Live Review: Nasty + support @ Levontin 7, Tel Aviv [25th May 2017]

Nasty
03
Ostra Torn

There are some bands that I thought might never come to this country and when they actually do, it's not something to miss out. Tonight, a variety of people from the different hardcore scenes in Tel Aviv have gathered at Levontin 7 to witness the crazily heavy beatdowns of Belgian hardcore crew Nasty.

Östra Torn

Starting off tonight's proceedings is Haifa trio, Östra Torn. I've already reviewed these guys recently when they supported Zaga Zaga and I was really impressed by their doomy/sludgy hardcore. They did a very similar set tonight, set up in a triangle and just making the loudest noise possible. The band walks the fine line of playing loose enough that the music feels more natural and free-flowing but tight enough that no-one is loosing their place and they're all on the same page. The band hasn't got anything recorded yet (soon to come, though, I believe..) but watching them live is essential. You find yourself in some sort of tennis-spectator mode, as your eyes bounce from screaming bassist Nir to more growly guitarist Dean while drummer Ofer goes crazy amidst the heavy riffs and rumbling bass. I think that even when they do eventually release something, this is a band that can also be solely enjoyed live without needing to be familiar with the material. As long as you like things slow, heavy and energetic, you'll be smiling the whole show.

4/5

03

It was quite disappointing to hear shortly beforehand that tonight is 03's (Efes Shalosh) last show, so I think there's a lot of people who have come almost exclusively in support of them. Like Östra Torn, I have reviewed 03 before but with varying reviews. They've definitely become the tough hardcore powerhouse that they are now since the addition of guitarist Lemmy, who always jumps about the stage like his guitar's a kid's toy! With the recent release of their first album This Is Survival, Not A Revival, more people have gotten to hear exactly what this band does and have therefore gained more recognition. I still wouldn't go as far as saying that they're breaking any new ground in hardcore but they've certainly helped bridge that gap between hardcore and metalcore in this country, even bringing both fanbases to their shows.

As always, singer Jenia struts about the stage and the venue floor with his razor blade vocals blasting out of the speakers while the band delivers their Born From Pain meets Madball hardcore with infectious energy that rubs off on the crowd. The track Bruce Lee will forever be the band's Clobberin' Time; like the Sick Of It All song, it's less than a minute's worth of thunderous instrumental hardcore that just gets everyone pumped, making it the highlight of every show. They definitely have the right grooves to get people moving and a general likability but it just always feels like they're lacking something that separates them from the rest of the hardcore world.

 Hopefully, the band are not splitting up completely but just taking a break for a while and will come back with some fresh new material.

3.5/5

Nasty

All these years, I've wondered what kind of people would turn up to see some proper European beatdown hardcore. Tonight, there's a bunch of faces I've never really seen before as well as a few familiar ones. I was still unsure by what the reaction would be as normally any form of hardcore show out here tends to be still pretty "punk" in terms of the dancing and the general attitude. Although 03's set saw a bit of "violence", things went up a notch for Belgian posse Nasty.


Pretty much from the start, the pit has opened up and we see some 2-stepping, spin kicks, windmilling and stage diving as Nasty plough through their low-tuned, boisterous, hip-hop tinged hardcore. Frontman, Matthi, roams about the stage, getting everyone fired up and encouraging all the pit-action. The rest of the band also give it their all on stage, with Paddy (guitar) and Berri (bass) bouncing around and Nash smashing the kit behind them.

To be honest, the rest of the show becomes a bit of a blur as it just gets so crazy (and a literal blur because I took my glasses off to avoid any mishaps). As the band plays hits like Shokka, Lying When They Love Us and Slave To The Rich, bodies start flying all over the place, knocking the monitors off the stands in front of the stage. This leads to Matthi deciding to move all the monitors to the side of the stage and leave the front completely free for stag diving and sing-a-longs.

Whereas you can sometimes come across bands who are in the mindset of just turning up, plugging in and playing, it seems as though Nasty are genuinely excited to be experiencing a show in Tel Aviv, making sure that everyone's having a good time and especially that there's some carnage. There's very minimal talking between songs and nothing gets too "preachy". Even when it gets to the finale of anti-fascist anthem Zero Tolerance, Matthi mostly spreads some PMA instead of getting political.

This has to be one of the most "hardcore" shows I've ever been to in Israel, in terms of seeing some of the dancing I grew up seeing in the London scene. Maybe it's because of my age but I actually felt too intimidated to join in as much as I would have liked to. That said, it was still cool to just watch from the sidelines. Where I once originally thought of Nasty in a similar way as a band like Emmure (i.e. immature heavy music for college jocks), my views have changed. Nasty are simply a tough hardcore band with some solid beatdowns and try to touch upon serious topics in the most aggressive yet also fun ways possible. 

4/5

All photos courtesy of Miguel St Labao

Review: Eternal Struggle - Breaking & Entering EP [2016]

Finally! After years of perfecting their sound and playing shows, tough Tel Avivian hardcore outfit, Eternal Struggle, have released their debut EP, Breaking & Entering. Filled with five tracks of hardcore and groove metal inspired heaviness, this release is refreshing for both the Israeli hardcore and metal scene.

Proclaiming to take influences from hardcore big names such as Hatebreed, Terror and Madball, I also can't help but think of bands like London kings Knuckledust, Dutch hardcore outfit Born From Pain and even NY beatdown veterans Bulldoze (just a little bit). Although there is still a fair bit of standard one chord chugging here and there, it still sounds a lot heavier than most of the djenty "breakdowns" that so-called "hardcore" bands nowadays do. Most notably, in the track Lost, guitarist Omer plays a slow and heavy, hummable palm muted beatdown which will certainly cause ninja antics over in Europe if not in Israel, where it's not really the norm.

Throughout the EP, every song is groove heavy which makes me very happy. There's no "hardcore d-beats" on here, though. The fast bits seem to be mainly a simpler beat with the snare on every full beat and kick on every half (hopefully drummers know what the hell I'm on about. I don't know if there's a name for it.) It unfortunately makes a lot of the EP a bit samey and not as interesting as it could be. Normally, it could be a sign that the drummer is not up to it, but as the impressive fills in the likes of final track Pride Kills show, drummer Ori (aka Shiny) is certainly a more than competent drummer.

Vocalist Ori (aka Franko) has a very rough voice, reminiscent of previously mentioned bands, as well as sometimes touching upon the more shouting style of Lou Koller of Sick Of It All. Both the vocals and the lyrical content are not really anything new or ground breaking. There's even some pretty cliché sing along attempts, like in opening track Freedom Denied. Despite that, Eternal Struggle musically fill a gap that has long been empty in the Israeli scene.

For me personally, Breaking & Entering brings back memories of going into Camden almost every week to see the London tough guy bands and their European or American friends all playing crushing, groove based hardcore with beatdowns that saw everyone punching the air and spin kicking. I've sort of missed it. Hopefully, Eternal Struggle will reach the hardcore scenes across Europe and even stateside. They certainly have the music to do so but could do with a little bit more originality. 


 4/5

Live review: Metaling Ra'anana - REBORN @ HaMartef, Ra'anana [19/05/2016]

Shredhead

Canine

Unleash The Pain

Ages Of Atrophy

Recently, I've found myself actually heading out of Tel Aviv for shows. I've been to Haifa, I've been to Rishon LeZion and now I've come to Ra'anana to yet another HaMartef (The Basement) for a metal show. As well as mainly coming to support old band mates Canine, I've come to check out Ages Of Atrophy, Unleash The Pain and to see Israeli metal legends Shredhead again. As the venue name suggests, I walk down a flight of stairs decorated with luminous strips/paint to what is apparently a form of youth centre. So it's going to be a pretty sober night, folks!

Ages of atrophy

The first band of the night is Tel Avivian deathcore five piece, Ages Of Atrophy. I have a feeling they may not have done much of a good enough soundcheck beforehand. As the band starts up, it's all a bit quiet apart from the ridiculously prominent double kick. In this type of metal, the double kicks are indeed important but this rendered the vocals pretty inaudible at the beginning. May have also been a mic problem which seemed to sort itself out as the show went on.
  As a drummer myself with sensitive ears, I could hear the drummer sometimes losing pace during blast beats but the impressive finger work of guitarists Ran and Gal takes the focus away. Although I am not usually into deathcore, I do find myself enjoying the band as the set goes on. Some of the beatdowns get me thrusting my body backwards and forth and smiling. I still find the genre as a whole pretty unimpressive and what Ages Of Atrophy play is nothing new but it does seem to hit a soft spot tonight.


3/5

Unleash The Pain

Another band I've never heard of before, Unleash The Pain, take the stage next in a strange costume of torn white T- shirts. Not entirely sure of the meaning behind all that and what it stands for but it seems to be their thing. Could be considered gimmicky but at the same time it does show them as a "united front", as it were.  
  This is apparently an important occasion for the band. Not only is it a comeback show for them but it is 6 years since the band played their first ever show in the same venue. After some mic issues, the band start blasting out some Killswitch Engage meets Lamb Of God style metal. Everything musically and vocally sounds surprisingly quite polished for a live set. Israel's (vocalist) clean vocals on tracks from their Isolated EP actually sound better live than on record. Maybe time and a lot of practice has helped him develop his vocals even more. 
  As well as their old material, the band preview songs from their upcoming album. At one point, Israel says that the next song is called We're Not Gonna Make It. For a split second, I think it's going to be a Presidents Of The USA cover...but I'm wrong. We get treated to another slab of modern metal with some beatdown/breakdown parts. During the set, the band go amongst the crowd, which is always fun. The crowd seem to lap it up.

  Unleash The Pain is certainly not the most creative name I have ever heard. On top of that, the name suggests a more brutal band. There's a little bit too much melody for them to be worthy of the name. But what's in a name? Anyone heard of We Butter The Bread With Butter? 

   Unleash The Pain are worth checking out and are definitely at quite a professional level right now which did not come across as pretentious but quite modest. The white t-shirt costume thing might let them down in terms of being taken seriously, but as long as people judge them on the music alone, they might be ok. I'm interested in hearing the new stuff.



3.5/5

Canine 

Ahhh and now it's Canine.  I will admit that I have come today primarily in support of them but they don't really need it. For some years now, the band has had the confidence and the cojones of a big time band that it's as if they don't really need fans at all. The band turn up tonight with conference-style drop down roller banners with their logo on that take up a majority of the stage. The band hasn't even released their first official album or toured out of the country but have already jumped ahead to such on-stage extravagances. All power to them and everything, but it personally seems a bit too much for a fairly unknown Israeli band who are essentially called DOG. 
  Alighting the stage in a professional style, the band kick of their set with Silence Before Chaos, a fairly old song for their repertoire that has still yet to be released. I am familiar with it from my short lived days with the band, so I'm already going nuts at the get go. It's pure Machine Head, for sure, but it's certainly a great opening song and Ben Saada's more Lamb Of God-like vocals gives it a new twist to the song's previous incarnation. 
  The rest of the band's set also includes some songs which are technically old but are set to be released on the upcoming album, whenever that will see the light of day! Some of the songs take on a more Killswitch Engage vibe with the addition of Saada's clean vocals, which seem to have improved with time. The band also do a cover of Faith Or Forgiveness by The Ghost Inside. My knowledge of that band is close to non-existent so I'm not going to pretend like I knew the song or how the cover compared but those familiar with it are shouting along and getting a pit going.
  As well as both on stage and off stage antics from band members, there is a moment in the set which, for me, is quite sweet. Saada speaks about his former band Eyes Sewn Shut and how they once played in that venue...or something along those lines. He even starts reminiscing with former band members who were quietly standing not so far from me and it suddenly makes the evening all that more intimate.
  Finishing their almost hour long set with crowd members singing and dancing along to their last single, Last Words Live Forever, it's hard to say that Canine are not entertaining. They seem to give the people all the metal cliches that they want in a show and are somehow still managing to just float above the line of generic metalcore. An hour is certainly far too long a set for a band still essentially in their early stages but they pulled it off. It is still a shame (personally) that they completely eradicate all material from their more groove-metal influenced Degeneration EP, but it's a sign of maturity, I guess.

3.5/5

Shredhead 

  Although Canine may seem like the main act of the night, it's Israeli thrash heavyweights Shredhead who take stage to finish things off. I've seen the band once or twice before but it has been mostly to a much larger crowd than this. This is a teen friendly venue in Ra'anana, to be fair, so maybe most of their beer drinking fans from Tel Aviv and elsewhere didn't see the point in travelling over for this. It's a big shame because Shredhead have both the presence and material worthy of a bigger crowd.
  Due to being the end of the night, I will admit that I am unable to recollect particular moments of the set but did find myself really getting into them for the first time. In a world full of attempted metalcore, Shredhead keep things thrashy with added elements of groove metal. With a set almost exclusively made up of tracks from their 2015 Death Is Righteous album, such as set opener LPBZ, the Pantera-like Last Words Are Lost and crowd pleaser Devil's Race, the 5 piece also play a brand new song and classic track from the Human Nature album, Knife In A Gunfight. The latter really gets the die-hard fans headbanging, finger pointing and shouting along. 

 For a headline act, Shredhead's set feels quite short but I think that's a good thing. It leaves the people wanting more and forces them to come to more shows in the future. I certainly wouldn't mind watching them again with more material as I am impressed at how they still manage to come off as current while playing pretty old school styles. It also makes me want to start listening to them more regularly.

4/5

 Well done to Yam Yaffe for putting on a great night. I've come away with some new bands to like and a newfound admiration for Shredhead.

Photos for Ages Of Atrophy, Unleash The Pain and Canine by Shahar Gino. 

Check out the Gathering of The Juggalos 2016 Infomercial

Do you not know who Insane Clown Posse are? Have you never heard of Juggalos? Have you never seen a Gathering Of The Juggalos infomercial? Well, here's a chance to clue yourself in.

Insane Clown Posse are a horror inspired hip hop act from Detroit who spawned a whole genre of rappers with clown paint talking about murder and "neden". Along with the genre came a fanbase which got nicknamed Juggalos. Although Juggalos are primarily considered "white trash" who do a lot of whippets and drink Faygo, I, a Londoner from a pretty middle class upbringing, always saw myself as a Juggalo at heart. I remember seeing the video for ICP's Hocus Pocus when it came out and was mesmerised by these rappers in facepaint.

Over the years, I got myself more familiar with  ICP as well as others from their Psychopathic Records label such as Twiztid and Boondox and related artists such as HedPE and Wolfpac. The Gathering Of The Juggalos, ICP's annual festival, has always really appealed to me. As well as having some amazing names from the hip hop world, they also tend to have some metal or hardcore bands in the mix. This year, GoTJ 17, they've managed to get old school rappers like Bone Thugs N Harmony and Slick Rick on board, as well as metalcore acts like Suicide Silence, Attila, Asking Alexandria and Emmure. Despite being from a more hardcore background, I'm actually more excited by Bone Thugs N Harmony. I don't even really listen to those metal bands. There is still regular metal acts such as GWAR in their latest lineup and HedPE who I've always really liked. TechN9ne is a regular of the festival too. He is probably the main Juggalo related rapper who is even considered outside of the Juggalo "world" as a genius and is loved pretty much by all.

Check out the video for the rest of the lineup, including more rap and metal acts, as well as comedians and other entertainment throughout the weekend. I always like checking it out for discovering new acts or acts I've never heard of before. Deranged horror rock duo One-Eyed Doll and the cocaine loving rappers The Dayton Family both really stood out for me. The infomercial itself, as always, is funny, although as the years go on it has become more purposely comical whereas before it was just weird. Early infomercials even brought forth a bunch of Saturday Night Live parodies. This year, the makers of the infomercial seem to have taken on board SNL's jokes and run with it. This is pretty much a parody within itself and would thus make it hard for anyone to poke fun at.  

And I am actually quite interested in this year's festival. Are any of you guys going?

Some new videos from Israeli bands

Seeing as this past week was the anniversary of Israel's independence, I thought it would be fitting to do something I haven't done in a while. Here are some (fairly) new videos from Israeli bands and what I think of them.

Saint God - Narasvette

First up is the Tel Aviv based Saint God. I've seen Saint God once before and was impressed by their creativity and mixture of genres (see review). Having already released their first album Montefiore (which I should review at some point), the duo also released a single, Narasvette. I found the video by accident via BlankTV. Well done on the boys for getting themselves on there.
 The track is pretty much in a shoegaze vibe, with dreamy, fuzzy guitars and echoed vocals. The video features Italian dancer, Giualia Piana, whose free spirited movements fit the flow of the song perfectly. The video is professionally shot and should be getting more attention.

The Fading - Solitude Express

 When it comes to Israeli metal bands, I'm still not 100% clued in. The Fading is a name I have seen and heard a lot since I moved out here. I'm actually still not sure if I've ever seen them but they must be doing something right. Their In Flames style metal has given them fairly wide spread success, most recently gaining them support slots on tour with the likes of Five Finger Death Punch and Bring Me The Horizon.
  The band's latest video is for Solitude Express from their last album Till Life Do Us Part. The video is mostly of the band in their rehearsal room, along with a few snippets of live performances and general "band stuff". The song itself is a good slab of modern metal, with thunderous drums, melodious riffs and growling vocals. I tend to prefer my metal a little bit more creative or fun and thrashy, but for what it is, it's certainly better than some of the more metalcore of bands who use bad clean vocals.

Jack The Envious - Wonderwall (Oasis Cover)

 Speaking of bands with bad clean vocals, have you met Jack The Envious? In all seriousness, despite being unimpressed with the band's original material from the Pull You Down album (another album I'm yet to review), I have been made pleasantly surprised by this total reworking of the Oasis classic, Wonderwall.
  To many, this might be considered "sacrilege" and that most Oasis songs are "untouchable", but even if you don't like Jack The Envious and this genre in general, you have to give them points for creativity. If someone was to hear this without being told what it was, they probably would not guess it was a Wonderwall cover until the first verse starts. The music is pretty much rewritten and given the "easycore" treatment. Apart from the closing melody of the song, nothing much from the original has stuck. The essence of the chorus is still there vocally, it's just been given some added double kicks and chugging guitars. The video sees the band roaming around a big house while playing and swapping instruments, eventually ending in one big house party.
  Probably out of all the covers of the song that have been done over the years, this has to be on the list of the most interesting, even if it does lack the punch that one would hope from this type of band. Taking the iconic drum solo out of such a classic song was definitely a risky move.

Shredhead - Devil's Race

  Yet another Israeli metal band who I don't know as much about as I should; Shreadhead are back after a breif hiatus, dropping this video for Devil's Race which comes from their second album Death Is Righteous released last year.  I've seen them a couple of times but nothing ever really stuck with me. Might just not be my bag, but they are one of the more popular bands that manage to gather fans from both the metal and hardcore scenes.
  The song takes in bits of thrash and death metal, mixing it with an anthemic Pantera-like chorus. The video largely features multi-camera live show footage with crowd close-ups as well as some tour bus/backstage stuff. The concept might be nothing new, but we get to see both the band and the crowd really giving it their all.

Matricide - Unreality

Here's another one. It's funny how many of these videos are actually coming out along time after the album's release. Unreality comes form Matricide's 2013 album, When Random Turns To Fate. Like Shredhead, Matricide are also doing pretty well for themselves out here in Israel, but I'm not entirely sure how well they are doing elsewhere. They are doing that popular Djent-influenced style metal that I'm not all that into but can appreciate why others are.
  This is quite an epic video, almost like a little movie, and the song is a little bit too long for my taste. However, it's well crafted and the musicianship is pretty flawless.

Peled - Ba Be Boom

Some hip hop now. Peled (apparently from Menchamia very close to the Jordan border) is one of those rappers that also moves in the Israeli alternative circles. Ba BeBoom (Hit You With A Boom) comes from the latest album HaKol Alay (Everything's On Me). It's the kind of rap rock mix that was popular in the early 00s. I just happen to be the type of person who still likes that sort of thing.
  I might still not be all that great with following rap in Hebrew, but you got to appreciate the flow. The video is like most southern (USA) hip hop videos. You've got a bunch of cars in a field, dirt bikes, smoking and some breakdancing. Although old concepts, it still comes across as a pretty fresh video and you can't fault the track...unless you're not into that kind of thing, then say what you like. 

Kitat Omanut - Chalumot Gadolim

Going to finish this off with something more punky from Kitat Omanut (Art Class). Hailing from Netanya, these guys play a mixture of alternative and punk rock. Chalumot Gadolim (Big Dreams), from the Rock Yisraeli (Israeli Rock) album, has a bit of a Brit Pop flavour while also sounding like Israeli alternative acts like HaShpung Shel HaPita (The Roll of the Pitta??) and even Israeli punk legends Bo LaBar (Come to the Bar). Both the song and the video are short and fun but I just can't help feel that it's maybe a little bit dated. But what do I know? I still like old Smash Mouth...

Hatebreed's lyric video for "A.D."

Many a metalhead and hardcore kid has had to wait 3 years for this, but hardcore legends Hatebreed will release their 7th studio album, The Concrete Confessional, on May 13th 2016 via Nuclear Blast.

From the upcoming album, Hatebreed have treated fans to a lyric video for the track A.D. Having not really paid much attention to the band since The Rise Of Brutality, the track is actually better than I thought it might be.

Lyrically, it's basically the same old thing; "Boo! My country and it's government sucks." Musically, it's a mixture of typical their typical style and Slayer worship, as the first half of the song zips along in thrash-like fashion and then finishes with the iconic Hatebreed fist bump-inducing groove. Put together, it's not the most cringeworthy thing I've ever heard and is not that disappointing, as far as Hatebreed goes.

It's definitely worth checking this out if you have ever liked the band or considered yourself a fan of hardcore and/or metalcore. I'm personally liking the thrash element and hoping there's more of that on the rest of the album.

Live Review: Punk Afternoon - Tune In TLV Showcase Party @ Ozenbar, Tel Aviv [14th November 2015]

Not On Tour

Let Us Be Spoken

SatuRated

The Driers

Zoo Harmonics

Document

Saturday, the Sabbath. Meant to be a day of rest, where you pray in the morning, eat, sleep in the afternoon and then go out and party at night. However, this afternoon sees the last show of the four day Tune In TLV Festival; the punk rock battle of the bands. 

   The afternoon actually starts out with a showing of the music documentary No Room For Rockstars (which I didn't see), followed by the fight to get a song onto the next Vans Warped Tour compilation. Kevin Kyman, founder of 4Fini Inc, who produce the Warped Tour, is here both for a Q&A after the documentary (I missed that too) and to be the one to choose the winner. Despite being a "punk afternoon", today's line-up is pretty mixed. 

Document

  I've reviewed post punk/new wave band Document before and I have to be honest, it probably wasn't the most positive of reviews. Despite that, the band respected my views. I was expecting the band to have maybe taken some of my pointers into consideration but today's performance doesn't really seem to differ too much from the previous one, besides being one member down and a whole lot shorter set.
  Being titled a "punk showcase", the band have comprised their setlist of their more upbeat numbers, including Where U Are and Weeks from the Reset Your Mind Ep. Newer songs, such as the appropriately named New Song and Made A Mess, are darker and slightly more electro in style. All in all, they seem to have picked the right setlist today.

  Their performance on stage is still a bit static, bar drummer Amir, who is still the most enthusiastic. With frontman Nir now on second guitar duties, this may also be hindering their opportunities for some movement and better crowd interaction. Speaking of which, it is still early and not many people have turned up. Those who have bothered to come in and watch them seem to be satisfied. I think that kind of sums Document up; their songs are pleasant enough but there is still nothing in their live performance to really grab you. They are much better on record and I am still looking forward to hearing a new album.
3/5 
    

Zoo Harmonics

  Zoo Harmonics have been around for quite some time already and, in my eyes, should have already broken the UK and American pop punk market with the debut album Business In The Front...Party In The Back. With a new bassist, Gal, in tow, the band have been working on new songs and set to release a new album.
   With Dror (lead singer/guitarist) having now cut his hair, a slightly new sound seems to have come along with it, as the band play a short set of mostly brand new songs. The band already previewed Signs From Above through a live video they did for another showcase and a lot of the crowd, including myself, already like it and are digging it tonight. As the band themselves state, it has a more "stoner" flavour compared to their previous material. Personally, I've always considered them a mixed bag and not just pop punk, so I would have been more concerned if they weren't experimenting more. 
  The other new tracks are also really promising, including the comeback of Obsessions, which will hopefully be on the new album. Throughout the set, the band rock out as usual, although it is weird seeing Dror unable to wave his hair around. There is still the masterful Ron (guitar/backing vocals), who manages to always make his present known with some high octane antics to energise the crowd.

  As interesting as hearing brand new material is, it is the closer of oldie Henry And Claire which really gets me and other Zoo Harmonics fans going. It would have been nice to have heard more from the first album, but having been given a short time slot, the band understandably wanted to showcase their new material. I think they've done a good job and I am so looking forward to the new album.
4/5

The Driers

   I'm going to keep this short because what can I say about The Driers that I haven't said before? They are a fun trio who play a mixture of alternative 90s rock and a little bit of electro brit pop to boot. Basically, they play the kind of music that brings out the inner child in me and use male/female vocal harmonies that simply make me happy. 
  Despite having released their first proper EP recently (see review), their short set mostly consists of non-EP tracks besides the brilliant Who Doesn't and Lipstick Buds. Some are already classic tracks from their repertoire, including the punky Fifty and the bounce inducing Delayed. Others I didn't really recognise but were interesting to hear and I'm hoping they'll turn up on a new record in the near future.
  As much as I love them, I still stand by my opinion that Ronnie (guitar/vocals) and Tomer (bass/vocals) could act a little more excited on stage and interact more. The speaking duties in between songs are mostly taken on by drummer Ben. It could be good to hear what they have to say for once....plus, Ben talks faaaar too much for a drummer. (סתם)
4.5/5

SatuRateD

   I'll hold my hands up! I had no idea who SatuRateD were until tonight. I was actually outside before they started and walked in a little of the way through their set. I was happily surprised to see Dror of Zoo Harmonics back on stage, this time on drums. He was joined on stage by Shirel (guitar/vocals) and they make a pretty damn good team. I believe the band was originally a trio but it seems to work perfectly well as a duo.
   In complete opposition to what I had originally thought they might be (metalcore), this duo play a mixture of garage rock and grunge. Some of it is pretty standard (but still enjoyable) Nirvana/Mudhoney-esque material, but a song like Someday Blues really stands out due to it's more unconventional beats and generally just sounds more original. The band also do a cover of These Boots Are Made For Walkin', which is normally a staple of ska or Oi! shows. It was nothing spectacular as far as covers go. Their originals, despite at times sounding a little too formulaic, still hit the spot if you're no stranger to pure "grunge".
4/5

Let Us Be Spoken

  

  Another band I didn't know much about, Let Us Be Spoken take the stage next and totally change the tone of the evening. This punk show is getting its first dose of metalcore. Whaa??

  I technically have no problem with metal or metalcore. I proudly wear my nu-metal beginnings on my sleeve and still like some metalcore and groove metal. What bugs me though is how metalcore bands act. Although I say that I like a lot of interaction and movement on stage, sometimes acting like you're some massive touring band who's been around for decades just seems really unnatural and over-the-top when you're a fairly unknown band. Metalcore bands tend to do this and Israeli bands, in particular, know how to put on that sort of spectacle really well.
   Let Us Be Spoken give us all the usual metalcore catchphrases (mostly in Hebrew): "I want you all to sing along on this one", "I want to see you all go crazy" etc.. The look, the jargen and the melodic metalcore is all there. The clean vocals sound like Killswitch Engage and are not all that terrible. However, I'm still not entirely sure how many times I can hear this type of thing. 
  As unoriginal as this may sound, they are certainly an entertaining band and they do get me punching the air a bit. Maybe I'm just in an openminded mood tonight, but the breakdowns, the thrash parts and even some of the choruses have me a little bit sucked in. There are also a few metalcore fans in tonight who are getting swept up in all the excitement. Let Us Be Spoken may have been a bit out of place tonight, but I like variety.
3/5

Not On Tour

  Last band of the night is the amazing Not On Tour, whom I have spoken of many a time on this blog, I'm sure. Like all the other bands tonight, they have a much shorter set than usual but still manage to get the crowd going with their mixture of high speed hardcore punk and catchy melodies. 

  They do not have their usual crowd here tonight. This could be a mixture of the show not being hyped up all that much and the fact that many Not On Tour fans may not have bothered going due to the rest of the line-up. That aside, there is still a few of us who have come to give our support in this battle of the bands. 
  The band are on point. Sima's amazing voice, Val's melodic riffs, Nir's heavy bass and Gutzy's crazy fast drumming are ever present, as always. I can't really say much else, to be honest. I got a little bit too wrapped up in the show, including blindly head butting someone by accident (turned out to be a friend and they were fine about it), so I didn't really pay attention to the setlist. Knowing Not On Tour, they more than likely played songs off the new album, along with a few from All This Time and the N.O.T On Tour EP and maybe only one from the self titled debut, like one of my favourites, Silly Thoughts. Personally, I love hearing their older material, but they do know how to chose the catchiest and more crowd pleasing ones at every show.  
4.5/5

   Straight after Not On Tour's set, I went for hummus nearby and, upon leaving, ran into Val of Not On Tour. I asked him if a winner was announced and he said that they had won. It was rightfully awarded and hopefully being on this compilation will give them much further international success than they have already been getting. 

  It was great to see Zoo Harmonics with new material and SatuRateD were an interesting and pleasant discovery. The show as a whole could have done with a whole lot more attendees but those who were there still had fun and hopefully, like myself, discovered a few new bands.


For more photos, you can also check out Yahel Galili's photo album, Tune In TLV - PUNK Showcase. 

Killswitch Engage drop video for new song, Strength Of The Mind

  I personally have never been as big on Massachusetts metalcore band Killswitch Engage as most of my friends are, despite having given out stickers and lanyards around the time of Alive or Just Breathing as a young street teamer for Roadrunner Records. I never even listened to that album all the way through, despite liking My Last Serenade and a few other tracks.

  Since that era, original vocalist Jesse (Leach) was replaced with Howard (Jones) only to return again in 2012. I may have lost my way with this band, and it was certainly nothing personal against Howard, but I might start to go through their suff again if the new track is anything to go by.

 Strength Of The Mind is a taster of what is to come from the eagerly awaited next album, due March 2016. It's still a pretty trademark KSE sound, with Adam's (Dutkiewicz) mix of heavy and melodic riffs and the contrast of harsh and beautiful clean vocals. The song is also lyrically very positive and and empowering. Personally, I feel like the song's meaning gets lost amidst the music. It's lyrically quite hardcore and doesn't really fit their melodic metalcore. Nevertheless, I respect the concept and the band still do what they do best.

Some more new videos and songs by Israeli bands

  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.