Review: Not On Tour - Bad Habits [2015]

   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

Review: Ash - Kablammo! [2015]

   "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. 

4/5

Review: Arallu - Geniewar [2015]

Back in November, I reviewed a metal show called SPAWNFEST. One of the more interesting bands on that bill were Jerusalem black metallers Arallu. I was impressed by their stage presence, as well as their use of Middle Eastern (Mizrachi) rhythms, samples and traditional instruments. Their 5th studio album, GENIEWAR, released just this passed week on 1st January, brings you so much more of that. The album was produced and mixed along with Dory Bar Or from Eternal Gray and mastered in LA by Maor Applebaum (Rob Halford/Mayhem/Yngwie Malmsteen/etc..). At the show, I saw them as more of a thrash band. In this record, the black metal side to them really shines through.

  Album opener, Evil Finest, really helps set the tone of what we're expected from the record. There is an array of traditional Arabic/Middle Eastern instruments such as darbuka, other such percussion and string instruments such as the saz, oud and kanoon. The heavy guitars join in on the melody, reassuring us that this is indeed a metal record. Second but first proper track, From The Desert To The Ice, follows suit, incorporating similar instruments into the song's own intro. They then unleash a demonic riff that slowly works its way into a Middle Eastern rhythm before showcasing Arallu's Slayer style of metal. Song is over 7 minutes long and has a lot of dynamics and styles, including headbanging grooves, hair spinning thrashy parts and the bouncy Middle Eastern rhythm. If you had forgotten the name of the record, we are luckily reminded of it with the "GENIEWAR" gang chant. Everything already sounds super tight on this first track and the production, with all the extra instrumentation, is very impressive. Vocals by frontman and bassist Moti AKA "Butchered" are heavy and demonic, and we even get treated to a Tom Araya-like scream near the end. 

   Third track Bloodshed Around continues the Slayer theme but also incorporates a bit more of a black metal sound with blasts beats. At one point, the blast beats are accompanied by a Middle Eastern melody played on a traditional woodwind instrument (not sure which). This works surprisingly well and really shows how creative this band are and also how proud they are of their Middle Eastern heritage. Fourth track is a cover of Iron Maiden's Powerslave. This sounds as if it's being sung by someone different. Butchered's vocals are very black metal on this; very harsh and evil sounding, more so than on the previous tracks. They also seem to have managed to incorporate every single traditional Middle Eastern instrument possible throughout the track and especially at the song's middle section. The original track already has a bit of an Egyptian/Middle Eastern, which may be why they relate to it and chose to cover it is. However, it is the addition of traditional instruments and the extra evil vocals that really make this a "cover" and not just a carbon copy. 

  Fifth track Coronation starts with quite a simple riff which you expect is going to lead into slow pounding drums. Instead, we get uplifting 4/4 drumming accompanied by, almost tribal, darbuka rhythms.... which sounds amazing. The song swims in and out of an evil distorted vocal section and proper thrash and black metal bits, including anger-inducing blast beats. Pretty sure I even heard a shofar (ram's horn) at one point. At the 3:38 mark (yes...I find this worthy enough of actually displaying the exact time), there is what I would call a bit of a "beatdown", reminiscent of some of the more tougher hardcore I used to (and sometimes still do) listen to.

  On this album, and what I noticed in their shows, the band use Hebrew spoken word samples. We can hear these on sixth track Metal Troops 666, seventh track Giv'at HaTachmoshet (The Battle of Ammunition Hill) and on ninth track Tzook Eitan ("Operation Protective Edge"). When it comes to hearing Hebrew in this way, I am still not perfect at translating, but it all seems to be "war-based". For a band that considers themselves not to be a political band, they do take pride in their state and the army. This is a bit refreshing for me as a majority of people I meet through the punk scene are the exact opposite, having managed to get exemption from the army do community service instead. Song meanings and band beliefs aside, the album continues its merry way through thrash metal, Middle Eastern rhythms and blast beats, with Giv'at HaTachmoshet really standing as a bit different to the rest of the album. Although not stated on the promo packs (although possibly on the physical copies), both this and final track Hayalim Almonim (Unknown Soldiers) are re-workings of old Hebrew songs. In Giv'at... (original song), a spoken word sample leads into a thrashy riff that starts off reminiscent of the Joe 90 theme (for those unfamiliar, click here). It then has an almost punk feel about the song...like when Slayer covered punk and hardcore songs. There are even gang chant "woahs". This is however contrasted by the blast beats which help make the track just that bit more meNtal. It changes pace a little bit in the middle, sounding a bit more power metal. We then get back to the more punk bit after a mental blast beat section accompanied by more samples. This is almost a proper sing-a-long. Hayalim Almonim finishes off the album, incorporating a choir singing the original song's lyrics as the band play at slow, almost marching pace, building slightly, bit by bit.

  
Track list:
1) Evil Finest
2) From The Desert To The Ice
3) Bloodshed Around
4) Powerslave (Iron Maiden Cover)
5) Coronation
6) Metal Troops 666
7) Giv'at HaTachmoshet
8) Underworld Resistance
9) Tzook Eitan 
10) Hayalim Almonim

  For those of you who like their thrash and black metal (preferably not one or the other) then this is an audio delight. The arabic/Mizrachi flavours might not be for everyone, but if you're worldly and are already aware of bands such as Orphaned Land and even Nile, then this, and even the rest of Arallu's back catalogue, could be an interesting addition to your collection. Guitarists Gal and Omri play tight throughout, not needing to resort to overcomplicated (and sometimes unnecessary) shredding. Drummer Assaf is also impressive; shifting dynamics within songs. I am assuming that most of the additional percussion is also played by him, which is what really makes this album special. Their devotion to the army and acceptance of war certainly will not and does not agree with everyone, but musically this is a ridiculously enjoyable record. Even I, who does not really consider himself much of a metal fan nor fan of Mizrachi music, thinks this is a really interesting listen.

4.5/5

For my Israeli readers, Arallu's official release show takes place this Thursday, 8th January, at Gagarin, Tel Aviv. Doors 20:00. Entry is ₪60, which will include a copy of the album to each ticket holder. BARGAIN!