This is a CD-R version of the band's latest 7". How's it sound? It's raw, semi crust hardcore/punk from Finland, with manic layers of shouting vocals, moderately fast tempos, etc. "The King & the Lead Boots" is slower and heavier, almost catchy in a strange way, whereas "Welcome to the New Era" is harder hitting and more pissed off, with a great tempo and a memorable delivery. There's an unlisted track that sounds like it came from a different recording session and even has a metallic styled breakdown, so I'm not sure what that is, but it's a good song as well. None of the tracks run more than three minutes, so they rip right through and never look back. The recording is definitely rough around the edges, in a manner that I find very interesting because it truly sounds like a demo recording dating back to the late-80's or so (especially "Metallinenorgaani", which is a bit more muffled). I like it, though. The vocals are a little loud, but the bass sounds awesome, and the noisiness sounds appropriate overall. The disc comes in a xeroxed sleeve that I assume mirrors the actual 7", using simple illustrations, text on the back half, etc. It looks okay. No lyrics are included, so I'm not sure what the songs are about, but I imagine it's sort of a socio-political mix, though perhaps in a less direct manner than might be expected. The back of the sleeve says that this version "is only a pale shadow of the original 7" EP", which makes me wonder why they didn't just send the 7", but fuck it. I definitely like these songs. I don't like the fact that this is a CD-R that probably has less packaging than the 7" did, I'd like to see the lyrics and get a better feel for what the band is all about, but this is promising stuff. I'd be interested in hearing more.
[self-released]
Running time - 10:28, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: The King & the Lead Boots, Welcome to the New Era]
The Carnival - http://www.thecarnival.cjb.net
