FATAL BLOW - "Running Over You" Video

Just a few days ago, we did a review of FATAL BLOW's scorching new album Rise from Disgrace. Since it is hard to put to words the intensity that these guys deliver, we are glad to post this brand new video for the song "Running Over You". This is 100% REAL hardcore action and it is guaranteed to crush everything that stands in its way. Enjoy the real-talk Brazilian HC mobsters at work!

Yeah... hope you enjoy that uber old school bass break at 0:29!

Reproach - raw skate fastcore from Belgium

Hello again, dear TYS readers! The 2nd post for today is a guest piece by Rigas, who is a good friend of mine and a frequent TYS contributor. He's helped in the print TYS issues by contributing articles and reviews, and he's always discovering cool new shit to get into. The dude gets psyched with a lot of different stuff and makes sure his friends know about it! So here... enjoy this guest article!

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Fast Fixes & The most exciting punk vids: REPROACH

'Rat Race' (from s/t 2003)

Rat Race Lyrics:

Rat Race

Born into this shit

You got to be successful

But for what?

Life is a rat race

Sleep - eat - work, trapped in our routines

I'm sick of it, this is not for me

The only thing that matters to you is your money

Fuck you all, i want more in life!

RIGAS's RANT: There is a dose of truth in the following: we are competing each other, chasing the carrot on a stick with the force-fed illusion  that one day we can be the ones to climb the ladder and eat a bigger piece of the deciduous pie which is served by depriving the poor and ruining the planet. Well, let me tell you that inequality, injustice and ecological collapse are systemic and you and me are going to be kept always ‘under’ the elites and their institutions, which legitimize this error! I want more in life! Break the work-stress-consume treadmill! My life is fucking gold!

Reproach [definition]: Address (someone) in such a way as to express disapproval or disappointment.

An interview with Stijn from Reproach

When did you  start getting involved with hardcore punk?!? I got into it when I first heard stuff like Agnostic Front and Madball from my cousin when I was around 16, that’s about 16-17 years ago already. It sounded so raw, to the point and fast, never heard anything like it before and fell in love with it the moment I heard it.

How is the Flemish hardcore punk scene?

I really don’t consider “Flemish” a separate scene, Belgium is small as it is. There lots of bands in different genres, from ‘80s hardcore to crust and everything in between. The Filth ,Trouble Kidz, Vogue, Bite Down, Visions of War, Idiot Convention, Conviction, Sunpower, Havoc, Rise and Fall, Get Wise, Blind to Faith, Amen Ra, Cut here,  Drunk, and many more. Lots of shows too, the past few months been really busy. We’re also lucky to have nearly every touring band stop by in Belgium for a show. Heartbreak tunes and The Pits are always booking great bands. It’s a pretty small but very active scene.

What is the message of Reproach?

Play fast, play hard. Have fun, don’t take shit from anyone, follow your heart, do your own thing and stand strong.

Are you involved with politix-direct action etc. ?!?

No.

Great Catastrophe or Great Transition for humanity?!?

To say it with the words of Victims: “we’re fucked!”

You have 2 of the most exciting videos I have seen!!! -  I watched them already countless times. Who had the idea? Who animated the videos?

We’re very very proud of those videos. They’re made by Marco and Pierre, who run an animation studio called Imov Studios (www.imovstudios.com). It was a present from them for our 10^th anniversary as a band. We had no idea they would make the clips and it was an awesome surprise. They’re also gonna make a new clip for one of our new songs.

What are your favourite active bands at the moment?

Herätys, Despise You, Lack of Interest, Extortion and Direct Control.

What are the plans for the band? Are you writing new material?

Actually we just finished recording our new record called “the bitter end”. We’re working on the layout right now. Recordings and artwork are done, hopefully the record will be out around summer. Deep Six will put out the LP in the US and Crew for Life records is gonna do the CD in Japan. We can’t wait to have the new record out and start playing those new songs live.

'Onward to Destruction' from ‘You Deserve it’ split with ANS

Check their discography and keep an eye on the new album of Reproach!There  is also a new video coming!

Thrash!

Discography

2000: Loud and fucking fast! tape (Stand Apart Records)

2001: Trash mayhem 7" (Kid For Life Records)

2003: Reproach LP (Wölfpack Records)

2005: Is what it is EP (Wölfpack Records)

2008:you deserve it Split with ANS (Still Holding On Records, Gnarly Slaughter Records)

2009: live split LP with Sunpower (Crucial Attack Records)

CENSORED SOUND - 'Shadows' Album Review

These scene has awaited a long time for Censored Sound's new album, entitled Shadows. We should not forget that these guys are no rookies in the scene, being the oldest (and for a long time, the only) Greek band which played old school hardcore with lyrics in English. Therefore it is nice to see that they are back with another album of pure old school intensity, which remains pretty much uninfluenced by the trends of today. In these 15 songs, what we get is fast and aggressive US style hardcore with some Champion-esque / neo youth crew touches on the guitar, as well as hints of rock n roll and crust.

To be honest it took me a while for this album to grow on me, as it is 100% ferocious and the vocals are rather extreme, screeched in your face to the point you start to feel sorry for the dude probably destroying his voice. However, when you put some time in this album, it starts paying you back. As it is not overly catchy, it needs some attention to get the most out of it. Then the underlying melodies (especially on the guitar - great work!) start to come out and grab you, making the experience more enjoyable with every listen. I personally find this album is best heard when you're alone in your room, with the lyric sheet in front of you and your thoughts all gathered in one place.

To sum up, this is not the easy listening hardcore record that is suited for 'cool' kids' parties and BBQs. It is dark, heavy, serious, pissed off and in a sense this is the way hardcore music is meant to be. Shadows is really filled with passionate music, wall grinding riffs, high-thinking lyrical ideas and a lot more that presents the listener with a challenge and an exceptional listening experience.

P.S. We should also mention that this is a totally DIY release (you wont find no label names, sponsored studios and shops here), which is great. There are also some guest vocals by the cream of the crop of the Athens punk scene (including Vodka Jrs and Despite Everything). This is Greek HC2011, so you better get a slice of it!

www.myspace.com/censoredsound

Another Old School Pic: Strung Out, Rocking Out

Looking back at more than half my life, I realize how I grew up looking at hardcore and punk bands' photos. No matter what people say about punk being only about the music and the message, I know that aesthetics is also another important aspect of it. In the same way other kids grew up admiring athletes or models, the people I always looked up to were the musicians from my favorite bands. And it has always been great to see how the people whose music I loved so much looked pretty much just like me. It made me feel inspired, like I could be doing the same thing one day.

I just love it when a moment in punk is captured in a pic, and I will never stop checking out this awesome form of, well... art. I guess this simple Strung Out snap says it all, really. It's all about fun, friendship and wigging out!

REMISSION - Winds of Promise EP Review

There are times that every music critic has to pause and listen harder to what they have in front of them. No matter how much music you have heard, there are always records that will make it hard for you to explain the feelings you get when you listen to them. In most cases, these records are... very good. And in those said rare cases, the best way to review them is to take the simple route and and just say a few honest things about them.

Winds of Promise by Remission is such a record. It is an exceptional, against the grain hardcore EP made by a Chilean band, which traveled the world and reached TYS in Greece by way of US label React! Records.

The first thing I thought of when I played this record was that it had an early/mid 90s vibe, and especially from the period when hardcore was drifting from the youth crew and old school hc standards, and was experimenting with different, more progressive sounds (bands like early Shelter, Mouthpiece etc). And even though Remission or even myself were not around in the hardcore scene in the early/mid 90s, we surely love that period and have a special place in our hearts for it. In fact, I can just listen to this music and let myself travel in times when hardcore was more sincere, more emotional and more thought-provoking. In times when the word 'integrity' actually had a meaning.

This 3-song EP cannot be classified musically, because all three songs are different. I don't know how, but these kids manage to combine a lot of different musical styles and still pull it off with the consistency level. I guess everything is possible when you know what you're doing. There are nice melodic (yet powerful) vocals which balance between hardcore and rock. There is a strong, groovy rhythm section with a nice, thick bass sound delivering some crucial licks inbetween the notes. The guitars are melodic and not fully distorted (I'd say a 7/10 on the distortion scale!) and create room for some extra special melodic hc guitar noodling!

This is just what I needed to hear this summer. Because not every night is a partymosh night, I want to have an album like this in my record collection for when I want to think, do some soul searching  and throw an Xd fist in to the night sky!

http://remissionhc.bandcamp.com/album/winds-of-promise

www.itstimetoreact.com

p.s. Look for Remission's new split EP with Police & Thieves!