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Hailing from the western county of North Rhine/Westphalia, Germany, TAIFUN brings 2 masterfully constructed Burning Spirits inspired hardcore rippers. Members have played in such bands as BURIAL and BOMBENALARM which is no surprise once you hear these songs. The vocals sound so Japanese, it’s hard to imagine the singer as a German guy yelling lyrics about a smog monster named Hedorah and the power of Kaiju. As bass driven as this record is, the solos and guitar work are sometimes reminiscent of the late Chelsea of PAINTBOX/DEATHSIDE, resurrecting a style that has been overlooked in the modern hc scene in recent years. While this is complete Japanese hardcore worship, TAIFUN keep it really interesting and fun with their take on the genre. The noisy soundscapes, specifically the end of side A (Kaiju Power) complete the package, urging the listener to flip the record repeatedly. Well executed, and a nice tease into what this band promises to give us in the future!
Our take: I listened to these two tracks several times without the thought even crossing my mind that this band wasn’t Japanese, then I sit down to write this description and find out they’re from Germany. Who woulda thunk it? Taifun features at least one member from Burial, though, so they have years of experience looking to the east for hardcore inspiration. One reason it never occurred to me that Taifun wasn’t Japanese is that these songs are so idiosyncratic. Typically, when a band looks to a far-away scene for inspiration, they are careful to include touchstones everyone accepts as markers of that style, but Taifun doesn’t. I can’t pinpoint moments where I’m like “that’s a Death Side move,” yet it’s clear Taifun takes inspiration from the grandiose quality of so much Burning Spirits hardcore… they just summon that quality in their own way. I particularly like how they stretch out motifs, like the extended outro for the a-side song and the way the b-side track pounds on those epic punches at the end until they achieve a hypnotic effect. I’m sure folks who are interested in contemporary bands in the Burning Spirits style will enjoy this, but I think what Taifun does here is interesting and unique, and worth the time of anyone who likes progressive hardcore punk.