I haven't wrote reviews in a while, but I will always review the actual record sent to me like guys from Hard Strike did and thanks for that one more time!
Hard Strike is a hardcore punk band with members from Germany and USA and The Conflict is their first release in a form of 7˝ EP released by Backbite Records from Karlsruhe, Germany that was released earlier this year. Hard Strike was formed at the beginning of 2019 between long time friends Martin Schultz (Blank, Null Art) on vocals and Markus Münch (Baffdecks, Bone Idles) on guitar and soon after they wrote few songs, Markus contacted his old band mate Maurice Müller (Bone Idles) for the drums and Martin his friend Dan Africa (Punch, I Recover) for the bass. Soon after that, Martin contacted Ken Olden (Battery, Better Than A Thousand, Face The Enemy) with whom he had become friends in recent years.
The EP is on a clear vinyl and mine is 109 our of 300 for all the collector nerds out there. The cover is silk-screened and it looks pretty cool with a lyrics sheet inside. There is also a patch and stickers by the band, that's what I got at least. I'm not sure how and where the band have rehearsals but the records was recorded at 79 Sound studio in Cologne, Germany where the German part of the band is based.
There are four songs on the EP in 8 minutes of what I would describe as 90's influenced hardcore. The songs are mid tempo with mostly shouting vocals including group singalongs that are sometimes sang not just shouted which is interesting and reminds me a little bit of Nations Of Fire. There are also some Dag Nasty-ish guitar melodies here and there but I wouldn't say that the band wants to imitate any certain band.
The lyrics are written from personal and critical point of view of an individual who strive for a better world. At least that's how I've perceived them. The record started to grow on me after a few listens and it's on my playlist for a few weeks now. The first song Time for a Change is may favorite because it's the most direct and it's the fastest song on the record. I wonder in what direction will Hard Strike go with their next record (possibly an album).
So, if you are into 90's sounding hardcore punk influenced by both European and USA hardcore punk bands from that era, check out Hard Strike!
You can listen the band's record on their bandcamp page or order a 7˝ EP directly from the band or from the distros that carry this 7˝ EP.
Gajo von IOSC aka The Snake
