REVIEW: Hard Headed – Strength In Unity

Hard Headed – Strength In Unity

CD/LP 2021 SMITH & MILLER Records

Hard Headed is a brand new (est. 2019) band from Belgium. The bandmembers of Hard Headed have earned their stripes in a diversity of punk and hardcore bands as Reproach, The Filth, Havoc, … Recently they released their first full length on the Berlin based Smith & Miller Records. Smith & Miller Records is a collaboration of Edition NoName and Proll Streetwear. It is an independent record label for SKA, Punk, …

Soundwise ‘Strength In Unity’ delivers singalong streetcore rock-’n-roll in vain of bands as Discipline but with a little less melody and harmony. Songs that are fast, furious, rough, powerful, a bid threatening and full of anger. A good hybrid of hardcore, punk and Oi! It is Streetpunk with a hardcore vibe and a sound that leans more towards the new breed of heavier Oi! bands than to the originators of the genre in the early 80s.

Badass streetcore rock-’n-roll straight outta Belgium.

Tracklist:

1. Strength In Unity

2. Government Issues

3. Sick ‘n’ Tired

4. Thinking Too Slow

5. Politicians

6. Brothers In Blood

7. Nowhere To Go (varukers)

8. Working Class Bootboy

9. Shitville Wankers

10. Coming For You

11. Day Of The Dog

12. Where’s The Loyalty

BANDCAMP: https://hard-headed.bandcamp.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Hardheadedstreetcorernroll

REVIEW: Mad Mulligans – Who are the Mad Mulligans?

Mad Mulligans – Who are the Mad Mulligans?

CD 2020 Rotten bastards Records

Mad Mulligans are a more traditional punk/Oi! band from NYC, formed early 2020. The band consists of Johnny Kray (also known from The Krays, Bastard Clan, Drunken Rampage) Albee Damned (also known from The Krays, American Eagle, Model Citizen NYC), Wynn Skism (also known from The Krays, American Eagle, Skism) and Rich O’Brien (also known from Darkside NYC) and they are backed up by others that contributed to this record. So some Veterans of the NYC punk and hardcore scene came together formed a band and made a record that, as it seems, is about to sell out quickly. It is also available for free at their bandcamp.

Mad Mulligans influences include early 80s British Oi!/punk and American hardcore bands such as Blitz, Business, Cockney Rejects, Sham 69, …  and that’s what you hear. The song ‘Jimmy Got Robbed’ even has a part of Hey Little Rich Boy’ by Sham 69 blended in. The sound on the album reflects that early British Oi! And Punk sound. Its rudimental, primitive, melodic and bulking with harmonies at one point but rough, punky and sharp at another point. It’s a divers album with mostly repetitive songs but with some surprising hooks making it an enjoyable Oi punk’n’roll album. Check it out, give the album a few spins and the more you listen, the more you get into it.

Tracklist:

1. Knock One Back
2. Bricks and Batteries
3. Jimmy Go Robbed
4. So Sure We’re Right
5. Life just Ain’t Working Out Today
6. We Know Who You Are
7. Boop Boop Dittum Wattum Choo

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Mad-Mulligans-100688594871998

BANDCAMP: https://madmulligans.bandcamp.com/releases

REVIEW: WASTE – The Lost Tapes – Oudenbosch HC 1981-1983 – VOL. 1

WASTE – The Lost Tapes – Oudenbosch HC 1981-1983 – VOL. 1

EP 2021 SUBUNDERGROUND

The Lost Tapes – Oudenbosch HC 1981-1983 – VOL. 1 are five tracks recorded by Dutch hardcore punk band ‘Waste’ during 1981-1983. Back then I even had no clue what hardcore and punk was all about, I was just rocking my cradle 😉. This EP is my first introduction to Waste but it is always nice to get to know 80s hardcore and punk bands.

These tracks were recorded at the band’s practice room which was located in a monastery in Oudenbosch (south-west of the Netherlands). Back in the early 80’s this fourpiece played at venues all over the Netherlands including the Paradiso in Amsterdam. In 1982 Breda based recordlabel ‘Miranda’ released their ‘History Repeats’ EP. Now 40 years later the band releases this new EP (limited to 300) with rare, archival material including an unusual version of the title track from the ‘History Repeats’ EP and ultra-blistering punk songs about hating school, anti-war, anti-nazism, songs about not walking the line, … from the same era. Including some angry teenage femme-punk hysteria by the vocal duo of Puk & Muk that makes ‘Concaine Piss’ bleach.

This EP really reflects the hardcore punk spirit of the early days: DIY, underground, chaotic, primitive, raw, furious, socially committed, … Angry committed punk as punk was meant to be, the kind of punk you probably grow out when you get older but on the other hand it is the kind of punk that we (if you still stand behind the punkrock and hardcore ideals) all need from time to time to keep us sharp. If you were a fan of ‘Waste’ pick it up to complete your discography, if you are an overall hardcore punk fanatic, you should get it too. It makes a nice time document.

Tracklist:

1. School (Nee Nee Nee)

2. History Repeats

3. They’re Just Playing

4. Frustrated And Fucked Up

5. Systeem

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Waste.punkrock/

BANDCAMP: https://waste4.bandcamp.com/

REVIEW: Captain Kaiser – The Drovers Inn

Captain Kaiser – The Drovers Inn

CD/LP 2021 Bearded Punk Records / White Russian Records

In normal times bands release albums and try to promote them as much as possible by playing out live. For the moment it is through every digital chance they get. Well this write-up is one of them 😉. So, a few weeks ago ‘Captain Kaiser’ released their new album ‘The Drovers Inn’ through Bearded Punk Records. In 2020 the band already released a few singles ‘Moscow Mule’, ‘Hotel Room’, … to promote this upcoming album. As I’m not mistaken it is their third release after an EP and the 2018 debut full length ‘Dog Days on Deck’.

Captain Kaiser is already a known name within the Belgium punk rock scene by playing countless youth centres, bars, small venues and festivals like Sjock, El Topo Goes Loco, … and more recently they got picked up by national radio station StuBru and the alternative digital radio station Willy.

Their latest album ‘The Drovers Inn’ represent punk rock in all its diversity: Proto-punk, pop-punk, skate punk, tunes inspired by the new wave of punk rock bands such as Iron Chic, a 70s punk vibe and even garage rock. It is all blended in nicely in this energetic, melancholic and dynamic Kempische interpretation of beer infused punk rock.

Track list:

1. Moscow Mule
2. Taste My Ink
3. Hotel Room
4. Rocket Science
5. Post Gig Depression
6. Hindsight
7. Single Malt
8. Afraid
9. Time Heals, Yeah Right!
10. Nighttime Hikes

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/captainkaiserpils

REVIEW: Moscow Death Brigade – Flares Are Burning

Moscow Death Brigade – Flares Are Burning

Digital/7” 2021 Fire and Flames Music (Germany), Rebel Sound Records (USA)

Before receiving this promo, I wasn’t familiar with ‘Moscow Death Brigade’, a techno/rap/punk outfit from Russia. Afterwards I spotted  pics from MDB releases on some of my friends social media pages 😊. This ‘Flare Are Burning’ EP got released digitally on April 9th and the vinyl 7” version will be out on May 20th. The EP includes two tracks written especially for this record (‘Flares are Burning’ and ‘Against The World’) and two acoustic versions of popular MDB classics (‘Ghettoblaster’ and ‘Sound of Sirens’). For the fans, this EP makes a nice addition to your MDB collection, for others it is a nice although acoustic introduction to MDB.

So no electronic beats and electric guitars but rapping over acoustic guitar riffs, Russian balalaika and folk music. The songs are as always inspired by street culture, graffiti, and struggles against hateful ideologies and injustices. Honestly I dig these energetic, powerful and aggressive songs in a non-kumbaya acoustic way and can recommend this EP to everyone who is into out- of-the-box rap and acoustic music.

Tracklist:

1. Flares Are Burning 03:19

2. Ghettoblaster (Acoustic) 02:43

3. Against The World 03:41

4. Sound Of Sires (Acoustic) 03:26

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/moscowdeathbrigade

REVIEW: Frau Blucher and The Drunken Horses – Smile

Frau Blucher and The Drunken Horses – Smile

CD/LP 2020 Pogo Records

What started in 2011 as a one-time jam resulted in more than 150 gigs in Europe and the release of a 4th album in 2021. ‘Frau Blucher And The Drunken Horses’ is a Brussels (Belgium) bases punk rock and roll band. The band released an EP and three full-length albums: ‘Quick & Dirty’ (2013), ‘Lethal Pill Cocktail’ (2014) and ‘Über Fenomenal’ (2017).

‘Smile’ will appeal to the fans of a simple punk sound. Nothing complicated, overproduced or fancy but plain and simple Tunes. A raw and unpolished punk rock and roll sound inspired by 70s ‘UK Subs’ and ‘The Plasmatics’ alike punk, 80s hardcorepunk and some hard rock. Good references but it is all pretty basic and too basic to really stand out.  

Tracklist:

1. Life’s A Bitch
2. No Means No
3. Teenage Puke
4. Göd Is Dead
5. Liar
6. Psykko
7. Smile… And Shut Your Mouth
8. Stop The World
9. (You’ll Never Get A) Girlfriend
10. Backstage Girl
11. Drünken Horses
12. Skyzzo
13. I Can’t Live In A Living Room (bonus track)

 FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/FrauBlucherandthedrunkenhorses

REVIEW: PREY – Grey City

PREY – Grey City

EP 2021 digital

In 2019 PREY from Tilburg (NL) Arises when Paul, Teun, Daan and Ruud Known from bands as Angstgegner, Tarantino and Razorblade join forces to play noisy post punk rocking tunes. In 2020 they released a demo tape through Humanimaal Records and recently the ‘Grey City’ EP has seen the light if day on all digital platforms.

Covid certainly has put his mark on Prey. Slipping through the cracks of the corona restrictions they managed to get into Studio 195 to record five new songs that got stuck between post punk and noise rock with a dash of Iggy Pop. It also has bid of a dark & depressive vibe that gets reinforced by the EP title and the cover art, both referring to the deserted city of Tilburg during Covid times. Go check it out and give them a like if you dig it.

Tracklist:

1.Grey Cities
2.From Cave Dwelling to Loft Living
3.Year of the Rat
4.Mycete I
5.Means Without Ends

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Preytheband

REVIEW: Crazy Arm – Dark Hands, Thunderbolts

Crazy Arm – Dark Hands, Thunderbolts

CD/LP/ Digital 2021 Xtra Mile Recordings

In 2013 Crazy Arm released their last record ‘The southern wild’ and a year later they almost called it a day but they would not leave before recording one last album. The songs for ‘Dark Hands, Thunderbolts’ got demoed in the summer of 2016 and they finished recording in the summer of 2020. They only spent three weeks in total working on the album but it took them four years to complete. To cut a long story short, finances, life and then Covid got in the way.

5 songs deep into ‘Dark Hands, Thunderbolts’, I’ve heard some hard rocking riffs (Montenegro), some americana, some Ennio Morricone (Blessed And Cursed) and Flogging Molly playing bluegrass (Brave Starts Here), saw Zorro riding his horse on the horizon (Fear Up) and William Wallace running the Scottish hills (Interlude: Dearborn). All this without even thinking it’s a mishmash. ‘Dark Hands, Thunderbolts’, is  not a confusing or a disorderly mixture of things but it is a perfect hybrid of hard rock, punk rock, americana, roots, folk, … I hope I got your attention here because this album is a must have. 9.5/10

Tracklist:

01 Montenegro

02 Blessed & Cursed

03 Brave Starts Here

04 Fear Up

05 interlude: Dearborn

06 The Golden Hind

07 Loose Lips

08 Mow The Sward

09 Trail Of Meds

10 interlude: Paradiso

11 Epicurean Firestorm

12 Howl Of The Heart

13 Demonised

14 Health Is In You!

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/thecrazyarm

REVIEW: Nutshell – Tidal Waves

Nutshell – Tidal Waves

CDEP 2021

Well in a Nutshell … A few weeks ago Nutshell (B) released an new EP or better the renewed Nutshell released their debut EP ‘Tidal Waves’. When in the opening seconds ‘Forgot The Car’ bursts out you get sucked in a rocking ride. The five songs follow the tracks of energetic punk rock combined with fuzzy high voltage, straightforward no nonsense garagerock. Pounding drums, shredding guitars and soar, sometimes a bit overdone, throats that will appeal to the fans of The Hives, The Bronx, Dirk, Sons, …sums it up pretty fine.  

Tracklist:

1. Forgot The Car
2. Floridat Man
3. Jams
4. The Malthusian Trap
5. PBS

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/nutshellofficial

REVIEW: Savage Beat – New World

Savage Beat – New World

LP 2021 Rebellion Records

It is good to see that in these weird times dominated by Covid-19, bands hungering to the stage keep themselves busy by working on and releasing new music. And so does Amsterdam based street rock’n’roll combo Savage Beat and they are good at it.

Recently they released a new 12” with the appropriate title ‘New World’. Although the title track originally written out of anger about the gentrification of Amsterdam, where all the cool bars and clubs had to close down and real rock’n’roll places were pushed further back to the industrial outskirts of town, the song took on an extra meaning when in March we all woke up in a new world. To quote the opening track: “This is a new world, but I belong to the old” Don’t we all want to belong to the old again?!

With ‘All Bars In Town’ closed this ‘New World’ LP is a great soundtrack while your ‘Trapped’ at home, ‘Killing Time’. Savage Beat is known for its hard hitting rocking sound but there isn’t anything better for your mental health right now than blasting these five dirty, catchy savage beats and straightforward punk rock’n’roll tunes through your speakers. You won’t regret it. For the fans of Peter Pan Speedrock, Stealers, …8.5/10.
The LP comes with a playable A-side and an unplayable screen-printed B-side.

Tracklist:

1. New World
2. League of Fools
3. Killing Time
4. Trapped
5. All Bars In Town

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Savagebeatamsterdam