Last Crusade - Demo 2014 (Self-released - 2014)

Alright, next thing we'll be talking about is Last Crusade, a new band from northern England that just released a 4 tracks demo through their bandcamp.

These guys are playing an awesome melodic mid-tempo "bootboy rock'n'roll" as they say, think Templars (mainly for the guitar sound I guess), french Oi! (both 80's bands -like Warrior Kids, which they cover, Tolbiac's Toads or Snix- and more recent bands like The Veros). Light-boostered guitar, straight to the point music, raging vocals (it sounds like there are two singers, as the vocals are different on "Morally Bankrupt" as on the other songs, but I might be wrong), gang choirs, all that in english (which is kind of not surprising coming from a UK band), except a cover of "Personne" from Marseille's Warrior Kids, sung in a perfect french (probably because of the singer being from Canada, and from the Québec area I guess). They kind of remind me in a way of the french band Syndrome 81 (great band, check them out if you didn't already).

As I said, 3 great songs in english, called "Deadbeat", "Morally Bankrupt" and "Cycle of Terror", and a cover from Warrior Kids. That last cover is brilliant, different from the original, maybe a bit more "aggro", but still pretty good. A cover shouldn't be the exact copy of the original song, in my opinion, because then why listen to anything else other than the original ? Plus "Personne" is one of my favourite song from Warrior Kids, so great job here. Please keep making songs in french in the future, people in England probably don't give a fuck about it but it sounds great !

A very good surprise, that's what Last Crusade's debut release is. I definitely want to hear more from these guys, and I hope this demo will be released in vinyl soon (but I don't worry too much for them about that, as I am pretty sure it will be). Anyway, you can (and you should) listen to these songs on the band's bandcamp, and even download them by paying the price you're willing to pay for it.

Hired Goons - Demo 2013 + Demo 2013 Part II (Nobody Cult - 2013)

You've probably figured it out by now, I'm now a very punctual guy. I rarely talk about stuffs that just came out. But I guess the majority of people reading this are not after "fresh news of the scene" (they're easy to find on other websites/pages anyway), but rather for what I think about bands I review (or at least I hope that, because otherwhise I don't understand what you're doing here), even though I try to talk about relatively "new" releases.
So no exception, the material we're going to talk about tonight (the night fell at least 2 hours ago here in Uppsala) is not that fresh. But still, it's good as fuck. We'll be talking about Hired Goons, from Ontario, Canada. I'll be killing two birds with one stone here, and talk about their two demos that came out respectively in April and November 2013.
What we have here is an Oi!-influenced hardcore punk band (or hardcore punk-influenced Oi! band, put it as you like), playing mid-to-slower tempo straight in your face rock'n'roll, driven by strong basslines, no-compromise guitar and shouted, powerful (but no tough guy/gangsta hardcore shit involved) vocals, sounding a bit like Sheer Terror. Basically it sound like a more punk hardcore version of bands like Hammer & the Nails (they have been reviewed here earlier), Tommy & the Terrors, or these NYC 90's Oi! bands that all sounded pretty hardcore influenced on the Oi! side, and Negative Approach on the hardcore side (I'm not that much of a hardcore punk guy, so I, unfortunately, lack a bit of references here...). Their seconde demo as, though, some kind of a Templars feeling, mainly because of the solo guitar lines and the guitar sound in general. It's more melodic, sounds more "melancholic" sometimes. Which, in my opinion, make it even better. The songs are hardly longer than 2 minutes (and a minute and 45 seconds on their second demo), so no time for bullshit here, it's hitting you straight and hard !

A song from the band's second demo, and probably one of the band's best song

If you didn't bought their demo tapes yet (because yes, both demos came out as tapes), then you're, like me, probably fucked because they seem to be completely sold out. But rejoice, they're both available (digitally) through the band's bandcamp for the price you're willing to pay for it. Nice gesture, that's another reason for you to check these guys out if you haven't done it yet. If you're into that kind of music you will definitely like it, if you're not then broaden your horizons !