Labels: ABC – Michal Juris – Music For Liberation – Pure Heart – Rapidad Grabaciones – Rauha Turva – Veva – Waking The Dead
Review by: Oli Saunders
Eastern European hardcore is quite often ignored and this is a shame. Because bands are popping up from this region and doing something different with punk. Gattaca have been going for a few years now, rising from the ashes of Lakmé and Dakhma, and they are improving over time. The combination of crust, melody and a variety of vocal types makes me think that kids should be going crazy over them. In the midst of a painfully large number of dull crust bands here is band turning the genre on its head. Two interludes precede two songs on their side of this split and it flows together beautifully. The first track is good, the second track is ridiculous. A lovely soft build up, then the drums kick in and one of the band members does some desperate sounding vocals, before it goes absolutely flat out. Oh wow, I literally got goosebumps as I turned up the volume. At times I think the songs go on a bit too long, but that’s a minor complaint.
Petr from Pure Heart wouldn’t stop going on about how good Axidance are. He describes them as dark neocrust meets scathing black metal. I still haven’t exactly worked out what neocrust is but I do occasionally drop it into conversation. This just sounds like standard (albeit well done) crust to me – nice for one song but then I’m bored. Okay I do see the black metal parts spring up later in the first song. And at the start of the second track where there are some nice guitar parts and a keyboard. It gets pretty epic. Actually this is definitely not standard crust. It’s pretty decent overall.
Lots of labels helped put this out. I’ve not heard of many of them and I have a feeling I’m still focusing on just the tip of the iceberg of a relatively vibrant scene.
29th February 2012