Cornered to release new 7" on 6131 Records

Official press release from 6131 Records: We’re incredibly stoked to announce that we’ll be releasing the new 7” from Cornered. Hailing from the Netherlands, their new 7”, “Fuck Off”, is the follow up to their debut LP “Living the Lie” and their first release here in the US. The Limit Records will be releasing the 7” in Europe. Cornered are currently in the studio finishing up “Fuck Off”. The record will be released in time for their full US tour with Downpresser and New Morality starting in July. Be on the lookout for those dates soon. More info on “Fuck Off” coming soon!

Embrace Destruction is working on new album

Brutal Hardcore outfit Embrace Destruction will enter the studio this week to record their 3rd album Reign Of Terror. The album will be recorded at the One Voice Studios in Chivasso,IT by Danny Giordana (Hatebreed,Madball) and at the Heart Work Studios in Heerlen, NL by Stefan van Neerven (ex Born from Pain). Several old friends will be guests in this album and the names will be announced shortly. Reign Of Terror will be released in April 1st via Strikedown records / Urban Discipline and the band already started to tour Europe to promote it.

Truth In Needles - All Bets Are Off

Hobson's Choice - Indivisible

New Hobson's Choice (Bosna Herzegovina) output brings hard and heavy hitting hardcore with dual vocals and tough as nails riffs. The music is not your average beatdown, NYHC or deathcore shit. They take a lot from classic thrash or even some old school death metal sound and blend it with 90' hardcore influences (there's also cover of Reflections by Trial here!). Invisible is pretty much solid offering after all. It's not gonna be a classic, but doesn't disappoint as well. If you're in a mood for some metallic hardcore that's not that ground breaking, but at the same different than a lot of stuff you here nowadays, Indivisible might be a good choice. Download it!

Anti You -Two Bit Schemes Cold War Dreams

Looking at the cover I expected some straight up dirty and raw crust or anarcho punk but in the end I got some upbeat and fast old styled hardcore/punk. I can’t say I wasn’t pleasantly surprised. The album starts off with a bang – Lobotomizer Man is a fast and damn catchy piece of hardcore with powerful, yet melodic guitars and tight beat. The rest of the songs don’t let down in intensity either, resulting in an aggressive hybrid of the best elements of hardcore, punk and rock’n’roll. This CD combines the new album, as well as Johnny Baghdad Ep and Pig City Life Ep. There’s not many musical or sound quality differences between the releases which means it’s all fun from start to finish. The true highlight of the album is the ability of the band to perfectly blend the positive punk aggression with melody. There's a whole load of catchy hooks, decent leads, crazy sing alongs and some absolutely brilliant vocals. Man, I tell you, some of these gang choruses can stick in your head for days! The tunes are ridiculously simple and catchy but far from being cliché. From the break-neck tempos to more melodic passages, this albums is pure win from start to finish. I can’t believe they’re not from Cali!

Review: Dloogi
Label: Six Weeks Records
Year: 2011
Band's website

Burning Streets - You're Alive Today

Hammerfist interview

Hammerfist is your band if you're into some real hard-hitting stuff. The band can merge fast old school beats with crushing breakdowns that are sure to make every hardcore kid happy. They seem to have gain a strong following in their local scene and now it's time for the kids outside of Cali to recognize their shit. And if you still have not checked out their latest offering, Dead Dreams, do yourself a favor and correct that mistake as soon as possible.

Hammerfist is your band if you're into some real hard-hitting stuff. The band can merge fast old school beats with crushing breakdowns that are sure to make every hardcore kid happy. They seem to have gain a strong following in their local scene and now it's time for the kids outside of Cali to recognize their shit. And if you still have not checked out their latest offering, Dead Dreams, do yourself a favor and correct that mistake as soon as possible.

Your new album Dead Dreams is out now. What do you think makes it significant and what can kids expect from it?

Im not sure how significant it will be, but i feel it is definitely a record a lot of people will be able to identify with both sonically and lyrically. Listeners can expect the fast parts to be fast and the breaks to be hard. Our style might lack in creativity slightly, but i feel we compensate well with raw power.

What were your expectations about that release?

Certain bands have released records that have withstood the test of time. Classics if you will. I have always wanted HF to leave a permanent mark on the hardcore scene's history and that was my personal goal with this recording. To make the best record possible for where we are as band right now, and i feel we did just that.

Dead Dreams – what does this title mean to you and how would you describe lyrical content and theme of the album?

There is no theme to this record, however the concept of the title is one that could be tangible to a lot of people. Quite a few people have aspirations of making money and gaining fame and success from being in a band. Rock star. Being in HF has been and still is fun for me. But it reaches a certain point with any band where you look at your dudes and say, "Alright, lets really do this." And then the work begins. Long drives, playing in front of the staff only, having to steal to eat or having to fight the staff to get paid your guarantee. Cold hard truth. The dream is dead. There is only the work and feeling of being alive every time i step on the stage and play as hard as i can. I would not trade this for anything. That is what dead dreams means to me. Lyrically, I go through topics ranging from critical self examination to dealing with emotions like depression and rage and a few songs about questioning faith as well.

There seem to be a lot of NYHC influences in your sound. What are some of the bands you draw your inspiration from?

Above This World, Built Upon Frustration, Knuckledust, Clenched Fist, Stampin Ground, Merauder, Earth Crisis, Life In A Burn Clinic, Helmet and Life Of Agony make me want to hurt people for sure.



From your perspective – what is your opinion about European hardcore scene? Has European bands influenced you in any way?

The Euro scene consistently puts out awesome bands. It blows my mind. I have not toured there yet, but our bassist Tom did with his old band Skare Tactic, and he said the experience was unreal. Same as all my other friends who have toured there. No Turning Back, Embraced By Hatred, Knuckledust and Stampin Ground are definitely some of my favorite Euro bands.

What has been the craziest pit you have caused?

We have had quite a few awesome shows and we have had quite a few bad shows. A good one that stands out for me is 2005 in San Jose at this venue called The Cave. Awesome lineup. Hoods, On A Warpath, Worlds Apart, and us with a few others. Massive crowd with everyone losing their minds. The way it should be.

If you knew someone just getting into hardcore, what advice would you give them about the whole thing? What bands, records, labels, zines they should check out?

Don't. Just kidding. Hardcore is one of things where you get what you give. The kids that show up to hang out and meet chicks or just be seen or show up, mosh and leave are typically the ones that do not last. There is nothing wrong with doing any of those things at all, but Im just saying there is no giving in that relationship. Everyone who is still in the scene past a certain age contributes in some way, shape or form. They are in a band, work for a band, do something for a zine, work at a venue or work for a company that prints band merch just to name a few. Get involved and you will stay involved.

You guys seem to stay away from politics in your lyrics, at least you don’t touch this topic directly. What’s your opinion about bands advertising their political beliefs?

Every band should be able to say exactly what they want all the time. If people do not like what they are hearing, they should just turn it off.

Tattoos are substantial part of hardcore and I see some of you got some ink under your skin. what do some of your tattoos represent to you?

Im scared of snakes. So I got some tattooed on my arm. I love Dantes Inferno. So i got the Forest of Suicide tattooed on my other arm.



What are the future plans for the band?

We are going to continue as we always have. Everyone has jobs and both my brothers are full time students. So we tour when we can and stay busy locally when not touring. We will be on tour in the States this June. Check the dates on Facebook or Myspace. And we are also working on our first Euro tour for this August. Those dates will be up as well.

Thanx for the interview, anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for the interview as well. Go pick up a copy of Dead Dreams or check it out on Itunes. We are on Facebook, Myspace and Twitter.

Mountain Man on tour this winter!

This Winter, Mountain Man will be hitting the road in support of their debut album "Grief". There are select headlining dates as well as dates with All Teeth, and Kills and Thrills. Also, don't forget about the Mountain Man record release shows this weekend - Saturday's show will feature a reunited Reach The Sky! Expect more tour dates to surface soon, but here's the latest schedule:

2/19 Wocester, MA @ Club Oasis (Record Release) w/ Reach The Sky, Soul Control
2/20 Pawtucket, RI @ Machines With Magnets (Record Release) w/ Soul Control
3/3 Worcester, MA @ The Palladium w/ The Wonder Years, Man Overboard
3/28 Syracuse, NY @ Badlands w/ All Teeth, Kills and Thrills
3/29 Wakefield, MA @ UU Church w/ All Teeth, Kills and Thrills
3/30 New London, CT @ EL N Gee w/ All Teeth, Kills and Thrills
3/31 Brooklyn, NY @ Party Xpo w/ All Teeth, Kills and Thrills
4/1 Philadelphia, PA @ Broad St Ministry w/ All Teeth
4/2 Cincinatti, OH @ B Dog's w/ All Teeth
4/3 St Louis, MO @ Fubar w/ All Teeth
4/4 Kansas City, MO @ Scion Lab w/ All Teeth
4/5 Denver, CO @ Blast-O-Mat w/ All Teeth
4/6 Bluffdale, UT @ The Fearless Zone w/ All Teeth
4/9 Omaha, NE @ The Sandbox
4/11 Cleveland, OH @ The Church
4/12 Plains, PA @ Jumper Road
4/23 Wallingford, CT @ Fest w/ Reign Supreme, Crowns Of Kings

TRC - Go Hard or Go Home

Look My Way

Look My Way was born in the summer of 2010 with the goal to create heavy, blood pumping hardcore with origins based in classic east coast hc bands such as Agnostic Front, Judge, Madball, MerauderR and newer bands such as Death Threat, 100 Demons, old Hatebreed. Each member of Look My Way comes from different kind of background and bands (Another Victory, Kill This Dream, Cheap Thrills etc.), but everyone shares the passion for grassroots hc, it was just a matter of time until they found each other to do this band..

For those unfamiliar with the band - what do you want people to know about the band and your music or message?

LMW is a hardcore band,no gimmicks,no bullshit,no silly pants,no metrosexual hairdos!we play the music we love and not what may be the next big thing!

How did you all meet and how long have you all been a band?

The actual lineup exists since september 2010! i knew tommy from local shows.tommy and low met rene in summer 2010 and started rehearsing.they were looking for a singer,i was kinda frustrated with my project at that time and gave it a chance. micha joined the band on 2nd guitat in september,we recorded the demo in november!yo

What's the toughest struggle for the band like yours? What's the biggest wall to get over?

We are still a very young band so still we got hard times,struggle and strife ahead of us haha. we got some good shows in the future and so on. ask me again in a year or something haha

For those who have not heard anything from you how would you describe band's playing sound?

Heavy metallic NYHC with lots of old school influences..sounds a bit odd but yeah,i would describe it that way.people brand us as "tough guy" hardcore,well..it could be worse haha

What have you released so far?

A demo on save my soul records.the tapes are sold out but we repressed a couple cds to sell at shows.you can download the demo!check the link on that webzine

Who are your strongest musical influences and why?

We all listen to different kind of stuff but mostly east coast hardcore bands are our biggest influence, madball, sick of it all, merauder, judge,agnostic front,some metal stuff, punkrock, oi!, we are pretty open minded. we are combining all these sounds with a modern approach

And where do you draw your inspiration from when it comes to the lyrics?

- most of my lyrics have a rather negative vibe cause i see my band as an outlet for my personal issues i have to deal with!real life issues!that`s what it`s all about.fuck the world before it fucks you!

Tell me about band's performance element – what should kids expect from your live show?

Kids loosing their shit,punching people in the face,throwing chairs and tables at people,retards moshing with sleeveless soul crew shirts,timberland stomp,ignorant mosh in general and so on..hook us up!

Tell us what you have coming up that we can check for. Plans, gigs and releases planned for the upcoming months?

A couple of weekends to play,playing some fests,death threat weekender,some more.we will record a lp in summer,maybe a split release with another band. we wanna stay busy

Any closing thoughts?

Thanks for the interview and supporting the band! we really appreciaite it! look out for save my soul records putting out the sweetest records in 2011!and remember: bands who pay to play suck and are NOT hardcore!DISEMPOWER!!

Stay Hungry interview

Stay Hungry started in the summer of 2008 as four veterans in the Swedish hardcore and straight edge scenes teamed up to show the kids what's up. Fast and in your face straight edge hardcore was on the agenda. Stay Hungry has just released new output, "Against the wall", which offers just everything the band is recognized for - powerful music and meaningful lyrics delivered with all the intensity hardcore got to offer!

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.

Could you tell us something about “Against The Wall”? What were you aiming for with this album and are you satisfied with the end result?

I'd say that one aim we had was to make a more focused hardcore record, compared to the 12” on Reflections. That record kind of went in different directions, not knowing where to lay the focus. There's some metal parts in there. Those are gone with the wind on ”Against the wall”, which in my opinion is a true hardcore record from start to finish. We were aiming for a feeling of “positive aggression”, and I think we did a pretty solid job. I am very happy with the outcome.

Lyrically, is there any main focus with the new songs? What do you want people to take from the album?

As I said we were aiming for a positive aggressive feeling. There are a lot of fucked up things going on, so we didn't want to do a LP with overly positive lyrics, sugarcoating all the crap we see. But we also didn't want to be completely pessimistic and negative. I guess the title seems like that, but even that lyric ends with some hope. There are a few songs dealing with hardcore, a few dealing with straight edge topics, a few more political ones, one animal rights track etc, and then it ends with a true posi lyric, “Loose ends”. It's pretty varied. I guess I'd like for people to be angry, but also feel like there's something that can be done.

You new album is widely available on blogs and P2P networks. How do you feel about it as a band when most of the kids today rather download the album off the Internet that support the band and the label?

Is it really? We put up a four track promo ourselves and we will put up the whole album soon. So I guess that kind of answers your question. You know, I used to trade tapes back in the 90s. What's the difference, really? Except for that blogs are less time consuming. I am not in this to sell a certain amount of records. We have done 500 copies of “Against the wall”, and if that's all we'll do, I'm fine with it. I am proud of the record, it's something we've accomplished together, and it will allow us to tour. And having the album on blogs will let a lot of kids know about us. If kids come to the shows and sing along and stage dive, I don't give a fuck if they downloaded mp3s or bought the vinyl. We also have to realize that so far we've only done vinyl, and a lot of kids don't even own record players.

And how do you feel about how Internet is changing hardcore scene? I mean, it’s a great tool for getting information and keeping in touch, but on other hand, you don’t see that many paper fanzines around these days and shit talking is getting out of hand on message boards…

Like everything else it has its pros and cons. I have written about this in Law and Order zine #1. For a band like ours, it has made things a lot easier. I have just finished booking a tour. Without internet, that would've been immensely harder. And sure, there's all the crap on message boards, but fuck it. Let's just feel lucky that forums and stuff like that weren't around when we were fourteen and new in the scene. Because let's face it, we would've made asses of ourselves too from time to time before we learned better. I am obviously a fan of paper zines since I invest a lot of time and energy into Law and Order zine. I wish more kids would be into it, but things are the way they are. All we can do is push ourselves and do something that kids might be into.

Hardcore can have such a great influence on the lifestyle and mindset of its followers. What's the biggest life lesson that you learned from being a part of the scene?

Oh that's a tough one. I mean apart from the lessons I learned from “No thanks” by Uniform Choice, which kind of meant everything to me as a teenager, I dunno. Lessons from the hardcore scene can't be completely cut off from things you experience and go through in life in general. It's all a part of the package somehow. But being a part of hardcore and straight edge for so long definitely made me embrace the fact that I'll always be sort of an outcast. I will never live a normal life. I will always be into doing stuff that others can't understand. I've tried explaining how hardcore and DIY works to co-workers, and it just doesn't come through to them. They keep asking if we get a lot of girls and make money and play in front of large audiences. Like I could give a fuck.

And how do you feel about hardcore becoming more mainstream?

There are different sides to this. In the mid 90s hardcore was BIG in Sweden. Refused could play in every fucking small town and have large turnouts. And that was pretty fucking cool. Nowadays there's a lot less kids. I think hardcore and punk needs to keep a certain level of vigilance to keep out forces that stand opposed to the DIY ethics. But I would also like to see more people at gigs. I mean, it hurts like fuck to stage dive if there's no one there to catch you. I am not really afraid of hardcore becoming more mainstream. Trends come and go, we'll see who gets washed away when the tide retreats.

What part of Sweden you’re from? Tell us about the scene in your area and bands from that area.

Me and Andy live in Gothenburg on the west coast. We have some cool bands here, like Fredag den 13e, Repoman, the might Commitment Crew and several others. The scene is quite divided, though attempts are made to lessen these divisions. We organize shows in a pretty large crew called Gothenburg straight edge. The other three in the band live in Linköping, which is three hours away roughly. This has always been a central point for hardcore shows in Sweden, cause it's located in a good place and has had many influential bands, like Outlast, Nine and Section 8 (the latter came from a village outside the city, but still). There are still fests there a couple of times a year.

I know you cancelled your tour because of the new album. Are there any plans to hit the road now when the record is coming out?

Yeah, when we realized the record wouldn't be out when we were supposed to tour, due to various reasons beyond our control, we had to pull the plug. It sucked so much ass, but it was the right thing to do. We can't take time off from work etc if the LP isn't out. And it sucked cause we desperately wanted to tour with Skull Crusher. Their 12” is incredible. But we have booked a 16 date tour in April 2011. We will be going by ourselves this time around. We'll be playing Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. I have a feeling it's going to be fantastic. It's been pretty easy to book, there are a lot of caring and nice hardcore and straight edge people out there, for sure. It's been a quite humbling experience to book it. It still feels weird that people give a shit about our old asses.

Are there any future plans you would like to share with us before we finish?

Come out to the tour, check out the record. Have a look at www.swehc.com. Check out the bands on the “We support Swedish hardcore, do you?” sampler CD. Be on the look out for new LPs by Anchor, Undergång and Angers Curse in 2011. Check out Boston Strangler, they did one of the best hardcore songs of 2010, “The truth”. KOTF 2011!

Madball to tour Europe in March and April

Madball March and April European dates include:

18/03 Paard / Den Haag - NL
19/03 Alter Stadtbahnhof / Schweinfurt - D
20/03 Szene / Wien - A
21/03 Alibi / Breslau - PL
22/03 Proxima / Warschau - PL
23/03 SO 36 / Berlin - D
24/03 Grünspan / Hamburg - D
25/03 Iduna / Drachten - NL
28/03 Universal Dog / Lahr - D
29/03 KuFa / Lyss - CH
30/03 Universum / Stuttgart - D
31/03 Backstage / München - D
01/04 Club Vaudeville / Lindau - D
22/04 Cabaret Electric / Le Havre - F
25/04 Tavastia / Helsinki - FIN
26/04 Alcatraz / Mailand - I
27/04 Init Club / Rom – I

Other

Human Rights Watch
International Fund for Animal Welfare

Billy The Kid - Ed Gein

Irish Voodoo Records interview

Irish Voodoo Records is a DIY label out of Southern California with bands like Ruined Tongue, Results, Birth And Burial, Colors and many more. They're pretty busy right now, with new releases in the pipeline and distro full of hardcore goodness. Here's an interview with the guys behind the Irish Voodoo who drop some knowledge on what is it like to run a label, future plans and more.

How did Irish Voodoo Records come about? What encouraged you to set it up and how long was it gestating before taking flight?

I never wanted to start a label, at the time i was in a band called A Witch's Distance, after we recorded and released a demo, we were back in the studio again to record new songs to shop around, but as a band, we decided to self release it. I had no funds to start a label, no name for the label, no logo, just had nothing.

And the label name, where did that come from?

So around 2004, I was thinking, if we are going to self release it, I want it under a name, so since I'm Irish, I said IRISH VOODOO RECORDS. At the time, and even now, I think it sounds good. I was into lots of punk style music or underground, so I didn't want a name to sound like a hardcore label, or just be a hardcore label, cause I'm into metal,post hardcore,or some form of punk. So the first release was the A Witch's Distance CD, It didn't have a logo or release number, cause I wasn't sure yet about doing a label.

You have quite a few cool bands lined up for the label now, like Results, Decisions, All Your Might or Birth And Burial among others. What plays into your decision when choosing which bands to work with?

Results changed to Worlds Below, great songs, great band, pick up the new 7" lol nice plug, anyways when my band was playing shows, I would see other bands on the bill with us. I would say, they are cool, they should have a release out, but lots of the bands are young kids and don't have the money to make a demo, let alone self release a cd or vinyl. So I started setting up DIY shows, at any place that would let me, with bands i liked, that we played with to make a relationship with them and to get to know them better. That's when I decided to start this label and release music, in my opinion, should be heard.

Based on your experience of running a label, what advice would you give to someone interested in doing the same thing? How to go about finding new bands, promoting early releases etc.?

Well if your serious about doing a label, do it for fun. I love hardcore, If i wanted to make money, I wouldn't do hardcore/punk/metal label. I don't make money, my goal is to make my money back for future releases and merch. I still go to shows, so sometimes i see band, and keep tabs on them from the bands myspace,twitter, or facebook, that way i can see if they are serious and play lots of shows and tour. I still get demos in the mail, and I listen to all of them, a little fact, the bands Shadows and Ruined Tongue are two bands on the label that emailed me or sent in a demo to check them out. So bands, email me too, or send me music, it never goes to the trash, I listen and keep everything. As far for promoting, I don't do big adds in magazines, so the bands playing as much as they can and touring is the best way to promote a release. I wont lie, Myspace helped with sales in the beginning, I still use Myspace, but Facebook and twitter is better, or online fanzines.

Has running a label, which obviously gives a lot of satisfaction but also means dealing with some bullshit as well, changed a way you look at hardcore scene in any way?

Well I'm a little guy, DIY all the way, so I don't deal with as much bullshit as bigger labels, but I'm a positive kind of guy, so I can look pass the bullshit. I have been involved in hardcore since 84, I'm 38 now. I hate saying "back in the day", but it's hard sometimes. I just change with the times.

What’s the biggest mistake to avoid when running a label?

That's a good question, I am too nice sometimes, I hear it all from bands, for example, "we want to tour and make this full time" "We have big things coming up" I did that once, and spent lots of money on a band, and they break up week after the release, so its a learning process for sure. Don't just jump on every band, keep tabs on them, to make sure they will work hard for you, as you will work hard for them.

You must be getting a lot of submissions from the new hardcore bands. What in your opinion is the state of hardcore music nowadays?

I love it, I get lots of submissions from good bands, just sometimes I don't have the funds, or I would release a record for every band that sends me a demo. I'm a old school type of guy, and I'm hearing more and more old school style hardcore which I love.

What are your thoughts on hardcore nowadays, when did you first discover the genre and what exactly is it about this type of music which makes you happy?

My first show was in 84, My oldest brother took me to see Black Flag, I was scared for my life seeing a bunch of older bald sweaty guys killing each other, but the music was real, nothing I heard before. Then I got a tape of Minor Threat, that turned me on to straight edge. Till this day I'm still edge and proud of it. I like the fact that hardcore was about crowd participation, a brotherhood. I still feel the same about hardcore now that I did when i was younger, sure things change, but still love it. I know we have the internet now, but I like paper fanzines at shows, That's how I found out about bands, its cool, cause kids I see at shows are bringing it back, even doing cassettes again.

What’s next in the Irish Voodoo pipeline? Anything else you'd like us to ask? Or anything you'd like to plug/mention?

Lots going on for 2011, COLORS new 7" is out now, SHADOWS double 7' is in the works, RUINED TONGUE 7" dropping very soon, new bands, and our website got a make over. I think what your doing with with HardBoiled is great, we need more people like you. If your not in a band, start a zine, label, pass fliers at shows,book shows, anything to keep hardcore alive.

Cold Steel

Cold Steel from Strasbourg, France offers hardcore that is deeply rooted in the 90' sound of bands like Next Step Up or Bulldoze. I know a lot of you have a sentiment for these old times and pioneer bands that were tearing shit down back then. And if you remember that France was producing bands like Stormcore, Drowning or mighty Kickback, you know these guys have mosh in their blood and the outcome sound is never less than compelling.

For those unfamiliar with the band - what do you want people to know about the band and your music or message?

For us it’s easy: friendship, open minded lifestyle and passion are what it is all about.

Friendship is what keeps us stuck together since day one. It’s been almost 10 years so far that we’re all playing music in different bands together.

Open minded life style is because one of our most important struggles is to be open to new points of view, new perceptions and to diversity. We believe in changes, in alternative ways to act and live. Some of us are really into travelling for instance.

Passion because it is the most powerful engine. Passion is definitely what drives us. We don’t only mean passion for hardcore. We mean passion for music in general. We believe that it’s a chance for us that most of COLD STEEL’s members are not only into hardcore music, and all the other influences we have do influence the songs we write.

That’s about music; let’s talk a bit about the message. We’re absolutely not into politic nor into religions. Mostly the message which is to be understood in our songs is about the most valuable thing we have in this world, which is the present moment. We believe in human relations and exchanges rather than in material possessions. We believe in the power of now rather than in past memories or unknown future.

How did you all meet and how long have you all been a band?

As we mentioned earlier, we have been knowing each other for almost 10 years and we met in our local underground music scene in STRASBOURG (FRANCE) as we were all starting playing in bands. (we started with bands such as SOLSTIS, BATTLING SIKI, SPITFIGHT you should check them out on MYSPACE). Then we started COLD STEEL like one and a half year ago when some of our bands splitted up.

What's KEUS LIFE CREW about?

KEUS LIFE CREW (KLC) is our local crew. It’s the informal part of our local activism. We’ve got our musical association called ACTS NOT SPEECHES as well for organising shows, promoting bands and realising stuff. KLC would not really mean anything in English, but it’s a mix of English with some French slang. It’s roughly a way to tell that we don’t give a shit about judgements; we don’t pretend to be better than anyone; we don’t say we’re some kind of musical geniuses (haha). We’re just people, friends, a family who want to share great times, have fun playing shows and backing us up anytime.

For those who have not heard anything from you how would you describe band's playing sound?

Well, it’s sometime kinda hard to describe the music you’re playing but we would say that it’s a kind of mid 90’s mid-tempo hardcore. That means there are also quite a lot of metal parts played with a single guitar. Even if we got a lot of respect for all what’s going on today, and in Europe moreover, we don’t want to play something that you can find on any MYSPACE band page.

Your first demo has been released recently. How the response has been so far?

The response so far is positive. We only burned a few copies for free promotion and people seem to enjoy something that is not so common these days.

We would like to make clear that as well as our latest video clip (HARD COMMITMENT check it out), this demo is 100% DIY shit: we recorded, mixed, designed and released everything ourselves thanks to everyone’s effort in the band.

Who are your strongest musical influences and why?

Our strongest musical influences are like we said earlier:

- Mid 90’s metal hardcore crossover, think about bands like NEGLECT, ALL OUT WAR, NEXT STEP UP or CONFUSION because this is what we are listening the most to.

- We’re also big fans of trash metal from SLAYER to PC DEATHSQUAD for the evil metal touch!

- Hip Hop as well, cause it’s such a good way to get inspiration for powerful punch lines! We would mentioned artists from DUCK DOWN RECORDS, or PSYCHO REALM for example.

- But also some jazzy, blues and soul music for the intensity and intimacy we find in it. By the way we are currently working on a BILLIE HOLYDAY cover, stay tuned…

And where do you draw your inspiration from when it comes to the lyrics?

The inspiration when it comes to the lyrics mostly comes from our personal experience, lives, aspirations and determinations. We got a bunch of positive songs which are to be heard as a spiritual help when the tough moments show up. They deal with friendship, partying, street life, love, travelling…

But as well we got some really dark and negative songs which reflect the inner dark passenger we try to cornered most of the time, but who sometimes reaches the surface, poisons our lives and distorts our perceptions. We think this dark part exists in every single one, but we also assume there are ways to get rid of. Our own way is to release those dark and shadowed songs.

We write down quite a lot thanks to the two singers together, and we’ve got something like 5 or 6 songs already written and ready to be used!

Who should start a hardcore band: Dirty Harry or Donnie Darko?

Haha, definitely Dirty Harry!! Even if Donnie Darko is pretty smart, he’s way too negative and too lazy to play any good music. And how could his friend, a gigantic rabbit play drums??

Stormcore vs. Kickback?

First of all you’ll have to know that we love both of them, from a musical point of view. They both released some masterpieces (think of TO THE POINT and CORNERED), and they’re both French so…! We believe they did a lot in the French underground music scene and we can only be respectful for that.
Maybe we should ask every member which one of these bands they would prefer, but this is not really worth it.

Tell us what you have coming up that we can check for. Plans, gigs and releases planned for the upcoming months?

Yes of course! We’ll play a show in AUGSBURG (GERMANY) in March for some good friends we’ve got there. We would love to play anywhere so if promoters are interested, get in touch with us. We hope to start touring in 2011.

Early in 2011 we also plan to hit the studio in order to record a 7 tracks MCD with a selection of our finest tunes. We still got some shirts and are currently working on a new design.

Any closing thoughts?

Well, first of all thank you very much for the interview and the support! We hope it will help people to know more about us and to get in touch with us for anything. We’ll be more than happy to share cds, stages, beers, parties, BBQs or any constructive thoughts with cool people worldwide.

Last but not least: never forget we’re only tenant of our organic shell, we don’t belong to any flag, any country or any continent. We belong to the earth as a part of it. Whatever happens we survive, we move on, and we overcome.

For The Worse announced new album - For The Good, For The Bad, For The Worse

B9 veterans For The Worse announced that their new full length titled “For The Good, For The Bad, For The Worse” will be coming out on Arrest Records! This release will come in 10″ vinyl,CD and digital formats and will be available this winter!

Pound for Pound - Dystopia

Barcadia - Violent Means, Violent Ends

One thing that is obvious about Barcadia is that they got their own opinions and are not afraid to voice them. They’re clearly comfortable with their chosen, non-conformist lane and they are not about making compromises. Hate them or love them, many people have been waiting for Violent Means, Violent Ends to drop.The band has poured loads of attitude and confidence to this album. Compared with their prior record the music seems to be more mature, with much more twists, but still maintains high energy and high impact. The band mostly wanders in mid-tempos now, with lengthier, drawn out songs, but there's a good combination of different styles with some faster, straight up aggressive parts as well. Everything seems to fall into place musically. The album is filled with menacing and dark atmosphere it suffocates and scrambles the senses of the listeners. The sound quality is heavy, bur raw. It’s not a type of music that needs to be that slickly recorded and I dig that aspect as well.

The standout aspect of this album is definitely in the lyrics. Barcadia tackles every form of sexual abuse or act of violence against the innocent. It’s really surprising this problem is so rarely taken up by hardcore bands. As the band explained in the recent interview; “The more I looked into sexual assault and saw how prevalent it is, the more disgusted and pissed off I became. I decided to use my band as a vehicle to drive all of this information into the heads of people who might not be thinking about it or who might not know about it. I also wanted to be a band that lets anyone who's ever been sexually assaulted know they are not alone and there is at least one band, one group of people in this world who care and who actively stand up against what ruined their lives.”

Violent Means, Violent Ends is a good album for Barcadia. Both the music and the message maintain the high energy level and it makes each track a strong and powerful statement.

Review: Dloogi
Label: Seventh Dagger
Year: 2011
Band's website

New merch and planned releases from Beatdown Hardwear

"We've got tonz of new apparel with rad designs and a short feature in the coming 'Streetwear Today' magazine. Got new Beanies, Shorts, Baseballjackets and all that stuff.. planning new Caps.." - this is the massage I got from the good folks at BDHW. Check out their webstore for more info! It seems they've got a lot of going for them now with tons of new stuff and releases. Red Eyed Devil with members of EGH signed to to BDHW Rec. The Releasedate of their upcoming full length will be the 20.04.11. Also, Twitching Tongues from California with members of Alpha Omega, Ruckus, Nails… will release their first physical output on BDHW Rec. Other news is that you can download nearly all BDHW Rec. Releases via several Download Stores as iTunes, Amazon…

Wisdom In Chains and Naysayer - pre-orders are up at Reaper

Reaper Records has launched pre-orders for new EPs from Wisdom In Chains and Naysayer! Pennsylvania-based Wisdom In Chains with Pocono Ghosts. The pre-order is available in a gold or a red vinyl, and you can check these three new tracks on Stereokiller.com. About Naysayer's release, here's official press release: "From Richmond, VA's decades deep hardcore tradition comes Naysayer, the area's newest offering to the international stage. Following the footsteps of old school legends such as 4 Walls Falling and newer heavyweights Down To Nothing, Naysayer's mission is to keep the faith and make their hometown proud. Their brutal signature sound, coupled with their youthful enthusiasm for hardcore makes them a strong addition to the ever-diverse Reaper roster."

Circle Of Death - Immutable

Mediaskare Records signs It Prevails

Mediaskare Records has signed Portand, Oregon band It Prevails. Formed in 2004, the group has released two albums, one with Rise Records, followed by another with Rain City Records. It Prevails is currently at Undercity Studios in Hollywood, CA recording a new full-length titled "Stroma," due out this summer.

'H8000 HC - a decade and more' book details

H8000-Central got some news about the 'H8000 HC - a decade and more' book! As they wrote: 'Yes folks...things are getting organised, while 2011 had to be the release of the book, there's a change that 2012 will be more realistic. A ton of work and organisation is part of the deal here. Interviews are been taken this weekend with some h8000 veterans by Willem, as he will be the main man to do this job...which is awesome of course. The working title for the book will be ' H8000 Hardcore 'a decade and more'....things will be starting probably from 1990 on, which is the pre-h8000 period, but the base for everything afterwards..' Read more here.

Summer Of Hate - first info and partial line-up

Summer Of Hate V will take place July 9th at Peabody's in Cleveland, OH. So far, the following bands were announced for the show: Bulldoze, Stout, Suburban Scum, Crowd Deterrent, Harm's Way, Ten Of Swords, Taste Of Steel, Line Of Scrimmage and Homewrecker. More names to come for sure! Taken from Hard-Ass Records blog: Here is a partial line-up for the show, There will be more bands announced, but don't expect anymore bands to be announced for another month or 2. Just because there's not 15 bands announced doesn't mean the slots are not full/booked, so please don't bombard us with requests to play the show... although we'd like to have every band play the show (and some very good bands ask us) the fact is that we only have so much time (and money) to work with and sometimes even bands that we are good friends with cannot play as a result.

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

New pre-orders at A389 Records

A389 Records is launching pre-orders for new Xibalba self-titled album, as well as new 7"s: Black Earth by Weekend Nachos, Survival Prayer by Pick Your Side and Step To The Edge by Ancient Shores. They've got also some of their out of print stuff available again, including Pulling Teeth Paranoid Delusions vinyl.

Madball - All Or Nothing

New Agnostic Front 7inch Coming on March 8th from B9!

The Godfathers of New York Hardcore, AGNOSTIC FRONT, are gearing up to release their new full-length, My Life My Way, on March 22nd! The album features 13 new powerful and anthemic songs laid down by Erik Rutan (Madball, Goatwhore, Cannibal Corpse etc.) at his Mana Recording Studio in Tampa, FL under the watchful guide of producer Freddy Cricien of Madball.In preparation, they’ll release two songs to the masses on the That’s Life 7inch, which will be available March 8th from Bridge Nine Records.

On their third collaboration with the band and second time working together with a pre-release album 7inch, Bridge Nine Records couldn’t be more excited about the partnership. Label owner Chris Wrenn commented, “One of my most proud moments here at B9 was re-releasing the Victim In Pain and United Blood records from Agnostic Front in November ‘09. And to open the doors to do so, we worked with AF prior to that on a pre-release 7inch for their album Warriors on Nuclear Blast. It was awesome working with both the band and the label, so we figured – with a new full-length coming out - why not do it again?” The That’s Life 7inch will feature two songs from My Life My Way – “That’s Life” and “Us Against The World” – and will be extremely limited to 2,000 copies worldwide. 1,000 copies of the 7inch will have silk-screened B-sides, while the other 1,000 copies will have hand-etched B-Sides. More information and photos coming soon to Bridge9.com.

Vocalist Roger Miret commented on the new material: “After all is said and done we are amazed on how great our new record turned out! It’s by far our catchiest record to date and it’s going to make everyone want to sing along for sure. Freddy killed it on the production end, just capturing that hardcore vibe that only he can get out of AGNOSTIC FRONT. The boys all put nothing but passion into the songs, and Erik Rutan just dialed it all in to make AGNOSTIC FRONT sound as natural and as organic as ever. This one will definitely be a classic once it’s heard worldwide!”

For more information check out Nuclear Blast and Bridge9.com!

Facedown Fest 2011 announced

Facedown Fest 2011 will be held at The Glasshouse in Pomona, CA on April 8th and 9th. Night one will be headlined by War of Ages and For Today will headline night two to close out the weekend. Facedown Fest 2011 will also feature Call To Preserve's final west coast show, as well as Overcome's first appearance at Facedown Fest since their one-time reunion in 2003. Doors open at 4pm each day and the ticket cost is $15 for one night, or $25 for a two-night pass.

Night 1, Friday, April 8
War of Ages
A Plea For Purging
Hands
Onward to Olympas
My Epic
Your Memorial
Hope for they Dying
Messengers

Night 2, Saturday, April 9
For Today
In the Midst of Lions
Overcome
Call To Preserve
A Hope for Home
Take It Back!
As Hell Retreats
Gideon
Saving Grace
The Burial

Call To Preserve is breaking up

Central Florida hardcore band Call To Preserve will be disbanding after playing several final shows this year. Formed in 2003, the group has released three albums, including their latest with Facedown Records.

Here's the official word:

"After eight years, three full-lengths and countless tours all over, Call to Preserve is calling it quits. For the past year or so we've done our best to keep functioning as a band despite losing members and having remaining members cut back their involvement. Now all of us are being pulled in different directions and our aspirations for our future have expanded much further than being on tour all the time. With some of us moving away, going back to school or starting careers, we just can't sacrifice our time to this band like we used to. It would be a disservice to ourselves to do CTP half heartedly, so instead we want to go out on a high note and enjoy our last few months as a band.

"We want to do our best to make sure those who want to can come see us for the last time. This April we'll be playing our last west coast show at Facedown Fest 2011 and in the coming months we'll be announcing our last tour dates, which will include a stop at Cornerstone Festival. Our last show will be near the end of July this summer in Melbourne, Florida. More details will be announced soon.

"In these final months we'll also be working on a few new songs that will be on a 7" coming out this summer on Facedown Records. We've wanted to put out vinyl for years and felt we had a few more things to say before we go, so this seemed like the perfect time and place to put out a 7".

"We never thought that this band would get as far as it did. We never thought we'd have the chance to travel so much and tour with some of our favorite bands and make such amazing friends from all over the world. We are eternally grateful for the chance we were given to play music and actually have people listen. We want to thank Jason Dunn and Facedown Records for standing behind us for the past five years, being some of the easiest people to work with and for just being great friends. We want to thank all the bands we've met and toured with who have become some of our best friends and we will miss the shows and the hangouts dearly. Finally we want to thank everyone who has supported us by coming to a show, buying a shirt, letting us sleep on your floor or feeding us. We are more thankful than you'll ever know."