On the edge of...
Taut - On the edge of...
It’s time to give props to my local scene. East of Europe is no joke! This one was posted to bandcamp earlier this year but it’s just lately that I had checked it out.
Taut was a short lived band from east of Poland and this is remastered version of their first and only demo that came out in 2009. The first version was rough sounding at times, but the energy was definitely there. On this one, the beefier production makes this band sound even more pissed off and powerful.
Their style was NYHC-inspired with some hints of thrash in the heavier parts. It comes in like combination of Madball and Bitter End, you get the deal. Tough, street-smart hardcore that is hitting as hard as possible. But despite band’s focus on staying aggressive all the time, the tracks are well formed and complex.
Anyway, I advise everyone to give it a try - I suppose the band was not very popular outside Poland so it might be something new for most of you.
Demo Daze: Maniac, Werewolf, Piece Keeper
Werewolf - Demo 2013
Brazil hardcore with cool NYHC feeling. Essentially you can think of any of your favourite NYHC bands from the late 80's/early 90's and there's a good chance you'll find strong traces of them in the songs on this demo.
Don't forget the streets!
DOWNLOAD | FACEBOOK
Maniac - Demo 2013
How can you hate on stripped down, in-your-face hardcore done right? Both the music and vocals impress on this one, and Fashionable Commie is truly a hit. For all you collector dudes, you can get it on tape here.
DOWNLOAD | BANDCAMP
Piece Keeper - Demo
Another dope band from Baltimore bringing that pissed off, groove-ridden hardcore in full effect. This demo delivers some heavy-ass grooves, chugging riffs and strong vocals. Give it a try!
DOWNLOAD | FACEBOOK
Demo Daze: Manipulate, DisXease, Last Warning
Last Warning - Last Warning
Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil hardcore, suckaz!
DOWNLOAD | FACEBOOK
Manipulate - Demo MMXIII
This is the band everyone has been talking about recently and although I hope each one of reading this is already familiar with Manipulate, I gonna post this demo just for the sake of decency. This is real NYHC full in your face!
DOWNLOAD | FACEBOOK
DisXease - Demo 2013
Sao Paulo/Brazil hardcore from the dudes who used play in I Shot Cyrus / Newspeak / Pointing Finger. Fast hardcore with furious riffs and pissed-off vocals, it might sound played out but this demo is tight as hell!
DOWNLOAD | FACEBOOK
Demo Daze: Big Contest, High Card, Chains
Hardcore punk from Long Island, New York
DOWNLOAD | FACEBOOK
Big Contest - Demo 2013
Hardcore out of Boston and Wilkes-Barre in vein of Warzone, Negative Approach, Krakdown, Breakdown and such!
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Bologna, Italy straight edge commando playing rugged '80s American hardcore punk.
DOWNLOAD | FACEBOOK
Demo Daze: Higher Power Trife Life, Pulled Under
Higher Power - Higher Power Demo
Melbourne hardcore, members of Most Precious Blood, 50 Lions, Hit List & Outsiders Code. Dirty and rugged hardcore with punk vibe.
DOWNLOAD | FACEBOOK
Trife Life - Neighborhood Watch
... got me thinking like an animal. NY hardcore, pretty dope cause they don't mess around and keep it aggressive and straight to the throat all the time.
DOWNLOAD | FACEBOOK
Pulled Under - Demo 2013
Hardcore from Dallas-Forth Worth area with a mission to go back in time and bring back that 90' metallic hardcore back to life. Fans of Disembodied or Martyr AD check it out!
DOWNLOAD|FACEBOOK
Demo Daze: Bad Attitude, Unfinished Life, Bluesbreaker
Bad Attitude - Brainfreeze
Bad Attitude are dudes from Cornered, Pantah and other local bands from Leeuwarden, the Netherlands area who teamed up for some old styled hardcore action. The demo is slated to get vinyl treatment later this year via War Inside Records (NL) and 46 Records (IER).
Unfinished Life - Expose My Demons
UKHC with tons of groove and force, all five tracks here are ripping hard!
Bluesbreaker - Arcanum
I saw this band life they were dope. Metallic hardcore with its own unique twist, you gotta check it out!
Demo Daze: Break'em, Harsh Reality, Blind Justice, Mind Trap
Break'em - Demo II
Heavy and grooved out hardcore from Sweden with obvious NYHC influences. I could drop some band names for reference, but just download it and check it out for yourself.
DOWNLOAD
Harsh Reality - No Hope- No Faith
Cali hardcore at its best, if you're into bands like Donnybrook, Blood Stands Still or Skare Tactic, Harsh Reality is your thing. One song features dude from Runamok, which is another dope new band.
DOWNLOAD
Blind Justice - Mischief
This one is available on 7" vinyl here, but the band is cool with people downloading it for free. New Jersey hardcore in your face, the ep came out couple of months ago but it's just recently I came across this band. A perfect mix of fast parts and heavy breakdowns, nothing less than a straight up in your face agression.
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Mind Trap - Demo 2013
Features dudes from Short Fuse, Rearranged, Government Flu, Highscore, Vitamin X and some other cool bands. As to be expected, it's just some good, raw hardcore punk. They got 7" out on Carry The Weight records.
DOWNLOAD
Heavy and grooved out hardcore from Sweden with obvious NYHC influences. I could drop some band names for reference, but just download it and check it out for yourself.
DOWNLOAD
Harsh Reality - No Hope- No Faith
Cali hardcore at its best, if you're into bands like Donnybrook, Blood Stands Still or Skare Tactic, Harsh Reality is your thing. One song features dude from Runamok, which is another dope new band.
DOWNLOAD
Blind Justice - Mischief
This one is available on 7" vinyl here, but the band is cool with people downloading it for free. New Jersey hardcore in your face, the ep came out couple of months ago but it's just recently I came across this band. A perfect mix of fast parts and heavy breakdowns, nothing less than a straight up in your face agression.
DOWNLOAD
Mind Trap - Demo 2013
Features dudes from Short Fuse, Rearranged, Government Flu, Highscore, Vitamin X and some other cool bands. As to be expected, it's just some good, raw hardcore punk. They got 7" out on Carry The Weight records.
DOWNLOAD
Demo Daze: Heavy Eyes, Iron Chains, Chaosrealm
Heavy Eyes - Chains Of Love
Heavy Eyes is a hardcore band straight from the mean streets of Budapest. Heavy beats and tight grooves is what you can expect from this release, and the sound quality is dope. For fans of Crown Of Thorns, Turnstile, Second To None and generally all the cool hardcore bands.
Iron Chains - s/t
Another band repping Hungary to watch out for! Iron Chains has heavier sound, but it's still 100% core. Ffo: Bitter End, 25 Ta Life, Dead End Path. Actually, I am amazed by the quality of bands coming out of Budapest right now!
Chaosrealm - Demo 2013
Chaosrealm is more on the matallic side of things, but it's still dope. The songs have slick thrash feel to them but the delivery is very focused and in your face. It would be dope to hear these tracks with better production.
Demo Daze: Reaper's Path, Pressure Drop, Regulate
This ep has been out for some time already but it's just now that I get to listen to it. Just like on their previous releases, there's a good dose of heavy metallic hardcore backed by pissed of vocals. The way they combine heaviness with slick faster parts puts the music somewhere between Terror and Shattered Realm.
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Fucking vicious and aggressive hardcore with slick metallic vibe. There are a lot of strong grooves and catchy riffs in the songs, and powerful vocals seal the deal. Can't wait to hear some more shit from this band! Facebook here.
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Long Island hardcore. I don't know much about the band, but I dig this demo. On the heavier side of things, but still core. Check out their facebook.
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Demo Daze: Reapers Path, Conqueror, Taken By Force
Tough as nails hardcore from this German band. It took me ages to post this one and the band is already working on new release, but it’s still worth checking out. The demo is 4 tracks strong and bring some vicious heavy-ass hardcore not unlike Merauder, Cold World or Biohazard. Expect nothing but tons of tight grooves and slick riffs. My fav tracks are Reapers Path and Bitter End.
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It’s not often that we feature bands from South Africa. Conqueror plays metallic brand of hardcore which goes from fast parts to reckless breakdowns. The ep has 5 songs kept in bleak and negative tone and packed with thrashing riffs and powerful, menacing vocals. The production is crisp but maintains that rawness and edge that these tracks deliver.
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Taken By Force hail from Australia and play hardcore that makes you think about Terror, Hatebreed and so on. It’s pretty neat if you fancy that type of sound. Strong and metallic tracks that are kept short and to the point, with harsh vocals and good musicianship.
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Demo Daze: Loose Ends, First Degree, Denny Crane
Loose Ends - Free Spirit
The brand new ep by Loose Ends brings 4 tracks of heavy-ass metallic hardcore that has very nice vibe to it. One of the coolest new bands I've heard in a while. For fans of Fury Of V, Merauder, Dead End Path and just good heavy music in general.
First Degree - California Beatdown
Beatdown hardcore the way it should be played. It's heavy but slick with crushing riffs, double bass and vocals that pack enough attitude on these numbers to guarantee that the message gets across. I would say it's something between Sworn Vengeance, Shattered Realm and Suffokate, but best judge for yourself.
Denny Crane – Attitude Beatdown Berlin
This one is obviously from Germany. Danny Crane is putting out split ep with Hometown Hate soon, but before that happens here's this album. Berlin is one of the coolest cities in Europe and I can totally understand all the hometown pride that fills this album Fans of Fallbrawl and other beatdown bands from Germany should be pleased.
Download: Mastiff - Trap City
Somehow I missed this demo when it came out in December last year and just came across the band recently. Trap City is supposedly the first release from this Cali band and it brings six tracks of heavy and tough hardcore. What struck me most about this demo is the fact that Mastiff sounds really sharp and on point all the time, and there’s a lot of cocky attitude in the music which is always good. The sound quality is great, all the songs are awesome and I am sure most of you will enjoy this demo as much as I do. Download it!
Download: Cold Reality - Demo 2013
Mad thanks to Straight On View for putting me onto this band. Cold Reality hails from Hungary but they sound like they could be straight from Texas or Pennsylvania. The demo delivers mean and tough hardcore with strong vocals spitting about fucked up things in this world - backstabbers, apathy, self-rightous pricks and so on. The recording quality is raw as fuck, but if you can get pass that there's definitely talent to be found. Download it!
Download: Pantah - Demo 2013
I came across this band by accident but it turns out it's damn solid demo. Pantah hails from The Netherlands and delivers powerful NYHC-influenced hardcore with agressive attitude and good skills. If a band names Warzone, Cro-Mags, Youth of Today and Judge you know it's gonne be the shit. The demo is available on tape from War Inside Records. Highly recommended stuff, we need more bands like this! Download it!
Download: Side Split - 2nd Self Demo
This Chicago band delivers real hard tunes on what I suppose is their debut demo. 2nd Self boasts 4 tracks of raging hardcore, simple and aggressive with tons of energy. There is some thrash feel in their music which I like, and some of the riffs and hooks are above average. I dig that the band is far from boring, but they know that hardcore should be delivered raw and uncompromising. Perfect example that you don't have to stretch out songs to sound good if you know what you’re doing. Side Split have really earned my respect with that demo. Download it!
Download: New World - Demo 2013
Heavy, but slick hardcore from this Southern California band. Don't know much about the New World, but it seems to be band's debut release. What you get is intro plus five tracks of intense hardcore that have a right balance between heavy grooves and faster parts. Traditional hardcore vocals are solid and work fine with the music. Southern Rush is my fav track, mostly due to powerful heavy groove and overall energy it has. Overall, some of these songs are real badass and I hope to hear this stuff recorded with better quality. Download it!
Download: Overpain - Underrated Overhated
Overpain hails from Salonika City, Greece and plays brutal and heavy hardcore that fans of Fury Of V, Out To Win or Knuckledust should dig. The band is at their best during the faster and more dynamic songs, but fans of breakdowns shouldn't be dissapointed neither. The one impressing feature of the album is a long list of guest features. Dudes like Olle and Rickard from Bitter Taste Of Life, Jon from Warhound, Jake from Hammerfist or Gerardo from No Zodiac lend vocals on couple of the songs. Actually, the list is even longer but you get the picture. I have no clue how managed to get all those people involved, but it works for album's advantage in my opinion. Props to the band for letting everyone download the album for free. Download it!
Download: Sabotage - Demo II
Violent and chaotic hardcore with a dirty sound and disorted vocals. Some fucked up tunes, if you ask me, but it has some appeal. It's fast, but also got some cool breakdowns. Not the music I usually dig, but it's not bad. If you like it, you can order tape from Climbin' Aboard Records. Tape artwork is brilliant, worth having on your shelf. Download it!
Download: Cross Me - Demo 2013
Milwaukee's Cross Me brings thrash-ridden type of hardcore with solid grooves and manacing riffs. I’m getting some Expire meets Suicidal Tendencies sound on these tracks. Serious business and no frills. The vocals are seriously pissed off and sound like the guys wants fuck someone up good. Expect to hear news of them signing to one of your favorite hardcore labels sometime soon. Download it!
Download: Brainwreck - Words to the Wise
One of the few bands from South Africa I know. Not as good as Bloodline Ltd, but pretty rad anyway. Because of the Fury Of V song, I was expecting something heavier, but it actually has more traditional sound. 3 tracks, all of them no longer than 2:30, most of the time groovy. The music reminds me of No Turning Back, though it never really gets too fast. All in all, hardcore comes from many places and it's good to keep that worldwide unity thing alive. Plus, Brainwreck got a killer band name and are good at their craft! Download!
