Welcome to a new home, dear readers!
This is a debut in this “newsroom” and nothing is more suitable for this reviewer than bringing Finnish bands into the spotlight. Today the talk is about SIDEWALK MAFIA and the new EP “Rotten Apples” released on March 19, 2021 by the German label Blood Rite Records.
Proposing a stunning mix of genres defined as “Crushing Metal Music” introduced in lines of the crossover, SIDEWALK MAFIA emerged in an explosion of attitude in search of a unique identity in this preview of what is yet to come later during the fall of 2021. “Rotten Apples” arrives as an affirmation after the band signed the record deal with the German label in the fall of 2020, and that was just the “kick-off” for the single “This Frozen Paradise” released in January this year, a track that is also available on this EP.
Formed in Helsinki, SIDEWALK MAFIA brings on board Tommy Parole(guitars and vocals) and Johannes Wolfpathon (drums and vocals), and although energy is one of the main characteristics of these musicians, the recording of “Rotten Apples” seems to work as a musical “self-discovery” since there is a very wide variety of elements here, the four songs contained in this work reflects an extremely youthful sound and tracks such as “House of Death” easily go from grind to thrash with “semi-death” elements in an accelerated sound crusher. Vocals screamed at the top of their lungs gain choruses that are easy motivators for crowds at festivals, and if a few moments ago we talked about semi-death then “This Frozen Paradise” is the exact opposite of the festive state, sinking in an atmospheric depression of heavier guitars and vocal lines.
We continue through “The Disease” and here the track offers you an unusual pun of mix of genres that confuses the listener, from punk to agroo, from folk to death, bordering the industrial, are so many layers involved with mixed vocals but that strangely sound really good together, something that for those who always hope to categorize each band or album in a specific genre will be a difficult task. All the lyrics sound acidic and harsh but at intense and slow moments that distinguish the sonority, I could say that SIDEWALK MAFIA is a band in the plural of styles that can please many because it allows an easy reach of genres, at the same time maybe this makes it things a little difficult if we consider an increasingly demanding audience, but one thing we can be sure of, this is a band that easily hovers over any aspect without difficulty and what may sound a little confusing to some now on this EP can direct to a full-length really cohesive at the end of this year and with a defined and structured sound identity, or not, maybe this “Crushing Metal Music” thing really is the very identity of these guys, anyway these musicians have their own alchemy and although their presence is still timid on the scene, they have enough capacity to grow.
We ended this review on “Attention!“, another track as energetic as the others and looking forward to what this band can still offer us.
RELATED LINKS
Website: https://blood-rite-records.com/artists/sidewalk-mafia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sidewalkmafia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sidewalkmafia
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MafiaSidewalk?s=09
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1EkbzbGDCumuQfKIXR4iFK?si=qBotY6myQjS7vBA6sUg3yw&nd=1
Label link: https://blood-rite-records.com/
MORE DETAILS
Mixed by Sammy Aaltonen – Eastsound Studios, Helsinki
Mastered by Mika Jussila – Finnfox
Recorded – Eastsound Studios, Helsinki
Released by Blood Rite Records, Germany
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