Once again, I bring you a compilation of new videos and songs from a variety of Israeli acts.
Free Sergio - So Far Yet So Close/Hate To Break It To Ya
I am starting off this post with pop punkers Free Sergio as I stupidly forgot to include their song So Far Yet So Close in the previous instalment. They have brought out another song Hate To Break It To Ya, so this seemed like a perfect time to mention them both. The former is what could be considered an "easycore" track, with metallic riffs and melodic punk vocals. Although the Israeli accent is pretty prominent, the actual vocabulary is intelligent and the lyrical content itself is positive and relatable. It has a sort of Rise Against meets Millencolin feel to it, which is the impression I got of the band when I saw them do an acoustic set some time ago. Hate To Break It To Ya showcases the band's ska sound, again, similar to Millencolin or even Less Than Jake without the brass. The vocals on both tracks might be a tad weaker than I'd hope for, the band musically have the genre down and I'm looking forward to seeing them play as a full band some day.
The Meatballs - Don't Waste My Time/Frowning Face
Here's another 2-in1. The Meatballs are an Israeli band who have been in existence since '09. The band plays old fashioned rock and roll, pure and simple. Don't Waste My Time takes its influences from more the 50s blues based rock and roll, whereas Frowning Face is very much in the 60s surf/B-Movie vein, with the video even including scenes from what seems like a real 60s B-Movie. I've been told these guys are fun live, as can be seen in the first video. I'm still yet to see them.
Both songs are singles from the forthcoming album Cut To The Chase.
Document - Disposition
A while ago, I went to see a band called Document, after hearing about them from friends and thinking about adding them to a show. Admittedly, I may not have given them the best live review but I did believe the band to have well crafted songs. Their latest single Disposition is good example of that. It is heavier than their previous work and generally well produced. Whereas the band can initially be considered indie and/or new wave, this has an almost post-punk sound and is simply captivating. The video is arty and quite dark, which works perfectly with the song itself.
Bones Garage - Birthmarks
Sliding perfectly into the next video, the friends who informed me of Document were the band Jeronimo. My second time seeing Jeronimo live was with another young band, Bones Garage. Bones Garage recently released their album Massacre/Dance, which I must get around to reviewing soon. This is their latest video for the song Birthmarks. When I saw them live, I appreciated the band's style although wasn't 100% into it at all times. Birthmarks, however, is beautiful. It's one of those songs which would definitely get tons of airplay and would intoxicate people with the "Aaahh" and "Wooaah" parts as well as with the song's simple beauty. Both the song and the video are incredibly professionally produced, which is surprising for such a young band. The video itself is like a short movie, showing two separate lives of a boy and a girl all the way from birth to when their two worlds collide at a record store and we then see their relationship progress from thereon in. If you like really good indie music and/or dark pop, GET ON THIS! They starting to really make a name from themselves in Israel's underground scene.
Heartrates - Rapunzel (Live at Keoss Studios)
Finally, I am compelled to post a live video from a show I actually witnessed. Heartrates are an Israeli metalcore band who I saw as the opening act at an event at Keoss Studios in Tel Aviv. As readers of my blog may already know, I am not the biggest fan of israeli metal/metalcore, but sometimes a band comes along who just hit the right spot. Heartrates' style reminded me of some of the UK metalcore/hardcore bands back in the early '00s, such as Funeral For A Friend, Incoherence and Hondo Maclean. Not only was the style good, but the band had great energy, especially the frontman, who must already have girls swooning all over him. Looks aside, he has a great connection with the crowd and, in my opinion, wasn't heavy on the metal clichés like some other frontmen out here are. I'm hoping to see them some more times and am looking forward to any future releases.
Like the Beast Market EP by Relics (although I forgot to mention it), this 4 track EP (3 + Warrior Kids cover) was posted on a Facebook group I'm a member of. This time it was UKHC (Actual Relevant Stuff). Despite being a hardcore group primarily, this was a nice surprise. Last Crusade are self described "Boot Boy R'N'R from Northern England". Essentially that means rock and roll played by skinheads AKA OI! I went through a time period of trying to listen to more old school OI! This mostly included Cock Sparrer, Sham 69, The Oppressed and Perkele with the odd splattering of The Last Resort, 4 Skins and Argy Bargy. Whereas bands like Cock Sparrer and Sham 69 are quite happy-go-lucky in their style, Last Crusade have more of a leaning towards bands like The Last Resort and Templars and even touch upon the more Oi influenced hardcore bands like Discipline and Blood For Blood. It's hard hitting angry punk rock, pure and simple. All 4 tracks on this EP are all fueled with venom. Deadbeat is one of those biographical songs which points out one's faults yet somehow makes it a thing to be proud of. Sort of a losers' anthem. Morally Bankrupt is an angry attack on people who think they can do whatever the hell they like and screw the consequences. Cycle of Terror, the most venomous of the songs, is a total "fuck you" to religious war and I'm guessing religion in general. Both Morally Bankrupt and Cycle of Terror seem to sung much gruffer than Deadbeat, so I can't tell if it's a different guy singing lead of if the one guy just upped his game. Either way, it adds to aggressiveness of the songs. All three songs have simple and catchy choruses that, once you hear it enough, you'll have stuck in your head. Finally, they cover Personne by French band Warrior Kids. It could be easily passed off as their own. Not only does it have the same tough vibe that the three original songs have already laid out for us but word has it that there is at least one French-Canadian in the band. This is probably why the entire EP has a feel of being "European" and not pure British Oi as we know it. Comparing it to the original, it's very similar to when Blood For Blood covered Ultra Violence by The Oppressed. All the same ingredients are there, there's just some extra meat and a few pints of beer thrown in for good measure. Hoping it doesn't just stop here with this EP. Hope they bring out an album and start touring some more and can hopefully make more of a name for themselves in the punk world. 4/5
Metal band Relics hail from Huddersfield in Yorkshire (pr. yaaarksheeer), UK. For those who don't know where that is, it's halfway between Manchester and Leeds. For those who don't exactly know where that is, look at a map. (It's what I had to do. Haven't been that far north of Sheffield in some years.) First things first, the artwork of the Beast Market EP really grabs you. The whole concept of beast, skulls and other weird things plus the drawing style itself makes you hope that what you're going to hear is heavy as hell. They also self proclaim that they love "riffs". And that....that they've got. Opening track Death By Lead definitely helps set the tone. We start with distortion leading into thumping snares and toms and are then met with rung out guitars and the rough exclamation of the titular DEEEEEATH......BYYYY.....LEEEAAAD. And then it begins....the riffs. Heavy hitting verses that, like all good stoner, make you want to bang your head and throw horns. The vocalist is very reminiscent of Ben Ward (Orange Goblin) and even Phil Anselmo (Pantera/Down/Superjoint Ritual/everything else he's done) in places. All 3 songs on the EP provide the riffs we are promised "on the tin". These guys understand both riffs, groove and the importance of diversity. As similar as the vocalist is to the aforementioned frontmen, he does it flawlessly. I especially love him in 3rd track The Circus. There is the powerfully sung "LOOOOSER"and the Fantomas/Maximum The Hormone style ramblings of...whatever the hell he's saying at that point. It sounds amazing, whatever it is. There's even a "gangstyle" chant in this song, which, in my experience, you don't really get in much stoner. Then again, these guys don't even consider themselves "stoner". They describe themselves as "metal, riff, rock and roll, punk and hardcore". Rock and roll is a definite yes. This is "heavy rock and roll" and I'm totally down with that. Anyone else who is will love this too. 4.5/5
