Showing posts with label Longrail Records. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Longrail Records. Show all posts

Tuesday, 26 December 2023

Abandoncy/Norse - Split 10"


Labels: Kono Dischi/Longrail Records/Vina Records/Shove Records/New Knee Records/Tenzenmen Label

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 06 Jan 2023


Tracklist:


1. Abandoncy - Machine Organism

2. Abandoncy - It'sallfunandgamesuntilimakemyselfcry

3. Norse - Colpevole

4. Norse - Complice


Back on the screamo wagon this evening (as promised in my In Wolves Clothing review) and it's gonna be that way for at least the next few posts. Once again I'm demonstrating just how far behind I am when it comes to my inbox by writing about the early 2023 split featuring Kansas City, USA's Abandoncy and Biella, Italy's Norse. It was released on 10" vinyl back in January via a wholes host of labels including Kono Dischi, Longrail Records, Vina Records, Shove Records (all from Italy), New Knee Records (USA) and Tenzenmen Label (Thailand). Today's fun fact: I first came across Tenzenmen Label via their 2012 release of Farewell To Joy by Australia's Idylls. Nostalgia aside, let's get stuck in.


I first came across Abandoncy when I picked up a copy of the 4-way Meditations In Affinity: Solicitude split (released via The Ghost Is Clear Records and Zegema Beach Records) that also included Bighand//Bigknife, Almanac Man and Emma Goldman. It was so nice to receive an e-mail from the band in promotion of their split with Norse earlier this year and I feel terrible for not getting to it sooner. It starts with Abandoncy’s ‘Machine Organism’, which is a short blast of noise-rock filled with guitar feedback and loud percussion that envelope the vocals. Calling this merely screamo was unfair. 


‘It’sallfunandgamesuntilimakemyselfcry’ is at the other end of the spectrum in song-length and musical approach, given that it leans much more towards post-rock/doom. It’s still noisy though and it fully justifies the five+ minute playing time for sure. Think of bands like Big Business and Unsane jamming at their loudest, while Chat Pile and Nerver fill in the quieter moments and you might get close to what this song is. Obviously, those comparisons are open to interpretation. Abandoncy are a band all of their own and they close out their side of this split in veritable fashion, with intense screams adding to an emotive performance.


Norse begin the split’s second half with ‘Colpevole’, which is immediately atmospheric and beat-driven. As the song’s intro bars bleed into heavier noise, more intricate melodies make themselves heard. It’s dramatic to say the least. I don’t recall hearing Norse before (I know there are a couple of bands that share that name) but I’m sold here for sure. They prove once again that split releases really do work if you’re looking for new bands to obsess over.


Their closing song ‘Complice’ brings more urgency, which is unsurprising given both the format and structure of this release. It’s with unflinching heaviness that Norse end, with a great sense of catharsis. Musically, they’re very expressive (just like Abandoncy) but in a different way, if that makes sense. I feel like I haven’t written enough about Norse and their music here, but then again I don’t feel that anymore words will do them justice. It’s hard to compare Norse and their sound to any other band. 


I’ve been digging deeper into post-rock/metal in recent months thanks to my Pelagic Records subscription. I started out in my teenage years loving nu-metal, before progressing to hardcore/metalcore later on. I’m in my late-thirties now and while I still love those sub-genres, my musical palette has changed and grown so much. I am forever indebted to any band that treads a heavier path. This split, Abandoncy and Norse are no exception.


You can stream and purchase the split digitally from both bands below (where it's also still available to buy on 10" vinyl:-




Abandoncy - https://www.facebook.com/abandoncy

Norse - https://www.facebook.com/norsepunk


Physical copies can also be purchased while stocks last, from the labels below:-


Longrail Records - https://longrailrecords.bandcamp.com/album/split-5

Vina Records - https://store.vinarecords.com/

Shove Records - https://shoverec.bandcamp.com/album/split-norse-abandoncy

New Knee Records - https://norseabandoncyknr.bandcamp.com/album/split


Kono Dischi - https://www.facebook.com/konodischi/

Longrail Records - https://www.facebook.com/longrailrecords/

Vina Records - https://www.facebook.com/vinarecords/

Shove Records - https://www.facebook.com/profile

New Knee Records - https://www.facebook.com/Newkneerecords

Tenzenmen Label - https://www.facebook.com/tenzenmen.label

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Friday, 6 March 2020

Chivala/Suirami - Split (Longrail Records/No Funeral Records/More...)


Labels: Longrail Records/Non Ti Seguo Records/Tifone Crew/Lostdog Records/Equal Rights/Strigide Records/TimTam/Yoyodyne Records/Callous Records/Missed Out Records/Les disques Rabat-joie/Mevzu Records/No Funeral Records
Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital
Release Date: 15 Oct 2019

Tracklist:-

1. Chivala - Caduta
2. Chivala - 27 Marzo
3. Suirami - G. Burrasca
4. Suirami - Amaro
5. Suirami - Occhi Chiusi
6. Suirami - Nuovo Inizio

Chivala was the only non-US band on the four-way split I reviewed earlier in the week. Late last year, they joined forces with fellow Italian post-hardcore band Suirami for a split, which was released on 10" vinyl by a whole host of the labels (listed above) and also on tape by No Funeral Records. Chivala has two songs on here while Suirami has four.

I’ve found that over the years, Italian screamo/post-hardcore definitely has it’s own identity when held up against similar music from the US. Aside from the obvious fact that Chivala sings in their native-tongue, there’s something very old-school about their opener ‘Caduta’. There’s less of the emoviolence approach taken by their former split-mates in Lytic, Amitie and Pique. Hardcore riffs shape their music while still providing melody. The percussion is still technical in places and the vocals are still harsh, but it’s all delivered in a simpler fashion (at least to these ears anyway). ’27 Marzo’ is immediately more ambient, building slowly and steadily. The mood is darker and the tempo is more mid-paced this time. This song may give you a better idea of what I was trying to say above. Chivala’s sound is more controlled and thus easier to follow, if you’re not an emoviolence/mathcore nut for example.

This is my first time hearing Suirami and they come from a cleaner punk/emo direction, with vocals that are more audible. Again, lyrics are in Italian. On their opener ‘G. Burrasca’ they remind me of Dutch punks Antillectual. They’re off-kilter at times but also have that pogo-punk rhythm thing going on and a slight atmosphere akin to Deftones too. Suirami’s songs are on the shorter side, coming in at under three-minutes. Despite that obvious urgency, ‘Amaro’ is very up-tempo and enjoyable. They manage to weave a lot of music layers from a relatively simple approach and remain very catchy. It’s exactly the same for ‘Occhi Chiusi’, where their more cinematic/post-hardcore side comes forward, thanks to lengthier instrumental passages and more minimal use of vocals, which seem to be slightly lower in the mix this time. It fades out leaving a sizeable pause before final song ‘Nuovo Inizio’, which is an acoustic instrumental song that’s very calming.

Having both the slight abrasiveness of Chivala and the cleaner punk of Suirami on this split makes it work really well. It showcases two of Italy’s newer bands, while showing the variation that exists even in this small scene. Great job! 

You can stream the full split release below:-




You can buy physical and digital copies from bands above and the labels below:-

Non Ti Seguo Records - https://www.facebook.com/nontiseguo/
No Funeral Records - https://nofuneralsound.bandcamp.com/ /
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