Extreme Noise Terror,Desecration,Progress Of Inhumaity,Formikation @ Texas club,Athens

Extreme Noise Terror

Desecration

Progress Of Inhumanity

Formikation

Hi to everyone! It's been a long time since the last post but there were no shows to take pics of,well except one but I was bored and it wasn't that good anyway! Ok,before I start the gig review I should let you know that this was thee best show I've ever attended! Seriously! That said,it's time to move on to the review.
First were Formikation from Athens,some of you that keep track of my posts may remember them from an older show at KS94. They have progressed a lot from then and their set sounds a lot more mature now,they play grindcore but with a more progressive take and they also have a lot of punk and metal elements.Think Magrudergrind,old-school grind like Napalm Death mixed with old Nasum songs and Burst! Yeah,I know it sounds weird but that's what it comes to mind when I hear their songs!Anyways,their set was fuckin' killer despite the inactive crowd! Keep it up guys! Next were Progress Of Inhumanity also from Athens,I hadn't heard this band before but a friend of mine told me that I'll love them...and I did! They don't have a bassist (Formikation don't have a bassist either!) but that was no handicap whatsoever! Old-fuckin' school,in-your-face crusty grind with small doses of metal,now I'm a sucker for crust/grind and these guys surely know how to play this type of shit! They reminded me of Dropdead at times but with more complicated song structures ,overall they were really great and you should give 'em a listen if you get the chance. Desecration were next,they share two members with Extreme Noise Terror but sound nothing like'em! They play old-school death metal,personally I hate death metal so I was just waiting for them to end their set! Some people from the crowd seemed to like their songs (yes,all of them were metalheads!),so I'll just shut up!
Extreme Noise Terror took the stage aterwards and from the first note I knew this was gonna be one hell of a show! Both singers were original members so you got the awesome combination of their first record! I should mention here that I accidentally hit Dean (one of the vocalists) in the teeth! I was so fuckin' excited and I had my fist in the air in front of the stage and he banged his head right on my fist! At first I thought: oh shit...I'm gonna get my ass kicked for that!!!..but he smiled at me and everything were fine,thinking back on it,it's fuckin' hilarious! Anyway,their set was perfect,playing mostly old songs as well as some new that are really good if not equally great as their old stuff and everyone left the show with a smile in his/her face,it's fuckin' Extreme Noise Terror we're talking about here,how someone could not be happy after seeing them live?
Something else I should mention is that one of the singers talked between tracks and explained what each song was about and commented on some social and political issues,to some that might sound indifferent but for me it's very important.Don't forget that Extreme Noise Terror played in the U.K crust/punk scene in the early '80's with politically minded and active bands such as Discharge,Chaos U.K,Antisect and the like.
Ok,that was it for now...till next time..see ya in the streets.

Arm Your Desires Festival Day 3

Melanocetus Muray
Black Trinity

Terrorismo Musical

Hibernation

Dyspnea

Here's the last post for the Arm Your Desires fest from the 3rd day of extreme drinking and musical destruction! It was a killer day and everyone partied fuckin' hard! First on stage were Dyspnea,a dark crust band from the rainy mountains of Tyrnavos! Even though they had some serious sound problems (an almost burned out guitar amp and electricity problems) they put on a great show and they sounded way better than the last time I saw them! Old-school crust attack! Next were Hibernation,if you're not familiar with this band then there's something wrong with you! It's the oldest Greek crust band that is still active and they never disapoint live! They played some new tracks,that I might add that they were great,in the vein of their older material,and all of the classics! I hope they have plans for a new release soon! Next,if I remember correctly,were Schizogony,a brutal death band from Athens. I took no pictures of them 'cause I had some drinks and a chat with some friends I haven't seen for awhile.It was typical brutal death metal and to say the truth I don't like this style at all but who cares what I think! Moving on,next were Απέχθεια (Aversion).I had heard good things about them and I was very curious to finally see them play live.I was fuckin' blown out! Disclose/Mob 47 worship all the way! Ultra noizy distorted guitar,bass that resembles the sound your head makes when you hit the concrete pavement and drums that hit you like a fuckin' A-bomb!!! Even the guitarist's voice sounds like Kawakami's! Keep it up fuckers! Terrorismo Musical were next,they play raw crust/gore/grind and their lyrics have a clear political leaning which I like that,unlike most bands of this genre that only write songs about blood and rotten meat! Anyway,after a couple of songs the one guitar amp blown out and they had to continue with only one guitar which was a real shame 'cause they have a fat and distorted sound with both guitars that's great.But they didn't disapoint even with one guitar! By the way the just released a split 7" with Disturbance Project which is great,check them out! Next were Black Trinity from Thesalonniki,they play old-school black metal like old Mayhem,Sarcofago and Darkthrone! My only complaint is that the drummer needs to exercise his blast-beat and use it all the time! They even played a Mayhem cover! Praise the Dark Lord fuckers! Last were Melanocetus Muray,a harsh noise band also from Thesalonniki,it was clear that they improvised on stage but if you were there your mind would've been destroyed from the ultra distorted howling bass! It can't be described with words! The vocalist made some really creepy screams and screeches that fit the (anti) music perfectly.
After all the bands played a jam session started mostly with grind/noise stuff and I was drunk enough to dance with my friends and forget about the next day and that we had to leave and get back to the miserable routine of everyday life........
Till next time....smash a cop's face!

Arm Your Desires Festival Day 2

Johnny and the Carbonaras

Sarabante

Sardanapalm DeathBy the time I had just recovered from last day's hangover the first band started their set! First were Sardanapalm Death from Patra.Their sound is what I call "Napalm Death goes hardcore"! Anyway,they had a good set and they were great opening for what it seemed like a promising day! Right after Sarabante from Athens took over the stage.This was their first show in nearly 2 years,they have a new line up and I was looking forward to see them live.I was fuckin' stoked!!! They play Swedish hc/crust with a lot of melodies and a howling bass that sounds like a fuckin' tank destroying everything in its path!!! Awesome! Asfyxia from Athens were next and they were tighter and better from all the other times I've seen their ugly faces on stage! Old-school,in-your-face crusty/hc.They were very energetic on stage and the people really enjoyed it. A lot of people had high hopes for the next band since it's one of the old Greek hc bands that reunited recently and play live extensively.It's Panikos I'm talking about! I saw them in Kavala some time ago and I was waiting for something great but they were just good,at the time I thought it was the sound that did them no good but from what it seemed that was not the case!Anyway,they played a short set of songs with large pauses between the songs and just before you noticed they were off the stage!By the time the next band was preparing to get on stage I was drunk and I needed something to relax and then it came to me that the next band was Johnny and the Carbonaras!!! I've seen them before and I was excited to see them again.They play psychedelic/surf/rock'n'roll and it's perfect if you're drunk or stoned! They had a great set and the sound was really good,I could hear everything clearly.Two thumbs up! Last but not least were Aas from Athens.They were all drunk but they managed to play a great show and get the vibe accross.Chaotic,garage-y,rock'n'roll guitars accompanied by fast drumming and groovy bass! They played for an hour or so if I remember correctly! Fuck yeah!!!

Arm Your Desires Festival Day 1

Αδικαιολογήτως Απών

Μελιτζάνες Τουρσί

Finally a new post! Here are some photos from the first day of Arm Your Desires fest.Unfortunately lots of bands canceled the last moment because they had unexpected obligations or for more serious reasons but anyway the fest was a blast! So here we go,the first band was called Melitzanes Toursi,a local band (sorry but I can't translate it in English!).They were a very young band and they only played covers from Anti-Flag,Nirvana,Blur (with altered lyrics!) and some others I can't recall now.I liked the Anti-Flag cover but it should be faster! This was their first show so I hope they'll get better and write they're own material.Next were Adikaiologitos Apon (Unjustifiable Missing),this was their last show and I must confess that this was their best show ever! They were tight and in time unlike all the other times I've seen them! They play old-school Greek punk like Stress and Genia Tou Xaous (Chaos Generation).Too bad they broke up,I wanted more! Gegen Den Strom played their second show but it was nowhere near as good as their first in Villa Amalias squat some time ago! I guess they were all tired and/or drunk! They were not bad at all,they just didn't had the energy and excitement of their first show!For those who are not familiar with them,they play Greek crusty hc in the vein of Chaotic End and Panikos with male and female vocals.
I forgot to mention the 2 hip-hop bands that played first before all the punk bands,Speira and Propaganda.I'm not familiar with hip-hop but I can assure you that both bands were good and I liked a lot of the samples they used...give them a listen if you like the genre!

Arm Your Desires Festival #2 @ Tyrnavos,Larissa

It's almost time for the 2nd Arm Your Desires fest!! Start packing your bags and be sure to have some good sleep before the fest 'cause it's gonna be a non-stop three-day punk party!!! Fuck yeah!
Check their blog HERE for more info.

Drowned In Conservatives,Formikation,Devastation Of Life,Cut Your Throat @ KS94

Cut Your Throat

Devastation Of Life

Formikation

This show was not for the faint-hearted! Crazy,brutal death/grindcore from 4 great Greek bands! It should be noted that the show was a benefit for Villa Amalias squat,the squat was attacked about a week ago and a big part was destroyed by fire,so we decided to give the money from the door (actually all the Greek diy shows have no entrance fee..there's just a box on the door and people leave as much money as they want) to help with the reconstruction of the squat.
The first band was Drowned In Conservatives from the city of Patras,brutal death all the way! I'm not that fond of this style but they were good and I think this was they're first show in Athens.Next were Formikation from Athens,that's a great band that really stands out! More powerviolence than grindcore,kinda like the almighty Magrudergrind.No bass here 'cause there's no need for one! The guitar was heavy as fuck,furious drumming and double-style vocals from the singer,throat-shredding and cookie-monster! Very energetic on stage!
Devastation Of Life on they're first show n Athens fuckin' destroyed! Regular readers of this blog will already know about this band as I reviewed their first show in Thessaloniki.They've only got tighter and better since then! Pure grindcore madness! Short songs,heavy,distorted bass and guitar,ultra fast blast beats and pitch-shifted vocals from the depths of hell! Fuck yes! Keep it harsh! Last but not least were Cut Your Throat from Thessaloniki,it's been a while since the last time they played in Athens so I was eager to see them once more and I new they had some new songs for us! They play pathologic grindcore and they're fuckin' good at it! I can't say anything more about them than that their set was mind blowing!
Cheers to all the bands and people who showed up and supported last night...till next time...support your local scene fuckers!

Κάλεσμα για αυτόνομο μπλοκ...

Βρήκα αυτη την αφίσσα στο internet μεταφρασμένη σε πολλές γλώσσες.Πρόκειται για μια προσπάθεια συγκρότησης αντι-σπισιστικού (ενάντια στο διαχωρισμό των ειδών) μπλοκ από κάθε χώρα και η συνάντηση τους στο AR2008 (αν δεν κάνω λάθος,πρόκειται για συνέδριο για τα δικαιώματα των ζώων) στην Αυστρία.Δείτε τα site που αναγράφονται στην αφισσα για περισσότερες πληροφορίες.
Link: http://www.ar2008.info/