"Impassioned punk that fuses melody and power along with a strong message. Proving there's more to Hawaii than beaches and volcanoes" -Al Quint, Suburban Voice

11 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Punk, ROCK: Hard Rock



Details:
About: (Order of the) WHITE ROSE

We have been together for over a year and have finished recording our debut record with Eric Helmkamp which will be self-released on our own label. The cover art was created by Winston Smith, the artist who designed the Dead Kennedys logo as well as many of their album covers. Living in Hawaii has produced many challenges as well as many opportunities to grow as a band.

Our musical influences are extremely varied and range from blistering hardcore, first generation ska, to brutal metal, South Pacific drumming, Persian guitar and African Highlife music. Nate, (drummer) and his brother, Noah, (bassist/lead singer) are tattoo artists and are covered in ink. Together they formed the band "Absence of Void," which became a very popular band on Maui. After AOV's guitar player moved to California, Nate and Noah joined forces with their friend Steve(guitar/vocals) to form White Rose.

Steve grew up in the early eighties hardcore scene in the Midwest and has traveled all over the world playing music in the bands "Plainfield" and "Gitchee gumee" and as a technician/roadie for bands such as Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs 3, Dieselhed, Fantomas, The Mermen, Duh, Grotus, William Winant, Fifteen, The Melvins, Melt Banana, Red Army, Rudolph, The Unknown, Boom and the Legion of Doom, and Saturns Flea Collar. He was also the editor of "Licentia Et Pax" fanzine, who interviewed many great bands such as SNFU, Raw Power, Entropy, NIL-8, Final Conflict, Amnesty, Crucial Youth, D.O.A., A State of Mind, Dead Silence, and Born Without A Face, from 1982-1988.


Many of our songs address social injustice, such as Theocratic governments, questioning the legality of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, corporate malfeasance and the ever widening gap between the rich and poor throughout the world. However, instead of screaming about these issues, we also try to offer solutions to the problems addressed, not only in our songs but in the way(s) we live our lives.

We also try to remember not to get so wrapped up in political positions that we forget to rock. The art that we create, whether it is music or the art of protest is equally important to us.
We hope you enjoy what you hear and would love to hear from you.

REVIEWS OF WAR MACHINE

âWhite Rose's first CD, War Machine, is an album with a message, with a mission. The lyrics are latent with the themes be aware, question authority, beware of the loss of your freedoms, you are the answer, go out and do something. There is criticism of self-righteous government officials that view other countries as faceless enemies and make greed-based decisions from the comfort of their offices. They warn us not to be distracted by the meaningless frills thrown at us by corporations and governments every day. I am immediately reminded of Orwellâs Big Brother society in 1984 and the theme that the answer lies in the proles (i.e. us regular people). White Rose's succinct messages are integrated with equally hard-hitting punk rock guitar riffs, precise drumming, and intense scream-singing (or sing-screaming, depending on the song).
The album begins with the self-titled song, White Rose, driven by quick-moving, progressive power chords and an equally driving cry to the listener to open your eyes. Wake up! Wake up! Now that theyâve got your attention, the rest of the album delivers its message through tempo-changing punk, slower heavy-metalish rock, and some almost poppy-hooky punk complete with hand-clapping.
A couple of songs stand out on this album. No Flags, No Masters is a potent mix of words and music, beginning with a driving verse shouting No Flags, No Masters, what are we fighting for? That melts into a swanky chorus asserting Colors of hate destroy/ God is not a flag Unite. The longest song on the album is the punk epic, Who Would Jesus Bomb? calling out the government for (erroneously) using Christian principles as justification of war: We are sick of the scandals and the buck is gonna stop with you!/(Criminal, Criminal, You should be on TRIAL!)/ Maybe its you, maybe its me and all the good people say/ Who would Jesus Bomb? Resist Despair is a heavy, yet propulsive song that defies stereotyping-based-on-image proclaiming I am not nothing at all/ I am not who you say I am/ I am more than all of this. The uplifting song feels like itâs about to break free at any moment, just like the people it represents.
White Rose's War Machine will be available soon. It is engineered by Eric Helmkamp, cover art by Winston Smith, and filled with intelligent music by White Rose. What more do you need? -Katie Whitman, 808 Scene Zine