Riwen: EP

“It’s a short and simple story: I got fed up with the big productions and long song checks that comes with Cult of Luna,” said Riwen and Cult of Luna guitarist/vocalist Johannes Presson. “So, [I started Riwen to get] back to the roots of my salad days in Umeå.”

The music of Riwen is in deed reminiscent of when young Hardcore, crusty-Punk bands put out raucous pursuits rather than polished industry-pushed pieces, as the Riwen EP is decidedly straight-forward, pummeling, frothy. “It [was time to make] simple, raw, and fast [music]. This is hardcore,” Presson said. Riwen is appropriately dangerous and lawless, sounding the way garage collaborations turned serious end-up: tracks cut at stunning speed with breathless aggression and an underlining maturity built on perspective—Riwen reflects what punk had been and what it should still be: rough-edged and angry. “The Riwen concept is to not spend months in the studio and nitpick over every drumbeat and production details,” Presson said. “The musical destruction has to be alive and direct, tailor-made to induce mosh mayhem and walls of death.” The EP opens with “Nature Calls Us Back,” which slams forth with a punishing up-beat and percussive drive, honing the kinetic sonic qualities of bands like Judge and Battery. “Values”’ raw-bottom bass end rumbles the way Minor Threat tracks do, and the closing track “Karlsgrundet” braids in some strings at the end, rounding out the quick and dirty EP with disquiet and drama. The Riwen self-titled EP slams: taking well care of speed, dissonance, and some harmonics, Riwen proves to be a band with depth as well as unyielding sonic fury. Riwen is available via Indie Recording http://www.indierecordings.no. You can get more info on Riwen by visiting their Facebook.com page at www.Facebook.com/RiwenHC.