‘Clear The Lane’ is the new album offering, from Belgian post-hard-core punk quartet, Adverse 96. Featuring current sounds, with 90’s grunge, ‘CTL’ follows EP’s ‘Anger Ocean Kept Inside’ (2018) and ‘Last Stop Before Terminus’ (2015); both accompanied by YouTube videos, featuring ‘Ghosts From The Past’ and ‘Hell Is Other People’.
‘AOKI’ and ‘LSBT’ are both accessible online, as is ‘CTL’ (out on TBC).
Adverse 96 have won music media acclaim, on Dying Scene (USA), Barricade Punk (Canada), Shoot Me Again (BE), amongst other punk/hard-core webzines.
Folded Paper – Straight into the groove)! Very 90’s stuff, echoing G’N’R’s ‘UYI’ era – especially with the spoken word section. Fiery riffs, fast-paced rhythms, punk vocals, with a slight nu-metal, rap-rock edge. A real anthemic immediacy to the vocal cohesion. Ending on a blunted cymbal hit.
Forevermore – Compressed intro. Moving into the vibe, fluidly. An immediate warmth to the melody. Steady, rhythmic accessibility. Again, there’s a great upbeat festival flavour to this. Lots of chemistry here. Vocal melodies, well worked into the arrangements. Pleasant, clear fade-out.
Dead Angles – Great driving rhythmic opening, with well fitting bass clarity. A quick paced number, with strong Offspring-esque qualities and summery atmosphere. Great steadily paced riffs, just past the bridge. Alternating rhythms, slightly, but always sustaining accessibility. Lots of vocal unity going on, there, again, bringing it to a neat close.
Destinies – Right in there, with a neat follow-up. Strong sense of ease and comfort with their sound. Audio production spot-on, too. Plenty of melody, with powerful anthemic quality. Fantastic fading feedback.
Withdrawn – Another instant hitter and again, it carries that cool 90’s vibe. Good strong atmospherics. Bass coming in, at approximately 1:08, with another strong underlying groove. The passion and enthusiasm’s so clear, within those vocals and the natural flow of the accompaniments. Loads of happy, uplifting melodies and again, bringing that fun 90’s vibe.
Rubin Carter – Immediate warmth in that opening riff. Now, injecting a slightly harder vocal emphasis. Here’s where that hard-core aspect appears. Still keeping it catchy, though. Clean, smooth fade-out.
December – Similar start. A little more drum presence, here. Stacks of vocal union, as before, showcased through those melodies. An easy one to envision, in the live arena. Very well-placed vocal anthems, just before the end.
Confined – Great follow-up, once more. Grabbing attention, instantly, with that group vocal intro. The passion and energy get even clearer, here. Great riff melody, at around 1:35, sporting powerful punk spirit, all rounded off with a definitive end.
Augmented Reality – Driving it into the ground, with a palpably ingrained intro. Ace ticking rhythm, making way for that hugely enthused vocal. More bass foundation, at 1:18. Again, the melody’s loud and clear, throughout. Great to hear that impassioned emotion coming through, in the vocals. Lots more drumming energy, towards the end.
Colours – High pitched riff intro and straight on, into another gathered groove, exuding inviting warmth. Drums really going for it, here, with full force. Loving the melodies. Fading out, with a summery vibe).
Overall – ‘Clear The Lane’ is an instant draw and sustains it, beginning to end. If you want to re-capture that summer festival rock family vibe, then this is the album for you. Solid anthemic catch, engaging melodies and warmth exude from ‘CTL’, even during the hard-core elements. It’s a sound in which connection, enjoyment and passion abound and its audio values are as strong as its performance. What stands out most is the band’s obvious union and cohesion and that’s what hooks you in and embraces you. A truly delightful melodic treat).
10/10 **********
For fans of American Terror, The Offspring, C.S.O.D., Love Stricken Demise, Embrace, Dodgy, Ocean Colour Scene, The Stone Roses, Supertramp, Cast, The Kooks.
https://www.facebook.com/adverse96/
Represented by Mike de Coene, at Hard Life Promotion.
Rock Queen Reviews 
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