Vianova: A New Road, With A LOT of Whiplash

With such a strange concept for music, one might question the if the sound could possibly be as good live. Turns out it's possible. The first time I saw the band, I remember somebody leaning over and telling me that Vianova was going to be "the best band of the night." He was completely right. The first song had the mosh pit going the hardest it went all night and the performance only got better. At two completely different points, the entire pit became a ballroom, people swaying and swinging each other around. Then an abrupt but welcome transition back to the fury of distortion pedals and screams. Absolute insanity. If you (for some inexplicable reason) still doubt that Vianova is incredible, go and listen to the EP and check out the live video for "No Sol in Solitude". I suggest you listen alone or blast it through a speaker, because you will begin moshing uncontrollably.

The phrase "via nova" is Latin for "a new road" or "a new way", which is an incredibly appropriate label for this band. One of the most innovative groups in Berlin's current metal scene, their EP "A Place I Want to Live in but I Don't Want to Die For" is relentless. To the delight of metal fans, the production quality is fantastic while maintaining an absolutely devastating tone. To the delight of talented guitarists, I'm pretty sure every single string on every single guitar is used on every single song, which doesn't always happen in the ever growing realm of metalcore. To the delight of every single music lover on the planet, the band is constantly experimenting with new sounds, hence the name Vianova. Every song is an individual work of art with a twist never seen coming, and I really mean that you won't see it coming. A Latin style dance section, a part shouted in Polish, and a violin solo that speeds up until it transforms into something that sounds like black metal.

Vianova's next performance will be at Metal Live Zone on November 23rd and I can't wait to see them in concert again. If you're booked that night or can't make it to Berlin, I suggest you buy their merch and imagine yourself in the mosh pit while you listen.

BUY THEIR SHIT! FOLLOW THEM!
https://www.facebook.com/vianovaBerlin/
https://vianova-berlin.bandcamp.com/

Mrs Goat: The New Punk Rock on the Block

I had the absolute pleasure back in September of seeing Mrs Goat at Opossum Fest. The whole thing was a sight to behold, all eight bands and the event itself are worthy of blog posts, but one thing at a time. I was one of the first people at Opossum Fest, and with some time to kill before the first band, I decided to walk around the merch stands and talk to some of the artists. It wasn't long until I ran in to Gerrit, Mrs Goat's singer. We got on the topic of what an American is doing at an underground German concert, then the topic of Trump, and then the topic nationalism's dangerous worldwide rise. Right before I left to see the first act, he gave me two stickers. I was surprised, thinking I was going to get some Mrs Goat band stickers, but instead getting political stickers that I wish I could slap on nearly every politicians mouth to shut them up. The first was the RUN DMC logo, except it said "FCK AFD". The other said in large orange stencil letters "REFUGEES WELCOME" and in the middle "BRING YOUR FAMILIES".

Mrs Goat is, in my opinion, the modern incarnation of punk. We could argue and go around in circles for hours about what punk sounds like and how it's evolved, or what is and isn't punk or DIY enough. Regardless of any elitism or purism within the punk subculture, Mrs Goat doesn't try to be anything but itself and stands up against a flawed system. That, quite frankly, is the essence of punk. As for the band's musical style, it feels a lot like if the members of Downplay and Breaking Benjamin grew up listening to Rise Against and Silverstein. The song, "Against This" is especially indicative of this combination. Once you listen to their two song EP, "Mrs Goat", you'll be dying for more as you feel the need to kick down the door to an AfD meeting and say, "You Neo-Nazis can all burn in hell, ya got that?!" At the moment, only the EP exists, but fear not! This past weekend I saw Gerrit at Polar Fest III and asked him about what was going on with the band (as did probably one million other people). He said that the reason that they haven't played since Opossum Fest was that an EP is being made, possibly as well as some music videos! He said to look for it maybe around January or February, and I couldn't be more excited.

BUY THEIR SHIT! FOLLOW THEM!

https://mrsgoatband.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MrsGoat.Band