Though The Amsterdam Red Light District seized major plaudits as they boldly established themselves within the punk/hardcore/rock scene with second album Gone For a While in 2014, the release still missed stirring up the kind of fervour in us that others were finding the certainly highly enjoyable encounter. It seems that we were just waiting for a particular undefined spark which has now undoubtedly caught within the France based band’s new fury, Sapere Aude. THARD’s third album is a beast of a roar, as ferociously infectious as it is instinctively irritable and emotionally tempestuous and for us by far the best thing the band has unleashed.
With inspirations found in the likes of Refused, The Bronx, The Ghost of a Thousand, and The Bled, Europe has been the broad sounding board for the 2005 founded band’s sound over the past few years, THARD sharing stages with the likes of Refused, Anti-Flag, Thrice, 36 Crazyfists, Comeback Kid, and Slayer alongside their own successful shows and tours. This month sees the band off on their travels again with Sapere Aude lock and loaded in their arsenal.
It opens up with Nobody Moves Like You and a spiral of acidic grooves and heavy handed rhythms which lure ears and attention like a magnet. Swiftly it settles into a tempestuous stroll as catchy as it is belligerent, Elio Sxone’s vocals an alluring temper in its midst backed by those increasingly captivating grooves cast by guitarist Maxxx Comby. A blend of hardcore and metal, the track has a natural swing which alone infested the appetite with the dark tones of Greg Clert’s bass adding to the instinctive temptation. Vocally Sxone brings adventure and diversity to match the raw and skilfully woven sounds around him in one glorious inventive brute of an introduction.
The following The Best Is Yet To Come is just as quickly and intrusively gripping. Featuring Cancer Bats front man Liam Cormier, the track simultaneously grumbles and seduces in voice and sound, the rhythmic trespass of drummer Julien Chanel driving its intent and forceful urgency as the guitar and melodic aspect of the vocals bring a ferocity tempering enterprise. As its predecessor, it demands and commands willing attention with adventure and imagination.
Two songs in and already the album has whipped up personal passions missed by previous offerings and only ups the ante with the fiery punk ‘n’ roll of Need. Again vocals and music create a cauldron of contrasts and ferocity with balance and adventure, the song having something of Every Time I Die meets The Ghost of a Thousand to it as it too inflamed the senses and appetite before Wild Life sparked its own blaze of praise and ardour with its hellacious creative clamour. Blending various aspects of ferocious intrusion and melodic captivation to its punk metal, vocal harmonics adding to the drama, the track simply whipped up greedy attention.
Carry On is an infection of temptation, tenacious hooks and riffs colluding with the song’s emotional irritancy and rousing breath; all bound in an enterprise as persistently catchy as it is rapacious. It all comes though with an ebb and flow which only increases its fascination and imagination while Over The Fence in turn uncages a sonic squall and a senses battering rhythmic dance which holds similarities to its predecessor before unveiling its own quest of creative discontent.
The turbulent spirals of Waiting For The Day needs little time to incite intrigue and imagination next, its opening web subsequently draped in vocal and sonic dispute again as magnetic as it is corrosive in a psyche infecting mix which nags and harries as it bruises and excites. That raw incursion is only intensified in The Whole City Burns, its melodic metal aligning with feral punk in an invigoratingly abrasive holler loaded with spiky riffs, barbed hooks, and melodic fire.
The album concludes with firstly Evil Stakeholders, a slab of crotchety yet melodically bewitching raging which maybe did not quite inflame as others before it but only reinforced the impressive character and force of Sapere Aude. Its title track is the final offering, an outro of intimation and samples reflecting the portentous state of the world with bursts of rhythmic incitement. Maybe better served as an intro to the album in some ways, it is a fascinating last breath to one striking release.
From first note to last Sapere Aude truly stirred our fullest passions, that anticipation for bigger bolder things ahead sparked by its predecessor more than realised in a release sure to feature as one of the year’s greatest moments.
Sapere Aude is out now via Red Light Records.
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Pete RingMaster 08/03/2018
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
With inspirations drawn from the likes of The Bronx, Every Time I Die, Gallows, and Comeback Kid, Eat Dirt get right down to business with the EP’s thirty odd seconds title track. Instantly a wall of riffs and rhythms descend on ears, vocal scowling in their tow before a raucous stroll is in place. The unrelenting caustic attack is tempered by mellower backing vocals, their child nurtured ganging up as infectious as the brief but still eventful, hook lined proposal.
Created by and based around the craft and music of Manchester based Nathan Till, Ghosts of Social Networks create musical and emotional drama within their songs and no more striking than the suggestive theatre shaping Outside the Wheel. Again a song produced by Gavin Monaghan (Editors, Robert Plant, The Sherlocks), the new single winds a spicy groove around ears first, it’s tempting persona soon backed by tenaciously prowling rhythms the warm and expressive vocals of Till. At the same time, a haunting air rises and flows across the song, bringing a sense of The Mission to the brooding, politically charged encounter.
The September of 2014 saw Bergen hailing Tirades enter into the recording of their album with producer Andrew Neufeld (Comeback Kid). Alongside guitarist/vocalist Esteban Munoz, also the drummer of Social Suicide, stood bassist/vocalist Remi Arefjord also of Jeroan Drive and guitarist in Social Suicide, Of Grace and Hatred drummer Mathias Simonsen, and guitarist/vocalist Markus Den Ouden from Blodig Alvor. Together they have created a confrontation as sonically intrusive and emotionally cantankerous as it is anthemically and energetically inspiring. Released in the latter moments of last year through Fight! Records, the punk ‘n’ roll blaze is an immediate contagion drawing, as mentioned, on varied spices of metal and punk driven rock ‘n’ roll to brawl and stomp with the listener.
The following Sleepwalker explodes in a creative and impassioned tirade you expect to hear in a hardcore based offering, continuing to feed with satisfaction those thoughts but twisting them into fresh endeavour through the persistently thoughtful and skilled ideation of the guitars. As in its predecessor though, there is a particular moment where the good song ignites into something greater, and here it is the lull in the sonic tempest where the bass of Christian Pontes takes over with a richly carnivorous bass tone matched in intimidation by the muscular swings of drummer Dustin Ueckert. It is a mere moment in the passage of the track but again seems to instil a new attitude and impact into the following adventure and passion of the proposition.
revealing more of the depths and diversity to the band’s sound, the heavy rock fuelled track stomps with contagious and aggressive intent driven forcibly by the imposing skills of drummer Julien Chanel. The song though is still as welcoming and catchy as its predecessor, whilst the blend of raw and melodic vocals work a treat across song and subsequently the album, their union as bracing as the contrasting sounds igniting the beast of a song.
Chaos Order offer the first two slices of inventive anger, the band quartet from Memphis formed in 2011 by bassist Jared Filsinger. Its line-up is completed by vocalist Neal Bledsoe, guitarist Austin Russell, and drummer Sam Davidson, a foursome with a potent sound and unity which fires up attention and appetite with ease. The beginning of 2013 saw the release of their debut album Regulus, a well-received six track encounter which was followed by the just as keenly coveted sophomore full-length Vultures. Sticking to just vinyl and digital releases as with their second album and the split, Chaos Order make a striking start to the new release with Through Humanity’s Venom.
Die, Defeater, and A Day to Remember into their similarly fiery sound. They cast a flavoursome muscular brew which is as caustic as it is melodically incisive, an essence of post hardcore spicing up a ferocious recipe which marked out their demo of last year. Their first rage here comes in the form of Second Chances, vocal intensity sparking the unleashing of punchy rhythms and scathing riffs which carry more than a twang of melody to their incitement. Vocalist Ryan Doria steers the angst gripped ship with style and raw expression whilst the rhythmic challenge of drummer William Galvin and bassist Jason Ruiz force menacing yet captivating vociferous shadows through which the vibrant charge of grazing riffs and citric sonic colour sculpted by Kevin Fifield and Dan Bieranowski flame. It is a dramatic and evocative fury which through a haunting ill-tempered and busy ambience flows into the closing tempest of The Dead Generation. Its furious intent crowds and pressures ears with a hellacious barrage of beats and less intimidating but just as abrasing riffs to leave thoughts and emotions pleasingly enlivened and intruded upon. The group vocals and melodic underbelly of the song is its greatest attribute though, an irrepressible lure to return to the song’s emotive depths and though its predecessor is a much more rounded temptation and makes a richer impact, both songs equally ensure Werewolf Congress is a band worthy of real attention.