So i was asked to re-upload original post from band that had it’s past in Lappeenranta, but would later surface again from Helsinki, the one and only infamous hardcore band that is; Black Betsy. For those who missed my old post (in 2007) about this band, you can just do some reminiscing, now only a bit improved version, with less typos etc;
“Everyone has had few of those bands, that you can’t get enough, no matter how much you listen to them. It was about three or four years ago (in 2007), when i first heard one song of this Lappeenranta based band called Black Betsy. These guys had started to play already years ago, but the only official release, that they were featured on, was a compilation 7″ titled; Down For Life (on Fullhouse Records). That certain seven inch covers four heavier hardcore bands around Finland, it features; Down My Throat and Past Glories from Helsinki, Resort To Force from Nummela and Black Betsy, back then from Lappeenranta. Those days, BB had two singers and their self titled song, Black Betsy, on the 7” was really fucking good! As mentioned in Another One Dead -post, before Down For Life 7″, Black Betsy had songs released on a Split Demo Casette with AOD, but when i finally heard it, i was little bit dissapointed because the sound quality was so rough, songs we’re sounding really hard and rough, which is always great, but rehearsal tape sound quality wasn’t making justice to them. On their tape Black Betsy delivered four songs, of one is the very same song found on Down For Life 7″ too, but quite different sounding version. Back to 2006 and to the one of first shows that went on that year in Helsinki city, there was a show where Black Betsy played their first show in many years and i gotta say, that was really a show to remember. Lights were out hit out, broken during the first song of Black Betsy and as the last band that night, Cutdown played their cover of classic New Jersey hardcore by Clubber Lang’s Varsity Violence, the whole fucking roof of the bar was torn down and into pieces. That’s when i really got to understand how good band Black Betsy really is.
Black Betsy played lots of shows during last year and they released also a long awaited Split Cd with US band, 1984. 1984 / Black Betsy Split (on Musta Maija (Hannu from BB’s label) / Dennehy Records) is really strong shit, featuring two hardcore bands that certainly will not pull any punches and will hit you back, with a brick, straight in your face. 1984 sounds to me like older Hatebreed or like earlier Death Threat records, Black Betsy thought has a bit more of faster style, with lots of breaks, it’s Madball coming together with Death Before Dishonor, but they got some of that New Jersey hardness in there too. I’m pretty bad to compare bands to others, but you will get the picture when you listen them yourself. There’s five songs by Black Betsy on this split and also a re-recorded classic song, Black Betsy from Down For Life 7″. New songs like; In Here and Brick Wall, are stuff that will certainly deliver straight to the point. It ain’t enough to listen this shit very many many times, i can assure you. So If you like generally Finnish hardcore, you should get this, if you’re just into hardcore that ain’t have any fashion gimmicks or boys with beautiful haircuts and makeups, you should get this. Black Betsy has also one song in the Wake Up Call 7″, the ferocious, infamous and even legendary track, Catapult Power Pack. Unfortunately i cannot give you an sample of what this band is capable as live shows, but they have a music video in their myspace, so be sure to look into that. Here’s few songs off the split, dig it suckas! The Split and the Wake Up Call 4-way split with Another One Dead/Worth The Pain/Loss Of Humanity/Black Betsy 7″ -are both available in US too, i’m pretty sure Dennehy Records has 1984/BB -Split and Surprise Attack Mob Distro has Wake Up Call in store. From Finland you can get these from On My Own Records, Musta Maija or Hell’s Tone Records, some other stores / distros should carry ’em too. You like = you buy.”
And since we’re talking about Black Betsy’s songs, this time i thought, why not to go a little bit further. So i asked Hannu, vocalist of BB and man behind their label Musta Maija Records, if it would be ok for them to upload both 1984 / Black Betsy – Split Cd and Wake Up Call 7″ -tracks for everyone to check out, luckily for you, he replied, yes. So starting with 1984 / Black Betsy – Split Cd, i thought to get little more specific about the record, so i’m gonna go through the record and give you some insight about the tracks. As i earlier wrote, Black Betsy is playing heavy hardcore, that doesn’t lack any traditional fast and mid-tempo parts either. They could be compared into older Death Before Dishonor, Madball,Clubber Lang and band such as those. Black Betsy hits in five songs on their side of the 1984 -Split, starting with In Here, a fastpaced track that delivers as a strong opener on what’s to come; “No onks tää sitä hiivi-musiikkia? Hiivi sinä äijä vittuun!”. Pay For Your Sins catches you up next, hitting up some mid paced mayhem, that spurts into fast, even bit melodic part, that ends with heavy breakdown. Combining perfectly balance between faster parts and heavy breaks, they have solid thing going on and with maybe even kinda “catchier” track, Brick Wall, came out to be my favourite track on this record, even if catchier in a sing-a-long -wise way, they’re still not getting soft or anything, with chorus like; “Smash you through a brick wall!”. Following Brick Wall are left two tracks, You Have To Choose, that continues on same waters like earlier tracks and ending Black Betsy’s side is (earlier mentioned) new version old track, this time titled as, Black Betsy ’06. This time the track is bit faster and if i may say, has a lot more groove than on the version found on Down For Life 7″, solid track in any way and other favourite from BB’s material on this split, even i have to notice that all other tracks are pretty fucking killer stuff too!
And then some more, maybe the most famous and infamous Black Betsy track, Catapult Power Pack, that appeared only on Wake Up Call 7″ on On My Own Records. Compiling (at least originally) four Lappeenranta based bands on compilation 7″; Another One Dead, Black Betsy, Loss Of Humanity and Worth The Pain. Catapult Power Pack is in very same vein with “The Split” songs, heavy and fasty forward rolling with punishing breaks;”Catapult Power Pack. No Hesitation. You’re gettin attacked.”. Solid song again from the Black Betsy camp. Black Betsy played a good amount of shows supporting these records, but came to an end around 2008, due unknown reason still to this day, they went to hiatus again. I’ve been hearing rumours about them getting back and playing shows again, but those have been rumours or so it seems. I personally can’t wait the day these hooligans are getting back on the stage, to wreck some true havoc in the hardcore scene again! Here you go, enjoy Black Betsy’s Split and Wake Up Call 7″ -tracks, but be sure to track down these records as well if you are into them, because both should still be available quite easily. I’m not 100% sure, but is this mail address should still be working, you can ask from Hannu if he still has copies of the records left;mustamaijaorders@gmail.com
UPDATE 13/11/2011:
I’ll update the download links later with BB/1984 -artwork.
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