Split EP of two really hard hittin´ Oi! bands from Texas and France is out now on EP released through Rebellion Records (together 600 copies, 200 black and 400 gold). Both bands are not freshmen in the scene but I have to say that Concrete Elite has released more stuff till now. On side A are two songs from Concrete Elite – We Are Everywhere which is shorter and True Sounds of Misery. In first song you will surely hear old school hardcore influences and second one is in middle rhythm. The band is dominated by Manny´s rough vocal which is absolutely perfect and which fits great into the music. Faction S has released one single and demo (released on single sided LP on Combate Brutal Records). They sing in French and you may check also two songs from them – Magnitude 9 and A Vif (Alive). Here it is switched the first song is slower (in middle rhythm) and the second one is shorter and faster. Inside is black/white booklet. After few hearings this morning I can´t stop…it is absolutely perfect, just right length and a must have EP for collection at home.

Eight album of this British veteran band is out on German label Demons Run Amok in CD and LP version (black and red). You may check 16 songs of perfect combination of streetpunk and rock (like Rose Tattoo) full of singalong refrains (Warchild, Leave him Alone, Raise a Toast...) but also acoustic/semiacoustic songs with Dropkick Murphys touch (The Chancer or the last The Coat). Mainly it is in middle rhythm with nice and clear vocals, accurate bass in the background (with nice tunes in Hypocrisy which is together with Four Words hardest song on album) and guitar solo in each song. I really like pieces like The Banks of the River followed by A Cry for Help or two tone Wor Geordie. If something can be called excellent streetrock it will be Crashed Out and this perfect album without mistakes!

Second EP of this LA based band is out as 7´´ on the same labels as their debut stuff in two coloured versions – black and red/orange with splatters. On EP are four songs including cover from British classics The Strike – Skinhead. Their songs are called No Respect, Time to Get Crucial and My Own Prophecy. The band plays in classic lay up and boys have experiences with bands like Aggroculture US, Vis Vares, Repeat Offender or Combat Force. Music is faster Oi!/streetpunk with shouted and covered vocals from singer Ditch. Guitar is playful and some solos are in each song – for example in My Own Prophecy is classic r´n´r riffs and rhythm and song is slowest from the EP but it has the best singalong refrain. Bass is the same (just check solo at the end of the first piece No Respect). Cover is nice and Mick Lambrou is responsible for this, inside is paper with lyrics and many photos of band and friends. This is fresh and nice.

After the debut EP (which is part of CD version of this album) release this band (which is made from veterans of HC scene) their debut full length called Eye of the Storm and title song can be checked as official video on https://youtu.be/qy7CUgFUeJM. This song really kick you in the ass – covered vocal of the singer, female vocals, intro in form of middle age choir, Chickswick guitar like Templars and lyrics like from Battle Ruins. Together you may check eight songs with total time around about 18 minutes. I really like the Chickswick sound so you may check songs like Crusher of Souls. There are also faster pieces like Neon Nights which sounds like from Shipwrecked but it is one of the longest songs from the album (3:19). Another perect tune is End is Sight which is really catchy and Break Out with nice guitar solo. All together fits well – guitar, dark bass, drums and vocals. On these eight songs the band show you that they can play fast but also slow songs like last one called One Track Mind. LP is limited to 500 copies (300 black and 200 bone). Graphics of the cover is middle age battlefield. If you like above mentioned bands or Live by the Sword for example you will not be disappointed. Perfect!

Boston based bandwhich has already released many singles has now brand new EP, now out through Lionheart Records. EP was made in four versions (green and red cover with soldier – 110 and 125 copies, 10 gold test pressings and 325 with bunker cover). Together you may check four songs – Sparrow and Crow and It´s Never Enough on side A, theese songs are new and re-recorded East Meets West and cover from post punk/new wave band XTC No Thugs in Our House on side B. The first song Sparrow and the Crow is absolutely great and it follows the footsteps of their previous albums and it is about hypocrisy. Second one It´s Never Enough has great guitar which is little bit drowned in strophes but during refrain it rises. Original version East Meets West can be checked on We Breed Ugly compilation. This version is new recording and it is about the clash of cultures. I can not rate the cover because I don´t know the original tune. To the EP is added paper with lyrics, small card with info about your version and sticker. This is perfect EP and who like Boston bands must have this in his collection (if it is possible to buy it somewhere).

Third full album of this ultramelodic bovver rock/mode beat band is out on their home label and you may check eight new songs on it. In band are some new members - Ronny (The Reapers, Crown Court, Day Drinker) and Matt (Riot City Radio). Since the first tune Don´t Stop the Beat you get what you expect – steel guitar with nice solos, keyboards in the background and nice melodies which make your ass shake. Similar are next songs - This Town, perfect Black and Blue, with nice guitar, going through Sinkhole and another perfect tune called Genocide Baby!, with great refrain, No Mess No Fuss (check it on https://youtu.be/ckYeGDBbY60) with some guest singer I think so take your time and hear this song, last but one Out of Our Way which is one of the best tunes from the album and last one Shadows of the Night which close the album perfectly. In booklet are many colourized and previously unpublished photos. Perfect, consistent album which prove the fact that Rebellion did not release bad stuff.

Split EP of this British and Dutch ultramelodic bands is out on Rebellion/LSM Vibyl cooperation in 500 copies (150 black and 350 lilla). Each band has there two songs – Hard Wax has there Join the Gang and Move it On and Savage Beat Rats and Sheeps and Victims of the Vampire (wich is cover from Slaughter and the Dogs). Hard Wax are playing what you expect – steel r´n´r guitar in swinging rhythm and melodic vocals – typical bovver rock. Second piece Move it On is slower and whole song is one guitar solo and refrain. Savage Beat are playing little (very little) bit rougher and more straight forward. Rats and Sheep is nice tune with nice guitar and Victims of the Vampire is nice classic from ´78. Cover of the EP is done just from band logos. This won´t bore you for sure.

Full length album of this Portuguese project is out after two years from their single on their home label Combate Brutal. LP was released in 2x100 copies (with gold and black cover) + 20 test pressings. Cover is variaton on Goya´s famous painting “Saturn eating their children”, inside is paper with lyrics and photos plus big poster with front cover. Together you may check 10 songs in Portuguese put equaly on both sides of the LP with 45 rpm. Song titles are Duro (Hard), Inimigo (Enemy), Lado a Lado (Side by side), Guerra nas Bancadas (War on the Terraces), Ergan os Copos (Rise your Glass), Tolerancia Zero (Zero Tolerance), Pisando Forte (Hard step), Violencia, Nunca Foste (You´ve never been) and Skinheads. On Violencia is done official video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfxLNHxwbCM. Rattus is taking care of vocals, guitar and bass, Joao plays drums. Beside this in songs Lado a Lado, Pisando Forte and Nunca Foste you will hear saxophone (which they have also on their debut single) which reminds me old French bands and from the new ones Insidious Skins for example. In last piece Skinheads can be hear also samples. This reminds me other Portugal bands like Gume (where Rattus is playing also) or Nucleo Duro (with their darker sound). It is mainly slower middle rhythm with more spoken vocals (faster is song Inimigo) with strong singalong vocals and significant bass line and heavy drums (which are not based just on bass and snore drum). Lyrics are quite obvious from song titles – typical street and skinhead topics. I really like all mentioned songs with saxophone. This is absolutely cool album for all music fans and all collectors.

First full album of this Finnish band is out on CD/LP and the title can be translated like New Age and you may check 9 songs in their mother tongue on it including Sparrer´s cover I´ve Got Yout Number under the name Pidä varas). Playing time is around about 25 minutes. CD version will be out as a digipack in the middle of July with bonus songs from the first EP, gatefold LP will be out at the end of the year. Song titles can be translated like Streets of Tomorrow, Fire still Burns, Evil World, Horizon or song dedicated to Rebelllion festival or Fair Game II (on their first EP is first part of this song). Whole album is well done and I like when the band sings in their native language...I really like (best from the LP) second song Huomisen kadut (check it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl5CgM0RPVg), then Rintamamiestalo with fine acoustic beginning and covered vocals or classic fast one Perjantaina illalla. Fine piece.

This CD/maxi LP is taste from this Dutch/US band before release of their full length called Cernunnos (March 2023) and it contains five songs and only Sacrifice will be on the prepared album. Other four songs are just on this mini album. Songs are The Glorious Dead which is acoustic, Sacrifice, well known piece The Green Fields of France (but played in rock version similar to version from Fist of Steel), In Memoriam and the last one which is acoustic version of Into A New Dark Age (known from previous album). The band has new drummer – Sander from The Devil´s Blood. So from five songs are two acoustic ballads with perfect Erick´s vocal. In Sacrifice you may hear their streetorck/metal rhythm underlined with new drummer and Wouter´s solo at the end. Lyrics of this song was written by Richard from Solstice (British metal band). In Memoriam is just spoken word to music and it is tribute to all who died in battles for our freedom. Again great drums. Lyrics have common denominator and it is war and her impact but also self sacrifice and values which are not common in modern age based on consume. Cover is painted by Johan Prenger who is responsible also for cover of their previous album and which depicted burial site in Regte Heide from 2000 BC. Perfect non-cliché taste before full album!

Second CD from this band under Giant Mountains is out again in DIY style as a digipack with seven songs (song Vztahová is there in two versions). Song titles are Radikál (Radical), Vztahová (About Relationship), Vendeta, Liga (League), Neviňátko (Innocent) and Život je boj (Life is Fight). Guitar and bass are really cool - just check both in Vztahová or guitar in League. If I didn´t know that Slut is singing I will not recognize him and whole album reminds me early albums from Operace Artaban. I really like Vendeta which is dedicated to our ex prime minister, I like both versions of Vzrahová and the last and faster one Život je boj. Other sonfs are about drugs (Neviňátko), association Patriotic League which can be see nowadays again (League), overview and misunderstanding (Radikál) or life struggles (Život je boj). Booklet is perfect and rich with lyrics in CZ and EN, photos, pictures, posters, thankslist of band members, etc….You can order it again through ceskej_lev@centrum.cz. Nice one and keep on playing boys!

All Information, that Resistance Should End Is False…is the title of last EP from Sabotage with three songs - Rock Mot Globalismen (Rock Againt Globalism) and Gränsvakt (Border Patrol) on side A and Masspsykos (Mass Psychosis) on side B. They play in three pieces line up (guitar and bass is recorded by Erik) but live line up is in four pieces. EP is limited to 300 copies on black vinyl plus five testpressings. Songs on A side has around about five minutes each and you will really like it. Rock Mot Globalisten is faster piece with clear title, second one Gränsvakt is even better (guitar is perfect!) with lyrics about how border patrol risked their lives to protect motherland and nation from enemy. Last piece Masspsykos is about the topics which cause mass hystery se dotýká témat, která způsobují masvou hysteria (change of climate is mentioned). Song is again in middle rhythm with perfect combination of guitar riffand drums at the end of the song. Graphics is quite similar to previous pieces – head of gryf, band photos, paper with lyrics and short thankslist. Lyrics are perfect about the things which make angry a lot of people. Rock mot globalismen, rock mot liberalismen! Perfect.

Diwphalanx Records 2022 After never ending time which was filled with some singles is out brand new full length album from Japaneese SSS gurus called 士 (Samurai). Together you may check 11 songs in their native language and the song titles can be translated like Prayer, Samurai, Wind is Silent, Hard Steel, Song About Mercy on Humankind, Clear White Snow or Iron Blood Sign. Most of the songs are in middle rhythm with metal guitar (riffs, solos) – just check the beginning of 鐵血符 which sounds like Iron Man from Black Sabbath. At the beginning of かみさりthere is some traditional Japanese musical instrument. Perfect are songs like 梟雄, 百狼夜行 and 激鋼 (with perfect guitar), acoustic one 雪純白く咎知らず or 風は静寂に with female vocal. CD is done as digipack with flyer and obi strip. In booklet are lyrics and album info (but just in Japanese), nice graphics to each song, band members photos and something which looks like mandala with SSS logo in the middle. It is not easy to listetning, you should concentrate on the music but it is perfect

This is band´s demo which was released back in 2017 online (and on the tape) which contain 6 songs including cover from French band The Abhored (Frère de Sang from 1991) – I didn´t know the original sound so I can´t compare. Demo is now out on single sided LP on Combate Brutal Records in two versions (with black and silver cover, each limited to 100 copies). To LP is added paper with lyrics (which has nice graphics on the backside – skeleton in 1st WW unirofm) and big poster with the same graphics as on cover. Band plays in four pieces and members has experience with bands like Rixe, HardxTimes, Alvida,Lion´s Law, etc... Nowadays they have different drummer. Together there are six songs in French including cover mentioned above. This is typical French Oi! in middle rhythm with rougher vocals and singalong refrains (Gueule en Vrac, last one Putain de Cadence or P.C.D.F.), sometimes there is short guitar solo at the beginning of the song (Brisé, Un Jour Viendra) and nice Eve´s bass in the background. If you like classic French Oi! bands and graphically perfect cover this is directly for you. You may check it on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WNuy6YV6tA.

Second album (or better to say mini LP) of this US glam rock/bovver rock band is out on CD through Rebellion and on LP in cooperation with LSM (375 black, 474 blue and 150 blue/yellow splattered copies). The band has already released many singles and in their line up are people from Harrington Saints, Ultra Sect, Hounds and Harlots, Sydney Ducks or Subway Thugs. On album are six songs including cover I´m Rebel from Accept (which you may also know from Battle Scarred and their album Thunder and Lightning) which has perfect singalong refrain. Since the beginning till the end it is perfect catchy music in style of Hard Wax, Giuda or last stuff from Hard Evidence. The first one Anchors Aweigh show you the way how the next songs sound like (you may hear also keyboards), British Singles are in the same rhythm with fast hi-hat and catrchy rhythm of drums, Stand Strong is slower with nice solo at the beginning and it is the longest piece from the album, next is Under the Clouds with strong refrain and keyboards and the last one Vive Le Rock is perfect one which didn´t let you to be calm. Cover is done in style of the music they play, inside is paper with lyrics and printed sleeve on LP. This won´t bore you for sure.

Ultima Thule celebrated 40 years anniversary last year and this album is one of three LP´s released to this occasion. The title can be translated lik In the Service of the Kingdom and it is regular album with nine new songs in Swedish of course. They play in five which means that in the line up are all previous members – so Janne sings and Bruno also plus he plays guitar as well. Album is limited to 500 copies and each vinyl has different color. Since the first tunes there is no doubt that this is a worthy celebration of 40. Ingenting Är Evigt (Nothing is Forever) opens album and next great song in typical tunes of Viking rock is Jag Är Inte Den (I´m Not the One), where Janne sings perfectly and these two songs are best from the album. Other great ones are Holowczon (place of the battle in 1708 between Swedish and Russian forces) or Norden Härdar. The band is known also for their ballads and acoustic songs. There are two of these kind - Folkhemmets Aska (Ash of Home) or En Evig Strid (The Last Battle) with mouth organ. There are also poems set into the music or traditional songs so Avskedssång (Farewell songs) from E. A. Karlfeldt who receive Nobel proze for the literature or the last one Hell Dig, Du Sköna Nord (Hail, You Beautiful North). Inside is poster (with LP cover + band photos) and big photo collage of fans but no lyrics to the songs. I really like Ultima Thule and I have to say that this is really worthy celebration of their jubilee.

Second from three new LP´s from Ultima Thule I want to describe Landskapslåtar (something like Songs of Lands). How you can realize from the title these are folk or traditional songs which are put into rock or folkrock style. Together you may check eight songs and the last piece Jämtlandssången is known from the single or Charlataner album. From this album you may also know song Dalvisan. I have to say that this trasformation from tradtional to rock version is something that Ultima Thule really knows. Almost on each album from their discography you may find traditional poems turned into music or some traditional song (or some well known cover but we will speak about covers on tolkar album) and there is also whole album called Nu Grönskar Det. Most of the songs are offcial or unofficial anthems of Swedish lands and provinces – just check Skånesången, Hälsingesången, Östergötlands Sång, Ack Värmeland, Du Sköna or above mentioned Jämtlandssången. In song Sörmlandssången is guest vovcalist Mathias Karlsson and his opera singing. Cover is similar to the other ones (but with yellow background). Inside is again band photo and fan photos. I will leave it without rating because this is just covers but their style and arrangement can be felt from each piece and whole album is nice to listen to.

Last from three LP´s which were recently released by Ultima Thule is called Tolkar (which can be translated like Intepreters) and you may check nine songs on it. Again if you have a look on the title it is quite clear that these are covers…covers from Swedish artists like Evert Taube, Ted Ström, Lena Philipsson, Björn Skifs and Alf Robertson so we have there country stuff but also rock and pop ones. You will find here also some traditonal songs like the last one Hell Dig, Du Höga Nord, which is also on I Rikets Tjänst album but here is in acoustic folk/country version or songs like Allt Under Himlens Fäste and Biskop Thomas Frihetsvisa. Interpetation can be compared to originals I thin, so songs like songy Vintersaga and Håll Mitt Hjärta are slow, Balladen Om Briggen Blue Bird Av Hull or Calle Schewens Vals are faster and cheerful. Cover is similar to other two versions but the background is blue. From all three LP´s this is the slowest one when we speak about rhythm. Again I will leave it without rating because it is just covers.

Compilation of Oi! and punk bands from western coast of Canada is released on LP limited to 500 copies (300 black and 200 clear). Together you may check seven bands, each with two songs so it makes 14 songs together. So bands on LP are Vicious Attack, Bootlicker, The Choice Few, Terrorist Gang, Toy Tiger, The Buzzers and Crosshairs. The band´s sound varies from rougher Vicious Attack, through melodic The Choice Few (with perfect song Wrong Side), The Buzzers (again nice piece called Behind with nice vocals) and Toy Tiger, straight forward Bootlicker, Terrorist Gang (songs of both bands are now over 1:40) and Crosshairs. I know just The Choice Few due to their album One Way Street from last year but when I go through dicsogs I found that Bootlicker has also some releases (mostly EP´s). If I want to buy some compilation I will imagine that it will be done like this one. It contains previously unreleased stuff from bands which are not well known (for me) and which has something to say and sound interesting. Teaser of whole compilation can be found here https://youtu.be/i-UL4n0PdGM. Inside is insert and each band has there lyrics or photo/logo and line up. Perfect compilation which has sense.