Mawiza have brought an uncompromising approach to their music. Instead of writing their material to suit western consumption they have taken the bold stance to perform it using their native language of Mapuzungun to reinforce their preservation of their culture and roots. They don’t do a little and then jump into English for a chorus, its delivered 100% and whilst you might miss something due to the language, the core tenets of their sound is hard to miss.
Monstrous grooves lie at its heart, one that has a slight industrial feel to it and as you might have guessed there is no room for acoustic interludes or cod orchestral moments – Wingkawnoam is straight into it, a super simple riff set that works all the better for it. There is no technical flourishes here, its all about the rhythm and about getting you up and moving. It just moves, I don’t think there is more you can say about it other than it’s the kind of opening statement you want, with no messing about.
What impresses is the vocal performances that swings between impassioned roars and cleans, especially on the melting pot that is Pinhza Ńi Pewma that sees them change gear from mid-pace stomping into a faster pace. Awka brings the main bulk and navigates that switch between the guttural and the cleans in a way that avoids any cringe-making moments.
It doesn’t change how the song lands and instead feels completely organic in doing so despite it being something deployed by a million other bands. They stamp their cultural background all over these songs, the phrasing and way they are built are done so that the metal fits in to suit them, not the other way round. Ngulutu is a great example of this, where the build sounds like a metallic version of a song you would hear every day. On here, especially the drums well it just detonates. And you don’t need a translator for the screams.
This is not to say they don’t know how to do straight up metal – Nawelkünuwnge lies in that sphere with some quality riffwork and probably represents their most accessible track here. They still imbue a sense of their history on it and it is that feeling of authenticity to it that shines through. In the past, bands that come from South America have drawn dearly on Sepultura for their cues. There is no feeling of that being the case here and it sounds so good because of it, and they manage to keep that level of intensity and originality in place.
This is not to say they don’t know how to do straight up metal – Nawelkünuwnge lies in that sphere with some quality riffwork and probably represents their most accessible track here. They still imbue a sense of their history on it and it is that feeling of authenticity to it that shines through. In the past, bands that come from South America have drawn dearly on Sepultura for their cues. There is no feeling of that being the case here and it sounds so good because of it, and they manage to keep that level of intensity and originality in place.
Lhan Antü is a prime example of what a good song sounds like in the later stages of an album. It rips from the start, realising that it has one job to do and it is to engage and stimulate you to stay the course to the end. Even here, they continue to get their unique approach across, spidery guitar lines nestled in amongst the low-end riffing. One of the things that did strike me was a Gojira flavour within all of their songs. The structures are all their own, but the pick scrapes, harmonics, industrial guitar tricks are similar to what you would find with the French titans. Before you think they are lifting these, every guitarist does it and probably represents one of the first ‘cool’ moments a guitarist will ever do.
What Mawiza do is take these approaches or techniques and makes them specific to them. Joe from Gojira does make an appearance on the rousing finale Ti Inan Paw-Pawkan which closes the proceedings out quite nicely thank you. 8/10
Darko - Canvas (Lockjaw Records) [Mark Young]
From Mawiza and their unique cultural approach to the South of England with Darko and a blend of post-hardcore and punk which goes to show that when I ask for a random selection from the boss, he makes it as random as possible. I’m very much a take it or leave it person when it comes to hardcore and punk, some of it I like and some I detest. There doesn’t appear to a rhyme or reason to this and certainly Canvas doesn’t start as anticipated. Grey Havens opens their account with a stripped back guitar coming in. It sets the path for the rest of the band to come in and follow with what I describe as bright, happy arrangement with rising choruses that ring to a rousing crescendo which I did not expect.
Darko - Canvas (Lockjaw Records) [Mark Young]
From Mawiza and their unique cultural approach to the South of England with Darko and a blend of post-hardcore and punk which goes to show that when I ask for a random selection from the boss, he makes it as random as possible. I’m very much a take it or leave it person when it comes to hardcore and punk, some of it I like and some I detest. There doesn’t appear to a rhyme or reason to this and certainly Canvas doesn’t start as anticipated. Grey Havens opens their account with a stripped back guitar coming in. It sets the path for the rest of the band to come in and follow with what I describe as bright, happy arrangement with rising choruses that ring to a rousing crescendo which I did not expect.
Its followed by Dared To Dream which again doesn’t start as expected. Until it kicks in and then you can hear exactly why they have been given the plaudits they have. Tom West is spitting these lyrics like a machine gun, ably supported by Chris and Rob on guitars who are loading it with some choice riffage. They mix the frenetic punk attack with some mesmerising guitar lines that for me wouldn’t be out of place on some noted technical releases and do it seamlessly.
It’s a surprise, and a welcome one. Canvas repeats that trick but dives between the heavy and light before dropping headlong into what I would class as a straight hardcore assault. The song itself is short and yet its doesn’t stop them from changing its build, seemingly on a sixpence. The momentum on this one stays on the front foot even when the heavier attack steps back and its maintained further on Override! It has that touch to it that will see the crowd lose their minds in the live setting as its all about energy and this has it by the bucket load and to be honest it is difficult to convey that energy into an adequate description here.
If the preceding songs were about energy, then Hectic is all about intent. It is the very definition of a short, sharp shock. It’s a one-minute blast that shows that they can throw down when they need to without changing their sound. It doesn’t sound out of place at all and allows for Goodbye Bastards to roll in. The arrangement has that same strength and forward movement that has been displayed from the get-go, and simply put that if you like Dared To Dream then you will like everything else on this album. And thinking on, that should have been my review but that would have been cheating on my part. AUX III is their last statement and as you might have guessed they don’t drop the ball at this late stage. Its chock full of earworm lines and that up up up riffing that has been place elsewhere that sees them rip through it with nary a backward glance.
From what I’ve heard here, I have a new benchmark for what constitutes good music in this genre. Does it replace my love of thrash or death metal? No, but I’m happy to report that this is a cracking set of songs from a genre that I don’t have the best relationship with. There are no weak moments on here, each song coming at you in the same manner flowing from the one before it. Fans of the band and this style are going to love it. 8/10
Degreed - The Leftovers - Volume I EP (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]
Swedish rock band Degreed go digging into their discography with their new EP The Leftovers - Volume I. These tracks come from the sessions of their most recent records, either original, unreleased or reworked to fit on this EP. There's also two Japan only bonus tracks that have not been heard in Europe. So it a companion piece? Well sort of but you get a lot of bang for your buck with seven tracks that showcase the hard rocking sound of Degreed and two that do something a little different.
From what I’ve heard here, I have a new benchmark for what constitutes good music in this genre. Does it replace my love of thrash or death metal? No, but I’m happy to report that this is a cracking set of songs from a genre that I don’t have the best relationship with. There are no weak moments on here, each song coming at you in the same manner flowing from the one before it. Fans of the band and this style are going to love it. 8/10
Degreed - The Leftovers - Volume I EP (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]
Swedish rock band Degreed go digging into their discography with their new EP The Leftovers - Volume I. These tracks come from the sessions of their most recent records, either original, unreleased or reworked to fit on this EP. There's also two Japan only bonus tracks that have not been heard in Europe. So it a companion piece? Well sort of but you get a lot of bang for your buck with seven tracks that showcase the hard rocking sound of Degreed and two that do something a little different.
From the propulsive Love Your Enemy, to the booming Good Enough, the epic If It Wasn't For Me there's every facet of Degreed's sound here, they even bring a bit of power/melodeath to Wildchild which is a tribute to Alexi Laiho of Children Of Bodom. Despite these tracks being B-Sides essentially, they are all still quality, 5 hard rockers, three ballads (one acoustic) and a synthwave version, which seems to be something every band needs now.
This Swedish foursome have done well to pick nine strong songs to feature on this EP, representative of the bands talents and also showing you the quality they leave on the cutting room floor or as bonus tracks. If you've not heard Degreed before, this could be a good place to introduce yourself to them as their new record is in production. 7/10
Ramonda - The Walls Are Crumbling Down (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]
Hailing from Argentina Santiago Ramonda releases hi debut album The Walls Are Crumbling Down, working alongside longtime Frontiers man Alessandro Del Vecchio, they've crafted a record that is prime pickings for the Frontiers crowd. Ramonda is the singer of Stormwarning a band who have already impressed the president of Frontiers, Ramonda's self taught style of singing jumping out of the speakers with careering highs and powerful lows. It was only a matter of time before he released his own music under his own name so with Ramonda this is the distillation of Santiago's favoured style.
Ramonda - The Walls Are Crumbling Down (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]
Hailing from Argentina Santiago Ramonda releases hi debut album The Walls Are Crumbling Down, working alongside longtime Frontiers man Alessandro Del Vecchio, they've crafted a record that is prime pickings for the Frontiers crowd. Ramonda is the singer of Stormwarning a band who have already impressed the president of Frontiers, Ramonda's self taught style of singing jumping out of the speakers with careering highs and powerful lows. It was only a matter of time before he released his own music under his own name so with Ramonda this is the distillation of Santiago's favoured style.
A style that encompasses Journey, Rainbow, Whitesnake or Sunstorm as major influences, Ramonda has a lot of similarities to Joe Lynn Turner (Without Love) and David Coverdale (High Voltage Hearts) too taking a bluesy route on Don't Look For Love and Blue Heart Of Stone but then crashing into heavy melodic rocking on Fight Fire With Fire where Girish And The Chronicles' guitar slinger Suraz Sun gets a chance show off his killer licks and solos. Along with Suraz, Ramonda is joined by bassist Silvia Pistolesi, drummer Nicholas Papapicco and of course Del Vecchio on keys/guitars/production.
With a high profile team around him then there's a lot here that's been organised to make him succeed in this solo venture and it's definitely successful with an 11 strong debut of melodic hard rock. From South America to your living room, Ramonda's debut album rocks! 8/10
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