Great debut from Finnish hardcore band KARKAISU. This band from Helsinki plays melodic, almost Swedish-styled hardcore punk à la WOLFBRIGADE, but with a bigger hardcore edge. On tracks like “Ei Kuulu Sulle,” you can hear thrashy riffs as the game changes to a more crossover-influenced hardcore. A really well-rounded sound, and the vocals bring a whole new dimension to the six songs on the self-titled EP. A fun record that prompts you to hit repeat.
Think ’90s dual-vocal anarcho-crust along the lines of Scandi-neighbors OPERATION and PROTESTERA, delivered in the classic raw Finnish tradition. The strongest material on Kaasu Pohjaan is on the second half, maybe because the vocals settle in a bit, or perhaps because I haven’t spent time with aggressive Finn-core in way too long. The riffs are sheer brutality in their simplicity, and the vocals are as overwhelming as they are overpowering—it’s a harsh listen, and that’s exactly how KIROT intended it to be.
Eight songs of blazing, frenetic hardcore punk from Finland. KONVENTIO aren’t trying to blend genres or reinvent anything here. Rather, they lock in on a tried and true recipe passed down from forebearers like KAAOS and RIISTETYT and just rip. That’s not to say that KONVENTIO is unoriginal—their sound is quite distinct—but they are able to capture the spirit of what made the aforementioned bands so great. The guitars punch through with killer tone and some tasteful rock’n’roll solos. The drums seem as if they’re on the precipice of falling apart, like the drummer isn’t in full control of the chaos they are unleashing. This adds a nice touch of character. The raging vocals are a highlight and really keep things moving. This is a solid first release!
Deftly dancing between melodic pop punk and something with a slightly harder edge, this is an impressive little sampling from these punks from Helsinki. The production loses me a bit; it’s somewhat sterile with each element in its own sonic space rather than truly melding together for something holistically special. The songwriting and the playing is all there, though. While I often prefer shorter songs, my favorite tunes here actually take their time to spread out and explore their ideas. The finest example of what this band does right is on the harmony-rich “Rainbow Islands.” I’m less convinced by the attempts at faster and harder punk, which the band delves into as well. For me, the pop punk is right in the pocket, while the rest just doesn’t have the teeth or the riffs to sell me.
Here we have two bands from Finland churning out two different styles of punk, and each of them nails their target dead fucking center. HOOK’s songs are chock-full of simple, catchy guitar solos and fast-to-slow parts, and they fit the usual pop punk themes, from breakups and downtrodden boys being bummed out about unrequited love to a catchy song about the devastation of war in the streets. This is one hundred percent the stuff I was loving in my twenties. KORUPUHE blasts in with two hardcore numbers that are annihilating and relentless. They check all the boxes of great hardcore with multiple singers, group choruses, stop-on-a-dime musicianship, and a perfect breakdown in the middle of the song. I am gonna take a break from this and go find out what other stuff these bands have available. If you like either pop punk or hardcore (or both), then this is the split EP for you.
