Zeal put on a solid effort last night at Takapuna War Memorial Hall. A humble $5 door charge was incentive enough to decline a cheeseburger combo and head straight to Taka for some good’ol core. The venue was tight, music was raging and demanded some serious head banging.

 I always forget ear plugs for shows but ears ringing or not, it was a killer line up featuring Auckland bands Lookin Up and Too Late, a reunion from Nightmares and from the other island Out Cold A.D.

 Lookin Up, set the scene off right. High energy and just absolute madness. Just watching these guys makes you want to thrash. They've been putting in the gigs and have earned a viable following. When it comes to punk hardcore these guys bring back the good vibes from years ago.

 Too Late get tighter every time they play. Their riffs are heavy; their style is down to an art. This is some serious talent. If this is what over three years has produced, you won’t want to miss the next three.

It’s great to see talent travel all the way from Christchurch. Out Cold A.D. drops some dirty hardcore riffs and deserves some serious respect. Their new single was released back in March, hitting number 1 on the NZ iTunes Rock Chart and Metal Chart. Make sure you check out their music video.