Saturday, October 18, 2014

New blood: Divers (Malaysia)

A post-hardcore band from Malaysia, how often do you come across that? Admittedly, I am not a post-hardcore expert, but when Divers emailed me, they were the first one for me. And they sound great. Their melodic post-hardcore sound is full of energy and heavier than the average band in style, which is always a good thing to me. But they're also not afraid let go and turn up the heaviness an extra notch in their songs where needed with some good riffs, bringing a band like Cast Iron Hike to mind at times. Singer Faizul has a great screaming voice, hoarse and very throaty at times, and it really conveys the emotional content of his lyrics which deal with subjects like not letting anger control you, personal doubts and fears and not giving up on yourself. When I hear this band, I imagine them being quite intense and awesome in a live environment. Definitely a surprise for me, Divers, and a pleasant one. Give it a shot, you might get surprised too.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Nothing But A Hardway comp CD

In the mid to late 90s Japan developed a huge NYHC-inspired scene. The 'Nothing But A Hardway' compilation CD, released by Radical East in 1998, is one of the finest examples of this era/scene of Japanese hardcore. It's got 18 bands, and while not every band is all that great, it's an overall solid compilation. Highlights include Dyingrace and Second To None (both awesome and heavy as fuck hardcore, I posted Dyingrace's insane demo here), T.J. Maxx (the Japanese 25 Ta Life), Protect (awesome old school dual-vocals hardcore), John Holmez (excellent metallic hardcore), Strength (heavy mid-tempo hardcore), Swing Arm (up-tempo sing-along hardcore) and Stinger (love their crazy vocals). Enjoy!

Nothing But A Hardway compilation CD