5.24.2020

INTEGRITY
























"seasons in the size of days"
Year:  1997
Country:  Belgium
City:  Brussels
Label:  Victory
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  35 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Hardcore














known for their dense, weight and incendiary sound into the hardcore, punk and metal scene, apocalyptic heavy music veterans Integrity formed in 1988 primarily as an outlet for the philosophical musings of vocalist Dwid Hellion. With an intense sound that melds together high-velocity hardcore punk with slow heavy metal, sludge and angular, noisy guitar riffs. Lyrical themes includes magic, the supernatural, mental illness, individualism, the occult and some self-parodies and jokes, Integrity are one of the pioneering forces that forged the worlds of hardcore and metal together early 90s decade as well as bands such as: Raised Fist, Refused or Seeing Red.
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"idem"
Year:  1999
Label:  Victory
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  35 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Hardcore








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"closure"
Year:  2001
Label:  Victory
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  11
Time:  24 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Hardcore








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"to die for"
Year:  2003
Label:  Deathwish
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  9
Time:  20 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Hardcore








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"palm sunday"
Year:  2006
Label:  Spook City
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  10
Time:  24 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Hardcore








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"suicide black snake"
Year:  2012
Label:  A389 Recordings
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  10
Time:  27 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Hardcore








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"howling for the nightmare shall consume"
Year:  2017
Label:  Relapse
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  15
Time:  35 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Hardcore








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POLARIS























"the death of me"
Year:  2020
Country:  Australia
City:  Sydney
Label:  Resist
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  10
Time:  45 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Metalcore















Polaris is one of those Metalcore bands, who write songs with political lyrics or social issues related. In the vein of: Architects, Heaven Shall Burn, Gravedigger, Black Blood, Enter Shikari, Northlane, etc. Mixing agressive and melodic parts, with elaborated guitar riffs and clear voices.

 Polaris’ chief lyricist Daniel Furnari has described The Death Of Me as being “a record about losing faith in yourself and the world”. Despite this bleak outlook, though, there are plenty of reasons for Daniel and his bandmates to have belief in themselves here.

Following a successful debut album – 2017’s The Mortal Coil, which debuted in the Australian Top 10 – the Sydney natives have produced another brilliant metalcore record that positions them as one of the genre’s standout hopes. Flitting between melodic choruses on songs like Masochist or Vagabond and the raging heaviness of recent single Hypermania, Polaris consistently impress across The Death Of Me.

Their take on their genre is studied, but it works because it doesn’t rely on a cookie-cutter approach. Instead, they carve a path of their own, with their music elevated further by the formidable delivery of frontman Jamie Hails. The result is an album which, rather than proclaiming death, signals the rise of an increasingly bright musical force (Review by Jake Richardon ).
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5.16.2020

HEAVEN SHALL BURN

















"of truth and sacrifice"
Year:  2020
Country:  Germany
City:  Thuringia
Label:  Century Media
Format:  2 x CD, 2 x LP
Tracks:  19
Time:  97 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Metalcore













Heaven Shall Burn are a German extreme metal band from Saalfeld, formed in 1996. The band consists of vocalist Marcus Bischoff, guitarists Maik Weichert and Alexander Dietz, bassist Eric Bischoff and drummer Christian Bass. They are currently signed to Century Media. They have released eight studio albums, as well as a number of other records. One of their album, Veto, entered the German Album Charts at #2 in 2013, with their latest, Of Truth and Sacrifice reaching number 1.

Heaven Shall Burn's musical style has been described as symphonic, progressive, melodic and modern death metal. "Melodic death metal" (also referred to as melodeath) is a subgenre of death metal that employs highly melodic guitar riffs, often borrowing from traditional heavy metal. The style originated and developed in Sweden (pioneered by At the Gates, Dark Tranquillity and In Flames) and the UK (pioneered by Carcass) around 1993. The Swedish death metal scene did much to popularise the style, soon centering in the "Gothenburg metal" scene. Heaven Shall Burn lyrics often express heavy support for anti-racism and anti-fascism. They also have lyrics about atheism, internationalism, resistance, oppression and animal rights. All members are vegans or vegetarians and most follow or followed a straight edge lifestyle.
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"wanderer"
Year:  2016
Label:  Century Media
Format:  CD, 2 x LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  50 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Metalcore









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"veto"
Year:  2012
Label:  Century Media
Format:  CD, 2 x LP
Tracks:  11
Time:  50 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Metalcore














Decided to dust off a trivia-filled blog I wrote a few years ago after I was reading the news this morning and listening to a very specific song while commuting to work. Figured I'd share this in time for your commute. Feel free to leave your thoughts and feedback.

On my way to the office this morning I was reading through the daily “5 things” newsletter by CNN. No worries, I wasn’t driving: since I joined ISA a few months ago I usually take the TTC (Toronto’s public transit system, in my case a combination of a short bus ride and a much longer subway trek). The Mueller hearings, Boris Johnson taking over, uproar over Ricardo Rosselló in Puerto Rico, … It’s quite the day. My morning playlist drowns out all other distractions, as another song comes on and provides a fitting soundtrack for today’s news.

“Lady Godiva, when will you ride again?” The Metalcore anthem echoes in my ears as the train thunders on towards Islington station. Save me from the burning, please. No, this song doesn’t muse over the soothing effects of eating Belgian chocolate but makes a modern-day metaphor of one my favourite medieval tales.

Lady Godiva, or Godgifu as the 11th century population of Coventry would have called her, was an Anglo-Saxon lady of noble birth and the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. A place of turmoil and civil war at the time, Mercia covers what is now known as the English Midlands and was rumoured to be a prime location to find coconuts. The migration of coconuts into Mercia to this day remains a mystery as the European swallow could not carry them, and African swallows are non-migratory.

Leofric had one son: Ælfgar, who was an ambitious man. He inherited the titles Lord of Coventry and Earl of the Kingdom in 1057. He unsuccessfully manoeuvred to become King Edward’s puppet master, only to result in his exile from Mercia. This led to a short yet bloody civil war, resulting in the burning of the city of Hereford and the annihilation of its people. In the end the swords were sheathed to allow for a peaceful solution.

Unlike his son Ælfgar, the remaining evidence of Leofric’s life tells the story of a respected leader and a kind and devout Christian. He and his young wife Godgifu, which literally means ‘gift of god’, are credited with founding the monastery at Coventry and donating lands and funds to other houses of God. However... The Flores Historiarum[4], a chronicle written 200 years after Leofric’s death, painted a very different image. In the legend of Lady Godiva, Leofric is a heartless ruler.

With an iron fist, Leofric rules the people of Coventry, who are suffering from his high taxes. The young and beautiful Godiva takes pity on the poor and pleads to her evil husband, begging to stop the taxation. Finally the sadistic Lord promises to lower the taxes if Godiva strips naked and rides through the streets of Coventry. The Lady agrees to this public humiliation but asks the people of the town to stay indoors and close all windows.

Covered in nothing but her hair, Godiva rides through the town as symbol of hope and justice.

There was one person however, a tailor called Tom, who, like all men, had been completely infatuated by the young Lady’s beauty. He had bored a little hole in one of his house’s shutters to watch her pass by. But at the moment he wanted to catch a glimpse of her naked beauty, he was struck blind as punishment for his disobedience. From that point on, he would be known as Peeping Tom.

Leofric was so moved by Godiva’s selfless act, that he kept his word. He lowered the taxes and ruled with a softer touch for the rest of his days.

The Legend tells us a wonderful tale about justice and standing up in a peaceful way for those who are too weak to defend themselves. I almost feel it is a shame there is absolutely no historical base for the story. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy that no such action was necessary under the reign of Leofric. History, unfortunately, has seen many ruthless men rise to power, against who symbolic actions were needed. Without humanitarian organisations and worldwide media however, this hardly ever happened. Because it almost seems too unlikely that one of our own – let alone we ourselves – will stand up for us or against injustice, we as humans tend to make up our heroes to do it for us. Whether it is the peaceful Godiva, the outlaw Robin Hood or modern-day Batman, we make up the greatest stories of the (often) lone hero that fights evil and prevails. Unselfish. Unbelievable. Untrue. “Because sometimes the truth isn’t good enough. Sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.”

This story as we know it was penned down by Roger of Wendover, 2 centuries after Leofric and Godiva ruled Coventry. In his version, the entire town is gathered by the evil Lord and is forced to watch. It was only over time that the world’s most famous voyeur, Peeping Tom, was introduced, ad , adding an additional lesson in morality to the story. So, if the naked ride never happened, where did it come from? A possible origin of the story could come from medieval habit of performing a public penitent procession. It was a custom for sinners and committers of petty crimes to parade through town, wearing nothing but their undergarment or Chemise. This was considered ‘naked.’ George R.R. Martin took it a little more literal when he wrote Cersei Lannister’s famous shame walk in the A Song of Ice and Fire book series.

Like so many Christian habits, the origins of these processions are likely to be found in pagan rituals. Coventry was founded by the Saxons. No one really is sure where the name comes from. One theory suggests it comes from Coven Tre (a mix of Celtic and old English for Convent Town), as the city grew around an 8th century convent. The most accepted theory on the other hand comes from a tree. A tree planted, to mark the centre of the town. This sacred tree was called Coffa’s tree. Details on this Coffa are lost in history, but his name lives on in the city he probably founded. J.R.R. Tolkien used the same symbol for the White Tree of Minas Tirith. In old Coventry, the arrival of spring was celebrated by Pagans with fertility processions, where May Queens dressed in white garments were led to Coffa’s tree.

The legend has inspired many works of art throughout history, but none capture the story as beautifully as the painting by John Collier in the late 19th century. What immediately jumps out is the contrast within the Collier’s masterpiece. Lady Godiva is depicted naked and ashamed. A fragile girl, with her head bowed down. She is clinging on to her cause. This natural beauty, grotesquely stripped from her dignity, is almost losing hope. But she will not fail: her horse is there to guide her on her path. Where the noblewoman’s gown and jewelry are taken away from her, her horse is colourfully decorated. Its head is held high. Confident. Proud. You get the feeling that the horse understands the powerful statement his Amazon rider is making. He will carry her and support her.
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"invictus"
Year:  2010
Label:  Century Media
Format:  CD, LP, DVD
Tracks:  12
Time:  50 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Metalcore








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"iconoclast"
Year:  2008
Label:  Century Media
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  14
Time:  50 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Metalcore








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"antigone"
Year:  2004
Label:  Century Media
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  50 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Metalcore








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"in battle... there is no law"
Year:  1998
Label:  Life Force
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  50 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Hardcore








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5.12.2020

RAWSIDE















"your life gets crushed"
Year:  2019
Country:  Germany
City:  Coburg
Label:  AP
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  36 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk Hardcore












A lot has happened at RAWSIDE since the last album “resistance” (2010). Singer Henne was in jail for a while because of drugs and then went into therapy. He now has a permanent job and has been clean for five years, as he emphasizes. After the forced break, the hardcore punk band from Coburg presents itself with a completely different line-up. For example, Hennes' son Justin sits on the drum set. "I grew up with the band and decided to play the drums in the RAWSIDE rehearsal room when I was just four years old," says Henne junior. In return, his previous band WÜLFPACK has left. Most of the others in the band are reactivated former band members or old friends. The explosive sound of Upper Franconia has remained, but this time closer to Metal. Harder and faster than usual. Uncompromising, unmistakable and highly political. "We didn't want to make a contribution to the punk rock uniform porridge," says Henne. At the beginning you can hear, for example, an original sound from AfD Obermacker Björn Höcke, how he gets upset about RAWSIDE in the Thuringian state parliament. A knighthood for the political punks. "Subcultures and dissenters are publicly defamed by the AfD and declared an enemy," says Henne. "Art is ridiculed and music is declared 'degenerate'. Time for our alarm bells to ring. ”To declare war on the assholes is at the top of the band's agenda. In addition to political songs such as "Wahlboykott" or "Mr. President "processes Henne in the song" (Never) again freely "but also his time in prison. RAWSIDE have never been so personal and frank. A powerful sign of life for the Coburg veterans, founded 26 years ago in the area of ​​the self-governing youth center Domino. In the beginning the sound was characterized by classic hardcore punk and brute crust punk by the eighties. And of course unmistakable political messages. RAWSIDE have always been known for their anti-fascist texts and concrete announcements. In 1998 at a show in the Domino there was even a telephone bombing threat by Nazis against the band. Albums like "Police Terror" (1995), "Staatsgewalt" (1997) or "Outlaw" (2004) provided their critics from the conservative and right-wing camp with plenty of reasons to be offended. RAWSIDE celebrate the release of "You Life Gets Crushed" on September 21st with a concert at Schweinfurt Stattbahnhof. They are playing a joint show with the Dortmund-based German punk legend THE IDIOTS. So there is a reunion with Sir Hannes Smith, the singer of the beloved PHANTOMS OF FUTURE in Schweinfurt (*Review by Wolfram Hanke ).
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"widerstand"
Year:  2010
Label:  AP
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  11
Time:  33 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk Hardcore














On May 12, 1993 Ralle (guitar), Henne (vocals), Eddie (bass) and Krisch (drums) founded the band. In 1994, another guitarist joined the band (Hütter), who left the band in the same year and was replaced by Kai. Krisch, the drummer, left her, instead Beaker joined the group. Rawside dissolved in 1998 and re-formed in 2002 with a slightly different lineup. In 2006/07, the band had to take a longer break because a band member was unable to play due to injuries. After extensive tours, guitarist Ehrl left Rawside at the end of 2007 to concentrate on his band Killing today for a better tomorrow. With Martin, a successor was quickly found. Shortly thereafter, they got with Eppler, a second guitarist in the boat, at the punk in the pot in Oberhausen, the band presented for the first time again with double guitar line-up.
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"outlaw"
Year:  2004
Label:  Earth AD
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  34 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk Hardcore








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"staatsgewalt"
Year:  1997
Label:  We Bite
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  17
Time:  36 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk Hardcore








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"police terror"
Year:  1995
Label:  We Bite
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  16
Time:  50 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk Hardcore


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5.05.2020

THE BABOON SHOW
















"God bless you all"
Year:  2023
Label:  HFMN
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  28 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk Garage








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"radio rebelde"
Year:  2018
Country:  Sweden
City:  Stockholm
Label:  Kidnap 
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  36 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk Garage












The Baboon Show started out as a live band in late 2003. A DIY 6-track EP called "This is it!" was released in May 2004. The Baboon Show played throughout Sweden and made themselves a reputation of being one of Sweden's best live acts. The band was signed to the Swedish indie label National, and their debut album "Don't Don't Don't" was released in October 2005. The two singles "Boredom Boredom Go Away!" and "It's a sin" were played frequently in Swedish radio and television. And The Baboon Show kept on playing around the country. Only seven months later, in May 2006, they released their second album called "Pep Talk". "Betsy's Revenge" is the title of their third album. "Betsy" was a song on the first album which was a celebration to all the women in the world who don't take shit from anyone. And now after the elections in Sweden, the Swedish government are just as right wing as all the blue-eyed idiot citizens that voted for them. But Betsy won't take this. She is back and she's pissed off. When the time is right, The Baboon Show will hopefully be touring abroad as well.
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"the world is bigger than you"
Year:  2016
Label:  Kidnap
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  34 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk Garage








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"people's republic of the baboon show formerly known as Sweden"
Year:  2012
Label:  Kidnap
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  36 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk Garage








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"punk rock harbour"
Year:  2010
Label:  Kidnap
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  34 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk Garage








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"betsy's revenge"
Year:  2006
Label:  National
Format:  CD
Tracks:  10
Time:  30 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk Garage


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5.01.2020

HAVOK
























"V"
Year:  2020
Country:  US
City:  Denver
Label:  Century Media
Format:  LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  40 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Thrash Metal














Colorado-based thrashers Havok are back. After a whirlwind yet rewarding cycle for 2017’s Conformicide effort, the high-octane outfit have emerged from the studio victorious with their new album, V. Engineered, mixed, mastered by Mark Lewis (Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, etc.) and showcasing stunning artwork by Eliran Kantor (Testament, Hatebreed, etc.), V will be released worldwide on May 1, 2020 via Century Media Records. Havok’s guitarist/vocalist David Sanchez explains about V: "A lot of experimentation went into the writing and recording of ‘V.’ The album offers the same intensity that we’re known for, but with a few twists that may surprise people. The music is dense with lots of different intertwining parts and we’re beyond excited to release our best-sounding record to date."
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NO RIGHT























"senescence"
Year:  2019
Country:  US
City:  San Francisco
Label:  Revelation
Format:  CD
Tracks:  9
Time:  24 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Metalcore
















No Right are a four-piece hardcore band from San Francisco, California that have been around since 2016. They're a straight edge band that play a ferocious style of hardcore with a strong metalcore influence. They incorporate down-tuned, chugging riffs with shots of dissonance and complex rhythms into their mosh-friendly aggression machine. The vocals are throat-shredding and vicious, while keeping the lyrics discernible. Lyrical themes in their lyrics use to be usual in these kind of bands: animal liberation, environmentalism, anti-war, veganism, drugs free, etc. Here below you can to listen to their two EP's ensemble.
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