themselves run in the psychedelic garage rock vein, with good usage of cool melodies, grooves, noises and joyous dual vocals. They're one of those bands your parents could definitely dance to. In fact, a part of me would have really liked to have bust a move but I think a lot of us there (which wasn't very many) felt restricted due to the band being "in our area". But that's more our problem than theirs. I've seen footage of hardcore shows where the crowd is "moshing" right in front of the band and even knocking into them....but everyone's having a blast! It shouldn't really be a problem. Despite not really knowing the words, I have had the melody of their song entitled I Should Have Known in my head ever since the show. That's a sign of a good song. 4/5
Hayehudonim (The Yids)
Whether it's a playful take on the more popular Israeli band Hayehudim (The Jews) or simply a something that sprung to mind, you got to hand it to Hayehudonim on their name choice. This is another band whose name I have come across, although I am actually not too sure if I have seen them before.
Some of the songs in the set sounded quite familiar. They play very fuzzy and distorted rock and roll. (That's not just the sound tonight, it's how they sound on record too.) Compared to the rest of the bands and even crowd tonight, Hayehudonim seem to be of an older generation. The drummer, who looks like a more muscly and tattooed version of well known actor and Simpsons cast member Hank Azaria, isn't the best drummer I have ever seen or heard. His playing seems very stiff at times and he drops his sticks on occasion. The rest are also not all that impressive, but what they lack in technical ability they make up for in pure energy. Although still pretty static, everyone is playing like their lives depended on it as the vocalist uses his full lung capacity to project his venom, as echoey and inaudible as it may be.
Hayehudonim have been around for many years, as is seen by a few people here tonight singing along. Unfortunately, being veterans does not always mean that you're the best. That said, I have checked them out on record and it sounds a whole lot better. The songs are there, it was just an awkward performance. 3/5 Special thanks to Aviv Liplis Hadar on the use of his camera which is a good deal better than mine.
It's been a while since I've posted some videos, so I'm posting a few different batches of them, This one features videos and new songs by Israeli bands. Some of these videos are a few months old but still might be new to some of you.
Cain and Abel 90210 - HaMechonah (The Machine)
Cain and Abel 90210 are one of the most mental bands in Israel. In this video for HaMechonah off of their latest Videodrome release, we see the weird humour and playfulness that the band is known for that we did not see in previous video for Lakach Zman (see here). As well as seeing the band aggressively rock out, we see the band bring back their masked alter egos. Due to the song being fairly long, there's quite a lot happening in this video but none of it is boring. The song itself is also a return to the band's groovy and mental alternative metal with humorous lyrics. Even if you don't understand Hebrew, you must check this band out for some weird yet catchy heaviness.
Wounds Never Lie - Elephant (Home)
Elephant (Home) is the first single from the upcoming Exhausted Waves EP by Israeli metalcore starlets Wounds Never Lie. The song is a little more along the lines of what some people may consider "easycore", as it has some proper singing, melodic bits and an emotional sing-a-long chorus. The verses are still typical jagged and angry metalcore. It might not be ground breaking but it's certainly less irritating than some metalcore nowadays.
The video itself is actually well shot and pleasantly simple. Some people might find performance videos boring, but I actually like them. Here, we see the band playing in what looks like someone's living room, although not altogether. We see each individual member doing his own thing in pretty much the exact same spot in the room. It is shot in a sort of independent film style, which adds to the sentiment of the song. The lyrics are a little confusing to me, but the general gist I get from it is that it is meant to be a positive message about moving on through life's struggles. The EP is set for release this month and another video for the song Executer is expected any moment now.
Bryan The Mage - Comfort Zone
Bryan The Mage (seems to be a role playing reference with the misspelling of "Brian") are a young pop punk/easycore band out of Haifa. Comfort Zone is their first single and first video clip. The song has a very catchy chorus, some good grooves in parts and an electrifying guitar solo. When reading through the lyrics, there are some small spelling mistakes which, funnily enough, are not even the mispronounced words on the track itself. Ah well, it's the Israeli accent. What can you do? In the video, we see the band performing at what could easily be some sort of school prom. Typical school dance lighting shines upon kids doing their best push pit possible as the band rock out on stage.
Shtuby - Mazeponia / 7 Arms
The most electronic and out of character act for Punkalovich that I'll be posting today is the solo act Shtuby. Shtuby himself (Yuval) is an all-round musician whose small studio I used to rehearse in once upon a time in a band I drummed with. Since then, I ran into him at a show for a band called Golden Sheet who he was drumming for. Shtuby now has his own experimental act where he mixes different styles of music and uses instruments such as theremin and flute. The first video I saw from Shtuby was for a song called Mazeponia, where I saw Shtuby pretty much giving birth to his music by recording things such as kitchenware and a make-shift drum kit made from industrial metal amongst other things.
7 Arms is the latest offering, with a bit of a weird video where Shtuby is head to toe in a body suit which changes colour throughout, as does the background imagery. If you like experimental electronica, check this out. The live show is meant to be equally spectacular!
Skarate Kid - You're Not Alone / Skata 1
Finally, I'll finish with another 2-in-1, this time for brand new ska band Skarate Kid, which features members from Israeli punk bands. Ska and 2-tone has been a bit scarce in Israel in recent years and now Skarate Kid have come on the scene to fill that void.
In the You're Not Alone video, we see the band simply playing in the Street Music studios in south Tel Aviv. The song is upbeat with a positive message, very much like the British 2-tone of the 70s and 80s. The instrumentation is superb.
Skata 1 (audio only) is a more traditional sounding instrumental track similar to Symarip and Prince Buster, with the saxophone leading the track, accompanied by the odd "Pick it up!" "Huh!" and "chukka chak". I'm a sucker for ska, so if you are too, check them out!
Although there was a show at Koro tonight I could have gone to review (my apologies to both Jeronimo and Krokodil Popular, whom I was hoping to give support to, and Regel Sabres, who I don't really know), I have ended up tonight at Gagarin in South Tel Aviv for yet another metal show. Tonight celebrates the release of Jerusalem Metal band Sintax's new album, Sway For A Better Day. As most of the set consists of songs from the new album, I shall be doing my first ever 2-in-1, reviewing both the show and the album.
Photo by Sharon Shapira I have seen Sintax once or twice (I can't really remember) over the last few years and never really paid proper attention to them. I always thought they were good but never all that memorable. Tonight, I have come to check them out with the proper attention deserved and also give support to the two Sintax members I know from hardcore band "03" (Efes Shalosh), Lemmy and Misha. Misha has even turned up in a No Turning Back shirt, which has to be a first for out here. There were two supporting bands, Mechanigod and Sinnery, who I missed due to tardiness, but managed to turn up just in time for the main act. Ascending the stage to the sounds of sirens and under quite blinding lights, it is quite an epic entrance despite a low turn out. The band then kicks in to the set opener, the weirdly named Fine Line To Sodomy(track 5 on the album). The song has an amazing opening riff with thrash drumming and basically stays pretty old school throughout the song. The chorus is very headbang inducing, although I'm not really seeing much of that amongst the crowd. The band are putting a lot of energy into the performance. I already know that Lemmy (rhythm guitar) and Misha (bass) are great performers from their 03 shows. Lemmy is jumping every chance he gets as Misha strums his bass with gusto and an aggressive (although incredibly content) expression on his face. Lead guitarist Roi (ex-Shworchtsechaye) keeps reminding me of Shane Embury of Napalm Death; he's a mature (in age) fellow with big hair and a goatee (technically, Embury has a Van Dyke) who plays standing quite still but still oozing coolness. Frontman Yehi (frontman of Caveman King and owner of Blaze Bar in Jerusalem) has great vocals and a proper metal presence but sometimes lacks on the enthusiasm and energy that the rest of the band shows.
Photo by Sharon Shapira Next song, Up For The Physical (track 8), is quite classic metal in style, especially with its long and haunting melodic intro. The "Stop wasting my time" refrain is infectious and can be used in any pissed off situation. Throughout the song, the style switches from the more classic metal sound to pure thrash, ending with an amazing thrashy climax. Drummer Nir, who, from where I am standing, is pretty hidden in darkness, seems a bit off in this song. The cymbal crashes didn't seem to be in the right places and the fills often seemed like he was squeezing too much in. Despite that, he continued to play spot on throughout the show. Shooting Starts is a very new song which is set to be put on the next record. It's a heavy and groovy track. The vocal rhythm and general feel of parts of the song reminded me of the heavy parts of a song called Fundamental by PUYA. It's almost on the verge of rap metal and I for one am not complaining. Lemmy is encouraging the crowd with all his might like some sort of knight leading his men to victory. He's so metal, it's not even cheesy...just brilliant. The band then invite Orel from Mechanigod to join in on guitar for I Get It Now (track 7). The song has a frantic intro, with fast paced riffing and chaotic drumming. The song stays pretty thrash throughout and causes major headbanging. At the show, the sound was a bit muffled so everything was a bit unclear. On record, however, the song is clearly a banger with an awesome ending. Title track Sway For A Better Day (track 2) takes us back to a more old school vibe with some solid standard 4/4 drumming which then switches to 6/8 at around the 1:30 mark (yeh...I'm getting all technical on your asses right now!) and back to straight up metal. There's a more modern metal groove near the middle of the song which, at the show, got me swinging my head as Lemmy bounced over the place. Let's Get Mental (track 3) starts slow, heavy and demonic. The guitar melody could easily be summoning Satan [Punkalovich does not endorse Satan worship or the black arts in anyway...although The Craft is a great movie]. The pace then picks up and the "pit" here tonight eventually opens up, although there's still not a lot of people. The song is a great thrash number with changing drums patterns and interesting breakdowns. The "Let's get mental" refrain near the end of the song is something that, with time, all fans will be throwing their horns and shouting along to. The following few songs in the set are newer songs lined up for the next release. Moti (Spawn of Evil vocalist) joins the band for a song entitled Pen Sword, which starts off groovy and then goes full on thrash. Finally, there's a bit more excitement on stage as Moti is properly engaging the crowd with eye contact, hand gestures, a lot of hair swinging and an evil yet incredibly pleasurable smirk. I already liked Moti from when I saw Spawn of Evil first time I came to Gargarin so I'm not really all that surprised. Both Hate People and Most Hated Man In The Universe give us a dosage of both thrash and groove, with the pit opening up again during the latter. The Answer...The Name... (track 6) marches itself into thunderous double kick and chugging guitars followed by blast beats and fast riffing. The song itself, especially on record, sounds a lot like classic Metallica, which isn't a bad thing at all. I didn't really get that feeling live; it just came off as raw death metal. Either way, it's good old fashioned fun!
Photo by Sharon Shapira The band then treat us to two covers. The first song turned out to be You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks by Seasick Steve. Unexpected and interesting cover song choices are always a thumbs up in my book. Even though I had a feeling the original was not even a metal song (the slide guitar was a bit of a giveaway), they still played it their own way which had me far from thinking it was a Seasick Steve cover. This song was then followed by a proper hardcore bassline from Misha. As soon as it started I thought to myself "Don't I know this?" Ex-Instinct frontman/current 03 frontman/current Best bassist Jenia who was standing next to me then asks me "This id Pro-Pain, right?" Pro-Pain are one of my favourite bands so I was going to kill myself if I didn't recognise this. It wasn't until the "Outta my way! I'm coming like a freight train right on through ya" part of the chorus that I realised that this was Don't Kill Yourself To Live and my wish for a band out here to cover Pro-Pain is actually coming to fruition. I thought it might be one of the more hardcore or crossover bands so this is a great surprise. I of course move from my comfy spot at the bar to try and put some life in the empty space by singing along at the front of the stage. Even Lemmy coming down into the crowd for the whole song didn't really get anyone excited. THIS IS PRO-PAIN, PEOPLE! After a new, more hardcore sounding song entitled Lunch Time Funeral and the fairly progressive and melodic Four More Years (track 4), the band treat us to yet another new song which doesn't even have a name. The song itself reminds me of the Stampin' Ground song Officer Down. The vocals seemed to run the same and had a very similar groove (I'm using "groove" a lot in this, aren't I? I need to find a new word...)
All in all, I am glad I came tonight to celebrate with the band and see and hear them properly. They both surprised and impressed me with there mixture of classic metal, hardcore and thrash. The newer songs sound great and I am now very eager to hear what is yet to come. Sway For A Better Day is a great listen. The fact that it's mixed, mastered and partly recorded by the legendary (in my eyes) Mark Mynett of long forgotten Manchester electronic metal band Kill II This in itself is pretty cool. Everything is played to perfection and Yehi's vocals sound immense, sometimes even more heavy on certain tracks than others. The only thing that bugged me at first were the toms. Maybe it's because I am a drummer and I pay more attention to these things, but the toms are incredibly high pitched and also quite high in the mix. After a while, former drummer Rom's impressive musicianship trumps the actual tom sounds and it all seems to work. Although this album didn't make me jump for joy and isn't breaking any boundaries, it has it's moments and will please many a metal fan. Live: 4/5 Album: 3.5/5 Thanks to Sharon Shapira [Facebook] for the photos.
After having enjoyed Jerusalem black metal band Arallu live some months back, I was also impressed by their album Geniewar released earlier this year. From that album, the band have now released a new video for the song Bloodshed Around. As cool as the song is musically, with its insane blast beats, thunderous riffing, evil vocals and Middle Eastern rhythms, I have to say that the video is pretty disappointing. There's nothing wrong with doing a video on a budget but there's doing a video for cheap and then there's doing a cheap video; not quite the same thing. I am still confused as to whether there is some form of synopsis here or if it's just random things happening. Either way, I think the song itself is heavy and interesting enough on its own.
