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 !
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 !
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 !
We once again, after the Templars/Agent Bulldogg split 7", will be speaking of the two areas that I review the most here : America and Scandinavia, more precisely U.S.A. and Denmark.
So here we go with Broken Heroes from New Jersey and The Guv'nors, hailing from Aarhus (as Last Seen Laughing, that I review earlier here). Both bands grant us two songs, each band having a very different sound.
Broken Heroes are a hard-hiting Oi! band, they have a very american sound (well, especially the singing sounds very american to me), straight to your face and with shouted vocals and choruses. I would compare them with their forefathers Niblick Henbane and The Wretched Ones (both also being from New Jersey, do we have a "local sound" here ?). I can see a logical link between their two songs, the first one, "Violence is the Answer" is about the necessary use of violence when you have to defend yourself or what is yours in some situation, and the second one, "Witch Hunt" is an anti-PC song. Given that the use of violence is, you will agree on that, not regarded as something good or PC in nowaday's society, that second song is basically saying "hey, you didn't liked the first song ? Why don't you just fuck off ?", or at least that's how I linked them.
Here's a (short )preview of what you'll find inside that 7"
The Guv'nors are playing a kind of rock'n'roll-ish Oi!/skinhead rock'n'roll, though much more hard rock-ish than bands like The Clichés (which I reviewed here) or bands like Suede Razors or 45 Adapters. Lots of choirs here as well, and really nice guitars, all that driven by stomping drums and rolling bass. Both songs are about alcohol, but that's no suprise given that the Danes are a bunch of alcoholics (says 99% of the population up here in Sweden). The first song, "Get Out" is a drinking and party anthem. I could easily have imagined handclapping to that song, it would just have made it even more party-ish and awesome. The second song, "Love in a Bottle", is a love declaration to alcohol, talking about it as it was a woman. Funny and well-written, hats off !
These four nice songs are packed in a gatefold sleeve containing the lyrics and band logos. You'll also find a download code in it. I basically don't ask for more, good production ! 380 copies in black vinyl and black and white cover, and 134 in red vinyl with sepia cover.
Really good split 7" of two bands that I heard before but never listened to deeply, I will definitely fix that. If I had to choose a winner it would be the Guv'nors, I just like their songs more, but Broken Heroes sure deliver two really nice ones as well !
Yet another american band this time, Thunder and Glory from the city of Philadelphia. If i'm not wrong, the band is kind of new, but includes an ex member of The Boils (which you should check if you don't know them, really good band). So these guys are a five-piece band and play a mid-tempo ("To Kill and Conquer", "Out of the Night") to faster-paced Oi! ("Attack and Kill"), with raging vocals, shouted choruses (that sometimes sound kind of hardcore to me), driven by battle drums, powerful guitar solos. Compromiseless, in your face but still melodic. I don't ask for much more. Though I had a hard times with the voice on the first listening, these songs grew on me and now I appreciate them as they are : awesome battle songs.
Because yes, that's what this record is all about. War, battles rage and fury. Just to give you an example, the first song, "To Kill and Conquer" is about some kind of a viking raid (they talk about the fjords, so I guess it must be that) coming to storm your land, conquer you, burn your wifes and rape your churches. Basically these guys are here to fuck you up. And the same goes for the two next songs, the record being closed by a cover of "Soldier 76" by... Soldier 76. Nicely done cover, even though I like the original better (hard to beat the singer's Combat 84-like voice). Me still being into my Battle Ruins madness (this is not gonna stop soon, know it), these battle anthems are pretty much all I want right now. Great ! That record, which was released earlier this year, came out in 300 copies, 200 being in blue/yellow colors with a Philadelphia flag-like based artwork, and 100 copies in black with a different - and very japanese- artwork which is a falcon holding a katana (that's the one I have). Lyrics are included, with a painting of Odin's Wild Hunt in the background (this viking raid thing that I have been talking about becomes more and more obvious). Really nice release, if my review didn't convinced you, you can listen to the whole EP on the band's bandcamp. But trust me, this is a solid record !
Finally the waiting is over. It's here. I'm obviously talking about the record I've been the most looking forward to get this year, namely Battle Ruins' LP. And it does not disappointed me, even if there were no surprises listening to it, since it had leaked on the internet some times ago, but still, hearing these songs on vinyl is even better. You might remember that I reviewed Battle Ruins' 7" some times ago so you should know them (in fact, if you don't know them that's kind of a problem because these guys just kick asses). They play that Boston Oi! I've been talking about in my Hammer and the Nails/Butcher Boys split 7" review, but they had to it a nice dose of heavy metal. And they do it even more on that 12", which makes it even more dark, powerful, violent, straight out of the dark times of the Middle Age, and, basically, awesome. You still have epic lyrics about battles, violence, vengeance and all these stuffs, they still use these going-up back vocals/doubled vocals/vocals in general, and it still makes you want to destroy everything and slay your enemies with a morgenstern while wearing a plate battle armor. Nothing more nothing less. I won't talk more about how they sound, because I already talked about it (and tried to define it) in my previous review about them.
That's how epic this record is.
I have to say that there's actualy one bad thing with that record. It's too short, mainly because the seven songs on it are all great. I mean, I can't think of any bad song on that record, I don't even think I've skipped a single one since the day I first downloaded it. If I had to choose my favourite songs on it, it would be pretty simple : every single fucking one, and probably twice. That's how good this album is (more seriously, "The Coming of the Beast", "Hate Wheel", and "Slaughtering the Wolves like Sheeps" are my absolute favourite ones on that record). And not only the songs on it are good, but the whole artwork is awesome. I mean, that front cover fits perfectly to what the band is all about. Bloody fucking dark age violence. This come with an insert including the lyrics for "Regain and Conquer" and a picture of what is, I guess, a proper battle ruin. 413 copies came in a white/grey cover with black vinyl, and 111 came in a red cover with clear vinyl plus a poster (and are handnumbered). This record is obviously sold out since the day it was available, but Rock'n'Roll Disgrace said that they would do a second pressing. You don't want to miss that repress, believe me, because this record is nothing less than 2014's best record. Period.
Remember last time when I said that you'll get some moer exotic stuffs than usual soon ? Well the time is now. As a matter of fact, I still had to go with an american band in that review. Again. And it's Hammer and the Nails. From Boston. Again. Yep, I definitely have something with that Boston Oi! thing (this is how it will be called here from now on. By that I mean bands like them, Revilers or Battle Ruins, that share some similarities, like HxC influences, but not sounding like that New York 90's Oi!, melodic, dark and absolutely fucking brilliant). But on the same time some Crocodile Dundee skinhead rock'n'roll will be involved as well, thanks to Sydney's Butcher Boys. So that's what you'll get with exoticism (if you were waiting for something like north korean RAC or pakistanese powerviolence, well no, that's not gonna happen, but that would be pretty exotic too). Hammer and the Nails are, for those of you who don't know them (shame on you, you probably missed one of the best Oi! band from the U.S.A.) are playing powerful melodic and hardcore-influenced Oi!, with pretty agressive but not too tough vocals, always with great solo guitars. They actually have a sound and a style that is pretty easy to recognize (I don't think any band play like them), and you end up with a perfect cocktail of aggro and heavy Oi! with still an awesome melodical sound. Here they give us two new songs : "Kept Alive", which is probably one of their strongest song, and a cover of Straw Dogs' "Justice", played in the Hammer and the Nails style, which makes it even more powerful than the original one (and it's not easy, given how brillant Straw Dogs were). Good ones, as always in fact.
"Kept Alive" by Hammer and the Nails. As you can see, both of their songs are dealing with justice. And not a nice form of justice
On the other hand, the Butcher Boys are a two men band composed of two guys from The Corps, which is also a great band, playing what you could call Rose Tattoo-inspired Oi! (you can't go wrong with that). Spirit of the Streets described the band as a mix of Condemned 84 and Chiswick style. That's a pretty good description, and even if the singing is pretty close to The Corps, the music played is not the same. Much more '77 punk I guess (think early Skrewdriver, Slaughter and the Dogs and band in that vein), and even if I prefer The Corps, Butcher Boys give us two solid songs, and it's their first release (if I'm correct, they will do another split with the almighty Hard Evidence soon). I'd gladly listen to more things by these guys. All that comes in a two-sided cover (one side per band, with their logos) and an insert (once again one side per band) that, unfortunatly, includes only the lyrics for "Kept Alive" by Hammer and the Nails. You'll also get a download code (I actually could only download the Hammer and the Nails songs with mine, no idea if it's the case for everybody or if I just had a fucked up code), which is always good. Oh yeah, 250 copies only, 125 in black splatter on clear vinyl and the other 125 in black splatter on clear red vinyl. A pretty solid release, plus it's always nice to get some new songs by Hammer and the Nails (who have the best songs on that split EP), but you should also give a listen to the Butcher Boys, they're worth it. You can still find that record on the major european distros, so do yourself a favor and get it !
Remember that time when I said that I would not be talking only about Oi! or punk here, but probably about a bunch of other stuff that I like ? Well, the time is now. With Stone Dagger. You'd better get that old leather jacket of your, the one covered with heavy metal band patches, from your closet (you're not fooling anyone here, you have one like this somewhere), 'cause these guys are gonna rock the shit out of you. Even if musically, there's no Oi!/punk or whatever in this records, it is linked to it in a way, because it actually involves guys from Battle Ruins (yep, them again), who seem to have more or less a million different bands (I'm not gonna complain about it, they're all on a scale from very good to awesome), and that's not their first "heavy metal attempt" (because yes, Stone Dagger is pretty much as NWOBHM as you can get), if you consider bands like Magic Circle or even a song like "Cold Iron Death" from Battle Ruins (which had a strong Black Sabbath feeling, according to me). Now I must say that I actually don't know much about heavy metal/hard rock (even if, don't get me wrong on that one, I can enjoy myself a nice Motorhead, AC/DC or Rose Tattoo from times to times), it's not even one of my so-called "guilty pleasure". I would probably not have given a fuck about that record if I didn't knew that the guys from Battle Ruins were involved in it. And I would have been wrong. Because that's actually a fucking awesome record. The band members describe themselves this record as "for fans of Manilla Road, Dio, Cirith Ungol" (I actually don't know these bands, appart from Dio) and as "working class power metal". Once again, my knowledge about metal is poor, so I don't know if these references are accurate or not, but what I know is that you get, in that 7", two mid-paced to fast-tempo songs, with tons of awesome guitar riffs and over-the-top heavy metal solos, going-up vocals and all. It litteraly brings back that old school heavy metal (think early Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden I guess), when it was all about knights, witches and sorcery. That's just so fucking epic. I like that. And you should to. Because once again, this is just to good to be ignored (if you are open minded to that kind of music of course, 'cause if you're not you probably just think that I just spent too much time talking about a shitty 80's metal single).
Here you go with more than 10 minutes of studs and leather heavy metal
I would without a problem recommand anybody to buy that record, but I think it's tottaly sold out (it was first released in cassette and then in this format, got sold out and repressed but I guess that second press is gone as well). Anyway, if you have the occasion, buy that stuff. I definitely want to hear more of that. I will anyway get back to these guys soon with Battle Ruins and their first LP, which will be reviewed here as soon as the postman gives it to me.
After the dark-medieval kind of Oi! of Battle Ruins, lets stay in the past, maybe even further. Today I will take you to the glorious year of 1066, and the Battle of Stamford Bridge, the turning point in history which marked the end of the Viking Age. If I'm doing all that historical bullshit right now, it's because we're going to talk about one of the side project of Carl from The Templars (the guy has definitely something with history), namely Stamford Bridge (named after the battle then, don't mix if with the stadium of Chelsea FC, please).
I was introduced to that band a few years ago with their split (don't know if I should say "their" here, it's a one-man band if I'm not wrong) with Karlskrona's On The Job. I remembered being told that these songs had some kind of a powerpop feeling going on (I actually can't tell this myself, I know pretty much nothing about powerpop). That's absolutely not the case of that demo made in 1995, but released only last year. It still sounds kind of light (lo-fi and distortionless guitars), but if you want my point of view (and if you're reading that you probably want it), but no more powerpop here, it sounds a lot more like the early recordings of Ultima Thule, but with the a more Templars-like sound to it all. It sounds kind of neofolk-ish in a way (yep, Death In June, Blood Axis, I don't know what's your opinion, but I love these bands). It's really melodical, even melancholical. But still, it's viking as fuck. Well, with a cover and song titles like these, what did you expected ?
Can you imagine a three-years-in-a-row winter ? I moved from France to Sweden last year, and damn I had the impression of living that...
There are 3 songs on that demo 7", namely "The Longships" (known, for some reason, as "drakkars" in the country I come from), "The Mighty Thunderer" (I can say without a doubt that this one is about Thor) and last but not least "Fimbul Winter" (the three winters in a row just before Ragnarök, the end of the world). So yes, pretty viking. If you don't like norse mythology, you're gonna be bored. Hopefuly, I like that kind of stuff, so the addition of great music + great lyrics is just perfect to me. I must say that I like these tracks much more than the one on the split with On The Job. This dirty sound (it's a demo from '95 boy, don't expect a perfect sounding stuff) just give more power to the whole thing, it makes the atmosphere the band is building much better (reading that sentence again, I'm not sure it's clear, but fuck it, that's the best way I can express what I'm feeling listening to that record). Best songs are definitely "The Longships" (great ending !) and "Fimbul Winter" (that's what I meant with the whole neofolk thing, it reminds me in a way of Sol Invictus' album "Against the Modern World", and I love that album). "The Great Thunderer" sounds maybe a bit to "cheesy" to me, but it's still a good song anyway, just not as good as the two others.
The artwork is, as I wrote before, linked to the topic of the songs : it's a viking warrior embrassing the sun (that goes pretty good with the "Solstice" title), with runes, axes and other viking traceries going on. Well done here. The only thing it misses is an insert with the lyrics. Not being myself an englih native-speaker, I have a hard time understanding all the lyrics (the sound quality is not helping as well, but that's for the greater good, as I developed before). 500 copies in a red vinyl, and I think it was released kind of late last year, so it shouldn't be too hard to find.
All in all, that's, to me, a great 7". If you like the Templars, viking stuffs and you're not affraid of slower-paced, lighter sounding music than you're usual Oi! bands, you can buy that record with your eyes closed. That's pretty much what I did and I'm pretty happy with it !
Well it's been a while since I published something for the last time, but not much new records coming didn't really help. Now this one was out a few years ago, but it was only recently that I finaly got it (kind of hard to find, but fuck, it definitely worth the time spent looking for it), and as you know I try to review only records that I own. So here we have USA's Battle Ruins, a project involving members of various HxC/Oi! bands (Rival Mob, Mind Eraser, Lovely Lads, to quote a few), playing what they call skinhead rock'n'roll, which to me sounds like a mix of Oi!/metal/hard rock. Now I must say that I'm usualy not a fan of metal stuffs in Oi!, far from that, but damn, that whole record sounds just perfect ! The whole thing is dark, glaucous, violent, that's pretty much Middle Ages made music ! And the title of the songs just reinforce that feeling, like "Blood Eagle" (a form of viking torture, if I'm correct), "Heart of Fire and Stone" (a song that has a pretty Black Sabbath feeling going on, in my opinion). Awesome bass in every songs, powerful drums, choruses going up (that's probably the best thing in these songs, i just love it), it just goes straight to your face, striking you like an axe in the chest. As a matter of fact (and as the guy behind US of Oi! of Sweden rightly pointed in his own review of the 7") there's a pretty 90's UK RAC feeling all along the record, obviously by the way it sounds and absolutely not due to the lyrics. In the end, even if these guys are from the US, they might just have done an anglo-saxon version of Sweden's Viking Rock (which would definitely be another influence to that band, reguarding the "epic" side of it all, I think, for example, about the song "Ensamt Öga" or "Ragnarök" by Ultima Thule), which would be, once again, Medieval Rock. I want more of that.
"Blood Eagle", the best song on that EP, in my opinion
The best songs, in my opinion, are "Blood Eagle" (great solo in the end, and awesome break between the verse and chorus, that's just brutal) and "Warpaths Ahead". It just make you want to pillage and plunder the place you're actually in. So that was released in 2010, 500 copies made but long sold out, hard to find. If you have the occasion to get it, don't hesitate, that's a pure masterpiece. From what I've read, those guys are about to release a full LP soon, that can only be good news. Here's a preview of that upcoming album, to me it sounds just as awesome as the rest of their work. Really looking forward to it, and you should too !
Now that we have landed in the Land of the Free, let's stay there a bit. We'll go further west all the way to St. Paul, Minnesota, and we'll talk about one of America's most promising new band, namely Victory. The band, that includes some members from Pist & Broke and 86'ed among other bands, is playing a fast and furious (Paul Walker joke anyone ?) Oi!, but yet really melodic, in a very Templars style with a more grave voice perhaps, a shit load of singalong, brillant rolling bass and perfect simple and ultra efficient solo guitar on top. To me that sounds like the perfect blend, every ingredient to make great songs are there. And Victory won't disappoint you, believe me. Every single track they've done so far is an anthem. Let's take a look at their first 7" called Laced Up. Here we have four songs : "Laced Up" (which is all about the skinhead pride) and "American Nightmare" (about the failure of the american dream and the oppression that the working man undergoes, brilliant lyrics by the way) on the A-side, "Glory Days" (a kind of tribute to to the golden age of Oi! and of the scene, wonderful bass all over the song and great singalong part) and "Real Heroes" (a song that deals with the soldiers that have fallen in battle fighting with much bravery). To be honest I can't say which of these four songs is my favorite, they're all just so brilliant. I could probably play that 7" a whole week without being bored.
Here you go with one song of the band. the word you're looking for is "brilliant".
Those four jewels are delivered in a gatefold cover (there's actually two different cover, depending on if you have the first or the second press, the cover above being the one from the second press) with all the lyrics and a long thanklist inside and a band picture on the back. As always with Oi! the Boat, you have a digital download code included. I guess you can still find that record somewhere on the internet, but it sold pretty fast (the first pressing was sold out 90 minutes after being released... Yep...). Anyway, if you find it, buy it, that's my advice. you really don't want to miss that band. I was already very enthusiastic with all the american new bands (Sydney Ducks, Noi!se or The Broadsiders to name a few), but this record confirmed that something good is going on in America. Clearly one of the best record I bought this year, that's for sure !
Time to go back to some warmer (and more rainy) shores. Let's talk about the split EP between England's Tattooed Mother Fuckers and NYC's Offensive Weapon. I guess everybody knows who's involved in T.M.F., so there's no need to remind it here or to talk more about it, and you might want to note that Offensive Weapon's line-up includes members from bands such as Oxblood or First Strike. The last production from T.M.F. I had listen to prior to this was their Hey Ho! Let's Go! 7" (no Ramones cover involved) that left me a good impression, and I discovered Offensive Weapon through their marvelous self-titled full length probably a little more than a year ago. So that split sounded like a nice promise to my ears. So, two songs per band, one band per side. The A-side is T.M.F.'s, and starts with the song "Welcome to the Greyzone", which is about saying things as they should be said and not kneeing down in front of anyone, the second one, "Fuck Off and Die" which is basically a middle finger to anyone who talk down the band, opened by a nice bass intro. Brutal mid tempo in-your-face and no compromise sound and songs, with singalong choruses and kind of metalish sounding solos. I like the first song more I must say. The Offensive Weapon side includes the song "Legion of '76" about the loss of the values and traditions their forefathers fought for in the various wars America was involved in. The other one, "Change the Law" is an advocacy in favor of death penalty for rapist. Yep, no compromises here as well. While the first track is slower than the usual Offensive Weapon stuffs (it sounds more like their great ancestors Youth Defense League), the second one is a fast-paced one and sounds perhaps more "punk" for say (a friend of mine use to qualify them as "a right wing punk band", I don't care much if their right wing or whatever, but well that ain't false, you can see it as patriotic punk with a strong skinhead attitude). Anyway, it's still the great fast, angry and hateful american Oi! style sound that I liked so much in the band's 12", and I'm glad about it. This split was released with two different covers : one for Europe (see above) and one for America (it's coming). To me the american one is way nicer, but that's my personal opinion. 250 black vinyls and 250 white vinyls for the Old World version, 150 red, 150 blue and 200 white copies for the Land of the Free. Both versions come with a lyrics sheet and a digital download code (nice initiative !).
The american cover's artwork
Well, both sides are good, but in the end to me, just as in 1783, America wins it all. I'm now really looking forward to the release of Offensive Weapon's next 12", that, I guess, should be out sometime during next year.
Let's continue with the Templars. Here's their last work, a split with the legendary Stockholm stolthet aka Agent Bulldogg. From what I know (and actually, as explained on the record's back cover), that split 7" should have seen the light almost ten years ago, but fell apart for some reason... Well whatever, now it's out ! So, one song from the Templars and two from Agent Bulldogg. The Templars give us their version of Agent Bulldogg's classic "Livsstil" ("lifestyle", from their first 12" that has the same name), sung in english and recorded in 1994. This version is way softer than the original, pretty different I must say (which makes it a great cover, because there's no point of recording a cover if you're gonna do the exact same as the original one), but as good as the swedish version. As always, that particular melodic sound that makes it all so great, top song for me. Agent Bulldogg's side (with a line up, back then, including 2 original members and 3 guys from their compatriots Antipati, only 2 nowadays) start with a cover from the Templars' "Vision of a Future" ("Framtidsvisioner" in swedish, originally released on Templars' Beauséant 7") with a nice addition of saxophone (the french touch maybe ?), great cover as well. Their other song is a new one called "Storebror" ("Big Brother") about us being watched by cameras every single second of our lives (though I guess the reference to Orwell's 1984 was quite obvious, regarding the song's title). Once again pretty strong and melodic, as often with swedish Oi!. What we have here is a strong come back from the swedish bulldogs ! All that comes with a nice cover (including all pictures of both band members together on a Templar cross/Swedish flag background on the front and, as I said before, a short explanation about that split 7" and how both bands got in touch together back in the days) and includes an insert with the lyrics (for the Agent Bulldogg songs only though) and thanklists from from both bands. Please note that 100 copies of the record come with an orange-colored vinyl, the rest are in regular black. Nice split between two great bands, this is definitely a must have, especially if you're into melodic stuffs (which I am, actually). Only fools and deaf people won't like that one !
The first review of this blog will be one of the "recent" (you'll see why the quotation marks after) production from NYC's finest, I'm obviously talking about the Templars. I guess everybody knows them by know, otherwise it's probably time for you to do something with your Oi! culture.
Here we have a one song single-sided 7", the B-side being nothing less than a nicely etched side (representing the logo of the "Templars Club"). Not the most common thing in your usual Oi!/Punk record, you'll give me that one.
So the one song we have here is called "Right To Work" (that you can also find in the band's first 7" Poor Knights of Acre) in its "Acre Version" (if I remember well, the so-called "Acre Studio" is the name of the singer's basement, Carl, where the Templars record most of their stuffs, and obviously a reference the the once templar city of Acre, located in the Holy Land) and was recorded back in 1994 (here's why it's not so "recent"), but yet unreleased, and mixed in 2012.
What we have here basically is a typical Templars song : the now (in)famous clear "Skrewdriver sound" mixed with the rawness of the usual Templars work (that's probably the special "Acre Studio" addition), mid-tempo melodic guitar, classic Oi! lyrics (here about unemployment and its consequences) sung with a voice as melodic as the instruments. Add to that a nice guitar solo in the end of the song and I'm happy. These kind of things always work with me, and as I'm a Templars fan I wasn't disappointed with that Anti Disco Classics
The 7" comes in a oldschool style drawing on the front cover and includes lyrics and the usual thanklist on the back side, pretty nice artwork going on there. Note that the record is limited to 666 copies (which lead me to think that the NYC knights turned into a black metal band recently), and 200 copies out of these come with an embroidered patch (which is basically the same design as the etched side of the record).
Here you go with the limited patch, I unfortunately didn't got it with my record !
Pretty nice record in the end, some might think that one song is kind of a rip-off, but it worth its price, not only you have a good song, but a nice object as well. Fans won't be disappointed, and non-fans can go get fucked anyway !
