Shin to Shin - S/T 12'

 This 12" has been such a long time coming it is almost hard to believe it is finally here. Shin to Shin first surfaced all the way back in 2009 with a great split with Pulling Teeth. Straight away the song caught the attention of many and since then a couple of tracks have made their may onto A389 samplers. Rumours started to crop up of an LP, but for a long time nothing happened. Towards the end of last year it was officially announced, and released a few weeks ago.

S2S is (almost) the sole work of A2, from the early Integrity years. Over the few tracks I had heard up until this LP, I felt that Shin to Shin had quickly made a unique sound that was instantly attributable to the band. That has been carried across the rest of the album, which is pretty fantastic. Each song is catchy, with a distinctly harsh vocal sound that is filled with A2's signature style of guitar solo. All except the last track of course, Maia, which changes direction entirely. Instead of the typical hardcore track you would expect, Maia is a soft instrumental acoustic track which helps you to re-equilibrate your energy back to a normal level.

  The release was handled by A389, who have of course done their usual terrific job. With artwork and design by the infamous Szymon Siech, the choice of bloodsplatter or red/white vinyl and a lyrics with some very intricate artwork, it is overall top notch. Let's hope we don't have to wait another 5 years for more S2S.

Broken Cross - Secret Destruction 7"

Broken Cross is a band that has kept my interest ever since their first demo tape back in 2012. They have since seen another 7", a feature on the "Thee Compilation" LP and a track on a Cvltnation mixtape. All releases have been great, and now a brand new 7" has been unleashed, "Secret Destruction".

Four brand new tracks have been released on this EP, reaching just over 13 minutes. They follow on very well from earlier releases, keeping to the same lo-fi metal punk sound that is now very distinctly Broken Cross. The vocals are just as distorted as before, and there are the same blistering solos throughout the whole thing. However, the third track, "Assassin's Anthem", does take a slightly different approach to the work I have heard before. The tempo is quite a bit slower, with drums that are almost hypnotic.

The previous 7" was released on Holy Terror records, where I felt it fit in perfectly. This one however is a self-release on the Apocalyptic Visions label, the same as the original demo tape. This may be the second release under the label, but the packaging is top-notch. The whole thing comes in a great glossy outer sleeve with artwork by Dwid Hellion. Of course I felt it necessary to pick up one of the more limited versions, which comes with some cool bonus parts too.

This version is just out of 33 copies, and comes on the limited blue vinyl. It's a bit different to the blue that I normally see on transparent records, more of a royal blue, that has turned out looking great. This version also has the luxury of a stamped inner sleeve, with mine being copy number 9, a Broken Cross sticker and button. Overall it is a great record and package, and I'm glad to see this one man band continuing to put out music.