No Restraints / Spider Crew - Through Our Veins

Randale Records / Old Tyme Records / Spook Records / WTF Records

Old meets new on this split EP between the Italians of No Restraints and the mob from Vienna, Spider Crew! Released by Randale Records, Old Tyme Records, Spook Records and WTF Records earlier this year (2020), this double A-sided split - entitled "Through Our Veins" - features two songs by each band, so let's get down to business!

First up is No Restraints from Vercelli, Italy. A band that only formed back in 2019 and who are now debuting with their first two recordings on this EP - namely "Lies" and "The Blackest Of Sheep". Two killer songs I might add! Chunked with melody, power and sing-alongs, this heavily Oi! influenced hardcore outfit rips it up from the get go and - given the fact that I didn't really know what to expect - kind of caught me by surprise with their fresh, extremely solid sound that only makes me want to hear more by this new Italian four-piece! Good stuff indeed!

On the AA-side we'll find the old guard of Spider Crew. Going at it since 1999, the Austrian old school warriors already get a hefty discography on hands and picked two tracks from that discography to throw on this EP, "Through Their Veins" (which originally appeared on "Too Old To Die Young") and "Won't Break Free" (which originally appeared on "Sounds Of Hatred". Great songs nonetheless, but unfortunately nothing new.

Therefor the 'old meets new' comment in my opening didn't just apply to the fact that Spider Crew has had a 20 year headstart on No Restraints, but it also applied to the fact that the Austrains cranked out two previously released songs. Perhaps to help their friends of No Restraints out to get the ball rolling, but unfortunate nonetheless as I would have rather heard something new by them as well! Definitely still worth picking up though!