Laughing in the Face Of - 'The Lubrication of Social Anxiety' review

Laughing in the Face Of - 'The Lubrication of Social Anxiety' - Lockjaw Records

Just another review from The Screever issue two; reviews for issue three are pretty much done...

"I first saw / heard LitFO in about 2005 when they supported FIREAPPLE RED in a little pub in Birmingham (their hometown), and I remember being completely blown away, this being the first time I'd encountered a local band that played really fast punk-rock, or even realised they existed near me, and this, the follow up to their self-released e.p 'Technically, It's Not Our Fault' is pretty blistering; 11 tracks of thrashy but melodic double-time skate punk that is technical and abrasive without ever feeling contrived or gimmicky. It's consistently interesting, and it's good to hear a punk-rock band that isn't afraid of doing long instrumental intros ('The Art of Burning Bridges' is a good example). It might take some getting into, but you can listen to this over and over and pick out new little intricacies every time; Andy is one of the best double-time punk drummers I've seen live, and I'm always amazed at how Steve can play some of this guitar-wizardry whilst singing. There are loads of great tunes on here, and it's hard to pick out favourites, but I do like 'Make What You Want' and 'Whose Line Was it Anyway'. Awesome stuff, and highly recommended for those into THE HUMAN PROJECT, THIS IS A STANDOFF, or STRUNG OUT."

You can pick up a copy of this album from here:

http://laughinginthefaceof.bigcartel.com/

or find them on Facebook here:

http://www.facebook.com/laughinginthefaceof

xox

Almeida - 'Fantastic Massacre' review

Almeida - 'Fantastic Massacre'

Here's another review from 'The Screever' issue two...

"These boys from Southern UK are pretty sick; there are a lot of bands around at the moment that fuse a bunch of styles into a technical mash-up, but ALMEIDA (pronounced Al-May-Der..?) do so with a little more skate-punk speed than most. It's a lot like PROTEST THE HERO (including a similarly high-pitched lead vocalist), but with a more melodic thrash-punk leaning, and a lovely horror / black-metal vibe... and yes, it's as interesting as that sounds, and to mix things up even more, there's a rather bouncy and quite lovely instrumental acoustic track somewhere in the middle. They're not afraid to write long songs, the title track running to over seven minutes, but have some quite wonderful little melodies if you're willing to find them. As a starter, check out the opener 'Kinslayer', which is one of the shorter and catchier tunes. Highly recommended for fans of PTH, but even folks into old BODOM and stuff may dig this; a pretty solid self-release from a bunch of super-talented chaps."

You can get this album from Almeida's webshop at:

http://almeida.bigcartel.com/

or 'like' them on Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/Almeidaofficial

xox

xMoreThanInkx presents: 'Hardcare' review

xMoreThanInkx presents: 'Hardcare' charity compilation review

...and for those that didn't yet pick up a copy of 'The Screever' issue two, here's the review we wrote for 'Hardcare' volume one...

"I guess compilations are a funny thing to review, but what we have here is over twenty tracks of hardcore, mostly Straight Edge, from a variety of places in Europe, the UK, and the States. There's a surprising variety of sounds on here too, from the outright metallic (HORIZONS), to the old-school (xCURRAHEEx), to the experimental (DECLARATION de GUERRA), to the melodic (FAILURE TO FOLLOW), and even to the female-fronted (WOLFxDOWN). Personal favourites, given my irrepressible love for a good melody are 'Strike Back' by FAILURE TO FOLLOW, largely thanks to the killer guitar melodies in the chorus, and the fact that the singer sounds a LOT like Tim from ENSIGN, and also 'Open Hands' by SPIRES, which I have to say is PURE GOLD; the really high-pitched guitar melodies in this song are absolutely sublime, and for me really outshine the majority of the rest of this comp.

If you're into hardcore, Straight Edge or otherwise, then get this; you're bound to love something on it. Proceeds from sales also go to a charity supporting a neonatal intensive unit, so it's a must really. Nice one xMoreThanInkx for reminding us that an Edge hardcore scene still exists, and for showcasing some of the strength of it here.

You can pick up a copy of this volume from here:

http://xmorethaninkx.bandcamp.com/album/hardcare

The xMoreThanInkx webshop can be found here:

http://xmorethaninkx.bigcartel.com/

and their website can be found here:

http://www.xmorethaninkx.com/

xox

xMoreThanInkx presents: 'Hardcare' vol. 2

xMoreThanInkx presents: 'Hardcare' vol. 2 charity compilation

As mentioned when we interviewed Ben in 'The Screever' issue two, this comp. had been in the works since pretty shortly after volume one, and back in December 2012, xMoreThankInkx finally released 'Hardcare' volume 2, a digital compilation of an immense 40 songs from numerous hardcore bands, new and old. It's looking like another cracker, and profits from this follow-up to January 2012's first volume are donated to 'Transitions Global', an organisation that helps victims of sex trafficking victims in Cambodia.

You can download the compilation for a minimum of a mere £2 from here:

http://xmorethaninkx.bandcamp.com/

or check out the xMoreThanInkx webshop, selling hardcore and Straight Edge music and clothing here:

http://www.xmorethaninkx.bigcartel.com/

Their website and Facebook can also be found here:

http://www.xmorethaninkx.com/

http://www.facebook.com/xMoreThanInkx

Get on it!

xox

Gabriel Kuhn - 'Sober Living for the Revolution' review

Gabriel Kuhn - 'Sober Living for the Revolution' - PM Press

300 pages

I've never been too fussed about reading up on Straight Edge as a scene or movement; I've always just lived that way because it's what worked for me on a very personal level, however I thought I'd give this a blast, mostly out of curiosity. So what we have here is a collection of interviews and writing from a number of figures with varying degress of involvement with SxE over the years, including the 'founder' himself, Ian MacKaye. There were a couple of traps that 'Edge: The Movie' fell into that I'm glad weren't present here, these being a.) very North-American oriented coverage, and b.) largely male-oriented coverage. In contrast, this book is very heavy on the European side (including ManLiftingBanner, and Dennis from Refused), and features a number of women doing positive things (xSisterhoodx and Emancypunx Records) in what, along with hardcore in general, can often be seen or regarded as quite a masculine scene, so that was awesome to see. Admittedly I must agree with the review I saw of this in Maximum RockNRoll 336, in that the pieces by Nick Riotfag, one on queer culture within Straight Edge, and the piece 'Towards a Less Fucked-Up World' were two of the most interesting reads in the whole book. The interview with MacKaye was actually one of my favourite bits too, if only because it's always funny to hear him discuss how disproportionate the Edge scene became with regards to his initial, personal contribution. On the whole though, aside from a couple of rare exceptions (Point of No Return's 'Bending to Stay Straight' I found incredibly and unnecessarily long-winded), this is a pretty concise and informative collection of Straight Edge history, equally of use to those unfamiliar and educated alike. It's also printed on a nice off-white paper... (Lee)

Bangers - 'Small Pleasures' review

Bangers - 'Small Pleasures' - Specialist Subject Records

These guys are a three-piece from down in Cornwall, and play some pretty solid melodic punk-rock with nice gruff vocals. There's something different about the recording of this that I really like, possibly the guitar tone mostly; it's kind of difficult to describe, but it's kinda muddy, and it really works with how thick and tight the bass sounds. The songs are pretty catchy with some great sing-a-longs, and actually seem really considered structurally, which I especially noticed in the verses; at times it sounds as though the personal, 'story-telling' lyrics don't fit or flow neatly and perfectly which keeps things interesting. As far as songs that stand out for me go, I'd have to say the opener 'Making Friends', 'The Love Nest', and 'Irritants', but this is all pretty great. One of the coolest melodic punk sounds I've heard from the UK for a while. (Lee)

Bangers' 'Good Livin' e.p will be reviewed in issue three...

http://bangersbangers.co.uk/

http://bangersbangers.bandcamp.com/

Hot Water Music - 'Exister'

Hot Water Music - 'Exister' - RISE Records

I often find myself slightly on the fence with HWM; while half of their stuff is pure gold, and some of the greatest punk-rock I've ever heard, a lot of it can do very little for me, largely what I'd refer to as their more 'experimental' stuff. Thankfully, 'Exister', their first album in eight years, turned out to be a really solid, consistent album. 'Drag My Body' and 'State of Grace', both of which I would file under the 'pure gold' category, are probably still my favourites on here (having heard them in the weeks leading up to this release), along with the last track 'Paid in Full', the last chorus of which has a notably incredible vocal take! I think it's a little less experimental than some previous albums, most songs having quite a powerful, and structurally prominent chorus, which really helps drive the whole thing; it never really slows down, and feels really strong from start to finish, the production no doubt helping there. Jason Black, one of punk-rock's most bad-ass bassists is on form again with killer fills on the lower end throughout, and Chuck's sandpaper vocals are as characteristic as ever. If you're a HWM fan, no doubt you'll already have this; if you're also a little on the fence, I'd definitely recommend giving this a blast; if you've never heard them, check out 'Drag My Body', and be amazed. (Lee)

http://hotwatermusic.com/

Issue two on sale from glassofspit.co.uk

Issue two of 'The Screever' is now on sale from the Glass of Spit webstore thingy for a quid, which is pretty much just to cover postage / a bit of printing cost. Bear in mind there'll be an additional postage charge for deliveries outside of the UK though. You can visit the shop heeeere:

http://glassofspit.bigcartel.com/

Or, if you make a zine yourself, or draw stuff, or write nice letters, you're more than welcome to trade something for a copy with Lee. Either drop us a message here at the_screever@hotmail.co.uk, or find him on WeMakeZines at:

http://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/LeeTaylor

Thanks a bunch :D

Nat'n'Lee

xox

'The Screever' issue two

It only took us about three years, but the second issue of 'The Screever' is finally finished and copied; it's a little smaller than A6, black and white, and contains interviews with Zine Arcade, Carnage Club, Elly Kingdon, History of the Hawk, xSomethingMoreThanInkx, a piece on National Theatre Live, as well as a bunch of other stuff like a recipe, puzzles, reviews, and other stuffff. Let us know if you'd like a copy through the e-mail address below, and we'll post one out to you asap :D thanks a lot!
Nat'n'Lee
xox
the_screever@hotmail.co.uk