.45 Stainles - OGBD

The band hails from Turku, Finland, and since starting out in 2009 they’ve had a goal of playing the heaviest beatdown music possible. They don’t hide their influences, mentioning bands like Shattered Realm or Bulldoze as their biggest inspiration, but .45 Stainless they deliver that kind of aggression?

The album starts with a short intro which sounds like 15-minutes of heavy Fruity Loops engineering but when finally drums and guitars jump in it’s not that bad actually. Dual vocals get definitely the job done, guitars sound heavy and strong while the rhythm section lays down some tight grooves. Nothing ultra fast here, but the pace and tone pick up surprisingly often for that type of music. Two first songs after the intro, Endless and Hated, are probably the best on the album. The vocals deliver strong attitude and the tight performance by the band shows off their skills to create some memorable moments. Orighetto State Of Mind starts with a massive mid-tempo passage, but the energy somehow gets lost as the song progresses. The same goes for Wardrumz, the song got some powerful build up at the beginning and then progresses into some mediocre NYC-flavored hardcore. The tempo kicks up during the last song, At War, which delivers more bite with strong vocal performance while the rest of the band provides a solid and tight background.

The album surprisingly is better that I initially thought and after couple of spins I start to appreciate what they do here. I wouldn’t say it is spine chilling experience or anything ground breaking, but I doubt they had such aspirations anyway. All in all, I don’t care that it’s predictable, generic and there is rarely anything that would make you mosh around your room. Very often experimenting with its sound is the worst thing a hardcore band can do. Consciously or not, the band has definitely not fallen in this trap. My biggest gripe with this album however is that the band’s attitude is not entirely convincing. From the band’s name, to the lyrics and sound samples of gunshots between the songs, it’s all to much gangsta for my taste. Is living in Turku really that hard? On the other hand, it might be a joke, a gimmick, but if it is, it ain’t funny.

BDHW, 2011
Review by Dloogi

Wisdom In Chains - Ghost of Buddy

Wisdom in Chains Celebrates Puppy Love with "Ghost of Buddy", a tribute to Mad Joe Black's dog Buddy.

World In Decline - Self Reliance

World In Decline is a new band hailing from South Shore, MA with a heavy, yet slick sound. The band has been around since September last year and this is their debut EP which they share for free. These for songs are full of mosh, breakdowns, angry vocals and some more mosh on top of it. The execution is tight, everything flows together seamlessly and culminate as an energetic vibe. If you're into bands like Buried Alive or Death Before Dishonor don't sleep on this one. I've heard the band got ex-members of Reckless which is good recommendation cause Reckless was a solid band. Download it!

Devil In Me - The End

New Devil In Me clip with tons of guest appearances.

Life To Live records launched Provider 7" pre-orders

Life To Live Records have launched preorders for the forthcoming 7″ EP from New York’s Provider, entitled Wasteland. . Provider is from Long Island, NY and is influenced by a lot of stuff like Madball and Outburst.

Final Prayer to Release New Album in May

European Hardcore's pack leader Final Prayer will release their new album "I Am Not Afraid" on Let it Burn Records on May 25, 2012. Chris (Let it Burn CEO) comments: "I am absolutely stoked to have Final Prayer officially back on Let it Burn Records. Infact they never really 'left' the label. Both the cooperation and the friendship easily outlasted their short 'excursion' in 2009. Since releasing the band's debut album in 2006 I had known that Let it Burn Records and Final Prayer is a perfect match and I am tremendously looking forward to releasing and promoting the band's new album which is spinning on my computer in this very moment."

Final Prayer about reuniting with Let it Burn Records: "After some very busy months, a lot of hard work and intense songwriting and studio sessions, we're more than happy to announce, that we're ready to release our third studio-album called 'I Am Not Afraid'. With our buddy Dennis (Black Friday '29) on board, the new songs are much more varied with a lot of styles and influences. Catchy melodies meet heavy breakdowns and epic sing-alongs. Over and above we're supported on two songs by two very charismatic voices - be prepared! All in all the 10 songs of this album start where the "Berlin" EP has ended and are by far the best ones we've done so far! Label-wise we feel very comfortable, that the record will be released by Munich's famous Let It Burn Records. This might appear like a big change to some people, but after a quite moving period for the band, working together with our old friend Chris feels just like coming home. We're extremely satisfied with the songs and think that he's the right guy to spread our message. But enough words for now. The Releaseshow of the album will be on May 26th at Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin. We're psyched to see you there and show you what this album is really about. - the final prayer collective"

"I am Not Afraid" was recorded and mixed at Daily Hero Studios, Berlin and mastered at Time Tools Mastering, Hannover. The artwork was created by the Design Armada. Expect our promo-mailout and more info within the next days.

ThugxLife 'All eyez on you' 7-inch on Refuse Records

Don't be misled by the name of the band. Right, ThugXLife stands strong, but on the positive side of the thing! Their music and lyrics are filled with youthful passion and they're full on straight edge HC with a good dose of anger. After well-received "You're the boss" demo and successful "Drug Free Tour 2011" with Cymeon X and Regres, this band from Poznan, Poland is coming with their debut 7". There's 8 songs influenced by the bands like Internal Affairs, Ten Yard Fight, Get the Most or Chain Of Strength. ThugXLife is a prove that the Edge isn't gone dull yet in Eastern/Central Europe! Songs "War" and "I still believe" from upcoming 7": thugxlife.bandcamp.com

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!

You recently released AÙ 7inch. How is it different from your previous release?

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.

Can you tell us a little about how the band formed?

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

MPO, previously known as Monsieur Po, has been active in the vibrant Paris scene since 2002. Still under the previous name, they have released ‘There Was Life’ MCD and split with Una Vida which I reviewed some time ago. Deny Life is not only their debut release as MPO, but also the first full length recording overall.

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

For those who missed this one: In Clear Sight has released their debut album 'Fuck Fairytales, This Is Reality' on Clenched Fist Records. The album was recorded by Sven "Svenchi" Janssens (ex-Aborted, The End Of All Reason) at Red Left Hand Studio. In Clear Sight is a relatively young but promising band. Their style can be described as heavy hardcore with metal influences and heavy breaks. Think of bands like: Wall Of Jericho, Stick To Your Guns, Terror, First Blood, Pay No Respect, The Setup...

Reaper and Solid Bond to release Friend Or Foe's 7 inch

Reaper and Solid Bond records have teamed up to do a limited 7" for United Blood. A limited amount will be available soon in the Reaper DIY Store as well. Friend Or Foe features members of Bracewar, Fire & Ice, Iron Boots and Tough Luck … straight up hardcore Richmond style!

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

Head over to the Sai Nam facebook page to hear the new track "Live Fast" from the forth coming album "Crush". Some info about the band: Looking to start a new project in early 2011, New York Hardcore Stalwart guitarist, Mike Dijan (Breakdown, Crown Of Thornz, Skarhead) called on sonic co-conspriator drummer, Lou Medina (Breakdown, All Out War,District 9). The two long time friends and bandmates went right to work, hammering out a batch of blistering heavy material.. Dijan then reached out to acclaimed producer, Dean Baltulonis (Sick Of It All, Hope Conspiracy, Supertouch) about a vocalist for this unit. Dean strongly suggested (Trapped Under Ice) frontman Justice Tripp, with whom he had worked with on TUI’s breakthrough LP Secrets Of The World. As destiny would have it, TUI were headlining NYC’s Santos Party House that very week, where Dijan and Tripp talked about jamming together.

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!

Pre-orders for Birth Of Desire 7 inch by The Beautiful Ones have started

Preorders for The Beautiful Ones' debut ep 'Birth of Desire' are up at 6131 Records webstore. There are three different colors. Check out two songs from "Birth of Desire" here.

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
-------------------------------

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
-------------------------------

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
-------------------------------

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.

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)