22 « May « 2019 « The RingMaster Review

Maybe more recognised for its metal diversity and prowess, over the years we have found that the Polish independent music scene breeds some rather fine propositions within other musical flavours. The latest to come to our attention is the noise rock fuelled alternative rock of Bastard Disco and particularly their new album, China Shipping. Across nine ear grabbing tracks, the Warsaw quartet’s sophomore full-length is a magnetic affair as raw and hungry as it is melodically seductive; one of those encounters you cannot help taking real notice of.

Formed in 2015, Bastard Disco finds inspiration in the likes of Fugazi, Quicksand, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, and The Pixies for their own individual sound. 2017 saw the well-received release of debut album Warsaw Wasted Youth via Poland’s oldest independent label, Antena Krzyku. The band has united with the label once again for China Shipping, a release swiftly engaging ears with opener Sophia. The coaxing grooves of guitarist Kamil Fejfer lay down a potent lure, the accompanying grumble of Paweł Cholewa’s bass and the swinging beats of Marek Kamiński soon eagerly accentuating the early temptation. As vocalist Yuri Kasianenko’s melodic tones join the captivation, the track almost haunts the imagination, its hooks and quickly established enterprise proving very easy to devour.

Future Crimes follows, opening with the great dirty growl of Cholewa’s bass before contrasting its grumble with the melodic jangle of guitar. As with its predecessor, familiar essences collude with bold fresh endeavour to create an individual character and presence; its melodic and harmonic boisterousness adding to that distinctiveness. There is a sonic mugginess to song and sound too which similarly just lured ears in and though maybe missing the striking hooks of the opener, the track effortlessly held court before Time Traveller offered up its own humid noise cultured breath. Something akin to Dinosaur Jr meets Big Black the song proved increasingly compelling and contagious as it nagged an already eagerly involved appetite.

Next up is Clear!, a slice of scuzzy indie rock with punk voracity to its infectious holler. Its highly potent persuasion soon matched by that crafted by the outstanding Shining Confidence. The track was pure fascination, its melodic seduction and sultry climate a mesmeric setting for the track’s devilish groove spun chorus. It is another with familiar elements but never proved anything but unique to Bastard Disco while Ministry of Self-Defence emulated that originality straight after with its own sonically dissonant bounce and confrontation. Ferocious yet melodically seductive, feral but craftily conjured, the track provides another particularly compelling highlight before Game of Patriots stole the show. Its first breaths bring the hypnotic coaxing of Kamiński’s beats, every subsequent one exposing his manipulative dexterity as the equally nefariously antics of bass and guitar just enforce the track’s virulence. Kasianenko is just as magnetic alongside their tenacious enterprise, providing further impassioned flaming to the song’s fiery eruptions.

The closing pair of Sink or Swim and B-side Son ensure China Shipping leaves as potently as it arrives, the first enjoying the union of a grumble dark rhythmic incitement and scuzz lined melodic intimation around the perpetually tempting vocals of Kasianenko. The final track is all spirited bounce and creative contagion beneath vocal and emotive energy; a rousing memorable finale to an equally stirring release rather easy to highly recommend.

China Shipping is out now via Antena Krzyku; available digitally @ https://bastarddisco.bandcamp.com/album/china-shipping and on CD/LP through http://www.antenakrzyku.pl/en/shop/bastard-disco-china-shipping-lpdownload-preorder-release-date-030519-kopia/

https://www.facebook.com/bastarddisco/

Pete RingMaster 21/05/2019

Described by the band as years in the making, Purify bares all the intensities, angst, and determination which you can assume accompanied its journey. The debut album of UK metallers Borders, it is a cauldron of emotion, passion, and sonic dissonance delivered with an energy and prowess which demands and indeed commands eager attention.

Lincoln hailing, Borders has been busy luring keen praise and support since their pretty much first days but especially since the release in 2017 of their second EP, Diagnosed. In many ways it was a potent teaser to Purify though the album swiftly reveals it is a massive leap in craft, imagination, and adventure whilst building on the striking groundwork of its predecessor. Live the band is renowned for its dynamic and power soaked presence, one definitely captured within the imposing, often infectiously corrosive, and always compelling tempest of Purify.

The album is a ravening cyclone of varied metal bred styles and textures, a fusion as hostile and brutal as it is skilled and unapologetically captivating. Led by the magnetically bold and versatile tones of Jordan Olifent, the ten tracks making up Purify entice as they devour, arouse as they punish. Opener 731 quickly shares the virulent nature and ferocious intent of the band’s sound, the dexterity in its making as open as the song sidles up to ears from a distance, quickly teasing and enticing with a web of lures from guitarist Gavin Burton. Soon it is dominantly striding forth, the rhythms of bassist Tom Britton and drummer Daniel Hodson inciting and biting as Olifent’s raw throated squalls infest ears and song alike. Continuing to ebb and flow in its aggression whilst concentrating its lyrical observation and emotive intensity across an ever twisting landscape, the song is a powerful start and draw into the heart of the album.

It is quickly eclipsed though by the following Wake Up which from its first breath is seducing and ravaging the senses; djent and death nurtured enterprise colluding with sonic and melodic taunts as vocals again bring a great fusion of attacks to the feral trespass. No prisoners are taken in word and sound with every syllable and note a virulent incitement before Damage Everything jabs and swings at the listener with its own individually contagiousness enmity. It too outshone the song before for personal appetites, an Anti-Clone-esque essence adding to its voracious character and grippingly unpredictable tempest.

The even darker and heavier climate of Bad Blood follows, melodic toxicity uniting with physical ferocity as easily as harmonic backing aligns with Olifent’s flesh scarring causticity. At times there is a portentous calm to the atmosphere of the track, one bringing greater discontent to the breath of the track before its instinctive animosity is embraced and twisted into another major highlight of Purify in the rousing crossover/ extreme discord of War. The track epitomises everything potent in the Borders sound, melodic and bloodthirsty enterprise fused in another savagely inspiring provocation.

As Demon’s Reach, with its equally barbarous and adventurous infestation of imagination and craft, and the hardcore lined Nothing To Lose consume and ignite attention and appetite, Purify only tightened its grip and fascination with next up A World Apart adding yet another creatively fierce and esurient peak to its impressive landscape.

Purify is definitely as album which caught and hooked our ears from the off but provides so much more pleasure and revelation with further attention, each play unveiling another layer and texture to the character and individuality of tracks as proven by the predator that is Faded. With every listen fresh nuances are revealed to its surface blood thirst, melodic and sonic rapacity woven with increasing craft and imagination highlighted by the play with its briefness accentuating its feral magnificence.

Closed up by the boisterously crawling exploits of Walking Dead, a prowling unrelenting devourment of the senses and the political chaos of today, Purify just consumed the spot. The lengthy time of its making has no doubt brought many frustrations to the band but used as further fuel to the rage against the toxic state of the world which has inspired the heart, imagination and skill within one mighty beast of an album.

Purify is out now via Long Branch Records and available @ https://borders.bandcamp.com/