Mass Movement review THE ATLANTIC UNION PROJECT, FLAMSTEED, ABERMALS and ZERO AGAIN releases
- david1170
- 11 hours ago
- 4 min read
Long-distance relationships: they’re tough, right? You’ve got the miles, the time zones, the occasional heartbreak from bad Wi-Fi, and the constant struggle to stay connected. Well, 3,482 Miles by The Atlantic Union Project is kind of like that—but way more hardcore and far less prone to failure after a whiskey and raki-fueled weekend bender. This EP, born from band members residing on opposite sides of the Atlantic, united by their love for music. The title being a nod to the literal distance between them.
From The Actuary to Wait Indoors, this EP nails every melodic hardcore element you crave: aggression, heart, and killer choruses—looking at you, Trustworthy and Strings Attached wrap things up with a punch of reality—like a slap in the face, but in the best way. The Atlantic Union Project draws influence from bands like Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, and Descendents, and you can definitely hear that with a clear nod to melodic punk. At times, I even got a Millencolin vibe, and the vocals carry that late-Jawbreaker/Sunny Day Real Estate feel, balancing softness and grit.
The production is top-notch—crisp, open, and punchy, with the perfect balance of melody and grit. I’m really hoping for a full-length soon. CD, LP, tape, or heck, even a gramophone, whatever medium it’s released on, I’ll be picking it…
I love pop/melodic punk, and much like Paul, who once persecuted Jesus, in my latter years, I’ve come to embrace the emotional punch of 90s and 00s emocore (shout-out to Amanda Woodward and 1905). So, when Flamsteed dropped Truths on Demand via Engineer Records, it was like a dream collision of both worlds. This LP hits hard in all the right ways, blending the raw energy of 90s emo with a poppy, melodic flair that makes you wanna scream along while air-guitaring in front of the full-length mirror in your bedroom.
From Raise Your Finger to Enough, this album radiates that infectious energy you can’t help but love—catchy and undeniably punchy. The band draws influence from emo legends like Cap’n Jazz, with a hefty dose of early Green Day and Bad Religion thrown in for good measure. It’s a beautiful collision of pop-punk and emo, and Flamsteed brings it to life effortlessly.
One of the standout tracks is Gentrifica, where the band sings in their native tongue, about an issue Barcelona and my beloved Athens have in common… gentrification. I get it, my Mediterranean brothers.
Either way, if you’re into the melodic side of 90s punk and are looking for something energetic with a poppy twist, Flamsteed nail it. Their sound is crisp, punchy, and full of hooks that will stay with you. I’ll be keeping an ear out for whatever comes next—these guys have my full and undivided attention…
According to online dictionaries, abermals means “yet again” in old-school, poetic German—think Goethe and his brooding pal Faust (or so the internet claims). It’s also the name of Abermals, a band from Mallorca, Spain, who are signed to Engineer Records. Formed by alumni of TIDAL and veterans of Dog Day Afternoon, they’ve brought some serious indie-rock weight to their latest release, Believe.
The album opens with Start a Band, channeling the DIY ethos and urging the listener to take action against our collective depression – “Be a part of our own scene and start a band”. Tracks like Nowhere, Past, Next Move, and Vertigo reflect on the conflict between past and present, exploring mental struggles and confronting issues that feel both personal and universal.
The themes of alienation and routine are relatable—sometimes painfully so. Believe, however, true to its title, urges us to envision an alternate route. It doesn’t settle for simply describing emotional low points but suggests that we push ourselves out of them. The record closes with Saturn, a haunting piece that lingered long after I turned off my stereo.
In an era where minimalism has been rebranded as a cheap aesthetic, sold by IKEA and Marie Kondo, this record—its production and instrumentation—proves there’s more to it. Substance over form and lyrical content. At its core, it’s punk in its purest form: be brief, be yourself, make your words count. Think “what if Raymond Carver made music” as Believe is a record that, if you’ve ever felt drawn to bands in the legendary Dischord catalogue or 90s indie rock, should fill that existential void.
Nice one, Abermals. Nice one, Engineer Records.
You get your hands on a CD, and the cover depicts skeletons, tentacles, and brains floating in strange liquids before an apocalyptic hellscape. You smile, expecting chaos—and Zero Again’s Ever-Changing Is the Art of Death, released by Engineer Records, delivers exactly that and so much more.
Think Fall of Efrafa’s ecological fury, but sonically closer to a brutal mash-up of Agnostic Front and Hatebreed. Zero Again have made a vicious record. The riffs are jagged and primal and the vocals sound genuinely dangerous.
The themes—ecology, animal rights, societal decay—are clear, but never feel forced or preachy. Recorded in November 2024, the album manages to capture the chaos of the here and now. Tracks like Uneasy Reflection don’t just play in the background, they confront the new reality head on. This is punk as a mirror and a warning and a timely reminder that we probably have more in common with the displaced and discarded of this world than we’d like to admit.
Zero Again aren’t here to vent. This is punk for the apocalypse—unflinching, furious, and unwilling to go quietly. And with Ever-Changing… Zero Again have crafted the perfect soundtrack for whatever hell 2025 has lined up next.
Reviews by Georgios V for http://massmovement.co.uk