Recent heavy hitters

Debating the hardest shit in hardcore. March'21 update.

God's Hate

God's Hate

"(...)God’s Hate set out to re-establish the mantle of hardness created by East Coast HC titans Merauder, Hatebreed and the seminal Troy-core scene of the late 80s and early 90s."

This album is the hardest shit I've heard in a while. Dark and heavy hitting hardcore not to take your minds off these challenging times but rather to face them with all the rage and strenght you can muster. The artwork looks sick!

Sector / Raw Life

Split

Chicago and New Jersey joining forces. The struggle, the streets, the low paying jobs - this is hardcore for real people with real problems. The music is dope with Sector being the heavier of two, while Raw Life delivers more traditional hardcore but still hard as nails.

Pain Of Truth / Age Of Apocalypse

Split

Step in their way and catch a beatdown! Pain Of Truth is one of the band that I always show support for here. The band comes through with the new music from their upcoming split ep and I gotta say they be really on their shit with two tracks that are sure to break bones and bust skulls. Age Of Apocalypse is Life Of Agony and Type O Negative mixed with Stigmata and it's really good. Just check it out!

Biz Talk: Mentally Vexed

Here's the long awaited interview with Alec from Mentally Vexed records. The label has been carefully building a no-bullshit catalog of hardcore heavy-hitters with tape releases from bands like Sector, Minded Fury, Embrace Death, Out For Justice and more. From the choice of bands to the visuals, everything is craftsmanship. Check out Alec dropping some science on the innerworkings of an independent hardcore label.

When did you start Mentally Vexed and what is the philosophy behind it? Mentally Vexed started in March 2020. It's run by me (Alec), Jack, Mason and Ash, and the basic idea is to push smaller bands and businesses associated with the hardcore scene. We try to keep everything as DIY as possible, and where this isn't possible we use small businesses to do what we need (ie. independent local printers rather than big corporation).

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Review: Pain Of Truth - No Blame Just Facts

This was my favorite album of 2020 so it’s only right I give it a proper review. No lie, it’s already 2021 and I am still bumping this fucking album on repeat. I did not expect that record to blow me away like this but Pain Of Truth came hard and knocked down the buildings with this ep. Check this out - every track has someone doing guest vocals. And we’re talking who is who in current heavy hardcore. So, lending their voices are dudes you might know from King Nine, Rude Awakening, Billy Club Sandwich and even Year Of The Knife. This is epic of Friendship, Loyalty, Commitment proportions. It's cool that every guest adds their unique flavor but somehow they never take the center stage or steal the show from the band.

Sharp, down-to-earth lyrics are the star, the major key. Michael (Hangman, Victory Garden) is pouring his heart out on everything wrong with society today, be it fakes, backstabbers, or whatever. I can relate to lyrics like the dude was my brother.

No Blame Just Facts has all the crucial elements of a must-listen: heavy, aggression-laden hardcore carrying the take-no-shit attitude alongside a heavy dose of groove and some healthy variation in every track. Old timers will definitely sense a strong Fury Of V, Bulldoze or Madball vibe. For the younger cats I’d say give it a try if you need more of that Cold World or Three Knee Deep vibe. All in all, this is the stuff everybody loves when it’s done right. And if you don’t, what’s wrong with you?

Ratel (Europe) / Daze (US), 2020

Discography: Mentally Vexed

Mentally Vexed has been steadily dropping quality hardcore tapes for the last couple of months. For a label that started as a way to pass time during the lockdown, putting out 10 quality releases in a year demands respect. The operation is ran by four hardcore dudes dodging authorities and violating all the pandemic rules to give you the best in current hardcore. This only shows what few motivated individuals can accomplish if they put their minds to it. Who dates wins!

A full blown interview is coming soon, in the meantime here's a list of label's releases to date with commentary from one the label bosses - Alec.

MVR001 - Suppress - Yahzi.

The band that me and Jack MVR play in, it never got a physical release when it came out in 2018 so we decided to put this out in the run up to a new release. The new release still isn't out nearly a year later haha. This one didn't have and tape labels and we also don't really know how many are out there - I think it's about 30. We got more organised after this..

MVR002 - Sector - The Virus Of Hate Infects The Ignorant Mind.

I was just listening to Sector and realised they hadn't had any kind of physicals in the UK, despite the scene being mega into them. I messaged them and Anchit (guitar) replied saying he'd love to do it - they were super easy to work with and are a great band. Aesthetically, this is the release I'm most proud of so far.

MVR003 - Minded Fury - Relapse of Mankind.

I was on a bit of a H8000 kick, and again just decided to message the band asking if they wanted a UK release. If we ever move into putting shows on, I'd love to have these guys over here.

MVR004 - Phaze Two - For The Core.

Phaze Two are from Birmingham UK, same as us, and we are friends with the band. This was one of my favourite local releases so it was a real pleasure when this came together. I really loved this EP, it's almost exclusively fast riffs and mosh riffs.

MVR005 - Embrace Death - Through Lifeless Eyes.

My other band Mantlet played a show in October-ish 2019 with Embrace Death, and we kept in touch since then, they're fun guys and play a nasty Irate cover. This was a co-release with our friends in Nuclear Family records, who did the standard artwork. Jack MVR put together this NAS rip as an alternative artwork for our version and even though I'm biased, I still think it's the best rip I've seen to date.

MVR006 - Infraction - The Black Room.

This was Infraction's second EP, and I was amazed at how they managed to get it sounding so tough as a home recording, especially as they all recorded their parts seperately from each other. This EP is thematically very dark and metallic, and John's vocals really stand out to me - so much, that I asked him to do a guest vocal feature on the new Mantlet EP (which will be out real soon!).

MVR007 - Out For Justice - NorthEazt Takeover.

The band pretty much gave us free reign to do what we wanted aesthetically, so Ash MVR (an incredible tattoo artist and illustrator) wrote out the track-list and credits in a handstyle similar to the band's logo, and it looked fucking incredible. When I sent the band their personal copies, guitarist Lumpy (also of Daze) was so stoked that he basically said "hit me up if you wanna do any of my stuff in the UK". We're taking him up on that, more info soon...

MVR008 - RAUM - Demo.

The only "punk" record on the list, this was a lockdown project by our friend Jake from Cruelty - his brother Liam played drums and he did the rest. I really like the aesthetic Jake had for this band, and it's actually influenced the latest issue of the zine a lot. I listen to this record most days, even though it's only on shitty bandcamp which is a pain in the arse.

MVR009 - Upraised - WVHC.

We heard Upraised writing these songs when we turned up for Suppress practice at the same rehearsal space, and knew we had to put them out. We're mates with the band, but realistically I'd have put it out anyway. I did a vocal feature for one of the songs but they decided they liked their vocalist's take on it better so didn't use my tracks - miserable bastards. The artwork for this one was fully designed by Ash MVR, and I think it's his finest work. For a new band, this release has done INCREDIBLY well and I hope to see Upraised on shows as soon as they start again.

MVR010 will be the Suppress promo tape

for the upcoming EP. The songs are touch as fuck and we have something special and DIY planned for the release, keep your eye out for this.

New Blood: Ghetto Gospel

Photo credit: Lina V.

Ghetto Gospel are the new preachers of fast, attitude laden hardcore outta crisis-stricken Greece. The posse wasted no time and after just few weeks of jamming together in full conspiracy under the new Covid regime, they dropped a bomb in a form of The Price You Pay - nine tracks to check out if early Agnostic Front or SSD is your thing. Read the interview to learn more about the band and Greek hardcore in general.

To my knowledge, the story of Ghetto Gospel is short and straight forward - The Price You Pay is an outcome of just a few rehearsals. Is that correct?
Hey, thanks for the interview and for being interested in GG. Yeah, we started the band in mid December 2020, composed all songs and recorded them in a week or so.Then we sent the songs to Made In Hell studio that took some time to mix them properly. By mid January we had everything ready. It worked out really fast, faster than I expected, to be honest. Actually, we have never rehearsed in a real studio since we are not allowed to due to quarantine restrictions. We did everything at our drummer’s house (except of the drums that were recorded in a studio).

You all play in different bands, is Ghetto Gospel a side project or something more serious?
True, we are all active in various bands, some of us for almost 2 decades now. Our drummer is the youngest one, but he has been (and still is) involved in a dozen bands already! I dare to say that GG is a serious project and hopefully (when all this craziness ends) we’ll be able to reach out to more people with live shows, etc. That said, we don’t wanna set limits, deadlines or boundaries, we are doing this for fun first and foremost and we’ll see where it takes us.

The demo is 80’-styled in-your-face bursts of hardcore with most of the tracks clocking way below one minute mark. Was it the idea from the beginning?
Yeah, the main idea was to play raw and heavy, in your face, old school hardcore / thrash / punk / whatever, so the short songs do well for us. On the other hand, we never said let’s write a song that is 50 seconds or so, it came out kinda naturally. For me, long songs, when it comes to hardcore, are super boring, but that’s a different story.

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Found footage: One Second Thought, Queens, 1999

The sound quality is better than you'd expect and the tracking is sick: Bring It On; Live And Learn; Show No Respect; Everyone Bleeds; Step Back; L.S.S. (Neglect cover). Upload by user Peter Busse.

New music: Dogz Of War - Judgment 2021

Hardcore comebacks hardly ever get me excited, but this one looks like a real gem. Dogz Of War, Detroit, 2021. This is the title track to the upcoming release due out on In Thy Blood Records.

FFO: Cold As Life, Earthmover, The Alliance, H8 Inc.

Review: Cold As Life - Demos 95-97

This is the time of making things no one asked for. The vinyl hype means a lot of stuff will be released on wax because there will always be an idiot like me who will buy it. Take this one for example. I can’t find any logic in putting tape demos on vinyl. There were so many other options to make these tracks available to the masses. Brand new tape version? Corny but acceptable. CD? More like it. Vinyl? Only if you do it right. I be most polite about it, but this one fell short of my expectations. Nobody bought it for sound quality values, but outside of music this record itself feels damn cheap. No effort was made about the packaging, my copy didn’t even have any insert, lyrics or any other extra shit. I'm not even mad. I'm mostly confused.

Cold As Life has been a band that I fucks with heavily since when I first discovered them and from then till now all of their stuff never tires me. A living proof that when people with a small budget and not much of a clue but who are driven and angry get together, magic can happen. 95 and 97 demos are the missing link between ‘1988 - 1993’ compilation and Born To Land Hard album. A transition period when Jeff Gunnells took over vocal duties after the original vocalist Rawn Beauty was shot in cold blood in his sleep in 1993 by his roommate Richard Werstine. Luckily they replaced one rage-filled lunatic with another.

Both demos mark the stylistic shift from destructopunk of the Rawn era to heavier metal-tingled hardcore. Born To Land Hard summed up 10 years of writing music and many of the tracks can be traced back to Rawn era. Going through all the band’s demos you can follow the evolution of songs like Terror Zone or Ten 'Till Midnight from the late 80’s over an entire decade to 1999 when the band's massive debut dropped (one of the greatest hardcore albums of all time).

All in all, despite the shady quality of this release, no doubt I would cop this album again, because contrary to mainstream economic theory, consumers don’t make rational decisions.

Backside Records, 2020

Bonus: Cold As Life with Rawn singing recorded at Todd's in Detroit, early 90':

Video: Borstal - Vicious Circles

Taken from BORSTAL'S debut EP 'AT HER MAJESTY'S PLEASURE' to be released on April 1st 2021 via 4 FAMILY RECORDS

Borstal is a collabo between Pierre Knuckledust/Bun Dem Out and drummer of Brujeria, Cradle Of Filth and some other metal bands I don't really care about. The rest of the squad is taken from Dripback and King of Pigs. The upcoming album will feature King Of The Jungle by Last Resort cover. Oi!

2020 can go to hell (Best of)

2020 was wack. It started being wack one day in January, followed by another wack day, and then by 365 more. If your name not Bezos, you can relate. As far as hardcore, the scene has seen better days but I had no problem coming up with a few rippers. The list below proves that even in a dry year, you can still find some legit gems.

Here’s my top of 2020 (spoiler: no Higher Power):

The best: Pain Of Truth - No Blame... Just Facts

It was a blessing to get this ep at the tail end of 2020 to wrap up this fucked up year feeling strong and undefeated. At least that’s how I feel listening to this heavy ass record.

Second best: Mindforce - Swingin Swords, Choppin Lords.

Mindforce never disappoints.

Best split record: Out For Justice / Sector - This Thing Of Ours

No lie, ever since I came across Out For Justice bandcamp I knew this split was gonna be in your face gutter hardcore.

Most vicious: Criminal Instinct - Skull Fucked

It’s just two tracks on digital release but both are sure to get your ass stomped.

Best groove: Three Knee Deep - Three Knee Deep

A record that should not be missed, this album delivers some of the best grooved out rap core of 2020.

Best NYHC: Big Cheese - Punishment Park

Brightside-era Killing Time meets 90' Madball by way of Backtrack (review)

Best rap album: Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist - Alfredo

It was alright, won only because the competition was not that great.

Best Reissue: One Second Thought - Queens Style 1995 - 1999

FWH did a great job combining everything from these Queens heavyweights into a nicely put together digipack.

Second best reissue: Sunrise - Generation Of Sleepwalkers

I never had any strong feeling about Sunrise back in the day, but this album deserved vinyl treatment.

Interview: No Saving Grace

Photo credit: Jetro Staven.

No Saving Grace caught my attention with the recent two-track digital release: Private Hell and Shadow. Both tunes absolutely knock. If you're into heavy ass beatdown hardcore but without all the drama and posturing look no more. It's just two songs but the band does not miss a step musically or lyrically. Honest, down to earth lyrics backed by a bone-crushing groove plucked straight from 90' beatdown heyday. Check out the interview below, check the new tunes and check their back catalog, the band has been steadily putting out records since 2014.

Could you please introduce No Saving Grace and give us some history of the band? I be honest, although you’ve been around for a couple years already, it’s just now that I got to learn about the band.
NSG have been around since 2013 but released our first demo in 2014 due to a lot of line up changes. Since then we have put out EPs, demos, played a bunch of shows in the UK/Germany/Finland etc and recently put out a promo tape on Moral Panic Records. I guess one the main reasons we have been flying under the radar so much is because we come from a smaller town in northern Europe without any big label promoting us and haven’t been touring nearly as much as we should. We’re still grinding as a band though and plan to put out an album as our next move.

There’s no money, no glory, no fame, so why start a hardcore band?
I think for most people it’s the love of the music and the energy you get from playing hardcore shows can be really addictive. For me it’s both of those reasons but also I got a lot of shit I wanna vent about and having a band where I can write lyrics about that stuff and having people relate to it is really important to me. Plus the love you get from the hardcore scene is huge.

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Review: Big Cheese - Punishment Park

Man I heard this record a few months ago already but it’s just now that I own a copy. Had to sell my TV to get this one but I have no regrets, bumping that shit on my second hand stereo is the greatest feeling ever. This album is my last year’s top ten no doubt and probably one of the finest hardcore in Europe in recent times. The intensity and the way it flows make me feel like Punishment Park could be a zenith for the UKHC scene that’s been taking over for the last few years. It’s a well thought out NYHC mayhem, think Brightside-era Killing Time meets 90' Madball by way of Backtrack. That style never gets tired.

This much I know: if you dig the band's previous stuff, you’ll love this one cause it’s even better. But if you’ve got no clue what Big Cheese is about and having read to this point you’re still wondering if I recommend it, the answer is yes.

Dope lyrics: Too rapacious to impart and never with a heavy heart / Keep the knowledge to yourself and the secrets to your wealth / The glimmering of your riches, whilst we’re all dying in ditches / You climb the tower to the sun but you’re the only one.

Video: Chains of Misery - Shackled

 

Chains of Misery 2020, fuck covid, fuck Trump, fuck Biden, it’s time to face the fucking truth

We are all…. Shackled.

Shackled

in these chains, these chains of misery

Shackled

in these chains, these chains of misery

Bloodstained - Downfall Magnificat

This is the newest record from Poland's Bloodstained and if you thought their previous shit was heavy this one is just them going on steroids. Full scale neanderthal bashing rampage mode! Everything more brutal and more complex than before. You can hear they have this stuff thought out and there's a huge skill progress, but there's a good balance between emotion and technical precision. It makes me think of Kickback, All Out War, Arkangel with some old school European death metal flavor. Heavyweight division, no doubt.

There's a concept to this. The music and lyrics feed off of negative perspective on life and have much to say about dark side of human nature. All the themes revolve around humans as species fucking up big time and all the emotions the ongoing apocalypse provokes - violence, depression and disgust, all of which are feelings that most of us experience more often this year. Good stuff for getting in tune with your inner demons.

Video: Embitter - Echoes

Embitter: First single off the debut Embitter full length '1134', released on The Coming Strife Records.

Interview: On Sight

Credit: Steven Pendini

Could you please introduce On Sight and give us some history of the band?

On sight started in 2016 most of us grew up together while those who didn’t years of music has brought us together.

Were you in any bands before?
Doug and Darren played in a few local projects before On Sight but I know Edgar and Dante played in a solid njhc band KNUCKLE UP!

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Video: Rebelmatic - Insult to Injury

#rebelmatic #redrightrecordings #nyc #punk #afropunk #blacklivesmatter #blackexcellence #skatepunk #punkhardcore #pma #ghostintheshadows #fredones #jamesbrowninamoshpit #TRIIBE #nyhc

Criminal Instinct - Skull Fucked

Terrible Things was THE shit and now this little gem drops showing these dudes are still at the top of the game. This is just 2 tracks clocking in just over 1 minute in total and on both of them the band is in full fuck this mode. This little piece of total annihilation of societal norms and over-the-top ultraviolence should be saluted!

Groove wit it: Bun Dem Out - Treason

LBU's bloody reign of terror in East London leaves residents horrified.

If you are here for some life changing ideas, you’ve come to the right place. Treason is a slick and savage new track from London's Bun Dem Out. It's about how real soldatos do their thing and don't listen to shit anyone tells them. This type of thinking is the only mindset that can get you somewhere so pay attention and try to apply this shit in real life.

Musically, only a few can deliver beatdown hardcore with that much verve and style. Not to mention Pelbu's vocals being a huge selling point here. He snarls, spits, and hollers his way through one nasty groove after the other. I vouch this is legit!

Review: Regulate - In the Promise of Another Tomorrow

It came out in 2018 but finally got my dirty hands on this gem. Seeing all the hype about this release it's obvious the band has made a name for itself and I am not surprised at all. I remember listening to Years Of Rage thinking that stuff was dope, but In the Promise is a certified level up. The sound is so crunchy and the vocals deliver mad crazy flow. Dude sounds nothing like whoever. At first, it took me some time to get used to his vocal tone, but he shows character and attitude in his delivery that eventually got me hooked. The band is insanely talented as they work with that in-your-face hardcore formula but add layers of various flavors without overcomplicating shit. It's a gift! Almost all the songs are short and sweet yet there's a depth to it you wouldn't expect at first listen. I lose my shit listening to tracks like 11 33 or Wrong Side Of History. Powerful and angry stuff. And I was totally not ready for Character Arc, a complete change of pace and vibe into more melodic territory with clean singing and shit. Skip all the other bullshit and check this record out. It stays with you!

Edgewood Records, 2018

Groove Wit It: Steel Nation - 2 Many Times

Steel Nation is a band that`s droppin` bombs on your ass with every record they bless the world with. Both Forever Wounded and The Harder They Fall were fat to death so imagine they will be teaming up with France's Knives Out Records for their first new album in 6 years - The Big Sleep. I can't picture it being anything short than awesome, as proved on the track below. If 2 Many Times isn't a masterpiece, then I don't know what is. If you want to hear about some shit that's not right in the world today along with some thick-as-a-brick hardcore that's your stuff right here. 

Video: Clearview - Concrete Jungle

Clearview may be one of the hardest bands you don't know. Concrete Jungle is taken from their 2017 lp Absolute Madness which makes me think how the hell a clip is 2 years in a making when there are people doing proper movies using their iPhones. In a week.

Musicwise, Concrete Jungle is another hard-hitter from the Brazilians and with all the heat this one delivers don’t for a second think it's not groovy. It's a rare thing when a song makes you wanna punch walls while nodding your head.

New Music: Forced Under - Break The Chains

Some heavy shit! Beatdown hardcore from Maryland,US delivered with more finesse than your average but still sounding like they want to fuck you up. Coward and Turncoat are the best tracks in here that keep on creeping on in my head. Reading the lyrics this is some grim, vicious and joyless outlook on the world. Compton, the vocalist, as any clear-thinking individual, is aware that this world is not doing good and it's only getting worse. From betrayal to the pressures of society to this world being ran by idiots, all the key struggles in life are covered. Check it out if heavy ass beatdown hardcore is you thing.

Interview: Exposure

Exposure rep German hardcore scene and I gotta tell you, their latest stuff in the form of Atonement will wreck you. The band stays winning with heavy ass Clevo worship sounding like In Cold Blood or some shit. This is my unexpected champing of recent months and if you sleep on this band, you're a total ass.

Straight off the bat, that Atonement promo tracks are fire. We will talk about that, but first tell me about Exposure. How it all began?
Thanks man, appreciate it. Exposure began as a - probably late night - idea of mine when I was watching some movie of questionable quality. I had a bunch of riffs and ideas floating around in my head and decided to try and turn them into songs. Few weeks later, I did some rough demoing and showed it to rest. Except for Mi(s)cha, we had all been in a Powerviolence band of sorts called Hikikomori that never really went anywhere and we had joked that Volker sounded too much like Dwid at times to not seize that opportunity, so there we are.

So, give us some insights about Atonement. How the promo tracks are representative for the upcoming full length?
Well, they're 2 songs that sort of cover the spread of what we do as a band. We mosh, we pogo (leather jacket with Deathside and Bastard backpatches) and we enjoy the heavy metal music. Also, these are the 2 songs of the full length we've been playing for the longest. The rest of the full length is different variations of what we've done on the demo. A little more finesse maybe but in essence, our approach is trying to write a hard song with several hard riffs.

For the collectors, who will release the album and on what format?
We're still trying to figure out the specifics but it will most likely be vinyl only.

Your sound has been compared to Clevo bands, do you agree with it? What bands were major influences when starting the band?
Oh yeah, definitely. I'm trying to channel the obvious, golden era Integrity, Ringworm, In Cold Blood, Only The Strong Compilation but I also look to bands like Bastard, Deathside and other Japanese Hardcore bands for influence.

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Criminal Minded

These 2 new tracks from the upcoming full-length by Criminal Instinct are less than 3 minutes combined but if the rest of the album is as good 'Terrible Things' gonna be 2019 answer to Droppin' Many Suckers. NMFP is filthy and Victim is grimy. With the level of aggression presented here, it's clear that it's best to leave these dudes alone in real life.

This gem is dropping on November 8th via Closed Casket Activities. Be quick or be sorry!

Trigger warning. Shots fired!




Every time I open my mouth
You just gotta bring up your past
I won't tailor my point of view
Around your fucking bitch ass

NMFP
Not my fucking problem

Review: Heavy Runner - Life Music

If Poland’s contribution to hardcore in 2019 could be summed up in one album, this would be the one. Heavy Runner is the rarest of beast: tough as nails but fun. Life Music sounds like a tribute to glory days of beatdown and certainly captures zeitgeist of 90' Baltimore hardcore by the way of Stout and Next Step Up. Some extra Rucktion/Ninebar flavor here and there to boost up the craziness, while the vocals vibe like this guy received spiritual guidance from DMX himself. Get at me dog!

The chemistry between the band members is amazing and everybody is doing their part while vocals spit out some truthful lyrics that appeal to both sides of the brain. The backing gruffy vocals add some counter balance to swagged out lead singer. To some this music might appear too simple or even basic, yet beneath the surface, a lot of work was done to make these tracks pop. There is an art to being simple so fuck people who think that way.

Probably the best part of this album is that they don't take it too seriously. It's all positive and full of healthy mental content even when they deal with some shitty subject matter. And don't get me wrong, they walk a thin line but there's never anything goofy or gimmick about it. No doubt this no-fucks-given attitude and survivor mentality is the main source of electricity in this album.

Heavy Runner delivers some of the best hardcore of recent memory and Life Music is already included in my top 10 of 2019. Good stuff to annoy your girlfriend, offend your parents and upset the neighbors. Keep your shit the hardest!

Ratel / Ugly&Proud 2019

Demo Daze: Victim To None - True Sight

Get ready cause some epic shit is about to drop on your fucking head! Man, this stuff right here is a heavy hitter. True Sight is short but slick ep by Victim To None and with just 3 tracks in total there's no time to mess around. I respect bands that just get in there and get it done and say 'okay, bye'.

This is a solid hardcore that I am surprised that not that many people are mentioning this.

>>>DOWNLOAD<<<

Found footage: Subzero 'MRP' [2019 reunion show]

SUBZERO performs live at Saint Vitus Bar-Brooklyn w/Silence Equals Death,Killer Of Sheep,NRSV,Ramallah - spytekklb820 Ipa

Subzero is on my all-time top 10 list and embodies everything I expect from hardcore. Every album by them sound so fucking raw and out there with an emotional impact that comes with full force. I love that this band is as rich in substance lyrically as it is layered in different sounds and styles. They can go to places and directions that you never expect, spinning you in so many circles. Happiness Without Peace is a desert island album, Necropolis was a bomb and Suffering also delivered. No matter which one you pick, the execution is always strong, sharp and to the point while the lyrics creep into your head and make you rethink stuff. We're yet to see if they can recreate that magic on the upcoming reunion album.

Also, 2020 European is in the works.

Review: Day By Day - Nowhere To Run

Between me and you, after first listen I thought this record does not make any sense and I want my money back. I bought that lp because of the hype and I felt like a fool. The cover art sill looked cool thought so decided just to keep it, and since I spent my hard earned money on that crap, thought I'd give it a second chance. And a third. And couple more.... and I finally began to realize I was wrong. Nowhere To Run is fire! Day By Day hacks back to glory days of metallic hardcore made by the likes of Stigmata, Dmize or Declination-era Cold As Life. Not crazy heavy, but heavier than Madball. I could be wrong but the vocals remind me a lot of some European metalcore bands like Kickback or Out For The Count. By that I mean high pitched screams that always take me a while to get used to.

On the lyrical front, Nowhere To Run is about the pain and the struggle in a world full of shitty people doing shitty things. But not that 'let me remind you to feel bad' vibe, it's more about dealing with adversity and standing your ground. And there's a mandatory salute to the local scene with SFLHC. Pain and glory - if that's not what hardcore is about than what is? Pretty sure this dude has not done any poetry class because it's all written in a straight forward, almost naive manner, but if that's your problem that means you're on the wrong blog.

All in all, Nowhere to Run come of as fresh and innovative, and there's a sense of menace and urgency once you catch the vibe of it. It took me a while, but I don't regret giving it a second chance.

Eighty Sixed Records' 2018

25 ta Life - Wise to da Game [Stikman version]

Live, Raw, Unmixed and Unmastered.

Time to rise above the ignorance cause I'm wise to da game
And I refuse to take part cause I'm wise to da game

Return Of The Power: Grimlock's Crusher deluxe vinyl edition

If you know Knives Out you know everything done by them is a work of art. I've seen pictures of the upcoming Crusher "Steel" deluxe vinyl edition and it looks fat to death! Some of the options are sold out already so head to their website to secure a copy for yourself before they're all gone. Strictly limited!

Next in line for Knives Out: Xibalba, Sheer Terror and Death By Stereo.

Video: Inhuman Nature - A Nuclear Frost

This video has less than 1000 views as I post it, which just proves their point we as a humanity are doomed.

I know nothing about this band but I like this track. This is yet another take on classic thrash sound and Inhuman Nature is 100% metal but their connection to hardcore could be traced through some of these dudes being in Hang The Bastard ages ago. A Nuclear Frost is a furious masterpiece mostly thanks to sick riff that has 80’ thrash slapped all over and lyrics about the end of the world and collapse of humankind. I am definitely checking their self titled album album despite it having naked Conan on the cover.

FFO: old Sepultura, Power Trip, Slayer, you get it... don't hate the band for picking up moves from the world champions in their weight class!

New Audio: Eyes Of The Lord

What the hell happened? Where did they come from? These men and their anger and violence... why are they dragging us into their inferno?

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars” (2 Chron. 16:9).

Original singer of 100 Demons is in this band and these 3 tracks are a teaser for Misery Feels Like Home album.

Review: Mindforce ‎– Excalibur

Stoked I finally got the chance to cop this record. The first pressing of Excalibur sold out before I even had a chance to snatch it. It seems they didn't anticipate it to get that much attention. For sure No Echo review did help, but the truth is this music is so great the band totally deserves all the love they're getting. Second press on clear vinyl, but I am not a record nerd so I don't even care. In it for the music first and foremost. To my point, after the demo and Dead Heat split I knew Mindforce had a real chance to melt the entire hardcore scene with the debut full length album. And that is what they did.

After the short intro the meat of the record kicks off, which ends up being 20+ minutes of reckless onslaught of crossover mayhem. The song writing is excellent and the overall vibe is straight out of 80' golden era crossover. The record is well thought out and never loses its consistency. The riffing on tracks like Senseless Act or Fangs Of Time is insane and the drums and bass kill it. The vocals are of that type of made to creep into the subconscious and alter the mind. Both in substance and delivery. This dude has been blessed with one of the sickest vocals in the game right now and is putting that gift to the right use. Man, read the lyrics, some slick and clever stuff! The production is fat to death but still, this is a record for kids who like their hardcore dirty and grimy.

Like every other cool kid in 2019 I love bands blending thrash and hardcore. No doubt next to Power Trip this is the best you can get. And while Texans are leaning more and more into metal side, with Mindforce the main focus is on hardcore and that works for me. It's a great feeling when one of your most anticipated albums turns out to be just as good as your hopes for it.

Triple-B Records, 2018

Interview: Embitter

New born fire legion out of Poland. I recommend this to anyone who likes Arkangel and Reprisal and often finds themselves thinking how sick, corrupted and unmoral this world has become. What can I say, Orwellian is just THE shit, bruh. That record has all the time-honored and perhaps even cliched tropes of European metalcore golden age. The violence, the darkness, the mayhem. Get berserk!

For those unfamiliar with the band - what people should know about Embitter?
That’s a tough question to begin with and to tell you truth I am not sure where to start. I guess, all you need to know that we are a band supporting vegetarian & vegan lifestyle. Some of us are straight edge and we do love metalcore. Morning Again, Arkangel, Integrity - shall I name more?

The music on the Orwellian is dark and heavy and grimy in the best tradition of classic edge-metal. I was curious what made you gravitate towards that type of sound?
We had some kind of an idea what to play when we had recorded our first EP but looking back, it was some kind of a fight between directions we wanted to go. Starting the band we had different understanding of metalcore. Mine was Unbroken, Poison the Well but for example Adam’s was clearly Arkangel or Length Of Time. “Orwellian” is a more complex and solid piece in my opinion. It gives a clue what you may expect from the upcoming LP. We managed to work out let’s say our way to play this kind of music.

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The 2019 Hardcore of Summer: Heavy Runner - Life Music

If you’re a fan of Stout but it’s too grimey for today, maybe it’s a Heavy Runner day?

At first glance, this is one of that not-to-be-fucked-with kinda bands, but put that Life Music to test and quickly realize this team of tough looking macho mother fuckers got nothing but love and PMA in their hearts. Lyrically, this is some uplifting and positive stuff. That type of keep-ya-head-up music that can get you through a rough day. And musically, the closest bands I can think of with Heavy Runner would be if Cold World, Stout, Biohazard, and Turnstile had a baby. I don't even know if that makes any sense, but that's how I feel. Life Music keeps a high standard of fulfilling the kind of formulaic shit I desire in a heavy ass hardcore while flying off in a some unexpected, crazy directions. This is the only beatdown record that I would feel comfortable playing at family bbq. Fuck negative shit, enjoy life!

Demo Daze: Ca$halot - Реальность боли

Ca$halot is one of the bands that you find on accident browsing bandcamp and end up really enjoying. Metallic hardcore from Izhevsk, Russia, a city over 1,200 km east of Moscow where they make Kalashnikov machine guns. Реальность боли came out in March and I've never even heard of it. The way it sounds is nice. Not amazing but nice. I think many of you will be surprised by the quality of Russian hardcore bands if you start paying more attention to the scene over there.

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New Blood: Chaver

>>Leipzig, Germany-based hardcore with style that goes from punk to metal and back
>>New record called Transference is just out via Injustice Records

For those that don’t know you, please introduce yourself and tell us where you’re from?
First, thanks a lot for your interest in Chaver and for asking us these questions. So yeah, we´re Chaver. The 3 of us are chris, winny and willi and we play a mix of heavy hardcore, riffy metal and fast punk. Our base is Leipzig in the eastern part of Germany. We started in 2016 and released a couple records since. First was a Split 7“ with german powerviolence band BATTRA// and a year later in early 2017, we pressed our 1st EP STROKE on a 12“ vinyl. Later that year, we recorded the SWAMP EP tape and very luckily, INJUSTICE records was down to put it out it. In february 2019 we finally released our first album through INJUSTICE on a yellow 12“. It’s called TRANSFERENCE and we´re very glad how it turned out. Between our releases, we´ve been pretty much touring through Europe all the time. Weekenders and tours through small diy clubs as well as festival appearences. We´ve tried to play as much as possible and put heaps of effort into it. We still are.

What’s your goal with this band?
Wow, that’s a tough one. Our Goal with this band? There are a couple. Writing better songs all the time. Bring heavier riffs, have thighter drumpatterns, wich fit the overall song atmosphere better, writing lyrics that display our feelings, yet deliver the message more on point, having better songstructutres… all summed up, becoming better songwriters. Then, we would say, become a better liveband. Play thighter, play a good mix of songs, have the sound as good and as heavy as possible, having the live process more professional technicwise. that last thing goes hand in hand with trying to play more professional concerts and also venues to deliver a better concert (for example when it comes to sound and light). On the other hand, we´ve always supported the diy scene in small squated houses and stuff. We don´t want to miss that and feel very compfy there as well. and if you play good, you can pull a great set in the most primitive (technicwise) places as well, that’s for sure. we would also like to see more places then we´ve had so far. we´re planing to visit at least 8 new places in 2019. lets see how this turnes out. for sure, we want me people to know about Chaver and to listen to our music. That’s for sure. a dream would be playing somewhere overseas. Maybe we get to have this possibility one day.

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Gut Reaction: Leeway NYC - I'm Your Pusher

So Leeway has a new video out and I decided to check it out. It's called I'm Your Pusher and is all sorts of fun. Everything sounds 100% on point musically and I can't imagine anyone not liking this track. Powerful riffs and vocals laced with a mixture of menace and paranoia. Eddie seems like a guy that has been through rough ass time in his life and got no problem wearing his pain on his sleeve. You can't fake it!

When I first got into hardcore I slept on Leeway for a bit, and I regret it. Still, I've never listened to anything by them beyond the first two albums so I have no idea how this song fits the evolution of the band. I don't even know if that type of thinking makes sense given it is band's first new music in like 25 years. This I know, nothing they record in 2019 will be discussed in the same terms as Born to Expire or Desperate Measures. But it's fine. That's not the point. These dudes have been in and out involved in hardcore since Leeway days were over so to me this reunion is legit. Can't wait to hear rest of the tunes they've been working on lately.