20120913


BYSTORM
sumalangitnawa CD
Major Malfunction | Still Ill | Delusion Of Terror

'Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves or whether it should be ours here and now and on this earth'
Ayn Rand 'Atlas Shrugged' novel (1957)

BYSTORM's new CD is epic.
For those that do not know this band, they are one of South East Asia's most active hardcore bands the last years. They are based in Philippines and they have already released 2 great split CDs with Pulling Teeth (yeah, Pulling Teeth) and Sauna.
'Sumalangitnawa' (translated as the heavens upon our souls, or something like this) is their new record featuring 11 songs of dark & powerful metallic hardcore, plus an SSD cover ('How much art?'). 
Lyrics varying from against religion issues to trend jumping in the hardcore scene and short songs create a heavy atmosphere. Think a mixture of Catharsis, Ringworm and Length Of Time and you know the deal. 
It's totally Holy Terror stuff coming out of a country that the majority of the hardcore kids in our country believe that there's not a scene in. On the contrary, SE Asia (Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia) has a life-breathing and strong hardcore / punk scene that we all should take a look at.
Back to BYSTORM... From the haunting intro with the screaming lady to the apocalyptic outro, they manage to grab your attention and make you delve into the soundscapes they create.
Moreover, do I have to mention that a band covering SSD takes extra points from me?!
Last but not least, the artwork is lovely and fits a lot with the whole aesthetics of BYSTORM.
If you want a copy of this, visit Uprising Hardcore Distro.

bystorm.bandcamp.com
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