Another Day – Retrospection

Varna was the birthplace of Bulgarian hardcore punk. While the Sofia scene grew larger over time, the creative core that ignited numerous bands, shows, festivals, zines, and releases in the ’90s never stopped burning. Jivko Manev and Stanislav Nikolov, members of the Varna hardcore bands Indignity and Outrage, founded Another Day in 1999 to explore the metallic side of hardcore, inspired by bands like Integrity and Catharsis, the latter of which shared the stage with Another Day in 2001.

They quickly released their first demo in 2000 and just two years later released Who’s To Blame, one of the best records to have ever come out of the Bulgarian scene. This release was followed by another demo in 2004. I never listened to it back then, but now, 21 years later, these tracks form half of Retrospection, Another Day’s brand new full-length album.

I don’t count this as a reunion, as I think Another Day has never been officially, or at least publicly, disbanded. In the two decades that separate us from Who’s To Blame, the band has played the occasional show but has mostly operated in the shadows. And these shadows seem to have been very kind and inspiring because, just like its predecessor, the new album is one of the most interesting and memorable releases to have come out of the Bulgarian scene. Retrospection spans over ten tracks, and while it is the easiest to be described as heavier metallic hardcore, it’s far more diverse and exciting than the breakdown snoozefest that a big chunk of modern heavy hardcore has become.

The album’s opener, “On a Test,” which also served as the first single, is a blast-beat-propelled massacre. It made me think that, like Varna’s Outrage, the band has taken their sound to even more extreme territories. However, once “Same Old Story” starts, you know that’s classic Another Day at its finest. Fast, metallic, and riff-fueled hardcore that manages to remain melodic, captivating, and sincere even at its harshest. Michael Pehlivanov’s intense and creative drum arrangements alongside Jivko Manev’s tight bass lines offer the perfect foundation for Radoslav Grudev’s meticulous guitar work. Another signature Another Day feature is Stanislav Nikolov’s vocals, which go from raw to melodic in a snap, allowing you to perfectly grasp not only the emotional charge of the music but the lyrics as well. Those deal as much with inner struggles as they do with global issues such as mass control, abuse of power, and humanity’s lack of desire to wake up and at least try to change the tide.

Change is what I believe in
Action—that’s my weapon

The first half of the album features material created right after Who’s To Blame and sounds closer to the band’s early music. However, after the one-minute-long, grindcore-influenced “Why,” the band hints that their music has evolved since the early 2000s. From the desperate anthem “Hope Is Gone” to the beautifully chaotic “Raised by the System” and the painfully melodic melancholy of “Last Bullet,” Another Day has managed to give their usual sound some brand new flavors and nuances with their latest record. The sparse and ambitious “The Price,” my absolute favorite track, has an almost math rock playfulness. This was not without the help of Georgi Zhelyazkov at Sinister Soundworks in Prague, who did solid work producing the record.

I truly admire that the band has decided to end this record with their most experimental tracks, which kind of leaves the door open for the future. I only hope it won’t be another 20 years before we find out what’s coming next.