Review: Hotbox - White Trash EP [January 2017]

Every decade has its stand out genres; the 60s had motown and garage rock, the 70s had glam rock and disco, the 80s had punk and synth pop and the 90s had Brit Pop and grunge. For the late 90s and early 2000s, kids were starting to get into rap-metal and nu-metal. Although it may seem dated now, it still has its fans and none are more obvious than this band.

Hailing from South Israel (Arad/Beer Sheva), Hotbox, the country's answer to Californian outfit Hed PE aka (hed) Planet Earth aka (həd) p.e., have done a lot for the Israeli underground scene, teaming up with bands of various genres to put on guerrilla shows and even their own festival using their own equipment. After some wait, the band have released their new EP, White Trash. 

Most of the songs on White Trash (and the band's repertoire in general) have that same bouncy groove and macho flavour as the aforementioned Hed PE. In particular, first full track, Rap Guillotine, has a riff that sounds identical to that of Killing Time. I won't say it's a rip off, as I am fully aware that these things can sometimes happen (I once realised I had almost totally rewritten a TAD song and pretty sure I hadn't even heard it before) but many may see this as a little unoriginal. I happen to love Hed PE, so it's hardly a bad song to bare similarities to, in my opinion.

The rest of the EP stays with that Juggalo-metal type vibe with lyrics mostly containing expletives (motherfucker, shit, bitch etc..) and both sexually explicit and aggressive language in general. The band's MC, Cise2 (or..Dave), certainly has a fast Bionic Jive-like delivery but the lyrical content tends to be a little cliché most of the time. It's only by the last two tracks, Ugh! and Use A Friend, where a little bit more thought seems to have been put into his words. Whereas the former is still an angry track which anyone who's ever hated their job would relate to [raises hand], the latter is a more heartfelt ode to a friend who passed away. I say friend, there are signs that it is in fact about an actual pet dog as a opposed to "my dawg". Either way, the more meaningful lyrics teamed with a passionate vocal delivery on top of a laid back yet still heavy groove make Use A Friend the EP's stand out track. 

It's quite difficult to make music like this in this day and age, so Hotbox certainly get credit for not giving a fuck and playing what they love. Alongside punk and hardcore, I have a soft spot for rap-metal, so I see them as bringing something a little different to the scene out here. White Trash has a decent production and is fun for those who already love this genre. However, if they actually want to get anywhere and gain any recognition based on their music, they need to start bringing something new to the table. 

3/5

Live Review: Eternal Struggle EP Release Show @ Levontin 7, Tel Aviv [19th August 2016]

Eternal Struggle

Coma 7

Ganza

I've shown a lot of love recently for local tough-guy hardcore band, Eternal Struggle. Although the shows I've seen them at prior to now have not had the best of turnouts, I've brought myself along to this special occasion; their EP release show. I've already sung my praises for Breaking & Entering (see review) so it is no surprise that I am here tonight in support of it.

Ganza

First band in support are Ganza. I've written about these guys twice before; the first time wasn't great and the second was good. Still with new singer Max, the guys sound and perform better than the previous show. Max is still incredibly enthusiastic, with his hair windmills and high jumps, and Ohad's guitar solos impress me more and more each time. The musicianship all round is pretty solid but their actual music style is still a bit all over the place, sounding like about 4 different tribute acts all in one. It still has the essence of some sort of college project as opposed to a real band. However, their songs are still catchy (e.g. Butterflies and Junkie) and they put on a good show, getting the crowd energised.  

3.5/5

Coma 7

  This is my second time seeing Coma 7 but my first time reviewing them. I remember first hearing something by them along time ago and thinking to myself "what decade are we in?" It was so nu-metal that I thought I was still wearing my Criminal Damage baggy jeans from when I was 15! The track I heard was actually poorly produced which ultimately let it down for me. However, it turns out that they are one of those bands that need to be witnessed live. 

  Yes, it is old school rapcore. Yes, it is reminiscent of bands like Clawfinger, Senser and Rage Against The Machine, of whom they covered (Killing In The Name, naturally). Yes, it may be considered dated by some...but damn it! I still have a soft spot for it. Frontman, Shimon, does sound a lot like Zack de la Rocha (RATM) albeit with a slight accent, which brings in the Zak Tell (Clawfinger) comparison. Even on their original songs, the solos by guitarist, Kobi, are straight out of Tom Morello's handbook. They also use politically charged lyrics, like on songs such as No More War, Pigs In Ties and Yeti, with its "We will not be controlled by you" refrain (that the band ironically manipulates the crowd into chanting. Haha!)

  Despite the comparisons, the cool, more drum n bass style beats by drummer, Elad, make things more interesting and I can't help but smile. The rest of the crowd were impressed too, getting up on stage with them and generally going crazy. If anything, Coma 7 are damn good fun!

4/5

Eternal Struggle

  They still might be a tad under the radar in the Israeli scene but Eternal Struggle have pulled in a pretty damn big crowd tonight. Maybe it's because of the support acts and the special guests all mixed together. Either way, the atmosphere is buzzing before their set even starts.

  To make things even more fun from the get go, we suddenly feel things fall on top of us, as foam tubes (aka "pool noodles"), beach balls and all sorts of inflatables are released into the crowd as the band open up the set with a yet untitled new song. (I wanted to do something like this for the Woolly Boy comeback show but didn't have the guts to go through with it.) Of course, a few people lose their minds and the place becomes a giant kid-friendly Jedi battlefield. With the band's down-tuned heavy hardcore in the background, it's a surreal yet also amazing moment.

  I will admit that the rest of the show is a little bit of a blur as I was just having so much fun either punching the air or pretending to ride a motorbike (my body does what the music tells it to). However, it is safe to say that the band plays tracks from their Breaking & Entering EP as well as a track called War and a song for all the footie hooligans, Fucking Football Fanatics. The latter sees the place go crazy, because Israeli metalheads like their football, apparently. Each to their own!

  
  As promised on the show's posters and event's info, the band had some friends join them on stage. Arie Aranovich (Ex-Hammercult/ex-The Fading) plays guitar on the beatdown filled crowd-pleaser Lost, which leads to bodies flying about the room and a lot of head-banging, Alon Karnieli (Sinnery) joins in on vocals for Pride Kills, Lemmy Keller (03/Sintax) plays guitar on the bouncy Repeat Nothing near the end of the set and both Eliav Torjman and Ben Saada of Canine join them on guitar and guest vocals respectively. Not only do the Canine boys help out on the Born From Pain-style anthem Tonight We March, this guest appearance brings about the highlight of the night - A FUCKING HATEBREED COVER! Even though they also do their usual cover of Sick Of It All's Take The Night Off later on in the set (for which I go up on stage and go crazy), it's actually hearing I Will Be Heard for the first time in ages which makes me scream at the top of my lungs. Man! I had forgotten how much I used to love that band...

I've said before in previous reviews that Eternal Struggle deserve a bigger and a more in-tuned crowd; tonight seems to have brought that. There may still be the odd person who has just come along to get drunk and shout "HEY!" at random points in songs, but who cares? To me, Eternal Struggle have two important things that I like in my hardcore - groove and beatdowns. It might not be groundbreaking but it does make me want to break shit!

5/5

Photos courtesy of:
Sharon Shapira (for Ganza)
Miguel St. Labao (for Coma 7)
Assaf Bergerbest (for Eternal Struggle)

Top 10 bands that I don't understand

Being British born, albeit to an Israeli mother, I never really excelled at any other languages and only since moving to Israel have I become somewhat semi-bilingual. With music being an international thing, there are many bands in the world making music that I like but singing in languages I don't understand. Some bands have managed to gain success abroad, such as Rammstein (German), Babymetal (Japanese) and let's not forget frickin' PSY (Korean) but here is a top 10 list of bands that I listen to who I have no idea what they are saying.

Disclaimer: This also includes bands who might be singing in English but have very strong, unintelligible accents, thus qualifying for a band I don't understand.

10. Freedumb

I discovered thrash/punk band Freedumb from Norway very recently due to their latest album, Feeding The Tapeworm, being sent to me via Toxic Online to review. Although the majority of the album and their material overall does include English songs, they do have a good number of songs in Norwegian that I simply don't understand. They actually turn out to be the better songs, as the singer is saying the words with more conviction. This gives the song more meaning, even if I don't know what that is. Playing music along the lines of Dead Kennedys, Black Flag and Municipal Waste, Freedumb are worth a listen.

9. Shitty CT

This is cheating a little as Shitty CT are an Israeli band and I do understand Hebrew. However, I did not understand Hebrew when I discovered them after only just moved to the country. They also sing the Hebrew in slight Russian accents at times, so that can also be confusing sometimes. The band itself mixes rap, punk, metal and electro which confuses many people but I dug it from the start. Their latest song, Kayfuyem, is basically hip hop, sampling the song of the same name by singer Arsen Petrosov with rapping, all in Russian. Russian, for me, will forever be a confusing language.

8. Shabak Samech

Similar to Shitty CT, Shabak Samech, one of the most legendary rap/rock groups in Israel, sing in Hebrew and I also discovered them back when my Hebrew wasn't all that great. Because it is rapping, it is still pretty hard to follow it completely without having the words in front of me somewhere. This goes for other Israeli rap artists like Peled, Muki and Lukach.
Shabak Samech's early work is the stuff that I really like. It is more along the rap-rock lines, as apparently they were influenced by the likes of Dog Eat Dog and Beastie Boys back in the day. The last stuff they brought out was also good but more hip hop based. I don't think old school fans were all too impressed.

This song is called Al Tagidu Li (Don't Tell Me).

7. Sand

Along with mentioning bands I technically do understand now because of my improved Hebrew, putting Japanese hardcore band Sand on this list might be a bit of a curveball. I mostly know Sand through their music videos and that's the only way I can understand them. They luckily have the lyrics come up on screen so that we can follow. This is not a translation, however, as the band actually seems to be singing in English just with the strongest, most unintelligible Japanese accent. Not anyone's fault, to be fair. I tend to flick in between finding these guys to be a joke to just loving it regardless. Either way, the music is tough as hell!

6. Netral/NTRL

Netral, now known as NTRL, are, in my eyes, the Indonesian Blink 182. I discovered these guys through a video of a kid drumming along to their song Cinta Gila and thinking to myself "I like this! This is nice." Upon further research, I found other songs just as nice and even others more punky. They have great melodies and are just great musicians. I think it's actually quite a crime that they are not more widely known. Their latest album, 11/12, came out last year.

5. The Blue Hearts

Back to Japan (you'll be seeing a lot of Japanese bands on here, actually). The Blue Hearts are a really old Japanese punk band. I discovered them through a cover of the song Linda Linda that Andrew WK did. Turns out, a few other bands have also covered it, as it is quite a classic song. I listened to some greatest hits of theirs and just really liked them. Haven't a clue what they are saying or even what most of the song titles are, but I know what I like when I hear it!

4. PUYA

A little break from Asia now, as we head over to San Juan, Puerto Rico where the band PUYA originated from. I still can't quite remember how I discovered PUYA. I think it was by accident or just when going through a bunch of rap metal bands on Youtube. However it happened, I somehow saw the video for the song Fundamental and was simply kicked in the balls by its amazingness. The song flicks in between latin music with brass section and full on shouty rap metal. I downloaded the album of the same name, which is mostly in Spanish. Even though I learnt Spanish in my teens, I don't really understand it. At all. But the music is amazing. The band apparently had great success, especially with Fundamental. Their latest release was the live album Vital back in 2014.


 

3. Maximum The Hormone

Along with Babymetal, Japanese nutcases Maximum The Hormone are now quite widely known. I discovered them quite late through a video that started to go viral. I still don't know what the song is called, but it's the song where the only English in it is "Stop, stop, whinny upload." Apparently it's about an old software...I don't know. The song was just a big bag of genres and the video was pretty crazy with strange imagery and effects.
Maximum The Hormone are simply mental. Both lyrically, musically and on stage. Some people are familiar with them because their music has been associated with the anime series, Death Note. I wish I could understand Japanese because if the responses from their Japanese fans are anything to go by, they are bloody hilarious.

2. Back Drop Bomb

Another band that I don't quite know how I discovered them. Back Drop Bomb started out like the Dog Eat Dog of Japan. They played rock/rap crossover music and had a saxophonist. In more recent years, the band have reached into territories that bring to mind 311 and even Linkin Park. They are still incredibly creative and enjoyable to listen to...I just haven't got a clue what they are saying, most of the time. I think, like Sand, they are actually singing in English for a majority of songs. It's just hard to tell. Regardless, their earlier work is simply some of my favourite stuff to listen back to every now and again. They have a split EP coming up with the band Husking Bee. 


 

1. Mad Capsule Markets

And finally, still over in Japan, the band I consider my number one favourite band I don't understand. Mad Capsule Markets hit the UK market big time in around 1999 with the album Osc-Dis. With digital music channels like MTV2, Scuzz and Kerrang TV, videos for songs like Pulse, All The Time In Sunny Beach and Good Girl got a fair bit of air play in the UK. I never actually got into their albums back then as I was stuck in a bubble of local hardcore bands but I always had a fondness for those hits. I started listening to their discography later in life and they are now a massive influence on me.
They developed their sound throughout the years, but it's always been punk with an industrial leaning, later being also considered digital hardcore. I love them because they have many genuinely catchy songs and just an amazing intensity. Even when songs titles are in English, the songs are mostly in Japanese with the odd English bits thrown in. There are other songs where the song might be in broken English with some Japanese rap parts thrown in.
 Such a shame they are no more as I would have loved to have heard what they would come out with now and see them live. Former vocalist, Hiroshi Kyono, did continue with his own digital hardcore project, Wagdug Futuristic Unity, which is also very impressive.




Are there any bands here that you guys also love? Are there maybe any bands that you think I should be listening to? Do you know any good Korean hardcore bands? Does that exist? Let me know.

Review: Ironed Out - Us and Them EP [2015]

   For those who don't know me, my "hardcore" background comes from being introduced to the band Knuckledust through a Terrorizer compilation CD and then being taken by friends to my first London hardcore show. Since then, up until I moved to Israel, I have been going to London shows and supporting Rucktion Records' releases. Ironed Out is a new band on the scene; kind of a super group, including members of some of my London faves such as the previously mentioned Knuckledust and 50 Caliber.
    For those familiar with the whole Rucktion/LBU scene, this band has that same tough-guy London swagger with more of a "rap" emphasis, similar to that of other London band TRC's earlier work. On this EP, they also incorporate something which, to me, is pretty closely associated with London hardcore bands; using samples from British movies and TV. We can hear it in the EP's intro as well as in third track ACAB (which is a sample from British sitcom Only Fools and Horses about the police aka "the old bill").   
   Unlike more popular rap-hardcore bands like Biohazard and Madball, Ironed Out take more of a leaf out of E-Town Concrete's book, using melodic guitar parts as well as groovy riffs. Penultimate track on the EP, Built To Last (not a Sick Of It All cover), even has singing in the chorus. Personally I love that, but I remember a time when this side of the London scene made fun of Your Demise for introducing singing on their later material. On the other hand, Your Demise's sound pretty much completely changed so that was probably more the issue.
    Built To Last stands out as one of the EPs best tracks, along with final track Survivors. The whole EP is heavy and groovy; totally my sort of thing. However, there are a few issues. When the music kicks in on ACAB, especially when listening on headphones, the first guitar's chugging seems a little off which is a little distracting. Luckily the rest of the track compensates for that. There is also a section nearer the end of the Never Gonna Change, where the guitar part and the drumming seem out of sync but once again, everything sorts itself out and the groove is back on track. One other criticism is, as much as I've always loved the scene, the whole shouting "LBU" thing every so often and talking about the scene just doesn't really do anything for me anymore. It's like when a rapper says his name quite often. That aside, this is a perfect band for fans of E-Town Concrete, Fury of V, TRC and most things Danny Diablo has had a hand in. With bands like Hacktivist and TRC having gained popularity over the years, there's a possibility that Ironed Out will not just remain a hidden gem.
3.5/5