Rick's Pick: Voice of Justice

This week's pick easily goes to the debut CD by Hungarian hardcore band Voice Of Justice titled "Eruption of Hate." There have been many great releases this year, but in my opinion, this is the best I have heard so far. Musically, they are a mix of Hatebreed and Path Of Resistance (Germany) with a dose of Eternal Bleeding thrown in. Definitely do not overlook this CD if you are a fan of hardcore music. To check out a sample track at the band's Myspace go HERE.

Violence In Our Minds

Violence In Our Minds
~ Chris

Across the board, the Oi, RAC and Hardcore scenes have never been shy of violence. It is embedded in the culture, the music and the lyrics, and has been one of the many aspects which have contributed to painting a large target on the back of the scene for journalists and lawmakers to take potshots at. While some have chosen to sate the public’s criticisms by attacking the apparent "excess" violence in the scene, it seems that the obvious solution would be to turn a mirror on the "popular" culture which spawns these attacks, the socially sanctioned world of music, TV and sport.

The obvious first port of call is the hip hop scene, soaked as it is in the "street credibility" generated by drug dealers, dog fighters and other lowlifes involved in that scene. Yet, this is part of the sanctioned popular culture which apparently forms the moral foundation from which we are attacked. And yet its excesses, its avaricious ultra-individualistic culture is dismissed or excused as "reflections of life as an oppressed minority." Which is clearly nonsense. To draw a comparison, how many times have crimes involving skinheads been peppered with references to CDs found in their possession and brief ill-informed histories of the music and scene. No such standards are applied to hip hop culture or the violence surrounding it. The truth behind it is, at its base, hip hop culture represents the absolute fundamental naked nature of capitalist society. Nation-less, amoral, avaricious and individualistic. Drug dealers are the ultimate expression of laissez-faire free market capitalism, supply and demand in an absolutely unregulated environment. It carries no message that threatens the status quo. It is of no danger to lawmakers. The occasional reference to a kind of fake uncommitted Black Nationalism is irrelevant. It is for the most part lip service.

But hip hop is too obvious a comparison here. Let’s peruse real popular culture, the kind they are happy to feed our children. Michael Vick; sports star, hero, dog fighting degenerate. Britney Spears; a drug addled prostitute who can’t hold on to her kids. Kelsey Grammer; an alleged conservative with a taste for cocaine. Republican Sen. Larry Craig, who apparently likes to cruise toilets for men. Democrat Barney Frank, who admitted paying a male prostitute for sex. These individuals and many, many more, that are held up as idols or people in positions of responsibility and power, are bottom feeders of the worst kind. Yet they are somehow morally superior in the eyes of the wider public. Because? Because they pose no real threat anymore. Society’s’ standards have slipped to such a degree that degenerates are tolerated and accepted because they do not upset the apple cart, they carry no message that has the potential to cause change, real change. Therein lies the beauty and inherent power of our scene. We are a danger - a threat. For all that our lyrics and lifestyle are demeaned, our intelligence questioned, we scare them. We have a message they do not want heard, and in some cases bands who are not content to simply proselytize.

So it is not the violence of the music, the violence of the scene that draws fire, it is an underlying unease amongst wider society which prefers the financially motivated violence of drug dealers and dog fighters over the politically motivated violence or aggressive opposition to the status quo of our scene. A sad indictment of popular culture, but simultaneously a sign of just how fragile it is.

Invictos, Pure Blood, Asgards Wall rex, Pantheon

Out now on PC records is the self titled debut release of Invictus. Invictus is a female fronted Spanish band. The CD features 9 tracks, and reportedly a great new release. While female vocals are hit or miss we look forward to checking this one out.

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Bulgarian band Чиста Кръв (or Pure Blood) is currently working on their debut CD titled "Total War." Pure blood plays a heavy rock with hardcore influences similar to early American RAC bands such as Bully Boys or The Voice. Visit the band's website HERE.

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UK based label Asgard's Wall records is scheduled to release several albums for August 2009.

Wotan's Vrede - "Wotan's Werewolves" (EP + Bonus). Raw Pagan Nationalist black metal from the United Kingdom.

Sturm - "The Return of Blood Thirst / Blut Unt Krieg." Ambient Pagan/Nationalist black metal: 2 demos collected into one full-length release.

Adalruna - "Anthology I: Der Geheime König und die Schwarze Sonne" (Re-release). Re-issue of the first Adalruna album from 2007. Originally limited to 100 copies. The second installment of this series is scheduled for September, followed by a volume every following month.

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Now out on Strong Survive records, the brand new Pantheon release "Paganuclear"

NEWS: New Clothing Line. IN REVIEW: Pure Hate, Blood Order Co and Pitbull Farm

Vocalist Major Williams, of Brainwash, has announced the production of a brand new clothing line, Dryve By Suizhyde. When we got the chance to speak with the Major about the new apparel line this week, he stated he was very excited about several new designs coming out in the near future. To check out other designs visit HERE.

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Pure Hate: My Enemy
(2006)

Good solid release from this Polish hardcore/ metalcore band. My only gripe is that there's only 5 songs and it's a mini-CD, other than that it'd definitely worthy of picking up. Songs sung in Polish and English. ~Steve Skam
Track list-
01- My Enemy
02- Czas Nienawisci
03- Wiecznosc
04- Blood 4 Blood
05- Nowa Generacja

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Blood Order Company: s/t
(2008 Final Stand records)

Awesome debut album from this NS hatecore/ viking metalcore outfit hailing from Pennsylvania. I've been listening to this album in anticipation of their new one that's coming out soon. Flawless would be a word that best describes this band's arsenal. Pick this up if you haven't already, satisfaction guaranteed. ~Steve Skam
Track list-
01- Enter The Halls Of Valhalla
02- Knight's Cross
03- March To War
04- Old Glory
05- Heritage
06- Farewell (prelude)
07- Open Sea
08- A New Land
09- Mjollnir
10- In The Halls Of Valhalla

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Pitbull Farm: s/t
(2002 Pitbull Farm records)

Rad psychobilly project and very catchy album by Jocke Karlson of Pluton Svea fame. If you're musically open minded and are looking for something different i highly recommend this one, you'll find yourself taping your feet and singing along in no time. Not to mention there's a few covers, most notably Skullhead's "Wish The Lads Were Here" making this one a classic for sure. ~Steve Skam
Track list-
01- Army Of Assholes
02- Die Tired
03- Love Song
04- Jesse James
05- Human Erection
06- I Wanna See You Dead
07- Wish The Lads Were Here
08- Deranged Desperado
09- Thursday Is Friday
10- Don't Think Twice
11- Hillbilly Hepcat

Rick's Pick: Kara

This week`s pick is the CD by Kara titled "Under A Fading Moon." This CD features female vocalist Kara, backed by Graham and the members of Avalon. The band has a lighter rock sound which could almost be called pop rock at times. The vocals are nice and tend to be more soft then forceful, which goes very well with the melody of the songs. This is a great CD for those who are looking for something different than the heavy stuff all the time. ~ Rick 56

Mudoven, Daily Broken Dream, Tengereken, Hateful

Final Stand records are currently working on several upcoming releases. Firstly, a re-release of the Tri-State Terror release of Mudoven's Terror and Tragedy in about 2 weeks. Following that in about a month is the release of Daily Broken Dream with in conjunction with Until the End records. Reportedly DBD has just finished recording the new album.

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New hardcore band Hateful of Germany has posted some sample material on Myspace. After listening to the number of samples for several days now, I encourage everyone to check the band out as I look forward to hearing more in an upcoming release. Check the band out HERE.

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Hungarian metal band Tengereken has announced a brand new release coming out soon. the band has not released any material since their 2004 debut "Vérszerzödés"

INTERVIEW: Jesse of Kilgore

This week's interview is from Jesse of Austrailian bands Deaths Head / Kilgore. The interview was originally conducted by Rick of Label56 in anticipation of the upcoming Kilgore release. Since then the CD has come out and been well recieved to which Jesse has continued work with Kilgore.

Greetings Jesse, obviously everyone knows you from your band Deaths Head. Can you give the readers a little background info on you and your bands.
Well as you stated above I am a founding member of NS metal band Deaths Head, We’ve been gigging and releasing CDs promoting National Socialism for going on 8 years now and we’re not tired of it yet. Personally I’ve been a skinhead for going on 15 years (I’ve got the liver to prove it haha). During this time I’ve been an active supporter of Blood and Honour Australia and I’ve also been a member of the Southern Cross Hammerskins for near on 7 years now…

The CD by your new band Kilgore is set to be released any day now. Can you tell us a little about this band?
A little while ago Deaths Head went through some major line up changes, a few longtime members left and the whole thing stopped being fun and started to feel like work. I’m sure anyone who has ever been in a band knows exactly what I’m talking about. In any event, I decided I just wanted to do something totally different. Something to make it all fun again. I started writing a few songs and eventually Kilgore was the result. Not being a ground breaking musician I asked a few good friends to help me out, and that raised the overall quality a hell of a lot. Kilgore is more of a project than a functioning band, I doubt you’ll ever see us live, but what the hell you never know.

How did you come up with the name Kilgore? Is there anything significant to it`s meaning?
Ha ha. Significant meaning is the last thing Kilgore is about. Don’t expect deep philosophy or songs laden with political subtext. This is the CD to put on when your tearing down the highway cigarette in your mouth, bottle of whisky between your thighs and your 6 gun at your side [laughs], Seriously though this release is all about having a good time, the lyrics and music are meant to entertain not inform. Put it on at a party or something. The band name itself came from the Col Kilgore character in Apocalypse Now, you know the “ I Love the smell of napalm in the morning and Charlie don’t surf” guy, for no other reason than I like the character and thought it would suit the rock n roll style I was aiming for.

Kilgore has a great sound to it, a little punk, a little pshycobilly, and a lot of southern rock. To me it is a cross between Youngland and Ian Stuart and the Klansmen. Why did you decide to do a cd in this style music?
Well for starters I like all the bands you mentioned above, and like I said before I wanted to do a fun cd and this style of music is great for lyrics that aren’t afraid to make fun of themselves, there are a lot of different styles blending together on this cd and that’s less down to intent than the fact that when I write a song it just sort of comes out of nowhere and that’s what it sounds like. If I try to write something that sounds LIKE something I hit a wall and nothing comes out. I’m happy with how it turned out though, there’s a little something for everyone. Even tracks I thought were weaker came together well in the studio so I’m 100percent happy with this one which is rare for me. ALL KILLER NO FILLER! ha ha ha


So, what do you think Johnny Cash would think of your rendition of Folsom Prison Blues? Ha ha
He’d probably want to kick my ass, but fuck it he’s dead so he can’t do shit, even the band members raised an eyebrow at this one Folsom Prison Blues at 200 BPM? Love it! haha

Now the every question that has to be asked in every interview- Can you give us some of your influences?
On this one you’ve got Youngland and the Klansmen, but also stuff like Demented are go, Nashville Pussy etc. I don’t claim to sound as good as these guys but that’s the sort of shit I was listening to when I wrote most of this CD.

Can you tell the readers what future plans you have for either Kilgore or Deaths Head? Are there any other projects you are working on or would like to do?
As for Kilgore, like I said above I can’t force it, I have one new song written already, if more come out then I’ll do another CD or some comps and stuff, I really enjoy the style. Maybe no one else will and that’ll be that ha ha. As for Deaths Head, most of our 4th full length is written, I’m just working through it with the rest of the guys, I hope to record it in late July and August. No word on who will release it yet though.

[Editor note: The interview went on for a short length afterwards but was edited due to its lack of relation to the band and music...and of course this is a music blog.]

Well Jesse, I want to thank you for taking the time to do this interview. The final words are for you.
I’d just like to day thanks to Label 56 for the interview and taking a chance on the Kilgore CD. I hope everyone likes it and keep and eye out for the new Deaths Head in the not to distant future.

Marching To A Different Beat.

~Chris

Lyrical content in Nationalist music has been a source of much debate over the years. Many believe that certain bands go over the top in their language and content on CDs which some see as a turn off. I personally am dissuaded from buying CDs because of this very reason, however, we have to realize that some of us have been around for a while and are seeing lyrical "extremism" in a very different light from newcomers. The truth of the matter, whether we chose to accept it or not, is that RAC and Oi generally began and continues to be the voice of angry youth. In the UK, vilified by the left for their colour and Nationalism, and marginalized by the right for their economic status and "undesirable" lifestyles, working class White kids were voiceless. Oi, then RAC gave this rage a voice, so no one should have ever expected that voice to be one of moderation and quiet contemplation. Anger rarely takes the form of deeply considered erudite critique, it comes as it comes, brutally and reactionary.

In recent years much of the music has become more honed, more professional both musically and lyrically. Bands, aware that not only will excessively profane and violent lyrics turn some of the older crowd off, but will also place them firmly in the sights of law enforcement, are beginning to tone down their lyrical content. While retaining the raw rage that inspired and continues to inspires the scene, they have begun to shy away from the overt lyrics of the past. And this has certainly worked to open the scene up to new audiences.

However, with this emergence of more moderate content, a somewhat derisory tone has appeared to take hold. Bands such as Aggravated Assault fall into this category of much maligned bands, their OTT lyrics attracting criticism because they are not "high brow." Yet, as much as I am glad to see more considered input from bands like Teardown, Blue Eyed Devils and Sedition, there is no escaping the fact that bands like Aggravated Assault and other much-maligned groups represent the basic anger that spurred this whole scene from a group of angry kids in garages with three chords and a lot to say into the international scene we know today. The implication that it is somehow "low brow" is to assume that "high brow" will have an equal or superior impact. If the discussion were turned to the notion of positive and negative, rather than erudite and reactionary, the debate would be more relevant; however, this goes to a greater argument as to the nature of the scene and the divisions therein between those whose agendas vary radically from one another, a topic for another time. But there is a legitimate expressed concern that the use of inflammatory language and narrative will be used as a template for action by younger kids. We don’t need to see any more kids serving long prison sentences and being used by the media as a stick to beat us with simply based on their inability to distinguish between songs' lyrics and reality. While each individual is free to choose their path, sometimes a song is just a song and needs to be treated that way.

In conclusion, if the call for more outwardly critical and self-aware lyrics is to be made, it needs to be done in a fashion that neither alienates nor dismisses those bands who have a more overt tone. This argument is not a musical one but a political one, not about aesthetics but about the perceived negative attention drawn by bands that by the very nature of their violent lyrics are usually the first port of call for kids coming into contact with the scene for the first time. And, without demeaning any of the bands mentioned, you don’t stand on street corners with heavy volumes to distribute, you start with a pamphlet.

IN REVIEW: Blood Red Eagle, Frankenstein and Disturbed Mother Fucker

Blood Red Eagle: Return To Asgard
(2005 Barracuda records)

"Return To Asgard" is Blood Red Eagle's second full length release and truly a must have for any fan of viking or Odinist themed rock. Totaling 11 powerful tracks, the standouts in my opinion are "The Gate", "Viking Power Rock & Roll", and "Solidarity." ~Steve Skam
Track list:
01- Eye Of The Storm
02- The Gate
03- Return To Asgard
04- As The Hammer Falls
05- Blood Red Eagle
06- Protest
07- Warrior
08- Viking Power Rock And Roll
09- Solidarity
10- Rebel Flag
11- Wotans Wolk

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Frankenstein: Eye For An Eye
(2006 Anger Inside Records)

Awesome hatecore/metalcore side project from Adam of Konkwista 88 fame. This album has it all, from top notch production, well written lyrics and heavy fucking breakdowns. It's guaranteed to please even the most skeptical critics. Not to mention there's a cover of AC/DC's Highway To Hell, for added bonus. ~Steve Skam
Track list:
01- Resurrection
02- Eye For An Eye
03- Right Hand Of Justice
04- Psychobrainwash
05- Forgotten By The Devil
06- Deep Inside
07- Nothing Can Stop You
08- Nordwind
09- Frankenstein
10- Highway To Hell (AC/DC)

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Disturbed Mother Fucker: Oi! Ain't Dead
(2008 Mother Fucking Sounds)

Pretty kick-ass album of Jonesey (Tattooed Mother Fuckers, English Rose, Spearhead) covering all the Oi! classics. Recommended for all those who want to stroll down memory lane while hearing slightly updated/ reworked versions of these classics with everyones favorite "Mother Fucker" on vocals. Good stuff and solid release for a cover album. ~Steve Skam
Track list:
01- Oi! Aint Dead
02- Evil
03- Someone's Gonna Die
04- Oi! Oi! Oi!
05- Gonna Get A Gun
06- England Belongs To Me
07- Vicious Rumours
08- Violence
09- I Don't Like You
10- Cheap Imitation
11- Generation Of Scars
12- Rose Of England
13- Warboots

Rick's Pick: Thrima

This week's pick is for the Thrima CD "Sterbende Welt." Thrima play a great melodic RAC with clean vocals that borders on hardcore. When the hardcore influence comes in musically that the vocals switch to a heavier hardcore sound. A great CD that also features guest vocals from the singer of Eternal Bleeding on some songs

Xenophobe, Vinlandic - German - Croatian Strikeforce, Vinlandic War Hymns, The Haters

The reported guest guitarist on the up-coming Xenophobe album, "Iceman," is in fact none other than Bid Ed originally of Bound For Glory. While I must admit I have never heard Ed nicknamed this before, it is a great surprise to learn who the supposed "Iceman" is.

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Speaking of Big Ed, it seems he is just lending himself everywhere. A brand new three way split from the German label Moloko Versand Plus, features a new side project of Ed, and the one man artist behind The Return of Hyde, titled KG 23, as well as Max Blue and Strong Survive. The CD, titled "Vinlandic - Germanic - Croatian Strikeforce,"

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The previously mentioned three way split between Eingar, Kvaanthan and Tyranath is scheduled to be released in August / September on UK based Heidenwut productions.

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Out now on Heidenwut productions co-released with At War With False Noise, is nihilistic punk / hardcore The Haters. The release which is over 6 years in the making, is limited to just 300 copies on black vinyl with artwork by Richard Rupenus of The New Blockaders.

Uprise Direct on Twitter.

Uprise Direct is now on Twitter!

Be sure to join us and subscribe to find out all the latest information and upcoming promotions.

http://twitter.com/UpriseDirect

We are working on getting a Facebook account but to be honest it seems to be rather difficult to do a non personal site. At any rate keep your eyes peeled for that and an upcoming Myspace account as well.

INTERVIEW: Blood Order Company

We missed last week's interview, simply because I was out of town and by the time I remembered to put it up it was already early Monday morning. Anyways, this interview has been in my inbox for several weeks now and I kept forgetting to post it. So... better late than never, here is an interview with Blood Order Company by Urise Direct's Steve Skam. Sorry guys I didn't forget about you, can't wait to hear the new album!

Blood Order Company's first self titled album was an underground success and well received, what can we expect musically on the follow-up?
Many of the tempos have greatly quickened pace & the arrangements have become more complex...there are a total of eleven tracks including one instrumental. It's fast & sounds like a monster. We have taken more of a hatecore approach to the songwriting this time as opposed to viking metal

Musically you guys are all over the place fusing together viking metal with hardcore, how would you describe your style of playing to someone who's never heard BOC before?
We are a fusion of hatecore & progressive metal with a white nationalist message. The term NS metalcore has been used in reference to our style.

Who are some of the bands you guys cite as influential?
Blue Eyed Devils, Fear Rains Down, Empire Falls, At the gates, Brutality, Death, Dissection, In Cold Blood, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, old Metallica, Neurosis, Opeth, Sheer Terror, S.O.D.

What's your favorite band/ bands at the moment?
Amon Amarth, Battlelore, Cataract, Ensiferum, Opeth, Symphony X, Wintersun.

So, aside from the new release any other projects or concepts in the works?
A new Wotanorden & Tyranath will be released soon.

What's your thought's on the importance of Odinism and keeping the faith alive?
We have a great respect for Nordic heritage & tradition. It's definitely very important to keep our history alive so that we can pass it on to future generations.

Anything else you'd like to add?
It's a honour to have the opportunity to contribute to our movement in this way & have others appreciate it. Thank you to all!

Rock Against Cover songs?

~Chris

Tribute albums, and in turn, the constant stream of cover versions of songs are an unfortunate inevitability in a scene where so much weight is on the shoulders of a small number of bands. However, if bands' members would sit down before embarking on covering classic songs, they should ask themselves the following questions; which would go a long way to prevent the rest of us suffering:

Does this band need another of their songs covered?
Does my voice suit this track?
Am I going to bring anything new to this song?
Is there any reason to believe that our version will be better than the original?

If the answer to these questions is a blanketing no, why bother? Put simply, if I want to hear a Skrewdriver song, I will reach for one of their CDs. Many bands will cut their teeth on these classics, and when played live they are always crowd pleasers; regardless of who is doing them. The seemingly endless resurrection of songs, which in some cases will never fit any band but the originator, continues unabated. We went through a period in the 90's where cover songs, usually the same damn songs, were obligatory on almost every RAC album. And some of us got very tired of it, very quickly. Whether as space fillers, a vehicle for new bands, or as a genuine tribute, covering the same few songs which have been done to death is as likely to irritate as impress.

Cover versions are a potential minefield for any band, new or established. Once bands stray beyond the cliché bands that are normally covered, the risks become greater of screwing up royally. There have been success stories: Bound For Attack’s version of Iron Maiden's "The Trooper," Final War's cover of Bad Religion's "Do What You Want" and Skullhead's excellent rework of Hawkwind's "Silver Machine." The latter being probably the greatest stretch across genres.

Then there are many covers which work, but are not a dramatic departure. Warfare 88's rework of "Sex & Violence" merits a mention simply because any band who can cover one of the Exploited's god awful talentless glue sniffing anthems, without making me want to smash the CD, deserve kudos. Then we have Brutal Attack doing Free's "All Right Now," Max Resist's cover of Blitz's "Warriors," and many other examples. Not classics but honest versions well played and outside the cliché RAC track list.

At the other end of the scale, beyond the pointless repetitive covering of RAC classics, comes another class of covers which are just bad. Ian Stuart's attempt at singing "Behind Blue Eyes" is sadly one such example; his voice was wrong for the track. Another song in this group is Brutal Attack's unfortunate run at [Black] Sabbath's "Changes." Somewhere after the first chorus, the piano and Ken's voice begin to fall out of synch and the whole song falls apart. In addition, less so for repetition and more so for simply how off it sounds, Rahowa's version of "The Snow Fell."

Straying outside the genre is a risk that will sometimes pay off, if for nothing else other than earning credit for having a swing at it. Better to try and fail, than to play it safe and be forever regarded as little more than a tribute band.

IN REVIEW: Moshpit, Pushing Onwards, Blue Eyed Devils

Moshpit: Mirror Of An Unbroken Faith
(2007 OPOS records)

Awesome hardcore/ metalcore debut album from this German outfit. Very professional recording quality, heavy instrumental assaults, and intense/ passionate lyrics are what propels it into my favorite top 10 releases within the past few years. This is one of those albums that will hold it's replay value and eventually be in the "classics" archive. If you don't have it, pick it up. ~Steve Skam
Tracklist-
01- Dawn
02- Oppression and Poverty
03- Choke down
04- Bitter Days
05- Ihr oder Wir
06- No one hears me
07- Revolt from within
08- Defeatism
09- TTOF
10- Absent minded
11- Caught between two hells
12- Broke Down
13- I Promised Myself (Bonus)

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Pushing Onwards: demo
(Promo 2007)

Really good 5 track demo of this Hungarian metalcore band. Three songs in Hungarian and two in English i found this to be a highly enjoyable listen. If you like heavy music and don't mind a language barrier then maybe you should grab a copy. ~Steve Skam
Tracklist-
01- Porba Hulik
02- Media Valyu
03- Felebredes
04- Breeding The Swine
05- Eastern Plague

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Blue Eyed Devils: We'll Never Die
(2003 V7 records)

My personal all-time favorite B.E.D. album. This album delivers the goods and i believe was intended to be a "safe" release composed of all the songs that weren't considered "over the top" and could be sold in Europe. With brutal in your face lyrics without being too blatently obvious this a vulgar display of raw hardcore talent at it's finest. 10/10
Tracklist-
01- March
02- Retribution
03- Fearless
04- Kill It
05- Wrong Again
06- The Truth
07- What Drives Me
08- Twilight
09- Stand Strong
10 - We'll Never Die
11- On The Attack
12- The Apology
13- Stronger