The Black Path

The Black Path are Cali based band which takes a lot of influences from the old time metalcore bands. You get some European influences, like H8000 styled metallic hardcore, but also some newer sound is finding its way so it all sound pretty fresh. Here's a quick interview with the band...

Can you give me a brief background on the band and what you guys are currently up to at this moment?

Well we started this band around late 2009/early 2010 and formed together because both of our bands had broken up. We had all kind of been in bands together before this one so it worked out perfect. Right now we are writing for a split with a band called beg for life out of AZ which will be released in mid 2011.

What have you released so far?

A 6 song demo.

Where did the band's name come from?

The name comes from a song of the great hardcore band A Death For Every Sin (RIP) I think it suits us well.

Lyrically what kind of themes you deal with? What is the message you’re trying to present to your listeners?

(I had our singer Matthew answer these 2)
When I write the lyrics I try really hard to make them flow in a nice way musically. What I mean is sometimes I choose certain words not because of what they mean but because of the way they sound. I try my best to have different themes for each of the different songs. But within those constraints I still do my best to express myself. Of course they all deal with anger, despair, and other emotions. I'm not really trying to present a message to the listeners, it's more like trying my best to convey an emotion to them. To make them feel the way I did when I wrote the song.



Is there any social or political message behind the band?

We're definitely not a political band. I always write the lyrics in a vague way, usually because I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about haha. But also because I want people to be able to relate to a song, so even if it might be dealing with politics, people who aren't into that can still project the message of the song onto something else they do relate to.

You guys seem to be heavily influenced of old style metalcore bands, both from the States and Europe. How have kids been reacting to your music?

The reaction has been great. I remember writing these songs thinking maybe kids wouldn't be as into it as they are because it's too "metal" and I knew we'd mainly be playing hardcore shows, but it has a good variety of both genres, and it's fun to mix things up every now and then.

So what’s your opinion of what people currently call ‘metalcore’ – guys in girls jeans and crazy haircuts?

Well personally I'm not a fan of girl pants, and I don't see anyone wearing those to any of our shows, but if you wanna' wear girl clothes and listen to my band go right ahead. At the end of the day it's all about the music.

What are some Cali bands you’re down with and would recommend for everyone to listen?

Life or Death, Xibalba, Ruckus, World of Pain, Still Alive.



What's your pick for best hardcore release of 2010 so far?

All Out War - Into the killing fields, great record! The new Terror is also a really great release.

I’ve seen some rap themes at your myspace profile, like Big L poster or Gangstarr-like logo. Are you guys into this type of music? What are some rappers you support?

A few of us are hip hop heads. One of our singers Matthew is real talented in the beat making department, and I (Jonathan) listen to hip hop just as much if not more than hardcore. Mainly we're into the classics, Biggie, Nas, Gangstarr, Wu-tang, Group Home, Non Phixion, I could go on for days but you get the point. As far as rappers I support now-a-days, Evidence is killing it!

Big up's to everyone that comes out and supports The Black Path and hardcore in general, let's keep this DIY underground shit going!

Manu Armata

Manu Armata is pretty new but promising band from the Netherlands with a strong knack for tough, heavy NYHC sound. Their debut EP called No Victory Without Strife is being released by 5Feet Under Records, but you can also download it for free here!

Name: Manu Armatajavascript:void(0)

Location: Harlingen, the Netherlands

Active since: Manu Armata started in april 2007, the members have bin active since 1994 in different hardcore bands.

How do you define your overall style?

Brutal Harlingen hardcore with a metallic edge

What’s your goal with this band?

Playing as much shows as we can. And spreading our hardcore believes.

What do you have recorded so far?

We just finished our debute EP ‘No Victory Without Strife’. Before this we recorded a promo in 2007 of which we spread 800 copies for free @ our shows.

When, how and why the band came to being?

Three of our members used to play in a band called All Odds Against Me. When we split up in 2006, we started to miss the hardcore music and we decided to start Manu Armata.

What does the name Manu Armata stand for and how does it relate to your music?

Manu Armata means in Latin: ‘Armed hand’. We see our music as a weapon, a weapon we can use in the battle of everyday live.

Could you tell us about your new EP called No Victory Without Strife. What should we be expecting from it?

No Victory without Strife is an EP with six furious hardcore songs. It contains lyrics everyone can relate to. From personal struggles to social criticism.

Instead of making mad money by selling this stuff on cds or vinyl, you decided to share No Victory Without Strife for free so the kids can download it directly from your website. What was the reason for this move?

We think it’s more important that people can hear our music and know what we’re about. Rather than making money of our record sales.



Are there any plans to release it in CD or vinyl format for the hardcore collectors?

At the moment our EP is released on CD by 5Feet Under Records, http://www.5feetunder.com/. Furthermore we are planning on releasing the record on vinyl.

Your lyrics are pretty much straight forward and pissed off. Where do you take inspiration from? Your environment? People around you?

We take inspiration from everyday life. And everything what happens in this world.

What is the hardcore scene in Netherlands like? What are some good bands over there?

It’s been quite for a couple of years but now it’s rising up again. Some good bands are: ‘Striking Justice’, ’21 Gun Salute’, ‘Cornered’, ‘Swim or drown’, ‘Cold blooded’, ‘Born faced down’.

Divisions in hardcore – do you see much of it in the scene in your country?

No, everything is one big happy hardcore family.

What bands would you love to share a stage with?

We already played with ‘Madball’, ‘Sick of it all’ so there’s not much more we could wish for. But we would love to play with ‘Terror’ or ‘Hatebreed’.



Do you remember the first hardcore album you ever brought? What was it?

Madball – Demonstrating my style

What are the future plans for the band?

In februari we’re going to do a tour trough Denmark and Sweden. We’re also planning to play in Germany and Holland of course. Next to that we just shot our first video which will be out soon. Check our http://www.myspace.com/manuarmata/

Any closing comments?

Thanks for the interview, don’t forget to download our new EP at http://www.manuarmata.com/. Hope to see you at one of our shows. Take care and keep it real.

Edge Of Spirit pics from Bloodaxe Festival 2010

Couple of Edge Of Spirit pics from Bloodaxe Festival 2010 with Heaven Shall Burn, Another Victim and Thick As Blood held in Tokyo this summer. Got courtesy of Wypax Photography.

Alpha & Omega - Life Swallower

The band has been getting better with every album they have released and this one is another step in the right direction. With Life Swallower, Alpha & Omega brings to the table one of the more violent albums I’ve heard in a long time.

One song in and you know you’re listening to one tough son of a bitch album. Fueled By Sin is a strong opening to the album combining the best elements of hardcore and metal. And when the next tracks kick in, things only get better. Throughout the album, Alpha & Omega keep their sound focused on slick, thrash inspired riffs while the rhythm section lays down a tight groove that is marks up the music’s rhythm to perfection. The band gets the job done with beefy chords to groovy passages, which results in brutal songs of crushing metallic that never goes down in intensity. Life Swallower offers plenty of anger and rage, but at the same time they keep the right balance and deliver plenty of leads and hooks to get your teeth into. It helps to keep things interesting and give their music more depth without sacrificing the rough edge that makes Alpha & Omega's music work. An element of nostalgia for the 80’ crossover sound can be heard throughout the album with the strong nod towards Cro-Mags in their prime. They also make me think of Steel Nation and Bitter End in regards to the intensity those bands deliver. The vocals of Luis are very intense and lyrically, it’s straight up hostile, dark and negative.

If I had to pick my favorite tracks from Life Swallower I would say that tracks Searching or Stand Alone show how it should be done. Both of these tracks come with slick, memorable riffs and massive chorus that will stick in your head for days.

Listening to this album it comes as no surprise that band has been creating a bit of a name for themselves recently. 2010 is definitely a good year for hardcore with solid albums from bands like Terror, Sick Of It All, Madball, Bitter End or All Out War. And even with such a strong competition, I still consider Life Swallower as one of the most interesting albums that came out this year.


Review by Dloogi
Label: 6131 Records
Year: 2010
Band's website

Parasitic Skies - The Descent

After the well received 7” for Seventh Dagger, Seattle based Parasitic Skies are back with the full length album, The Descent. For those not familiar with the band – they stand for straight edge and veganism and musically are leaning heavily towards metal sound. This album brings a lot of memories of the times when a lot of hardcore bands started incorporating death metal influences into their sound, but it was long before the deathcore plague and it still sounded legit.

That’s the deal with Parasitic Skies – their sound is down-tuned, heavy as fuck, with groovy riffing and deep, growling-like vocals but there are no silly pig squeals and no tempo changes every 15 seconds. The drumming is intense and on point, but thanks God there are no blast beats. Parasitic Skies knows what they’re good at and gets down to business without trying to get fancy. The songwriting on this album has a gritty yet sharp energy. That means the thin line between being cool metallic hardcore band and being lame death metal wannabes has not been crossed. And good, cause it sounds merciless and uncompromising enough without that fake shit. And while the regular songs never let down when it comes to intensity, the instrumental tracks make use of some sludgy, dissonant riffing which adds more depth to the album.

When it comes to lyrics, their approach is far from being straight forward. The overall tone is pretty dark and apocalyptical at times but you gotta dig deeper into what they’re saying to figure out the meaning. This aspect is very similar to now classic H8000 bands like Liar and Congress which also used images of warfare and demons to get their straight edge and political message out.

The Descent is a good album – if you want to hear the solid metallic hardcore but you’re fed up with the current state of the genre, it will give you the experience that you are looking for.

Review by Dloogi
Label: Seventh Dagger Records
Year: 2010
Band's website

Grizz Rock - Mental Abuse

I’ve never been a fan of hardcore kids doing rap thing simply because much of this stuff is garbage. You don’t have to be next Mobb Deep or Wu Tang but some of the rhymes and beats that came from the rappers with hardcore background has been an embarrassment to the game. Grizz Rock hasn’t been an active hardcore musician as far as I know but it seems he has some connection to the hardcore world. Not only Real Recognize Real, a label known for bridging the gap between hardcore and rap, is releasing this stuff, but you can also hear Lord Ezec now and then throughout the album.

Ok, so my expectations were not that high but surprisingly Grizz proved that he can hold his own as an emcee. He might not be the most technically gifted cat out there but with his forceful and vibrant delivery he knows how to grab your attention. It’s pretty apparent he really feels the passion behind his work. It's hard to define any one cut, the album as a whole is the one. Whether he spits some aggressive stuff like Victims Of Society or This Is My House, or goes more personal on joints like Just Like That or Just Another Days, the album is consistent and has a steady flow. Lyricswise, he goes from serious topics such as growing up in the streets and family issues to more relaxed, party oriented bangers. Well, you gotta chill but these sudden style shifts break the grimy flow of the album. These diversions, however, are few and far between thankfully. Grizz sounds much sharper and tighter when he sticks to the dark side of life. Once again listen to Victims Of Society or This Is My House – that’s some aggressive shit I want to hear more from him! Sure, sometimes his rhymes get , but overall he’s delivery stays sharp. On the musical side, it’s nothing groundbreaking, but the beats are solid with with elements like the sung background or acoustic guitar loops.

One of the cool things about this album is how Grizz Rock incorporates rock, sometimes even almost hardcore influences into some of the songs. Just listen to the beginning of the Darkness track – if this guy started a hardcore band that would be massive! Anyway, when Grizz focuses on the rawness, he’s really dope. I’d like to hear his rhymes over some more raw and vibrant beats.

Review by Dloogi
Label: Real Recognizes Real Records
Year: 2010
Grizz Rock's website

Skam Dust - Corona Drug Bust

The concept of bridging the gap between the hardcore and hip hop seems to be the driving force behind Real Recognize Real as their range of releases and distro items include artists from both of these worlds. Being a huge rap fan I can only admire the idea but there should be with no discussion that it doesn’t mean that rappers should be given a credit just because they have ties to the hardcore scene.

Hardcore kids should recognize Skam Dust for his involvement in the already classic Son Of Skam project where he laid down some pretty cool rhymes along with fellow DMS soldiers. Now, couple of years later, his full length album called Corona Drug Bust is out. After a completely passable intro the title song kicks in and it’s fire! The beat is fucking insane and the rhyme delivery by combined forces of Skam and Freddy Madball is reckless. Hands down, the best track on the album. Too bad it is followed by couple of completely passable tracks such as Godz Of War, Pray For Me or Out Of The Zoo. Most of these beats are lacking in bite and have zero personality. And that’s the main issue with this album – while there are couple of tracks here where Skam definitely holds his own, there are also tracks that would be better left out. When it comes to rapping, Skam is not the best lyricist out there but when provided with the right beat, his aggressive delivery make up for the lyrical drawbacks. His style brings to mind classic shouting rap acts like Onyx or MOP and while he’s not on that level yet, but he’s got enough charisma to make things interesting.

Some memorable songs also include Ready To Rock where Skam teams up with Grizz Rock to unleash lyrical mayhem over some heavy ass, guitar-led beat. In Wild Style Life Style Skam dives into hardcore territory proving that he could easily front straight up NYHC band. One Time is also ok, kind of classic New York hip hop song with strong, fat beat. The album also includes couple of Son Of Skam songs – if you don’t have Five Borough Manhunt cd, it might be a treat.

Overall, this album suffers from way too many mediocre filler songs that are so flat and lack character. It has its good share of moments, but the highlights are being dimmed by the mediocre or plain whack tracks. And it’s kinda shame because couple of times here Skam proves that when the beat is right, he can spit fire.

Review by Dloogi
Label: Real Recognizes Real Records
Year: 2010
Skam Dust's website

Left Behind - Skin Deep

Left Behind is LA based hardcore/metal band with influences ranging from His Hero Is Gone to Sepultura to Entombed.

Ill Omen - Dead Friends

Here's the new track of this promising Finnish band taken straight from the still hot split with Get Stitches! Check out what they're about here.

Reason To Fight / Chesty Malone And The Slice'em Ups split 7" on Uniter Riot Records

Rhode Island's best HC band Reason To Fight are back with some ripping New tunes of Working Class Hardcore. In the vein of SSD, Blood For Blood, Last Rites, Slapshot, FU'S these guys keep HC alive. On the flipside from NYC you got Chesty Malone And The Slice'em Ups on vinyl for the fist time ever. There style of HC/Punk is Misfits meets Lunachicks meets Sheer Terror. Some balls out NYHC with female vocals. A classic split on limited edition color vinyl.