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

NEW HED PE VIDEO

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

BODY COUNT'S AMAZING COVER FINALLY HAS A VIDEO

One of the most awaited albums of last year for hardcore and rap metal fans was Body Count's Manslaughter. We were first given a taste with the single and video release of Talk Shit, Get Shot. That helped set the tone of the album, continuing with the band's tongue-in-cheek ultra-violent storytelling and expressions of anger. The album was no disappointment to fans; almost every song is killer. One of the highlights is their hilarious rendition of the Suicidal Tendencies classic Institutionalized. Rapper/Actor Ice T takes the classic track and updates it with "modern day annoyances" such as stupid customer service reps and VEGANS!! (No offense. Ok....some offense.) When listening to the track, you are already playing out the situations in your head. It was only about time that they would make a video. 

And here it finally is!! Like the song, the video pays tribute to the original, basically acting out the song word for word. If anything, this proves to us that BC are not to be taken too seriously. Even those who don't like BC will enjoy this video.

Review: Turnstile - Nonstop Feeling (2015)

  It has already been one of the most talked about records for 2015 since the revelation of first track Gravity and the fans were made even more excited by the release of a video for second track Drop. After having treated us with the EPs Step To The Rhythm and Pressure To Succeed, Baltimore's Turnstile, fronted by hardcore band Trapped Under Ice drummer Brendan Yates, are finally releasing their first studio album Nonstop Feeling, expected to come out on January 13th. I am one of those people who are already in love with the band but the teaser tracks have been hinting at slight changes in style which must be investigated.

  As previously mentioned, Gravity and Drop are the first two tracks on the album; both were greeted with mixed reactions. Gravity is groovy with a fairly simple, although in my opinion still catchy, main guitar riff, which I find reminiscent of a song called Independent by Dog Eat Dog spin-off band All Boro Kings. The verses have a bit of a Downset feel about them and the chorus has a hint of 311, especially in the way "It's just the gravity" is being sung. All in all, it has a bit of a Leeway feel, which is what I already liked about the band. Drop starts thrashy and then slips into a groove for the rest of the track with barely any other lyrics. We get more of a 311 echo-style singing. I think this is what is dividing opinion on this record. There's singing...in a hardcore record! SHOCK HORROR! And yes...I am relating it to 311 because a) that's the only band I can think of that has vocals exactly like that and b) I love that band!
  When listening to the rest of the album, you realise that this definitely isn't a typical hardcore record nor is it just a repetition of the first 2 tracks. Although the album still runs along the groove driven, rapcore-ish hc, there's still a mix. Fazed Out and Bad Wave are heavy and more traditionally hardcore with heavy riffs and "mosh" parts , similar to bands like short lived Inside Out (fronted by a pre-RATM Zack de la Rocha), with less of the "singing". Can't Deny It and Bring It Back are also both heavy and danceable. They both lean slightly more towards the style of crossover that we can hear in Leeway albums like Adult Crash and Desperate Measures. Bring It Back also has a bit of a Stuck Mojo vibe about it. Both include the "echoed" singing as mentioned before, but the chorus of Can't Deny It sounds so much like 311 that one could think frontman Nick Hexum is actually guesting on vocals. Actually...is he? Same thing goes for second shortest track on the record Blue By You. Where on earth did this baby come from? Not to be mistaken for a cover of Roy Orbison's Blue Bayou, this basically sounds like a melodic pop punk song...sung by Nick Hexum. It's short, it's energetic and somehow both sweet and haunting at the same time. This, along with penultimate track Love Lasso (a slow and almost country sounding instrumental), are the odd ones out on this record and feel like album fillers. Love Lasso even has an organ part! Beach Temple is also instrumental but at least somewhat keeps in with the more typical Turnstile sound.
  Addicted is the album's no holds barred thrashy hardcore punk track. It zooms along, making you bang your head as Brendan (or maybe someone else...doesn't quite sound like him) sings stuff like "Give it to me! Give it to me right now!", eventually ending in a good old "medium heavy" beatdown. Out Of Rage and album closer Stress could be considered by many as the real rap-metal/nu-metal tracks on the record. One would think a song with the word "rage" in the title would not necessarily sound anything like Rage Against The Machine but this does. Starting off more like the later Leeway stuff, the chorus is full on RATM, which in my book is not a bad thing. Stress is a really good mix, with 2 stepping parts and hip hop grooves which could create dance battles at shows (just imagine!..) It's very heavy on the old guitar harmonics which sounds awesome on first listen but could get annoying.  

TRACK LISTING:
1. Gravity
2. Drop
3. Fazed Out
4. Can’t Deny It
5. Bleach Temple
6. Bad Wave
7. Blue By You
8. Out Of Rage
9. Bring It Back
10. Addicted
11. Love Lasso
12. Stress

For those who already like Turnstile, this not an album to be ignored. For those more into pure tough guy and beatdown hardcore, you should listen to this...but you're probably not going to like it. For anyone who has ever liked any rap metal/rapcore/nu-metal/whatever you wish to call it, this is definitely worth checking out. For a 12 track album, it really doesn't seem all that much longer than each of their Eps. Despite the fact I still think it's just album filler, Blue By You is a stand out track for me because it literally (albeit not physically, for all you grammar lovers) does stand out. Can't Deny It and Stress also make it as my favourites on the record. Is it one of the most groundbreaking records ever, maybe not...but at least they've got the balls to experiment. 
4/5