Coma Regalia - The Mirror

Labels: Adorno Records/Dingleberry Records/Hardcore For The Losers/Middle-Man Records/Pundonor Records/Time As A Color/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 10 Mar 2018

Tracklist:

1. Return To The Hall Of Souls

2. Slohaugh En Sperata

3. Peel Back The Layers

4. Fragmental

5. The Face Underwater

6. Foreign Reflection

7. Shatter

8. Un Recognition

9. The Lie In The Dark

10. Horrid Reflection

I'm not sure what's been going on lately but the blog's been getting some proper love, for which I'm very grateful. It does feel like a lifetime though since I revisited the ZBR roster. As you'll know from previous posts in this little review series and from before; Coma Regalia has been a mainstay here in recent years. The Mirror was released back in early 2018 on tape and digital formats, as well as on the rarely seen 11" vinyl format (does anybody know of any other records released on 11" vinyl?). At the time of writing this intro, copies of said vinyl record still exist for sale. Will they still be on sale after this review? Who knows...

Havoc-inducing emoviolence with a sensitive side. Probably the most apt way I could describe Coma’s sound without repeating what I’ve said before. The Mirror’s opener ‘Return To The Hall Of Souls’ contains truly biting post-hardcore that lets very little light in, which is at odds with my opening sentence. It bleeds straight into ‘Slohaugh En Sperata’, which kicks off in quick-fire fashion before seemingly slowing down as if time was standing still, only to conclude with wailing feedback.

They say silence is golden but you don’t actually get very much of it here as ‘Peel Back The Layers’ takes all of Coma’s punk sensibilities and applies them to a sub one-minute blast. It’s a rager that drags you into the broodier and more uncomfortable ‘Fragmental’, where once again feedback rules over various parts of the music, except this time in greater amounts.

‘The Face Underwater’ is rhythmic and almost hypnotic initially, before that recognisably melodic guitar tone whisks you off to a better place. Talking of being whisked off to a better place, ‘Foreign Reflection’ keeps up that notion with some beautiful guitar work once again. Having watched some of the performances from this weekend’s Glastonbury Festival, I’d quite happily say that Coma Regalia would wipe the floor with them live if they ever got the chance to perform there (remember the time Napalm Death and Wormrot played inside a graffiti-laden tube train?). 

As the temperature here gets hotter and the atmosphere gets stickier, being greeted by The Mirror’s heaviest song ’Shatter’ is both unfathomable and cleansing. That same atmosphere flows into ‘Un Recognition’, which does contain more treble to brighten things up slightly. This is a body of work that genuinely represents the minds, bodies and souls of it’s creators. You can’t get more life affirming than that. 

Penultimate song ‘The Lie In The Dark’ is upbeat and really skilfully played. Artsy in places without being pretentious, it uses the collective musicianship of Coma Regalia to weave something that’s danceable and forgiving before the album’s final song ‘Horrid Reflection’ takes hold. I’ve always enjoyed releases like this where bands end on longer songs, and this is no different. It’s first half is instrumental and even when the full band kicks in, it still retains that musical heft. At times it sounds like a folk/sea shanty too.

Another tremendous release from a band filled with great souls. Society may be more polarised than ever but music like this will always bring us together.

You can stream and purchase The Mirror directly from Edie's label Middle-Man Records below, where vinyl copies are still available (including one solitary test-press!):-

Coma Regalia - https://www.facebook.com/comaregalia

You can also buy copies from the below labels:-

Adorno Records - https://adornorecords.bandcamp.com/merch

Hardcore For The Losers - https://hardcoreforthelosers.bandcamp.com/merch

Pundonor Records - https://pundonorrecords.limitedrun.com/categories/pundonor-releases

Time As A Color - https://timeasacolor.com/product-category/music/time-as-a-color-releases

Zegema Beach Records CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases / USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases

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

Hardcore For The Losers - https://www.facebook.com/HardcoreForTheLosers

Middle-Man Records - https://www.facebook.com/middlemanrecords

Pundonor Records - https://www.facebook.com/pundonorecords

Time As A Color - https://www.facebook.com/timeasacolor

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Amid The Old Wounds - Rebreather 7"

Labels: Dingleberry Records/Rufen Publishings/Slow Down Records/Time As A Color

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 20 May 2022

Tracklist:

1. Rebreather

2. The Broken Key

3. 1121

This long weekend had so much promise and then I got writer's block. To try and combat it I added some resent pick-ups to my record collection and then sat down to write about the newest 7" from German solo-emo/indie band Amid The Old Wounds. The band's latest EP Rebreather was only released a couple of weeks ago and Daniel was kind enough to send me a copy. It follows on from the Vignette EP, which was released in 2020.

I always find Amid The Old Wounds to be very uplifting and ‘Rebreather’ is just that, in it’s own acoustic way. Very clean and melodic with gentle guitar, and vocals. Although at odds with what I’ve just said, It seems to come from a place of frustration lyrically and of wanting there to be more from life, at least that’s how I interpret it anyway. The music is unlike anything else that sits in my collection and I still find that amazing. It’s testament I think to Daniel’s creativeness and honest music.

‘The Broken Key’ is a brief song with some lovely vocal harmonies and lyrics that are quite open, and revealing when you listen to them. Talking of openness, EP closer ‘1121’ talks about being alone and yearning to be significant to someone. It reflects quite heavily on how times have changed and how hard it is to find someone special (again this is my interpretation and music/lyrics are always subjective). It’s the EP’s slowest and most minimalist song in terms of the guitar, which also adds to it’s melancholy.

This is a such a gentle EP, though Amid The Old Wounds has always been that way. I don’t know if there are any plans for a full-length release yet; however, that shouldn’t stop you from finding enjoyment and peace in the band’s music so far.

For Fans Of: You Could Be A Cop, Duct Hearts, Dashboard Confessional, Fog Lake and Koenich

You can stream and purchase Rebreather digitally below, alongside the rest of the back catalogue from Amid The Old Wounds:-

Amid The Old Wounds - https://www.facebook.com/amidtheoldwounds

Physical copies of this EP, alongside a special double 7" box set that also includes previous EP Vignette are available below:-

Slow Down Records - https://slowdownrecords.bandcamp.com/merch

Time As A Color Records - https://timeasacolor.com/

Dingleberry Records - https://www.facebook.com/Dingleberry-records-and-distribution

Time As A Color Records - https://www.facebook.com/timeasacolor

You Could Be A Cop/Amid The Old Wounds - Split LP

Labels: Adagio830/Friend Club Records/Motorpool Records/Slow Down Records/Strictly No Capital Letters/Time As A Color Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 27 Aug 2021

Tracklist:

1. You Could Be A Cop - Against The Bleeding Skyline

2. You Could Be A Cop - Untitled

3. You Could Be A Cop - The Cakes Are Burnt

4. You Could Be A Cop - Still The Same?

5. Amid The Old Wounds - A Friend In Need

6. Amid The Old Wounds - You've Reached The End

7. Amid The Old Wounds - Anywhere

8. Amid The Old Wounds - Let It Slide (No Use For A Name cover)

Another working week has flown by and all I want to do is relax. Thankfully, this loverly split featuring Norwegian/English band You Could Be A Cop and German acoustic solo-project Amid The Old Wounds is around to help. Sent to me by my longtime friend Daniel Becker, this record is housed in a glorious gatefold sleeve with black and white collage artwork, while the vinyl itself comes in either sky blue or black (this one), limited to 300 copies in total. Expect soothing indie/emo tones throughout and even a punk cover song too.

I said there’d be soothing tones and I wasn’t lying. You Could Be A Cop start things off on this split with four songs. Opener ‘Against The Bleeding Skyline’ sees guest Tonje Tafjord adding glorious vocal melodies amongst a backdrop of melodic guitars and subtle percussion. There are moments that venture beyond their light emo/punk sound, but they’re only fleeting, ‘Untitled’ sees the band going on their own in a calm and measured manner. It’s hard to think of comparisons but bands like maybe Annabel and Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) might spring to mind.

The unassuming male/female vocals of on ‘The Cakes Are Burnt’ match the instrumentation perfectly, with  Natalie, Marius and Mortem creating something that’s brimming with genuine emotion even when delivered in near spoken-worn fashion at times. The mixing/mastering takes nothing away from that emotion either, allowing You Could Be A Cop to be themselves. The band’s final song ‘Still The Same’ captures their intricate yet easy-listening approach perfectly. The additional vocals by Anders Kojen add extra body to the song, alongside some harsher vocals that sit deeper in the recording.

The second half of the split belongs to Amid The Old Wounds. I don’t know if any of you feel the same way but I prefer these splits where bands have their own dedicated sides, compared to those where bands play one song after the other band’s played one, if that makes sense. ‘A Friend In Need’ picks up where the project’s Vignette 7” left off last year. Both Daniel’s voice and acoustic guitar work are so calming, while the recording is such that the music seems to project itself out of the speakers, even at low volume.

‘You’ve Reached The End’ is a sombre piece of indie pop. It’s slow tempo and pensive vocals act as prompts for reflection, and they work really well. There’s less of an emo influence to Daniel’s music here, but genre lines are still blurred much like elsewhere. ‘Anywhere’ (originally a Wishes On A Plane song) goes on by very quickly, but in a focused way. I think the song-writing throughout this split is very strong, though especially that of Amid The Old Wounds.

The split’s closing song is a cover of ‘Let It Slide’ by No Use For A Name. It’s a great version of the song, which is played in the same singer-songwriter vein and in doing so, it stays recognisable. This split is the perfect accompaniment to these late summer days, as the light begins to fade earlier and earlier each night. Warm, reassuring and peaceful. Love it!

The full split can be streamed digitally below:-

You Could Be A Cop - https://www.facebook.com/youcouldbeacop

Amid The Old Wounds - https://www.facebook.com/amidtheoldwounds

Physical copies can be purchased from the below labels (you can also buy digital downloads from them too):-

Adagio830 - https://adagio830-records.bandcamp.com/

Friend Club Records - https://www.friendclubrecords.com/

Slow Down Records - https://slowdownrecords.bandcamp.com/

Strictly No Capital Letters - https://sncl.collective-zine.co.uk/

Time As A Color Records - https://timeasacolor.com/

Adagio830 - https://www.facebook.com/ADAGIO830

Friend Club Records - https://www.facebook.com/FriendClubRecords

Motorpool Records - https://twitter.com/rufenpub

Slow Down Records - https://twitter.com/recordsslow

Strictly No Capital Letters - https://www.facebook.com/strictlynocapitalletters

Time As A Color Records - https://www.facebook.com/timeasacolor

Temple - Pond Of Remembrance

Labels: Koenich Sound/Time As A Color Records

Formats: Tape

Release Date: 09 Jun 2020

Tracklist: 

1. Silver

2. Silence Is...

3. Rivet

4. The Fall Of Hames

5. Coastlines

6. Continuance

7. Tease

8. Director's Cut

9. Candlelight Revolution

10. Underground City Of The Dead

11. Raw Speech Scatter (Featuring JK)

I couple of weeks ago I featured a tape release by German solo indie/emo band Koenich. The tape was sent to me by Franz Kindermann of Koenich Sound. Franz also sent me this tape, which features eleven compositions built around rock and it's various forms, as well as acoustic music. It was recorded/produced and released by Koenich Sound in June of this year, and has been distributed with the help of Time As A Color Records.

Temple is essentially a solo project and with that in mind, you’re gonna be treated to different styles and moods throughout. The intro song ‘Silver’ is a good old classic rock solo over the top of a steady rhythm section. It’s short and leads to ’Silence Is…’, which is both dramatic and tragic in it’s delivery. Choral and melodic, with layered clean vocals that bring to mind Queen. It’s not a rock opera but it does have that feel, though it’s not over the top.

As with other releases that Franz had produced, Pond Of Remembrance is very clean and clear and ‘Rivet’ embodies that with slick rock in the first half before giving way to something a little funkier in the second. What follows is the folk-inspired/grunge rock song The Fall Of Hames, which features traditional woodwind as well as crunching guitars.

The grunge continues on Coastlines’ and a familiar voice provides vocals, as Marc Sesto adds his tones to the album (as he did on ‘Silence Is…’ and ‘The Fall Of Hames’ previously). His vocals are really soothing even with their slightly grittier tones, alongside Franz’s lighter singing. The music is still light and not overpowering.

Marc once again lends his pipes to ‘Continuance’, which is very much a modern take on grunge with the added darkness created by The Cure back in the day. It’s quite a proggy song too, with different movements and off-kilter sections, which will please many. The acoustic guitar that was so prevalent of Koenich’s tape, makes an appearance on ‘Tease’ alongside what sounds like accordion accompaniment. It’s a nice clash of styles and it works really well. 

From the sublime to the ridiculous with the bizarre rock n roll song ‘Director’s Cut’, which is at odds with the songs that it follows. That said, it’s well played and is maybe somewhat of a breather between Temple’s more serious songs. ‘Candlelight Revolution’ is filled with funk and a healthy groove, while still capturing the rock influence that the project has. That influence still undeniable here.

Penultimate song ‘Underground City Of The Dead’ is the longest song on Pond Of Remembrance and as such, it’s also the one with the most experimentation. It goes from gentle folk rock to something akin to industrial/punk within a couple of minutes. It’s entirely instrumental and would sound great amongst the soundtrack to an action movie or video game for sure. From that to probably the heaviest song on the album and the hardcore-punk of ‘Raw Speech Scatter’, featuring JK (if anyone can tell me who JK is, that would be great). This song was well worth waiting for if you wanted something heavier.

Overall this album has everything and is a bit all over the place because of it. That said, it’s excellently played and delivered with a really varied palette of musicianship. This should appeal to a lot people who read this blog, so take a punt if you want something out of the ordinary.

You can stream and purchase Pond Of Remembrance via Temple's bandcamp below:-

Temple - https://www.facebook.com/Temple-Music

Wishes On A Plane - Unreleased

Labels: Old Kids Records/Time As A Color Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 24 Apr 2020

Tracklist:

1. Your Place Is Still...

2. Perfect

3. ...At The Heart Of My Everything

4. Just Enough Space To Fit

5. Release

In mid-December of last year, I premiered a previously unreleased song called 'Perfect' by German post-rock/emo/indie band Wishes On A Plane. I also interviewed band member Daniel Becker and you can revisit that post here. Daniel has been a friend of mine for quite a while now and I first got to know him through his current band Duct Hearts. He told me that this LP was being released in April, so I placed an order and Daniel told be to wait until I had the physical copy before I reviewed it, because it included a handmade sleeve and artwork. In fact, you can find out more about that in this video on the Time As A Color Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXMPLotLzWw. My copy arrived on a gorgeous tan coloured vinyl, but there's also a black version, as well as a CD and also a digital option too. All five tracks on here are previously unreleased. 

I have a confession to make; I was lucky enough to get an early listen to these songs late last year. I was on my Christmas break at the time and couldn’t have picked a better moment to listen to them. Hearing them again now takes me back to that period and I instantly recognise record opener ‘Your Place Is Still…’ with it’s clean vocals and easy-going instrumentation. It’s more post-rock and than post-hardcore and seeing as Wishes On A Plane was the band that laid the foundations for Duct Hearts, you can definitely hear where the latter evolved. 

‘Perfect’ was the song I premiered last year and I still love it. It’s a mix loud rock, with maybe an ounce of dissonance, while gentle vocals set a calming mood over the top. The instrumentation is given a lot of room to breath here and the mixing/mastering gives new life to a batch of songs that were originally recorded nearly fifteen years ago, except for the vocals, that were recorded last year.

‘…At The Heart Of My Everything’ slows the pace down with lovely soulful guitar melodies that are soon joined by equally good bass lines. It’s not an acoustic song but it is stripped down for the most part, until around the final minute or so when the percussion kicks in and the driving tempo pulls you into a dramatic end.

From here on in WOAP’s songs get longer and longer, but with the length comes greater musicianship and musical expanse. ‘Just Enough Space To Fit’ is stripped down as well but it’s also very upbeat throughout it’s near seven-and-a-half minutes. It’s quite far removed from the music that you might associated with Time As A Colour (in some ways) but given the creative minds involved in both entities, it’s not a surprise. It draws from their emo/indie influences as well as there post-hardcore ones.

The album’s closer ‘Release’ is everything that’s good about this ever blurring sub-genre. Talking about the UK, bands like Funeral For A Friend (Hours onwards), Hell Is For Heroes and Hundred Reasons come to mind when thinking about it and while I don’t have any real knowledge of the equivalent scene in Germany, Wishes On A Plane would probably have been up there with those aforementioned bands had I stumbled across them earlier. I know that the comparison may be a little bit off-centre but this is a great record and posthumous or not, WOAP deserves to be talked about in  equally high esteem. 

You can stream Unreleased and buy it digitally below:-

CD/LP copies of the album, plus special limited handmade 3" cdr's featuring 'Perfect' can be purchased from Time As A Color Records here - https://timeasacolor.com. Old Kids Records don't seem to have an online store yet, but you can reach them via the Facebook link below (this is their first release, I think!).

Old Kids Records - https://www.facebook.com/oldkidsrecords/

Time As A Color Records - https://www.facebook.com/timeasacolor/

Winter Dust - Sense By Erosion

Labels: Time As A Color/Dingleberry Records & Distribution/Voice Of The Unheard Records/E Un Brutto Posto Dove Vivere/La Speranza Records/Backwater Transmission

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 09 Nov 2018

Tracklist:

1. Quiet January

2. Duration Of Gloom

3. All My Friends Are Leaving Town

4. Furnace

5. Composition Of Gloom

6. Disharmony

7. Cruel June

8. Stay

The clocks have gone forward and we're now heading into British summertime here in the UK. The morning's are lighter earlier and the evenings lighter for longer. It feels right then to be waving goodbye to the colder months with this new full-length from Italian post-hardcore band Winter Dust. Having been released digitally in November of last year, it's now seeing a full physical release on both CD and vinyl via the labels above. I was lucky enough to be sent a digipack CD copy to review, thanks to Time As A Color, who you should be more than familiar with if you've visited this blog before. Winter Dust's first music came in 2011 on the EP "Existence" and since then they've released a full-length called "Autumn Years" (2013), another EP "Thresholds" (2015) and the digital single Cruel June, which appears here. They count Envy, Russian Circles and Converge amongst their influences, so this should be exciting.

The post-rock and post-hardcore sub-genres continue to flourish, as bands explore both the more accessible and more inaccessible edges of the musical sphere and Winter Dust provides an accessible opener in the form of Quiet January, which is filled with introspective and cinematic instrumentation and spoken word samples. What follows is the slow building Duration Of Gloom, with spacey musical textures that harness a great sense of anticipation. It’s agonising anticipation that is sated not long afterwards as Winter Dust’s volume rises and the first glimpse at their hardcore comes into view. It’s sensitively delivered and the added aggression does not detract from the instrumentation in any way. Gloriously crafted post-hardcore.

There’s a real poignancy to All My Friends Are Leaving Town, which is magnified by the sedate instrumentation and quietly sung vocals during the opening two minutes. Even when the song gets heavier, Winter Dust manages to make it sound both lovely and huge (in a cinematic way!). Just let it whisk you away. Furnace might at first sound like an experimental drone song, but it’s not long before the looping sounds give way to more of what the band does best. The majority of its six-minute playing time is made up of fantastic instrumental passages, showing off the post-metal influences that Winter Dust wear so well. The vocals are present, but only in the form of brief screams that are equally as enjoyable and that briefness makes them standout.

The second half of record takes over with the short Composition Of Gloom. It’s melody is drenched in melancholy but also a healthy dose of early-morning sunshine (if you get where I’m coming from with that analogy). That early-morning sunshine/dreamy feel reverberates around the entire room to the sounds of Disharmony. You’d think with a title like that, it would be aggressive and caustic but it’s not. Again, the instrumentation takes centre stage and paints more pictures that words ever could.

At this point in the album, as penultimate song Cruel June plays, I feel it’s pointless me trying to find other ways to describe how good “Sense By Erosion” is. In a time when even sub-genres such as post-hardcore and post-metal have embraced modern and increasingly more fashionable ideas, it’s refreshing to hear a band that focus on the music and who make it sound so real. Closer Stay features swathes of piano and orchestral strings to illustrate that and to really embrace the feelings and emotions that both went into creating “Sense By Erosion” and those that radiate out at the other side. What an incredibly body of work this is. I don’t know if it could be considered for release of the year, but it really should be.

Make sure you stream "Sense By Erosion" in it's entirety below, where it's available to purchase on vinyl, CD and also digitally:-

Winter Dust - https://www.facebook.com/winterdust

It's also available from the lovely labels below:-

Time As A Color - https://timeasacolor.com/ / https://www.facebook.com/timeasacolor/

Dingleberry Records & Distribution - https://www.facebook.com/Dingleberry-records-and-distribution

Voice Of The Unheard Records - https://voturecords.com/ / https://www.facebook.com/voturecords/

E Un Brutto Posto Dove Vivere - https://www.facebook.com/eunbruttopostodovevivere/

La Speranza Records - https://www.facebook.com/LSRLabel/

Backwater Transmission - https://www.facebook.com/backwatertransmission/

Moss Rose/Caton & Ophélie/Duct Hearts/Child Meadow - Split 12"

Labels: Adorno Records/Dingleberry Records/Dreamingorilla Records/Friendly Otter Records/Hardcore For The Losers Records/KeepHope Productions Records/Time As A Color

Formats: LP/Digital

Release Date: 16 Aug 2018

Tracklist:

1. Moss Rose - Drowning In Fire

2. Caton & Ophélie - A Safe Place Pt.2

3. Duct Hearts - The Sun Downed. And So Did We (Except B)

4. Child Meadow - Anders

Yay I don't feel like crap anymore! Apologies for the lack of post's over the last few days, it seems I had a dodgy virus that culminated in me getting dizzy and loosing my balance multiple times. Being well again mean I can review this swell 4-way split LP, which was kindly sent to me by Daniel at Time As A Color. It features songs and excerpts from UK blackened screamo band Moss Rose, French post-hardcore bands Caton & Ophélie and Child Meadow, as well as German indie/post-hardcore band Duct Hearts. It was released earlier this month on two different coloured single-sided LPs, with lovely screen-printed B-sides.

First up on this split is Moss Rose, which features a familiar face amongst it’s ranks. Drowning In Fire is actually the first song I’ve heard by the band and it lives up to the billing. It’s filled with atmospheric and brooding post-hardcore, with screams that reside in the distance. Warm in sound and production. When the band’s blackened-screamo and dual-vocals kick in, your heart will beat that little bit faster and your senses will be heightened due to the song’s volume and it’s emotive intensity. Caton & Ophélie is another new name but they instantly make you take note with A Safe Place Pt.2. The instant hit of their mid-paced screamo is undeniable, with guitars that sometimes crunch and sometimes twinkle, along with the usual crashing percussion and harsh screams give this brief song a lot of life.

Duct Hearts has been a longtime favourite band on this small part of the Internet and with The Sun Downed. And So Did We (Excerpt B), they’e picking up where they left off on “Feathers”. As the title suggests, their song is just an expert but it gives you a clue as to the expansive nature of their forthcoming music. It’s big in so many ways but also gentle, especially when the cleanly sung verse comes in. They’re maturing into such great song-writers. Child Meadow closes the split out in typically great screamo fashion with their song Anders. It’s loud/quiet aesthetic is restrained yet it still breeds anticipation, which is sated by a second-half that features life-affirming hardcore. 2018 will be the years that’s known for incredible 4-way screamo release and this one can do no wrong. All of the bands are great and the music, which only drip-fed is equally as great. Too stuff!

You can stream the full split below:-

Moss Rose - https://www.facebook.com/mossrosediy/

Caton & Ophélie - https://www.facebook.com/Caton-Ophélie

Duct Hearts - https://www.facebook.com/ducthearts

Child Meadow - https://www.facebook.com/ChildMeadow/

Physical and digital copies can be purchased from the labels below:-

Adorno Records - 

https://adornorecords.bandcamp.com/merch

https://www.facebook.com/AdornoRecords/

Dingleberry Records - 

https://www.facebook.com/Dingleberry-records-and-distribution

Dreamingorilla Records - 

http://dreamingorillarecords.is/wordpress/dischi

https://www.facebook.com/dreamingorillarecords/

Friendly Otter Records - 

https://friendlyotter.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/friendlyotterrex/

Hardcore For The Losers Records - 

http://hc4lzs.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/HardcoreForTheLosers/

KeepHope Productions Records - 

https://keephopeproductions.bandcamp.com/music

https://www.facebook.com/KeepHopeProductions/

Time As A Color - 

https://timeasacolor.com/product-category/time-as-a-color-releases/

https://www.facebook.com/timeasacolor

Crowning/Swallows Nest - Split

Labels: Zegema Beach Records/IFB Records/Time As A Color/Dingleberry Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 24 Jun 2018

Tracklist:

1. Crowning - Coil

2. Crowning - Old References

3. Crowning - Nerve

4. Swallows Nest - A Subtle Knife For New Doors

Here's a split that isn't so new (sorry for being late to the party, again!) but who cares, I still want to write about it. It's features Chicago "DadrockViolence" band Crowning and Dunedin (NZ) screamo band Swallows Nest. The 7" was released in June by four of the hardest working overseas labels I know, though I'm a little unsure of the actual release date, so if it's incorrect above please let me know. Both Crowning and Swallows Nest are new to me, so I'm looking forward to this.

Crowning get three songs here and they don’t hang about. Their opener Coil is a violent and heavy blast of hardcore/emoviolence that’s lasts just over sixty seconds but is filled with riffs and bile for days. The slightly more pensive Old References gives the rhythm section time to talk before they once again unleash their unrelenting screamo. There’s a lot to take in but it’s so additive. Crowning’s final song Nerve is absolutely no different and the blasting cymbals that sit alongside the punk-like guitar work in the mid-section hide the angst and misery within. 

Swallows Nest, from easily the most beautiful country in the world, play screamo that suggests all is not well on A Subtle Knife For New Doors. It’s slower but no less heavy and the dual-vocals give it extra oomph. Melody exists within both bands but here it does provide more atmosphere, even when Swallows Nest head off in a more off-kilter/chaotic direction. I could listen to this split over and over again, and in fact I probably will. The feedback that ends it underlines the savageness of it while the silence that follows reminds you that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Crowning - https://www.facebook.com/crowningband/

Swallows Nest - https://www.facebook.com/Swallows-Nest

Digital downloads can be purchased from the bandcamp pages of the labels involved. physical copies can be purchased from the links below:-

Zegema Beach Records - http://zegemabeachrecords.storenvy.com/

IFB Records - http://www.ifbrecords.com/distrolist/

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords/

IFB Records - http://ifbrecords.blogspot.com

Time As A Color - https://www.facebook.com/timeasacolor/

Dingleberry Records and Distribution - https://www.facebook.com/Dingleberry-records-and-distribution