Pay No Respect - Moving On

Moving On is highly anticipated follow up to the band’s self released debut Fear Profits Man Nothing. Once again, Pay No Respect shelved out a collection of hard hitting songs saturated in a hostile sound and raging aggression. The album has its share of catchy hooks and memorable moments and even with the limited diversity of sound and style, none of the tracks are skip-worthy. The music seems to be more detailed than on their prior release, which shows that the band is progressing and actually made an effort to live up to the expectations. The riffs are bone crushing, the drumming is heavy and forceful and the bass completes the sound. The delivery is razor sharp and consistent, with one track flowing seamlessly to the next but never slowing down its adrenaline pace. And when you combine it with ‘not to be fucked with’ vocals, it’s hard not to imagine broken noses and black eyes during their show. Lyrically, the band pledges the alliance to the lifestyle based on holding your own and not caring what society says. It may seem cliché but I still enjoy stuff like this. Overall, Moving On is a decent album that offers something enjoyable no matter if you are invested more into breakdowns, faster parts, or both.

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

Edge Of Spirit - Edge Of Spirit

If you know anything about Japanese hardcore there’s a big chance that the name Edge Of Spirit rings the bells. The band has been around since 1997 and during that time has released a shit load of material – four big albums, couple of splits and appeared on countless compilations. With their fourth, self titled album, Edge Of Spirit brings to the table one of the more violent metalcore albums I’ve heard in a long time. It is packed with rage filled riffing, double bass played like an assassin, soul raping vocals and ultra mega breakdown grooves. The songs are complex and excellently executed. The band is focused on all-out brutality, taking you on a ride down the memory lane to the times when passion and honesty were a must in a metalcore game. They might be not the most technically skilled band around, but somehow I can’t be bothered by that. The guitar work here is pretty impressive anyway, delivering shredding riffs as violently as possible, but also laying some groove now and then throughout the album. There's a pretty heavy melodic, Swedish influence going on in the riffs as well, but they still know how to make it bite. Throat ripping vocals only boost the level of adrenaline, while the rhythm section is precise and on point. Production and sound are top-notch with every instrument and vocals having the great placement. I also gotta mention that the whole stuff is packed with a dope artwork.

The band may not be pushing any boundaries, but they surely know how to unleash a beast of an album. I am not that familiar with their previous releases, but it would be hard for me to believe this new album is not their strongest effort yet.

Review by Dloogi

Label: Demons Run Amok
Year: 2010
Band's Website

Most downloaded demos in January

Here's what people have been downloading the most in January. If you still have not checked out the following bands, make sure you do correct that mistake as soon as possible.

1. Desperate Times - State Of Mind Ep - no holds barred heavy hardcore out of Ontario, Canada.

2. Hold Down - Demo 2010 - heavy, but slick hardcore from Cologne, Germany.

3. Roadrunner - EP 2010 - Massachusetts, US based Roadrunner is all about straight up no frills hardcore

4. Losing Grip - Self Titled EP - Losing Grip are from Texas and with their first EP bring nothing but sharp and harsh hardcore that bites hard!

5. Fight Alone Today - Mari Berkawan Ep - brand new EP from this Yogyakarta, Indonesia based band.

x Burning The Fallen x - Keeping Edge Alive

I don’t know much about xBurning The Fallenx except that they hail from Medellín, Colombia. It seems the band is heavily into straight edge lifestyle, but because of the language barrier, I can’t tell much about their lyrics and the overall message. As for the music, I’ve seen them being compared to bands like Nueva Etica or Point Of No Return and it pretty much nails it down. xBurning The Fallenx offers heavy, metallic new school hardcore that ranges mainly in the lower and mid tempos, with only occasional faster parts now and there. While the band has some potential and their gigs must be a blast, there’s still some work to do in the song-writing department. In the future I want to hear from them more intense and hard hitting tracks like the intro song or Verdadera Libertad. Download it!

On Parade - Demo 2010

On Parade are from Bakersfield, CA and with their 2010 demo bring five slabs of fast, raw old school hardcore. There’s a strong SSD, Judge or DYS influences throughout the demo so prepare for some adrenaline pumping tempos with occasional powerful breakdowns now and there. That’s the beauty of it – they don’t fuck with heavy metal, there are no double bass breakdowns, nor tougher-than-thou attitudes. This stuff has been released on 7” by Desensitized Records. Download it!

Search Bloc interview

Search Bloc hails from the city of Cleveland in the great state of Ohio and their sound is fast and pissed off hardcore, totally in vein of One Life Crew or Confront, laced with tight grooves and heavy hitting vocals. Read the interview to know why they're backed by Seventh Dagger and what should we expect to come out of this collaboration in the future.

Search Bloc hails from the city of Cleveland in the great state of Ohio and their sound is fast and pissed off hardcore, totally in vein of One Life Crew or Confront, laced with tight grooves and heavy hitting vocals. Read the interview to know why they're backed by Seventh Dagger and what should we expect to come out of this collaboration in the future.

For those who don’t know, could you just give a short introduction of Search Bloc and tell us a little about your background?

First of all, what's up Hardboiled, thanks for the support and giving us this interview. Search Bloc started 5 years ago here in Cleveland, OH with the goal of playing that fast Straight Edge brand of Clevo hardcore along the lines of Confront, Face Value, and OLC. Back then, and even still now, bands are trying to play beatdown, and metal, and trying to out evil each other, but that's a bunch of crap, we like hardcore, so that's what we play. After numerous line-up changes, the current line-up is Anthony Jochum and Rich Millard on guitars, hometown anti-hero Frank McGhee on drums, Large Robert on bass, and I'm Chopsey and I sing. Anthony's two older brothers used to be in Integrity until recently, when I don't know what happened, maybe they wouldn't drink the kool-aid and Dwid kicked them out because of that haha, but in any case I'm name dropping Integrity so in case you like them, their younger brother's in our band and you can check us out.

Give us a rundown on your collaboration with Seventh Dagger,. How did it come about?

We have to thank Joe Riverside of Rhinoceros a lot for that. Back in 2008 he put us on the bill for Seventh Dagger Fest and put in a good word for us. He's a really good dude, and we appreciate him for helping us out always. We got to play in front of a lot of people, including Danny Sober who runs Seventh Dagger Records. He liked us back then, and now three years later, we reconnected and he asked if we'd be down to do some things, and we said hell yes.

Apart from the t-shirt, there’s also 2010 demo included in the Cleveland Confidential package. Are there any plans for future collaborations? Any chances to record a new full length with them?

Definitely, the Cleveland Confidential: The Final Report demo are songs we recorded in 2008 and 2009, Seventh Dagger re-released it to get the word out about us in anticipation of our upcoming full length we're putting out in 2011. We're currently in the studio right now working on it, it's gonna have 16 new songs of the hardest shit you've ever heard come out of Cleveland in a long time. It's gonna be all out, all Straight Edge, full on gas pedal to the floor with no brakes, and no spooky stuff, no sad shit, just the sweetest shit you're ever gonna hear. It'll be the best thing that Seventh Dagger has ever put out.

Cleveland has been a breeding ground to some of the hardest bands in history of hardcore. How do you think being from over there affected your song sound?

Well, if you've heard us you can totally tell we're ripping off the old Cleveland bands, it's what we like, and been listening to for years now. It's what we wanted to do, keep that style going.

What were the first records and bands that influenced you when you were starting Search Bloc?

Well, it more less came down to this idea, what if there was a Cleveland band, that was actually really Straight Edge, and sounded like OLC, but wasn't a bunch of hillbillies saying dumb, racist, homophobic, sexist shit to get attention? So from that, Search Bloc came about to fill the void.

There are a lot of great bands aiming for that evil Cleveland sound, but most of them are not even from the city or even States. Compared to the days when Integrity or In Cold Blood were around, does it feel like there is a strong scene in Cleveland right now?

Actually none of those bands that jock the holy terror sound are from Cleveland. We have the real people who are the architects and innovators of that style out here, nobody's gonna put up with second rate knock-offs doing their best "in contrast of sin" impression. Nobody really gives a shit about out of town holy terror bands around here. Seriously, we can just go see the real Ringworm instead.

For you, what year represented the best time in hardcore for Cleveland and in general?

Hardcore is never as fun, exciting, mysterious, and scary as it was when you first got into it. So the best time for me, and I'm sure a lot of people, was not a specific year or era, it was that very first show I went to. You're a little nervous, a bunch of sketchy characters there so you're a little intimidated, but then once the band played those first chords, and that big rush of pure energy hits you, there's no other feeling like it. It's a life changing moment, for a lot of us it marked the moment we knew hardcore was going to be the rest of our lives.

Is there anything in the current hardcore scene you would want to change or something you'd like to see get better?

I don't really care too much what the current crop of young kids are doing. Hardcore's for the young people though, so I just ask that whatever you do you leave the hardcore scene in a better place than where you found it, 'cause sure enough most of you are gonna drop out, and then there'll be a another group of young kids who are gonna come along and fuck it up even worse than before.

What’s on your wish list for 2011 and what do you hope to achieve?

In 2011 our new record's gonna come out, hopefully with Seventh Dagger behind us it'll get us more exposure. Get out there and play more shows in places we've never played before. Put us on the map, make sure Cleveland stays relevant, and just have fun and enjoy the ride, it's really not that serious.

Anything you want to add to people who haven’t heard of you yet?

If you like hardcore, check us out. Up The Straight Edge, fuck sell outs.

http://www.facebook.com/searchbloc
http://www.myspace.com/searchbloc
http://www.facebook.com/seventhdagger
http://www.myspace.com/seventhdagger
http://www.seventhdagger.com

Razorblade Handgrenade interview

Since NJ Bloodline I haven't heard anything that fresh and dope coming out of NJ area. Razorblade Handgrenade combines catchy as hell songs with attitude-filled vocals to make music that makes me wanna mosh around my room like I'm young again! The guys has just put out their second full lenght, it's called Tales from the Bricks and all the signs on heaven and earth suggest it's gonna be one of the dopest albums of this year!

Since NJ Bloodline I haven't heard anything that fresh and dope coming out of NJ area. Razorblade Handgrenade combines catchy as hell songs with attitude-filled vocals to make music that makes me wanna mosh around my room like I'm young again! The guys has just put out their second full lenght, it's called Tales from the Bricks and all the signs on heaven and earth suggest it's gonna be one of the dopest albums of this year!

Can you tell me the story behind your new album Tales from the Bricks?

The name itself is a play on tales from the crypt, which much like that show the album is dark, definitely darker and heavier than the first album. THe songs on the album are street tales of past and present times. It's not a concept album or anything but more of a looking glass into a day in the life, living in Newark, NJ. Much like our first album TFTB is a mix of different styles, we have a punk oi joint on there called "We all Grew Up," a hip hop influenced "Page 472," which we also have a video for and 8 other Old school NJ/NYHC hard hitting joints like they were recorded in 88.

With your new album that will drop in matter of days, how do you see the evolution of the band? Will fans of your previous album get the traditional sound or are there some new experiments we can prepare for?

We have been experimenting with different sounds and trying some new shit as far as writing goes while not deviating far from our core sound. The album isn't a exact repeat of the first but rather a more grown continuation.
We went back to Wild Artic in long island city, NY to record with Dean B, who is pretty much on top of the hardcore game. To us the new album should satisfy our core fans and at the same time bring in some new listeners.

Your style runs from hardcore to hip-hop to punk rock including plenty of other influences. Where do you get the inspiration to write the type of material you do?

All the members in RBHG have different tastes in music but all love punk and OG NYHC e.g. Cro-Mags, Breakdown, Agnostic Front, especially Warzone, and many more. But seperately Sean(bass) and Wes love Hip Hop while Frank(drums) and Joe Pop(guitar) are into more metal type shit. It's a culmination of sounds and styles.

What is the writing process like when it comes to working on your music?

When we write we try to stay away from that formulaic process of creation where, we have to do this type of song or have a song that resembles some music fad. Mostly someone will come up with a riff and we will build from there. It's funny a lot of our songs will come from something randomly played in between songs during practice. Wes will be like play that shit back and than we will build it up from there.

I’m guessing from the album title that it ain't no fairy tale. Is there any main lyrical focus on Tales from the Bricks?

The main lyrical focus is on our last four years and the conclusions of our lives and music. We aren't the same kids we were when we wrote the first album. Were not trying to be hard or fit into any catagory, just stand out on our own. Hardcore music isnt about being an asshole to anyone around you. Hardcore music is what you see and believe in your life.



What are some of the topics you spit about this time? How do you go about writing lyrics?

Our song titles are like chapters of my life. We speak about alot of different shit on this album. Some things I care to talk about it and somethings I won't. So, go out get the album and read the lyrics. I think you won't be disappointed by the musical content and lyrical flow. I'm going to quote myself on this one, "My blood pumps concrete and my heart beats bricks and that's what it is." Brick City Hardcore style to the casket drops.

How does coming from NJ shape your attitude to the music and hardcore culture in general? How much of an influence was the environment you grew up in, on your music? What’s the hardcore scene like out there in New Jersey at the moment?

NJ is kind of a hard place for shows. There's alot of DIY type shows at VFW and any other rentable spaces but few really good spots. With this lack of good venues comes an inconsistent scene as far as people coming out to shows. Don't get me wrong there are cool spots like Dingbatz in clifton which always has great HC bands and shows. We used to get alot of people who thought we were a NY band because we were always playing the city when we first started in 2006. All of us grew up going to shows at the cove(rip) in roselle, NJ. Seeing great jersey punk/HC bands like One4One, Etown Concrete, NJ Bloodline, Mainstreet Mayhem, thulsa doom, The Usual Suspects,Bulldoze, For the love of, and many many more influenced us to start making our own music. NJ gets alot of shit because people think it's all suburbs or something or everyone out here is rich, which anyone who lives in North Jersey knows this isn't true. Hardcore is street music and coming from Newark and Elizabeth has definetly had a heavy influence on us. Plus there is alot of newer Jersey bands out killing it right now like Hub City Stompers, Suburban Scum, Plan B is Dead, Mongoloids, and Homicidal just to name a few.

What can we expect from the band in the near future?

Lots of shows and more music. We plan on putting out a cover album with our verison of songs that probably you wouldn't expect us doing probably over the summer. But look for us on the road this summer to support the album. Right now we are playing a couple random shows like Feb. 27th with DRI at Starland ballroom in NJ, and Jan 22 with Wisdom In Chains and Maximum Penalty at Moosehead lodge in Brick, NJ. Keep checking the facebook and myspace if peeps still do that.

So, final question to wrap up the interview: what's your pick for best hardcore release of 2010?

The new Bulldog Courage holds shit down.

Hammerfist - Dead Dreams

Dead Dreams, the highly anticipated new full length from Cali-based Hammerfist, holds seven tracks of no holds barred hardcore with cut throat delivery, aggressive flow and hard-hitting lyrics.Their ability to blend heaviness with groove places them somewhere between the classic heavy-ass Merauder sound and faster bands like Lionheart or Since The Flood. There are many bands around who have honed this craft to perfection but still Hammerfist manage to hold their own. The sound is consistent all the way through, whether they speed up or play those massive breakdown parts. Tracks like Diamond Cutter or Black Or Red get a job done with a host of punchy hooks and powerful grooves. Lyrics wise, Jake Fist, the singer, takes us on a journey through the dark valleys of life; despair, depression, anxiety and pain. But it’s not just all about dark though, it is rather aimed at giving you a sense of empowerment than a depression. The other remarkable aspect of this album is production, which is mega heavy and pounding, allowing all the energy of these songs to furiously blast out of your speakers.

Overall, this is a strong album, These songs are sick, some of the heaviest I've heard recently. Maybe not particularly innovative, but still totally effective. I know it won't be suited for everyone, but there is no shortage of good hooks and recognizable riffs and vocal lines here. It definitely makes me want to see this band playing these songs life.

Review: Dloogi

Label: Ghost Town
Year: 2010
Band's website

Reprisal's Boundless Human Stupidity re-released by Customcore

France-based Customcore Records has re-released the classic Reprisal album - Boundless Human Stupidity. This new exclusive digipak edition comes with new master and 2 bonus tracks in ! This is how the label describes it: Reprisal blow away the competition with their awesome technical Edgemetal. Somewhat similar musically and lyrically to Arkangel, " Boundless Human Stupidity " attacks the idiocy of mankind destroying our planet. This is what I would call real dance music, infectious to the bone, " Boundless..." calls for a massive pit !

Homicidal - Tear you Apart