SMALL BROWN BIKE - ''Dead reckoning'' LP

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I don't know why but their band name associate me on Hot Water Music a lot and so do their music. But don't get me wrong here, because I'm not saying Small Brown Bike are another H.W.M. copy, although I would put them in the same box. Their music is not as complex as the one played by H.W.M. but still very well weighed and refined and easily makes your feel well. Music is very colourful and diverse actually and it has lots of unexpected turnabouts. Their dense lyrics full of personal experiences works very sincere and they are quite original and good written. ''Dead reckoning'' is great release but I still think their previous release ''Our own wars'' was a little better. My favourite song from this release is titled ''My own disaster''. Amazing song! NO IDEA, PO BOX 14636, GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA 32604, USA www.noidearecords.com www.smallbrownbike.com

SERENE - ''The struggle goes on'' 7''

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Anyone still remember this old political punkrock band called Siren and their awesome release titled ''Becoming wheels''? Well, don't be confused the way I was when I noticed this 7'' because I'm not talking about the same band here. Siren is a new band from the states composed by three girls and a guy who also sing in this famous delightful band called Good clean fun, but he plays bass here. I think musically they are very close to Good clean fun but a little bit faster and more aggressive. Lyrics are full of optimism, raging as the music is and everything rhymes. This is pretty good, nothing new, but still good. REFLECTIONS RECORDS, SPOORWEGSTRAAT 117, 6828 AP ARNHEM, THE NETHERLANDS www.reflectionsrecords.com

FIELDS OF FIRE - ''Keep it alive'' CD

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Lot's of newer old school hardcore bands I heard last days sounds great. It's true that lately I'm not paying that much attention to old school hardcore but I still know what's good. Fields of fire surely are! This is my first meeting with this youngsters coming from usa. Their music is driving old school hardcore which I think sounds somewhere between In my eyes and Rainforce. Pleasing fast music with some good done parts from time to time. Their lyrics make me feel good. They are traditional hardcore but positivism, optimism and cool attitude plays a big role here. I like it! PHYTE, PO BOX 90363, WASHINGTON, DC 20090 www.geocities.com/fieldsxofxfire www.phyte.com

MORSER - ''10.000 bad guys dead'' CD

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New full length by this well known German brutal force. From their first album ''Two hours of doom'' passed quite some time and I heard lots of people being curious about their new material, including me. But it looks like I was expecting a little bit too much. Maybe a few years ago I would dig this but now…I think it's boring. Their music is still brutal as hell and there are plenty of these German traditional chaotic elements and mosh blasts, but grind madness almost disappeared and there is a lack of good ideas too. Most of the lyrics are silly and it seems like there was more effort put in rhyme searching as in the meaning of the particular lyric, but maybe whole thing was meant as a joke? Anyway, this is far away from my expectations. CHROME SAINT MAGNUS, AM BAHNHOF ST. MAGNUS 10, D-28759 BREMAN, GERMANY www.chromesaintmagnus.com

TRAGEDY - ''s/t'' LP

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Excellent release! Tragedy is a new band formed by ex-His hero is gone members so I guess you already got the idea what's this all about. Fast, furious and gruff hard hitting hardcore/punk. Songs are loaded with power and almost every song differs from the other. The have two vocals and both are gruff. I really like these straightforward songs with cool driving drumming. This could be a great background for skateboarding. Fuck, I like all the songs here! Lyrics are dealing with the dark side of our ''so perfect'' civilisation. Great stuff! TRAGEDY RECORDS

LUDDITE CLONE - ''The arsonist and the architect'' MCD

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As I remember their split with Burnt by the sun didn't leave any special impression on me, but somehow, I don't know why, I had to buy this. Anyway, this is quite different and pretty good. A decent release I could say. Some kind of extreme mixture of metal, hardcore and grind with hellish vocal and cool samples from time to time. This is actually really heavy stuff and can cause you a headache in no time but still it has something that attract. I like the lyrics although I can't find a clear message behind some of them. Check it out if you like fucked up music! RELAPSE RECORDS, PO BOX 2060, UPPER DARDY, PA 19082, USA www.relapse.com www.hivemedia.com/ludditeclone

CATHARSIS/ NEWBORN - split MCD

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Here are two hardcore bands I highly respect. I will star with Catharsis. They contributed for this split just one but amazing, almost ten minutes long song titled ''Arson's Prayer''. It starts with a piano and sounds similar to the intro on their firs album titled ''Samsara''. After the intro breaks out fast driving drumming twisting with harsh screaming vocal, and melancholic guitar rhythms in the background. That leads to a long even more melancholic bass leading part loaded with spoken words and some powerful beats from time to time. This is definitely my favourite Catharsis song they ever did and it has amazing dense lyric, which is a call to revolt. Newborn are devoted to more melodic and modern hardcore sound. Fast, beautiful and catchy… you have to love what they're doing. Lyrics are not as complicated as Catharsis one but still very thoughtful written. The main message is escaping from the daily life formed by conformity. The only bad thing about this split is its length, which last barely 20 minutes. CRIMETHINC.

ENFORSAKEN - ''Embraced by misery'' CD

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This time LifeForce picked up an American pure metal band and I'm glad they did because this is very enjoyable. I could describe their sound as melodic Swedish death metal with quite technical song structures. Songs are full of melodies, there are some really fast parts and mosh moments, riffs are complicated and carefully picked out. Vocal is traditional metal…gruff…somewhere between singing and screaming - I'm not sure if I like it but I guess it's not hard to get used on it. Lyrics are filled with various dark thematics and are not really my type. For comparison I would take In Flames but Enforsaken are a little bit heavier and not so melodic. Layout is not so good but otherwise I like more or less all the songs…especially bonus track, an Carcass cover really kick ass. Metal madness…check it out! LIFEFORCE RECORDS, PO BOX 938, 09009 CHEMNITZ, GERMANY www.impressionrec.com www.enforsaken.com

DARKER DAY TOMORROW - ''Crazy like a killer'' MCD

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Another fresh name appeared on German LifeForce records. There is no address but they must be from usa since I know they used to play in band called Another Victim. I never heard Another Victim so I can't say if Darker Day Tomorrow sounds similar but if they played music like Pantera than it looks like they (D.D.T.) kept just the easier songs. Really, these few short songs we have here sounds pretty much like those rare Pantera ballads. But that's nothing wrong, since I always liked those Pantera easier songs. Music is more or less slow and it's some kind of metal and rock mixture - dark and beautiful at the same time. Vocalist sounds similar to the guy from famous band I mentioned before. Lyrics are short and I can't get any special meaning inside them. Layout and the booklet are dark and filled with bones from different parts of the human body - I think saw this thousand times before. The only song I don't like here is ''426 Hemi'' otherwise this is quite good, maybe just a little too short. LIFEFORCE RECORDS, PO BOX 938, 09009 CHEMNITZ, GERMANY www.impressionrec.com www.darkerdaytomorrow.com