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.

xLost In Hatex

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.

Embrace Destruction - Reptilian


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.

Smash Your Enemies - No Turning Back


New Merch: Thick As Blood, Rhinoceros, Kingdom


Also available in long sleeve and pullover hoodie. Click here to place your order.

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."

[Un] titled



UN TITLED is a photography book put together by 6 amateur diy photographers from European scene: Sheep, Marian Magdolen, Monika Chilmon, Jan Urant, Patrycja Gagan and Roman Laris. It should be out this winter and from you can see at their MySpace profile, it’s gonna be some top quality stuff. It will be limited to 500 copies only so don’t sleep on it. Watch for updates on their MySpace profile. It’s a shame that with some many good photographers around there are so few initiatives like this one. Let’s hope that the idea will catch on enough that we'll see some more of such goodness being released in the future.

And All Was Silent

"We remember when Hardcore wasn't a fashion show and bands weren't trying to get famous playing it. For us it isn't and never will be about any of that. We just want to play as many shows as possible and have fun and meet some cool people while we're doing it."

Introduce your band to our readers and tell us where your bands from.
Yo we're And All Was Silent, from Woonsocket Rhode Island. Victor (vocals), Jimmy (Bass), Brandon (guitar), Brian (drums).

How did the band start?
(Brandon) In 2005 Brian originally played guitar, I sang, and we had another drummer. We started out playing high school battle of the bands, and breaking shit.

Can you tell us why No Turning Back is worth a listen, and what should kids expect from it?
(Brian) I think its not your average cookie cutter hardcore cd, its a straight up beatdown record, with mad breakdowns, and sexy 2 step parts.
(Jimmy) Its a good album and after you listen to it your gonna wanna come out to a live show.

With song titles like "Put this in your mouth" and "Better off dead" it seems you're not beating around the bush when it comes to writing lyrics. How would you describe the lyrical content of the cd and where do you find your inspiration?
(Victor) The content is simple and straight to the point, my inspiration comes from everyday occurances and situations. I hate people who talk shit but cant back it up, thats what "Put this in your mouth" is about, and "Better off Dead" is about people who were served a silver spoon and have never changed there mentallity, thinking they are better than everyone else.

So what is your label situation and where can kids buy your EP?
(Brandon) Our EP is self released on our own label, Hit The Deck Records. Its available at andallwassilent.bigcartel.com, interpunk.com, and off our myspace myspace.com/andallwassilentri . Were looking for label support and distro in europe, and as well as a label for our next record which is ready to be recorded early 2010.

You guys are working with japan based Retribution Network, how did this collaboration come about?
(Jimmy) We started selling our EP on ebay, labeling it for fans of Boston Hardcore, a few people in Japan bought it. Shortly after Retribution contacted us requesting a bunch of merch, because kids in japan were asking for it.

"We remeber when hardcore wasnt a fashion show and bands werent trying to get famous playing it" is a quote off your myspace page. So how do you feel about the hardcore scene today? Do you think that media recognition helped to spark a revival of the genre or rather made it just another trend?
(Brian) I think the recognition of hardcore bands is good for a few reasons to bring new kids to shows, theres nothing wrong with that, but in my opinion the genre of hardcore is over used and not understood. Im sick of all these shitty little kids wearing chicks pants, crying into the microphone, having a shaggy haircut, and playing breakdowns and thinking there a hardcore band. Real hardcore isnt about how many people can see your nuts in the pants your wearing, and real hardcore isnt just about breakdowns, which most kids dont understand.

What is the hardcore scene like in Rhode Island?
(Brandon) All the venues got shut down, so now its hard to even have shows. When there is all ages venues shows go well theres a decent amount of kids who still care.

What are the bands plans for the future?
(Victor) Keep doing what were doing, play as many shows as possible, and record a new full length cd. Also we want to play outside the USA, and get fucked up!

Anything else you would like to add?
(All) Check out our stuff on myspace if you like it buy it help us out, we would also like to thank Dloogi for hooking us up with this interview. Shout outs to our boys in RI, MA, and All in Crew in CT.


Boxcutter -The Ill Testament

Polite, sensitive, mature, gentle ...Boxcutter is none of these things and less. The band is known for the hip hop tinges to its music and this is what separates them from your regular hardcore band. To kick things off the CD opens up with Kingz Of Thugz, which is purely rap joint with violin-filled beat where the band is flexing their lyrical skills to give you idea how it is in their world and what type of topics you’re about to experience on the rest of the material.


Things haven’t changed that much since their last album and their delivery is still rugged and raw meaning that they didn’t try to change their attitude to fit the scene. With all the rap going on, the band has struck a fine balance so there’s enough hardcore breaks here to get you moshing. And when they get heavy, they’re at the top of their game! The biggest banger must be Crown Of Righteousness, one of those songs that you'll listen to several times, before you proceed with the rest of the album. James Ismean’s son features on a joint and he kills it! It’s rude and outrageous and packs a lot of adrenaline. I also must mention BLF Soldier and Get Up as songs that seriously get my blood pumping. What I like are the references they make both in hardcore and rap tracks to the classic hip hop acts like Mobb Deep, Biggie, Run DMC, Slick Rick among others.

The Ill Testament is best when it goes in hardcore direction musically, while the hip hop tracks don’t appeal to me that much. It’s peaks are very high, but the rap joints on the album seem to be filler to some degree. That’s the problem, there are some great hardcore tracks here where the band’s delivery is fat and forceful but they are broken up by rap tracks that are formulaic and occasionally boring, very often begging for a faster, more dynamic flow. To my surprise, the hip hop track I’ve found most entertaining is The Recipe, which blends club beats with some gangsta swag and while I’m not much into this type of stuff usually, this song is ain’t that bad at all. I guess it’s because compared to the rest of the hip hop material it’s rather up-tempo and fast. Still, I don’t want these criticism detract from the truly impressive work that this album is. It has it flaws but it doesnt take away from the fact that The Ill Testament is a solid effort.


Author: Dloogi

Label: Goodlife/Screaming Crow
Year: 2009

Boxcutter at Myspace
Screaming Crow
Goodlife


Bad 2 The Bone II documentary





Australian graffiti documentary from the mid 80's. Interesting watch if you're into this stuff. It covers both graffiti artists as well as police officers trying to bust em.

Strength For A Reason/No Turning Back - Split 7"

You can’t go wrong picking up two of the best hardcore bands from USA and Europe on a single piece of wax. And hell yeah, this is some real shit!


Strength For A Reason takesa side A with two songs lifted from their latest full length. Both of them kick ass and what you can expect is that the band gets right to the heart of what hardcore is. There’s really something fucked up with the world today and those guys are seriously pissed off about it. Next comes No Turning Back which probably is the most known European band nowadays. All I can say is that they totally deserve all the attention they’re getting. Not only because they worked hard for it, but just for the fact that when it comes down to it, they know how hardcore should be played. The musicianship is top notch and the compositions are full of aggression and intensity without losing a sense of melody. The lyrics are honest and something every kid can relate to.

Both bands represent everything that epitomizes what hardcore is about. Dope lyrics, powerful music and somehow positive vibe despite the aggressive delivery - everything a hardcore kid could ask for. And if you are a record collector you will surely appreciate the superb artwork of this picture disk.

Author: Dloogi

Label: Filled With Hate
Year: 2009

No Turning Back at Myspace
Worth The Pain at Myspace
Filled With Hate Records at Myspace


"The King of Fighters" is being made into a movie

If you love cheesy kung fu flicks with really bad acting and outdated special effects, you might get stoked that 'The King Of Fighters' game is being turned into a movie. Looking behind the scenes, there's gonna be some real B-rated action extravaganza!


Skarhead - D.F.F.


One Step Down



Band’s name: One Step Down/OSD

Location: Bury St Edmunds!!!

Active since: OSD first started killing people's ears back in 2002/2003

How do you define your overall style?
Since starting 6 or 7 years ago, things with OSD have changed. One thing being our sound. We get chucked into allsorts of catagories like, punk, hardcore, metalcore, metal, thrash, metallic hardcore... WE JUST BOUNCE!

What’s your goal with this band?
I dont think OSD have a goal, in terms of makin many or selling out arena shows. If we do have a goal, its to try and play a new show in a new town or city every month. Not alot to ask for, is it?!

What do you have recorded so far?
Jeeze, i've lost count! I think OSD have recorded about 5 demo's, and 1 full length (which never got released). We' were never bothered if our records didnt make it into peoples music collections or onto their ipods, we just like'd getting a feel of being in a band that spent time in a studio! But the last 2 records we made have started to appear in peoples record collections and ipods. simply because we started to play more shows, giving a CD to someone everytime they brought a t-shirt. I still listen to the first OSD demo and the latest, and its amazing! There's so much change, but you can still tell its OSD.

Could you tell us how did you guys got together to form a band?
Well it all started with Lew, Adam & joe. Lew and Ad are brothers, and Joe rides bmx with Ad, and they were just really friends from school who shared the same interested in music and bands and wanted to start a band! Lew used to sing and play bass. Then Joe's sister's boyfriend, Dom, came in to play bass. Later on, Ad went to uni, then i stepped in to play drums. A couple of years later, Ad came back and we wanted him to get involved again, so i stepped onto 2nd guitar and Ad went back on drums to make it a 5 piece. Dom left not so long ago, and then our good friend Chris stepped in on bass!

Who are the members of the band?
Lewis Blythe-Vocals, Joe Embrey-Guitar, Adam Blythe-Drums, Chris Davies-Bass & Sean Griffin-Guitar.

What are your main influences?
I never like answering this question, because people always assume that by saying 'influences', thats what were saying we sound like! which is not the case. If you listen to some of our earlier stuff, you'll hear alot of Donnybrook, SOIA, Madball and all that. And if you listen to out latest demo you'll hear some First Blood, Liferuiner, Knuckledust and all that! We all listen to the same music and totally different bands, and we listen to different music as well! There are us who bring in a bit of punk, and there is one who will chuck a bit of metal in there, so on and so on.

I read a hilarious quote from a review of one of your shows which says “Shaved heads, shorts, new-era hats and bullshit tougher than thou attitudes” and I gotta say it makes for a perfect advertisement of your music. Is this kind of feedback you would like to get?
No, it isnt at all. Its not the perfect advertisment for OSD, thats bullshit. That particular show... my hair was past my shoulders, lew only shaves his head because he's going grey. The dude who wrote that review was'nt reviewing, he wanted to be a critic. We dont mind critisism, but the dude was just being an arsehole. In that whole review he did not once mention on the performance or music. He seems to consider himself as a fashion guru.

So how do you feel about kids bitching about everything that’s not in line with their vision of hardcore like this band said this and that or that band is moshing too hard and shit like that?
Them kids are douchebags. They only think like that because some band have drummed it into their heads. Im getting really fed up with the kids at shows today. I think thats why alot of the older crowd dont get to shows anymore, they've realised its bullshit, and the younger kids are concentrating on being cool and tough. I have no problem with young kids coming to shows, but they need to drop the fucking attitude, some of the older kids are like that as well. The last 2 shows OSD have played, ive seen a number of kids getting violent and trying it on with other kids because they feel they need to prove themselves. Its so upsetting.

Do you think that hardcore got too soft, too nice lately?
No, i just think that some bands have wanted to mix up their love for softer and more expressive music with hardcore. And thats fine. I cant say im personally into it, but who said hardcore had to break bones and smash teeth? Its like saying... "Do you think rap music has got too soft, too nice lately... Because... artist have decided to rap about real things that happen. Its not all about weed, bitches and money". If you dont like it, its cool, stick to what you know. Let them get on with it.

On the other hand, how do you feel about the politics in hardcore? Do you think it’s possible to find a perfect balance between having fun and spreading the positive message to the kids?
Politics... i would'nt bother. Politics in hardcore or any other music is just another way of getting people to listen to how you feel. Im not dissing it, nor am i supporting it. I just dont give a fuck. But spreading a positive message is different and important. You should'nt abuse your position and power of being able to get a group of 30, 50, 100 or even 1000's of people to listen to you. If you can do that, you can make a change, make if for the best!

What part of UK you guys are from and how the hardcore scene like over there?
We're for lully suffolk! Its the same as everywhere, it has its high points, and its low points. And at the moment i think were on a low. People have no money which means people cant afford to go to shows and promoters cant afford to pay bands. Its a vicious circle. But it would help if bands stopped trying to charge through the roof and promoters stop trying to make a living out of it, then we could charge L2 to get in and more people would be able to afford it!

You guys seem to be playing a lot of shows. What’s the most memorable gig you ever played?
Haha, the most memorable gigs are always the bad ones... and we've had alot of them. We always used to struggle with kids at shows. Its getting easier now, i dunno what we've done to change their minds! but, the most memorable gig for OSD would be... The Minerva, Southend-on-sea, 2007 w/ By My Hands, Your Demise & BWP. Everything went wrong. The sound guy said we were shit. One of our friends was walking around the venue giving away free CD's of us, and one dude even brought one back because he realised it was the last band who played, BEING US!

So what are the band’s plans for the future? When is the debut album coming out?
Well we dont like to make plans because things never go according to plan. But, we just wanna keep playing shows, more shows, new towns/city's, with new bands! The debut album will come out when we agree on a set of songs to put down, have the money to record it, and when someone wants to release it!

Ok, thanks for the interview. Anything else you would like to say to the kids out there?
Thankyou! Its been a pleasure. And there is actually... GO CHECK US OUT IF YOU HAVENT ALREADY!!! www.myspace.com/osdbsehc

In Blood We Trust - On Thin Ice

In Blood We Trust - On Thin Ice
FWH 2009

This album can come as a surprise for everybody familiar with band’s previous work. They definitely picked up a pace this time and the music overall got more of this classic hardcore feeling. This new formula is obviously working for them giving the songs a certain freshness and vitality. You can hear some good hooks and groove parts coupled with harsh and cocky vocals and a lot of gang action.

On Thin Ice uses a lot of different kind of structures, from fast parts to beatdown breaks, and somehow it all flows naturally. The foundation of their music is still based on chugging riffs, massive bass and breakbeat style drum breaks and even if there are many ‘I’ve heard it before’ moments here, as long as they keep it fresh it’s fine with me. What I also like is the fact that In Blood We Trust are obviously having more fun this time. The feeling of the album is still of posing tough but they coupled it with more of a laid back approach and that’s what scores the points here cause if you gotta punch somebody in the face at least have fun doing it. It’s something making the whole delivery much more entertaining for sure, even though the lyrics hit all the standard clichés like revenge, backstabbers or staying true to your crew. The production is flat and too raw for this type of music which perhaps is the biggest minus. A lot of things they do over here seem to lose all of the impact it would have with a more fat and balanced sound. It has its ups and downs, but the more I think about it, the less there is to criticize about this record. They are definitely going in the right direction.

Author: Dloogi

IBWT at Myspace
Filled With Hate Records

The week wrap-up


"What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist." —Salman Rushdie

Some stuff you might find interesting:

Muslims Not 'Free of Being Mocked,' Danish Cartoonist Says - FoxNews.com

Europe’s Socialists Suffering Even in Downturn - NYTimes.com

Photoshopped Images Could Carry Warnings in France - Physorg.com

Oxfam launches East Africa appeal - BBC

Nestle milk link to Grace Mugabe -
BBC

Iran Says It Test-Fires Longest-Range Missiles - Fox News

What Is Iran Afraid Of? - Slate.com

What's "Unlawful Sexual Intercourse"? - Slate.com

The Polanski Uproar - NYTimes.com

A Primer on Racism - Slate.com

China Is Wordless on Traumas of Communists’ Rise - NYTimes.com

China's Online Censors Work Overtime - BusinessWeek

A Human Rights Breakthrough in Guatemala - Smithsonianmag.com

The Fatal Consequences of Counterfeit Drugs - Smithsonianmag.com

Stigmata – The Wounds That Never Heal

Stigmata – The Wounds That Never Heal
I Scream 2009

This CD contains two albums by now defunct Stigmata, Hymns For An Unknown God (1994) and Do Unto Others (1998) and if both of them ain’t classic, what is?


Stigmata is surely one of the bands that have left something that will stand the test of time. The band had a knack for confident and hard hitting song writing coupled with sharp lyricism. Their metallic hardcore with heavy thrash/crossover influences was one of a kind combining skilled guitar work with a rather unique vocal approach. I like this raw feeling of 90’ East Coast hardcore feel to it if you know what I mean.

Lyrically, this is the dark and pessimistic documentation of the human condition at the end of the 20th century. It’s about seeing the things as they are and trying to find your way in this hopeless and cold world. I wanted to write down some quotes but there are so many throat grabbing lines on these two albums that it’s hard to decide which is the most representative. Anyway, to really connect with Stigmata’s music and get the real feeling of this albums you need to listen to it from the start to finish.

If you’re sick and tired of hardcore getting too soft and too nice nowadays and want to take a trip down the memory lane when it had this feeling of something raw and dangerous, I suggest you pick up this record. If you are a real hardcore fan, then The Wounds That Never Heal has all you could ask for. There is just something so real and honest about these albums and it just gets better and better as the years roll by

PS. The reason why I Scream Records put out this record is the 20th anniversary of the band. Although they officially stopped performing in 2001, they’re doing a few reunion shows this year. Unfortunately. I’ve got no info about any plans of them doing a tour in Europe.

Author: Dloogi

Stigmata at Myspace
I Scream Records at Myspace

Wolverine


Band’s name: WOLVERINE

Location: Long Island NY

Active since: June 2008

How do you define your overall style?
Hard Style like heavier hardcore

What’s your goal with this band?
To have fun, make music

What do you have recorded so far?
2 ep's and a demo

What do you think about the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie? Did it turned out to be like you wanted it to be and do you think your band could provide a good soundtrack for this flick?
Personally, I feel it was a little bit let down, it could be much sharper and brutal for my likings... Im a pretty big comic nerd at times and this movie was such a let down, like it didnt follow the comics at all and as the movie went on it just got worst like what they did to deadpool made me throw up a little in my mouth. But as for us on the soundtrack i dont see why not i feel like heavy music and action movies go hand and hand

So when you were coming up with the name did you have this Wolverine in mind?
When coming up with the name of course the super hero was involved but the animal is a badass to i mean youtube wolverines they kill things like 5 times there size


Do you think this character represents the most what you as a band are about?
Yeah pretty much i mean wolverine is hard as fuck and were a pretty hard band and the dudes all about fighting which i dont mind either

How did you lot get together in the first place?
Funny story about this i (the singer steve) am the only orginal member, were on our 6th and one of our best drummers nick who used to play bass in backtrack, fishy our 2nd guitarest who used to be in the partisan turbine, kirk our 3rd bassest, and brian who we needed a 2nd guitarest and added him and i would say this is our strongest lineup and i dont see any of these guys going anywhere soon so get used to there ugly mugs.

Who are your major musical influences?
all out war, merauder, fury of five, buried alive, madball, cro-mags, crown of thornz, 100 demons

As far as inspiration goes, where do you get your inspiration when you write your lyrics?
Just from life itself all the stupid shit that goes on in my life or in the society we live in today

What are your thoughts on the Long Island hardcore scene nowadays?
Its not bad it seems pretty divded right now but its still pretty good new kids popping up and some awesome new bands and we also now have more then like 2 venues so life here isnt terrible

Have you got any up and coming bands from your area you would recommend?
Shit man tons ill name a few: BROOKSITE, INCENDIARY, BACKTRACK, STRENGTH THROUGH SUFFERING, OUT OF STEP, PITFIGHT, SOWN IN TEARS, LIVE FAST, DIE FAST, CUTTHROAT ETHIC, SOLDIERS and tons more

What kids should expect when going to your show?
Good live show, bad jokes, lots of energy, nice guys we love meeting new people.

Do you have any good show related stories?!
This story's alright but we played albany once it was our first time playing there i didnt think anyone had heard of us before and then after the first song theres close to 100 kids watching us and all killing eachother during our set in this small tiny little venue it was pretty sick being that we were going up there thinking maybe a few kids would watch us.

Is there anything in the scene that pisses you off or that you'd like to see changed?
Yeah there is right now like i mentioned earlier our scene is kinda divided in the sense that its like kids who would listen to have heart go to there shows and thats it and then the kids that would come see us only go to heavier shows and then metalcore kids have there own seperate universe it seems but as of like maybe a year or two ago it was pretty much all the same thing in the sense we had diverse shows and everyone seemed like they were friends.

Gossip and hardcore: it seems no matter what you do, there’s always gonna be a person who likes to talk shit. Do you have any funny rumors or stories you’ve heard about Wolverine?
Yeah alot of the christian bands from around here hate us, because of what our songs are about and people try to say we shut venues down and what not but we have yet to close a venue or anything of that sort

What are your plans for the rest of 2009 and beyond?
just trying to play out of state more and new merch to come lots of fun stuff.

Is there a chance for a full length debut in the near future?
Yeah were hoping to have an 8 song maybe even 10 song cd out by either late january or early febuary

Thanks for taking your time to do this. Any final comments?
thanks again for the interveiw if you ever come around us let us know and will hook you up.

Wolverine at Myspace.

“A Nightmare On Elm Street” Trailer




Damn, this remake thing has been getting on my nerves for way too long and it breaks my heart to see all those great horror movies getting the remake treatmant to fit in today's weak standards of Hollywood. It’s just another lazy attempt to make a bit of easy cash with no regard to the true horror fans. Yep, I know I've said nothing new here, but just had to get it off my chest. So “A Nightmare On Elm Street” is next and the trailer is not looking very promising. The fact that the director Samuel Bayer's work experience is based mostly on doing music videos doesn't help either.

Ty Nitty - Life Lessonz


Revenge

"We also played a show with a bunch of posi/youth crew bands in the kitchen of a loft apartment in a warehouse somewhere in Brooklyn, the PA wasn’t working so I was just screaming at people and the posi kids lost their minds and shoved someone into a hole in the wall."

The thing that hit me when I’ve heard your band for the first time was that you music got this dirty and raw punk rock feel to it, sometimes even close grindcore sound, but at the same time it’s still hardcore. Was it something you planned and where do you draw your influences when writing music?
First off I just want everyone to know this is Dan. I can’t really answer for the rest of the band but I will do my best when I need to. I don’t think we ever really planned on our songs being what they are, to me this is a form of expression or a lashing out at the things I see as wrong or fucked up. We all listen to many many hardcore bands and sub genres of hardcore so musically we draw from a lot of places. Black Flag, Napalm Death, Integrity, Crossed Out, and Left For Dead are a few but it goes far beyond that. Lyrically as I kind of stated before; whatever is bothering me, whatever fucked up experience I had for the day, whatever problems I'm dealing with is what goes into my lyrics.

There has been a plenty of bands lately who name Integrity as their influences but you guys stand out somehow. What do you think it is about Clevo sound that have such an impact on the scene lately?
I think the attraction to the Integrity/Ringworm/Holy Terror/Clevo sound is that it is dark and angry. We are kind of hitting rough times so I think more people are upset and angry and may have dark things going though their heads.. also Integrity and Ringworm are amazing artists and deserve any recognition they get.

What is the meaning behind the religious themed artwork of the album? The cover art of your demo was based on Begotten, an experimental movie which, as many interpret it as so, also deals with religious issues with the main theme of the biblical story of creation. Was it something you planned and does it have any relation with the lyrics of the songs?
Well I have personal issues regarding organized religion and for the most part I see it as corrupt and disgusting. Too many wars, deaths, broken homes, and other terrible acts have been the result of organized religion. Its only natural to have similarly themed art work to reflect the content of our songs.

Talking about movies, what type of stuff you like and does it happen that some flick you see or book you read is an inspiration for your songs?
We watch a lot of different movies. I know that George happens to be a big fan of really fucked up and obscure horror movies. Movies and books don’t really inspire me to write lyrics that much. I did write a song very loosely based on Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, but it is a very very loose reference.

As you recall it now, what made you start a band in the first place? How do you think your attitude changed since then? Do you think you look at the hardcore scene somehow different since you started playing and get to know the scene from the this point of view?
I was actually not with Revenge when they originally started. They had another singer but he lived in New York. I was in this other band that wasn’t really working out for me, but it happened that the guys in Revenge came to one of our shows and asked if I would do fill in vocals for them afterwards. Things worked out so I ended up recording the demo with them and becoming full time vocals. We haven't been a band that long.. just under a year now.. I feel it would be pretentious of me to say how much the scene has changed since we’ve been around... so I won’t.

What is the hardcore scene like in Massachusetts? Any bands or labels you would recommend?
The scene in Mass, as far as I can tell since I started going to shows anyways, has been a little bit rough for a while. I have been pretty excited to see what bands out of mass have been doing as of late though. Bands like Shoot To Kill, Debaser, BearTrap, Inhibition, Pitfall, Think Again, Abomination, and Can’t Heal have all been killing it. As far as labels go keep an eye on Frequency Deleted Records and Neutral Territory, so many good releases are coming out on both.

You guys played with a variety of bands, small shows and festivals. What are some most memorable gigs?
Both shows we played at the Montrose Basement in NY have been insane, we played Significant Fest in tampa after an all night drive with Tyson from Think Again on bass (do to some travel disasters) he was a trooper and learned our songs about an hour before we had to play and pulled them off pretty flawlessly. We also played a show with a bunch of posi/youth crew bands in the kitchen of a loft apartment in a warehouse somewhere in Brooklyn, the PA wasn’t working so I was just screaming at people and the posi kids lost their minds and shoved someone into a hole in the wall.

Since the 2012 is the next date for the end of the world, at least the way we know it, what are your plans with the band till then? What do you guys want to archive?
I personally don’t believe that 2012 is the end of existence, according to religious leaders and other crazies we should all be dead by now, the world was supposed to have ended in 1992, 97, 98, 99, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and that is in recent years, I see it as an attempt to scare us. However despite out impending doom we plan on recording some new material within the next year, playing as many shows as we can, and hopefully attempt a full US tour in the summer

Anything else you would like to add?
Keep an eye out in the future, I have some details on some shit, I’m just not sure if I can drop that knowledge yet so be on the look out for announcements. Keep an eye on FDR and the bands I mentioned, I'm sure that good things will be coming out of them. Buy the LP we owe Anthony money now. Thanks.

Check out their myspace profile.