Kolonc

It’s always good to see when a band is really motivated in improving themselves and they can make radical changes if they want to achieve their goals. Well, the Budapest based band Toscrew knows how to make their music better – or at least audible. A year ago they released their first demo „Dögvész” (it means „Pestilence”) which showed an enthusiastic but amateur band but for now with „Kolonc” EP („Kolonc” means „Cod”) they have surpassed this status, this is surely a professional work. Beside listening to their records, I had the chance to see them on stage twice, so I was able to made a comparison including a new aspect. I saw them about half a year ago first at a mini core/metal festival and their show wasn’t good. The drummer was imprecise, the synthesizer was weak and had a terrible sound and they were nervous, however, their songs had promising themes. After a few harsh criticism the line-up changed a bit and it was a well-made decision. The original drummer Gergely Házy left and was replaced by Ákos Kovács who was the friend of the band. The keyboardist bought a new (normal) synth, and since then, they have rehearsed a lot, they played a lot of gigs, and at last but not at least, they have recorded this EP. Last time I saw them was about two weeks ago, and this Toscrew is completely different than what I’ve seen before.

The lookout of this EP is really nice, I really like it’s colour, however, it’s nothing really special. The record contains three new songs – one instrumental intro and two new songs – and the three re-recorded tracks of the „Dögvész” demo. The previously unnamed track temporarily titled „Pover” was reconsidered and now it’s titled as „Fejvesztve, értelmetlenül” (it means something like „Pointlessly, Unintelligibly”). The tracklist and the lyrics shows that the tone of the songs is everything but happy, and this gloomy dark atmosphere is the record’s real strength. It is hard to find a certain genre for this music which is good but also has its downsides. They mix the genres and musical styles well, so we can find some black, dark, mid-tempo melodeath or modern metal elements in it, but it is still coherent. Sadly, there are still some „half-baked” themes, sometimes they seem to be special because of the interesting mixture of the musical styles but sometimes they don’t. The newer songs are better than the older ones from the demo, but the earlier mentioned song „Fejvesztve, értelmetlenül” is really cool in its new form. This almost half-an-hour-long record starts with an instrumental track „Hullámok” (it means „Waves”), which sets up the atmosphere, but I don’t think that it would be one of my favourites because its basic melody is really mediocre and usual. Well, it’s not a simple genre rip-off because the drummer and the bassplayer makes this track nice, and it’s a way better than starting with a pointless intro.

For the rest of this release I have no reason to complain, each song is either correct or quite good. I think, they found their way while they were standing off and on the various genres, but I do not mean that they’ve found their own voice either. But I’m sure, they’ll find it too. There are some really catchy parts, for instance, the keyboard themes of „Szemfényvesztés” or the ending of „Seherezádé” not to mention the melancholic theme of „Elmúlás hajnala”. (I like this song, but it reminds me of an old song „Nika se perimeno” by Delhusa Gjon who was a popular singer in Hungary in the 80s. It’s certainly not a rip-off, but it’s really similar to that evergreen song.) In this track Mátyás features his clean vocal style which is absolutely okay. By the way, his high-pitched harsh vocal is heavy and raspy but it’s also monotone a bit. Although, as we can hear, he can vary his vocal style and he should do that more often. Anyway, each of them handles his instrument well, and the great sound also supports them. The release was recorded at Hungarosound engineered by Patkány (from Baskíria) and mixed by Moles (from Teurgia) and they did a great job with that!

To tell the truth, I have a soft spot for them because I know them personally and they are so sympathetic for me, so I tried to be more strict than usual as a compensation. All in all, I can say that this release is a step forward within the band’s life, however, they still got to do many things before releasing their first full-length. Besides, I wouldn’t be surprised if they release their debut next year. They only have to keep the same attitude, mentality and the tempo and efficiency of self-development and they will get the chance soon. They mix the genres well, they don’t care about the boundaries of the styles, and they know how to write atmospheric songs. They only have to focus on writing more original or more complex themes, and if they succeed, they could easily find themselves in the elite of the Hungarian underground soon. Besides, „Kolonc” is still a promising work, so if you can get it, do not hesitate! If I’m right, you can buy it directly from the band at their shows, it’s cheap and worthwhile. Support them, they deserve it!

( Originally written for: http://kronosmortus.hu )