My First Failure - s/t

This is my first experience with this band so I’m not gonna compare this album to their previous work. To me it’s like a band that comes out of nowhere and the only thing I knew about the album before I pushed play is that it had a cool album cover. Well, the music itself is interesting and kind of different from your average hardcore band.

The most enjoyable thing about this album is how they fuse hardcore beats with some rock tunes. I know it’s just being me closed minded, but there are many bands that overuse rock tunes in their music and it can dampen the overall energy of the album. Thankfully, My First Failure successfully use these elements to enhance their music. The compositions are quite busy, combining solid musicianship and creative songwriting frequently embellished with complementary melodies and heavier breakdowns. The foundation of their style is crossover between hardcore and metal, but many other genres are also represented. Of course, there’s nothing perfect and throughout the album there are numerous times when they get too carried away with it which results in songs losing all the punch. I like to hear something I can remember the song by and with tracks like Until Today this does not work well to say the least. Sometimes the band just don’t quite gets it right but these moments are luckily few and far between. My First Failure is way more cooler when they decide to go heavy and that’s when things start to get exciting. The best song on the album is About Hearts with a powerful breakdown in the middle. There is a solid chemistry between the musicians on this track and the band tears it up with some chugging riffs and nice melodies. The mosh part in this one is just the best moment on the whole CD and they should stick more with this type of sound in the future. I mean, I like their willingness to experiment but they need to work on finding a better balance between clean melodies and heaviness.

The overall feeling of the album is rather dark and sometimes even nostalgic, but somehow it’s not that pessimistic as I expected it to. The lyrics are very personal and I think most kids can connect with them. Most of the songs deal with hardcore as a way of life, music, scene, friends and just doing something constructive with your life. Alexa is doing a great job with a solid and powerful vocal delivery. Her style of singing reminds me much of All For Nothing’s Cindy which is not a minus in my book at all. Actually, if I said this album is All For Nothing playing Poison The Well songs minus weak ass clean singing I wouldn’t be that far from the truth. Anyway, the band shows a lot of potential and even if they need to work a little bit more on improving their compositions it’s a compelling and interesting record with a great sound and songs to back it up.


Author: Dloogi

Label: Demons Run Amok
Year: 2009

My First Failure at Myspace

Animal Instinct

"I also think that this is what makes HC so different and unique compared to any other scene I know ... there was never a blueprint for the core. No set of rules to belong to. HC is what YOU make of it!"

First of all, what is it about the NYC hardcore scene that had such an impact on you and the music you play?
I don´t really know... I think it might be the raw energy and heaviness that somehow comes across stronger in the typical NYC sound than in the sound of most other scenes. Plus, they wrote some really good songs that stood the test of time. Some of the bands also played their instruments damn well and came up with recordings that even to this day sound very good. ( Cro-Mags, Leeway, Killing Time) but by the way, each one of us also listens to a ton of other stuff... :-)

What is your favorite NYHC band?
oh man, impossible to answer! Of course, everyone in the band likes the cro-mags, killing time, breakdown, ect... For me personally I might be the Cro-Mags. But I think youth of today had the biggest influence on my life!

Your debut 7” is out now and I gotta say that from what I’ve heard it’s some really powerful stuff. To the people who don't know you, how would you describe the style and sound of your songs?
Thank you! We really wanted to capture that raw feeling of bands like breakdown and killing time! We didn´t start AI to come up with a new sound. We just wanted to play
hard and simple hardcore the way we like it and the way only few bands play nowadays. We wanted to show everyone that there´s nothing wrong with being a traditional hardcore band. If you do it well and with heart, people will appreciate it.

You've called your band Animal Instinct. What does that mean to you? How do you think it’s reflected in the music you create?
It reflects the raw feeling that I mentioned before! We just thought it fits really well to the way we see the band and the music we want to play. There´s no deep meaning behind that name. I think it´s just a good name for a hardcore band. That´s it.

When you're writing new songs, where do you get your inspiration from?
We get our inspirations from other hardcore bands! I’ve been listening to hardcore for many years now. And it still gets me pumped. I listen to a song and might think that I want to write songs just as good as that one. So I sit down and try it. I really can´t see myself playing any other kind of music right now.

What would you say is the main message you try to send through your music?
We are not really a "massage band". We all have our own ways to go through life. But if there is one common thing we try to say, than it would be "be yourself, don´t fake anything" that´s basically it. We didn´t start AI to change the world or make big promises we can´t keep. Focus on your own life and live it as good as you can.

How and when did you guys decided to form a band? Which bands influenced you when you first got together?
Roman, Raphael and myself already played in solid ground together and know each other for many, many years. So when we decided to break up with solid ground (we didn´t have enough time to keep touring, and our other guitar player, David, is now a dad) it was clear that we still wanted to do a band together. So we started AI and asked André to sing. He´s also been going to shows since the early nineties and we already knew that he is an awesome singer. To complete the line up, we asked our friend TC from VALE TUDO to play bass. Basically the initial idea to start AI was in summer ´08. Roman and I were listening to breakdowns "sick people" at my place and we thought that it is about time to start a new band with that same feeling and the same kind of sound like breakdown ca. ´87. I think we did a good job:-)!

What aspect of hardcore makes the scene attractive for you and is the reason you are still involved in it?
I always try to focus on the good side of hardcore. That means, I just try to stay away from all that kindergarden crap on the internet, the message boards, and all that. I don´t really care about the latest trends and which band is the latest hype. I try to ignore all the rumors and just hang out with my friends and listen to that bands I like.

What are your thoughts on hardcore scene nowadays - do you think it’s moving in the right direction? Are there any things that you’d like to change about it?
To be honest. I really don´t care much about it. I know what HC means to me. but I see so many different "sounds" and "lifestyles" that are considered HC that I really lost sight and interest to care about what you might consider HC or what some guy in Germany or in the states might considers HC. I also think that this is what makes HC so different and unique compared to any other scene I know ... there was never a blueprint for the core. No set of rules to belong to. HC is what YOU make of it!

What about the scene in Switzerland? What are some good bands from there that we should know?
The scene over here has always been pretty small but decent. I really like that it is all mixed up and never just metal kids, punk kids, or core kids! You see pretty much the same kind of people at every show. So that´s cool. For example, the last SOLID GROUND show was together with our friends in CATARACT. some bands you might want to check out are : VALE TUDO, FALL APART, DEADVERSE, LIFERIDE, PLAY TO DESTROY, BEGGERS AND GENTRY, SEED OF PAIN, CATARACT, LIFE AS WAR, ECT... they all sound totally different but you should definitely check them out!

How would you describe the hardcore community over there? What style of hardcore is most popular?
I think I just answered this one! There is no typical sound that everyone plays... and that´s good!

Do you remember the first hardcore song you ever heard? If so what was it?
Hmmm ... I’m not quite sure. It might have been the Cro-Mags "alpha omega" record when it just came out. Around ´92 or so. I remember roman and I were still into metal. To this day, it is one of my favorite records!

Nowadays kids seem to want bands to expand the boundaries of the genre more and more and sometimes it feels like nobody can appreciate the good, simple and straight in your face hardcore song. How do you feel about it? What's more important in hardcore to you: musical skills or feel?
It´s all about the feeling man! 100% ! But I totally don´t mind bands that like to experiment a little more than we do:-)! I mean, it´s not that I just listen to BREAKDOWN every day, all day! We all listened to all kind of music and styles. If you start a band, you should just play whatever you like. If it is HC, cool! But if it has a different approach to it, cool too!

What's next for the band? Are there any tours in works or plans for a full length?
Well, we just released our debut ep called "stick like glue". It is out now on TAKE IT BACK records. It´s a new label a good friend of mine and myself are running. Now we just play some shows and see how it goes. I don´t think that we have the time to tour. Since we all have full time jobs, other bands, and stuff. But we´ll see... we already wrote some new songs the we plan to record sometime next winter / spring 2010. But I think it´s going to be another 7" ep.

Than for the interview. Anything you would like to add?
Thank you for your support! Check out some of the other stuff I’m involved in: http://www.myspace.com/takeitbackrec and http://www.myspace.com/liferidehc. LIFERIDE is a brand new band and we will release our debut 12" this winter on our own label, TAKE IT BACK RECORDS. We will have some songs up on our MySpace site soon! It´s Roman (Animal Instinct, Solid Ground) on drums, and Emile (State Of Mind) on vocals ... and ohh yeah. While talking about STATE OF MIND. You should check them out. They are sooooo good!

Check out Animal Instinct at Myspace.

Four hardcore tracks you need to listen

There's so much going on it the world of hardcore nowadays that sometimes it's hard to keep up with all the good music coming out. That's why I've chosen few new tracks from the bands that still don't get as much recognition as they should. I will be trying to post stuff like that from time to time so if you're in a band and are interested in getting some more plays, get in touch. For those that like their hardcore served raw.

Out Of Breath - Has It Come To This


Hailing from the city of Lahti in Finland, Out Of Breath has been making its name recognizable for the fans of heavy hardcore since 2003. As they said it: "The idea of the band was just to play heavy hardcore and have fun, but at the same time to bring something new and fresh to this scene." It's hard to pin down their sound. It's definitely metallic and heavy, but at the same time some faster parts show that they know how do get the pit running in circles. Here's the new, yet unreleased track called Has It Come To This:

Kill For Peace - Eat Some Kilometers


Kill For Peace (France) has been putting feat in emo kids hearts since 2005 with their slick combination of NYHC and heavy breakdowns. The band is going to hit the road September 2010 playing in various places in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain among others. Here's the news track called Eat Some Kilometers:

For My Enemy - My Music, My Weapon


Based in Germanyy, For My Enemy reps DSA crew with their brutal assault of neck slappin beatdown hardcore. Here's one track of their debut album, Welcome To The Dirt. Fasten your seat belt, here comes My Music, My Weapon:

Witchunt - Hominid


Witchunt seems to be highly influenced by Holy Terror bands but they say bands like Black Sabbath or His Hero Is Gone also had an impact on their songwriting. Here's the track called Hominid and it sounds pretty dope if you ask me:

New A389 merch: Day Of Mourning (!), Pulling Teeth, Slumlords...

Reposted from A389:
Crime Scene will be doing A389 merch. They're fast, reliable and have had a long relationship with the label as well as all of the bands I've ever been in. In short, they rule. So with that being said. Check out Series One: Day of Mourning; Oak; Pala; Rot In Hell; Pulling Teeth and Slumlords. Click here to enter the webstore.

Wolf City

Name: Wolf City! (Bryant)

Location: Teno, NV

Active since: January, 2009

How do you define your overall style?
Straight up, fast paced, in your face hardcore.

Whats your goal with this band?
To take it as far as it can. If the kids are into it and the name gets bigger then I will take this band as far as possible.

What do you have recorded so far?
We have a 5 song demo right now (on our page) but were making plans to record a new ep.

“Hardcore is a brotherhood. Straightedge is a brotherhood” - what exactly that means to you and how kids reading this interview can perhaps apply it to themselves?
There's too much drama in the scenes around the country. When I got into hardcore it wasn't the cool place to go but it WAS a place to get away from all of the middle school, high school bullshit. No judgement, who cares what your wearing, where you grew up. It didn't matter. Straightedge is a worldwide movement and its up to the kids involved to keep it going and not destroy it. Its not about going to a show and fighting other straightedge kids. Its about straightedge kids being there for each other.

"10,000 kids, one heart, same blood" -unconquered

So how did the band came about?
Everyone was just kind of fed up with afb and its stress. Not anything else to say really.

Since most of you were also involved in xAFBx, when writing tracks for Wolf City do you feel any pressure to satisfy the xAFBx fans or you see it as a new start and just go on doing your thing?
No pressure at all. To me wolf city is a brand new band. We wanted almost no ties to afb what so ever.

There’s a lot of controversy surrounding straight edge nowadays, especially with the bands promoting it in the so called ‘militant’ way. What do people get most commonly miss-construed about it?
Like every movement there are different lifestyles and beliefs. People get straightedge kids so misconstrued, when in reality 95% of these people are just like everyone else minus being sober. You got the violent, the anti violent and many more different lifestyles inside the straightedge movement. But were all brought together through a common belief.

There’s a lot of home pride in your band. How much of an influence was the city you live in, on your music?
Our name is based off of this town. Our local college football team is the nevada wolf pack. So we figure why not have a band with as much city pride as possible. Its all about having pride in your city. Wherever it is.

What is it about Reno in your opinion that it’s a home to such a strong SxE scene?
The kids here are awesome. As of lately we've been trying to build up the scene so every single kid can come to a show and release some aggression and have some fun. Its not about how hard you are, or how many tattoos you have. And once every kid in this town knows that they are welcome, then we will have an unbeatable scene.

Who are some of the band from Reno people should give a listen?
I don't know links that well but here's some local bands that everyone shouls check out.
Out of reach
Contend
xbarcadiax
The farley overdose
Citizens
Beyond the pit
The airplane game (not hardcore but good stuff)
Crimetime

What are the future plans for the band?
To take it as far as we can. If the kids are into it then we will do whatever is possible with the band.

Anything else you would like to add?
Not really. To anyone reading, thanks for the support and keep the movement alive.

Wolf City at Myspace

CDC - Burn

This time PA’s pride CDC teamed with FWH records to deliver another blast of hardcore brutality. If you’re a fan of metallic hardcore, I’m sure you’ve heard about ‘em so let’s keep the introduction to the minimum and get down the business.

I’m just gonna come right out and say it: Burn is one of the best albums of the year. Vocals drive the album. Brooke occasionally changes his style, he likes to throw in some typical hardcore shouting as well as some rap influenced patterns. Concept wise and lyrically Burn is quite dark, with songs like Ten Amerikan Days or Let It Burn dealing with the socio-political topics, but there are also tracks like Ghost Writer which leave some room for interpretation. The rest of the band pick up the slack and each song is delivered with the sort of maniac aggression, yet there still is a good amount of variety. Burn is complex and destructive and the band throws in a lot of breakdowns as well as moments of melody and fast parts to get the pit moving. They keep it even brutal and aggressive all the way but also vary styles and tempos which make this CD very enjoyable from start to finish. The instruments sound clear and punchy and the guitar riffs are aggressive, yet very catchy. My only problem with this CD is that it’s so damn short and. Sure, it offers a lot of bang for your buck, but still they could have come up with few more songs.

I love every song on this short album, and I have a different favorite daily. It’s engaging and pure nonstop awesomeness. If you look at it as a beatdown album, it could be the genre’s strongest statement of the year. But labels are just labels cause the band has succeeded to create its own identity. Anyway, no matter what you call it, it’s still one of the dopest moments in hardcore this year.

Author: Dloogi

Label: FWH Recs.
Year: 2009

CDC at Myspace

The Modern Age Slavery webstore

This succesful Italian death metal/hardcore act got the webstore up. Click here to check it out!

Few links every hardcore kid should check out

Folks from Seventh Dagger records launched their own blog where you can find some interesting stuff like interviews with Blackout Rage, xUnbreakablex and more... - seventhdagger.blogspot.com

Punk Gang History at Greaserama - Part 1 | Part 2

Straight Edge is no sex, no drugs, just rock and roll - an article on Straight Edge in Metro magazine - Metro.co.uk

Crank Call Fanzine #1 posted at xStuck In The Pastx blog - xstuckinthepastx.blogspot.com

Oi! – The Truth by Garry Bushell - www.garry-bushell.co.uk

Punk Rock Fight Club: Inside the bloody brotherhood of FSU, where violence rules and wearing the wrong T-shirt just might get you killed - Rolling Stone

Racist Rock: Do the right thing [they got it really twisted with Breakdown and Hard Skin] - www.sandiegoreader.com

Toothpaste For Dinner straight edge cartoon

"Free cover-ups when you turn 21."

Check out more of Toothpaste For Dinner cartoons here.

Brooksite

Band’s name: Brooksite

Location: Long Island New York

Active since: Spring 2008

How do you define your overall style?
Beatdown Hardstyle

What’s your goal with this band?
To do something people will remember and of course to keep hardcore alive

What do you have recorded so far?
A 2 song sample in 2008 and the 5 track Reclaim Ep in early 2009, a one new track in early spring 09

I just want to get a little history on the Brooksite. How did you guys come together?
Who is who in the band? Victor and Nick wanted to started a new heavy band, they were both previously in a melodic hardcore/rock band called Galilei, which was pretty successful on long island. Victor plays guitar, Nick plays bass, Lumpy plays guitar, Colin is the vocalist and Corey is the drummer

It’s not hard to notice that metallic hardcore is on the rise nowadays. How do think your band fits into the scene? Why people should give it a listen?
We fit into the scene because were just a bunch of friends in a hardcore band just trying to have a good time and have a true understanding for what hardcore really is, hence why people should listen to us.



Can you tell me about The Reclaim Ep. How would you describe these songs?
Its pretty solid, but we don't really enjoy it too much, Our new shit is fucking HEAVYYY

What has been the response so far?
People like it but they have no idea whats coming

For someone who hasn't experienced you all live, what's to be expected?
Lots of hate mosh hahaha

Who are the main influences on the band - in terms of music, film, politics etc?
Basically bands like Hatebreed, Shattered Realm, Buried Alive, Six Ft Ditch, Earth Crisis and Swear To God

How familiar are you with the European scene? Do you have any favourite bands from over here?
Yeah, that scene rules...Special Move, Cold Hard Truth, Crawlspace, Nasty, Six Ft Ditch, Providence, Redound all great bands

Favourite horror movie?
What do you think about the new Halloween movie from Rob Zombie? I personally love the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the original Halloween, i dont know how i feel about rob zombies remake, probably gonna see it soon

Favourite porn star?
Gianna Micheals, Julia Bond, Peter North ;-)

What are the next plans for the band?
Make all new material, put out a split with our friends in King Nine (myspace.com/kingninehardcore)

Any last words?
Would just like to shout out some of our friends bands
KING NINE http://www.myspace.com/kingninehardcore
STRENGTH THROUGH SUFFERING http://www.myspace.com/strengththroughsuffering
SOWN IN TEARS http://www.myspace.com/sownintears
TWO WILL WITNESS http://www.myspace.com/twowillwitness
WOLVERINE http://www.myspace.com/wolverinelihc
WITHOUT REMORSE http://www.myspace.com/withoutremorse
ENEMY MIND http://www.myspace.com/enemymind82
LINE OF SCRIMMAGE http://www.myspace.com/lineofscrimmagebk
thats about it man, thanks for the interview!

Brooksite at myspace.