WILL TO FAIL

Location: Split, Croatia

Year active: 2002 - 2003

Members: Igor Mihovilović, Marko Pogačar, Ranko Smoljan, Karmelo Marin

Related bands: Breed, Crvi, Čuljić Mihovilović Duo, Death Disco, Dim, Dispro, Essence, Giht Shasie, Helmet, Kadet, Karmakumulator, Pale, PBK Theater, No Comment, Sivi, Stražarni Lopov I Dobri Ljudi, Talason, Wizard of Stone Mountain

FFO: Angel Hair, Mohinder, Navio Forge, Honeywell, March 15th

Another day, another band to cover. This time, we're diving into something even more obscure from our northwest neighbor. Credit to Igor Mihovilovic, a key figure in the Croatian underground punk scene, known for projects like Breed, Karmakulator, and Giht Shasie, as well as labels like Carpediem Records and Guranje S Litice. Today’s focus: a band whose brief existence and minuscule discography (just four tracks) are anything but forgettable.

Will to Fail was a short-lived post-hardcore/screamo band from Split, Croatia, active from 2002 to 2003. Despite recording only three proper songs - plus one rough demo - their music encapsulates pure, noisy, dissonant, anxious, and spastic emotional chaos. Imagine the serrated edge of post-hardcore with a hint of pigfuck (a term originally used to dismiss bands creating some of the most abrasive, guttural noise rock, only for it to become an emblem of raw sonic destruction).

The three recorded songs were captured in multiple sessions throughout their brief lifespan and later remastered in 2020. ‘Pelin Petak’ kicks things off with a menacing post-hardcore/screamo vibe for 2:17, while ‘Smrt od Basa s Britvom’ steadily builds into bursts of uncontrollable chaos over its short 1:19 runtime. Then there’s ‘Kolac Utorak’, layering a sense of urgency into the guitar riffs before detonating into raw, unhinged emotional breakdowns across nearly three minutes. Lastly, their rough demo ‘Bubamara u Drvenoj Kutijici’, despite being instrumental, offers a rare quiet moment - less menacing, more somber - stretching out for 4:19.

Will to Fail burned out after just one year, leaving behind a handful of songs that feel like unearthed artifacts of raw, unfiltered chaos. A fleeting spark, but one sharp enough to leave scars.

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Još jedan dan, još jedan bend za pokriti. Ovoga puta ulazimo u još opskurnije vode kod naših severozapadnih suseda. Zasluge idu Igoru Mihoviloviću, važnoj figuri hrvatske underground punk scene, poznatom po projektima Breed, Karmakulator i Giht Shasie, kao i po etiketama Carpediem Records i Guranje s Litice. Današnji fokus: bend čije je kratko postojanje i sićušna diskografija (svega četiri pesme) sve osim zaboravljivih.

Will to Fail bio je kratkotrajan post-hardcore/screamo bend iz Splita, aktivan od 2002. do 2003. godine. Iako su snimili samo tri prave pesme — plus jedan grubi demo — njihova muzika sažima čistu, bučnu, disonantnu, anksioznu i spazmatičnu emocionalnu erupciju. Zamislite nazubljenu ivicu post-hardcora s primesama pigfuck estetike (termin koji je prvobitno korišćen da omalovaži bendove koji su pravili najabrazivniji, najgrublji noise rock, a kasnije postao simbol sirove zvučne destrukcije).

Tri pesme su snimane u više sesija tokom kratkog trajanja benda i kasnije remasterovane 2020. godine. „Pelin Petak“ otvara materijal mračnim post-hardcore/screamo nabojem u trajanju od 2:17. „Smrt od Basa s Britvom“ gradi napetost do eksplozivnih ispada neobuzdanog haosa u svega 1:19. Zatim dolazi „Kolač Utorak“, koji unosi osećaj hitnosti u gitarske rifove, da bi se sve urušilo u sirove, razvezane emotivne lomove u skoro tri minuta. Na kraju, grubi demo „Bubamara u Drvenoj Kutijici“, iako instrumentalan, nudi redak mirniji trenutak — manje preteći, više setan — u trajanju od 4:19.

Will to Fail izgoreo je posle samo godinu dana, ostavljajući iza sebe šačicu pesama koje deluju kao iskopani artefakti sirovog, nefiltriranog haosa. Kratkotrajna iskra, ali oštra dovoljno da ostavi ožiljke.

LIVE SETS + SONGS FROM VARIOUS SESSIONS ON GURANJESLITICE'S YT CHANNEL.

WILL TO FAIL

VEŠTAČKI OMOTAČ

Location: Serbia

Year active: 2023 - ?????

Members: Uves

Related bands: ?????

FFO: The Jim Yoshi Pile, A Lot Like Paris, just friends.

Well, time to rest from the noise a bit and get down to something more quiet... slow... somber. Something like that.

Lately i've been wondering if there was any slowcore existing in this region. Now i know that slowcore is an entirely different thing, but keep in mind that many bands such as The Jim Yoshi Pile, A Lot Like Paris, Mineral and a lot of those belonging to Emo spectrum have been incorporating Slowcore in their music for quite some time. 

So i had to get down to it, starting with bandcamp to detect any release with that term and then  this project Vestacki Omotac (artificial covering) from Serbia (no city has been specified) came out of my radar. The project itself only dropped a full length self-titled album in 2023. The gorgeous cover was compelling enough for me to jamming the whole thing.

The album starts with a 1:35 minute glowing aura opener 'Toplo narandzasto svetlo' (warm orange light) as it is afterwards followed straight thru the 2:47 minutes of gorgeous lo-fi indie strumming as faint vocals are heard at the side in 'Napravljeno od lisce' (Made of leaves). Then we're getting all cozy in Pejzaz (Landscape) until 1:27 moody bass kicks in, with lo-fi synths intensifying the eerie atmosphere until it resumes back to lo-fi coziness. In 'Slamena Figura' (Straw figure), it's as similar as to 'Toplo narandzasto svetlo', until the cymbals amplify things around 3:27 where it rings around the rest of the song. The 2:15 minutes of lo-fi booming synths in 'Dalekovodi' (Power lines) is deliciously melancholic in its doom.

As the album unfolds, Vestacki Omotac continues its slow, meditative journey. Instead of focusing on individual tracks, it feels more appropriate to highlight the album’s overall atmosphere, one of muted melancholy and lo-fi intimacy. The songs bleed into one another, creating a seamless, dreamlike state where time feels almost suspended.

What stands out most is the project’s ability to maintain a consistent mood without feeling stagnant. Each track might share a similar palette of soft guitars, hushed vocals, and airy synths, but subtle shifts in tone and texture keep the experience engaging. It’s less about distinct songs and more about the cumulative effect, a long, reflective exhale.

The album thrives in its restraint, leaning into the slowcore ethos of doing more with less. It doesn’t chase catchy hooks or dramatic climaxes. Instead, it offers a gentle and enveloping listen, ideal for quiet moments of introspection or simply letting your mind wander.

While the uniformity of the tracks might make it difficult to pinpoint standout moments, it also strengthens the album’s identity as a cohesive whole. It's a collection of quasi instrumental slowcore goodness. Childlike and quirky, but unafraid to reveal itself.

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E pa dobro, vreme je da se malo odmorimo od buke i siđemo u nešto tiše… sporije… setnije. Nešto tog tipa.

U poslednje vreme sam se pitao da li je uopšte postojao slowcore na ovim prostorima. Jasno mi je da je slowcore poseban pravac, ali valja imati na umu da su mnogi bendovi poput The Jim Yoshi Pile, A Lot Like Paris, Mineral i još gomila iz šireg emo spektra već dugo u svoje pesme ubacivali slowcore elemente.

Tako sam morao da zaronim u potragu — prvo na Bandcamp, tražeći bilo kakvo izdanje pod tim terminom — i eto, ispliva mi ovaj projekat Veštački Omotač iz Srbije (bez konkretno navedenog grada). Projekat je izbacio samo jedan full-length, istoimeni album, 2023. godine. Sam omot je dovoljno lep i intrigantan da sam pustio ceo album bez razmišljanja.

Album otvara „Toplo narandžasto svetlo“ (1:35), blistava aura-intro, posle čega ulazimo pravo u 2:47 minuta prelepog lo-fi indie drndanja uz jedva čujne vokale sa strane — „Napravljeno od lišća“. U „Pejzažu“ se zavaljujemo u toplo lo-fi okruženje dok se u 1:27 ne ubaci setni bas, a zatim lo-fi sintovi podižu jezivu atmosferu pre nego što sve ponovo padne nazad u nežnu tišinu. „Slamena figura“ (Straw figure) kreće u maniru „Toplog narandžastog svetla“, ali se stvari lagano rasplamsavaju kada se činela uključi oko 3:27 i razlije do kraja pesme. A „Dalekovodi“ (2:15) — mračni, lo-fi bum synth komad — pruža melanholiju toliko ukusnu da graniči s doom estetikom.

Kako album odmiče, Veštački Omotač nastavlja svoju sporu, meditativnu putanju. Umesto da se hvata za pojedinačne pesme, smislenije je govoriti o celokupnoj atmosferi — prigušene melanholije i lo-fi intime. Numere se slivaju jedna u drugu, stvarajući besprekidan, snoliki tok u kojem vreme kao da prestaje da postoji.

Ono što najviše odskače jeste sposobnost projekta da zadrži konzistentno raspoloženje a da pri tom ne deluje monotono. Iako pesme dele sličnu paletu — meke gitare, prigušene vokale i vazdušaste sintove — suptilne promene u tonu i teksturi drže slušanje živim. Više je reč o kumulativnom efektu nego o pojedinačnim momentima, kao jedan dugačak, refleksivan uzdah.

Album uspeva baš u svojoj uzdržanosti, oslanjajući se na slowcore filozofiju „više kroz manje“. Ne juri za zaraznim refrenima niti dramatičnim vrhuncima. Umesto toga pruža blago, obavijajuće iskustvo — idealno za tihe trenutke introspekcije ili puštanja uma da luta.

Da, uniformnost pesama može otežati izdvajanje „hitova“, ali to je ujedno i snaga ovog albuma: jasno profilisana celina. Kolekcija poluinstrumentalnog slowcorea — detinjasta i luckasta, ali dovoljno hrabra da pokaže pravo lice.

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BEST OF THE YEAR 2024

My oh my, so much has passed this year. So many amazing releases it's been pretty difficult to choose. For this year, i've compiled a list of releases that i really liked so far and wanted to share with you all.

LPS

lovelettertyperwriter - Pia Snow

Mališa Bahat - Lovers.Loners.Losers.

Idiedthisfebruary - These Fading Years

Febuary - February

Kpax! - Bolesno Društvo

Isabel - Phantom Limbs

Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of the Dead - Tragedy As Catharsis

Rose Ceremony - Iteration II

Excruxis - There Are Collectivities That Devour Souls

Merce Lemon - Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild

your arms are my cocoon - death of a rabbit

40ft to go - self-titled

Silk - A Fenestrated Fantasy

Decair - Aftermath

.seeing.stars. - Behind The Veil of Innocence and Fragility

EPS

YÖU - River of Sadness

Alinah - Crows Crows Crows Crows

Zbrucz - Riparia Riparia

Biskup Zauvek - Kada bismo vratili vreme bar malo unazad...

Neven - U Svakom Srcu Gore Svetla

Shadows Pass - EP

fallingwithscissors - the death and birth of an angel

apriltears - jaralarym

Full Candor - Captions for a Battle

Onewaymirror - Everyone wants me to write in cursive

Senza - Celestial Body

Despot - two songs

SPLITS

Letterbombs / Gil Cerrone

journal / seahorsechoke

Sadness / Soulless

Silk / Blouse

as the grass withers the flower fades / homewrecker. / losing today - fall

In Loving Memory / Widowdusk

SINGLES

Getintherobot - Arsonist

Teen Dating Violence - The Last Time It All Felt Okay

Thursday - White Bikes

American Football/Ethel Cain - For Sure

Bearing Flowers - lamp posts

DEMOS

Ourbluewounds

Rex Kwon Do

Songs of Eurayle

Daughters of Eve

Farewell Sarathael

Obscured Wingtip Memoir

ბირთვული ომი / Birtvuli omi

SIZIF

Location: Osijek, Croatia

Year active: 2008 - 2012

Members: Antun Biloš, Igor Kovačević, Siniša Rajković, Tin Kovačić

Related bands: Cog, Dalstroy, This Day Will Burn, Debeli Precjednik, Why Stakla

FFO: Refused, RKL, JR Ewing, Fugazi, The Jesus Lizard

Sizif (taken from Albert Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus) was a supergroup consisting of members of Why Stakla, This Day Would Burn and Debeli Precjednik, formed in Osijek, Croatia in 2008. They would drop their debut album 'Nemoj (Don't)', which was released by the now defunct Dirty Old Label and tour around the country in the span of four years before calling it quits in 2012.

With just nine tracks, Sizif instantly set off in such an awesome way lasting only 21 minutes. Their style in particular are screamo, post-hardcore and some metalcore, especially coming from the Y2K's. It definitely has this old-school vibe. The album exudes an old-school vibe that feels both gritty and authentic. The instrumentals are charged with an infectious vitality, while the vocals deliver from visceral screams to melodic singing.

Tracks like Now, When The Bastards Come, and Screaming Again embody the full-throttle screamo energy that defines much of the album, while songs like Warchild showcase a bluesy undertone that adds depth to their sound. The crossover/thrash elements in Copycat further diversify the album, proving that Sizif wasn't afraid to experiment within their tightly woven punk roots.

In conclusion, Nemoj stands as a raw and passionate post-hardcore/screamo effort from a supergroup that shone brightly, albeit briefly. If you're a fan of old-school emo-punk with a gritty edge, Sizif's Nemoj is a must-listen. A snapshot of a band that, like their namesake, pushed their creative boulder with admirable fervor.

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SUPLEXX

Location: Belgrade, Serbia

Year active: 2024 - Current

Members: Nemanja Ciric, Pavle Trifunovic, Dimitrije Djuric, Marko Rakic

Related bands: Eaglehaslanded, New Church, New Way Kids, Radost-Stradanje, Sv. Pseta

FFO: Mohinder, Embrace, Unwound, Glassjaw, The Jonbenet, Antioch Arrow, Unsane

Early October, a friend of mine - Nugazing - sent me a IG teaser for their Changeover's 2024 Festival, the one which i was invited to perform at the time. While i wanted to attend to their gig, i was unable to due to scheduling conflicts. Then during mid-late October, i finally got the chance to see them as one of the openers for the stoner rock band Constellation in SKC, and let me tell you: their performance is one i would consider the wildest i've ever seen and that is enough to compel me into writing about them. What surprises me more is that Nemanja (of Sv. Pseta and Eaglehaslanded) is the vocalist of the band, further his pivotal role in the Belgrade punk scene.

Suplexx (named after an offensive move used in wrestling sports) is a newly formed 4-piece post-hardcore/emo band hailing from Belgrade, Serbia, straight out of 2024. When describing their music, they claim themselves to be 'inappropriate violent act' due to their wild, often unpredictable nature of their stage presence and their - at times - experimental songwritings. To this day, they've released two EP's: 'SWEET CHIN MUSIC' and 'RUDE AWAKENING'.

Starting with their debut EP 'SWEET CHIN MUSIC', Suplexx kicks off with their two old-school sounding emo/post-hardcore tracks, spiced up with math rock and borders on metalcore a bit. Dissonant, punky riffs, groovy bass line, desperate yelps all held together with steady, balanced drums. These two tracks help sandwich 'intermezzore', an experimental electro-acoustic track clocking around 6 minutes.

Following next with the latest one, 'RUDE AWAKENING' follows the similar formula, except the intermezzo 'Pillow666talk' is kept hidden from streaming, which adds a layer of mystery in their discography. While the punk tracks maintain the raw energy of their debut, the EP feels like an extension rather than a departure, possibly a deliberate strategy to build anticipation through smaller, punchier releases.

Their songwriting is dark, reflective and poetic, but also encourages its listeners to explore deep into their vulnerabilities. They tackle the themes of introspection, identity and struggles between isolation and connection, as well as existential questioning, blending emotional vulnerability with an underlying sense of resistance and defiance. It's honest and goes straight at you. Tracks like MILLION DOLLAR DREAM and RAZOR'S EDGE feel less like passive listening experiences and more like a call to delve deep into one’s psyche.

In 2026, Suplexx hit the road in support of their debut LP FUCK LIFE, a short, under-20-minute burst of metallic post-hardcore. The record runs through nine tracks, broken up by three noisy industrial interludes from Monosiped, and rarely slows down. There’s a clear lineage here, something in the vein of Unsane or Antioch Arrow, but it leans more into chaos than weight. What really carries it is the vocal delivery, which stays locked into this constant state of self-hatred and internal tension, barely letting up until a brief, almost out-of-nowhere thrash-style flourish at the very end.

YÖU

Location: Skopje, North Macedonia

Year active: 2015 - Current

Members: Bojan Stanić, Erik Omeragić, Marko Krstevski, Martin Mitevski, Teodora 'Tejka' Vasiljević

Related bands: Emma, Mindless Violence, Omowsky, Палиндром

FFO: Touche Amore, My Iron Lung, Keyes, Daitro

I'm finally taking this opportunity to cover this band, just days after they dropped their latest offerings. They're not the first to from North Macedonia to make wave (shout out to Irritatement!) and certainly won't be the last. But, i am really stoked to be talking about YÖU.

Band photo by Aleksandar Ilijevski

YÖU is a screamo/post-hardcore band from Skopje, North Macedonia, formed in 2015. After a handful of previous punk acts such as Палиндром, Mindless Violence, Omowsky and Emma, YÖU was formed to create something new. They dropped their first debut album "We Sing The Blues..." in 2017, with the help of Deny Records. It was also Martin Mitevski's debut album to perform in before the multiple line-up changes

We Sing The Blues... spans 7 tracks, delivering a raw, emotional punch. The sound is heavily reminiscent of Touche Amore, with traces of Daitro peeking through. The production is on the thin side, especially with the lack of distortion on the guitars, which gives it a similar vibe to At The Drive-In’s Acrobatic Tenement. Despite this, the album has a melancholic, stripped-down energy that really resonated with me. It’s raw, unpolished, but there’s something real there—something solid.

Fast forward 7 years, and YÖU’s newest release, the four-track EP River of Sadness, shows just how much they've evolved. Released through I! Brutalist! Records, their production has deepened, and their songwriting feels more refined, more introspective. The B-side of the EP includes two versions of one of their tracks, featuring guest vocals from Fitz (aka Feetz). One version is their usual screamo sound, while the alternate version, with the drummer Tejka on vocals, is an absolute standout for me. It reminds me a lot of Keyes and Now, Now, leaning into a more melancholic, atmospheric vibe that really hits home.

YÖU remains one of the shining examples of North Macedonia's DIY scene. Their persistence, creativity, and ability to keep dropping solid releases after nearly a decade show that this scene, though small, is filled with bands like YÖU who prove that anything is possible.

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Eaglehaslanded

Location: Belgrade, Serbia

Year active: 2012 - ?????

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, Foxmoulder Cult 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.

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