| CD REVIEW Strange Corner |
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Band : Strange Corner Darned…to say I’m kinda pissed-off at myself for not knowing this Italian hardcore band yet, is somewhat of an understatement! You see, I kinda try to keep up with the whole Italian Underground Hardcore scene, and one of the ways I try to do that is by getting myself as many as possible albums from the Vacation House label…which happens to be where this band’s previous two full-lengths were released…without me knowing of it!?! Ah well, with the anger in me now somewhat subsided, I’ll start off this review properly by stating the simple fact that this Vicenza based band [current line-up comprising singer Alessandro Farinati, guitarists Jacopo Carlotto (newest addition to the line-up in Summer 2007) and Emanuele Zilio, bassist Andrea Bruttomesso, and drummer Claudio Cappello) started out in 1993, and released a first demo two years later. Also in 1995, the band saw their official debut released in the form of the Animal Rape 7-inch, issued through the small Blu Bus Records imprint (who had already comprised a song by the band on their We Bastard Motherfuckers, Vol.1 compilation). In the following years more songs were contributed to a variety of benefiit compilations, thus spreading the band’s name progressively. After a stabilisation of the band’s line-up, Strange Corner recorded their first full-length effort Schizm in early 1998, and saw it released through Vacation House later that same year! Soon after gaining great reviews for the album, the band’s life profile was put on a higher thanks to a number of tours with internationally renowned Hardcore acts such as D.O.A., Snapcase, Ignite, Darkest Hour, and 25 Ta Life! Next up, the band recorded a couple of songs for a self-released split 7-inch EP with German act The 4 Sivits. The band’s 2001 sophomore mini-album The Flight not only got additional distribution through a licence deal with San Fransisco’s Beach Records (the rest of the world would still be provided by Vacation House and Cripta Records, but outside the US the album would be given the title Price To Pay, and given a different cover), but also saw the band head out to the USA for a 14-date tour of the East Coast. Rock Sound Magazine included a song by the band on a compilation dedicated to the Punk and Hardcore scene! After that things went silent around the band for a while! In early 2006 Strange Corner started writing the material which would later become this album. With recordings already done (with Alberto Angeli at Green Villas Studios), the mixing was eventually handled by Johan Bredahl (of Hatesphere and Barcode fame) during the Summer of 2007. 3-track sampler CDs where then sent off to several record labels to see whom would be interested in actually releasing the album. Eventually, a deal was struck with the good people at Casket/ Copro in May of this year! The material being aptly described on the band’s website (strangcorner.com), I have no remorse at all repeating their own words: “Strange Corner plays a sort of New York Hardcore (Sick Of It All, Killing Time, Madball) mixed with new school and Metal influences (Turmoil, Hatebreed, All Out War) and a bit of Italian Hardcore style. Lyrically, the guys use both socio-politically charged issues and personal experiences, then mold these into songs which will be brougth either in the English, or the Italian language. On Human Society, this is done at a 6/5 rate, in favour for the English language…and let thàt be the point where the proverbial shoe occasionally knells in my personal appreciation of the band’s music! Because, you see, Alessandro’s English ain’t always what it’s supposed to be, occasionally letting slip in pronounciations typical to the Italian. Oh well, most of the time his voice is angry enough to sift out those little ideosyncracies, but they dó come through occasionally nevertheless! Check it out for yourself at myspace.com/strangecorner, where the band posted 4 English songs against the lone more convincing Italian “Detriti Di Rabbia” (all taken off the new album; if you care to listen to some older material, surf to the band’s own website). You’ll agree that musically, everything is hunky-dory (if you’re wondering whether there’s more acoustic moments like at the end of the album opening “Collapsed World”, I can aswer that with a definite NO), and when listening to the album a couple of times in a row (like I always do before even starting any review), the little (negative) details mentioned above tend to get blurred in the background of melodic aggression anyway! It takes a detail-sifter like myself (and you’re absolutely free to have your own opinion about this album, you know! Truth is, if I’d come across this on the Vacation House roster, I’d buy it anyway…because that’s the weird afinity I have with Hardcore made in Italy) to even still notice after the several listening sessions he’s given the album, but in the end it is such small details which cost an album some points in the rating. 84/100 Tony. |