Pastepunk - Broken Lamps and Hardcore Memories, Various Artists
It’s not just Punktastic that has got in on the webzine-releasing-a-compilation-CD lark. Our friends over at the US site Pastepunk.com are already on their second instalment of the hardcore series ‘Broken Lamps and Hardcore Memories’ and, looking at the tracklisting alone, the quality of bands here would suggest the first instalment was well received. Featuring a mix of styles – from the technical Break The Silence to the vicious Most Precious Blood – the genre as a whole is well represented, making this a really good advert for hardcore music. And at 26 tracks, it’s astonishingly good value for money.
There are plenty of good tracks on offer and after listening to this CD several times it has inspired me to check out some of the bands further – and with this being the whole point of any compilation, it’s probably the highest compliment I can give. Anthym sound like a really good prospect, with ‘Darkness Falls’ sounding like a cross between The Movielife and Lostprophets. Staring Back sound absolutely amazing, and on the strength of ‘Haunted’ I’ve just ordered their ‘On’ record. The list of great tracks continues, with Blood Red and Crime In Stereo kicking the CD off in fine style. A Wilhelm Scream and Break The Silence have already been championed by this very site so need no introduction, with the former’s ‘The Rip’ an aptly named guitar shredding dream.
Like any compilation, of course, there are tracks that make you reach for the skip button. Thankfully though, these are kept to a mere handful. I’m not a huge hardcore fan anyway, so the likes of Most Precious Blood, Until The End and Twelve Tribes are a little too heavy for me. But these filler songs really are kept to a minimum, meaning you have 20 great songs at a budget price. If you’re new to the genre, or fancy checking out some bands that may not get too much publicity in the UK, this is a great starting point. I’ve discovered two new bands that I really like the sound of – and you probably will too.
www.pastepunk.com
Released via Suburban Home Records
Paul
