Face Your Enemy streams the entire album, 'Do The Right Thing'
Strength Records to drop limitied vinyl edition of Cause For Alarm album
Life After Death posted new tunes
Life After Death has posted a new song, Cursed and Cuffed. Band's Facebook: 'So since Lifeless NLFTW said they were going to post a song, we decided we would post a rough mix of one of our new songs called Cursed and Cuffed so you could have new jams from both of our bands.' The song is crazy, definitely a good follow up to their debut album, Scum Of Society Forever, which came out on Filled With Hate last year. "Cursed, Cursed, Cursed to rehearse this fuckin fake as smile/ Cuffed, Cuffed, Cuffed to a soul that never gave a fuck"
Lifeless to release new 7" on Harvcore
The new 7" Ep by New Jersey-based Lifeless is called 'If I Could Be Anyone But Me' and should be out this September via Harvcore Records. The band has put the new songs on their Stereokiller profile so go there and make sure you give this band a proper support they deserve. Ffo Merauder, Fury Of V, Bulldoze....
Menace - Demo 2012
Menace is from Williamsport, PA and comes with some vicious, negative and most of all tough as nails hardcore. I kind of ran across this band while just mindlessly browsing Internet and I wonder why there's no any hype yet about them cause this shit is so tight! From the music itself to the lyrics it constantly reminds me why I hate this world so much. I know these guys are working on some new tunes, but check out this demo in the meantime! Download!
Where Fear And Weapons Meet to play Bringin’ It Back For The Kids Fest
Where Fear And Weapons Meet has reunited and is set to play their first show at Bringin’ It Back For The Kids Fest on October 12th at Rocketown in Fort Lauderdale. As reported by several websites, the new line-up features two original members: John Wylie (Morning Again, Until The End) and Jason Lederman (Against All Authority, Shai Hulud). The band also consists of Larry Scott (Think Fast! co-owner), Chip Walbert (All Hell Breaks Loose, Until The End), and Chad Kishick (Shai Hulud). The band is working on some new tunes as well!
Bitter Thoughts - ST
Bitter Thoughts hails from Chicago suburbs and delivers powerful and slick hardcore/hardcore in vein of Dmize, Breakdown or 25 Ta Life. The got this good old NYHC vibe going on throughout this self titled demo and each tracks is delivered with force and a healthy dose of grit. Good stuff! Download!
Dead Man's Chest - Summon The Strength
New Dead Man's Chest video done by Frank Pellegrino. Seventh Dagger. Straight Edge. Hate.
No Cure - Broken Lives
No Cure is a new band from CT with ex members of Ambitions, iRise, Unforgiven, and The Risk Taken. It's a 4 song demo, just above 5 minutes long of fast and intensive hardcore with some thrash influences thrown in for a good measure. The sound quality is awesome, the songs are tight, can't wait to hear more from them! Download it!
New Blood: Life For A Life
Life For A Life are couple of dudes from Cali who are really pissed off at the world right now and did the best thing to do when you’re in such situation – started a hardcore band. Two demos released last year were promising, but when the band put out the Identity EP I knew this shit is serious. Tight as hell hardcore that delivers a perfect mix of groove and heaviness. This is interview I did with the singer, Jabril, just before the EP was released. Make sure you check Identity out after reading this interview!
Life For A Life are couple of dudes from Cali who are really pissed off at the world right now and did the best thing to do when you’re in such situation – started a hardcore band. Two demos released last year were promising, but when the band put out the Identity EP I knew this shit is serious. Tight as hell hardcore that delivers a perfect mix of groove and heaviness. This is interview I did with the singer, Jabril, just before the EP was released. Make sure you check Identity out after reading this interview!Tell us something about Life For A Life? Where do you come from ad how did the band originally get together?
Life For A Life is a Hardcore Punk band from Lancaster, Ca. We originally started as a 5 piece band in Jan. of 2010 with two vocalist. Christian Resendez and Jabril Ward singing, Dylan Frye playing bass, Brennen Mann on guitar, and Charlie Marotta playing the drums. Our current line-up is Jabril Ward singing, Cole Patterson on Bass, Brennen Mann on guitar, Charlie Marotta on drums, and recently we added another addition to the band, Rene Resendez who is Christian's older brother
Identity is brand new song from LFAL and it serves as a teaser for the upcoming EP. Wanna tell us something about it? How representative is this song to the rest of the material?
The single Identity was released in March of 2012 and is also the name of our EP set to be released in late May of 2012. The song on it's own is about walking forward into the unknown future. Without the knowledge of who you are, and what you stand for, the point of view on your own "identity" is altered. The past of someone does indeed define a man. The EP can be looked at as a story being told by a youthful mind. The EP "Identity" hopefully can be relatable to many listeners based off the fact that everyone does have the fear of the future. We can't wait for the EP to drop, and can't wait to hear feedback from fans.
There seem to be a lot of NYHC influences in your sound. What are some of the bands you draw your inspiration from?
The single Identity was released in March of 2012 and is also the name of our EP set to be released in late May of 2012. The song on it's own is about walking forward into the unknown future. Without the knowledge of who you are, and what you stand for, the point of view on your own "identity" is altered. The past of someone does indeed define a man. The EP can be looked at as a story being told by a youthful mind. The EP "Identity" hopefully can be relatable to many listeners based off the fact that everyone does have the fear of the future. We can't wait for the EP to drop, and can't wait to hear feedback from fans.
Do you think that the lyrics and the message in LFAL are of the same importance as the music?
We definitely do believe that the lyrics are as important as the music. Hardcore isn't just a sound, but it's a lifestyle. If you are able to preach your personally experiences with it, then your message will reach out to many kids.
I am kinda curious is there any deeper story behind the band’s name? It sounds quite serious.
Hahaha. The band name. This is a question we get a lot. The name LIFE FOR A LIFE started out as a phrase that we use to use in high school. Our vocalist Jabril is an only child and values friendship very much. He wanted the security of friendship, as well as giving out the same security. We all made a pact to stick together no matter what, and we would throw the phrase around once up against the wall. It eventually turned into the band's name, and it became known very quickly in our town.
You guys played with plenty of well established bands, from Donnybrook to Madball to Trapped Under Ice. Is there a lot of pressure opening for bands like these and how supportive are kids to up and coming bands like yours?
Opening up for major bands such as Madball and Trapped Under Ice is indeed very nerve wrecking, but pressure is everywhere in life. Sometimes you have to just brush off the thoughts of self-doubt and give it your all. We believe that you only get one chance to shine, and that chance is now. Usually the kids in our home town scene and local areas are very supportive. Sometimes it feels like the pressure slowly leans off of us the more we play shows. We start to see familiar faces each time, and it starts to feel like home wherever we are.
What bands would you like to play with in the future?
Even though we are susceptible to play with any band no matter the genre or location. We could all agree that playing a show with Terror would be a great pleasure. Just the energy that they bring to every show they play is so exciting. Who wouldn't want to be a part of that.
If you knew someone just getting into hardcore, what advice would you give them about the whole thing? What bands, records, labels, zines they should check out?
Advice that we would give to anyone new getting into hardcore is that the best thing to do is let down your guard, open your eyes, relax, and get ready to be understood by a wave of people from different places, different past, different futures, but all the same shoes.
What are your favorite current hardcore bands?
Record labels to check out would be 6131 records here in California, Reaper Records in New York, and some smaller labels such as Life to Live in Florida & Learn to Trust in Malaysia. Currently some of our favorite Hardcore bands would be Fire & Ice, Backtrack, Rotting Out, Downpresser and many more. Bands that should be checked out would have to be Down Fall from down here in Lancaster, Always Try from down here in Lancaster, Relations from Oxnard, The Black Path from Lake Elsinore, Iron Grip from Denver, and Losin' It from Florida.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future of the band?
We hope to show fans that no matter their thoughts, that they are never alone in life. We also want to spread Hardcore music and the lifestyle as far out as possible to different people no matter their ethnicity, faith, and point of views.
Check out band's Bandcamp
Stoop Kid - Demo
Hard as nails hardcore out of Massachusetts, Stoop Kid delivers everything you need to start wanting fuck people up real badly. This is their first demo and it sounds tight. Pounding and crushing stuff delivered mostly in mid-tempos with the emphasis on groove and nice double bass work. The angry-ass vocals make you want to get your aggression out in a brutal way. Pretty sick. Spineless is my fav song, but all of them are solid. Download it!
Born From Pain streams entire 'The New Future'. Pre-order packages available!
Groove, riffs, melody and defiance to the powers that be come into one - this is how GSR Records describes new album by Born From Pain. The label offers 3 different pre-order packages. More about the album: "This is the musical reaction to creeping oppression, anti-human policy and fear mongering by the powerful few of this world against the people. This is a cry for the better and new future we all deserve. This is the result of a 15-year journey of a band coming to full awareness of the world around them and daring to stand up for their beliefs, musically coming of age with more melody, hardness and atmosphere than ever before. Fear won’t stop us in our tracks…THIS IS US!" You can listen to the entire album here.
Embraced By Hatred reveals the title of new album
Embraced By Hatred, German beatdown, is working on new album called "Trife Life". If you wanna see how it's going to sound, click here for the official teaser. It does not reveal much about the new music, but the classic joint that plays for most of the video is worth clicking anyway.
Fallbrawl - Mayhem
Fans of German beatdown will be happy to know that Fallbrawl just released new video.
KDC - The Dirt On My Hands
From the album "Naive To The Bone",release date 6/22/12, on Irish Voodoo Records! Filmed and edited by Atom Productions.
Impulse CV - Chicano Violence
Impulse CV is brand new band emerging from the vibrant Chula Vista hardcore scene. The guys have just released Chicano Violence demo and it's definitely something to check out if you're into fast and pissed off hardcore. The songs barely pass the one minute mark and everything is hardcore to the bone. From start to finish this shit is pure aggression. What impressed me most is how each track flows together flawlessly and they even do some slick breakdowns from time to time. Definitely recommended! Download!
New Swing On Sight Family 'Worldwide Split' is out at FWH Records
Founded back in 2002 in Youngstown Ohio, the SOSF expanded the last decade to a global organization with chapters in the USA, Japan, Spain and Germany. After two editions including an American and Japanese band each, "Volume 3" takes the next step further and features Cold Reigh (Indiana/USA), Gentlemen's Sport (Hamburg/D) and Guerilla Crowz (Tokyo/JP). Each band recorded 4 new tracks of straight-up, uncompromising no-nonsense Hardcore influenced by the traditional Cleveland sound like Ringworm, In Cold Blood, One Life Crew and even classical NYHC like Cro-Mags, Madball or Merauder.
Terror - Keepers Of The Faith (Full Length Documentary)
Terror documentary “Keepers of the Faith” which the band has posted in its entirety for free streaming. Good stuff, not only for die-hard Terror fans. I believe the band does not need any introduction, but it's good if kids can see and appreciate how much effort they put in to make it work. One of - if not the - most prominent bands in hardcore right now which has not compromised its credibility and integrity. There's a lot of passion and dedication in what these guys do and it definitely shows in this video. KOTF!
Entrapment - The Pros And Cons Of Breathing EP
Entrapment is new band formed in The Barracks (Wilmington, MA). The sound quality of the demo is rather raw, but if that not something that would put you off there is definitely something promising going on here. The band delivers solid metal driven hardcore accompanied with burly vocals. They throw in a good amount of tempo changes so it doesn't get boring that fast. I would definitely like to hear some properly recorded shit from them. Until then, give young bloods a chance! And check out their facebook page as the band plans to play some small tours this summer! Download it!
Lay It On The Line - A Lesson In Personal Finance
"It is about the old headteacher from Mike and Matt's school - he was murdered by a rentboy, who he owed money to. The rentboy broke in to his house, robbed him and killed him." - cot damn! Lay It On The Line prowls on the streets of South London and this is a story of how to survive in big city when times get tough. Download it!
Check out Solid Bond Records. Friend Or Foe 7" still available!
Check out Solid Bond Records, a new label started by Jared Carman, bassist of Trapped Under Ice and Down To Nothing. The label has so far jointly released with Reaper Records the Friend Or Foe 7″ for United Blood 2012.
Revelation Records signs The Rival Mob
Revelation Records welcomes The Rival Mob to the roster. Look for a release from this great Boston hardcore band in the coming year. If you're unfamiliar the band: The Rival Mob was born in a bitter wasteland known as Massachusetts in the year of 2007 AD, where five men were brought together by a common goal: to play hardcore punk in a manner most hard, cold, and real. Having had a bit of experience here and there playing in bands such as Mind Eraser, Free Spirit, Mental, Rightous Jams, Thow Wrong Side, XFilesX, The Prowl, Bottom Line, New Lows, Lovely Ladsand R'N'R , it wasn't long until Boston's infamous practice space and recording spa the Pain Cave was ringing with riffs. Inspired by late 80s hardcore a la BREAKDOWN, REST IN PIECES, YOUTH OF TODAY, and CRIPPLED YOUTH, the boys recorded their first demo (an '87 BREAKDOWN worshipping slab of meat) and started playing shows and making a name for themselves within the wonderful hardcore punk community. Not long afterwards they were approached by Boston hardcore hero and entrepreneur Greg Willmott and a deal was inked for a release on the notorious Lockin' Out label.
In late 2008 the "Raw Life" EP dropped like an atom bomb and the word was out: THE MOB ruled all. Gigs and tee shirts began to flow like wine as THE MOB continuously attacked the Northeast, Canada, and beyond. Unwavering in their style, the "Hardcore for Hardcore" EP was released in 2010 on Six Feet Under records to smashing success.
Aged like a fine wine and seasoned like a fine meal, THE RIVAL MOB return yet again for their first full-length LP on Revelation Records entitled "Mob Justice." "Mob Justice" will take the raw meat and potatoes Rival Mob formula and pump it full of caveman steroids. Not for either the faint of heart or the faint of pit - so don't say you weren't warned.
Last Dayz - Fuck Off
First official video from the Polish band. Go to Ratel Records website and order their 7"!
Down & Out! - Demo Revisited
I don't know much about this band except that they're from Puerto Rico and play quite tight hardcore with NYHC twist. According to their Facebook, Down & Out has been around for about 7 years already but I also got no clue if that's their first demo or if they had released anything prior to this one. Anyway, the songs are somewhere between being fast and groovy, with breakdowns and gang vocals thrown in here and there. The sounds tends to be flat, but it doesn't bother me that much. Out Of This captures the band at its best, with a smooth delivery and catchy-as-hell chorus. Definite thumbs up! Download it!
Cheech to drop 4th full length album
Cheech, which is one of the most criminally underrated bands out of Boston, has provided news on their new album which is currently in the works: "This summer we will be finishing up our 4th full length album. Title and label will be announced in the coming weeks. Be sure, it will be a killer record, one much BIGGER than any previous Cheech release. Because of this, we are starting the campaign now and trying to reach as many people as we can." All Cheech releases are available for free streaming and/or download at band's Bandcamp website including DEMO versions of a few new songs:
Life To Live Records news
Exciting news from the Life To Live Records camp! Provider - Wasteland 7" is out now. New York Hardcore for fans of Madball and Outburst. They played with Bold for their record release. Keep an eye out on this band in 2012. Another project is 'Rad Summer 2012' - a hardcore / punk compilation that is available digitally in their bandcamp. 100 tapes were also made but are now sold out. In August, a 2nd pressing of Reaching Out by Step Aside will be up for grabs in the online store! On top of that, Life to Live will also be on tour for 6 weeks this summer with Truth Inside, Vices, and Losin' It. Check the dates out here.
Kickstarter project: Cold As Life - A Detroit Story
Here's info on recently launched Kickstarter project which aims to tell the Cold As Life story with a sort of broader perspective on Detroit city and its decline: "Our goal for this feature length documentary is to continue to explore the decline of Detroit and the parallel reaction it created socially in the music scene of the city. Once called the Paris of the new world, Detroit was a hub in the industrial revolution, with some of the nation's wealthiest companies and businesses spawning there, only now to be left in ruins""It is our intent to document and present a comprehensive overview and history of the origins of the independent Rock, Punk and Hardcore movements in Detroit, while the underlying story will focus on the band Cold As Life. Uncovering the truth behind the myth and rumors we will finally bring to light the Scariest, Hardest, most Tragic story in Rock N' Roll."
"Narrated by Lars Fredricksen of Rancid, the film will draw upon archival footage, recent interviews, and investigative - style reporting. If funded, our team will be able to return to Detroit and finish our documentation and exploration of the tumultuous history of rock n' roll and it's victims in the Motor City. Featuring interviews with - CTYC, Agnostic Front, Sick of it All, Madball, Hatebreed, Cromags, Murphy's Law, S.B.L.C, Terror, Skarhead, Crown Of Thornz, H8 Inc, Bulldoze, Negative Approach, the Suicide Machines, Earthmover, the Almighty Lumberjacks of Death, Pitbull, Son of Sam/Hillside Stranglers, Heresy, xTYRANTx, and many more."
Face Your Enemy to drop new album: 'Do The Right Thing'
The italian band is back with the upcoming follow up album to “Message In A Bomb”'s 2011. It will be entitled “Do The Right Thing” and will be produced by Urban Discipline (Ita)/CBC(Caserta Beatdown Clan). The album is scheduled to be released in June 2012. It is the Fourth chapter for the southern band always up with the heaviest hardcore influenced by rap and metal. “Do The Right Thing” was recorded and mixed by Marco (Traces Of You). Announced featuring with Ivan from Straight Opposition.Dome, the singer of the band, says: “Do The Right Thing” is just a tribute to all the stuff which left a mark on our generation, grown up between the nineties and the two-thousands. We have taken all the music, the albums, the covers, the comics, the movies, etc... which influenced our lives and then we have grinded, mixed them and then played them with our style. This is “Do The Right Thing”, hardcore like a lifestyle according to Face Your Enemy.
HB Radio #2
This is second HB Radio podcast we do on this website and hope you’ll have as much fun listening to these tracks as we do compiling them. This time it’s a mix of old and new, with some more recent tracks and stuff we all listened years ago. The only criteria is that it’s gotta be fast and hard, no pussy music. Crowd Deterrent, Ensign, Everybody Gets Hurt, Die Hard, Search Bloc, Retaliate and Olde York are just few of 20+ bands included. Playlist after the jump or open it in a pop up window.
Go For It! Interview
Go For It! has been featured on this website couple of times already but the news is they’re working hard to have their new album released so we thought it’s worth to inquire a little bit about it. It is called Misantrophy and judging by the songs that have been released so far, it shows more melodic and catchy side of the band. It’s still powerful, but when you compare it with their first output you might be surprised. Here’s something about the new music and the message the band want to get across through it!
Go For It! has been featured on this website couple of times already but the news is they’re working hard to have their new album released so we thought it’s worth to inquire a little bit about it. It is called Misantrophy and judging by the songs that have been released so far, it shows more melodic and catchy side of the band. It’s still powerful, but when you compare it with their first output you might be surprised. Here’s something about the new music and the message the band want to get across through it!
What´s new with the band? Please give us the recent history?
GO FOR IT! started up in late 2008 in the north-west of Germany. We´re a four-piece Hardcore-Punk-band playing a style anywhere between Oldschool & Punk Rock.
It is just the way we used to hear when we were kids until nowadays. GO FOR IT! are members Franky who is doing the vocals, Dom at the drums, Martin plays bass and my name is Haris. I play guitar and sing at several parts, too. Martin replaced our friend Sven. He was leaving out of personal reasons but he is still in our hearts and yes, he is back with making again. Martin joined GO FOR IT! in a time when we were out of the studio and the recordings for “Misanthropy” were finished. But the rehearsals with him showed us that “Misanthropy” could reach another level. So we decided to book another studio to record all bass lines again. You will hear the result when you will write the review of “Misanthropy”
Tell me about the new album “Misanthropy”. What can kids expect when they´re listening to it?
“The passion, the heart afire entire” …these are the first few words which opens up the album within a sing-along and I guess there isn´t really more to say about it hahaha. No just kidding, but I guess the first impression when I am thinking about “Misanthropy” is that this record is different in many ways when it comes to comparison to our first release “Reading between the front lines”. We invested much more time during the songwriting and pre-productions and we thrown away a lot of lyrics until we reached every single track like we thought it should out perfectly.
Finally the kids can expect 14 tracks and some really interesting features.
Tell us something about the guest appearances on the album!
Oh that´s pretty easy to answer that question because every single voice which is captured on “Misanthropy” is a friend of us. We know Cindy van der Heijden (All For Nothing) since ever I guess hahaha. And so we asked her if she wanted to sing some vocals in “Fuck Y´All”. The same with Bud who is better known from his band Settle The Score, who are sadly not active anymore. There are much more buddies on “Misanthropy” so you better check the booklet and figure out who I am talking about.
The whole “Misanthropy”-album was made by friends of us…the recordings, the mastering, the artwork and design, simply everything. That makes us feel pretty familiar to this upcoming output.
Lyrically, what are some of the stories you are telling on this album?
“Misanthropy” – dealing with social values as a flat creation of humanity. We are all creatures that act anti-social and selfish in so many ways. Franky only writes about personal stories that he witnessed cause this is the best way to make it authentic.
Which one is the most important to you?
Puh, hard to say but I guess “Humanimal” is the key to the whole album.
But that doesn´t make this song more important in contrast to the others.
You´ve been for some time already. How has your outlook on Hardcore scene changed over the years?
Damned, we´re getting older and there is nothing we can do about it. But in our hearts we´re still 14 years old and we still love what we do. But now the time has come that we give our scene(s) something back. Not something material or anything like that but we are totally caught into “messages” so maybe YOU know what we´re talking about.
Do you even get the impression that kids nowadays are forgetting their roots and the classic Hardcore sound?
Some kids are just jumping from one trend to another, play what their friends wanna hear and forget the Punk roots, which build up the Hardcore scene. Definitely yes, and I am sad about that. Today everything is about piercings, flat caps and who has more tattoos. Oh man, that really has nothing in common with Hardcore like it once was meant.
If you could change one thing in the Hardcore scene, what would it be?
One upon a time Hardcore was about being individual and diverse and checking out about the “Why?” behind a fact anyone is telling you. Today it is kinda different. The kids don´t care about respect or unity and this is what we love in Hardcore. No matter who you are, no matter where you´re from, you´re always welcome…and even more! Hardcore is a movement about being informed and to be critical.
What kind of stuff are you guys listening to now?
We´re a tree with many roots. As long as it is good music, we listen to every genre from Metal, Hip Hop, Punk, Ska, Hardcore (of course), and much more just like Johnny Cash, Peter Gabriel and City & Colour. If it comes from the heart and is authentic then I guess it doesn´t matter which style it is.
Record collecting – some kids say it´s okay, some say it´s lame to buy five different colour version of the same album. What are your thoughts on the subjects?
C´mon, you are talking about dedication and this is everything but really not lame at all. The last record I have bought was only 2 days ago. Definitely still a medium up to date in the Hardcore scene. The Rotting Out album is killer!
What are your thoughts on the current situation in Europe? I´m talking about the crises, the debt, the unemployment…
“Promote The Protest” is the connecting track to this theme and we were always treated like insects beyond the politics. We´re living in a democracy but we, the people are not involved into decisions concerning all of us. The thing is “Keep your eyes open and don´t believe what the media try to suggest you!” The big ones even earn more money than in the early days.
What are some other bands from your area, you´re down with?
Oh when I think about bands in our area then first of all our brothers Strength. Hard working, always on the road, brilliant people. Then of course, you have to check out Lavatch (these guys know how to love!) and All For Revenge from Berlin and all other bands who have something to say. Oh Berlin is not our area but hey, check them out!
Plans for spring, summer and rest of 2012? Anything else you´d like to add?
Step one: Find a passionate label who will release “Misanthropy” as soon as possible.
Step two: Promote the protest by playing shows and weekend-tours all over where it is possible and where the kids wanna see us to play.
Step three: Write new stuff. Right now we´ve already finished so far, so be aware and expect the worst.
Step four: Meet up passionate people who share the same love like we do…music from the bottom of the heart!
GO FOR IT! started up in late 2008 in the north-west of Germany. We´re a four-piece Hardcore-Punk-band playing a style anywhere between Oldschool & Punk Rock.
It is just the way we used to hear when we were kids until nowadays. GO FOR IT! are members Franky who is doing the vocals, Dom at the drums, Martin plays bass and my name is Haris. I play guitar and sing at several parts, too. Martin replaced our friend Sven. He was leaving out of personal reasons but he is still in our hearts and yes, he is back with making again. Martin joined GO FOR IT! in a time when we were out of the studio and the recordings for “Misanthropy” were finished. But the rehearsals with him showed us that “Misanthropy” could reach another level. So we decided to book another studio to record all bass lines again. You will hear the result when you will write the review of “Misanthropy”
Tell me about the new album “Misanthropy”. What can kids expect when they´re listening to it?
“The passion, the heart afire entire” …these are the first few words which opens up the album within a sing-along and I guess there isn´t really more to say about it hahaha. No just kidding, but I guess the first impression when I am thinking about “Misanthropy” is that this record is different in many ways when it comes to comparison to our first release “Reading between the front lines”. We invested much more time during the songwriting and pre-productions and we thrown away a lot of lyrics until we reached every single track like we thought it should out perfectly.
Finally the kids can expect 14 tracks and some really interesting features.
Tell us something about the guest appearances on the album!
Oh that´s pretty easy to answer that question because every single voice which is captured on “Misanthropy” is a friend of us. We know Cindy van der Heijden (All For Nothing) since ever I guess hahaha. And so we asked her if she wanted to sing some vocals in “Fuck Y´All”. The same with Bud who is better known from his band Settle The Score, who are sadly not active anymore. There are much more buddies on “Misanthropy” so you better check the booklet and figure out who I am talking about.
The whole “Misanthropy”-album was made by friends of us…the recordings, the mastering, the artwork and design, simply everything. That makes us feel pretty familiar to this upcoming output.
Lyrically, what are some of the stories you are telling on this album?
“Misanthropy” – dealing with social values as a flat creation of humanity. We are all creatures that act anti-social and selfish in so many ways. Franky only writes about personal stories that he witnessed cause this is the best way to make it authentic.
Which one is the most important to you?
Puh, hard to say but I guess “Humanimal” is the key to the whole album.
But that doesn´t make this song more important in contrast to the others.
You´ve been for some time already. How has your outlook on Hardcore scene changed over the years?
Damned, we´re getting older and there is nothing we can do about it. But in our hearts we´re still 14 years old and we still love what we do. But now the time has come that we give our scene(s) something back. Not something material or anything like that but we are totally caught into “messages” so maybe YOU know what we´re talking about.
Do you even get the impression that kids nowadays are forgetting their roots and the classic Hardcore sound?
Some kids are just jumping from one trend to another, play what their friends wanna hear and forget the Punk roots, which build up the Hardcore scene. Definitely yes, and I am sad about that. Today everything is about piercings, flat caps and who has more tattoos. Oh man, that really has nothing in common with Hardcore like it once was meant.
If you could change one thing in the Hardcore scene, what would it be?
One upon a time Hardcore was about being individual and diverse and checking out about the “Why?” behind a fact anyone is telling you. Today it is kinda different. The kids don´t care about respect or unity and this is what we love in Hardcore. No matter who you are, no matter where you´re from, you´re always welcome…and even more! Hardcore is a movement about being informed and to be critical.
What kind of stuff are you guys listening to now?
We´re a tree with many roots. As long as it is good music, we listen to every genre from Metal, Hip Hop, Punk, Ska, Hardcore (of course), and much more just like Johnny Cash, Peter Gabriel and City & Colour. If it comes from the heart and is authentic then I guess it doesn´t matter which style it is.
Record collecting – some kids say it´s okay, some say it´s lame to buy five different colour version of the same album. What are your thoughts on the subjects?
C´mon, you are talking about dedication and this is everything but really not lame at all. The last record I have bought was only 2 days ago. Definitely still a medium up to date in the Hardcore scene. The Rotting Out album is killer!
What are your thoughts on the current situation in Europe? I´m talking about the crises, the debt, the unemployment…
“Promote The Protest” is the connecting track to this theme and we were always treated like insects beyond the politics. We´re living in a democracy but we, the people are not involved into decisions concerning all of us. The thing is “Keep your eyes open and don´t believe what the media try to suggest you!” The big ones even earn more money than in the early days.
What are some other bands from your area, you´re down with?
Oh when I think about bands in our area then first of all our brothers Strength. Hard working, always on the road, brilliant people. Then of course, you have to check out Lavatch (these guys know how to love!) and All For Revenge from Berlin and all other bands who have something to say. Oh Berlin is not our area but hey, check them out!
Plans for spring, summer and rest of 2012? Anything else you´d like to add?
Step one: Find a passionate label who will release “Misanthropy” as soon as possible.
Step two: Promote the protest by playing shows and weekend-tours all over where it is possible and where the kids wanna see us to play.
Step three: Write new stuff. Right now we´ve already finished so far, so be aware and expect the worst.
Step four: Meet up passionate people who share the same love like we do…music from the bottom of the heart!
New Blood: World In Decline
A new force to reckon with if you’re into heavy-ass hardcore delivered with finesse and witty skills. And when it’s coupled with hard-edged vocals which spit nothing but no-bullshit real-life stories, the package is complete. World In Decline succeeds in combining street-smart attitude that’s some important in hardcore with deeper message to stay awake to the ways of the world. This is interview with Jason who handles guitar duties in the band. “Frustration is what we capture because we know that there are people like us who just need to get it out and we honestly don’t feel like singing and holding hands is a good way to show that.” If that quote does not convince you to continue reading, you’re on a wrong website.
A new force to reckon with if you’re into heavy-ass hardcore delivered with finesse and witty skills. And when it’s coupled with hard-edged vocals which spit nothing but no-bullshit real-life stories, the package is complete. World In Decline succeeds in combining street-smart attitude that’s some important in hardcore with deeper message to stay awake to the ways of the world. This is interview with Jason who handles guitar duties in the band. “Frustration is what we capture because we know that there are people like us who just need to get it out and we honestly don’t feel like singing and holding hands is a good way to show that.” If that quote does not convince you to continue reading, you’re on a wrong website.Could you give us a rundown on World In Decline – who is who, how did you guys get together and what was the reason to start a band?
World In Decline is myself (Jason)- guitar, My little brother Eric on Vocals for his first time singing in any band. Tom C –guitar, and Nick on Drums not his first band but his first time playing in an HC band. We had a bassist (Tom J), but he decided to leave on his own. He is a good dude, he just has other priorities. He rec. on the EP as well though.
The way we got together is kind of cool I guess. Almost like a script for a cheesy movie haha. My current other band Reckless has been kind of on the outs and our singer also plays bass in Rude Awakening(sick band) full time now, so I was looking to start my own thing and give it one last balls to the wall effort.
I am from Waltham MA which is a city right out outside of Boston. This chick who I have been lifelong friends with graduated college and had the usual grad party with friends and fam in our hometown. Her cousin showed up with her boyfriend at the time (Tom C )and it turns out he played guitar and was in bands and we kind of traded stories. We ended up just talking about music and life for most of the night and I told him about how I was trying to start something and he was right with me on it. After that I remember that my little brother would always bother me about trying to start something, but I was always busy with other bands…… so I asked him if he would want to sing and his response was as if I handed him a million dollars. So that is three members down.
Tom and I then discussed drummers because they always seem to be the tricky ones or have an ass ache about something. Maybe it is because they have the most equipment to carry I don’t know but anyway we found our drummer (Nick P) and the kid is a machine. He never played this style before and he just is constantly blending his background with funk/jazz and making us sound unique. He has the best attitude you could ask for. Tom J the former bassist was a good friend I approached for the last piece and was a kid I met from some mutual friends in college. We all mesh very well and have gotten about 10x better since the EP. The music has given us a friendship that spreads beyond the band, We sort of have a get together of friends down in Middleboro every weekend where we practice now and consider all our friends WID members because a lot of times they will be at a practice and give feedback. Two kid’s that especially help out are Mike and KC. It’s crazy because every weekend the group seems to get bigger and bigger and we are really grateful to be surrounded by so much positivity right now.
I dig the demo you guys put out just recently. It’s violent and heavy, just the way I like hardcore. What type of response have you been getting so far?
A lot of people seem to dig it. Some of the first responses I got which I have never heard before in bands I’ve been in was about potential. People dug what we did and said keep it up because it is only going to get better. I took that as a huge compliment and also being compared to Buried Alive at least 10 times haha. I tend to like heavier Hardcore and everyone will have different opinions of genres but I consider us an HC band. I also recognize and respect older more traditional styles of HC, but I like my music to be crushing so you won’t really catch me jamming out to Bad Brains or Slapshot. I am actually a huge Devourment fan to be honest.
Force Fed paints a pretty bleak portrait of life in the USA and the social and current political and social situation over there. Could you expand on this topic? What are some of the things that are most fucked up right now out there? Any hope for the change for better with the upcoming elections? What are your thoughts on that?
My first thoughts on that were complete surprise on my brother’s writing ability and lyrics themselves. Eric is 5 years younger than me and we are very close. We both have intense personalities and have the ability to understand and empathize with most people, but we also seem to have similar opinions of disgust with how the world works. Knowing my brother it was still very surprising to see how well he was writing lyrics and the thought he was putting into them such as this song.
To put this song in simple terms I think people are honestly just tired of trying to have hope in a world where that’s all it is. Hope, Trust, Change, are all tainted words used not only by politicians but most people. Also, did you ever notice how every time there is a crisis in our own country we always get distracted by something stupid like knitting sweaters for whales or something completely Insane. America gets captivated by so much stupid shit, but we can’t even fix ourselves, because we all have 2 second memories and yearn for attention from social media. Everyone’s mouth has turned into a second asshole in this country basically and everyone wants to be serious about the stupid things like how offensive it is to tell a poop joke. The people we look up to are letting us down and we are letting ourselves down. Most people will never stray from their social groups and I feel like playing in a band and seeing all walks of life and trying new things have really helped make me street smart, which is hard to say for a lot of people. I think my bro is just tired of seeing the same ignorance we all see, and the blame get tossed around, while the problems continue to worsen in any aspect of life whether it is politics or shitty friends or even catching yourself slipping. We all just need to man the fuck up sometimes and come to terms with things.
Is there a theme that runs throughout your lyrics in general? Is there anything you hope listeners to take away from your music?
Again I will try to speak on my bro’s behalf and the band’s the best I can because we have all talked about this a few times. We have all had more than your usual trials in life. Most of us have all had near death experiences which is also weird about us forming this band together. We have seen the very shittiest parts of life that you could possibly witness without being in a war probably. This comes from our own stories and other’s that have come in and out of our lives and influenced us. Some might say yea right, but there are bad areas and bad stories everywhere, even in the most prestigious/glorified areas there is always something dark that has happened. I think with our lyrics we tend to focus on the pain life brings but only as a way of venting. Everyone feels extreme emotion and I think it is a beautiful thing to let out on stage with a bunch of pissed off kids who need an outlet for a couple of hours, but these are the same kids who are most likely to hold a door open for an old lady or who are the first to welcome you at a party or something which speaks miles to how people perceive things. Frustration is what we capture because we know that there are people like us who just need to get it out and we honestly don’t feel like singing and holding hands is a good way to show that.
What inspired you to become a part hardcore scene and how long have you been in the scene? Do you have an particularly good stories connected with hardcore - great shows, awful shows, stupid stuff, etc, that you'd like to share?
Since being in Reckless I have been intensely immersed in the scene for about 3 years, but recently took a step back to work on this band. I have played in bands since 8th grade and on. I am 24 now so I have gotten to jam with some good guys who only helped me get better. I played in a metalcore band in high school called Whispers Shatter the Air and we got decent recognition and we got to play with The Acacia Strain. I just remember thinking how cool that was that I could play a show with one of my favorite bands and then not only watch them but have the singer give me the mic to scream in. It was just crazy to me and seeing everyone flip out was just so awesome. So after that band I was hooked, but didn’t really understand the genre differences until I got older. I would always mix up metal and HC which didn’t really matter. I know kid’s always do that now and get shit for it haha. It’s all heavy guys! So my transition from being more metal influenced to HC was when I had a bad accident as a laborer where my left hand got crushed on a job site by a front end loader. I had to jump out of the way because the guy let go of the brakes when I was chaining something to the bucket of the machine and the first thing I moved was my head but my hand got caught and crushed/ severed to pieces. The first thing I heard in the ER was amputation, but there was a hand specialist there and he wanted to try and save it because he heard I played guitar and 14 hrs that day and about 20 hrs total he did. It was very hard to move at first but then after a few months I got the itch to play guitar and slowly re -taught myself finger by finger. Then I had the sudden urge to start or join a band again, found these guys in an HC band called Few and Proud which we later turned into Reckless after I joined and A few months after that got picked up by Frequency Deleted Records out of Western Ma.
My best show moment was playing my first show in Few and Proud with Death Threat and the pit was crazy for us and it just felt so good to be back at it again. Haha and the ambulance had to come for our set too.
Also a crazy side note to this is that the other guitarist in WID, Tom C, burnt his hands really bad right before we made this band and together we have a lot of scars haha.
As far as the hardcore scene goes, what do you think about the current state of it?
The Hardcore Scene is on a definite upswing and has been being supplemented with some of the best bands to ever step on a stage right now in my opinion. This is the Revival era of HC and is where all of us will make our stamp. The sense of unity is back.
Whats playing on your stereo the most at the moment?
Surprisingly,
God Forbid-Determination, Also There is this slam band from overseas called Abominable Putridity that I am really into.
As far as Hardcore I am loving War Hound right now, and then Backtrack, First Blood, This is Hell, Terror, Shai Hulud, Incendiary, Rock Bottom, Suburban Scum, and new Stick to Your Guns (which surprised me) seem to have a good amount of play in my car as of late.
My go to album though for the past 2 years has been Oceano-Depths. That cd is just magic to me. So pissed and so good.
My all time favorite bands are The Acacia Strain and Devourment.
Tell us something about South Shore, MA? What are things to do or see over there? What are some other hardcore bands from your area people should give a try?
The band practices in Middleboro and it is a lot different then what I am used, being located right next to Boston where I am from. There is so much land there haha. Everyone has there niches there just like anywhere, it’s just shit is spanned out way more. We also chose so say south shore at the time because out bassist was from Quincy so he was the tie breaker.
The Home Base for any good MA band is Anchor’s up in Haverhill MA which is up North towards NH. So many good bands come out of and are a result of the Valley. Since I have been a part of it, Anchor’s Up has turned from just a venue to a brotherhood as well, Everyone is welcome there and everyone goes off to all the bands and pays respect. Just talking about it I miss it because I haven’t been there in a month or two since the Carriers last show there, before they played the Lido in Revere. I hope that World In Decline’s first show will be there, because I have had a lot of fun playing in Reckless at that Venue and have a lot of friends there.
Bands to watch out for are: Rude Awakening, Black Sheep, Hostage, Revenge, Apes of Wrath, Dry Heave, Colony, Abomination, Anti-Venom, East Beast, Word For Word, Street Sweeper, The Fake Boys, Powerwolves and The Bonus Army.
Also Labels that always give back to the scene and bust their ass are Frequency Deleted Records, Arrest Records, Shoe City Records, and RTF Records.
What future holds for World In Decline? I’ve heard you have started working on new songs already, what should we gear up for?
Honestly, The new shit is really good and I feel for the first time it’s something that will be able to stand on its own without me having to be like well we weren’t sure about this or we should of did that. Our first recordings we knew were only a stepping stone and it was just to get some shit out there and make a first attempt. We took a serious listen to the EP and all knew where we could improve and what we wanted to do and it has been a crazy change. We have so much fun with it and know the potential is there to make a monster. These next three songs are what will define our true start and help us make our mark.
Thanx for the interview, any last words?
If you hide behind a group you’re a coward.
Anyone who gave a shit about this interview and music in general- Thank you
And to you man, what you do for bands, fans, and and anyone who enjoys music, we appreciate it more than you know, so thank you for giving my band and many other bands a chance to be seen and heard.
World In Decline will be starting to play shows in the beginning of summer and recording 3 new songs around the end of this May so be on the lookout and add us on FB to follow us.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/World-In-Decline/190917647681682
Bad Timec Crew - Demo
Fucking go! Bad Times Crew hail from Northern California and deliver a big punch into your face with their first demo. After short intro which itself guarantees some hard moshing action, Backslider kicks in with mid-tempo heavy-ass groove and bitter lyrics about broken friendship. They pick the pace up during Thin Ice, but the song doesn't luck proper breakdown as well. Expectation is my favorite song here, the hook during the chorus, gang vocals and guitar work is insane! Download it!
Idols & Anchors - Demo 2012
When a band's name is taken from Parkway Drive song that might be a cause for concern but despite my initial negative impression, it turns out this band can crank out some nice tunes. The music is fast, old school with some hints of melody and some heavier parts as well. The vocals are strong point of the band, delivered with a passion and force. Overall, pretty decent stuff! Download it!
Spider Crew - Still Crazy But Not Insane
From the Still Crazy But Not Insane album. Directed by Markus Wessig.
In Clear Sight Interview
In Clear Sight’s debut album, ‘Fuck Fairytales, This Is Reality’, has been recently released by Clenched Fist records and it’s pretty strong effort if you’re into metallic, mosh-ridden hardcore. To be honest, I was expecting some mindless tough-wannabe mentality that that has been so played out in this genre, but it turns out there is a lot of thought to what they’re doing. I think their FB fanpage gives the best description of what they try to represent: ‘In Clear Sight is about getting your thoughts and goals straight. It's about not giving up to reach the goals you've set for yourself. At the same time these words refer to the scope of a gun. This metaphor reflects the power behind this beliefs.’ Here’s interview with Roger, one of the two vocalists of the band.
In Clear Sight’s debut album, ‘Fuck Fairytales, This Is Reality’, has been recently released by Clenched Fist records and it’s pretty strong effort if you’re into metallic, mosh-ridden hardcore. To be honest, I was expecting some mindless tough-wannabe mentality that that has been so played out in this genre, but it turns out there is a lot of thought to what they’re doing. I think their FB fanpage gives the best description of what they try to represent: ‘In Clear Sight is about getting your thoughts and goals straight. It's about not giving up to reach the goals you've set for yourself. At the same time these words refer to the scope of a gun. This metaphor reflects the power behind this beliefs.’ Here’s interview with Roger, one of the two vocalists of the band.First off can you just introduce yourself and your band? How long you’ve been around?
In Clear Sight was born in 2007. Three of our guys (Yannick, Tijs and Tom) started rehearsing in an old stable of Yannick’s grandpa. After a while they’ve added Fille Cools (singer) and Gael Renier (drummer) to the band. So In Clear Sight has been around officially since 2008. It didn’t work out very well with Fille. He had to work a lot en therefore he didn’t have enough time to play in the band. From then Kenny and me (both vocalists) joined in 2010.
‘Fuck Fairytales, this is Reality’ is quite strong name for an album. What other aspects of life influence your music?
We try to talk about a lot of things in our music. It’s my passion to write about problems which people find so modern or so obvious, that they won’t even think about it anymore. I am talking about the difference between rich and poor, children who are mourning about their parents’ divorce, the poor in Africa, nature disasters, losing friends or family, growing up, … Struggle For Life for example is about a friend of mine who had to struggle against cancer. This was a very difficult time for her but she overcame her illness and this made her stronger as person. This is one of the many things that I want to clarify to society, or at least want them to THINK about this!
What is the general message of the album? If you could have listeners take something from the album, what would it be?
Our general message is pretty easy if you think about it... We just want to say, look, life isn't easy and don't let anyone tell you it's a fairytale. But you can find strength in a lot of things, like music, friends and life experience. Don't be afraid, live your life, it’s worth it!
You guys have kind of a NYHC vibe, but there are also some metallic elements as well. Where does that come from? What kind of influences feed into your sound?
Actually we listen to all different genres of music. Hardcore is the main element for everyone in the band and there still lies our hearts, but aside from this we also listen to punk, metal, hip hop, drum&bass, dubstep, whatever, you name it... This is probably the reason why we have different kinds of influences in our music. In the end, aren’t we ALL musicians?
We feel that in hardcore you have to try to keep things interesting. We try to put something else on the table then other bands. So if you listen carefully you'll find some metal, you'll find some punk and even some hip hop. It's all there…
What are the bands you’re most glad to share a stage with?
We like to get to know people from all over the world. So it's always fun to play with international bands. But there are also some good Belgian bands we love to support. Go check out bands like BEAR, The Setup, ... Great stuff. Apart from these bigger bands, we can’t forget that it hardcore lives because there are a lot of unknown bands playing in little venues. Belgium has so many hardcore bands and the scene has always seemed to be very strong over here. So this is my message to all of your readers: come out, go to shows, represent hardcore, and the most important, get along and support each other!
What’s the scene like in your area nowadays?
I think it used to be bigger than it is today, but we can't complain. The Belgian scene is quite strong and this gives us the opportunity to play a lot of shows and to build up a local fan base.
Do you have any early memories of hardcore that stick out in your memory?
I have lots of good memories in hardcore. I used to live in Kontich, this is where Lintfabriek was. This is a small but fucking legendary venue. The people that worked there, the people who came to shows, everyone was one big family, like hardcore should be. All the great bands have played there. I remember going to shows there. But then a couple of years ago the venue had to shut down due to some fire security issues. We got to play on the last show there with my old band (Expect The Recoil). Good times!
Any last thoughts or shout outs? What’s next for In Clear Sight?
My biggest dream is to play on a real festival or going on a world tour. Playing with ‘the big ones’! I hope that I can make this dream come true with In Clear Sight. What’s next for ICS? I don’t know, we’ll just keep on rehearsing, playing shows, representing hardcore… just doing our very fucking best to grow and reaching more people.
And for the people out there? Don’t give up on hardcore, be yourself and live your dreams!
FUCK FAIRYTALES, THIS IS REALITY!
