Hanabie.
Bucchigiri Tokyo
Based out of Tokyo, rising J-Metal act Hanabie. bring a dynamic combination of nu-metalcore, electronics and Harajuku fashion, to form their own style: Harajuku-core. The new EP Bucchigiri Tokyo arrives seeing the band evolve further, hitting harder than before with their unyielding heaviness, soaring cleans and electrifying synths.
Emerging from an atmospheric soundscape of Tokyo City, the title track, Bucchigiri Tokyo, bursts into life with a fierce wall of distorted guitars and Yukina’s demonic harsh growls. Contrasting the harsh with high register cleans, and the soaring chorus vocal hook, presents an intriguing interplay between light and shade while also injecting a catchy element. The energy levels don’t falter across Bucchigiri Tokyo, it’s a high-octane experience throughout. Diving straight into the cyber infused offering that is Metamorphose, the thrilling guitar rhythms and percussion drive the track’s momentum. Ferocious growls are contrasted in the chorus with the enticing and memorable lead clean vocal melody. To top is off, Metamorphose’s epic breakdown unleashes a further display of power. OTAKU Lovely Densetsu remains firmly in the cyber realms as 8-bit esque synths and vocoder effects transport you into the virtual world. Matsuri’s cleans in the chorus interplay with Yukina’s aggressive vocal, bringing an uplifting energy shift, before descending back into the intense heavy.
Beginning with dramatic percussion, Gambler carries a haunting mood with eerie dissonant leads and a dark chord progression. The arrangement of this track feels somewhat more experimental as the atmosphere is carefully curated through the instrumental parts. Thundering rhythmic hits produce a dramatic start to Ito Okashi My Type. The sonic power is enhanced with alternating sections of fast-paced rhythms and more instrumentally minimal arrangements. The chorus is hugely impactful with soaring cleans layered in with the aggressive harsh vocal, and vocoder motifs. Beats and electronics make the sound feel as though it’s been taken straight from the urban space of Tokyo City. Bonus Guilty Time is short and sweet track overflowing with 8-bit electronics, spoken voice, and even sees a synth riser thrown in. It’s quirky, experimental, and a fun conclusion to the EP.
Bucchigiri Tokyo is a fully immersive journey into the sonic and aesthetic world of Hanabie.. Not only does it showcase the band’s talent and technical proficiency, but also their sense of having fun with metal and making it their own. They are a force to be reckoned with. From beginning to end, Bucchigiri Tokyo in an unceasing display of vigour as it packs a serious punch. • HR
For fans of: PALEDUSK, Babymetal, Fate Gear
‘Bucchigiri Tokyo’ by HANABIE. is released on 6th December on Sony Music.
Whispers
Yom-Ma-Lok
Up to the eleventh hour of the year continues Flatspot’s Pokémon trainer-esque journey to catch ‘em all (i.e. sick, new hardcore bands), and be the very best (hardcore label), like no one ever was. In the case of Whispers, they’re the more utilitarian Blastoise to flashier, Charizard-ish fan favourites like Speed or Scowl, but to avoid belabouring this clunky metaphor even further, they’re still definitely worth the attention.
Whispers are actually a Thai band, for the first point of note, who’ve coined the term ‘Bangkok Evilcore’ for themselves. Don’t expect that to have a ton of musical bearing, though, seeing as this is pretty foundationally Americanised overall. The closest to an ethnic flair they get is in portions of the lyrics and the EP’s title, itself a Romanisation of the Thai word for ‘underworld’. Perhaps you can call that a missed opportunity (see the rewards reaped from Asian acts like Bloodywood and Voice Of Baceprot in recent years through channelling indigenous influences), but, y’know…it’s hardcore, at the end of the day. Not everyone can be a mind-bender, and Yom-Ma-Lok routinely finds itself hitting hard regardless.
True, that leaves little real insight to be delivered, but good is good with a sound like this. They’ve roped in members of Speed, Demonstration Of Power and Kickback to shore that up, inducting Whispers into the tight-knit circle of meat-and-potatoes beatdowns that still feel thrilling. It’s as heavy as you like, as you’d presume from a band wringing every drop of meaning from ‘metallic hardcore’. Furthermore, Nitisart Chaiburi is as locked into the burly, tough-guy bark as possible, again with expectedly bone-crunching results. Other than some bits of slower texture that prelude the closing title track, Whispers are all in on hardcore with the brakes off, and it’s a refreshingly clear take on that.
To that end, they’re right at home among their new hardcore family, and appear to be seeing the benefit of Flatspot’s ever-rising tide already. It’s always cool to see that happen to a band with a genuine drive, immaterial of whether or not they’re anything all that special. For Whispers, the needle is edging towards ‘not very’ in that case, but that’s also asking a hell of a lot of them, and any hardcore band, to be fair. At least Yom-Ma-Lok is the kind of lean, mean face-puncher its label almost exclusively seems to traffic in, and if it’s good enough for Flatspot, it should be good enough for you, too. • LN
For fans of: Speed, Demonstration Of Power, Negative Frame
‘Yom-Ma-Lok’ by Whispers is released on 13th December on Flatspot Records.
Chaos Reigns
Sweet Violence
Never underestimate the power of a band who’ll get the nostalgia gland pumping while still being resolutely their own thing. Chaos Reigns could (not ‘do’; remember that) live in two different hardcore worlds—one of the frantic mathcore scalpel-wielders, and one of the halcyon days of Brit-core’s emotional venting. It’s the latter that’s the more pertinent in this conversation, given how deep the enamouredness for that era continues to run, and how effectively Chaos Reigns can channel it without being an obvious copy. They’ve even gotten Mikey Chapman to feature on this new EP, as a small but mighty reminder that, once upon a time, Mallory Knox were adjacent to this scene.
Perhaps when you catch wind of both sides, where Chaos Reigns are attempting to cohabit a naturally greyed-out grandeur with fierce shocks of intricacy, there’s a temptation to say they’re doing too much. Except you do get the impression that Chaos Reigns can handle it all. They’re not overshadowed by one side of themselves or the other, nor as stubbornly committed to either. This is a true blend of what might seem diametrically opposed in ideals, but which Sweet Violence can mould into entirely its own thing. The hugeness underscores False Gods and Graveyard Shift without dulling their spasming shifts and riffs; later on, at the very end, The Lotus King arrives at an almost eight-minute culmination of Chaos Reigns at their mightiest.
On top of that, it’s just an excellent sound and technique that Chaos Reigns have fashioned for themselves. At no point are they wanting for additional heaviness or sharpness or guttural venom, because they’ve got such a clear vision of what they want. In Jason Heightman’s vocals, there’s the regionality in timbre and accent of the Brit-core heavyweights without dating or deflating itself, because the slant taken is benefited by the sound. Likewise, a song like Snakes & Branches wears the wiry frame of early Gallows that’s an immaculate resource for tying all of this together. Truly, nothing on Sweet Violence is out of place. Even Chapman, who’s there more or less to bolster The Lotus King’s extensive melodic coda, just works as a piece of the overall composition.
Naturally, there’s also a fire and fury to the writing, though you could make nursery rhymes sound harsh and destitute with the sort of delivery that Chaos Reigns have going on. They fit in the comfortable crossover between hardcore all-rounders and riser with a mountain of good things ready to come this way, all presented in great form on this EP. A genre in overall rude health is one thing, but the pocket that Sweet Violence occupies is the exact right way to revive a fan-favourite scene, while making it feel fresh and exciting at the same time. Relying on nostalgia alone doesn’t get you even close to the lengths that Chaos Reigns have taken themselves on just this one EP. • LN
For fans of: Converge, Heights, Last Witness
‘Sweet Violence’ by Chaos Reigns is out now.
Words by Holly Royle (HR) and Luke Nuttall (LN)
