Members: Stefan Ćirić, Nemanja Ćirić, Djidji Kjajić
Related bands: Sv. Pseta, New Church, New Way Kids, радост-страдање
FFO: Eyelet, The Usual, Potence, Caust, Danse Macabre, Ekkaia, Idiedthisfebruary
Around the Y2K's in Serbia, Novi Sad has Reflections of Internal Rain. A decade later, Eaglehaslanded blossomed its way in Belgrade. The Ćirić brothers, who are born Serbian, spent their lives growing up in Russia, thus jokingly referring themselves to be from Russia, which flew over people's heads.
I've got this opportunity to see them for the first time in the defunct club Žica, along with No Omega and ROIR, especially for it being a screamo punk show. They were absolutely going fucking wild for it and everyone freaked out. It was definitely an experience for me and i've been frequenting their shows over the years. They've been extensively touring until parting ways in 2017. Nemanja would play in Sv. Pseta and New Church while Stefan does his tattooing business.
One of my favorite pics i took from them.
So far, Eaglehaslanded had released their Demo in 2012, an EP "eternal sleep of never ending nightmare" and an 8-bit album "Bringing the pizza home" in 2013, their self-titled 7" in 2014, and another self-titled 7" in 2016. They also did splits with Les deux minutes de la haine, FoxmoulderCult of Pythagoras and finally, Left To Starve. I think i've bought almost every release there is to find, except for the first two releases and the one with Foxmoulder.
My semi-complete collection of EHL discography, 2018.
Eaglehaslanded used to play, in their words "street screamo". What i hear is in the vein of raw and chaotic metallic neocrust genre and have a knack of including their instrumental 8-bit compositions as intros or interludes. Most of the songs are sung in English, Russian and Serbian. If i would pick a few favorite songs, it would be "College Girl" for its use of samples from an iconic Emir Kusturica movie, building up to frantic-panic breakdowns for 1:35, the pure desperation in "Mora Samo Da Se Umre", the solemn melancholy of semi-instrumental "Raul and Julia (Lizards and Queens)" for the good 4 minutes and the amazing closure of "Mirage" featuring the vocalist of Les deux minutes de la haine.
Eaglehaslanded was definitely something special—a band that brought raw intensity and emotion to every show, blending cultures, languages, and genres into their unique take on screamo. Their music wasn’t just chaotic; it was a powerful reflection of the underground scene in Serbia and beyond. From the blistering energy of their live performances to their eclectic discography, Eaglehaslanded left a lasting imprint on those who experienced their sound. Even though they parted ways in 2017, their legacy remains a vital piece of Serbia's punk and screamo history, and for those of us who were there, it’s a memory all of us won’t soon forget.
Ah, yes. Novi Sad, the great old punk kingdom and Odense's southeastern european sister, the city that's as flat as a board and extremely friendly to bike riding, vegan, straight-edge, antifa punks, making sure to keep fascists and neo-nazis afraid of their very own existence. A lot of those things are what makes me love this city. Even more than my own hometown.
And most importantly, my very own friends who reside there, especially Stefan of give.me.the.gun, who has formed an upcoming screamo band along with Em and Luka. With the exception of Luka, both Em and Stefan have their own noise projects respectively.
The band in question is Idiedthisfebruary. They started performing in Novi Sad a couple times and performing in Belgrade for the first time. Whilst performing, they dropped their 2 Song Demo EP.
Here we're on a Wonka boat trip to the noisy garbling sample of this legendary Japanese 90's mindfuck which sets us off to the lo-fi chaotic mess of "Caught in a Daydream" lasting 2:26 of runtime, all hell set loose until we get to that somber moment of 1:10, building up to epic catharsis mode. Then we follow up to 2:38's "Rapid Eye Movement", challenging us with their epic breakdown, being occasionally prevalent throughout the song. Here are some of the lyrics to go by:
"Used to hate the Sun and now the sky's getting red
Every day I breathe, I can't get out of bed
All my flowers wither as I turn into a slob
The months turn to years as the days turn to fog"
If that doesn't perfectly capture depression, then i don't know what does.
A year later of following their touring, the band officially dropped their debut release "These Fading Years" at this exact month after their initial demo's release. An 8-track EP was recorded in Brutal Studio, mixed/mastered by Filip Djurovic and its artwork done by Vivi. Needless to say, it was quite worth the wait.
I've spoken with Em, the guitarist at the time of their gig and he jokingly pointed out how i have to look for new words to describe their show every time i write them a gig review, which sent me laughing, saying "you're totally right, better wait for your EP then!"
The EP opens with "You raise your arm, I turn away", with wearied, monotonous spoken words, lamenting on the effects of physical abuse (One more day to feel lobotomized/Talk to me as if i were a child, But no matter what you say/You raise your arm, i turn away), building up to screaming crescendos. After the lacerating chaos of 29-sec "I Won't Play Your Fucking Songs", the band delves further into themes of existential crisis (Get in the Fucking Robot, In Love With Misery, etc.) and depression (Rapid Eye Movement, Nothing), matching the overall depressive mood to the generous amount. Despite that, the mixing can be slightly muddy and most of the guitar work (trebly at best) is almost nearly upfront than the rest, and it wasn't as punchy as i thought it would be. Nevertheless, it still maintains to be a listenable experience for half an hour.
FFO: Hiretsukan, Mahria, Obroa-Skai, The Worst Is Yet To Come, Heart On My Sleeve, 125 Rue Montmartre, Vales, Tarkovsky, Dollores
zbrucz is a four-piece band that is freshly formed in Maribor, Slovenia in 2023. Their first lo-fi demo "00" came out in August of that year, followed by their subsequent tours. This year, they self-released their full-length album "Riparia riparia", mixed and mastered by Matic Medja and a magnificent artwork done by Klemen Seliškar.
The album takes a refreshing 20-minute take of late '90s and early 00's emo/screamo, with occassional emoviolencey blast beats, often reminiscing other skramz bands such as The Worst Is Yet To Come, Tarkovsky, Dollores, Mahria, Hiretsukan, Heart On My Sleeve, etc. The album of its entirety is sung in English and Slovenian.
The album opens with an intense burst of energy of '2020 by Shin Guard', combining raw vocals with intricate guitar work. The song sets the tone for the album, showcasing Zbrucz's ability to blend aggression with melody, along with its poetic and confessional lyrical themes, with 'Forty Minute Train Delay' capturing the frustration and anxiety of modern life, 'Flood of Unloved' delving into themes of abandonment and emotional turmoil. 00 serves as a spoken word interlude featuring Kill Kill Kill, providing a moment of reflection amidst the chaos. It's a nod to the band's influences and adds depth to the album's narrative.
Then follows 'Dežujem'(trans. I Am Raining) - the highlight of the album and a fan's favorite. Sung in Slovenian, this song is channeled through an introspective lens while the emotional intensity remains and builds up to the cathartic release before delving to another epic blast beat finale for the last 10 seconds.
Me Vidiš Kot Sem? (trans. "Do You See Me As I Am?"), this track is a raw, honest exploration of identity and self-perception. The band's ability to convey complex emotions through their music is evident here.
Riparia Riparia closes the album on a hopeful note with "Konec Dober, Vse Dobro" (trans. All's Well That Ends Well). The track opens with interchanging spoken words before dissolving to fierce chaos. The imagery of smashing one's head on the concrete floor symbolizes a desperate attempt to escape the mental anguish. The Slovenian lines suggest a hope for a better day and the possibility of reconciliation and renewal. It's a cathartic release and a perfect way to close the album
"Riparia riparia" is a strong debut that captures the essence of late '90s and early '00s emo and screamo, while also carving out its own niche in the genre. Zbrucz's ability to balance intensity with emotion, and chaos with melody, makes this album a compelling listen. The band's influences are clear, but they manage to bring something fresh to the table, making "Riparia riparia" a noteworthy addition to the contemporary emo/screamo scene. For fans of the genre, Zbrucz is definitely a band to watch.
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Zbrucz je četvoročlani bend iz Maribora, Slovenija, formiran 2023. godine. Njihov prvi lo-fi demo "00" objavljen je u avgustu iste godine, nakon čega su usledile i turneje. Ove godine samostalno izdaju svoj debitantski album "Riparia riparia", miksovan i masterovan od strane Matica Medje, uz upečatljiv artwork Klemna Seliškara.
Album u svojih 20 minuta donosi osvežavajući omaž emo/screamo zvuku kasnih devedesetih i ranih dvehiljaditih, uz povremene emoviolence blast beatove, često podsećajući na bendove poput The Worst Is Yet To Come, Tarkovsky, Dollores, Mahria, Hiretsukan i Heart On My Sleeve. Materijal je izvođen na engleskom i slovenačkom jeziku.
Album otvara "2020 by Shin Guard", intenzivan nalet energije koji kombinuje sirove vokale i razrađene gitarske deonice. Pesma postavlja ton celog izdanja, pokazujući sposobnost benda da spoji agresiju i melodiju, uz poetske i ispovedne tekstove. "Forty Minute Train Delay" hvata frustraciju i anksioznost savremenog života, dok "Flood of Unloved" zalazi u teme napuštenosti i emotivnog rasula. "00" funkcioniše kao spoken word interludijum sa Kill Kill Kill, pružajući trenutak predaha i refleksije usred haosa.
Sledi "Dežujem" - vrhunac albuma i favorit publike. Pevana na slovenačkom, pesma je introspektivna, ali zadržava snažan emotivni naboj koji kulminira u katarzičnom oslobađanju, pre nego što se završi kratkim, ali eksplozivnim blast beat finalom.
"Me vidiš kot sem?" donosi sirovu i iskrenu refleksiju identiteta i samopercepcije, još jednom potvrđujući sposobnost benda da kompleksne emocije prenese kroz muziku.
Album se zatvara pesmom "Konec dober, vse dobro", koja nosi notu nade. Počinje smenjivanjem spoken word deonica, da bi se potom raspala u haotičan klimaks. Slika razbijanja glave o beton simbolizuje očajnički pokušaj bekstva od unutrašnje patnje, dok stihovi na slovenačkom nagoveštavaju mogućnost pomirenja i novog početka.
"Riparia riparia" je snažan debi koji hvata suštinu emo i screamo zvuka kasnih devedesetih i ranih dvehiljaditih, ali istovremeno gradi sopstveni identitet. Zbrucz uspešno balansiraju između intenziteta i emocije, haosa i melodije, čineći ovaj album izuzetno zanimljivim slušanjem. Uticaji su jasni, ali bend uspeva da ponudi nešto sveže - što ovo izdanje čini značajnim doprinosom savremenoj emo/screamo sceni.
A split featuring new material from Zbrucz (Maribor, Slovenia) and Falesia (Trieste, Italy) is nothing short of a riveting and intense release.
A year and a half after their debut, Zbrucz return with two tracks that lean into a darker, more somber direction, drawing closer to neocrust and post-metal. The sound is harsher, more abrasive, and emotionally devastating. Delivered in both Slovenian and English, it feels as if they’ve taken cues from Mališa Bahat and pushed them further into heavier territory.
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Split sa novim materijalom bendova Zbrucz (Maribor, Slovenija) i Falesia (Trst, Italija) predstavlja izuzetno intenzivno i upečatljivo izdanje.
Godinu i po dana nakon debija, Zbrucz se vraćaju sa dve pesme koje naginju mračnijem i sumornijem izrazu, približavajući se neocrustu i post-metalu. Zvuk je grublji, abrazivniji i emotivno razarajući. Izvedeno na slovenačkom i engleskom, deluje kao da su preuzeli uticaje Mališa Bahata i odveli ih još dalje u teži, masivniji zvuk.
FFO: Daitro, Daighlia, La Quiete, Loma Prieta, Portraits of Past
It's 2016. It's this particular time period when Croatia's Mališa Bahat came to prominence in the DIY world with their six-track demo EP "Moments We're Lost In" which made itself a landmark at the time.
Bandcamp profile picture
What i would basically describe this EP as nothing short of passionate but full of excessive agitation. Anguished vocals over melancholic hardcore punk frenzy shine through. It is so packed with an abundance of elements of screamo from France, USA, Germany and Japan.
Mališa Bahat acted as the part of resurgence wave of Ex-Yu Emo/Screamo, along with Serbia's eaglehaslanded and Bosnia's Deer In The Headlights. The debut hit the DIY world with the storm, followed by numerous shows in Europe (such as Fluff Fest and Miss The Stars) and Southeast Asia following the split releases of ZMAR and Old Soul in the next few years.
Then 2020 happened. The pandemic, along with personal matter among members happened which left little news from the band. The songwriting started throughout the pandemic and then stretched through five long years before its completion. Then in 2024, their full-length album "Lovers. Loners. Losers.", recorded by Nikad's Ivan Jakic and mastered by Orchid' Will Killingsworth. The tracks in here are more complex and less explosive than their previous efforts and the quality is top-notch and timeless. The dual vocals here are more in sync and cleverly placed, the songwriting here are definitely nuanced and the drumming is perfectly balanced between frenetic and subtle, which never gets old. Not to mention the clapping part in "Mother's Words" being the highlight that is bringing us together.
The reason why their debut full-length carries on very well is the lyrical theme that comes along with it. True to the name, "Lovers. Loners. Losers." deal with themes of personal and societal struggle, regret and introspection of all things. The fact that a sample from Leaving Las Vegas (1996) with Nicolas Cage is included in "Open The Last Bottle" makes so much sense and with the epic, devastatingly beautiful title closer, everything comes down together, dealing with themes of disillusionment, a search for identity and being haunted by choices.
Mališa Bahat just started touring around the Balkans this year. They were supposed to tour Europe with Piri Reis, but unfortunately the latter encountered many problems with the tour and had to postpone it for some other time, there Malisa's had to tour all by themselves. I am invited to perform in Sofia (June 25th) and in Novi Sad (June 29th). If you happen to be in any of these places, PLEASE DON'T MISS OUT THEIR SHOWS!
Members: Nindža Korača (drums, vocals), Rade (bass), Špagi (guitar, vocals)
Label: Water Boatman records
Related bands: ????
FFO: Deathtaker, Acrid, Hinckley, old Cattle Decapitation, Napalm Death
After finishing my gig review on this blog, a thought came in randomly. It compelled me into re-checking my blog and realise that i haven't written a single post of any band from North Macedonia, so this will be the time where i am getting down to it.
I'll be starting short and sweet with Irritatement, a short-lived grind band from Skopje, with questionable influences. When i first visited their bandcamp page, one of their genre tags 'screamo' was visible so i was fluctuating whether they should be added or not. So many influences in here deem too difficult to properly categorize.
They only dropped this self-titled demo via Water Boatman Records in 2014. Including only seven untitled tracks, their demo EP offers a blistering, gloomy, atmospheric lo-fi chaos. Grind and Death influences guitars, incomprehensible, distanced, raw vocals and sludgy bass just blow the top cherry off the cake for nearly 9 minutes of their runtime.
This band is awfully underlooked and it is said that they've gone too soon. Perhaps we can hope for their reunion sooner or later. Definitely recommended for die hard grind/skramz fans.
A little while ago, i was invited to perform at Sombor and this was my opportunity to participate in such a small Vojvodinian town, as well as visiting it for the first time. It is located an hour away from Novi Sad and just close in-between the borders: Croatia from the West and Hungary from up North.
On that gig, it has been revealed to me that i would be performing along with Sombor's newcoming local act Getintherobot, Idiedthisfebruary and Quasarborn from Novi Sad. Before the announcement, the local folx wanted to invite me as a surprise guest, because one of the member celebrated their birthday that day. However, the organiser blew that surprise for all of us, thus having my name on the poster for all to see. Although the outcome was so lame, i was, nevertheless, very happy to be performing along with my good friends at one gig. I've always wanted to perform along with them as much as they want to perform along with me, and this was a dream come true.
Anyway, as i came to Sombor by bus, Klemo, the guitarist of getintherobot and his girlfriend came to pick me up and showed me around the town. It was all clean and the scenery was all green, which was however ridden by right wing corruption. They'd tell me all the stories of how the entire town being full of drug addicts and how the pair have faced oppression from the police, simply for looking differently. Not only that, i was also told that the Russian people who took refuge in Serbia, aren't even allowed to do anything they'd want, e.g. touring with the band, otherwise, they'd be deported back to Russia (unless they have a dual citizenship), which is, in my opinion the most depressing thing i've ever heard.
As we made it to the Dve Krigle Debele venue, we've waited for the boss to open up at 6PM. The February's and Quasarborn (both from Novi Sad) came to and we all took time to practice once more, as well as doing a sound check and getting warmed up while people are coming around. Since some of our sets are pretty short, the entire event begins at 10PM.
After the thorough discussion between the organisers and the bands, they decided that i, as Eva Ras, would start the event. I didn't know what would come to this, but i didn't mind about it. Duka of the February's insisted he'd be in charge of taking pics of my set with my camera, and did so with amazing results. Strahinja, the bday boy and the bassist of the Robots had this to say about my set:
"The opener for the gig ''Lament Over Sombor'' was Eva Ras.
A one-man ''jack-of-all-trades-of-balkan-emo'' screamo project by Filip.
He enters the stage with his exorcism-like performance which indulged the crowd
with huge amount of shock and took everyone by surprise (since that kind of shows
are not usual in this place).
As the body rises so does the ambient of the nightmarish/gloomy background music
which introduces us into the starting track for the night. With raging screams
and thundering instrumentals we enter the emo night through Filip's
genius design.
Through his setlist we stumbled upon various kinds of screamo songs including
a cover of Placebo's Nancy Boy, which brakes every form of toxic-masculinity
and brings out the light out of him and shines upon all of us present in the
venue. Short but remarkable is how would i put it for his show, since really
it was a show, not a gig.
Listening his performance for the first time live was one of the best gifts
i could imagine for a birthday party, since i grew my music-listening
experience based on his lists.
Unforgettable and impressed, i cannot wait for the next show and hopefully,
will be able to attend one!
Thanks for great time, Eva Ras!"
Special thanks to Stefan for the pics!
Up next is Sombor's newcoming Getintherobot (whose track i've reviewed on), followed suit. After their debut single 'Arsonist', they told me that the stuff afterwards will be more emoviolence focused. So when they took their turn, they weren't wrong. It was definitely the most exciting thing i've ever witnessed. The band also took their time to celebrate their member's birthday, which was very sweet.
Strahinja, celebrating his bday.
Up next is Novi Sad's Prog Thrash Metal band Quasarborn. Now, Prog isn't my thing, per se, neither do i hate it. BUT to my surprise, i realized that Dimitrije of Nabod is playing for the band. You could tell that he's been pretty busy lately. Anyway, Quasarborn kicked off and got everyone headbanging for good 30-or-so minutes. And as i got out for the fresh air, someone else told me that one of the members crowdsurfed, to my surprise. So, they pretty much ate up most of the venue lol.
And finally, Novi Sad's Idiedthisfebruary were the last to take the stage. Every time they hit off, they come off more brutal than ever before. The crowd got more rabid, everyone moshed, thrashed and grabbed the mic to sing along, more crowdsurfings emerged. It was a fucking beautifully intense shitshow <3
The gig in Sombor for me and everyone else on board is definitely something unforgettable this year. I've met so many new people there and visited the town for the very first time, it's been quite an adventure. Looking forward to performing there in August again. MAKE VOJVODINA EMO AGAIN!
FFO: The Postal Service, pospano, Bowery Electric, Nine Inch Nails
Whenever i think of what else Slovenia has, Apathy Apartment comes to mind. Not every band has to be 100% screamo all the time, there are some things that can be soft, eclectic and relaxing, which AA did offer at the time.
AA was an electronic duo formed in Ljubljanja and in Zagreb, respectively. The duo gathered around in 2015, teased their first single and then dropped their only self-titled EP, played one or two shows before calling it quits... and it lasted less than a year.
Consisting only three tracks (with the exception of 'dank' memes and Jake Gylenhall references in the titles), the EP serves some of the distinctive emo/synthwave bops i have ever heard. The Nine Inch Nails/Bowery Electric is definitely prominent throughout these tracks, yet their own flair keeps them to the ground on their own uniqueness, with an addition of Kaja Skrbinšek's ethereal vocals on the third track which gives an immense amount of charm of this sweet little EP.
What could've been an adventurous journey for the duo has diminished way too soon. Apathy Apartment's music is eclectic, atmospheric and charming to the point of making a name for themselves in Slovenia's otherwise small DIY scene.
