hcmorethanmusic: December 2016

Brno 2

Hi! This report is just about Brno´s underground hc / punk bands. No labels, no punk places - it´s just bands. If someone from the bands has some other activities you will know that!

The first band I want to write about is Zeměžluč, which was started in 1986 and has been playing to this day. Zeměžluč plays something between hardcore and punk, but I think everybody tells you Zeměžluč is punkrock. The reason I wrote also hardcore is because they frequently change members. So there is a record like ‘System Kanibal’ that sounds like HC punk and then ‘Z extrému do extrému’ that is more punkrock. Zeměžluč has only one original member, Šoty, who is the bass player and he has played the whole time since 1986. The band recently recorded a new split 7-inch EP with Prague crust punk band Angry Brigade. A song from this EP is here.

Another band that has played for almost 17 years is See You in Hell. Everybody who knows the original member Filip Fuchs. Unfortunately Filip died one year ago after a fight with cancer. Then Filip was also member of a band called Mrtvá Budoucnost and he was publisher of Czech cult zine Hluboká Orba.

After pause of one long year, See You in Hell had the first show with a new line-up in December 2016. Recently they have played with two guitars. One guy is the bass player from Tomorrow´s Hell and other is the guitarist from Kriminalitat. The last gig with Filip is here.

The next band that is almost classic for people from our city is Risposta, who started around 2005 and play to this day. Just like many other bands, Risposta have changed many members. So there were people who came from Festa Desperato, Brunner Todesmarch, Last Call for Peace or v Době Moru. These days Risposta play as a three-piece with no second guitar or individual vocals. Risposta look like this these days.

Macgyver is band that was started from Pazi Snajper. They have been playing since 2002 but are not too active. They released one 7-inch EP and one great LP called Panthalassa. It´s sophisticated punkrock with melodic roots. Listen here.

When I read someone else’s report from Brno, I realised that many writers don´t mention My Dead Cat. The reason is simple. They don´t play hardcore or even angry punk but I think they belong to Brno HC/punk scene. Of course, they play something between pop or garage punk but the guys are from this city, they visited hc / punk shows and the guitarist is even the ex-singer from Mrtvá Budoucnost. The Ex-drummer plays in Zeměžluč and they played for the last 15 years...

Evidence Smrti was started when Basto broke up. The singer is the bass player from legendary band Mrtvá Budoucnost. He has an original style of singing. Music is dark and fast hc punk but the singing is like from some old-school metal bands. Nobody is surprised that many members play or have played in Festa Desperato, V Době Moru, Brunner Todesmarch.

I think Tummo is the only band who play stoner / sludge / hc / punk here. People from Tummo have also played in Mad Pigs or More Bad News. Two years ago Tummo changed their line-up so there is Máša from Mad Pigs on bass and a Pavla on vocals :) I think this line-up is better than the original line up. I think it’s faster and more lively. And the bass player is even active in his personal live, working for an organization that helps gypsies out of the ghettos.

I think we have two bands that play something between crust and grind. The first one is V době more. And the second is Škoda 120. V době moru started about 2008 from the break-up of a band called Reakce na změnu. So if you have the tape of Reakce na změnu that was released on Ultima Ratio - so it runs over into V době moru. And the second band Škoda 120 has been playing since 1996, the whole time playing grindcore. I think they are part of the Brno HC /punk scene even though they play more grindcore gigs.

Another band what I want to write about is Brunner Todesmarch. They are not strangers in our scene. The singer played in Risposta or Festa Desperato (bass), the drummer in SUMO, Korubo, Resurgo and Corebastards and the guitar player is from Evidence Smrti or The Intruderss. The singer has published a punk fanzine called Smrt, which means “Death”. They play fast and loud!

Brno has one terrible bass player but the guy is also great drummer and you can hear him in Bombatölcsér. My mind is totally fucked up so now I realise that there are not just two crust / grind bands. There are even more bands playing this genre and one of them is just Bombatölcsér. I think if Eric (the good drummer) lives in Brno or doesn´t die drinking too much vodka - there will be always something here that will have grind and has fast roots. So if you like this genre - then listen to Bombatölcsér here.

If you like bands like His Hero is Gone or Children of the Fall or maybe Fall of Efrafa then listen to Same River Twice! In contrast to other bands SRT don´t play crust / hc / punk or something like that and I´m glad. There are many bands that play the same genre constantly and it´s boring. In addition Jiřina (the guitarist) is very active guy. He organised the local alternative festival Protestfest and these days he manages local vegetarian / vegan club Vegalite where there are many punk gigs. It’s interesting that the guitar player and drummer played before in band called Nagaika. They only released a split CD with RIP band More Bad News but I think the material is great. Even better than Same River Twice but it´s just my opinion.

Another band who I have to mention is Got a Wolf. GAW play sofisticated modern hardcore / punk with many intersting passages. Sometimes I feel the influence of the "mathcore" genre but I´m afraid that a guitarist from GAW would tell me it´s bullshit - so ask him. The last stuff that they released is called "Dead Inside" and it´s from compilation that was released on a czech known label "Damage Done Records" - listen here.

If you like melodic hardcore / punk listen to Resurgo. They started in 2008, changed a few members and between 2012 - 2015 were nonactive. They released one CD-r demo and recently an LP V zajetí myšlenek. The band were / are people from: Brunner Todesmarch, Zeměžluč, My Dead Cat, SUMO, Pripyat, Trauma 84. The guitarist is also active in group of people who fight for animal rights - Kolektiv pro zvířata (Collective for Animals).

Aliusterra is a typical angry anarcho-punk band from the eighties. It´s not fast but it´s angry. I recommend the first demo from 2013. Later records are more melodic and on one record you can even hear the saxophone. Recently they have a girl and boy singer :)

When I wrote about Aliusterrra I have to write about Godot Youth that was started by the ex-drummer from Aliusterra Keyda. When I firstly heard the demo of GY it´s reminded me of another Czech band Innoxia Corpora. Maybe the reason why I hear that band is because the guitarist is from the same place as Innoxia. So GY is primitive slower punk with a spiky punk melody. And the same as Aliusterra, there is girl and guy on vocals. BTW: The guy is the ex-vocalist from great Jihlava´s band Rapsod! BTW2: The drummer from GY played also in Rapsod.

When I wrote about Škoda 120, V době more and Bombatölcsér I forgot about 6mas. So there are not only two crust / grind bands that come from punk roots but there is also 6mas! Listen here

Kullervo is next band of Mirek Kokavec. Mirek played in Festa Desperato, Scarto, Basto and Korubo. So it´s logical that his other band has "O" on the end of the name. And I think Kullervo is not something too different from what he played before. So if you like raw punk listen here and BTW: Mirek also plays in a band Kamil who played with him in the original line-up of Festa Desperato. BTW2: Mirek also has a label and distro Ultima Ratio.

Another new band in our city is Trauma 84. Trauma have played since 2013 but the first demotape was released in 2015. The guitarist from Trauma also plays in Resurgo or Zeměžluč. The bass player is the drummer from Bombatölcsér or No God Rhetoric and he also has a band called Moral Hangover.

Trauma 84 plays something between hc / punk and metal and has a girl singer. The bass player is also the publisher of zine Spalená ramena that is completely in English. So if you find the zine, buy it!

Moral Hangover is also from the new generation of Brno´s bands. As well as the drummer and bass player there are even two new people! Brno is almost unreal because almost everybody plays in 2 bands. One of the people is even skinhead! Brno also unreal because almost every skinhead is like a nazi. But he is not, he is good guy. So Moral Hangover is something between Mob 47 and Homoconsumens. I feel its melodic guitar and totally fast drums.

If you like typical emo / hardcore with many guitar pedals I recommend you Kruhy. Kruhy are also brand new band. But it wouldn´t be band from Brno if somebody doesn´t play in another band. So bass player from Kruhy is also guitarist from Got a Wolf. They released one short demo. Listen here.

Another good skinhead is in the band called Bob Senclark. He doesn´t drink, doesn´t beat up people and isn´t even a nazi! He is something between primitive Oi! and rock ’n’ roll. The bass player publishes a punk / comic zine called Elens.

The last new band is No God Rhetoric. The drummer of Bombatalcser is unsatisfied with the lack of fast bands so he started a new fast / power violence band. They have one demo and last week recorded a new one. Eric also played in a band called Terrorelhárítás but the band did not live long.