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To say the hardcore scene in Bulgaria is strong is an understatement, deeply rooted in the community, having given birth to some of the most successfull local bands and also continuously influencing new bands from across the country. While each one takes its own path and keeps fighting against all odds to make the music they want and love, today we are here to celebrate the hugely anticipated debut record Paranoia Playground by the boys at Badcast or one of the strongest acts at the regional rapcore and modern metal scenes.
Hailing from the urban jungle of the capital Sofia, Badcast is a five-piece that have been grinding forward for almost a decade. The countless difficulties and limitations of the local music industry might sound alien to outsiders, but if there is one heavy band that has learned how to successfully navigate through its ups and downs, it is Badcast. Few EPs, numerous gigs and a stellar performance at Wacken Metal Battle in 2022, and they are finally sharing their powerfull mix of uncompromising verbal tirades, raging riffs and ruthless breakdowns in a debut LP that is easily one of the freshest releases so far this year.
The album is short and sweet, well balanced to hit the perfect spot between having too much fillers or lacking something more. A suitable dystopian and punching intro aside, Paranoia Playground runs for eight more tracks or just over half an hour which is exactly how much it needs to tell its story and break your neck in the meantime. From the bouncy grooves of 'Ugly' through the disgusting breakdowns in the lead single 'Hell' and the anthemic chorus of 'Out of the Box', all the way to the fading distortion in 'NGBA', it is a meticulously crafted record that might have taken a while to finish but is so damn worth it.
Albums nowadays tend to lack cohesion or simply missing that special something that holds them together. Against the multitude of rushed, repetative or chaotic releases that we get weekly, Badcast seamlessly deliver an almost conceptual work with a clearly defined purpose, direction and overall atmosphere to hold it tightly in an existential chokehold. It is a volatile mix of past, present and future, echoing the psychotic and estranged feel of certain nu metal classics, whilst embracing rapcore's gritty realism in its lyrical themes and swagger in vocal delivery, as well as the raw power and intensity of modern metalcore.
All in all, Paranoia Playground is an album that just works, shifting its mood from pure rage to hopeless melancholy, against the gloomy vibes of urban reality. It is born out of life experience and actual stories, a musical reflection of a bleak existence with glimpses of hope and a will to fight back. In a way, it is what the likes of Hacktivist, Fire From The Gods, Cane Hill and most recently Borders have done, but from a perspective that is authentic to a part of the world that is as unfamiliar to the global scene as exciting in its potential.
Badcast are about to go on a mini tour to promote the album across Bulgaria, which is more a matter of established expectations and an opportunity to celebrate than actual marketing necessity, as the local audience is already in love with what they do, deservedly so. You can expect pure mayhem at dark venues across god-forsaken neightbourhoods in distant towns as the most fitting setting to unleash Paranoia Playground upon the world.
Whether you know the band or haven't even heard of their country, listen and support Badcast as the boys have something the say and know just the right way to deliver it.
Badcast - 'Paranoia Playground
Country: Bulgaria
Released: 11 September 2023
Label: Self
Tracklisting:
1. 'Intro'
2. 'Ugly'
3. 'Hell'
4. 'Changing Realities'
5. 'Cheap Note'
6. 'Out Of The Box'
7. 'Nobody
8. 'Verbal Vapours
9. 'NGBA'
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