Disrotter
A friend of mine told me about Richmond, VA's Disrotter last year after having seen 'em live, and I was definitely intrigued by their brand of high-energy, thrash-tinged death metal with powerfully guttural vocals. The songwriting is rooted in an old school sound, but there's a lot of variety to the riffings styles, drawing from a range of influences without straying too far or feeling disjointed. Solid variety of tempos, dashes of melody and subtle technicality, and absolutely ripping solos, too. Very promising, indeed.
It looks like I missed out on a physical copy of Disrotter's prior CD, but Perish Forth is shipping later this month through the excellent Iron Fortress (CD), or grab a tape from Noxious Ruin. I've seen claims that it's streaming now, but I only see it on Bandcamp and YouTube. Streaming sucks anyway.
Double Life
This is my first exposure to Berlin, Germany's Double Life and their fusion of post-hardcore and alt-rock, perhaps along the lines of something like Drug Church or whatnot. Slightly more aggressive vocals and a bit of added heft to the music retain more of a hardcore/punk type of foundation, but still, there's plenty of melody and quite a few angular/experimental twists and turns, so... they're working on combining an array of influences into their own take on this type of sound. At its best, the songwriting approach certainly leans in a memorable direction. Plus, it was mixed and mastered by Brian McTernan, so it sounds quite nice, too.
Please Delete This is out now on vinyl through Thirty Something Records—100 on tri-color orange/red/blue or 200 on orange translucent. Order via Steadfast Records in the U.S. Bandcamp is the best source for digital, or you can stream on Apple Music or Spotify or whatever.
Feels Like Heaven
Finally, the debut full-length from Stockholm, Sweden's Feels Like Heaven. Excellent melodic hardcore that lends a more modern edge to its '90s influences in a manner that strays from reliance on overly traditional elements and almost leans toward emo-ish tendencies (in the best way). In many ways the "true" hardcore elements are taking a back seat to an impassioned and energetic vibe that's at times rather catchy. On occasion I'm reminded of Fiddlehead, but Feels Like Heaven doesn't head quite so far into what could be deemed "alternative" territory, thus retaining more of an actual hardcore classification (not that that matters at all). Great album. Period.
Within Dreams vinyl seems to be selling quickly, with only classic black currently available from Scheme, RevHQ, or Devil Dog. Well-priced digital is up for grabs on Bandcamp. Stream, if you insist, via Apple Music, Spotify, and so forth.
I.D.K.
Longstanding New Jersey hardcore/punk act I.D.K. recently returned with their first new recordings since 2008 in the form of a three-song EP led by new tune "Nark 5," plus a reworking of an old '90s track and a Black Sabbath cover. As with past efforts, it's fairly catchy material that utilizes a punk-ish sense of melody to branch out from a semi-traditional hardcore base—the Sabbath cover of course coming across a bit chunkier and truer to the original.
The easiest way to grab all three tracks is on Bandcamp. The new tune is a standalone single on services like Apple Music, Spotify, etc.
Imprint
I saw something about this Tampa, FL band somewhere on Instagram and the cover art instantly brought to mind lesser-known '90s hardcore greats such as Encounter, which piqued my interest. The aesthetic of Imprint's sound achieves an interesting balance of fast-paced traditional old school hardcore with a dash of extra oomph and a smidge of melody to keep things from sounding too plain. It's probably more straightforward than I was anticipating, but quite well done and an interesting foundation that may well lend itself to a hint more experimentation as the band continues to grow. A very promising start.
Snag the EP—digital or cassette—on Bandcamp, or through Armageddon Records. If you stream, hit Apple Music or Spotify or some other junk.
Zbrucz
Slovenian outfit Zbrucz returns with two new tracks of fantastic screamo that touches on all of the staples of the genre—some raw jangle, some blasting speeds, super shredded vocals as well as some spoken passages, the works. Opener "VII" even has some high-speed blasts of straight-up hardcore, countered by a dark 'n' dreary undercurrent that almost feels a bit doomy. Damn, this band is just powerful as hell. Superb. "Recorded in a school bomb shelter." Doesn't get more intense than that...
Not on streaming, which I commend. Head to Bandcamp. (Falesia's contributions are also on Bandcamp.)
