Strike Back - Still Holding On

It’s good to hear the NYHC sound is getting more popular In France. Until recently, bands from out there that I was most familiar with were mostly into heavy stuff, like Kickback, Primal Age or Out For The Count. Can’t say I don’t love this sick, brutal shit that only French are capable of, but a little diversity is always a plus and makes things more interesting, right? Strike Back is one of the bands that made me change my perception of what’s going on over there. The band is totally into fast and aggressive hardcore in New York vein, with a strong vibe and some slight metal touch to keep things sharp. They are totally at home with this style and creep through these ten tracks with vicious flows and catchy hooks. It’s not ground breaking, I don't get that shivers-down-the-spine feeling which I get when I pop any Madball or Breakdown album, but I can assure you it’s damn solid. Nothing fancy, no messing around, no technical wankery, just getting down to business from start to finish. This is a type of approach to play hardcore I’m totally down with! Lyrically, the band explores the themes of friendship, self pride, integrity and getting by despite the bullshit everyone gets, whether from the scene kids or the society in general. They must have a beef with a lot of people in their local scene as ‘fuck the scene’ attitude is present in more than one song in here. You shouldn’t take it too serious though, Strike Back is and will always be a hardcore band, but if you’re getting tired of bullshit politics and phoney preaching in the scene, you can relate. All in all, Still Holding On is a solid album that delivers its share of aggression and energy. It’s a good soundtrack to these hard times we continue to face and gives you a sense of meaning, pride and direction.

Review by Dloogi
Label: Self released
Year: 2011
Band's website

Violence Approved - No Free Rides

Violence Approved has been already eight years in existence and through all this time they stuck to the concept of delivering straight in your face, no frills hardcore. Their style is all about pure old school sound in vein of Agnostic Front, Only Attitude Counts or Backifire. You basically know what to expect – irresistible hooks, easy-to-sing gang vocals and impossible-to-forget choruses with dirty aggressive guitars and pounding rhythm section all over. The band delivers sharp as nails performance and approaches each tune with a sense of mission to give listener what they want. They also bring a sense of unity and hardcore family with guest appearances from Agnostic Front, The Warriors, Anticops, Dead End Tragedy and Bleed Into One. All the guys laying down the vocals fits pretty well with the vibe of the album and basically do the great job.

My only gripe with this album is that I don’t really hear anything new or particularly innovative here, and with little diversity between the songs, at the end of the album the energy start to burn out. Don’t get me wrong, I am usually the last one to expect hardcore bands to be original or creative. This specific style of hardcore has been done million times before and I know playing good hardcore is not about reinventing the wheel, but it never hurts to keep some of your own personality and style in the music. On the other hand, it might not be memorable or awe-inspiring classics, but they still deliver that rawness and energy hardcore album should have.

Overall, this is a worthwhile release that though not the most ground breaking you will ever hear, still delivers some nice dose of an unrelenting power and intensity.

Review: Dloogi
Label: District 763 Records
Year: 2011
Band's website

Twitching Tongues

Twitching Tongues is new addition to BDHW Records family and will surely appeal to those who like when bands combine hardcore with some weird influences, like in this case Type O Negative or Black Sabbath. In nine out of ten cases this is just a poor excuse for playing some lame ass music for college nerds, but thankfully Twitching Tongues keep it tight with right balance of aggressive and fancy parts. And while we wait for the band to hit Europe and deliver their debut album sometime this year, here's the interview!

Twitching Tongues is new addition to BDHW Records family and will surely appeal to those who like when bands combine hardcore with some weird influences, like in this case Type O Negative or Black Sabbath. In nine out of ten cases this is just a poor excuse for playing some lame ass music for college nerds, but thankfully Twitching Tongues keep it tight with right balance of aggressive and fancy parts. And while we wait for the band to hit Europe and deliver their debut album sometime this year, here's the interview!

For those that don’t know you, please introduce yourself and tell us where you’re from? What do you want people to know about Twitching Tongues that they may not know?

My name is Colin Young, I am from Los Angeles, California. I want people to know that this band will be touring full-time from now on, and we've got an LP finished titled "Sleep Therapy" that we're waiting to release. Twitching Tongues is thankfully not a side-project and is the band I've always wanted to do.

Tell us something about the upcoming tour in Europe? What are your expectations for these shows?

I'm expecting a lot of people who might not have heard the demo yet, but hopefully enjoy what they hear! I still expect every show to be fun though. Europe appreciates everything and I love that.

What are kids going to experience at your shows, that they won’t experience from just listening to your demo on MP3?

I think all of the songs and the new songs hit a lot harder played live. There will definitely be some people who will write it off right away because of the clean vocals and what-not but thats pretty standard. Very much looking forward to Europe and the US hearing all of the new stuff we're playing.

How did you hook up with BDHW for the debut release and what should we expect from the upcoming album?

I also play drums in RUCKUS, whom they took an interest in early on, and put out a record for. I sent them some Twitching Tongues tracks and again, they were interested. The EP they're putting out is two new songs, the demo, and a Pentagram cover.

Your music, with a strong mixture of various influences, really stands out against today’s trends in hardcore. How did this sound originally evolve?

I'm not really sure how to answer this one, bands try new things I suppose. Mixing hardcore with clean vocals was inevitable. We aren't re-inventing the wheel really, but I'd like to think there aren't many active/current bands that sound like Twitching Tongues.

What musical groups, or musical directions, have influenced the development of the band’s sound?

Type O Negative, Only Living Witness, Black Sabbath, Pantera, Agents of Man, tons of R&B. The band is named after an Only Living Witness song. Check it out if you haven't!

Share a bit about some of the topics, some of the stories you want to get across in your music?

It is my personal stupid belief that everybody's gonna get their heart broken at least once in their life. If I can write a song about my experience with that, and ONE person can relate to it on a serious level, then I'll feel like I've done a good job.

What is the hardest part about being in hardcore band?

There are tons of things that are difficult about being in a hardcore band. Being in a hardcore band in general is hard. Booking tours, making sure your demo gets out, paying for things out of pocket. Hard knock life, ya' know?!

Anything you would like to add before we finish?

We can't wait to go to Europe, we can't wait for our LP to be out, we already can't wait to go back to Europe. Check out other cool California bands:
Minus, Downpresser, Take Offense, Xibalba, Soul Search, Sleepwalkers. Thanks for reading!

Lifeless

Lifeless hails from New Jersey, US and plays that heavy style of hardcore that is tough as nails but also fresh and interesting. There are some Merauder, Strength For A Reason and even Bulldoze influences in it and that's not a bad thing in my book at all. Keep your eyes and ears open as the band just got signed to Harvcore, USA and Filled With Hate, Germany and plasn to release debut album called "NLFTW" this year!

Let’s start with the beginning, how did Lifelesss come together?

Our two prior bands (When These Days End/Dead and Buried) weren't really going anywhere and always playing the same shows together. A lot of laziness and conflict played into them not going anywhere... it just seemed like the right place at the right time to join the positive elements from both bands that were and roll with that. the formula seemed to really work, so we went with it and here we are today.

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

We're real hardcore kids who aren't involved in the politics and poison ivy that infects the hardcore scene... we just do us and don't represent anyone's interests but our own. as for our message... i guess when you give up on everything and lose hope, life isn't so disappointing. there's not much good left in this world, so we'll do this because it's pretty much the only thing that really keeps us going in our otherwise dead end lives.

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

A wild cross between 100 demons and merauder. heavy, aggressive, real and mean. we want our music, by itself, to pretty much speak for how we feel overall about everything and everyone everywhere.

What are some key elements and influences that have shaped the band style? And where do you draw your inspiration from when it comes to the lyrics?

Our own personal struggles... whether having to deal with shit we're currently going through or shit from our past that haunt us. dealing with bullshit every single day from fake people who put up fronts and try to be somebody they're not.

What have you released so far?

A demo that no one's ever really heard and a newer 2 song demo that we handed out at This Is Hardcore 2010.

What is your current label situation?

We are currently on Harvcore out of West Chester, PA and Filled With Hate out of Germany. Both labels have been a great help to us and we appreciate what they've done.

Being a relatively young band, what are some of the road blocks you just remember?

Not having a van REALLY sucks and is holding us back a lot. we hate being the band that has borrow everything when we play far away but it's our only option right now and we're just lucky to have had so many people and bands willing to help us out along the way. we all pretty much live paycheck to paycheck and it's hard to afford the things that would help us the most... but we're trying to make it work the best we can.

What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned in hardcore?

When you're younger, hardcore kinda influences you that your friends are there for you no matter what through everything... then they stab you in the back and let you down. so overall, you realize there aren't many people you can really trust. Just be REAL don't be one of those politically correct, try to be liked by everyone type of people. be 100% yourself and just like anywhere else in your life don't settle for less or let anyone walk all over you.

What are the next steps for the band? Plans, gigs and releases planned for the upcoming months?

We are releasing a full length on Harvcore/FWH "NLFTW"... we are trying to play as many weekends as possible as far out as we can before we go to europe in late may. we will probably record mid to end of summer for either and EP or a handful of splits. sometime in fall or winter we plan to try and do the US for a month (maybe a lil less) with Ruckus.

Domestic War - Ad Noctum

I highly recommend this. This album is fucking great. I admit that xSeventh Daggerx can get repetitive. And i do not love most of Facedown or Strike First, as they tend to get too metal - or too christian. Well, this is hardcore. Straight up and down. Just heavy fucking hardcore.

Thick, strong, no bones about it, Metallic SXE HC ("Put the fucking bottle down!")Lyrics are a bit more elaborate than typical SXE platitudes; but the subject matter is the same. Angry, vengeful, bitter, unapologetic lyrics. Killer, vicious riffs; fast to breakdown, kung-fu inspiring madness. I anticipate being scared at a show. And, amongst all these breakdown bands shoving Christian rants down my throat, i applaud Track 7 - decrying the ultimate crutch, that Jesus guy. Also, i like them reppin all 3 X's, and not letting that 3rd one slip. Calling out fools who do not abide to the SXE credo of self-respect. *("Fucking everyone you see. "Don't smoke, Don't Drink, Don't Fuck." - What is it that you don't understand?")

FFO:
More Next Step Up than Strife for song 2; but that goes away. Buried Alive. Path of Resistance on Steroids. xTyrantx and Seventh Star, obviously. Thick as Blood, Figure Four. Harm's Way.

Review by Hutch (Empty Hands blog)
Label: Seventh Dagger
Year: 2011
Band's website

Bad Brains working on new album

Official press release: The iconic punk band Bad Brains will make an appearance for the first time in the band's career at SXSW 2011 at Van's Showcase at Emo's Main Room on March 16, 2011. Bassist Darryl Jenifer comments on the forthcoming experience: "There should be a SXSW in every city, everyday. Austin is a great music town with positive vibes."

The band is also pleased to announce that they have recently been holed up in NY with all original members working on new material for a 2011 release.

Nothing is conventional with Bad Brains, nor is the writing process. So, the band is jamming and reaching for something epic and different. "Stand by for the 'realist' we have ever written," continues Jennifer. The album is said to be channeling progressive elements and Megaforce Records expects the album to be released in late-summer 2011.

Considered to be the "holy grail" of punk rock, Bad Brains are one of the definitive American punk groups who garner the same respect as Sex Pistols, Black Flag, The Ramones and The Clash. Produced by long time fan, Adam Yauch (MCA of the Beastie Boys), the band's last album, Build A Nation, was a return to form for the band that helped define American Punk and Hardcore music. The album featured all the original members of the group: HR, Darryl Jenifer, Dr. Know and Earl Hudson.

Hierophant - Self Titled

This is a debut release from this Italian band and it brings an otherworldly experience of dark, cold, grimy and almost dehumanized hardcore. The band is being often compared to the likes of Trap Them or His Hero Is Gone with a dose of that evil Cleveland sound but they do branch out to the other genres a lot with much more some seriously fucked up shit going on. What I like about Hierophant is that while they do bear some similarities to those bands, they definitely got their own ways of doing what they do and it comes across as being totally natural and not forced in any way. The songs are very diverse and experimental, with style ranking from slow and atmospheric to fast and evil and you basically never know what’s gonna happen next. There are a lot of slower, sludgy parts and interludes, but they also know how to amp it up to almost blastbeat tempos. The album takes as much from hardcore in its most chaotic and heaviest form, as from sludge and black metal. It's a combination that works and the songs are powerful and dynamic. There is also a guest appearance from no one else but Dwid Hellion on As Kalki so I guess it makes it an album to check out for all the Integrity fans.

This is not the album that grabs you up front, it took some time in my case to get into this but the patience really paid off. When you combine clever and creative songwriting, and willingness to experiment you’re bound to have a crushing release. It is a very well constructed, strong and engaging.

Review: Dloogi
Label: Demons Run Amok
Year: 2011
Band's website

Line Of Scrimmage interview

The new album, Denounced, from these Brooklyn heavyweights has just been released by Filled With Hate and it's must have for all the kids into heavy side of hardcore. The label describes it as a mix of traditional New York beatdown a'la Bulldoze or One Second Thought with the modern sound in vein of Shattered Realm or even First Blood. Check for yourself what bands got to say about these new songs, the mindset behind the album and some other interesting stories!

The new album, Denounced, from these Brooklyn heavyweights has just been released by Filled With Hate and it's must have for all the kids into heavy side of hardcore. The label describes it as a mix of traditional New York beatdown a'la Bulldoze or One Second Thought with the modern sound in vein of Shattered Realm or even First Blood. Check for yourself what bands got to say about these new songs, the mindset behind the album and some other interesting stories!

It’s been some time since we heard from Line Of Scrimmage. What has been happening with the band since the split with Enemy Mind came out?

After the split dropped we kinda just wanted to keep writing and thats what we did. We had a few songs that were kinda tossed aside so we figured we would build it from there. Aside from writing and recording we have just been playing as many shows as possible trying to spread the word.

Tell me something about the upcoming release. When it’s gonna drop and what should we expect from it?

Our new release is gunna be called "Denounced". Its currently in the mail and will be in my hands within the next few days. What you can expect is the most raw shit we have put out. We took a look back at our old stuff and saw that theres not much of what we listen to in it. For example i dont like alot of epic metal so this time we focused more on the music we would want to hear instead of settling stuff we arent 100 percent into. This cd is heavier,more pissed of and a huge step up from our previous releases.

What about the lyrics of the new songs? Is there any message you want to get across in your music?

To put it simply this cd is about myself. Alot of bands worry about how tough they look and dont write things that actually have to do with there life. Alot of the songs is me kind of calling myself out for all the wrong i have done and mistakes ive made and trying to use what i have left in me to bounce back from whatever comes my way. Instead of a 20 minute long tough guy record i tried to just go along with what was inside my head. Some songs have different topics but alot of the cd deals with my own personal war with myself.

How it is being on the Filled With Hate label?

Axel has stuck to his word and been very reliable so far. We are glad to have the chance to work with the label. Alot of our friends have put out there music on FWH and it was an easy decision to make.

What is it about beatdown sound that does it for you? What bands do you think are at the forefront of beatdown hardcore genre nowadays?

Most of my favorite bands are not beatdown bands but as you can see our music comes off very heavy and i think its easy to get into the beatdown thing if your looking for something thats in your face. If your talkin about newer bands ide have to say world of pain, ten of swords,lifeless,unit 731 and bands like that. Bands like Bulldoze and Stout are also still going strong and putting younger bands to shame. Im always glad to see alot of activity from the heavy bands.

If there’s one thing that you would want people to know about Line Of Scrimmage, what would it be?

We are here to play music and have people enjoy it without any bullshit. We also love to party and make new friends.

What are some of the moments that stand out to you when thinking back about the band’s history so far?

For me one of the best moments that came from being a part of this band was going to to the west coast and getting a good reaction. I never thought that i would ever get to travel so far for music i make and it was beyond a good time being out there with our boys in CDC. Also getting to do a small tour with first blood was pretty trippy as well.

Gigs are the essence of . What can people expect at your live show?

Alot of energy and violence.

So, apart from the new album, what are some other band’s plans for the future?

We plan to hit the ground running after this and write more. We also plan to come to Europe and do a tour after the cd has been out for alittle while and tour the states as well so look out for that.

Thanks for your time doing this! Anything you would like to add before we finish?

Support all the bands i have mentioned and buy our new cd. By the time you read this it will be available im sure. nyhckev8@aol.com for booking/info

Details on Black N Blue Bowl 2011 announced

Black N’ Blue Bowl is set to take place on May 28 at Webster Hall in New York City. This year's line-up includes: Gorilla Biscuits, Agnostic Front, Terror, Absolution, Antidote, Maximum Penalty, Backtrack, Down To Nothing, Take Offense, No Turning Back, Bottom Out and 'surprise special guest'.

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!