On July 29th, fans eagerly gathered in Phoenix, Arizona’s Financial Theater for Yellowcard’s highly-awaited comeback tour which celebrated 20 years since the release of their freshman album Ocean Avenue. Needless to say, after a long hiatus, the fans expected a night filled with nostalgia, energy, and powerful performances from all the bands that came together in support of this tour.
The night got started with viral youth sensations, Hammerhedd, and their mathematically rhythmic opening act could lull you into a false sense of security if you didn’t know they were the calm before the storm. Hammerhedd reminded me of the classic djent sound of Mesuggah, circa 1994’s None. Their groovy, chonky, hypnotic riffs even gave me Nirvana/ Bleach vibes at times, particularly the angsty tint of the vocals. Overall, their sound was a pleasant warm-up as we eased into the show but their stage presence is still maturing. The trio finished leaving the crowd in a state of anxious anticipation of the chaos to come.
Ghost Cult Keefy caught up with Kat and Malachi of Bay Area Hardcore Punk band Scowl! They have had an amazing year with their new EP Psychic Dance Routine (Flatspot Records), tours and fests, and even a Taco Bell event! Check out our chat with them at Sick New World Festival where they killed it!
Although hard rock and heavy metal existed in Canada before the emergence of Jonquière genre dodgers Voivod, the loudest expulsions of northerly rage still generally belonged to disgruntled ice hockey fans and angry moose. While prog legends Rush had already made a name for themselves and acts like Exciter and Anvil were slowly gaining the attention of metal fans across the world, Voivod were about to take Canadian noise to an entirely new level.
It’s not every day you come across a band with members from Hong Kong, Israel, and Germany, giving them such universally diverse perspectives as the shameless genre-benders of PLAIINS – let alone ones with the musical chemistry to create an EP like Puppet (Self-Released). Through a seamless blend of punk, indie, hardcore, and alternative rock, the multicultural trio uses their range of experiences to oppose political issues from around the globe. Thus, making them lyrically relatable across nations, as well as sonically appealing to indie and punk fans alike.Continue reading
It’s hard enough as it is to pick a standout track from Freakazoid (Pure Noise Records). It’s even harder to find any two tracks that sound the same. Therefore, expect a bevy of entertaining, ear-pleasing tracks from The Pink Spiders, because that’s what this new record is. The songs might transport you to another time in your life, or they might play perfectly as a soundtrack to a montage.
The pop-punk genre will never die. It’s fresh, fun, sometimes a bit silly, and wholly needed in a world full of stress and hate. People need music that makes them happy. People need music that will put a smile on their faces. People need music that will invoke a fresh breeze, wind in their hair, and a joyful being. Thank Gallus for the new album We Don’t Like the People We’ve Become (Marshall Records).
Over the last few years, we have been lucky to see so many collaboration albums between two bands/artists that absolutely knock it out of the park. The latest mashup comes in the form of Boris and Uniform putting together what they call, Bright New Disease (Sacred Bones). Through nine tracks at just over thirty-two minutes, each track has its own footprint for the greater collection. Punk, industrial, thrash, doom, and noise pop up throughout the record but not one influence really ever takes the spotlight more than another.
Within the ferocious realm of UK underground scene, the all-around relentlessly fiery thrash/death unit The Bleeding have been hitting the ground since 2010, (technically) kickstarted by the release of first full-length entitled Rites of Absolution (2017) after several years of releasing EPs and demos, followed by second-full length Morbid Prophecy (2019). Having been noticeably compared to the likes of Exodus, Kreator, Death, and Demolition Hammer, they never cease to present the best of reaping thrash-death metal eclectic rawness.
Norway’s very own Sandvika and Finnmark-bound newcomers Tjære and Lil Snus have been doing an impeccable job in representing a consistent branding of an anti-authoritarian death cult that is against bogus, ingenuine, mass-produced capitalist systems in the industry. They strongly aspire to show people who understand their values and what they’re aiming for and to advocate what they stand for.