SAY BOK GWAI is San Francisco, California's first Chinese American Hardcore band. These guys melt two cultures together to come up with their unique sound. These guys are great! They play an original style of Hardcore that they call Canto-core. The music is mostly a blend of Hardcore, Punk & Thrash Metal music. I loved the hyperness & adrenaline feeling this band has. The songs are all sung in Cantonese & done in a mid ranged Hardcore style. They do toss in some Experimental influences at times too. This is a very good & different sounding band that's well worth checking out! - Reviewed by Beowolf Productions 08/04
Say Bok Gwai - Say Bok Gwai
Monkey King Records – 2004
Thirty tracks. Thirty-three minutes? Grindcore album? Yeah, that’s what I thought too. But I was wrong… kind of. Say Bok Gwai are an unusual band indeed. This self titled release showcases a mix of grind, purer thrash and hardcore, and a healthy dose of punk. Add socio-political songs, nearly all sung in Cantonese, and occasional tongue-in-cheek English lyrics, and you have an unforgiving yet highly entertaining and original release. There is some variation in speed, with slower tracks showing melody, fast paced pieces being the punkiest, and ultra-fast grind songs providing the brutality. The guitars are diverse, showing many different styles. Dissonance is used to great effect, and when this is not the case, there is rarely any melody at all. No bassist is listed in the personnel, and - if there is one - they are well hidden in the mix. The drums can be sloppy at times, but are otherwise well performed, and fitting. The vocals are a mix between a crouch and a screech - nothing too unusual, but effective nevertheless.

Some of the more experimental outings on Say Bok Gwaican be very interesting, while the more straightforward pieces are sometimes enjoyable, and at other times too short. Muddy production is only to be expected. Overall, this is an unusual and enjoyable release. Far from perfect, it is nevertheless (largely) well performed, undoubtedly a pleasant break from the norm, and addresses some interesting issues. Well worth checking out for grind/hardcore fans. By Russell Garwood ultimatemetal.com

Say Bok Gwai are a bit of an original oddity. They play a mix of grindcore, thrash and hardcore. Not that odd, I hear you say. However, they are probably one (if not the only) metal bands that sing almost entirely in Cantonese. (Yes, I am aware of Taiwanese and Chinese metal bands; however they speak in Mandarin.) The music is quite short (with one song only being 4 seconds in duration) clocking in at 33 minutes with 30 tracks. Musically, the album goes a cut above traditional grindcore with some songs featuring interesting, progressive composition with others being fairly lacklustre or too short.

The production is fairly thin, which is granted, due to the band only containing two members, being the main composer Alex Yeung on Guitar and Vocals and Andre Custodio on Drums and backing vocals. Lyrically, the album is geared as an artistic political and cultural statement, as it features song titles such as "Chinese Racism." On one of the few songs sung in English ($8 Sandwich) the band shouts out names of commercial artists, saying they rock, while their own band sucks. It’s easy to dismiss, however implicitly it seems to be a critique on the commercial music industry and the need for artists to conform to a certain ideal to sell records etc. While many would turn their nose at what seems to be random absurdity, it does have some interesting underlying complexities to consider, although it’s hard to discern them when they are being sung in an entirely different language. That aside, Say Bok Gwai is a fine grindcore album, and fans will definitely enjoy; but it’s essential you keep an open mind. Rating: 7.5/10 07/28/2004 Eyeless Sentry 666metal.com