Grimlock "Songs Of Immortality" re-issue

This is like news of the month for many kids who grew up on 90' hardcore: Knives Out is releasing Grimlock's classics "Songs Of Self and "Thirst For Immortality". The two are combined together in a form of a single limited picture disc 12" titled 'Songs Of Immorality' which is sure to make plenty of record collectors wet.

If you need any background on the band, click here or here. Grimlock seems to be unfairly forgotten which is a shame because they had no shortage of monster tracks with vocals that would cast fear in the weak of heart. Real man type of hardcore.

Since it's being released by Knives Out, you know you can expect quality. Being familiar with some of label's previous releases I reckon it's going to look beyond awesome. Picture this: dope looking picture disc and die-cut, embossed and hand-numbered packaging. You also know there's gonna be a limited run, this time of 300 copies, so when it's sold out the prices on Discogs gonna go crazy. You can cop it here while it still doesn't cost fortune.

Demo Daze: No Victory, Incited, Shadow Of Doubt

No Victory - Demo

Gary, Indiana is no joke and this band is testimony to this. FFO: Buried Alive, Stigmata, Blood In Blood Out...

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Incited - Victim Of Reality

This demo is couple months old but I gonna post it anyway cause the amount of brute force it delivers is at sick levels.

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Shadow Of Doubt - Demo

Members of Bitter End and Hardside, so you know it's banging. Juggernaut type of hardcore

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38 seconds of new Lifeless record

Shit, they could share a full song at least. I hate those 30 seconds teasers. Anyway, mew Lifeless is in the works. Be on the lookout, the album is dropping in March.

Rat Path / Drag Me Under - Split

Rat Path didn’t disappoint with the two chunky, thick and aggressive tracks they deliver. It’s not a huge departure from Mean Streets, but the song writing and execution is tighter than ever. It's some hard-ass riffs over a heavy drums and fat bass, with sick and straight up menacing vocals. Behind Bars has a nice groove to it, and the breakdown in the middle crushes. I imagine kids are going crazy when they play it live.

Hunter Gatherer is faster with a cool thrash vibe, but once again the slower part at the end is flawless. What I like about it is that it’s all time in your face, but somehow the band manage to find something fresh and new to add to that style. Rat Path might be slept-on in many circles, but they’re definitely a band to watch. Listening to this type of hardcore makes you bad ass.

I don’t know much about Drag Me Under except they’re from Reno, NV and this is their third release after two full length records . The band reminds me of the trend not so long ago when bands were focused on mosh parts and basically everything mosh related. Mid-tempo, metallic stuff like Throwdown or Hatebreed with gruff vocals and breakdowns and groove. Can’t say I miss those times that much, but since that trend died down I don’t mind to listen to such band from time to time. I’m cool with it cause there are only two tracks, not sure if I could stand a full blown album.

Panda Claw Records, 2015

Video: No Turning Back - Fight To Survive

New video from 'Never Give Up' album which drops this week, on January 7th. I feel little stupid writing such obvious fact, but No Turning Back is one of the most hard working and dedicated hardcore bands right now. They are also blessed with a mad talent to write hard hitting hardcore tracks that make every legit hardcore kid want to get up and break stuff. All the hype about them is real, you just know that new record gonna be good. I am definitely going to check it out.

Here are the hardest hitters of 2014

The real science behind the list below is me trying to remember on which records I wasted the most of my valuable time in 2014. I might have forgotten something or simply missed some nice records, but it is what it is.

King Nine is hands down my favorite band of 2014 and ‘Scared To Death’ is the hardest record I heard last year. I got no problems putting it among classics like Master Killer or In The Eyes Of The Lord and I am ready to fight anyone questioning my judgment. That’s a type of hardcore we need more of.

New Cold World was dope as well, nothing groundbreaking compared to their earlier shit, but still hard. The same with Sheer Terror, Madball or Ringworm - dope albums that were just like you expected them to be.

New releases by Last Dayz, Survival or Shrapnel prove that 7” is probably the best format for hardcore. Short burst of force and fury to get your testosterone to the right level.

I went through like 20 other lists of such to see the bigger picture of what’s really trending in hardcore lately. The amount of bands included there that I don’t know makes me question my credentials to run such respectable blog like this. Driven by my natural curiosity and enthusiasm to try new things I checked some of the bands and it was shit. I am not even dropping names cause I don’t want to embarrass anybody, but some people need to get their shit together and stop listening to weird hipster shit and focus on real hardcore. Hardcore for hardcore.

Anyway, the list goes like:

Albums:
King Nine - Scared To Dead
Cold World - How The Gods Chill
7 Seconds – Leave A Light On
Battle Ruins - Battle Ruins
Madball - Hardcore Lives
Backtrack - Lost In Life
Sheer Terror - Standing Up for Falling Down
Ringworm - Hammer Of The Witch
Foreseen - Helsinki Savagery

EPs:
Last Dayz - Ready To Die
Survival - Forged In Iron
Forced Order - Eternal War
Souls Search / Minus - Split 7"
The Real Deal - Demo 2014
Desperate Times - Looking For Solution
Indication - XI
Born Low - Refuse To Beg
Criminal Instinct – Fever
Shrapnel - Frenzied State

With so much stuff being released nowadays it’s hard to keep track, so if you wanna add anything do it in the comments.

The hardest track of the year:

Venom Prison - Defy The Tyrant

Everyone thinks of changing the world

but no one thinks of changing themselves

The only knowledge achieved by man:

life is meaningless

I sense no hidden totalitarian agenda in these songs so I gonna risk and post it up. Everyone is so excited about this band, especially when it has members of such respectable bands like Brutality Will Prevail and Wolf X Down.

Musically, Venom Prison is not that bad as I thought it will be. Gritty, brutal metalcore with raw production that only works in its favor. I dig the vocals too. I have a feeling Larissa had some kind of reality check and finally got over all that commie stuff she used to preach in Wolf Down. That's definitely a change for better. For everyone.

The lyrics above quote Leo Tolstoy, if you're really into that type of stuff you can try to find more of it.

Stream new Harriers album

Not so long ago the band shared an unmastered track from this album, and now the whole thing is out there for a free stream. I approve this way of doing business. LP should be available from Lifers Records, I got no clue when exactly but hope it's not gonna be long.

If you don't know Harriers, they're based in Montreal and play fat, heavy, tough-as-nails hardcore with a crossover twist. The new songs sound like their best work ever.

New In Cold Blood 7" in 2015!

New 7" by the Clevo almighty In Cold Blood out early 2015 on A389 Recordings. Blind The Eyes / Straight Flush. Hell hath no fury!

Demo Daze: Dementor - Self Made

Another dope band from PA. This is their self made record, you can snatch it 100% for free from their Stereokiller page or via the link below. Raw, heavy hardcore loaded with vulgar aggression that just makes you wanna go out and fight a random guy.

PA bands always do their job when you need an alternative to a lot of the soft shit people are calling hardcore nowadays. Definitely worth checking out if you're into bands like Life After Death or King Nine. More about the band here.

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Souls Search / Minus - Split 7"

Souls Search / Minus - Split (Closed Casket Activies) - I had no doubt that this one would be dope when it was announced. Soul Search opens up with two tracks of what they’re known for - crushing hardcore with stompy breakdowns, chugging riffs, hateful vocals and a gritty overall feel. I know a lot of people were saying these dudes were jacking Dmize style in the beginning, but fuck them cause this band has been getting better and better with each 7” they drop.

Not to say there’s no NYHC here, actually it’s all over these two tracks, but there’s a lot of heavier stuff as well. All in all, they keep a good balance. I be honest, Soul Search is one my fav bands right now, this shit is a cut above most of the hardcore I've heard this year.

I gotta say that as much as I am fan of Soul Search, I wasn’t aware of Minus before listening to this ep. And I was missing out, cause the two tracks from them definitely leave good impression. They hold their own against Soul Search, with delivery that’s as heavy and unrelenting, but their flow sounds less rough with more dynamics and tempo changes. The vocals are nice, this dude puts a lot of emotions into his delivery and spits every word like he means it.

All in all, very cool ep. You got two bands with not that different sound but with their own style of executing it and they both rip. Very powerful stuff.

New music from Cornered

Fuck, this one came out of nowhere! New tracks from Holland's Cornered, who happen to be one of my favorite current bands. As always, expect nothing but stomping, hard-hitting, reckless hardcore with mean, maniac vocals. What's not to love here?

The tracks serve as a teaser for band's upcoming LP Sudden Death due out early 2015 on Farewell records and you can count me in buying this album. Serve the Beast is my favorite tune so far, but all the 3 new songs rip and definitely got me hyped!

Remain In Vain - Divining Gold From Fire & Ice

Here's a little Christmas present for all of ya! Ten new tracks of raging, mean and pissed off hardcore from Chula Vista's Remain In Vain. Each song is a rapid burst of force and the music sounds raw as it should, but still there's a lot of going on in these tracks from ripping speed to hard as fuck breakdowns.

I am not sure what's the story with this one, but it's been posted on 10:39 Records bandcamp some maybe they will release it on vinyl, tape or something. That would be rad, although criminal shipping rates from US will make my purchase postponed to an undetermined future anyway. Most of you probably don't give a fuck, but if you wanna support the label you have 'name your price' option and some merch on their bandcamp.

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New music from Harriers (Lifers Recs)

New track for Harriers out of Montreal, Canada. New record, which gonna be the first full length from the band, due out via Lifers Records. It's called VOLTE|FACE and I'm sure it's gonna be dope. Peep the raw version of one of the tracks off of the album below.

Download: Waste Of Life - Nothing To Gain

Rhode Island hardcore on the heavier side of things. Seven tracks that drop heavy with tight guitar work, hard drums and distorted, rough vocals. The ep came out earlier this year but I am gonna share it here for those who weren't aware. Waste Of Life aren't doing anything new, but are doing it damn well. The ep is almost sold out, but if you want a copu you can always try to get in touch with these dudes, maybe you'll have some luck.

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New Blood: Terrible Minds

Terrible Minds straight from the depths PAHC bring that beefy, tough hardcore everybody loves. Their recent record Devolution is absolute ripper, full of ignorant, pitbull-like aggression and pissed-off, fuck-you attitude. I suggest everyone into hard-ass hardcore like No Retreat, Krutch or Menace give it a listen.

Congrats on the release of your recent record Devolution. Give us some overview, how do you feel about it and the reception it gets?
We've gotten a lot of positive feedback from it from a lot of really great people. We're proud of how it turned out, but it makes it so much better hearing it from others.

Is there any type of message in your music that you want to send to the listeners?
Just be yourself, don't give up on your goals, and always keep your head up. Stay true to the people around you that you love and you can achieve anything.

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Forced Order - Eternal War

Forced Order - Eternal War 7"(Ratel) - Considering that after releasing this ep the band got signed to Revelation, I gotta applaud the business skills of Ratel staff to hunt down new talent in hardcore. Well, after their demo that dropped in the beginning of this year it was plain to see the band is up to great things. The fact some of the members are (or were) also in Twitching Tongues, Soul Search, Disgrace and Harness could also have played a role.

Forced Order plays hardcore that owes a lot to 90’ metallic new school with tons of beefed up riffs, stomping breakdowns and relatable, but seriously aggressive lyrics. They pull enough of their own weight though and that’s what makes them stand out. Some people compare them to old Integrity or In Cold Blood, but I don’t know. It’s pissed off as fuck and the vocals sound menacing, but it doesn’t have that evil vibe. Not to say there’s not substance in their music. Hell, these songs are packed with enough nerve and force to crush concrete. The dude who does vocals sounds like hatred for the world is the sole purpose of his existence. I respect that!

The guitar work on this one is tight, maybe I’m getting older but I dig all the solos they throw in now and there. Considering most of the tracks barely hit 1,5 minute mark, the amount of hooks and tricks they put into these songs is amazing. It grabs you from the first track and never let go. Definitely a killer ep!

Demo Daze: Rage Cage - Sick Songs

Rage Cage is new band from Italy started with a mission to bring classic-era hardcore back to life. An inside person in the band told me the main influences are Fit of Anger , Breakdown, Outburst, Raw Deal etc. and if that's not rad I don't know what is. I am sure these dudes have hearts and minds in a right place, you can hear it in the music.

All the tunes are solid, rather fast but with good dose of heavy groove. The vocals are on point, and although I don't know exactly the lyrics, something tells me song titles like Street Invaders, Mad Dog Killer or Revenge are something I can relate to.

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Fuck MTV...

Here are two brand new clips by bands that I hold in high regard:


No Turning Back - Destination Unknown
This is taken from band's upcoming record titled 'Never Give Up'. Hell no, only weak people fall back! Looking at this video makes me want to quit my job and start a hardcore band. If I had any talent, that means.


Desperate Times - Like Wolves Among Sheep
Like Wolves Among Sheep, coming from "Looking for Solution" 7" available from Ratel Records.

Download: Stone - Demo 2014

As far as I know, this band has members of Expire or something. Also, Cross Me and Black Ice. This demo is actually even better than the last Expire. Metallic hardcore with beefed up riffs and vocals that sound mean and forceful. It's not too fast, but the groove is right and it doesn't get boring.

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Live From Studio: Last Warning

Last Warning (Belo Horizonte) is working on a debut album, due out in early 2015. Hope free youth!

New label to watch: Soulwrecked Records

Soulwrecked Recs based in Düsseldorf (Germany) has dropped Warbrain's 'Void Of Confusion' Lp and 'The Pain of Rebirth' (3 tracks, one-sided 12"), as well as AYS and In Circle split (with Powertrip Records). Pretty good stuff, especially Warbrain - if you don't know this band, go and check them out.

The Real Deal - Demo 2014

The Real Deal - Demo 2014 (Straight & Alert) - Cleveland hardcore is a brand and whenever you hear someone using that term you kind of automatically expect the music to be dark and grimey, very much in vein of classics like Integrity or In Cold Blood. The Real Deal rep Clevo core to the fullest, but their music is something different that you would expect. And it’s good, cause I really got caught by surprise by this demo. It’s heavy and hard-hitting, but its vibe is more down to life than crap like church of satan and shit. All the songs are dynamic with sharp riffs and fat drums, and the vocals get the job done with no-frills approach. There’s enough fast parts to keep old school kids satisfied, but they also know how to deliver heavy stomp part that will get kids kick shit out of each other. There's some Clevo influences but more in vein of OLC or Heavyweight, and there’s some more NYHC-flavored vibes as well. All in all highly recommended!

New music from Watch Your Back

The sound on this one is more gritty and raw compared to their previous ep, Last Man Standing. It sits well with the overall tone of these new tracks as it's obvious the band was aiming for more straight to the throat approach. The lyrics are sick, I especially dig Two Minutes Hate cause it sounds intense and really bad-ass: The thought-crimes are eating me alive / The inverted projection of my hate infecting my mind / The palpable waves of anger eroding my insides / To rewire my brain I’m running out of time / I wish that you were dead . There's even one song in Finnish, and the way this dude sings it I know it's not a fairy tale. Peep the entire ep below.

New Blood: Born Free

Born Free is new blood from Melbourne, Australia. The band is nice with their take on groove-laced hardcore with vocals that are definitely above average. Their recent ep called Evil Hands is definitely worth checking out, you'd be surprised how good it is.

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Raw Justice - Artificial Peace

Raw Justice - Artificial Peace (Straight & Alert) - The first track kicks in and once again RJ delivers a true headnodder! I fucking love Pagan Stomp, the perfect built up for the rest of the record. Useful Pride sounds sick, the track is catchy and well thought without losing any rawness. Vocals come through with brute force spitting honest, pissed of lyrics about real life topics. Mad At This World is probably my fav track here, fast part makes me want to break faces and the breakdown definitely delivers. "There's no turning point. I'm at war with the world. I'm mad at the world!!!" Another stand out is Loud and Proud which is the most punk rock track on the record. All in all, it’s really fast, dirty and straight forward hardcore and if you’re not into that style you might feel tired after a while , but for everyone into bands like SSD, Wrecking Crew or early Cro-Mags there's enough good stuff on the ep to keep you happy.

Assorted News

Too many bands and labels want my money:

That's fucking killer news: "Illusions of Dominance" lp by Bitter End is coming soon!

Another one of my favorite bands is Suburban Scum and they will be releasing new album called Ultimate Annihilation in 2015. The band never disappointed me and I expect nothing short than what the title says.

New Disgrace full length to drop in 2015 via Closed Casket Activities.

Australia's Crowned Kings will be releasing new album "Forked Road". The band traveled all the way to La to record that shit with Terror drummer Nick Jett.

Bun Dem Out's 'The Few The Deep' record has been repressed with new artwork by Rucktion records. You can cop it here. New music in the works as well.

You can listen to new Bottomfeeder album 'Betrayals' here.

Click here if you're interested in getting some old issues of In Effect zine.

Unbeaten Recs will drop a compilation with hardcore bands like All Out War, Stigmata, Born Low, King Nine and others doing covers of metal songs from past 30 years. It can be great but it can be also lame as fuck, we'll see.

Classic: As One - We gotta know-Intro

I am a sucker for everything KDS crew related. Actually, I am sucker for everything Stormcore related, but since they were repping their crew so hard I felt it's important to maintain a bigger picture. Anyway, As One was a side project with members of Stromcore and Slamface. This vid is supposedly from band's last gig in 1998. If you like it, check out this video as well for music.

Review: Thug X Life - Jungle Law

Thug X Life - Jungle Law (Refuse Records) - The record is four cuts of fast and pissed off hardcore with shouted, rough vocals and breakneck tempos. Despite band’s name there’s no gangsta posing on here, instead you get honest and rather positive lyrics with straight edge message and real life topics. The production is raw, but this is only good for this type of music. The band slows down from time to time and these breakdowns are always on point. Fans of old American hardcore should take notice. If you like when bands don’t waste time on bullshit but go right for the throat from the very first note, this shit is for you. Can’t say it’s something I am personally too crazy about, but I do like to play this record now and then. Jungle Law was put out by Refuse Records and they did great job with package and everything.

Two new Thought Crusade tracks

Thought Crusade outta Chicago, IL has plans to drop new album on Triple B Records. That label is becoming heavyweight in this game, the amount of good stuff they put out is incredible. The band itself is nice musically, and they seem to have the right kind of attitude:

All i want people to think, is that we are real. We are not pretending to write songs that pertain to our normal lives. We live this stuff. I am serious. We are not fucking around. This is real talk through and through. Sure we may have some fun, but that is outside, off the stage, and in our personal space. I don't care about going to Europe or Antarctica, or Asia. If we go then we go. If we don't then we don't. If you wanna see us play, come to Chicago.

Source

The record should be out sometime in 2015, but two new songs are streaming already:

New Forced Order track

Forced Order comes through with new punishing track 'Retribution', a cut off of their upcoming 7" due out via Revelation Recs this winter. The song is really tight and has me anticipating the new 7" as well as full length album, which is set to be released in 2015. Peep the track below.

New Blood: Blind Beliefs (Belgium)

How did Blind Beliefs start? Were you in any other bands before this one?
It started with me and our old drummer jamming together back in 2011. We wanted to start a band and needed some members, so I asked some of my hometown friends if they wanted to join. As simple as that, not much later the band was formed. All of us played in some small local bands before, but nothing worth mentioning.

At the start of 2013 we found a new drummer, and from then on we kept the line-up as it is. The new drummer was in another local band before. But since they quit, we all start focusing on Blind Beliefs for 100%.

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Looking For Solution

I already posted about the upcoming Desperate Times ep so everyone should be aware: 'Looking For Solution' is coming soon and is coming hard! The band posted already 3 tracks off the ep and each one of it is a killer. These new songs are simply catchy as fuck and loaded with tight riffs and well placed hooks. There's even more thrash metal feel to it compared to their previous shit, bit all in all it's still sheer no holds barred hardcore. Hope I'm not sounding too masturbatory, but really, don't sleep on this!

Download: Southpaw - Thats How We Roll

3 tracks to demonstrate what these Aussie dudes are capable of. Tough sounding hardcore with a heavy twist that brings to mind bands like Hatebreed, Madball or Death Before Dishonor. The band uses pretty simple formula but it delivers, a stripped down display of sharp riffing, heavy drums and rough vocals. All in all, it's more than enough to have a decent sounding hardcore record.

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Rapper dudes so good they could be on next Cold World record

That's the height of rap career I reckon:

Vakil – just imagine this or this being made into hardcore track.

Freddie Gibbs – because of this or this.

Royal Flush – a veteran, and Grand Capo was hell of a comeback.

Cappadonna – dude was homeless operating gypsy cab in Baltimore, it can’t cost a fortune to get 16 bars from him.

Dirt Platoon - I expect nothing but greatness from combination a hardcore track featuring these soldiers. Check out this shit. Or this. Animal shit, hardcore bands should take inspiration from that mindset.

New Rock Bottom 7" dropping in few days

Rock Bottom will be dropping new 7" vie Fast Break! Records. You can check the new songs on their Stereokiller page - click here. The ep is called Moral Decay and pre-orders are already up. Actually, it should drop in a matters of day so be on the lookout! Highly recommended for everyone who dig it when hardcore and metal collide, but in a good, not crappy way.

Video: Race Riot 59 - Menace to Society

Get into Halloween spirit with this new vid by Race Riot 59

Review: Indication - XI

Indication - XI (Last Warning Records) - Another band from Poland that is killing it! Indication draws heavily from classic 90s Clevo sound like Integrity or In Cold Blood, but with a modern sensibility. There’s a run of four tracks on here but the short ep covers everything you’d expect from that type of hardcore. Wide range of tempos, sick riffs and evil vibe has the band ready to crush everything in their way. The vocals get the job done with harsh and powerful delivery, nothing too original, but they fit perfectly with the music.

Despite the heaviness, Indication is straight up raw hardcore. It sounds genuine, like these boys has been living in the darkest corners of reality, dealing with the evils of this world since day one. It’s kind of refreshing when you consider most of Clevo wannabe bands sound like goofy suburban kids jerking off to Manson posters. What needs to be said that like any other solid hardcore band, Indication is at its best when enjoyed live. I’ve seen them play couple times and they never disappoint.

Classic: Stigmata - Drowning

This is as classic as it gets. Don't mind the shit quality of this video, just sit back and get into the vibe.

Download: Contempt - MMXIV

Contempt from Barrie/Ottawa area. Tags: barrie beatdown breakdown hardcore heavy metal metalcore mosh slam Ottawa.

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