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Guilty. I’m guilty of somehow unconsciously careening into a narrow and dangerous mental path that’s associated new punk solely with the English-speaking Western World. Great Britain, the United States, Sweden (they speak English there, right?) and Australia…those are the only places good punk comes from, no? The swift slap in the face taking these puerile thoughts to task comes courtesy of the French band M-Sixteen on UK label Fond of Life and the Italian Chorus of One label.

A thunderous galloping rhythm launches the opening track “Equilibrist” that skits forward with the frenetics of A Wilhelm Scream and razor-throat screams that call to mind a wailing Matt Caughthran of the Bronx fame. As with most of cuts on M-Sixteen, the song screams by faster than expected before meeting a wall of feedback and distortion that closes most of the songs on the album. “The Change” follows and is arguably one of the better numbers along with the gang vocal-laden “Violent Apathy” and angular hardcore of “Monster.”

Though the Wilhelm Scream comparisons are both necessary and relevant, M-Sixteen trades in the dicing technical guitar work of AWS for many a furious barrage of chord alternations and more group vocals than the Scream have ever put forth. While the native French speakers clearly don’t have quite the bitter poetics of Nuno, M-Sixteen vocalist Renaud gets his point across more in tone than words, and it suits the whole just fine.

In short, M-Sixteen’s style of new-school melodic hardcore is top notch, and if whispers of A Wilhelm Scream and the Bronx aren’t enough to rouse your interest, check it out for yourself.

STREAM
Equilibrist
Rouge
Anatomy
Tenia



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    Posted by GlassPipeMurder on 2008-07-03 23:52:40
    My Score:

    I don't really know the Australia hardcore scene very well, but it doesn't seem to me that they have tons of great bands.

    i wasn't speaking of hardcore in particular, just good punk (ie., Frenzal Rhomb, The Living End, Blueline Medic, come on, mate!)

    Posted by blip on 2008-07-01 15:46:48

    swedish is the official language but english is taught from a young age in school.

    Posted by johnnyamok on 2008-07-01 09:09:02

    in sweden they speak swedish. easy as that :)

    Posted by VictorIkpeba24 on 2008-06-30 09:08:32
    My Score:

    Awesome album. I don't really know the Australia hardcore scene very well, but it doesn't seem to me that they have tons of great bands. Countries like Germany, Italy and France have a lot more great hardcore bands.

    Posted by GlassPipeMurder on 2008-06-27 18:21:11

    d'oh! i knew i was forgetting one. hahaha.

    Posted by SloaneDaley on 2008-06-27 16:50:14
    My Score:

    score is for you not including Canada in that list of english speaking punsk. for shame, for shame.

    Posted by ThomPunkAheaddotcom on 2008-06-27 15:58:45

    re: my comment - not jerome on vocals, he's the drums. i meant i think victor may be the lead vocalist?

    Posted by defianceohioequalslove on 2008-06-27 15:14:44

    Damn this shits good. It really is like putting AWS and the Bronx in a blender.

    Posted by ThomPunkAheaddotcom on 2008-06-27 14:41:50
    My Score:

    great band. i think i enjoyed their split with missing 23rd more but that's probably because it was more hardcore (the m16 side that is), this full-length is still good.. tenia is probably my favourite track, then probably rouge.
    i'd draw some similarities on this album to the foo fighters (obviously more punk/hardcore), can't really relate their sound to AWS that directly to be honest.

    in sweden the national language definitely isn't english i can tell you.. some crazy language i can't understand at all
    also - i could be wrong here, i think jerome is the lead vocalist, i could be wrong.

    also - this was released on the great sts-network in france i believe - http://www.sts-network.net/

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