CANCER BATS

"psychic jailbreak"

Year:  2022

Label:  Bat skull

Format:  CD, LP

Tracks:  11

Time:  27 min.

Genre:  rock

Style:        Hardcore   Heavy Metal

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"the spark that moves"
Year:  2018
Country:  Canada
City:  Toronto
Label:  New Damage
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  11
Time:  32 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Hardcore   Heavy Metal

Cancer Bats are a hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada that formed in 2004. They have released four studio albums and six extended plays. The band is composed of vocalist Liam Cormier, guitarist Scott Middleton, drummer Mike Peters and bassist Jaye R. Schwarzer. Cancer Bats take a wide variety of influences from heavy metal sub-genres and fuse them into hardcore and punk rock, including elements of sludge metal and southern rock. The band has also been compared to metalcore bands of the 1990s like Converge and Hatebreed.

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"searching for zero"
Year:  2015
Label:  BMG
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  30 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Hardcore    Heavy Metal








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"dead set on living"

Year:  2012

Label:  Metal Blade

Format:  CD, LP

Tracks:  11

Time:  36 min.

Genre:  rock

Style:        Hardcore

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"bears, mayors, scraps and bones"

Year:  2010

Label:  Warner

Format:  CD, LP

Tracks:  14

Time:  36 min.

Genre:  rock

Style:       Hardcore    Heavy Metal

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THE SHELL CORPORATION

"fucked"
Year:  2018
Country:  US
City:  Los Angeles
Label:  Gunner
Format:  CD, LP
Lyrical themes:  social issues, politics
Tracks:  12
Time:  29 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk  Rock

The Shell Corporation was formed in 2011 by singer Jan Drees and guitarist Curtiss Lopez. Within a month they recorded a 7” and booked a European tour. Within three months they recorded and released their debut album “Force Majeure”. Extensive touring ensued over the next 9 months before the release of the “Time and Pressure” EP in June 2012 (Solidarity Recordings). More touring across the US and Europe follow as well as more releases, including a split 7” with The Mighty Fine and a track on Solidarity Recording’s Go-Go’s Tribute “Our Lips Are Sealed” along with Masked Intruder, Dan Vapid, and Cobra Skulls. They just finished their second full-length record “Mandrake”, which will be released in March 2014 on Paper+Plastick, and will be followed up by yet more extensive touring. Forward, not backward, upward not forward, and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards fame and fortune. Or, at least break-even.

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"mandrake"
Year:  2014
Label:  Gunner
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  11
Time:  26 min.
Lyrical themes:  social issues, politics
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk Rock








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EVERY TIME I DIE

"hot damn"
Year:  2003
Country:  US
City:  Buffalo
Label:  Epitaph
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  10
Time:  30 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Metalcore

Every Time I Die is a fieve piece metalcore act from Buffalo, New York, founded in the winter of 1998. Their sound contains elements of hardcore, heavy metal, math rock and alternative rock. Notabilities of the band are their complex songs (nearly never having a verse-chorus structure) and poetic lyrics. The band has gained recognition for their energetic live show. Between their discography these three albums could be their best recordings ever. Great talent to mixing fast hardcore, slow metal and rock'n'roll with very original lyrics.

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"gutter phenomenon"
Year:  2005
Label:  Epitaph
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  11
Time:  33 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Metalcore







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"low tens"
Year:  2016
Label:  Epitaph
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  13
Time:  40 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Metalcore







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OBEY THE BRAVE

"mad season"
Year:  2017
Country:  Canada
City:  Montreal
Label:  Epitaph
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  36 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Metalcore

Obey the Brave is a rock band from Montreal, Canada, which started as orthodox hardcore punk band to evolue to metalcore, adding to their music different music styles such as: pop, emo and heavy metal, mixing melodic and raw voices, as well as distorted and non-distorted guitars. Formed in 2011, it brings together former members of Despised Icon and Blind Witness and they already have played around the world including: Canada, US, Europe, Australia, Japan, etc. Obey The Brave are a Canadian band with members hailing from Montreal. The band formed from the ashes of canadian technical metal greats, Despised Icon; and while Obey The Brave still utilize heavy breakdowns like Despised Icon, that is essentially where the comparisons end.





From what I previously understood, Obey The Brave were heavy and mosh oriented metalcore, and while that is still partially true the band has fully embraced using melodic choruses and singing parts with Mad Season. The record started out exactly how I expected with “On Thin Ice”, a heavy mosh intro and chugging verses, but suddenly I was thrust into the first (of many) melodic interludes, which in this context I found slightly off putting. I do not want to rip on the bands desire to incorporate melody into their music, I love catchy parts as much as anyone – to be fair, probably more than some, but the delivery here needs work. The band has successfully added some other influences, such as faster melodic hardcore verses, which add some nice dynamics and contrast to the heavy and down tuned breakdowns. The issue here is throwing in awkward and odd fitting melodic choruses that seem to be there just for the sake of it.





Now that I have said my piece about the misuse of melody used on Mad Season I want to take this opportunity to say that Obey The Brave showcase obvious potential in regards to moving in a more melodic direction. I enjoyed the faster paced melodic hardcore songs, most notably “On Our Own” and “Feed The Fire”, the band proves that they have the chops going forward to sound more organic and avoid parts that sound forced. For the few songs that hit the mark, the band unfortunately stumbles a long the way with songs that remind me of displaced screamo. I find it hard to ignore the comparison here to Stick To Your Guns; the influence, whether intentional or not, is very obvious to me. That is not necessarily a bad thing, I can get behind what STYGs are doing, but Obey The Brave need to do a bit more work before they can blend melody and hardcore as skilfully as STYGs can.






All in all, Obey The Brave has put out a record that fits the current Warped Tour melodic hardcore punk mold. The production value is almost perfect for the genre, and all of the musicians showcase undeniable skills on their instruments, but the songs (and the album itself) are too long, with pretty lacklustre content, both musically and lyrically. I will gladly check out the bands next release, because as far as I can tell, the band is still trying to grow into a new sound; fortunately the biggest quality with this record are the growing pains that catch the band halfway between a slow metalcore band and a melodic hardcore band that enjoys pop-punk (*Review by Maximillian Power ).

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ONE SQUARE MILE

"the system"
Year:  2018
Country:  US
City:  Hermosa Beach, CA
Label:  Epitaph
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  15
Time:  30 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Punk        Hardcore

How’s about some hardcore to get you through your horrible Humpday? Today’s exclusive premiere is from the debut full-length album The System from Hermosa Beach’s One Square Mile. Comprised of ex-members from the Circle Jerks, Saccharine Trust, Zero Down, Pennywise and The Resolutions, this quartet brings together exceptional musicianship, thunderous riffs and thought provoking lyrics. The new LP, which releases today, was recorded at Maple Studios with producer Cameron Webb (Motorhead, Weezer and Social Distortion), along with production contributions from fellow South Bay legend Fletcher Dragge (Pennywise). From start to finish this freshman full length takes you on a punk rock and hardcore journey that is a contemporary sonic assault with nostalgic overtures, that will leave you listening to over and over again!!! So head on over iTunes  or Bandcamp and order a copy, Then while you wait for it download, stream the debut single “Pieces” below.

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BURNING FLAG

"matador"

Year:  2022

Label:  Phobia

Format:  CD, LP

Tracks:  9

Time:  30 min.

Genre:  rock

Style:        Punk Hardcore

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"izabel"
Year:  2017
Country:  UK
City:  Halifax
Label:  none
Format:  CD
Tracks:  10
Time:  35 min.

Genre:  rock

Style:        Punk Hardcore

four-piece band started in 2013 in Hallifax, UK. Their recorded a debut album in 2015 and their second album in 2017. Female fronted band strongly inspired by punk, crust and thrash bands such as: Discharge, Wolfbrigade or Amebix, with politically charged lyrics related to: anarchism, pacifism, internationalism, animal liberation and similar subjects. Powerful and heavy sound, with that typical d-beat rhytm on drums, distorted bass and shrill voice. Just ten song to discharge tons of rage, protest and noise. Highly recommended for those lovers of the genre.

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INSTINCT OF SURVIVAL

"call of the blue distance"
Year:  2014
Country:  Germany
City:  Hamburg
Label:  Agipunk
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  10
Time:  34 min.

Genre:  rock
Style:        Prog Punk

Originally formed in 1995 as Sperrzone in Hamburg, Germany, they started off playing rough hardcore. At some point in the late '90s they renamed the band Instinct of Survival and changed their style to grindcore. Around the mid-'00s they changed their style again, this time to the stenchcore sound they are known for today.

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"north of nowhere"

Year:  2009

Label:  Bolzkow

Format:  CD, LP

Tracks:  9

Time:  40 min.

Genre:  rock

Style:        Prog Punk

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VIOLENT OPPOSITION

"violently enforced poverty"
Year:  2015
Label:  none
Format:  digital
Tracks:  12
Time:  26 min.

Genre:  rock
Style:        Grindcore







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"utopia dystopia"
Year:  2018
Country:  US
City:  Oakland
Label:  none
Format:  digital
Tracks:  12
Time:  33 min.

Genre:  rock
Style:        Prog Grindcore

five piece band from California, started in 2012 with the goal to make grindcore rich in many other influences from jazz to prog rock to math rock or punk. Lyrically the band writes also intelligent and complicated songs related to subjects such as: social issues, politics, critical thinking, community, positive reinforcement or personal emotions. If you like them or not, is a choice, and to recommend them or not, is also truly difficult to say. But the true is they make a big effort to be creative, original and different of the rest of grindcore bands. They recordings are avaible completly free in their Bandcamp and they work hard to record songs and more songs almost every month. According to the band: "our big source of inspiration are grindcore and Frank Zappa". Listen to them or not... this is your choice.

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