xLost In Hatex is a straight edge band from Brazil formed in 2007. They just got the Disciplina E Honra Ep out and you should give it a try if you dig bands like Earth Crisis, Obituary, Biohazard and Confronto. The band is working hard to get their name out in international hardcore community and they definitely deserve some more attention.
First of all, how was 2k9 for xLost In Hatex so far? You guys have released a new Ep so I guess there’s no reason to complain?
Wellington: This year was spectacular; we already started launching our EP in January, that's amazing for us. Recording in our city is a very hard work. And we did our t-shirts merch with our own money, this is other big step for us.
Your new Ep “Disciplina e Honra” just came out. What people should expect from this stuff?
Wellington: An album which was done with much respect and dedication, true and real lyrics, this album comes from the streets to the streets.
You guys had the chance to test the new songs live. How was the response so far?
Wellington: The shows are a time of great tension, now after lunching our EP, we play our songs and people sing with us, moshing and representing what hardcore is about. It is very rewarding
Lyrically what kind of themes do you explore in your music?
Wellington: The pride of the path we have chosen to follow and we try to show the distraction that drugs cause to our generation. And in our country we have other big problems as poverty of population associated with alcohol and drugs. We hope kids listening to our songs will stop and think about it.
What bands have been biggest influences on your music and lyrics?
Wellington: Out there is basically xMaroonx, Heaven Shall Burn, Have Heart and here in Brazil we have great bands like Confronto, Condolência and Point Of No Return.
So what it is about straight edge that makes it a lifestyle for you? What was the main reason why you said no to drugs and alcohol and smokes?
Wellington: Yes, SxE is a lifestyle for us, I think the mains reason for all of us was the idea "I can’t only want the change, we have to be it" make the difference, we don’t want to be one more person on the streets with life destroyed by drugs and alcohol.
What would you say about the Brazilian hardcore scene nowadays? It seems to be very metal influenced with a lot of kids following the SxE lifestyle. Would you agree with that?
Wellington: Not much, the Brazilian hardcore still keeps fairly traditional compared to the North American scene for example, but there is the influence of metal bands like Obituary, Slyer and others. But hardcore still on the streets and still have people working for the scene! Here hardcore is not music, it’s a lifestyle.
Any good, upcoming Brazilian bands everybody should check out?
Wellington: Confronto and Fim do Silêncio. You need to hear it!
Big business and hardcore? As a band that chooses to release their first recordings DIY, do you feel hardcore scene can benefit from big labels and media hype?
Wellington: I'll be quite honest, I think bands should benefit from all it can, I do not see problems in a hardcore band joining a major label if you’re still consistent and true to yourself and your fans.
What are your plans for the future with this band?
Wellington: Next month we will be entering the studio and recording another EP, as yet we’re unable to record a full CD. We want to get a record label, and some support outside of Brazil, and if possible play gigs in other countries, it is our dream!
Thanks for the interview, anything you would like to add?
Wellington: I would like very much to thank the opportunity that the -Old School Hate- gave to us, thank you reader who was willing to know us!
xLost In Hatex at Myspace.
Alley Gods - Alley Gods
Just when you thought the whole world gone metal, you discover a band like Alley Gods which kind of give you some hope.
It’s fast and angry but very danceable at the same time. They made sure they packed their songs with the quickest tempos and meanest dance parts. Naturally, the ep has a fantastic old school feel. These guys obviously learned their licks from the early pioneers like SSD, Agnostic Front, Warzone and Minor Threat. The music is heavily rooted in what has been done in the past, yet when you think of it, most of the old school bands nowadays wanna sound like Have Heart and there are few bands who actually deliver that pissed off style of hardcore. The A-side of this Ep contains 4 tracks from 2007, while B-side is taken from the September 2008 recording session and while there is no big difference in style between them, the newer material display the progress the band is making. While still staying true to the concept of fast old school hardcore, their songs got more complex with more hooklines and better delivery. I don’t have a lyrics sheet but with song titles like Food For The Guns or Beers & Queers it seems like off-the-wall jokes and attempts to get under everybody’s skin. Which is nice.
What I like about what Alley Gods are doing is that they are really holding it up for the true pissed off hardcore sound. No bullshit, just a high-energy slap of hardcore.
Author: Dloogi
Label: Poolside Records
Year: 2009
Alley Gods at Myspace
Mobsters and Kiss Your Ass Goodbye tees from Pound For Pound
I've just came acrosss a merch store of Pound For Pound (which happens to be one of my favourite bands) only to discover they've got some nice tees in stock. Click here and check it out by yourself.
Providence - Far Beyond Our Depth
The raw energy and brutal heaviness of the Providence' debut full length made it pretty easy for me to get into them. If you’re feeling beatdown hardcore is getting too generic and predictable, I suggest you give those French moshers a try.
I didn’t pay much attention to their demo recordings but I’ve heard a lot of people telling me good things about them so when I popped the Far Beyond Our Depth CD in, my expectations were high. The album opens with Introblivion, a short and forceful blast of meaty guitar work, pounding drums and double bass action soon joined by insane vocals. When the galloping riffs and drums make way for a neck breaking groove part, you know this shit is for real. Providence is ferocious and brutal as any good beatdown hardcore band should sound, but it has the right groove which puts them ahead of the curve for a lot of bands that follow the same path. It’s laced with that raw hardcore with lashings of heavy breakdowns as well as some slick fast parts for circle pit action. The compositions are quite busy and the music is more detailed and richer than the average. The album is well produced with the guitar, bass and drums all blending flawlessly.
Let me also take a time to appreciate the artwork. The illustrations are done by Brice Besson and are one of the best work I’ve witnessed in hardcore recently. Totally out of the box but staying in line with the title of the album.
There are no fillers on this CD the whole package is tight from the music to the production to the artwork. If you are into this heavy heavy stuff, it is a must.
Author: Dloogi
Label: Rucktion
Year: 2009
Providence at Myspace
No Man Is Just A Number
Number 6: [referring to the chess game] Why do you use people?Chessmaster: Some psychiatrists say it satisfies the desire for power. 'the only opportunity one gets here.
Number 6: That depends what side you're on.
Chessmaster: [quickly] I'm on my side.
Number 6: [quickly] Aren't we all.
Chessmaster: You must be new here. In time, most of us join the enemy - against ourselves.
Down To This
Name: Down To This
Location: 252 North Carolina
Active since: Sept. 08
How do you define your overall style?
Bare bones hardcore ha ha !
What’s your goal with this band?
Keep it real and inspire kids to be real
What do you have recorded so far?
A 6 song e.p. On Faction Zero out this October
You guys are in the process of putting out your first ep or it might even be out already. What’s the deal with that and what people should expect from this stuff?
It's pretty much the top 6 songs from our early setlist. It's kinda diverse from rocking 2 step shit to brutal mosh without being metal.
How would you describe the ep when it comes to the lyrics? What was your main inspiration for them?
It's kind of a mix of us venting about stuff that's happened to us and the state of the fucked up "underground scene" and also there are some anthems about brotherhood and how important sincerity is in a time of trendiness and passing phases in hardcore.
How did you guys meet in the first place?
Me and the drummer and bassist were in a shitty death metal band with nothing going for it and we all kinda looked at each other and knew we wanted to do something more sincere and honest. Our bassist had been jamming with Alan in another project and they wanted to do stripped down, beatdown hardcore and since me, John and Josh wanted out of the band we were in we kinda began writing with Alan and it came together super quick.
Who or what do you feel has motivated you to start this band?
Being sick of all the flavor of the month shit going on in our scene and wanting to take it back to basics.
Is getting your music released by a record label something you'd try to achieve with down to this or you plan stick with the diy approach in the future?
We definitely want to work with a legit label that understands hardcore and also understands that we want to get rewarded for what we put into this. There is nothing wrong with taking this shit as far as possible while staying true to where it all came from. We want to expose all the kids to the way we rock ha ha. But seriously we want to go as far as possible or until we kill each other.
What do you feel the biggest events for hardcore scene were in 2009 so far and which albums do you think really stood out from the rest?
I think the $10 for $10 tour was a huge success in getting real bands out there on tour together and reppin' the real shit to a bunch of kids that may not have ever witnessed anything like that. The new Trapped Under Ice album is very unique and brutal in its own way. The new Death Before Dishonor shows a real sense of individuality and trueness to self in that it mixes punk with oi and metal in a seamless way that just keeps moving forward.
How do you feel about the hardcore music coming from the North Carolina? What are other bands from this area everybody should check out?
The hardcore scene still a very tight knit, underground kinda network that seems to refuse to let the mainstream infiltrate it. There is a huge metal legacy in this state that has reluctantly embraced hardcore so it exists but is still not getting the love it needs. Bitter peace, struck out and conquer me are a few NC bands keepin hardcore alive.
What's your opinion on the European and Asian hardcore scene?
Oh my god I fucking love the London scene! Knuckledust, TRC, and No Turning Back are sick! Any European BFL band owns! Also my boy Hiro's band Loyal To The Grave rep hardcore so hard in Japan. I feel that Europe and Asia support it way better than the states ever will. Also those dudes don't fuck around. They are very protective of the culture form what I've seen.
Thank you for the interview! Any last words?
You are very welcome. It's very flattering that you guys are even interested in a shitty band like down to this ha ha. On a final note I wanna say that this thuggish violence has got to stop at the shows. We should be fighting the bouncers, cops, drug dealers and asshole thugs and not each other. Hardcore kids need to team up to keep it going not kill it by making people afraid to go to shows.
Down To This at Myspace
Matinee: Photographs from CBGB's 1983-1985
"Photographer and film maker Drew Carolan returns to the scene of a series of photographs he made of the CBGB hardcore matinee's from 1983-1985 on the Bowery in New York city."
