The Geeks-Still Not in this Alone (2014)

The Geeks-Still Not in this Alone (2014)

“As someone from a developing country, I have a problem with rich countries thinking they can tell us anything, simply because they are giving money.”

Ha-Joon Chang

By: Ghost Writer

Living in South Korea might not be an easy thing, the country realized long ago that they had no natural resources so they bet their economic growth on the economy of knowledge, education and technology with schools and jobs demanding nothing but the best of them, it’s a tough life, and it gets tougher when you live next to a country threatening you with nuclear weapons all the time.

When you think of Asian hardcore, I bet you the first words that come to your mind are surely legendary hardcore punk band The Geeks, this and originated in South Korea are without a doubt celebrities among underground circles with their more than 15 years career and still amazingly strong records.

Still Not in this Alone might be exactly an statement of The Geeks longevity and their influential appeal to younger hardcore punk bands in SK and in Asia, and talking about statements that's the name of the first track from this last year's record, opening with powerful drums and dissonant guitars and featuring Seo Kiseok high defiant screaming one thing is clear, The Geeks are more alive than ever, and after the proper introduction comes the powerful rampage of sound starting with the jagged edge riffing of the catchy Losing End, and if you think hardcore is not intellectual enough just check the long titled Defining Moments These 6 Strings Through Our Lives gives you words and words to digest among a powerful and ultra-accelerate beat, and a moshing point that sounds just like the eye of a storm.

Staring into the Sun starts with a peculiar slow beat and then it accelerates again right into hardcore territory showcasing the band mastery at playing with the variation of speeds, like in the moody 17th May with resonating guitars and highly stylish deep slow drums before evolving into a mid-paced instrumental, just before the broken beats of the incredible tune called Search For Your Verse.

This is It is another amazing tune in which the band play with tempos at full will, slowing down and letting us appreciate the detailed riffing at times, or the see grooves of the gargantuan Our Generation, in which the juggernaut like attack if the band is omnipresent taking just seconds like in Suffering, Changing, D Growing to reach impressive speed.

No one said hardcore was about diversity, but even in this monolithic micro cosmos The Geeks give themselves at times the change to use more melodic intros or cathartic slow burners like in closer tune Light in the Dark.

In the end we all know that living in South Korea is no was thing, tension is an element always present in SK admirable society where they demand a lot to themselves and in a way that pressure and tension is all time noticeable in The Geeks music, they now how to drive us to the edge and when to give us a small chance to breath before passing out.

Still Not in this Alone is another brave statement in the career of this larger than life hardcore institution, a band that sounds as vital as the day they started it all, with music like this, The Geeks are for sure not alone in this.