The Mansters – ‘The Lessons In giving Up’ (Loyal Blood Records)

The Mansters – ‘The Lessons In giving Up’ (Loyal Blood Records)

Influenced by the punk and hardcore Norwegians THE MANSTERS have released a demo, three EPs and a full-length album since their inception in 2006.

Now in 2023, seven long years following that self-titled debut album, the five-piece group from Tønsberg are back with a new full-length album titled “The Lessons In Giving Up”, and it’s out on Loyal Blood Records. 


Recorded by Ruben Willem at Caliban Studio Storsjøen, ‘The Lessons In Giving Up’ is a high-octane blood brother to Fellow Northern Europeans The Good The Band And The Zugly. The band manages very nicely to harness that raw aggression of punk with the pummelling fury of hardcore and some speed metal thrown in for good measure. It’s been a style for decades now and trying to perfect it is hard many have tried and failed with some of the finest exponents of this style currently being Clowns from Australia and TGTBATZ.

Eight songs are on offer here kicking off with the frantic ‘Welcome To Hell’ with its pounding tempo and uncompromising style its a blinding opener and I love the stabs before the solo enters the frey like a chinook helicopter blade slashing and slicing. But hold onto yur strides kids because ‘Panic Boy’ turns up the pace and is off like a freakin rocket.

The bass grunt on ‘Underdogs’ gives you time to take a sharp intake of breathe before we speed off again in a flurry of drums bass and guitar. It’s a short but oh so sweet records with some variety – its not all thrash til you die they’re not savages for Gods sake. ‘Walls’ is a slower beast but is prowling round your speakers like some pissed off grisley bear weating to pounce. The melody on ‘Walls’ is an earworm you welcome. ‘Give Up’ is a frantic melodic slice of punk and again I love that bass sound they’ve hit on as it punches its way to your attention- ‘Give Up’ is a beast.

The final three offerings follow a pettern – pound – pound and pound again as the listener submits and throws themselves around to some mighty fine punk rock hardcore crossover. If you’re looking for some blood pumping top notch harn n heavy punk rock then The Mansters are your band. Get on it and give them some love and tell em the RPM boys sent you. They’re waiting

https://www.facebook.com/ManstersTBG
https://www.facebook.com/loyalbloodrecords

Die A Legend – Winning (Loyal Blood Records)

Die A Legend – Winning (Loyal Blood Records)

Sometimes, Just sometimes Hardcore is like heaven sent ear candy and the moment the chaos and brutality hit the ether it just resonates with you. Well, Die A Legend just did that to me.  I wasn’t in the mood for some loud, uncompromising hardcore pounding my peace and quiet but it did and I just sat back and marveled at its beauty.

The last time that happened to me was when I stumbled across Fireburn and they kicked the shit out of my ears as well. Funnily enough Bloodclot! did the same.  Now I don’t profess to be a hardcore connoisseur but I am very partial to some Pizzatramp and I also read that these guys toured with The Good The Bad And The Zugly so my attention was immediately grabbed because I love those guys.

Die A Legend is known among hardcore connoisseurs as Norway’s best-kept secret. The band started making noise back in 2011, rivaling bands within the infamous scene that was ‘Tromsø Hardcore’ – and released their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album in 2012.

In September, the Tromsø-based trio is back with their first release in six years,  A hardcore and contemporary commentary on the state of things right here right now.  From the opening strains of ‘Liars’ this bass throbbing heaving mass of hardcore riffs is straight down the line hardcore from the slow heaving intro before the vocal yelp in and the pace is raised towards the chorus where the gang vocals join in before falling back to the heaving riff-a-rama.

‘Bloodthurst’ is off like a sprinter being chased over hurdles by a pack of rabid dogs. The band is taking no prisoners at all and just dropping their heads and going for it! Harcore of the finest quality you should check this out if you know what’s good for you.  Pizzatramp, Clowns and Die A Legend should tour it would be lethal. Hardcore mana from heaven – get some!

Facebook

Author: Dom Daley