Quick update.....
First reviews of the new album are in.
Any labels that wanna trade get in touch
Labels that wanna trade get in touch.
"Punch and push. The two things that make a hardcore gig audience: the two things that make a hardcore band. The two things that make a fantastic hardcore album.
Galway’s OFAC showed they had both qualities with their last album, which did unfortunately go under the radar. Or at least under many metallers’ radar, given that they’ve played a ton of shows in Europe to what were hopefully supportive crowds.
In a manner not entirely dissimilar to Neifenbach, interviewed here recently, these guys show that commitment, message and determination in delivery all combust in exciting and driving music. The blastbeat that opens ‘The Weight Of Your World On My Shoulders’, and the D-Beat it continues into show that one off for anyone in doubt.
Variety in here comes mainly by way of the speed settings. Only Fumes are as capable and powerful at the slow and mid paced tempos as they are at the straight out hardcore.
That means that tracks like ‘Apathy’ fly by in a violent burst of tightly focused punk (wanting only for a little more bass in the production) - with ferocious chuggidy palm muting in there making it all the more vitriolic.
They slow however to a rousing weight with ‘The Colour Purple’ (ie what you come out feeling when the album’s done), using a heavy tom batter and darkened, unresolved chords to lend the kind of feel you’d sooner expect from Coldwar.
These twelve tracks, though similar enough, seek not to reinvent the wheel. They merely implore to attach firecrackers to it, and roll it down a steep hill in the direction of the Irish orthodoxy.
It would be entirely disingenuous for me to claim some knowlegde or appreciation of the finer points of hardcore. All I know is that when it mixes with a little bit of metal - on its own terms, that is - the results can be exhilarating.
This is as direct and satisfying an example as is needed. And the little Ska homage in ‘Wreck’ is fucking genius.
4.5/5 (album of the month) "
Earl Grey - Metalireland
So I know fuck all about this band apart from they are Irish and actually brilliant. Probably one of the best hardcore full length records I have had the pleasure of reviewing for ages. It's dirty, powerful and incredibly mature. This record really delivers. "The Weight Of Your World On My Shoulders" has a hint of CBK (when they were actually good, don't get me started on their latest CD...) and is probably my favourite track on the record. One of the things I really admire about this band is that although they are current in their delivery, and clearly punk as fuck, they don't chuck everything out at warp speed, it's refreshing. Crusty vocals and filthy hooks accompany some of the best basslines I have heard in a while, and the drumming is actually creative! Not all blast beats, which is super fucking cool. There are some wicked change downs in this record, sometimes complex, always catchy as fuck. 14 tracks too, so it's real bargain. I am gagging to see them live. Ruthless!! I love it!!"
Hayley - Lights Go Out Zine
"I've struggled with completing this review for a couple of weeks now, partially due to the ususal tornado of "other shit" whirling through my life and destroying any free time I have to write, and partially because basically, the cd was buried under a pile of other stuff in the "to listen to" pile, arriving is it did just after I'd been out of town for a while.
OFAC have always been one of those bands I've really wanted to like moreso than I've actually liked, if that makes sense. The people involved in the band are good folks. I have a lot of time for them, and a huge amount of respect for guitarist Dan in particular both as someone who's worked really fucking hard towards building a stronger punk and hardcore scene in this country, and just as a general good dude all round. Unfortunately, fine people as they are, their music has just never really grabbed me by the throat in the way I've wanted it to before now. Live, sure, they ripped, but the recordings unfortunately revealed a saminess in the material that just never really held my interest for repeat listens, always seemed that little bit too clean, lacking any real kind of fire They always just sounded like a Bridge 9 band covering From Ashes Rise to my ears, not a mixture I had a huge interest in.
When original drummer Tom and bassist Connor went off a year or so ago to form the colossus that is Bacchus, it kind of seemed like it was sink or swim time for OFAC. Would they split up?Would they just get new members and continue plowing the same monotonous furrow? Or would they use this as a chance to reinvigorate themselves and step up their proverbial game? Well, on the evidence of this full length, it seems very much like the latter.
While still keeping the fast anthemic hardcore of their earlier days firmly to the fore, OFAC have extended their remit far beyond my expectations and, I'd wager, their own. Wether it's the new line up or what I don't know, but this record erases the memory of anything they've done before - it's a revitalised, dynamic maelstrom of a record that melds a whole bunch of elements together to produce something that sounds remarkably fresh and most importantly has its' own identity. I don't listen to this type of hardcore generally, so maybe I'm fooling myself here, but I genuinely don't hear anything here that makes me thing "oh, this sounds a bit like x". That's not something I can say about most other punk or hardcore records I've heard recently, particularly those from this country.
The stylistic diversity here also feels seamless, a convergence of influences from various strains of the punk and hc spectrum. The danger with adding new and seemingly disparate influences to an already established sound is that the end result will sound contrived - there's really only one point on the album this happens, and I'll come to that in a sec.
OFAC manage catchy singalong parts with as much care and subtlety as they do the occasional blast beat that breaks through, and the pacing of these songs (the area I'd always felt them lacking in most, as their prior work seemed to be more about concentrated speed, which often suffocated any sense of subtlety) is expert, lending a flow and control they haven't always had.Songs like "The Colour Purple" and "I Need To Get Out More" are total craftsmanship in action. I can even forgive them for the reggae breakdown (generally always the worst thing a punk rock band can do in my book) on "X Marks the Cross", for the simple fact that it actually fits the song perfectly. Although when they pull out the same trick on "Wreck" later however it seems completely gratituous; it's easily the obvious low point on the album, and feels like they're taking the piss.
If I'm honest, it shares the same problem as a lot of the current wave of hardcore in this country, in that overall it still feels a little too polite and too..I dunno.. tame for my snooty powerviolence-loving, scene-hating tastes. It's still not anywhere as explosive as I need this kind of music to be, still not loud enough, still not fast enough. But as someone who doesn't generally listen to a lot of this more modern and polished type of hardcore, even I can hear and see that this band are excellent at what they do, and I have absolutely no hesitation prescribing it both for fanatical hardcore kids and those who are occasional dabblers. This is the record they needed to make at this point, and they've delivered the proverbial goods."
Jamie - Destroyed Human
"Galway’s Only Fumes & Corpses are a band of angry men. This, their debut album, is a healthy slab of hardcore punk that wears it’s influences on it’s sleeve but still occasionally catches the listener off guard. The album brings to mind bands like Verse and Sinking Ships, but that’s not to say OF&C don’t bring their own booze to the barbecue. “September” for example features some great rock ‘n roll riffing while “Wreck” glides seamlessly from raging old school hardcore into dub reggae in such a way that, if you’re not expecting it, you have to go back and listen to it again to figure out what just happened. The latter song also signs off with a nod to Guns ‘N Roses, which is a commendable move for any band to make.
An occasional burst of melody, the addition of some metallic elements into the mix and vocals that wail with frustration and despair throughout make this a keeper. Even the most discerning hardcore/punk rock aficionados would be hard pushed to not find something they like about this album. You would do well to buy it."
James Johnson - Muckle Sandwich
"My friend Lee over at Lockjaw Records put me on to this band, who I have previously heard mentioned at a show in Birmingham, but had foolishly slept on. Describing them to me as abrasive hardcore, I was of course intrigued, especially with an interesting list of influences – with everything from comeback kid to hot water music cited as having impacted upon the band’s sound on this, their most recent full length. This 5 Piece from Galway in Ireland are, according to their press release, doing their best to up the profile of Irish hardcore (a scene that is really thriving at the moment with the likes of Frustration, Famine and Starters) with this record, and after listening through the 14 tracks, I would be surprised if they don’t achieve that aim. What struck me first about this record was the fact that despite wearing their influences firmly on their sleeves in the form of the aggression of bands like comeback kid, the melody and gruff vocals of hot water music and the riff power of more recent bands like cancer bats, it’s refreshing to hear these facets combined into an original sounding record. Kicking off with the visceral assault of “Futile Promises of a Listless Mind” which sets the tone for the rest of the record, with the fierce ‘you’ve had your chance!’ refrain screamed by vocalist Momme Reibisch, there is no slowing down for the next 40 minutes. The post-hardcore riffing of tracks like “Never End” brings an interesting addition to proceedings, and even further influences are unearthed later in the record with an almost ska melody at one point (perhaps explaining their previous tour mates Capdown and Sonic Boom Six). Don’t let that put you off though hardcore fans, there are plenty of moments where the speed and melody remind me of Touche Amore’s most recent output – a favourable comparison of course. My only jibe with this record is perhaps it’s length – one or two tracks shorter and the speed of the songs themselves would have transferred to the album as a whole. However, as this is a special edition, I can understand that the extra tracks are ones for the fans! And anyway, it’s not like anyone listens to whole albums anymore anyway, thanks a fucking bunch itunes.
I think the standout track for me comes in the form of mid album belter “The Weight of Your World on My Shoulders” who’s anguished backing vocal of ‘there’s no point!’ is at odds with the overall tone of this record. This is exactly the sort of record you want to put on when you’re feeling that there is no point, and that the weight of someone else’s problems are getting you down, and want to feel justified in your anger.
Overall this is a strong outing from Only Fumes & Corpses, and one that ought to increase their reputation and get them out on the road more often, I for one will definitely be checking them out! For fans of: Hot Water Music, Touche Amore, Comeback Kid
Download: The Weight Of Your World On My Shoulders, Never End".
Luke Mcguire - Everything You Touch Turns To Gold -July 2010.
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New album with extra tracks in out now on Lockjaw records.
Order at
http://www.lockjawrecords.co.uk/site/only-fumes-corpses.html?pop=0
Vinyl version is available from us at
www.onlyfumesandcorpses.bigcartel.com. Preview of all songs here.
http://www.amazon.com/Who-Really-Cares-What-Lasts/dp/B00419YZRA/ref=dm_ap_alb1?ie=UTF8&qid=1283951344&sr=8-2You can also buy the individual MP3's from there.
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New interview up
http://circuitsweet.blogspot.com/2010/09/only-fumes-and-corpses-feature.htmlhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Only-Fumes-Corpses/272814972428http://onlyfumesandcorpses.tumblr.com/http://onlyfumesandcorpses.blogspot.com/http://twitter.com/OFAChchttp://breakingtunes.com/onlyfumescorpses
