In my opinion Mutiny is probably the most interesting band around. Their debut EP came out at the beginning of this year and featured 4 incredibly heavy ska-core tracks. However, the songs told a story, and that story was portrayed in a manga. Not only that, but the 4 song EP actually had 8 songs, as all 4 tracks were also included in Japanese, performed with vocals from the Japanese ska-core band Frail.
Then, the day before Supernova ska fest, they dropped a surprise single, and asked their fans to learn the chorus to sing along. Further, they flew Ryo from Frail all the way from Japan to perform the songs live.
Now, we find out that the new song released for Supernova is a part of a second EP in the same year as their debut! This EP only has two new songs, but once again, the songs appear on the album twice. This time, they invited Heyoon from Turn for Our and Christmas Kwon from 18Fevers, two Korean Punk and Hardcore bands. Both EPs are on Ska Punk International, and Mutiny is doing an amazing job of ensuring that the albums are truly international.
The first track, “Monarch” is an incredibly aggressive fast-paced hardcore metal song until the chorus transitions to an equally aggressive ska-core track. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more aggressively hardcore ska band than Mutiny, but they do it incredibly well. Their songs are descriptive and narrative allegories- parables with lessons and anti-fascist working class messages to be discovered as you listen, but set to a beat to get you moving and slamming in the pit. On the B side, with the vocals in Korean, so I don’t try to focus on deciphering the words, it makes it easier to appreciate the quality of the song writing. Both Korean vocalists do an incredible job conveying the message and singing the song despite my inability to understand the lyrics- I’m able to appreciate everything in both English and Korean versions more due to the existence of the second version of the song. Also, hearing Korean Punk and metal bands lend their vocals to such an aggressive ska-core song and master their performance really makes me want to explore their music more.
The second track on each side is “O Salutaris”. The story is another narrative tale with an ironic twist about miners in a mine collapse being rescued, all told from the perspective of the miners, with heavy beats and absolutely thrashing horns and vocals that force your body into action. For anyone who loves heavy hardcore music, this is an absolute must.
What’s even better is that Mutiny has announced that this is to be the first in a series of 7 inch vinyl releases- each featuring different bands from around the world covering the songs of Mutiny in their native tongue. This isn’t just a one time feature, this is the beginning of a project to build a global community.
Written by Gimp Leg
