Hard To Kill

"I would hope that those kids follow the trend that the hardcore scene actually took back in the day and just morph and evolve rather than change completely or drop out."

Band’s name: Hard To Kill

Location: The north and northwestern philly suburbs.

Active since: The band formed out of the ashes of another band called the red tops. the name HTK has been used for about 4 years now.

How do you define your overall style?
Oldschool nyhc with a slightly heavier side.

What’s your goal with this band?
Play music and have fun. we have all been in other bands and had less-than-desirable outcomes of our efforts. This is hopefully just going to be a good time.

What do you have recorded so far?
Besides some earlier demo stuff, we are in the studio right now finishing up the "you're beat" 7". this will be the first official release for the band.

How did you all come together to form the group?
Tony and soda played in the red tops together for years. I got kicked out of the band i was in about a year ago and a few months back they asked me to start playing guitar. my old band had played with the tops numerous times and we were all friends from the general hardcore scene.

Your new 7” called You’re Beat is finally out. What kids should expect from it?
It actually isn't (unfortunately, haha). it was supposed to be so ideally you should be right, but we are working on fine-tuning things. when it is out (hopefully in the early fall), expect a fast and hard 7" that will get your head bobbing and be easy to sing along to.

What bands influenced your sound and how would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you before?
Older new york bands. Think burn meets madball meets inside out. It's a decent cocktail of the older hard-style of hardcore.

Lyrically, where do you find your inspiration?
Tony writes from the heart. whether it be about the hardcore scene, being an oldhead or simply just personal anguish. he writes real-deal shit for music that matches it.

What are your thoughts on current state of hardcore music and the scene? What excites you about hardcore in 2009?
Well the simple fact that hardcore is still alive and well is pretty exciting i suppose, haha. there are a lot of kids stoked on older hardcore in the area i come from. trends like this are quick to come and go though. i would hope that those kids follow the trend that the hardcore scene actually took back in the day and just morph and evolve rather than change completely or drop out. we shall see. In PA we have a long legacy of sincerity and heart and that is something that still holds true to this day.

What’s interesting happening in Pennsylvania when it comes to hardcore? Any good new bands around?
Always something going on. staples like SFAR and WIC have released or are about to release new shit. bands like mother of mercy from doylestown are doing really well on the road and at home. CDC just got back from playing fucking Israel and is the first DIY hardcore band to officially play the middle east...so PA has that flag marked, haha. central pa is producing some decent bands again. check out weight of the crown and steel nation for sure. xrepresentx from erie just got back from 2 months in europe and they had a blast. This Is Hardcore fest just happened a few weeks back in philly and it was a complete and total success. every day sold out i believe, and every band played and everybody had a good time. On the whole, things are awesome in the commonwealth of pennsylvania.

You guys seem to be very active when it comes to playing live. How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one?
Ironically enough, i have only played 2 shows with the band, haha. before that they only played a handful of shows so there isn't a whole lot to go buy. the first show i played was at mojo 13 in delaware and it ruled. all our friends were there and some friends from out of town as well, like folsom and lionheart.


Do you prefer bigger venues or smaller clubs?
Smaller clubs all the way. big venues are for losers.

Adidas vs. Nike?
Adidas, although i am definitely rocking a pair of nikes right now. i have always been of the persuasion that shoes are probably the least important thing to care about in like, the world.

What's next on your agenda?
Get this 7" out on my label (get this right records). play some shows locally and hopefully hit the road in a few months if shit goes well.

Any additional comments or shout-outs?
Our dogs are awesome. word up to blue, mickey and snoop.

Check out Hard To Kill at Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/hardtokillhxc

Strength For A Reason - Burden Of Hope

I’ve been a fan of Strength For A Reason for a long time and was really psyched when I heard the new record is on its way. Burden Of Hope isn’t a stylistic departure from previous SFAR albums and basically that’s the kind of album I was hoping to get from them. The band continues to improve their winning combination of powerful music and uncompromising, brutally honest lyrics but this time it feels like they’ve been given an adrenaline shot for good measure.

The content that they incorporates on this album puts them on a whole different level. SFAR is razor sharp at what they do, displaying a lot of intensity and aggression in every note they hit. Each song is delivered with lots of force and fury with the sort of unhinged aggression. You can sense the anger, frustration, and pain and the atmosphere it creates is unique but reminiscent of what real hardcore should be. The lyrics are a real down to life themes with a strong straight edge stance but band is not a militant in a way they try to force their way on others. Instead, it’s more like five dudes who are just proud of who they are and a lifestyle they follow. The songwriting here is a perfect blend of the of the styles known from their previous full length and the tracks are dense with powerful guitar work and pounding rhythm section with double bass now and then. The songs flow as naturally as they need to in this type of music and you can sense these guys know what they’re doing and what type of stuff they wanna create. What makes this so great is its consistency: there are no throwaway songs on this record and each one of them makes you just wanna turn up the volume and enjoy real hardcore done right. On Stand By My Side Mad Joe of Wisdom In Chains brings heat with the powerful anthem of struggle, brotherhood and hardcore pride. Other guest appearances include Martijn of No Turning Back, Dan of Cold World among others which brings some ‘we’re the family’ feel to this record. Good collaborations have been kinda rare lately in hardcore so I’m really liking it. To be honest, it’s hard to put a negative spin on this album. Burden Of hope is filled with plenty of real hardcore and brilliant moments. It’s a pity they didn’t make it to Poland on their last tour to Europe but I hope to catch em next time.

Author: Dloogi

Filled With Hate/As One Records 2009

SFAR at Myspace
FWH Records
As One Records

This not gonna suck for sure: Valhalla Rising

Get ready for some real violence and darkness in a new movie by Nicolas Winding Refn, the name behind Bronson and the notorious Pusher series. Here the plot summary from IMDB:

"1000 AD, for years, One Eye, a mute warrior of supernatural strength, has been held prisoner by the Norse chieftain Barde. Aided by Are, a boy slave, One Eye slays his captor and together he and Are escape, beginning a journey into the heart of darkness. On their flight, One Eye and Are board a Viking vessel, but the ship is soon engulfed by an endless fog that clears only as the crew sights an unknown land. As the new world reveals its secrets and the Vikings confront their terrible and bloody fate, One Eye discovers his true self."

Heavy Hitters

"The long hair, the over tight pants, bandannas, skunk colored hair, the fucking puffy old man penny loafer looking shoes. Shit man I'm just getting mad talking about this.."

Name: HEAVY HITTERS

Location: San Fernando Valley, California

Active since: Fall 2008

How do you define your overall style?
Straight to your face hardcore..with some parts that will make you want to shake your ass and move your feet hah

What’s your goal with this band?
To see the world! For free! lol

What do you have recorded so far?
We recorded our 2008 demo and we're making our e.p as we speak.

Can you introduce yourselves for our readers and let us know where you are from?
I'm Byron the guitar player, Martin plays bass, David and Cesar sing and Felipe AKA Fifi plays drums.

How did you all meet and how long have you all been a band?
It's a very complex and complicated story haha. To put it simple we all met through our previous bands. I kind of grabbed the best guys from all the bands in our area and formed Heavy Hitters.

So how far are you with writing the songs for your debut album? When will it be ready and what kids should expect from it? How realistic is a new album release before ’09 comes to a close?
Well we have 7 songs written for it already. There are some labels interested in releasing the album but we're going to wait on what they say to determine when it will be ready. Well we have gotten a much heavier sound than from the demo. Much heavier breakdowns and a lot of bouncy parts, but I'm making sure we still keep a lot of punk/old school hardcore sound in it. As for the album coming out before '09 is over...I don't think it will happen. But we do expect something new to be out by Spring of next year.

How do the new songs differ from your demo?
They're kind of different but the same at the same time. We're keeping the old sound just adding new things to it. We're already playing some of the new stuff live and everyone is digging it so we know everyone won't be disappointed.

One of your posters says Firestorm Records, but the myspace profile says you’re still unsigned – so what is your label situation?
That's also sort of a weird situation heh. We're on the label but other labels have hit us up and want us to sign with them. Firestorm Records is more of a management company. They get us shows and help us promote our music and things like that. Shout out to Pat!

Are there many labels in Cali interested in bands like yours? In other words, is it hard for a hardcore band to release an album over there?
I would say it's pretty hard to get signed by a label out here. So many bands sound the same here and are doing the same things to the point where no one really stands out. Of course there are many exceptions but for the most part I think it's hard. As for us, we're trying to stay away from the common local 'hardcore' sound and trying to do different things to stand out from everyone else.

How did Eddy and Ant from Skare Tactic doing guest vocals in your songs came about?
What are some other bands in LA scene you’re friends with? Well I met Ant online sort of. He owns a screen printing company called SolidBondInc. He knew we needed merch so I asked him where he lived and he ended up living down the street from me! We been kicking it ever since. I met the nigga Eddy through Ant. We needed someone to play drums for our recordings and Eddy offered to do it. Since then they have both been close homies with the band. We're also great friends with xfacebreakerx, Countime, Few Will Follow, No Reprieve, The Boondocks, Xenocide and a lot more niggas.

Who are your influences? What bands do you look up to?
Terror, Madball, Death Before Dishonor, Trapped Under Ice, Skare Tactic, Fight Like Hell, just to name a few.

Lyrically, where do you find your inspiration?
From life. Also haters, back stabbers, two faced people and more b.s

How many shows have you played so far? What was the most memorable one?
I'm going to say around 50 shows. The most memorable was either the CDC, Folsom and Call To Preserve show at Chain Reaction or the show with Thick As Blood and Lionheart at the Cobalt. Both were great shows for us.

What is the worst fashion you’ve ever witnessed at a show?
Oh mannnnn there's so many! The long hair, the over tight pants, bandannas, skunk colored hair, the fucking puffy old man penny loafer looking shoes. Shit man I'm just getting mad talking about this...NEXT


What can we expect from you guys in the future?
Everything! More merch, more tours, more albums, more sexy, more everything!

Any additional comments or shout-outs?
Umm fuck everyone that doesn't know what real hardcore is. Shout outs to Ant and Skare Tactic, Jr and Countime, SolidBondInc., Firestorm, T.E, Forsaken, Eddy, Terence, Isaac (The Boondocks), shout out to Abnormal Clothing! Shout out to all the homies Dre, Kevin, Chris and XFBX, FWF, everyone on our top! haha. All the homies in the 818 and L.A. Keep it ARMBAR niggaaaaaaaa

http://www.myspace.com/heavyhittershc

CuntHunt 777 / Facecast - Split

Brutal breakdowns that make you wanna go out and beat the shit out of somebody? Check... Metal riffs and ruthless drumming? Check... Mean and angry vocals? Check... Clean girlie vocals?......Not quite, and that's what you want when picking up an album like this. Face Cast and Cunthunt 777 have followed the do's and don't's about making a beatdown hardcore because this shit sounds so damn slick and brutal. Like most music of this style out today, it will be exciting to some and ridiculous to others but if you can appreciate some raw and metallic hardcore this is something for you.

The first band on the CD is Face Cast and no doubt they are the heavyweights in the game. I’m not talking about the music only. The band’s delivery depends on the slow to mid-paced groove mainly and is no way something new or original, but they got some decent ideas and the overall feeling is positive. The singer is spitting heavy gangsterism with song titles like Wifebeater or She’s Got a Dick so if you like some cocky lyricism mixed with brutal honesty, this is your thing. Face Cast is one of the bands you either love or hate and I can imagine some people might just hate their attitude but it’s all good with me. Musically, it reminds me of bands like One Second Thought, only it’s slower and much more metal. The one thing that bothers me is lack of diversity. I’d like to hear some change in the band's sound throughout the songs.

Cunthunt 777 is next with their metallic beatdown delivery. The way their handle their music makes you immediately know they’re from Germany. It has the same vibes as Embraced By Hatred, Fallbrawl, In Blood We Trust etc. That of course leaves very little to the imagination, but I doubt the band planned it to be otherwise. Compared to the Face Cast, their music is more vital and complex, with more tempo changes and cleaner sound. Toss in some brutal and mean lyrics and the result is a textbook example of what beatdown should be. While there is nothing spectacular with this band and they lack a sense of innovation, it’s still a strong slab of aggressive hardcore.

Bottom Line is, this is another beatdown album. If you're looking for a bunch of fast circle pit parts and complex lyricism then this is not the album for you and if you think this style is pointless and plain stupid, I doubt this stuff would change your mind. Me, I like it and like their fuck the world and let’s piss everyone off attitude. This is strictly for the beatdown kids who can take a joke.

Author: Dloogi

BDHW/Metal Wrestling Alliance 2008

Cunthunt 777
Face Cast

This one might just not suck: La Horde

LA HORDE directed by Y. Dahan & B. Rocher. France has got the most talented and sickest horror directors right now hands down. Here's what somebody on IMDB wrote about it: "its french its a zombie film, think frontieres crossed with day of the dead on crack and your near to what this film is like." Do I need to add anything more?

Nassau Chainsaw Skate Decks!

Nassau Chainsaw Skate Decks. If you're into hardcore skating order one here:
http://www.boardpusher.com/nassauchainsaw

Still a gem: The Kinks - Dead End Street

This song was recorded like over 40 years ago but still tells you more about the real life than most of the hardcore bands nowadays.

In Cold Blood - Suicide King

In Cold Blood is one of the most important bands of the 90’ and along with the names like Integrity and Ringworm defined the dark and sinister sound Cleveland is famous for. If you want to know where all the Clevo wannabe bands take their influences from, look no further.

When I heard In Cold Blood for the first time couple of years ago I had been already introduced to the sinister and dark vibe of Cleveland hardcore by the almighty Integrity and Ringworm, but even if it lacked the something new factor, I immediately knew this band gonna stay in my player for more than couple of spins. What we got here is a compilation of their Suicide King demo from 1999 (vinyl version pops up on ebay from time to time), self titled 7” from 1995 and some live tracks recorded in Germany in 1998. So this is actually the first time you can listen to these songs from a CD. If you’re not familiar with In Cold Blood, think of harsh and raw hardcore hybrid with one foot in the punk stylings of Discharge and dark metallic riffs that make you think of Slayer. The drums are punishing and thrash infused guitars add a big dose of heaviness. The production sounds dirty but fits the music and is not harsh on the ear. On top of it, you’ve got the insane and pure evil voice of Bourbon Ziegler. Most of you probably know their successful Victory release called Hell On Earth where different guy called Jason Popson did all the vocal work. Well, both guys fit the music just perfectly and are mostly responsible for the devilish feeling of In Cold Blood’s delivery. As with the rest of the players in this league, vocals are definitely the driving force of the band. And when we’re talking Cleveland, we’re talking devil in the music. Hatred, frustration, misery are some of the words to describe the overall feeling of the album.

If I had a gun to my head and had to say what wasn't perfect, it had to be the package of the album. I mean, to me In Cold Blood is as important as Integrity or Ringworm in shaping what we call Clevo sound and this re-release was a great opportunity to shed some light on the band’s history or just to share some stories from the band’s short existence. Instead, the CD booklet doesn’t provide much information and there are even no track titles or photos of the band. Nonetheless, it was a great idea to release this stuff nowadays. I hope more of the classic, hard to find gems will get such a treatment. In Cold Blood is a band that has a certain item in their music and important name in shaping the hardcore as it is today.

Author: Dloogi

Demons Run Amok 2009
Demons Run Amok Records

Plead The Fifth

"Hardcore to me is all about being yourself, expressing yourself, and standing up for yourself. not giving a fuck what people think about you. Those three things are the best part about it to me, just not giving a fuck what people think, and being surrounded by countless others who feel the same way.!"

Starting with the basics, could you give an introduction of the band for all who don’t know you?
Plead the Fifth is a hardcore band from sacramento, ca. we have been around for a few years playing up and down the west coast. Im Gutto and I do vocals, the rest of the band consists of:
Shane Edge- Guitar
Robbie- Bass
Colton- Guitar
Shane Red- Drums
If you were writing a review of your own music, what would you put?
I'm not sure haha. Old school hardcore with a modern touch, I think that sums us up pretty well.

You guys are bringing back the old school feel with your music and I gotta say I’m definitely feeling it. What are some of your main influences when writing?
Thanks man, I'm glad you like it. We have all sorts of different influences since we listen to all kinds of different hardcore and punk. I'd say for the most part though, later 80's NYHC and early 80's DC stuff is probably our biggest influence music-wise

What are some of the topics you touch in your music and how important is message in hardcore for you?
We mostly touch on just personal things. I write about things that piss me off or about things that I see people do that I am just not cool with, day to day shit you know? We dont ever get really into politics or the scene too much, not like I have anything against bands that do sing about politics, its just not something I know enough about to write about. I think a message is really important in hardcore, I think a lot of kids are just kinda into hardcore because it hip or whatever but lack any real values or substance that I feel comes along with hardcore, so then their bands have songs that lack value and substance and its just filler.


Is Plead The Fifth full time? If not what do you guys work at, what’s it like running a band , playing the shows and at the same time living a normal life?
Plead the Fifth is not full time although we try to get out as much as we can. It was hard before with the line up we had because of people's work schedules, but our current line up is able to play alot more and we will definitely be on the road more over the next few months.
As far as work goes, I work at a print shop, Shane Red and Colton are in retail, Shane Edge is a machinist, and Robbie works in a warehouse. Being in a band and living a "normal" life isnt that hard to do. we just kinda fit it to our schedules, plus all of our bosses are fairly cool about time off and what not so its not really to hard to handle. we will see though, since like I said we will be playing alot more over the next few months.

What are some of the most important ethics and ideals in your opinion that hardcore has to offer to the kids?
I think number one, is being yourself, and standing up for yourself. Not taking shit from people and doing things how I see fit are two of the best lessons I have learned from hardcore.

How is the hardcore scene in California nowadays? How do you feel about it in the term of music coming from your area right now and kids you see at shows? What do you think about scene divisions? Is it happening in Cali?
The hardcore scene in California right now, I feel is pretty strong. Both northern and southern california have a lot of good bands going right now. The scene in Sacramento in particular though, as far as hardcore bands go, aren't too great. There are a few, but not too many. The Sacramento punk/oi bands though, thats where its at. Pressure Point, Whiskey Rebels, Madhouse Disciples, all awesome fucking punk bands.

As far as kids at shows and scene division, it really varies. I think scene division is stupid. In sacramento there are alot of mixed bill shows wiith hardcore and punk bands, which to me, are basically the same thing/ At alot of those shows, you will see hardcore kids, punks, and skinheads all there, and all going crazy and having a good time. Whats lame though is that if a bill of just straight up local hardcore bands play, hardly anyone is there, but when a big touring band rolls through, TONS of kids roll, and you have never seen them before, ever.. Its really weird and pretty annoying to be quite honest.

Except for hanging out with strange looking people and listening to noisy music, what does hardcore mean to you? What’s the best thing in being part of hardcore scene?
Hardcore to me is all about being yourself, expressing yourself, and standing up for yourself. not giving a fuck what people think about you. Those three things are the best part about it to me, just not giving a fuck what people think, and being surrounded by countless others who feel the same way.

How do you feel about metallization of hardcore? Is it destroying hardcore or rather a fresh air in the genre?
I honestly think it's kinda lame. There are a few metallic hardcore bands that I'm all about, dont get me wrong, but the thing that bugs me is when a band is straight up metal, not even a bit of hardcore feel or anything, and they describe themselves as "metalcore." Tagging the "core" at the end doesnt make you legit, it just makes you look lame.

Big business and hardcore? As a band that sticks with the underground, do you feel hardcore scene can benefit from big labels and media hype?
I think there are certain benefits sure, like giving exposure to the scene in general and what not, maybe opening up kids to hardcore who might not have known about it otherwise. Other than that though, I dont really see any benefits. To me it just seems like a bunch of suits trying to make money off of all this.

Is there anything in hardcore scene that pisses you off?
Yeah quite a few actually. The main thing is, like I mentioned before, is kids not supporting local bands. There are so many good bands around here (northern california) and sometimes it just seems like no one cares. That is one thing that has bothered me for awhile. Another thing is kids who are into hardcore because it cool or their girlfriend likes it or something. They dont know anything about where is came from or they dont have any real values, just normal types who "look" hardcore and listen to hardcore, but aren't really hardcore. Does that make any sense? haha

What's one of your most memorable shows you've played?
I think the most memorable one was last summer. It was the last show at the VFW hall we had been putting on shows at for a couple years. We got to play with all of our friends from here and tons of people came out, it was a really awesome way for the place to come to an end.

What kind of stuff are you guys listening to now?
I dont know about everyone else, but right now I have been jamming a lot of Trapped Under Ice, band is so good. Also Crucified, bay area band, is really fucking good. Rotting Out and Creatures also on heavy rotation. Thats it really for newer stuff, I have been jamming alot of Leeway though, born to expire, epic. Cro-Mags, Pressure Point, Warzone, the list can go forever haha.

Do you guys listen to any European bands? Is hardcore from over here popular in states?
I listen to a few, not sure how popular it is though. I like rise and fall a lot, they seem to be pretty popular over here, as does no turning back. as far as other bands though, I dont know, it just seems like a lot of kids dont go seek it out you know? eurpope does have some good bands though.

What are the future plans for the band? Is there any more music in the works?
Right now we got four new jams we are gonna record, those are gonna be on a 7 inch we are putting out ourselves. That should be out late fall/early winter, if everything goes right. we also have a bunch of shows in the works. Southern cali, northwest, and a 3 week western US tour. All that keeps us busy from pretty much now until december.

PTF at Myspace
PTF at Big Cartel