Brawl Interview

Brawl is Boise, Idaho-based band which delivers some straight up in-your-face hardcore with a nice NYHC touch. The band has been around for some time already and their dedication has seem to earn them a household name status amongst the local scene. Brawl has released its debut ep ‘The Bitter End’ all by themselves in 2010, which was quickly followed by a split with Black Cloud in 2011, also self released. And the band is not slowing down at all. While the new ‘Punishment’ is already available at Westcoast Worldwide and Irish Voodoo Records, the ‘Back Biter’ is expected to drop just by the end of this year.

Brawl is Boise, Idaho-based band which delivers some straight up in-your-face hardcore with a nice NYHC touch. The band has been around for some time already and their dedication has seem to earn them a household name status amongst the local scene. Brawl has released its debut ep ‘The Bitter End’ all by themselves in 2010, which was quickly followed by a split with Black Cloud in 2011, also self released. And the band is not slowing down at all. While the new ‘Punishment’ is already available at Westcoast Worldwide and Irish Voodoo Records, the ‘Back Biter’ is expected to drop just by the end of this year.

First of all, congratulations with the upcoming seven inch, Punishment. Could you tell us something about the release? What can we look out for?
Thank you we are happy to have it released by two labels. Irish Voodoo Records for the 7" Vinyl with two cover options and Westcoast Worldwide Records for the CD/Digital formats. Our presale of the Test Press and bundles sold out so we couldn't be happier.


Having heard couple of new tracks at your facebook profile I must admit this shit sounds hard! What is the driving force behind your music?
We are a heavy Hardcore band. We have many influences and take a strong approach musically and lyrically to our friends, scene, politics, government, war, religion, environment, and shitty people. We spit out aggressive, no sugar coated, direct in your face lyrics.


Have you had a chance to perform those songs live? What type of response have you been getting?
We have had a chance to perform them and the response is great for us. No matter what we will play anywhere and we will always have a DIY approach to shows. We are doing a mini tour with MDK starting March 8th and we will be playing the 5 songs off Punishment plus 3 brand new songs that we are super stoked to finally play live.


How important are lyrics for the band? Did you have any specific topics in mind when you wrote lyrics for the ep?
Lyrics are important but we are not a poetic hardcore band. They are pretty self explanatory but we hit on many topics from protecting our rights, freedoms, free speech, way of life, weak ass friends who fuck over people they call friends, environmental depletion, solid friends and crew. We don't really have topics that are off limits.


How did you hook up with Westcoast Worldwide and Irish Voodoo Records for the release?
We were talking to Joey from IVR about doing a 7". Then we went on a mini tour on on the West Coast and recorded at Pitbull Farm with Pitbull Dan (Murder Death Kill, Blood Stands Still, Donnybrook). We played a show in SoCal with Terror and Alpha & Omega and he came to the show to meet us in person and here we are. Westcoast Worldwide hit us up soon after and fortunately they were cool with a dual label release. Both labels are great for us. They get it.


No doubt vinyl holds a special place in the hardcore culture. How is it important for you to have your music released on this format?
We will not do a release with any label that doesn't do vinyl or at least let IVR put out the vinyl version. It is a great newer label and we are dedicated to their growth. We are not a band in debt. We own all our stuff. This is not an option.


The ep is going to be officially available in couple of days from now and then you are going to hit the road for bunch of shows with Murder Death Kill. What is it that keeps you excited and motivated about being in band and moving forward?
We love playing shows, booking Hardcore bands in Idaho, writing music, and we have all been in it for a long time. It is a way of life for us. It is who we are when we go about our day to day lives. Touring is the best when you are prepared. Meeting new kids and bands in different cities never gets old.


How do you manage to balance involvement in the band with family and day job commitments?
Well that is something we have worked on for years. We have set ourselves up in business or work to where we can make money at home while on the road. We all own businesses or work jobs during the week. We take time off when we want. We practice 3 nights a week. We spend lots of time with family and friends. They support us and understand that it is as much a part of our lives as they are. However, nothing is more important than family.


What are some other hardcore bands in your area we should follow?
Idaho is really lacking in music. Always has been. That being said we have some really good bands out of here. Not all Hardcore but we can all do shows together. Compromised, Black Cloud, Bone Dance, Gernika, Sinews, Reverie, N.F.F.U., and Hummingbird of Death are some of the best bands in town.


Before we wrap up, tell us something about Boise? Apart from right wing militias, what’s to see over there?
Boise is a family town. Very Mormon here. I am not from here but it is a great place to raise a family for the most part. The militia's don't exist here anymore. Racist extremist were all were ran out. The police force is still bullshit though and this is the drunkest city in the west so congratulations Boise.

Barcadia has called it quits

Damn, I missed this sad news when in January the band has announced they called it quits. Here's the update from the band's official FB site: "It's been a hell of a ride since 2005 and a lot of people have helped us along the way and supported our every move but we're going to be calling it quits. I (Michael) don't feel up to doing the band anymore and the rest of the band didn't want to continue on without me. There are way too many people to thank but a huge thank you to all of Reno hardcore and Reno straight edge...you made us who we ...are and without this city and all of the people here we would have been nothing. And thank you to everyone who checked out RAINN.org and did their part to help out a great cause. Continue to support what Reno puts out because there are some incredible people here. Thank you to everyone who supported us." You can still get some of their merch here.

Hometown Hate - S/T Ep

This is debut ep from Hometown Hate. Four guys, all from various Pittsburgh PA hardcore bands, got together and made this monster. Straight up rugged and raw beatdown hardcore. Download it!

Sawchuk interview

There’s a lot of happening In Sawchuk camp nowadays. The band has just put out a ‘How can you live like this’ ep, toured East Coast, and its near term plans include another ep and split in the summer. Here’s a short interview about their current activities, bit if you want more background info about the band check out the previous interview we did with them.

There’s a lot of happening In Sawchuk camp nowadays. The band has just put out a ‘How can you live like this’ ep, toured East Coast, and its near term plans include another ep and split in the summer. Here’s a short interview about their current activities, bit if you want more background info about the band check out the previous interview we did with them.

For those who don’t know – Sawchuk has just recently released "How can you live like this" ep. How did you guys come up with this title?
Without getting too deep into it, it's the title of the song that we felt best described the overall feel of the ep.

Where do you get the inspiration to write the type of music you do?
Living in Michigan (or the midwest in general) can be real shitty sometimes, we come from a very beautiful place that has become littered with abandoned factories and disheartened people. We just take everything around us that makes us upset and we put it in our music. we're not always as depressed or angry as our songs make us out to be, we like to have fun.

I’m not really familiar with Prospect Records. Tell us what this label is about, what they have released so far etc?
Prospect is a pretty small label based out of Boston, besides us everything they've released has come from the east coast. We're grateful that they decided to work with us and put out our record, they did a great job with it.

‘I Give No Fucks’ has some nice footage from band’s live action. What’s the craziest stuff you’ve seen during your show?
That's a hard one for me, nothing's really sticking out right now but i know i'll think of something later and feel like an idiot for not remembering. Everytime we play flint things get pretty crazy.

And have you ever had a show which totally sucked? The type of gig when the crowd is not moving, the vibe is not there and you just want to get over with it and go home…
Haha yeah, I think everyone has those shows, you just have to learn how to have fun with it.

If you were on death row what would be your last meal?
Philly cheese steak from Pats. Hands down.

Should hipsters be allowed to enter hardcore shows?
Yes. Everyone should be allowed into hardcore shows. If you're there to start fights or be a dick you gotta go, but no one should be turned away for anything but behavior.

What are the next steps for the band?
We're getting ready to leave for a week of shows right now, immediately after that we're gonna go record our new ep, then we're going to be hitting the road again in may.

Before we wrap up, do you have any shout outs or anything that you would like to say?
The Michigan hardcore scene is the best it's ever been right now, do yourself a favor and check out Fisherking, Solid Snake, Ante Up, Out of Step, Smash Your Enemies, King of Monsters, Bearfoot, Traitor, Gateways, Grizzlies, Natural Disasters, Brains Out and Slaves to the Pavement.

Blood For Blood working on a new album

The band has announced the news on its Facebook profilesaying: "Blood For Blood just started working on some preproduction recordings for the new album at Mad Oak Studios in Boston today. The mixing board behind them is the same board that Black Sabbath recorded the "Sabotage" album on!"

Benchpress - Stay Hated

Lewistown, Pennsylvania-based hardcore outfit with a heavy-ass sound and obnoxious attitude. Probably one of the meanest and strongest demos I've heard in a while. I've heard that the band got physical copies of it for sale but I'm not sure how to get them. If you're interested, the best thing to do is checking directly with band. Download the demo!

Terror announced new album in 2012, 'Live By The Code'

Terror will hit the studio this spring to begin recording a new full-length entitled "Live By The Code." The news around the net say that the album will be recorded by New Found Glory's Chad Gilbert (Trapped Under Ice, A Day To Remember) and should be available later this year. Century Media Records will take care of the CD and digital release, while Reaper Records will handle the album's vinyl release.

Ceremony - Adult

The second video from "Zoo" album.

Ballistic, new band with members of Billy Club Sandwich, Wake Up Cold and Treason

Ballistic is a new band which features Martin Gonzalez from Billy Club Sandwich and members of Wake Up Cold and Treason. With a longtime lull in activities with Treason, and Martin Gonzo's move to Baltimore, it was only a matter of time before the two forces joined up to create an unholy alliance in the spirit of the long fabled "Baltimore/New York connection". Ballistic arose to do nothing more than play hard music with good friends, and here is the result. The band states likes of Buried Alive, Death Threat, Brujeria or Madball as their major influences. Check out their Stereokiller profile or Facebook site. [Photo: Kate Frese Photography; link, link ]

Raw Meat - Demo 2012

Raw Meat hails from New York City and features members of The Rival Mob and Nomos. This is raw as fuck straight between the eyes hardcore. Don't know nothing more about the band except that this demo rules all the way. Get it or die in shame! Downloat it.

New Havenside album set for release in April

Sacramento, California hardcore outfit Havenside is all set to release their much anticipated new album entitled “Nemesis”, April 3rd, 2012 via Westcoast Worldwide Records. “Nemesis” is the follow up to 2010’s critically acclaimed “Recognition”, and is the bands third release. The album was recorded at Castle Ultimate Studios in Oakland, California, and was engineered/produced by Zack Ohren (All Shall Perish, Arsonists Get All the Girls, Suffocation, Conducting from the Grave). “We really feel that “Nemesis” is more than anything, a statement of our roots”, states vocalist Brandon Wells. “This record is just a wall of sound that will make you feel like you are getting assaulted from beginning to end. It’s a big, heavy sounding record, and we can’t wait for people to not just experience, but really feel it”.
Check out the lead single from “Nemesis” called “Resilient” here.

Tom Barry talks 'Balance: European Hardcore' book

Recently released Balance: European Hardcore book takes you on the journey across the European hardcore scene presenting number of people devoted to keep it alive and going even at the price of sacrificing free time, money and hard work. The book tells the story of dedication above all and reading how much heart these kids put into hardcore, no matter if it is France, Poland, Portugal or UK, gives your real motivation to carry on. After all, we are all fighting the same struggle to stay true to values which we hold dear in our lives while busting our asses off to provide the food on the table and pay the bills. And as the times get more hectic, it’s even more important to focus on such positive examples. The book was put together by duo; Sophia Schorr-Kon, responsible for the visual side of the book, and Tom Barry, who handled the writing duties. We caught up with the latter for a Q&A session about the project.

Recently released Balance: European Hardcore book takes you on the journey across the European hardcore scene presenting number of people devoted to keep it alive and going even at the price of sacrificing free time, money and hard work. The book tells the story of dedication above all and reading how much heart these kids put into hardcore, no matter if it is France, Poland, Portugal or UK, gives your real motivation to carry on. After all, we are all fighting the same struggle to stay true to values which we hold dear in our lives while busting our asses off to provide the food on the table and pay the bills. And as the times get more hectic, it’s even more important to focus on such positive examples. The book was put together by duo; Sophia Schorr-Kon, responsible for the visual side of the book, and Tom Barry, who handled the writing duties. We caught up with the latter for a Q&A session about the project.

Balance deals with individuals in European hardcore scene who commitment, dedication, enthusiasm to the hardcore scene while struggling to make ends meet and dealing with personal life challenges. What was your motivation to do this book?
The motivation came from our respect for such individuals and the need to get them documented NOW! Once myself and Sophia’s two worlds collided, all of the necessary elements were there to capture this scene in some way. Sophia’s first shots of the Belgian scene made it clear that an opportunity to photograph DIY hardcore in a beautiful and honest way – to give it the props it deserved – was there to be taken. How we would tie this together thematically was not clear at first. It was on a trip to visit the Portuguese scene that we decided that the work/hardcore balance was what we were interested in. The motivation then came directly from the scene and those elements you’ve listed – the enthusiasm you feel being around someone like Tonr from Providence can only add to your own motivation.


Writing book about real people and real situations seems like a huge responsibility to provide honest and sincere story. What is the key to telling a good story without compromising that person’s privacy?
I can’t speak for the individuals featured but hardcore is not a great “hiding place” for the most part, so those involved tend to be more honest and trusting with people tied to them through the culture. They had to trust that I respected them and I think that comes through in the book. If I screwed anybody over I would expect to be called out, but I live for it as they do - I would be fucking myself over to disrespect what I love. I think people understood that. All of the people I met were strong individuals who believe in hardcore and the decisions they make around it and have no problem letting people know that.
In terms of the story being good, well there was no need to be creative ‘cos it was all there – passion, suffering, dedication, alienation, community, anger, love. All the elements of a good story are there when people step out of the mainstream to pursue what they believe in. Having to live between two “worlds” will always be interesting to an observer. I just needed to listen and observe.
Saying all of this doesn’t mean I wasn’t stressed about getting everything ‘right’ - I couldn’t go back to the south of Poland and hang around Adam’s mine waiting for him to finish his shift so that I could check over everything. Both myself and Sophia needed to be open and aware to ensure that we didn’t miss stuff.

How much time did it take you to gather all the stories and how much time did you need for the writing and editing the book?
It was a short period of time – months. After we had presented our initial pitch to the publishers it was a case of wait…wait…um…wait…go, go, go! There was a period of time that we thought it might not happen ‘cos our contact, Buzz (great name, great guy) had to clear it with other people at the publishers and they weren’t going to email to tell us about each meeting they were having. We weren’t sure what was going on and then suddenly it was on and we had to get the whole thing done hardcore style! The speed helped keep everything “true” to our original plan - we had already decided to move through a number of countries quickly, shooting what we saw and documenting as honestly as possible. With the pressure to hand in for publishing, that speed was even more important and helped immensely with focus! The support of those in the scene made the whole thing possible. I also have to send a shout out to Balance’s designer, Siaron Hughes as she really helped us with her advice and guidance.

How did you choose the people to be featured in the book?
We worked out that on our budget we could hit a number of countries in the required time frame. It was then a case of making contact with people in the scene – we needed to capture people at work and performing/promoting, only being able to spend one or two days in each place before catching a train or plane to the next! Word spread through those who were down to support the project - like Joerg in Germany and Tonr in France - and the Balance tentacles found their way into the lives of strangers in the countries visited. We tried to capture a cross section of Europe but didn’t have the time to get to places like the Nordics, which was a real shame. I’d love to do another book and hit a load of the countries we couldn’t get to.

Which part of researching for the book was the most personally interesting to you?
Poland’s experience of the modern scene was of great interest because it was happening at the same time as I was getting into hardcore yet the experiences were both very different and very similar in a way that wasn’t the case with other Western European countries. Aside from the subject matter I was writing about, I was also very interested in how we would capture the people and music in photographs. Standing on speakers with a lightbox held above my head while Sophia dodged spin-kicks looked chaotic but we knew that the resultant lighting would capture the subjects in a more intimate way.



Was there anything that surprised you when dealing with hardcore kids from totally different parts of Europe, like Poland, Portugal, Germany, France… ?
There were cultural elements that informed some behavior and attitudes – the Southern Europeans were a lot more open and warm than their Northern counterparts for example, but ultimately hardcore people are hardcore people.

Were there stories that you would have liked to include, but they just didn't make into the final book?
Due to the speed that we were moving at, there were a few cases where a person was playing a show but it was impossible to catch them at work while we were in their country. There were also a few cases of vans breaking down and potential subjects not making shows – typical low budget DIY hardcore stuff. We could only cover two people per country so it was hard when you’d interview and hang out with somebody and they’d have another angle but there was no room to include them. Essentially there was a cut-off point - if we didn’t catch a full snapshot of that person at that time then it wouldn’t do the project justice.
It would have been amazing to include every country in Europe but it would have been impossible in the timescale. The book had to remain honest to its creation. As I explain in the introduction – this isn’t the ultimate guide to European Hardcore in 2011/12, rather it is a snapshot of the lives of some of its participants. There will always be those who can’t accept that and want the book to feature pages and pages of their favourite bands. This project came about to highlight what living a hardcore life means – if you can’t see yourself in some of these subjects and their experience than what are you doing calling yourself hardcore?


Hardcore is still an unusual topic for a book. Was it easy to find a publisher?
No. We learnt a lot wandering around book fairs and asking questions but it helped that we pitched the project to Buzz; somebody who was already familiar with hardcore. When I explained what we were going to be doing he half joked, “is this gonna be about FSU?” and I knew that we’d been given a lucky break and we had to nail it. Thankfully we did. Some of the other publishers would smile and nod as you went through presentations and suddenly reel back in horror when they saw a tattooed “thug” swinging their arms in a pit. Hopefully they can now read about these people and not be so quick to judge them. Strangely, a common brush-off was, “we’re concentrating on cook books.” I guess that was the most un-hardcore subject they could think of. I think there was actually a hardcore cookbook put out a while ago with Sick Of It All and maybe Agnostic Front donating their favourite recipes. Maybe I dreamt it…



What was the publishing process like with this book?
As you can tell from our stress waiting for a decision from the publishers, we were both novices to this world. We decided that, no matter how hard it was to convince people, it was important to do this on a scale befitting of the subject matter and work. We were confident in our work and believed in what we were doing, even if we took a few knock-backs.

What’s your own history or relationship with hardcore? What's the most important lesson you've learned throughout your involvement in the movement?
I got into hardcore in my teens because it was the perfect fit. I didn’t fit in with the metal and rock scenes, and they didn’t connect with me in anything like the way seeing people of my own age, dressed “normally”, and screaming about stuff with sincerity did. Everybody around me listened to dancehall and rap (which I still love), but Knuckledust was the same age as us and made music that crushed all of that dead! It was completely crazy. I was full of aggression and I needed something real to listen to that had that rage running through it. I love all types of street music but hardcore has THE sound. The first show I went to had my future singer, DBS on the door – 15 years old but a tough kid! Knuckledust were playing alongside Stampin’ Ground, who Ian Glasper played with. Ian’s balancing act of running labels, working a day job, raising a family, playing in bands, and writing, would go on to inspire me to do something. The fact that he writes the foreword for the book is amazing - he was playing onstage at my first hardcore show which cemented my love for the music - and then writes the foreword for Balance all these years later. Would that happen in any other “music scene?”
I started my own band, Kartel after attending shows, so my relationship with hardcore then became even more involved. The most important lessons? Wow. The real power of co-operation, of trust, the importance of channeling negativity into something positive without compromising your beliefs, the power to go beyond the limits society places on you through building your own communities and art. Aggressive music is no less valid than other forms of music – humans have different experiences, hardcore is one type of music for those who’ve been pissed off by theirs. It definitely acted as an anchor in my life growing up.

Ill Intent posted new track - Numbskull

Ill Intent posted new track from band's upcoming 'No Masters' six-song ep. Listen to Numbskull here. Pre-orders for 'No Masters' are up at 6131 webstore. The 7" should be dropping by May.

Respect Few & Fear None, new album from Senseless

Greece-based Senseless has released new album 'Respect Few & Fear None' on Spook Records. The album contains 11 tracks of beatdown hardcore with guest appearances from Pelbu (Knuckledust / Bun Dem Out), Nikk (Overpain), Vincent (Alea Jacta Est / Trough My Eyes) and Tito (Surge Of Fury). For fans of CDC, Six Ft Ditch, TRC or Nasty.

Down to Nothing - Pipeline

Pipeline taken from All My Sons EP released by Reaper Records in 2010.

Escapist Records signs Territory

Escapist Records would like to welcome Tucson, AZ’s Territory to its roster. We are quite excited to be working with the band on the release of a 12” in the coming months. Drawing influence from the likes of Ringworm, Obituary, and Buried Alive, in their brief span as a band Territory has played alongside many of today’s brightest in hardcore including Foundation, Xibalba, Harms Way, Alpha & Omega, 50 Lions, and countless others. Territory is currently in the midst of recording the album at guitarist Ryan Bram’s Homewrecker Studios. The release will be comprised of brand new songs as well as re-recorded material from the band’s demo and split cassette with Dead Hours. In the interim, the Territory’s recently released cover of Carcass’ “Buried Dreams” for Toxicbreed’s Funhouse covers compilation can be streamed online here.

Beat Down - pre-order for "Missing In Action 7" started

Beat Down found some lost songs and Demons Run Amok is about to release it on a limited to 150 7" with tons of specials. Keep your eyes open the pre-orders are up now. Don't sleep on this these copies will be sold out soon! Check the song Life is a Bitch on soundcloud!

Animal Instinct released Unfinished Business on Take It Back records

Take It Back proudly presents Animal Instinct’s debut long-play album Unfinished Business. Animal Instinct considers itself to be a traditional hardcore band, with its homebase in the greater Zurich area (Switzerland). The band features ex and current members of Solid Ground, Vale Tudo, Play to Destroy, and Liferide to only name a few. Similar to the band’s 7“EP, the eleven original songs on Unfinished Business are heavily influenced by the band members’ favorite New York hardcore bands such as Straight Ahead, Outburst , Raw Deal, and Warzone. So it does not come as a surprise that Animal Instinct chose to include a Killing Time cover tune on Unfinished Business.

Take It Back offers a limited version of Unfinished Business, available only via pre-order, along with a strictly limited shirt and various package deals. The album is going to be available on white, red, and black vinyl, and includes a download code.

To celebrate Take It Back’s 10th release, our back catalogue will be on sale for the pre-order phase. Offer good while supplies last.

Pre-order starts on 31 March 2012. The release date is scheduled for 29 April 2012.

To pre-order Unfinshed Business, please visit our store at http://takeitbackrec.bigcartel.com/

Become our friend on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TAKEITBACKREC

Stream Unfinished Business for free: http://animalinstinct.bandcamp.com/

Summer Of Hate 2012 Details

Summer Of Hate festival will take place 07/14/2012 at Peabody’s in Cleveland, Ohio. The line-up includes 100 Demons, Shattered Realm, Death Before Dishonor, Nasty, Suburban Scum, Numb, World Of Pain, Clenched Fist, Palehorse, Sand, 10 Of Swords, Life After Death, Copykill, Lifeless, Cold Existence and Psycho Enhancer.

.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.