Tank-2000 — Positive Rage (2018)

Talking about Ukrainian hardcore, it's impossible not to notice its inconsistency — from different angles it seems small and at the same time very large. In case you're a new listener you may think that the bands do not really differ from each other. Hardcore and hardcore, what is remarkable? 

But as soon as you can dig deeper, the hidden opens, it turns out that the genre is not so simple, there are bands that dilute established canons and do it quite skillfully. Someone plays with metal sound (Knifeman), some people make their sound heavier by lowering speeds and building guitars (Juggernaut), someone introduces the spirit of California in the 90s and skate punk (Redemption), someone tries at the same time combine post-hardcore and grunge (Bluesbreaker), someone prefers melodies and emotions (Wendeavor and Orpha).

044Hardcore continue to gather around bands that can be put in a row, but distinguished from each other. Here is Bluesbreaker, which have become quieter and probably even more thoughtful, but their live-fire has not gone away, has flared up and continues to burn. Here is Reminded, for describing the pressure, strength, and power of music, which the most faithful will be to associate with the cover of "Vulgar Display of Power" from Pantera. There is young blood — Tank-2000, which released the debut album "Positive Rage", showing hardcore not only like the music for moshing dance.

About the band

Tank-2000 - the youngest blood in 044Hardcore organization (if not to take Almaz band, who plays shoegaze, into account), which actively began to boil about three years ago. It was a band that recorded the first release named demo-2016 after 10 concerts held, the cost price was 420 hryvnias, and the mix was made by themselves. It was three years ago.

About the album

On November 9, 2018, the bandcamp of the band was updated and "Positive Rage" was released, which showed firsthand how the band should develop, what is the difference between demo and full-fledged, thoughtful work.

There is no more track of the created material after 10 concerts — a mini-album was created for almost two years. A record for $20 evolved into Checkpoint Studio in Kyiv. Mastering by their own hands passed to Will Killingsworth from Dead Air Studio, Western Mass, USA.

About the music

For ten minutes and seven tracks, the feeling of the integrity of the work and its solidity does not disappear — each desk, each hook, riff, chord and whipping in place, there is nothing superfluous. It would seem that the timing is small, and what can you see and hear when most of the tracks are by the minute? You can see the details and trivia of which a large-scale picture is constructed showing that hardcore music is not only the swinging breakdown of a new school or the classic hardcore punk at speeds.

• The opening song with the interesting name "Back In Business" shows that from the noisy hardcore punk two years ago, the band focused on working out the groove and melody. The midtempo core of the genre, its swinging core has not gone away, is understandable, but now it is embraced by the clarity of sound and steps back and forth from today's NYHC to its original appearance.
• In the same way, "No Matter What It Takes" is sustained, which, by the way, gives me the most with the sound of 044hardcore.
• "Feel Free"— one feels the simplest, but the clearest piece of all seven — there is no constant walk back and forth from speed to roll. It is conditionally possible to divide the composition into two equal parts: the first is speedy and even slightly chaotic, while the second is more moderate and slowed down in speed. And this all, I might admit, takes 53 seconds!
• The next is "Autist Stomp II", this is an instrumental track, the beginning of which was presented in the debut demo2016.
• "Positive Rage" — album-closing, flirting with speeds, gradually slowing down to an unexpectedly volatile mixture reminiscent of the fact that sludge is music that came out of hardcore.

About the lyrics

There is no integral promise, which penetrates all the work with a thin thread. In separate fragments, one can see both traditionally motivating promises, and frank things about a lyrical character that is rather negative, than positive:

Stop kissing the ground, start writing your own fate
Release your inner power now, before it's too late
"No Matter What It Takes"

Play by someone else's rules, I disagree
There’s a desire to be somebody, bigger than just being
So now I swim against this fucking stream
Cuz that's the only way I can feel free
"Feel Free"

I’ll be an egoistic freak till the day I die
Such a piece of shit like me, you need to try to find
Time goes by, I'm still the same scum of mankind
"About Myself"

Resume

Tank-2000 from a group of weakly, but defiantly playing children of the 2000s has grown to an exemplary indicator, how to do it, how to grow from release to release, and how not to nod in your party, showing that their place in 044hardcore is not in vain.

This is a good release, short, but confident and has a substantial foundation.

The opinions expressed in the reviews convey the views of the authors themselves and do not necessarily reflect the position of Neformat.com.ua

Tank-2000 in social networks:
https://tank-2000.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/044tank2000/