Many bands from Russia are not well known in our regions. Apart from Distemper and the hardcore band Purgen, WHAT WE FEEL is the third band that might be somewhat known here. With this album, WHAT WE FEEL is releasing a completely original album after two split CDs. The title translates to “Our 14 Words,” with each word symbolically representing a song on this album. WHAT WE FEEL plays politically and socially engaged old-school hardcore. The songs oscillate between tempo, melody, and mosh parts. The bass thunders, the drums lay down a heavy beat, and the two singers/shouters fully immerse themselves in this soundscape. They don’t just scream; they sing, they vary their voices, and give each song its own unique character. The sound is also great; the band has a knack for catchy melodies, and they have plenty of anger in their bellies. This combination results in the band’s unique style, which sounds fantastic on the album. Live, the band is also very good, but sometimes the subtleties get lost due to the technical conditions. The live power is captured excellently on the record. While many bands today just hammer away or try to compensate for musical deficiencies with a fat sound, everything is right with WHAT WE FEEL. Eight songs are solely by WHAT WE FEEL. For the other six songs, the band has enlisted help from friend bands. For instance, one song was recorded with the folks from Hausvabot in Berlin, and another with the ska-punkers from Distemper. These collaborations also resulted in the great cover of the Stage Bottles' “Sometimes antisocial, always antifascist.” Here, WHAT WE FEEL shows that they can also play punk rock. If that’s not enough of a reason to buy, it should be noted that the CD comes in a stylish cardboard digipack. Inside the digipack is a nice poster that also features the lyrics printed in English. This way, you can understand what the band is about even without knowledge of Russian. That’s good because the lyrics still play an important role for WHAT WE FEEL! Overall, the album has turned out great and can be warmly recommended to everyone. A small note: The seriousness of the band’s fight against fascism can be seen on their current tour, the proceeds of which, after covering all costs, go entirely to antifascist organizations in Russia.
This article was automatically translated by AI.
