Foreseen - Death Injection/Market Target (Self-released - 2014)

Ok, this is gonna be a strange one, but probably a funny one. I have to admit, first, that I know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about crossover (might have listened to Power Trip a few time, but not more), so don't expect any precise references, or even an accurate description of what that record sounds. But, eventually, since I have no knowledge about the genre, I don't have any "pre-maid ideas" or "vision of how it should be" about it (like I might have while talking about Oi! sometimes), so I'll just talk about what I think that record sounds like and what it makes me feel.
Lately I have been searching for a new kind of sound. Something perhaps more brutal, more violent, more compromiseless. Not that I had enough of Oi!, far from it, but the whole "bootboy rock'n'roll/glam-inspired" thing is startint to get less attractive. Seems like I've heard enough of it. I've started to get more and more interested in hardcore punk, taking a look at power violence and such things (even tried to listen to some d-beat stuffes, while I was mocking a friend who did that a few years ago. Still not my thing though), in a quest for savagery. Am I going too far ? What are these unknow shores I'm heading to (yes, I'm also a fucking poet) ?
I must say I don't really remember how I got introduced to Helsinki's Foreseen (probably by some facebook link), but what I remember is that I was kind of sceptic at the very beginning. Still to much metal-sounding for me when I first listened to it. But then a bit later I came back to the band, and I realised that it was actually the sound I was looking for at that very moment. Brutal, dark and almost creepy lyrics and sound (just take the intro of "Market Target"), negative. A perfect mix of hardcore and metal, mixing faster part with slower (perhaps mosh ?) parts, more-metalic-than-what-I-usualy-listen-to solo guitars, gang choirs and aggressive, pissed of vocals (that whole chorus on "Death Injection" is magnificent !). These two songs, "Death Injection" and "Market Target" are awesome (especially the first one, for the reason named before), as I said exactly the kind of music I'm looking for right now. And it mix good with my habitual Oi! habits, just because it's pretty far away from it.
As I said, I would probably never have listened to a band like Foreseen like a year ago, but right now I have no problem listening to the whole LP Helsinki Savagery (which I own only digitaly, but I managed to get my hands on a copy of the 7" promoting it, that's why I'm reviewing only these two songs) between two Oi! bands (let's Battle Ruins -wow what a surprise !- and Reconquesta for example).

I am still pretty unsure about that review. Not that I don't know if that 7" is good or not (as I said it's brilliant), but that's a whole new thing to me, seems like, after reading what I've written, that I kind of talked a lot about my musical researches and not so much about the record itself... Anyway, I'll keep navigating in these unfamiliar waters for a while, but don't worry, I'll be coming back with more Oi! soon (let's say in the next review, that Victory/The Clichés split got to be reviewed soon !). But until that (by now you'll have understand that I don't write on a daily basis, yep, I'm lazy sometimes), give Foreseen a listen. You might be, just like me, extremly surprised, in a good way !

Fatigue - Dog Bodies tape (Self-released - 2014)

As the time goes, it seems like I'm more and more talking about hardcore punk. Well, I guess I'm going where the music is, it has been kind of quiet on the Oi! front these last times... But hopefully some good things will come later this year.

There is anyway a link between San Francisco's Fatigue and Oi!, because it's the other band of Carl, singer of the mighty Sydney Ducks. Unless you've been living under a stone for the last few years, you'll now who Sydney Ducks are, otherwhise I invit you to check their discography out. If you're lucky (and sophisticated) enough to speak french, read the reviews that we've done about them on Vengeance.

So, let's talk about Fatigue itself. No bootboy rock'n'roll here, this is pissed, angry and raw UK82-influenced hardcore punk. Raging vocals (I had a hard time believing that it was the same singer as Sydney Ducks, but it is), nicely bass driven music with a dirty sound that gives a great atmosphere to it all. Think No-Future punk (Partisans, Attak and the likes) played in a 80's punk hardcore fashion. No bullshit here, this is straight to the point, aggressive and vicious.

Five tracks on that cassette, the best ones being "Punisher" and "Outlander". 100 copies were done, but it's still findable on the internet, and you can anyway download it through the band's bandcamp ("name your price", as often). Fuck, I really need to get a working tape player... Good one, and they apparently have more coming soon !

War Path - S/T tape (Protest, Object - 2014)

As I said earlier, 2014 was a great year in terms of releases, and it seems like it still has some surprises for me.

I stumbled pretty much randomly on War Path's band camp while searching for some fresh music, and boy, what a nice surprise it became ! I had never heard them at all before, and there's no review of their 5-tracks tape, and not much infos about them on the internet. So basically, all I know is that these guys are from Los Angeles, and some of them are ex-members of Stoic Violence (didn't knew them as well, but after listening to their stuffes, I guess "fast violent and mean punk hardcore" is a good description). Another thing I know is that these 5 songs by War Path are AWESOME. It's still pretty much punk hardcore, but not the same thing as Stoic Violence at all. We're talking here about higly UK82/Oi! music. Think Negative Approach, Blitz, maybe even Oxblood or Hammer & The Nails and Hired Goons if you'd rather have more recent references. Rough vocals, melodic guitars, dirty sound... Some kind of excellent cavemen Oi! (great expression, isn't it ?) that will make you want to go on the rampage and smash stuffes around you.

As I said, 5 songs filled with rage and anger, my favourite ones being "Bloodshed" and "Night and Fog". With titles like these, or "Try and Survive", "Alone in the Streets" and "Destroy Me" (here you go with the 5 songs), you know you're gonna get some dark and frenzied texts, and the music just consolidates that feeling. These fine gentlemens are definitely on the warpath !

So don't be fooled by that Thin Lizzy glove cover, do yourself a favour and listened to some good cavemen Oi!. If you own a tape player, you can still find physical copies on the web, otherwise you can download all the songs through the band's bandcamp, for as much money as you're willing to give. Fuck, I don't understand why nobody talked about them ! I don't know if they're very active (I found like one gig flyer with them, for their first show last june, and nothing more), but I wish I'll here more of them soon !

Vanity - Vain in Life (Katorga Works - 2014)

First review of 2015, woohoo ! And what better way to start it than with one of 2014's late gem, namely Vanity's Vain in Life LP ? 
Now I have to admit I had completely missed Vanity's 3-tracks cassette (from 2013, on Rock'n'Roll Disgrace), mainly because I don't own a cassette player, and I like to play records that I buy (otherwhise there's no point owning them). So if you did the same, know that this 2-men band is composed of people from or formerly from bands like The Rival Mob or CREEM. Pretty solid basis, but don't be fooled, Vanity has not much to do with these bands. If you're into '77 punk/early Oi! (let's say Slaugther and the Dogs, Chelsea and the likes of it) or more simply All Skrewed Up by Skrewdriver, you are gonna love that record. Rock'n'roll-ish as fuck, dirty sounds, light-boostered guitars, rough (like in "Can't Be Bothered") to clear (in "Bal des Ardents", for example) vocals, everything is perfect in that record.
Twelve songs on that marvellous LP, and they're all good, but if I had to pick my favourites it would be "Can't Be Bothered", "Fuck Right Off" and "The King Drinks", but really, it's a really a all killer no filler.

Here you go, the whole record is even on Youtube. Listen to it, feel the awesomeness of it all and buy that shit quick !

That last mentioned song fits perfectly the cover by the way : the king drinks and it's bloody fucking medieval chaos (I wonder if my own king, the mighty Carl XVI Gustaf, does the same, but he probably does 'cause the guys is a real player), even though the first time I saw the cover I thought this was a gangsta-HC band (mainly because of the band name's font). But I usualy don't judge a record by its cover (even if a nice artwork is always a plus when buying a record that I don't know), and fuck I was right not to in Vanity's case.
You still can find it in some mailorders (like Contra or Rebellion, who is, by the way, going to release a CD version of the record), but hurry up, because this is going to sold out quick, and then it's gonna be to late and you'll regret it !