Reviews

Neon Nile

Final Dose World Prisoner / Void Inside flexi 7″

World Prisoner feels like a final scream, an agonic yell from a post-apocalyptic, dying world. The guitars form a devastating wall of sound that kind of numbs you, like a steamroller rolling over you. I think they’ve listened to a lot of LEBENDEN TOTEN, because FINAL DOSE has some of that anguished anger in their music too, which they like to call “blackened hardcore.” I can’t really understand the second track, an electronic elevator song that doesn’t really do much for me. An interesting band to keep on your radar.

Final Dose Void Inside LP

The first LP from London’s FINAL DOSE. For metalheads, it might be black-metal-influenced hardcore punk. For the punks, it might sound more like modern hardcore-influenced black metal.  Metal and punk have always had inseparable connections and have influenced each other for quite some time, but this one is a rather new approach for listeners of both early DARKTHRONE and surprisingly, SPY or GULCH fans.. Listeners of the latter bands might enjoy it more than the former. Noisy and raw tracks that still have a modern production punch.

Zanjeer Seher-e-Maqhoor سحرِ مقھور LP

Since their inception, the now-Berlin-based ZANJEER has proven themselves to be a band uniquely gifted at capturing the raw anger and frustration of the moment with both a powerful message and powerful sound. On their latest LP, they reach new heights of intensity, taking musical cues from legacy bands like RAW POWER and RATOS DE PORÃO and speaking on the ongoing genocide in Palestine, religious extremism, and exploitation happening the world over. Across its ten tracks, Seher-e-Maqhoor سحرِ مقھور (Dawn of the Oppressed) is well-produced and has a big sound, with heavy riffs and pounding drums accompanying lyrics sung in Urdu, a lingua franca that bridges the gap between Pakistan and India and their respective diaspora. A totally essential and powerful record that shows solidarity in its righteous indignation. Recommended.