ThugxLife 'All eyez on you' 7-inch on Refuse Records
I Want You Dead Interview
As a brief introduction, during almost four years of its existence, the band has released a successful album in 2010, ‘We Are The Legions of Scums’, which was followed by ΑΩ EP that came out just January this year. The seven inch definitely bands and showcases that the band is getting steadily better. As the situation In Greece gets worse, the music of I Want You Dead seems to get more dark and tense. The new ΑΩ Ep is a massive slab of brutal and sinister hardcore that cleverly makes use of metal elements but still pays its homage to the roots of the genre. Here’s the interview which hopefully sheds some light on underlying intentions and ideas behind their music.
As a brief introduction, during almost four years of its existence, the band has released a successful album in 2010, ‘We Are The Legions of Scums’, which was followed by ΑΩ EP that came out just January this year. The seven inch definitely bands and showcases that the band is getting steadily better. As the situation In Greece gets worse, the music of I Want You Dead seems to get more dark and tense. The new ΑΩ Ep is a massive slab of brutal and sinister hardcore that cleverly makes use of metal elements but still pays its homage to the roots of the genre. Here’s the interview which hopefully sheds some light on underlying intentions and ideas behind their music.What would you say about the music and the lyrics of the “We Are The Legions of Scums” album? What was your main inspiration?
Musically speaking it is an album of heavy, agressive music. We believe that dark lyrics suit our music in the best way and create a suffocative and intense atmosphere. Our debut is a hardcore album made by people who love hardcore music. We got inspired by the bands we love of course (Slapshot, Integrity, Cursed, Carpathian, Reign Supreme, Celeste among others) but also from other non-music stuff such as movies or situations we are involved in. You can drag inspiration from anything actually. We prefer dark concepts.
What feedback have you received since its release and how are these new songs coming along in the shows?
We have received a quite positive feedback. Kids seem to dig our music and the shows are getting better and better! We tested our new tracks on tour and all is good! We think it is very important to be able to play live everything you listen in the record and this is something we always have in mind when we compose new songs.
What is the meaning behind “We Are The Legions of Scums” and how did the band decide on this title?
Actually it is a cool in-your-face title that we think gives you a good impression of what you are about to listen in the record. There's no big meaning behind it. It is just our way of telling you we play aggressive music. Plus it suits the “apocalyptic” concept we so much adore!
The ÁÙ 7inch is a big step for us, a critical release. We had a line-up change between this and our debut full length, specifically in the vocalist position. We also made a pretty observable change in our sound towards darker, more intense, black metal influenced hardcore. We worked hard on the new songs in order to achieve this and fortunately our new vocalist turned out to be a perfect match for our sound. We are really satisfied we the outcome of this 7inch and we believe it is the first step towards forming our own unique sound.
Lyrically, those new songs bring some really dark and intense tone. What was your inspiration during the writing and what do you want to convey to the listener?
Even though we live in a country known for its sunny weather, there are stuff going on here on both national & personal level that affected and inspired us, in order to write those lyrics. For the past years we have been receivers of bad news and cruel reality due to the situation our country is in. This affects literally everyone. Our families , our friends & ourselves.
Financial crisis and state suppression are now part of our everyday life and these are things we can't ignore. We try to be positive on a personal level (which is difficult) in order to deal with the situation but our anger and despair builds up inside us and expressing this through our music and lyrics is inevitable and kind of a vital matter for us.
To those who have opposing viewpoints from yours, what do you hope they take away listening to the album?
We don't really hope for anything. We make the music we want to make and we sing about the stuff we like. Sure we know that some people may not agree with our views/lyrics. But this is the message we want to spread. Embrace it or reject it.
How do you feel about the fucked up situation Greece has found itself in? It seems there are millions of explanations about why did it happen, but what’s your perspective as someone from there?
The explanation is pretty simple...A few people took decisions for the lives of millions and the only thing that mattered for them was personal profit. Capitalist pigs took advantage of a whole nation in order to make money. They borrowed money, on behalf of all the greek people, and now they can't pay back their debt. This is something that now affects everyone over here. They actually ruined our future as we have to pay for their mistakes. People of Greece are innocent, they are casualties of a financial war they never took part in. Politicians are cunts and deserve the worse ,for the impact of their greed destroyed our lives.
So, how do you feel about the future?
We can't really say we're optimistic about the future...Every single day major changes happen over here. New laws, new restrictions, suppression. We believe in the freedom of people and we are against all kinds of oppression. It is dark times for us here but we are not willing to lose the control of our lives even if this means conflict with the state and the police.
Is there any political or social movement that you sympathize with or that you're a part of?
All four members of IWYD are involved with political and social movements. We support the squats of our hometown and we are active on several levels. We live in a country where many things have happened the last years. It is almost inevitable to be involved in sociopolitical stuff. We, as a band and individually, despise any form of oppression, authority and racism.
Your music is hard to pin dawn – was it the idea from the start to combine different styles of hardcore? Where does I Want You Dead draw their inspirations?
Well, we listen to various styles of music and inspiration -as told before- can come from anything.Though we don't really have rules for our music, the plan is to sound pissed off. We love hardcore in general and we take the elements we like from any style of it. This just happens ! We listen to a lot of the old classic Boston stuff but we also dig modern bands such as The Banner or Rise and Fall and their approach to hardcore. Our sound is a combination of our influences plus the personal element of each one of us. In the future we won't hesitate to use in our music anything that satisfies us whether it's hardcore or not.
We formed in 2008 in order to play the music we love, tour and have a good time. The four of us study in Patras University and knew each other a while before forming the band. We had a different singer at the beginning who quit the band in order to focus on other stuff. He now is replaced by Michael, the singer/guitarist of Fields of Locust (excellent post-metal/sludge outfit! Check 'em out!). We are more than satisfied with this choice, the dude rocks!
Would you like to say anything to the readers?
Yeah. Come to our shows and don't go to church.
MPO - Deny Life
Band’s music is best described as metalcore, but the one along the lines of All Out War, Sentence or Arkangel and not the one which is about tight pants and pig squealing bullshit. It might not deliver the apocalyptic atmosphere as the mentioned bands, but still it doesn’t lack a bite. Since the first notes on the album the band lays out pretty dynamic and heavy sound coupled with intense and forceful vocals. All the elements seem to blend together seamlessly and the music is thought out and well played, but sometimes it lacks some catchy hook to hold on to. MPO can write really incredible and complex tracks, but what this album needs is more diversity between the songs as sometimes it’s hard to tell one from another. But that doesn’t take away that Deny Life is a solid effort. MPO isn't really breaking new ground here, but the mosh parts are solid and do the job and in the end, it’s good to see that metallic hardcore can still be played with a focus on passion not fashion. Anyone into that type of sound should give it a try, there are good odds you will find something you like.
Giant Leeches Attach, Cruzade Records, 2011
Review by Dloogi
In Clear Sight released debut album on Clenched Fist Records
Reaper and Solid Bond to release Friend Or Foe's 7 inch
Hibernation and Slavebreed split available
The long awaited split 7” between Hibernation & Slavebreed is now available co-released by World’s Appreciated Kitsch & Noise Attack Records. The split is limited to 500 copies in gatefold packaging and on black vinyl. Two songs from Hibernation, three from Slavebreed.
New Sai Nam track posted at band's facebook
The fit seemed perfect and Tripp was fully up to the challenge. So without a single show or rehearsal, the band joined up with Baltulonis at Wild Arctic Recording Studio in NYC to record their debut 10 song LP, CRUSH. Right from the start, Sai Nam was firing on all cylinders. From Dijan’s heavy Rock-esque riffage to Tripp’s rapid fire vocal delivery, to Medina’s thunderous/chaotic drumming, to Baltulonis’ colorful production, and bass work, Crush promises to deliver the goods in stylish fashion. Hardcore icon, John Joseph (Cro-Mags) appears as guest vocalist on the album to ice the cake.
With their debut full-length in tow, Sai Nam is ready to hit the road and play shows across the globe, bridging the gap between two generations of hardcore music.
Plead The Fifth Interview
Sacramento, CA-based Plead The Fifth has just recently released their new seven inch, ‘Life Sentence’, on Arrest Records which a must hear for everyone into old school hardcore sound. Definitely one of the raddest records of 2011. I have caught up with Alex, the vocalist of Plead The Fifth, to talk about the release and what the band is up to now when the EP is out. !
Sacramento, CA-based Plead The Fifth has just recently released their new seven inch, ‘Life Sentence’, on Arrest Records which a must hear for everyone into old school hardcore sound. Definitely one of the raddest records of 2011. I have caught up with Alex, the vocalist of Plead The Fifth, to talk about the release and what the band is up to now when the EP is out.Last time we spoke it was in 2009 and it seems there have been some changes in the band since then. Can you tell us what’s been happening with the band during that time?
Since then we have had a few member changes and have played all over the West Coast a bunch. With the new members I've felt that our song writing has grown quite a bit and our current songs blow anything of the previous stuff out of the water.
Tell us something about Life Sentence? How is it different from your previous recordings and why such title?"Life Sentence" is different in the fact that we actually took the time to write the songs and think everything out and making them good. It wasn't just writing random parts and throwing them together. I also worked much harder on my lyrics than before. I just think it smokes everything else we've done, we're all super proud of it. as far as the title goes, it comes from one of the songs on the record with the same name. The song is basically about being stuck in your own head and thinking about everything too much. Not being able to forget bad shit from my past and carrying that around with me everyday.
In the previous interview you said the message is an important part of hardcore, as well as of your music. What are some of the topics you cover in these new songs?
There are a few. Personal stuff like what was mentioned in "Life Sentence", most of the songs are about stuff like that. A couple are about things I see in the world and in people that piss me off. I don't know if there is necessarily a message to any of them, but I feel like people could relate to them.
How did you hook up with Arrest Records and how does it feel to have your music released on vinyl?We hooked up with Johnnie and Arrest Records when he and I were talking about his band Word for Word coming out to California for some shows. I was gonna help him book the shows and we were gonna play the shows with them. Around that time we were starting to write new songs that we wanted to be put out on a 7 inch. i just asked Johnnie if he was interested and he said he was and it pretty much went from there.It feels awesome having our stuff on vinyl. Of curse every hardcore band wants that to happen and now that it finally has it's fucking awesome.
What’s your opinion about current state of hardcore? Musically, it seems kids start to appreciate raw and fast hardcore bands, judging how much support acts like Rotting Out, Backtrack or Take Offense have been getting.
I think the current state of hardcore is awesome, best it has been in years. Besides the bands you've mentioned, which are all great, there are so many more from all over the country such as Expire, Soul Search, Downpresser, Minus, Ill Intent, Truth Inside, Kicked In, Incendiary, and a ton more. I could go on forever. Hardcore is fucking awesome right now.
And beside hardcore what are your favorite tunes to bump?
Everyone in the band listens to all sorts of different stuff. Lately when I'm not listening to hardcore/punk/Oi I've been listening to a lot of hip hop.
Any new and upcoming bands from your area that we should be aware of?
Shambles from Sacramento is a really good new band. We share a couple members with them. Really rock/grunge influenced hardcore, it's really cool.
What’s the best show you played in 2011?We played a lot of awesome shows in last year. If I had to narrow it down, it would be a tie between, the Rotting Out record release show, Sound and Fury Fest, and Trapped Under Ice/Backtrack/Take Offense at my house. That last one wasn't really a full blown set, we hopped up during our boys' Pressure Point's set and played 3 songs, but it was fucking awesome.
Finally, what are you looking forward to for the band this year?
Looking forward to playing a lot more, touring a lot more. I wanna go all over the place this year. We're also writing some songs right now that are coming out really fucking great. I'm not sure what they'll turn into but I'm really excited about them.
World Of Pain - World Of Pain
Not much time has passed since the bone-crushing three-way split with Xibalba and Ruckus, and the debut full length from World Of Pain album drops at BDHW Records. I’ve been following the band since their first demo and it’s good to see them getting the attention they deserve. This self titled album is a logical continuation of what they did on their previous releases.It begins with a heavy-ass intro to get the mood started which provides a good build up to the Running Thin, the opening track, which is rather fast paced compared to some other parts of the album with massive riffs and menacing low-pitched vocals that sounds almost death metal. The rest of the tracks on the album continue in similar fashion bringing a great balance between groove and heaviness. Not that the band can’t hold it down on their own, but somehow the tracks with guest appearances are the ones I like the best on the album. Third Rail has insane flow with Noah, vocalist of World Of Pain, trading verses with no one else but Gonzales of Billy Club Sandwich. This collaboration was bound to be a success and the result is nothing but dope. The other memorable moment is Consequence with guest appearance from Tad of Stout fame. His sinister vocals definitely have a uniqueness to them that help this song to sound truly sinister and evil.
Overall, World Of Pain definitely brings the in-your-face aggression, but there’s also a lot of substance in what the they do. The album on a whole sounds really cohesive, they build on what they do best but aren’t afraid to explore new territories as well. Highly recommended stuff.
BDHW, 2011
Review by Dloogi
Ghost X Ship - The Comeback
Ghost Ship video for "The Comeback" featuring footage from their 2012 tour.
Bridge 9 to release Terror live album , 'No Regrets No Shame: The Bridge Nine Day'
Bridge 9 has announced plan to release live Terror live album entitled 'No Regrets No Shame: The Bridge Nine Day'. The footage was done when Terror performed at the Showcase Theater in Corona, CA in January, 2003. Bonus features like the "Push It Away" music video and a full set from Terror's Headline Records in-store performance from the same timeframe are also included, and this CD/DVD (& LP with all remastered Showcase Theater audio tracks) release hits stores on April 24th, 2012.
Pre-orders for the War Charge 7" Have Started
Demons Run Amok has launched pre-orders for the War Charge self titled 7" ep. The Edinburgh based hardcore band was formed in early February, 2011 influenced by bands like: Down To Nothing, Bitter End, Trapped Under Ice. Releasedate is the 7th of April. Check out their song 'Cold' here. Over the past six months War Charge have recorded their ep and played shows across Scotland and England. War Charge are looking forward to playing their release show in Germany and then continuing on to the rest of Europe for their European Tour with xRisk Itx in April of this year. So don't miss these guys. There will be: 100 on white, 100 on blue and 300 on black.
Guilty Of Being Diy, European Hardcore & Punk Compilation
Guilty Of Being Diy, European Hardcore & Punk Compilation, is an excellent compilation of 22 European hardcore & punk bands released by Filferro records (Barcelona) in collaboration with Tu Pa Tu Tu Pa records. The compilation was released in a 12" vinyl format and the label offers it just for 8€. You can order it here. The album includes songs from bands like The Capaces, Sniffing Glue, Drama, Adrenalized, El Punto Devil, Siamese Triplet and others!
Face Your Enemy Interview
The first thing that you immediately notice about this band is how dedicated those guys are – without a big label behind their back and with limited resources they managed to record couple of albums, make couple of videos and got facebook page filled with some high quality pictures. Sure, I agree, hardcore goes much deeper than visual appearance, but it still tells you something about the band and how serious their attitude is. Check out the previous interview we did to learn more about the basic info on the band, this one has been done after their last album ‘Message In A Bomb’ dropped. Even thought it might have taken me some time to finally put it online, it’s still a good read!
The first thing that you immediately notice about this band is how dedicated those guys are – without a big label behind their back and with limited resources they managed to record couple of albums, make couple of videos and got facebook page filled with some high quality pictures. Sure, I agree, hardcore goes much deeper than visual appearance, but it still tells you something about the band and how serious their attitude is. Check out the previous interview we did to learn more about the basic info on the band, this one has been done after their last album ‘Message In A Bomb’ dropped. Even thought it might have taken me some time to finally put it online, it’s still a good read!Could you tell us what’s been happening with Face Your Enemy Since we last talked?
Hi Bro, I'm really happy to hear from you again! It's unbelievable, but during only one year many things are changed in FYE. It would be difficult to explain the entire story in few words but I'll try anyway:
new drummer, new tattoos, new energy, new shit.
So the Message In A Bomb is finally out. What can you tell us about this album? How does it differ from your previous albums?
We are so proud of “Message in a Bomb”! I think that the title describes very well the sound and the lyrics. In this album we've reached a more personal groove than the previous ones.
Lyrically, what are some of the things you sing about on the album?
We don't like intellectual stuff. We sing about the typical hardcore themes: life experiences, hardcore scene, friendship and loyalty but in a personal style. Through our words we push to face life in a positive way. Don't forget that the energy to survive in this fuckin' hell is within yourself.
What is CBC about?
CBC means Caserta Beatdown Commando. Caserta is the city where we come from, Beatdown is our attitude and Commando is a crew about 30 persons, who believe in the same values. We organize shows, make parties and we play in different bands: Face your Enemy, Still in Da Game, Da 4th, One Shall Stand. CBC is not only about music, but also about writing, photography and tattoos (Rockin' ink, Deep Down Empire). Check it out!
How did the Beastie Boys and rap in general influences come about?
I think that rap and hardcore are very similar, especially in the message and the attitude. When we started to listen music, we didn't care if it was metal, hardcore or rap, so a lot of influences came from Beastie Boys ,from Madball or Slayer as well.
You guys did an European tour last year with Embrace Destruction. What do you remember the most from this experience?
It's been a wonderful experience, thanks to Luca from Embrace Destruction, we'll remember it forever. 25 gigs in 25 days across the Europe. It has been difficult but the pleasure to play every single day demonstrating our own style and attitude, have no price.
Any plans for more shows in Europe in the upcoming months?
We've just shared the stage with Terror and Madball last summer, and played some gig in Belgium and Netherlands. We are planning some shows in Europe and maybe in Russia. We really wanna come back in Poland! There is a very cool scene.
What’s your opinion about the Italian hardcore scene nowadays? Bands like Vendetta, Purification or Rise Or Defeat are real good and making noise on the international level…
In my opinion the worldwide hardcore scene is in crisis. The eye of the music trend is now on other scenes. I love this situation because only the true bands survive, and also in Italy there are some bands that have dedication and passion. I know Carlo and Rise after Defeat and they are really good, but we like and support also other italian bands like Straight Opposition, Embrace Destruction, As A Drop Of Blood, Don't Forget, Attitude, To Ed Gein(RIP), Sikspak, Behind The Mask...check them on the web;)
And are you into classic Italian hardcore like Wretched or Raw Power?
Oh! Cool man! Italy has a big tradition in hardcore! We love a lots of bands from 80's and 90's, Negazione and Raw Power first of all! Also in Caserta there is a veteran band called Bandiera dell'Odio, we know and respect them. Without this kind of bands maybe we will never have existed.
Thanks for the interview. Anything you’d like to add before we wrap it up?
I wanna thanks you for the support and good luck with Hard Boiled. Like Mogwai say “hardcore will never die but you will”! Face your enemy remember the name!
More about the band: http://faceyourenemycbc.blogspot.com
Crowd Deterrent - Certain Death
Music video for "Certain Death" by Crowd Deterrent. Produced by Downpour Creative and Crowd Deterrent. Special effects by Dead Art Inc.
9th Step - Stay True Demo
9th Step is a new band from Salem, Oregon, which delivers mean and aggressive style of hardcore. The demo has pretty rough sound quality but you can hear what's going on and some of these tunes are really good. They say to be influenced by bands like Blood For Blood, Madball, Descipline, Agnostic Front or Judge and it ain't that far from the truth. I never have problems with bands that keep it rugged and raw so I totally recommend this shit to anybody who's into this type of stuff. Download it!
Cavities - 64 Years
Cavities hails from West Chester, Pa and this is their first recording. Melodic yet heavy hardcore with screaming vocals and lots of emotions. Many tempo changes, pretty adventurous guitar work and some more screaming vocals. Not my favorite type of hardcore but I guess a lot of kids will be into that. Can't deny they have skills though. Download it!
Ill Intent signs to 6131 Records.
Seattle’s Ill Intent has joined 6131 Records family and will be releasing a 7″ titled “No Masters” this Spring. Here's statement from the label: "We are incredibly excited to announce the Seattle, WA’s Ill Intent have joined 6131 Records. After hearing their newest demo, and seeing them a few weeks ago I was blown away. No joke, they are one of the best live hardcore bands I’ve seen. Ill Intent recently recorded their new 7” “No Masters” with Taylor Young which will be out this Spring." Check out “Numbskull” from the upcoming 7” here.
All For Nothing - Tried & True
New All For Nothing songs which serves as a teaser for the upcoming album, 'To Live And Die For'.
Dead Man's Chest - Hateline
The debut full length from the UK-based evil mongers, Hateline, picks up where band’s debut EP left off but first thing that hit me is how fatter and more forcing it sounds. First of all, the production is way better, giving these songs the beefy sound they deserve. The song writing is more complex, but still they focus on the right elements giving a music a vibrant and dynamic feel. The overall mood of the album is rather dark, which reflects best within the lyrics. Hateline explores themes of hate, contempt and disgust across ten songs of dirty heavy-ass hardcore. But instead of focusing on mental horrors and dramas, the band presents more down to earth approach in the lyrics which totally works for me.The album sticks to mid-to-fast tempos most of the time and is proof that the best way to play hardcore is often by keeping it dirty and straight forward. This type of music is supposed to make impact by its sheer force not technical wankery, simple as that. That’s why I can connect to Dead Man’s Chest music, it’s abrasive and filthy brand of hardcore but far from generic or cliché. They take some influences from Clevo sound, but are far from just another band jumping on Holy Terror bandwagon. There’s also a surprising cover included as a bonus track but I am not going to spoil the fun, you have to check it for yourself. All I can say it’s probably the first band I hear to cover that track and they do the song a justice. Awesome stuff!
I can’t not mention that the artwork done by Janusz Kozak from Gore77 is great as always and overall Hateline is a good example of how the CDs should be released. While the front cover is not that impressive, the booklet got all the lyrics, horror-themed artwork and high quality band photos put together in very stylish way.
Before I wrap up, some extra knowledge. I don’t think it’s that much important fact about the band but Dead Man’s Chest consist mainly of Poles living in UK, some of them previously active in couple of pretty decent bands back in their home country. Most notably, the bassist Michu used to play for 1125, one of my all time favorite hardcore acts. Drummer, Andy Edge, used to play in Pignation, probably the only power violence band I listen to. If hardcore from Eastern Europe is still exotic to you, you need to check out both of these bands.
Seventh Dagger, 2011
Review by Dloogi
Never Face Defeat - Convicted
The Convicted ep brings five songs of fast and heavy hardcore which makes me think of bands like old Sworn Enemy or Hoods but with more metal feel to it. The compositions tend to be complex and even though there is no lack of faster parts, there’s a lot of happening throughout the songs. Hell, the band has been around for over ten years now so they know how to put a song together. My biggest gripe with this album is that sometimes these songs seem to lack focus. The band obviously knows how to handle their shit but they put too much attention to making those tracks sound complex instead of powerful. I got impression that tracks like Determination would sound much more stronger if they cut some of the passages and stick to the elements that really make this song stand out. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’ve got a lot of good ideas and skills to put these ideas into songs, but I guess I’m into more straight forward stuff. Some of the riffs on this album are one of the catchiest I’ve heard in hardcore recently, but the songs lack the bite when they start going to mid-tempos and overdo breakdowns. And it’s a shame cause when they sound more aggressive, it’s really good stuff. For the vinyl freaks; the EP has been released as a three-song seven-inch picture disc and the package also includes CD with all five songs. I like that idea.Demons Run Amok Entertainment, 2011
Review by Dloogi
Skinfather- Atheos
Skinfather comes from Orange County, California and delivers some seriously dark and aggressive hardcore, taking a lot from Clevo sound or straight up thrash influences. The vocals are massive! Check out band's webstore if you want to support them by buying some merch. Download!
Always War - Vengeance Prevail
Always War is relatively less known compared to some other Swedish bands so before I got this CD I had no clue about bands existence. According to the bio, they started out in 2007 with a mission to combine classic crossover hardcore sound of Agnostic Front or Cro-Mags with some heavier metal influences. After struggling for some time with typical newcomer issues like unstable line-up changes, "Vengeance Prevail" is band’s first official release and fits pretty well with the its stylistic aspirations. The music is built around solid hardcore base but with tons of thrashing riffs and double bass action. It’s a little bit like more metal version Terror, Lionheart or Since The Flood, although the band lacks the natural and easy flow of the mentioned bands. It might no not in the league with the best, but when the band is on form, it is immense and sharp. The fact that they keep the songs vibrant and dynamic all the way throughout the album plays definitely to their advantage, with no mindless deathcore crap or clean vocals nonsense. I back up their decision to keep the album short, as it offers only five tracks, of which most barely clock past three minutes. It keeps it more focused and dense, which combined with solid musicianship and some heavy-ass vocals makes it a worth listen.Nature Always Wins Records, 2011
Review by Dloogi
Outlook releases new full lenght, “Our Time Is Now”
After four years of playing in the Pacific Northwest and touring the west coast of the U.S., Olympia Washington’s Outlook are releasing their first full length LP, “Our Time Is Now”. A follow up to the hardcore band’s self titled seven inch released in 2010 and a three song tape EP, “Vision”, that was released in the summer of 2011, “Our Time Is Now” is a ten song rager full of brand new material. With a mix of punk, hardcore, rock, psych, and prog, this LP will blow away listeners.You can listen, download, and order Outlook’s “Our Time Is Now” at their website.
To promote the release of their new LP, Outlook will also be embarking on a six week tour of the United States this Spring. Check out the tentative dates below:
MARCH
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03/16 - Seattle, WA @ TBA
03/17 - Olympia, WA @ The Eagles Hall
03/21 - Portland @ The Punx House
03/22 - Redding, CA @ The Cowabunga House
03/23 - Oakland, CA @ TBA
03/24 - San Francisco, CA @ TBA
03/25 - San Jose, CA @ House of the Dead Rat
03/26 - Sacramento, CA @ The Boyz Barn
03/27 - Fresno, CA @ The Bel-Tower
03/29 - Los Angeles, CA @ McWorld
03/30 - Riverside, CA @ BOIS
03/31 - Orange County, CA @ TBA
APRIL
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04/01 - San Diego, CA @ TBA
04/02 - Phoenix, AZ @ TBA
04/03 - Tuscon, AZ @ The Pound
04/04 - El Paso, TX @ The Lovesprout
04/05 - Dallas, TX @ 1919 Hemphill
04/06 - Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
04/08 - New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
04/09 - Tallahassee, FL @ TBA
04/10 - Gainesville, FL @ TBA
04/11 - Daytona Beach, FL @ The Lions Den
04/12 - Atlanta, GA @ TBA
04/13 - Richmond, VA @ TBA
04/14 - Washington D.C. @ St. Stephens
04/15 - Philladelphia, PA @ The Mitten
04/16 - New Jersey, NJ @ TBA
04/17 - New York, NY @ ABC No Rio
04/18 - Western MA @ The Flywheel
04/19 - Providence, RI @ TBA
04/20 - Boston, MA @ Democracy Center
04/21 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Acheron
04/23 - Syracuse, NY @ TBA
04/24 - Buffalo, NY @ TBA
04/25 - Pittsburgh, PA @ TBA
04/26 - Cleveland, OH @ The Tower
04/27 - Grand Rapids, MI @ TBA
04/28 - Chicago, IL @ The Juicer
04/29 - Milwaukee, WI @ Ground Zero
04/30 - Minneapolis, MN @ TBA
MAY
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05/01 - Iowa City, IA @ TBA
05/02 - St. Louis, MO @ Bonerville
05/03 - Kansas City, KS @ TBA
05/05 - Denver, CO @ The Blast-o-mat
05/06 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Boing! Anarchist Collective
05/07 - Boise, ID @ TBA
05/08 - Pullman, WA @ TBA
05/09 - Spokane, WA @ TBA
05/10 - Olympia, WA @ TBA
BadAss Records' first release: debut from Cast Iron Jaw
BadAss Records has announced its first release which is debut album from Cast Iron Jaw, a Barton, UK band with influences from Hatebreed, Terror, 25 Ta Life, All Out War, Trapped Under Ice, Walls Of Jericho, First Blood and basically this type of heavy hardcore sound. Their first ep can be downloaded here. Check their Reverbnation profile for new song, How I See The World.
Crowned Kings to relese 'Wise Guy'
One of Australia's most exciting hardcore bands right now, Crowned Kings, are working on their debut full length, Wise Guy. The band still hasn't found a label to release it, but they hope it's gonna drop in the upcoming months. The band also plans to play Australia and Asia once the album is out. According to the band; "Musically we have progressed as a band it has been two years since we dropped our demo and when we dropped that we had only been a band for a few months so expect a different sound more flow and faster bouncer and tougher riffs and a lot to say." If you're into bands like Madball, Terror, Agnostic Front, Blood For Blood, 50 Lions and such you definitely should keep your eyes open for this album!
Details about upcoming EP from Rise After Defeat
Rise After Defeat (Italy) has started working in its new EP. Here's official info taken from their website: "So, this monday will start the recording of our new Ep @ Hell Smell Studio (Rome). Title, tracklist, artwork and more will be published at the end of recording sessions. For the moment we can say that for this Ep with our label we’ve decided to say fuck off to the music business and put it available as a free digital download. We don’t give a fuck to sell records, we wanna only touring europe as much as we can, and we think that putting this new record in free download is the best way to spread our words. A limited cd edition of 100/200 copies will be released via StrikeDown for our upcoming European tour with our swedish mates Ignominy. The tour re-stock cds will be available on StrikeDown store for purchasing after the end of tour, for anyone that would like have it also in physical version."
Tirade - 2011 Demo
I have recently posted an interview with the guys so I’ll spare any long introduction by just saying that Tirade reps London hardcore and consists of couple of local scene veterans. The band takes a lot from mean and raw 90’ style combining hardcore vitality with heavier groovy sections. The vocals are harsh and relentless and the songs are pretty well put together, mostly played at mid-tempo speeds without any pressure to be too fancy and never going too much over the top. That’s what works for me as the general feeling is ok and I can relate to the anger they want to express through these songs. I hope to hear more from this band! Download!
Six Ft Ditch signed to Goodlife. New album in the works!
Six Ft Ditch signed to Goodlife for new seven inch ep and next full length. Singer Peachey Sixftditch released following statement: "12 Years of Terror - a Six Feet Ditch Official Trilogy, will be recorded in 3 weeks, featuring guest spots from No Zodiac, Search Bloc, An Aborted Memory, Full Metal Jacket, Cast Iron Jaw to name but a few, gang shouts by Fort Vallance FVHC & Protect Ya' Neck BHHC . Commin on GOODLIFE" According to Goodlife newsletter, three different, limited edition 7"s will form this Trilogy, followed up by a full cd containing a ton of bonus material!
Onesta to release 'The American Dream' full lenght on Goodlife
Onesta are releasing their new full length CD, 'The American Dream' at the end of this February! It is now available from Goodlife Records store as a pre-order. Special Guests on 'The American Dream' are AK Ray from Vietnom/Skarhead, Jacob Bredahl from Hatesphere and Butch from the band Barcode. The band have just finished a successful tour of South East Asia, playing in many countries and are getting ready to play tons of shows all over Europe.
Congress are getting back together to headline Good Life Fest!
After an absence of many years, the legendary Good Life Fest will be back on Saturday, October 27th, in Kortrijk, Belgium! But the real news is that the almighty Congress is getting back together and will perform during the fest. The band will be playing songs from Euridium to Angry with the Sun. Line up will be 3/4 original with Pierre, Josh, Ilja, Vez and F Double! Good Life Fest is booked completely and one by one Goodlife will announce all of the bands playing there. Tickets are only 10 Euro and are for sale from their webstore. Also playing that day will be the Six Feet Ditch, a couple legendary H8000 bands doing special sets (TBA), Elea Jacta Est from France, No Second Chance(UK), Balboa (B), Too Gross (UK/GER) and more to be announced! Show starts at 2 in the afternoon and will be finished by 10 in the evening.
Fed Up! Video contest!
From inbox: Fed Up! video contest. Make a youtube video using any songs from Fed Up! - SHEER POETRY Album. You can use FED UP! Pictures, live footage, your own video, even is it's just 1 pic and the song it's up to you. If you don't have the Fed Up! - Sheer Poetry CD/LP then go buy it. Available on CD Baby, amazon, revhq, iTunes, http://www.unitedriotrecords.bigcartel.com/ you can find it everywhere.
The contest runs from 2/16/2012 to 9/16/2012. Contest is available to everyone in any country except for current members of Fed Up!
You must subscribe to http://www.youtube.com/user/UNITEDRIOTRECORDS put up your video on youtube & email FEDUPNYC@AOL.COM before the deadline to qualify. Grand Prize winner gets the super FED UP! package and $69 bucks in cold hard cash. There will also be prizes for 2nd and 3rd runners up. Have fun and fuck your life.
The contest runs from 2/16/2012 to 9/16/2012. Contest is available to everyone in any country except for current members of Fed Up!
You must subscribe to http://www.youtube.com/user/UNITEDRIOTRECORDS put up your video on youtube & email FEDUPNYC@AOL.COM before the deadline to qualify. Grand Prize winner gets the super FED UP! package and $69 bucks in cold hard cash. There will also be prizes for 2nd and 3rd runners up. Have fun and fuck your life.
No One Is Safe to Release First Full-length
No One Is Safe, a Finnish hardcore band from the cities of Lappeenranta and Helsinki, will release their long-awaited debut album "Strike First - Strike Hard" via a DIY hardcore/punk label Poolside Records (Turku, Finland). The release date is February 22, 2012. Expect 11 tracks of aggressive and metal-influenced hardcore. The album will be released as a package with both 12" vinyl and CD included. A couple of songs from the album have been posted on the band's website and Stereokiller page.Tracklist
A1. Intro / Luulot Pois
A2. Dead in a Second
A3. Family First
A4. Die Hard
A5. Hated for the Truth
A6. Loyalty Takes Its Toll
B1. Strike First - Strike Hard (feat. Sakke Bleeding Heart)
B2. Prevail (feat. AJ Worth The Pain)
B3. Respect
B4. Resist Forever (feat. Eme, Ville Breamgod, Matti Cutdown, Abu Hammertime)
B5. No One Is Safe
No One Is Safe will be doing as many shows as possible during 2012. On the record release week they will be doing two record release shows sharing the stage with Providence:
22.2.2012 Pigfarm Beatdown vol. 2 @ Club Rockstars, TALLINN (EST)
w/ Providence (FRA), NMR (EST), N.C.B (EST)
25.2.2012 Kovisteluiltamat vol. 2 @ Pelikenttä, HYVINKÄÄ (FIN)
w/ Providence (FRA), Out For Justice (FIN), Fit My Crime (FIN)
'With Or Without You' by Strenght Approach to be released March 19th
Strenght Approach "With Or Without You 12" full length will hit the streets on the 19th of March. "This new record will be a new chapter in the SA history and definitely harder than our previous stuff. DRA will take care of an amazing vinyl version.A freedigital version will be available online with our merch right after the store dates will be announced and be sure to take a listen to this new effort if you dig real hardcore in the veins of Sick Of It All, Madball and the godfathers of hc, Agnostic Front," Alex SA. Vinyl Version will be available in different wax: 100 in Red, 100 in Orange & 300 in Black! Order it at the DRA Webstore – – or buy it at one of those great record dealers worldwide!
Interview: Raph, Body Seasons Authentik Tattoo Studio
As cliché as it might sound, hardcore is much more than music. It might be a lifestyle centered around music, but it goes deeper than that. Started by a bunch of angry kids, the culture has spread to so many things over the years. Important ideas and politics of all kind have been introduced to the scene, but also more down to earth stuff like fanzines, dance, books, tattoos help to preserve the spirit and identity of the movement. We’re going to focus on the tattoo aspect right now. Here’s interview with Raph, French tattoo artist working for Body Seasons Authentik studio whose style and vision is deeply rooted in old school tattoo fashion.
As cliché as it might sound, hardcore is much more than music. It might be a lifestyle centered around music, but it goes deeper than that. Started by a bunch of angry kids, the culture has spread to so many things over the years. Important ideas and politics of all kind have been introduced to the scene, but also more down to earth stuff like fanzines, dance, books, tattoos help to preserve the spirit and identity of the movement. We’re going to focus on the tattoo aspect right now. Here’s interview with Raph, French tattoo artist working for Body Seasons Authentik studio whose style and vision is deeply rooted in old school tattoo fashion.Hello Raph, well first of all can you quickly introduce yourself ?
Well my name is Raph (Raph M. not to be confused with another French tattoo-artist), and I've been tattooing at the BSA (Body Seasons Authentik) studio in Aix-en-provence for five years now, I had been doing it for a few years at home before that but I really started my formation here, with Mr.Biz.
How did you come to the tattoo world ? What motivated you to go this way ?
I've always drawn, and I've always liked tattoos, and since I graduated in art studies, at one point I thought “why not combining the two and make it my job ?” so I started looking into it and basically that's how it happened ...
Any artist that influenced you maybe ? Not necessarily tattoo artists, people who inspired you ?
Well to say the truth, what kind of drew me to in the first place is music. Originally I didn't really have any tattoo culture, but when I was a kid I listened to quite a lot of hard-rock and metal, and every guy in every band was tattooed, and I liked it so much, that's what got me hooked up on it. So I have plenty of memories of the old shitty tattoos of Slash and Axl Rose that I liked at the time, then Kerry King, Phil Anselmo were pretty inked too, yeah that's how it started.
Any style of predilection ? Themes maybe, what do you like tattooing ?
I love old-school, I also like the chicano style a lot, but yeah I just love working on old-school pieces.
Musically, I know you're a major hardcore fan, how did you encounter this style ?
I come from hard-rock, when I was really a kid, and metal too, I'm from 83, when I started listening to hard-rock I must have been about six, because of my big sister, my friends' big brothers and everything. In secondary I started listening to stuff like Testament, Obituary, a bit of Deicide and Cannibal Corpse and all these things, but mainly I was really into the Guns'n Roses and Metallica, it was all through the big brothers actually, we would get the tapes from them, it was a bunch of old school metalheads, with patch-jackets and stuff. Then when I got to high-school I met a guy who was from a punk background, listening to a lot of skatecore and punk-rock, Pennywise, NOFX … and he was the one who introduced me to hardcore, he gave me my first tapes, Backfire, Discipline, the firsts Hatebreed … I immediately got hooked up on it, I really thought I was corresponding me perfectly, the brutal aspect of metal with this little kind of “ghetto” touch, it was perfect. Then the firsts shows, fucking shit up …
What link do you think exists between the two cultures of hardcore and tattoo ?
Well the two have always been linked I think, it is part of the culture, with origins in punk and metal, both always had been linked with tattoos so guess it's quite logical.
What does it represent to you, hardcore music ?
To me, it's all about the music, at least before anything else. I've always been deep into music. Today it's way more shared and many people, I mean I don't want to be an old cunt, but they discover this and they dig the looks, the ink, all that, but the music goes after that. For me, hardcore is music, it's passionate music. Passion before trend, that's the main value I think.
Check out: http://bsatattoo.com/
New Blood: Tirade
London has for long been a breeding ground to some of the hardest bands in Europe. Not only big city life creates a need for creative release of everyday anger, stress and frustration, but also the presence of notorious bands like Knuckledust, Ninebar or TRC creates a good environment for this type of sound. Tirade is one of the newest addition to London scene having been around since 2010, although the guys involved in the project have been active in number of household bands like Injury Time and Ninebar. Here’s what Tom, who does vocals for the Tirade, had to say in an interview we did recently.
London has for long been a breeding ground to some of the hardest bands in Europe. Not only big city life creates a need for creative release of everyday anger, stress and frustration, but also the presence of notorious bands like Knuckledust, Ninebar or TRC creates a good environment for this type of sound. Tirade is one of the newest addition to London scene having been around since 2010, although the guys involved in the project have been active in number of household bands like Injury Time and Ninebar. Here’s what Tom, who does vocals for the Tirade, had to say in an interview we did recently.Listening to the demo it sounds like the band was born out of a fascination with the raw and heavy side of hardcore music – can you tell me about that?
Well we originally came together with the aim of playing heavy mid tempo hardcore. Over the course of writing our first 6 songs our sound has strayed a bit from that, but as you can tell we definitely are influenced by some of the older dark and heavy bands eg Sheer Terror, Breakdown, Merauder.
This is some of the stuff that really got me deep into HC back in the 90s. Of course as you can probably hear we have some elements of more typical straight up HC and maybe a couple of beatdown type moments too, that definitely describes what we are into as a band.
How would you describe the lyrical content of the first demo? Is there any advice or knowledge that you would like to get across to the listeners?
The first demo lyrics are all quite personal, dealing with topics such as overcoming everyday struggles, people who are all talk and image but no action, growing older and more disillusioned, fighting against whatever holds you back. So not really looking to put across too much of a specific message with my lyrics, they are a vent for the experiences, frustrations and realities of everyday life and about getting beyond them, something I think everyone can relate to.
London hardcore has always been a breeding ground for heavy, tight sounding bands. What do you attribute it to?
Don't know really, some pretty diverse bands have come from London and continue to emerge, but I guess acts like 50 Caliber, BDF and in more recent years Prowler have been instrumental in exposing the metallic beatdown style that our city became notorious for. Newer bands like Crippler seem to be keeping this sound going for the next generation. You are definitely right in thinking there is an affection for the heavier end of things here!
The other thing about London based bands is the longevity of the bands, something not that common among other scenes. You have Knuckledust as a good example. It deserves respect, especially taking under consideration the high cost of living in London. What’s your opinion about it?
We have a core of older heads in London, of which I am proud to say I am one, who have been going to shows and playing in at least one if not more bands for well over a decade with no sign of quitting, that's what I would attribute the longevity of many London bands to.
Knuckledust are definitely an inspiration and I am proud to say Tirade's first show was their 15 year anniversary show, an amazing night for many reasons. I guess their consistency and dedication as well as that of other bands helps to keep the spotlight on London.
Can you recall any challenges you faced while balancing the personal life with being part of hardcore?
Its an ongoing challenge, balancing life, work and relationships with rehearsing, recording and playing shows, obviously I spend a lot of time looking at schedules so that we can book practices as we are still writing new material. We are all older guys who still devote lots of time to HC so we have outside pressures like work or looking for work, and our guitarist Si will be getting married in a few months.
So everything we do has an element of challenge in it, we are all fully committed to Tirade though so all these outside pressures are just something we have to deal with in order to further ourselves as a band, we will never let them get in the way of something we love.
Have you ever felt like giving up? What kept you going?
Not sure if you mean giving up on life in general or HC? I guess the two are linked very closely in my case, hardcore really has always kept me going and given me something to look forward to. I love to play, write or just go to shows and this has stayed constant with age, continuing to inspire me along with the obvious things like family and friends.
Do you remember what stirred the desire to be in hardcore band in you?
That is going back a while, I guess it was the mid 90s when everyone in London was quite new to hardcore, first getting to know each other, realising what was possible and making connections. The whole 'support your scene, Do it yourself' aspect of hardcore was fresh in everyones minds and it was a very different time to now.
As for nowadays and what started Tirade, we are all good friends and longtime hardcore fans who spend plenty of time together anyway, our bassist Paulie, drummer Ammo and guitarist Si had been jamming together in one way or another for a while, I was looking for something else to get involved in having finished the new Nine Bar album, and we first got together and started writing in November 2010.
Do you still follow any new bands in the scene? What are some UK bands we should check out?
Yes of course, both on a UK level and also worldwide I am always keen to hear new bands.
In the UK I would urge people to check out all the Rucktion Records acts such as my other band Nine Bar, also Kartel and Diction who both have new releases in the works, Chains of Hate who have a split CD with Surge of Fury about to drop, as well as True valliance, Deathskulls, Prowler, Injury Time.
Cold hard truth and Pay the Price are some other bands from around the UK I would definitely recommend.
What are the plans for the band? What should we except from Tirade in the future?
We plan to keep on writing, we already have a couple of new songs well on the way to being ready so we are at the early stages of thinking about a followup release. Also hoping to play as many shows as possible in 2012. I'm also gonna be designing shirts in the next few weeks.
Look My Way - Tension Building
First official video of this German band. Filmed and edited by Toni BDHW.
Jungle Fever - Winning Mentality
Jungle Fever hails from Italy and delivers some seriously energy-driven hardcore. They formed just in 2011 and already got this Ep out which brings some NYHC-flavored tunes. They name bands like Breakdown, Dmize, Rest in Pieces or Leeway as their main source of influences and it can be heard. The band got all the musical elements locked down tight and everything just flows so naturally from fast parts to slick breakdowns. The vocals are strong and have a good vibe which fits perfectly with the music. Good stuff, I look forward to hear more from these guys! Download it!
