New Blood: Turnstile

Turnstile is a new hardcore band from the Baltimore/DC area and while most of you know them cause they've got Trapped Under Ice's drummer Brendan doing vocal duties, there's definitely more to the band. I was really into their demo and hearing Reaper is about to release their debut 7" just made this otherwise fucked up week worth suffering through. Check what the band is all about in this quick interview with the Brendan.

Turnstile is a new hardcore band from the Baltimore/DC area and while most of you know them cause they've got Trapped Under Ice's drummer Brendan doing vocal duties, there's definitely more to the band. I was really into their demo and hearing Reaper is about to release their debut 7" just made this otherwise fucked up week worth suffering through. Check what the band is all about in this quick interview with the Brendan.

First off, who are you/what is your role in Turnstile?
-Whatsup! I'm Brendan and I sing in the band Turnstile

How did Turnstile form as a band?
- The band started when my friend/ neighbor, Brady ( who plays guitar in the band) came to me with song ideas that I thought sounded awesome. We began writing, and after a few months of workin together, we recorded the demo. The rest of the guys (daniel, franz, and sean) are some of my best friends who were down to join us.

Where did the name of the band come from?
- I got the name from one of my favorite Hot Water Music songs, "Turnstile".

What bands influence you guys?
- Bands like Madball, Leeway, Inside Out, and Maximum Penalty are strong influences on our bands style.

To my knowledge you are in 2 other bands, one being the almighty Trapped Under Ice, and pop-punk outfit Diamond (DMND). How do you deal with being in 3 bands? All which are catching a lot of attention?
-I love it! There's no rule or limit on anything that you do. The 3 bands have their own style and I love to write and play music, so it really works for me. It keeps me busy

What is the difference playing in each? Do you like one more than the other?
-Playing in each band is completely different from one another, but I love playing in them all. I like singing. Switchin it up from bein behind the drums. Plus I like jumping around.

Are the other members of Turnstile in any other projects?
- Our drummer Daniel Fang plays drums in Mindset, Sacred Love, Praise, and a new band called Peace. Bass-man Franz is a rapper. Check him out, Freaky Franz, Freaky Tales mixtape, he's cool!

What is the hardcore scene like in Baltimore?
- Scene in baltimore is cool. Venues like the Charm City Art Space do a lot of cool shows. Check out Mindset, Sacred Love, Give, Praise, Mob Mentality.

What is your process for writing lyrics? What do you write about?
- The lyrics I write are just about things that I feel: Social Pressures, Relationships, friendship, and just living.

For those who haven’t heard you guys, what can a kid expect picking up a Turnstile record?
- what to expect? Hopefully it just makes you want to dance and jump in your bedroom.

What has Turnstile released?
- we just released a 7" called "Pressure to Succeed" on Reaper Records! 6 songs!

Any new releases in progress?
- We just released our first record, but we do have some New stuff already that we are workin on!

Any upcoming tours/shows?
- We're playing June 1st in Baltimore and June 5th In DC, and Planning on Playing a lot more very soon!

Thanks for your time man, any final thoughts/shout outs?
- Shoutout to Patrick Kitzel and Reaper Records, Fire & Ice, Dead End Path, Hardboiled, Red Bull, Vans, and my friends.

Interview done by Jeffrey Wang

Sheer Terror to release new 7" in July!

This is probably the biggest news of this year! The Sheer Terror 7", featuring two new songs titled "Heresy on the Monkey Bar" and "Blue Shadows Will Fall", along with a cover song scheduled to be out in July. This will be released by almighty Reaper Records!

S.O.S. pre-orders up now at Reaper Records

Head over to the Reaper DIY Store and pick up the S.O.S. 7" "I Owe You Nothing" pre-order. Supplies are limited! 'I Owe You Nothing', the title track off of the new EP of the same name by S.O.S., is available for streaming today on the band's official Facebook page. Head to this link to check it out. Today also marks the launch of the band's "I Owe You Nothing" pre-order! Hit the official pre-order link to get your copy now.

S.O.S. is:
Scott Vogel - Vocals (Terror)
Matt Henderson - Guitar (formerly ofAgnostic Front and Madball)
Sam Trapkin - Guitar (Trapped Under Ice)
Chris Beattie - Bass (Hatebreed)
Nick Jett - Drums (Terror)

The band got together over several New York winter days to record their debut EP. Each member contributed to all parts of the creative process, from every riff right down to the vocal patterns. At the helm of production was Dean Baltulonis, a producer and engineer who has been involved with some of the genres most iconic recordings (Agnostic Front, Madball), and was a natural fit for the session. S.O.S. emerged with a concise, tried and true, no frills hardcore EP titled "I Owe You Nothing".

The idea of S.O.S. first started to take shape around two years ago when Scott Vogel, front man for Terror, and Chris Beattie, bass player for Hatebreed, began discussing the possibility of making music together. The two had first met while touring the US together in 1995, and their discussions were simply focused on making music without stress or complications. While there was some back and forth regarding other potential members, the idea took a more serious turn when Matt Henderson, former guitarist of Agnostic Front and Madball, agreed to be involved. This would be Matt's first formal involvement in a band in over five years. For the next member, Vogel had to look no further than his own band mate, Terror drummer Nick Jett. Nick is razor sharp behind the drums and his ability as a prolific songwriter added another creative dimension. To round out the group and put the final piece in place, S.O.S. brought in guitarist Sam Trapkin from one of the best new bands hardcore has seen in years, Trapped Under Ice. Individually, the members of S.O.S. represent the past, present, and future of hardcore. While that warrants recognition in its own right, the music and the spirit is what leads the charge for S.O.S.

"It took years to finally get everyone in the same room, but the result is cool," states vocalist Scott Vogel. "We did what we set out to do; make a fast and angry hardcore record with no gimmicks or nonsense, and just have fun doing it. It seems like today everything is so professional and serious and this was just friends from some of my favorite bands making some music together."

New Blood: Hold Down

So this edition of New Blood is dedicated to Germany-based Hold Down. Some time ago I wrote about their demo: ”Hold Down plays hardcore that is both aggressive and very catchy. The band certainly has a flair for a proper hardcore sound without any cheap tricks. They stick to the basics of the genre but still keep it fresh and powerful.” I think this sums up the band pretty well and if you ask me, they certainly one of the most interesting upcoming bands from the Germany right now. Read the short interview and learn what they’re all about!

So this edition of New Blood is dedicated to Germany-based Hold Down. Some time ago I wrote about their demo: ”Hold Down plays hardcore that is both aggressive and very catchy. The band certainly has a flair for a proper hardcore sound without any cheap tricks. They stick to the basics of the genre but still keep it fresh and powerful.” I think this sums up the band pretty well and if you ask me, they certainly one of the most interesting upcoming bands from the Germany right now. Read the short interview and learn what they’re all about!

For those unfamiliar with the band - what do you want people to know about the band and your music or message? How did you all meet and how long have you all been a band?
Hello everybody. Me ( sören/ voice) and our former drummer, now guitarplayer mathias, come from the same part of town in the cologne area and we had been playing in another band together before we came up with the idea to start Hold Down last year. We all have known each other for a few years except for our drummer Emilio from Guatemala, who just recently moved to Germany and joined us to finally get things started.

What's the toughest struggle for the band like yours? What's the biggest wall to get over?
Don´t know about the other bands but in our case the biggest struggle was and still is to get a dedicated crew together. It took us a while to find the right guys and we currently don´t really have a bassplayer, so that kind of slows us down in some ways. Another aspect is the fact that I moved to Bremen (300kms from cologne) a while ago and we do not get to hang out and play as much as we want to, but that´s life.

For those who have not heard anything from you how would you describe band's playing sound?
That´s a tough one to answer. I would rather recommend you to download our first output on this page to find out on your own. But I reckon our sound could be described as mainly midtempo orientated hardcore with the odd fast riff and some groove to it.

What have you released so far?
we just recently recorded our first songs as a demo which we didn´t really release in that kind of way. We just wanted to record those songs quite soon after we founded Hold Down to get it started properly. We posted them as a download on our myspace and it can be found here on hardboiled as well.

Who are your strongest musical influences and why?
Beside the all time classic bands from the 80´s/90´s who have defined the Style of Hardcore Music and paved the way for many great Bands, I would say that we´re mostly influenced by (mainly european) hardcore bands like bleed into one, solid ground, no turning back…just to name a few. Those Bands, among others, are the ones who have been working hard during the last years to make European Hardcore as strong and alive as it is today and they stick to the old nyhc-style without loosing their unique sound which is very important to me. That´s the music that we all like, but there are so many good bands around which makes it hard to break it down to a few names. I definitely don´t want to compare us with those great bands in any way, that would be just ridiculous, but since we listen to that kind of hardcore all the time it influenced our approach to play music and made us start something by ourselves.


Where do you draw your inspiration from when it comes to the lyrics?
When approaching a new song, I´m mostly influenced by my own surroundings and my own life. I don´t write lyrics about politics that take place on the international level because in my opinion there are so many things that go wrong in front of our own eyes, fucked up things happen and there are boundaries to get over for everyone of us. There´s a lot to do and countless aspects worth to think and write songs about. Beside the contradictions and problems that we have to face sometimes, there´s a lot of positive energy left inside. Friendship for example is a big part of life, and so there might be one or two songs about that as well.

Tell me about band's performance element – what should kids expect from your live show?
Well, I can´t come up with impressive tales concerning life shows since we haven´t played a single one with Hold Down yet. We don´t have a bass player right now which makes it impossible to play, but are currently setting things up and there are some shows coming up around may. I would say people can expect the things to happen, they do themselves. We´re not afraid to demonstrate the energy we have and if the people want to go mad we will definetely appreciate that. But I think it´s more realistic to say that the people should not expect too much movement in the crowd on the first shows because we´re not that well known and you know what that means.

Tell us what you have coming up that we can check for. Plans, gigs and releases planned for the upcoming months?
We can probably be seen on a few shows in early summer like I mentioned before.
We´re currently setting up a show near cologne to showcase our demo. We also have a couple new tracks and currently work on a few because we have more ideas than we can keep in our heads, which should make us hit the studio again in the later part of 2011.

Any closing thoughts?
Thanks a lot for the interview and everyone who took the time to check our sound, we appreciate that. If anyone is interested in filling Hold Downs void on the bass position, just hit us up. Keep moving!

Unite.Resist Interview

Here’s a quick background info on the band: Unite.Resist is a new and upcoming hardcore band hailing from Scranton, Pennsylvania. The band started out in 2010, has released their self-titled debut Ep in January 2011 on Universal Warning Records and if that’s important for you, there’s Tom from Strength For A Reason playing bass there. Unite.Resist is currently working on the upcoming split with Troublesome on Marked For Death which should be available in the upcoming months. If you like real, honest, down to earth hardcore that tell it like it is, here’s something for you. Hell, every band that mentions Mushmouth as one of their influences should immediately make to every hardcore kid’s ‘to listen’ list!

Here’s a quick background info on the band: Unite.Resist is a new and upcoming hardcore band hailing from Scranton, Pennsylvania. The band started out in 2010, has released their self-titled debut Ep in January 2011 on Universal Warning Records and if that’s important for you, there’s Tom from Strength For A Reason playing bass there. Unite.Resist is currently working on the upcoming split with Troublesome on Marked For Death which should be available in the upcoming months. If you like real, honest, down to earth hardcore that tell it like it is, here’s something for you. Hell, every band that mentions Mushmouth as one of their influences should immediately make to every hardcore kid’s ‘to listen’ list!

Can you give us a brief history of the band? What prompted you to start Unite.Resist and who is in the present line up? What prompted you to start Unite. Resist and who is in the present line up ?

Tom: The band started through a few different line-ups, but came together with the band Myriad in 2003, which was ERIC(vocals), Jim( Drums), Tom (bass), Vic(guitar) and Dom(guitar). In the evolution of that band, Jon (guitar) eventually joined to give the band a second guitar when Dom left. This band played mostly in PA through 2003-2006 During these years Tom joined SFAR and started to tour with them. A few years later when Strength’s drummer decided to step back from the reigns, Jim took on the job of drumming with them for obvious reasons including schedules. We then mulled around with some ideas and decided to get a new project together, topics for lyrics, type of sound, etc., then decided to come out strong in 2010. We recorded our songs before playing live and then started looking for a label. After recording we played a few shows and then released the self titled EP on Universal Warning Records in the first week of January. Lou joined the band in January shortly after the release, playing his first two shows solo , but that’s the way it always seems to go when you have to work a full time job. The present line-up is ERIC(vocals) JIM (drums) Jon (guitar) LOU (guitar) TOM (bass) .

How would you describe your playing sound to those who still haven’t heard your music? Is it something people are going to be able to compare to Strength For A Reason?

Eric: If you’re a fan of mid 90s hardcore you will enjoy us, it’s a break from all the breakdown bands that seem to be coming out , if you have V.O.D , Mushmouth , Madball on your ipod pick up a cd . If your a fan of Strength for a Reason I’m sure you would enjoy Unite Resist, but to compare us to them I would say no we have a different sound and style of writing.

Tell us something about your debut album. What do you hope people make of it?

Tom: The aspect that I liked about this recording is that we recorded totally analog, and with all live takes, so when a mistake was made we had to re-do the entire song. On a side note it just so happened that when ideas for the artwork on our Universal Warning EP were completed we used pictures from Ireland, Greece, etc. By the time the discs were printed and released, these countries were having protests in the streets over the economics situations and bailouts.

As for what I would like people to make of it, I would hope that something on the record would strike a chord with a listener, whether it be the music or one of the topics in the lyrics. I wouldn’t want to downplay the music because that is a huge part of a band, but I personally would hope that one of some of the lyrics could possibly start a conversation (especially in the states). The U.S. has taken a turn since 9/11. Whether it be the new attitude the country has taken, surveillance of citizens, erosion of civil liberties and our constitution (which the average person in this country seems to want to give away freely). I think these topics are in need of some serious discussion. I feel this can also strike a chord around the world, not only in the states, due to some of the events that we have seen in the past year. Bailouts in Europe and unrest in the middle-east, N. Africa and Eastern Europe. When it comes to the payment of a country’s debt, the people have to realize that they do not owe the debt, monetary practices are the cause of the troubles. The people have a right to be upset.

Eric: I hope people from 15 to 50 enjoy what we are doing on this release, and see how much work we put into it plus its all analog so the sound of the cd is nice and crisp not a lot of bands do analog anymore . We will also be putting out a split CD with the band Troublesome this summer on Marked For Death Records which will be released in Europe. So be on the lookout.

What are you be singing about on the record?

Tom: If you take a song like “Weaponless” the song is saying that people have a voice to speak out or address their grievances or change their world. But possibly someone who is in the lower or middle class may not be able to flex an economic muscle or pull some political “strings” like someone in a higher class would. So that’s why you hear people say, “that’s the way it is. What am I going to do about it? We can’t change it.” If everyone would change that mindset things could change tomorrow. My favorite part of the song is the MLK excerpt which refers to the U.S. staying true to its constitution, which is the solution to the many problems our country is facing currently. And of course there are other weapons that can be used, but the song is saying that non-violently the only weapon we’ve been left with is our voice and it can be powerful. Now would be a time to speak up in America, because you would rather see a problem solved peacefully than to have to resort to violence. But I am 100% behind the people of Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Egypt, Etc. The song “Pain in Change” is a play on the Obama presidential campaign slogan. Although the U.S. voted the man into office and the world seemed to justify him by giving him the Nobel Peace Prize. He never really had desire to change any of the Bush policies, as the people of the U.S. assumed.

Eric: I agree with what Tom said on the songs and also to let people know its not how cool you are b/c of the way you dress or went to a hardcore show. Its about knowing the people around you and knowing yourself that this is the place. Most people go to get away or to hang out with friends. Due to this current emphasis on fashion or text messaging and facebook you may not always see and to hear what some of the bands are saying open your ears people.

Where do your lyrics come from? What are your main inspirations?

Tom: When I first started seeing hardcore bands it was more the atmosphere of the show that I admired. It gave me the feeling that these people were here for a reason and had a very important message to convey to the audience. For some of the bands it was in their message, but for others it was in what they spoke about between songs. To me it always had a positive message,(or that’s what I heard or gravitated towards). Messages about believing in yourself, standing up for one another, and not being afraid to speak out against what grievances were around at the time socially, etc. I know that there are bands that currently have a something to say, and along with them we hope to contribute to more of a message brought back to hardcore. Currently my inspirations are found in the news. Europe is having economic problems in Iceland, Ireland, Greece, Spain. Problems that other countries will soon see. What happened in Egypt with the internet shutdown and use of the military against citizens in Libya could happen in any country. Europe and the U.S. are not an exception.

Eric: I remember when hardcore had a message, and has seemed to have lost some of that message. We are here because we love the music and the people and I really wanted to say a lot to the kids who just wanted to be cool at shows or to go outside and txt and tell people, “hey I’m at a show “. The kids who start bands who want to just say I’m in a hardcore band but really have no message and no heart they just want the look. We come to this place to get away its our high and we must keep the people with open minds in it that stay true to what's real.

PA bands are recognized for their strong, heavy hitting brand of hardcore . How does coming from there shape your attitude to the music and hardcore culture?

Tom: I’m very proud to come from the PA hardcore scene, and the Northeast area in general. I would like to think that with any band the attitude and sound comes from the regions we were raised. The area we are from, which is an older industrial region, we are people of the same socio-economic backgrounds, all working class families. In the 90s our area was fortunate enough to have a stable club that brought in hardcore bands from other areas and allowed local bands to develop their music, Strength for a Reason was one of these bands. Our proximity to New York (2 hr) also helped. These bands that came up in that time period in turn passed that hardcore ethic along. Some people get it and some people don’t. I feel that the area that we come from is similar to the parts of Europe that have the same brands of music, such as the Ruhrpott in Germany ,England, or Poland. Especially Pennsylvania which produced coal, iron, steel and agriculture. I also feel we also get our work ethic from parents and especially our grandparents, who were hard workers, and I feel that this influences our attitudes.

And what do you think of the hardcore scene right now? What are some other bands you’re down with?

Tom, Eric : I think that the scene has a healthy influx of new bands. Some good fests going on in the U.S. like the new Tsunami Fest, This is Hardcore, Long Island Fest, etc. Some great new bands that have come out at the same time as us are: Troublesome , Lifeless ,Ready to Die , Rock Bottom , Born Low and Wrong Answer who we are really into presently. Right now I am liking the band Carrying the Fire from Baltimore, I like the message and I feel all around the band is amazing. Mother of Mercy is also very good. Steel Nation, who we all agree on, is another PA band who we happen to know personally, as well as Strength for a Reason, Cold World, Wisdom in Chains, Not til Death , and Concrete Reality . And these are bands that are more or less from our "area".So yeah I think there is a lot of potential right now to keep it moving in the right direction.The scene is strong the real bands keep it moving along and keep it alive thank god. The venues are sometimes tough to keep, but everyone will usually work together to find a hall, other location, or basement, which we have played over the last weekend. Its great to see people and the bands come together and put shows on no matter if your from one part of town or another, we should all be working together and pushing for each other. We are all the same, we love this thing called hardcore we love the feeling of being at a show together thats what its about, not doing presales for someone or to get the most facebook likes.

How do you rate paper fanzines, and do you think they still have a part to play in the hardcore scene?

Tom:I think that it is great that people communicate and share ideas through paper zines. It has contributed to the attitude and the drive that made hardcore what it is and we have to preserve that tradition. The internet can’t be the only form of communication within the scene. Whenever I’m at a show and see a zine or a paper pamphlet I will take one to read. While answering these questions I was looking at the Thinking Cap fanzine that I picked up at a show in Philadelphia.

What's your impression of the European hardcore scene?

Tom: I love going on trips to Europe, not only for the sights but for the friends I’ve met in several countries. Having been over to Europe a few times I can say that the fans are very appreciative to the bands from the US, and that the clubs and promoters are better organized that those in the U.S.. I appreciate the honesty European fans will give when it comes to opinions on performances or certain songs. I’ve had the opportunity to play with and befriend the guys in No Turning Back, Cheap Thrills, Bleed Into One, New Morality, For The Glory, Nasty, BOLT , Fallbrawl, Black Friday '29 . And others like Look My Way, World Eater, The Ice and I also happen to be fans of all of these bands. And as in the U.S. I see that when bands dissolve or break up the members usually end up staying in the scene and starting new bands, labels, and zines. This year SFAR had the opportunity to play in Katowice Poland this year and the thing I will remember was that Poland dances HARD. It was a show that I will remember, as well as the ice cold vodka shots, which I crave from time to time now that I’m home.

Five books everyone should read?

I’m sorry that I didn’t keep it to five books, but pick any of these five and you should enjoy

1. Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited by Auldous Huxley

( A similar book is 1984 by George Orwell, but I feel that Huxley realizes that the government will use a different form of control (through media and entertainment) rather that just brute force.

2. Inside the third Reich by Albert Speer

( As you should know our band does not condone fascism or national socialism, but stands for the opposite. I feel that everyone should at some point in their lives read a book about how a system like that can be built up around a population when the right circumstances permit. If one realizes how this happens, we would possibly not repeat the same mistake. Other books in this same vein could be The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn or The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard Evans)

3. Media Control : The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda by Noam Chomsky (also, the book that started it all: Propaganda by Edward Bernays or you could watch the documentary about Bernays “The Century of the Self” that can be found on youtube. Byernays was the nephew of Freud and the man who invented propaganda)

4. Slaughter House Five by kurt Vonnegut

(any of his books are a good read, Blackbeard, Cat’s Cradle, etc.)

5. The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

(which gets me into other books like War and Peace by Tolstoy)

Also you can not go wrong with the classics

Art of War by Sun Tzu

The Republic by Plato

The Iliad of The Odyssey by Homer

The Gallic War and othe Writings of Julius Ceasar by Julius Ceasar

The Prince by Machiavelli

The Trial and The Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka

The Grapes of Wrath By John Steinbeck

Three mistakes everyone should do before they die?

Eric: I have no clue im only 27 find me when im 60 if im still alive and ask me .

What are some future plans for the band? What should we expect from Unite.Resist in the 2011?

Eric : we are writing for our Europe release as of right now, taking it easy on shows it should be out this July on Marked For Death Records .we all have a lot more time in the summer's soon as we are done recording that we will be playing out as much as we can .

Any last words ?

Eric : Thanks to all who support us we are thankful for how far we have come in just a few months and we plan to keep moving with our message as far as we can go .

Harm's Way to release new album at Closed Casket Activities

The time has finally come for a new LP from our own Harms’S Way. Just over 1 year from the 7″ release of the “No Gods No Masters” EP Closed Casket Activities will be bringing you the new full length entitled “Isolation”. This record is 8 new tracks that truly shows their progression into their own style of metal influenced hardcore. Recording has been finished at Brick Top Recordings in Illinois by Andy Nelson (Weekend Nachos) and original illustrations for the project has been handled by Jon Macnair to bring the audio and visual aspects of the recording to life.

In anticipation of the announced Harms’S Way – Isolation LP we will have a 7″ single for the song “Breeding Grounds”. This will be a tour exclusive on the upcoming East coast run with Expire and Venia and limited to 300 copies. The track will be available for a free download shortly at Closed Casket Activities but for now can be streamed here.

Summer Of Hate 2011 - final line-up revealed!

From the Hard-Ass Records blog: After working on the show pretty much since the day after the last year's SOH ended we are happy to announce the FINAL LINE UP for SUMMER OF HAVE V as well as tickets for the show. Detroit hardcore legends COLD AS LIFE and Connecticut's PALEHORSE will complete the lineup. We are truly excited to have CAL & Palehorse play this year. CAL is a band that we have loved since we were teenagers and seeing them at Summer of Hate will truly be the best environment to see them that we could imagine (other than back in the day in Detroit, of course!). CAL will be filming the set for an upcoming DVD about the band's history and this will be the only show they are playing all summer. More info here!

Tried and True - Fight Song

The new issue of Just Say Yo! zine is out

Just Say Yo! #4 is finally out! This time it's 60 pages, full size, in English with an artwork by Matt Gauck. Inside you can find interviews with Vinnie Caruana (The Movielife, I Am The Avalanche), On, Bridge And Tunnel, Bökanövsky, The Saddest Landscape, Austin Lucas and Hate5six. Also, the ultimate Leatherface mixtape (by Alex Fox), columns, reviews (records, zines...) and other shit. Available for 2 EUR (or 3 USD) + shipping and you can place your order here.

Always War - Vengeance Prevail

Downpresser Interview

Downpresser from Santa Barbara, Cali brings nothing but a hard mosh and blood to the dance floor! They've been getting a lot of good reviews for their music but what is more important is that all the kids I know who had a chance to see them live were coming home with bruises. If a hardcore band makes you wanna sing along while getting your ass constantly kicked in the pit you know it's a real deal! Read the interview to know where and when see them playing live and what's up with the upcoming Lp!

Downpresser from Santa Barbara, Cali brings nothing but a hard mosh and blood to the dance floor! They've been getting a lot of good reviews for their music but what is more important is that all the kids I know who had a chance to see them live were coming home with bruises. If a hardcore band makes you wanna sing along while getting your ass constantly kicked in the pit you know it's a real deal! Read the interview to know where and when see them playing live and what's up with the upcoming Lp!

First off, thanks for taking your time to do this interview. Lets have some introductions, Who are you, and what is your role in Downpresser?

I'm Dan, I sing in DP.

How did Downpresser begin?

Sean (guitar) and Jim (drums) started playing together in late 2005. Russ (bass) joined and then I was asked to do vocals. We wrote a demo started playing out and it went from there.

What are some major influences for you guys?

Musically, I think Merauder, Biohazard, Leeway, No Warning, All Out War, Stigmata, etc. Bands like that.

Where/what do you draw from your life to create lyrics?

Probably the same as anyone else.. Emotions, opinions, situations in my life. Some of my lyrics are metaphorical but they're still personal. I try to be honest.

What song have you written means the most to you? Why?

Arm's Length. It's one of my favorite songs to play live and the lyrics have continued to gain new meanings the more we play it.

You play bass in Minus as well, what are things you enjoy/differences being in each band?

It's just different. Two different kinds of playing. I love each. The tour we did over the summer was perfect. I love playing with both bands.

For those who haven’t heard you guys, what can they expect when they pick up one of your records?

I don't know man. We just like writing hardcore that we would want to listen to. That's it, haha.

My first time seeing you guys was with Hammerbros in Sacramento, it was a religious experience for me. What shows have you been to that you will never forget?

Thanks! Recently, United Blood 2011. So much fun. Overall... I have a lot of memories from the early 2000's when I was coming up. Seeing In Control, Terror, American Nightmare, and so many other bands all the time was a huge influence on me personally. I was into punk originally, so seeing like Rancid and shit like that back when I was a kid was huge too.

How is hardcore in your hometown?

Strong right now. We have a bunch of good venues going right now and a solid group of kids that regularly come out.

What has the band released?

Demo, Perverted Justice 12"ep, split 7" with Creatures, Age Of Ignorance 7".

Any new releases coming up?

Working on an LP. It's about halfway done. We're trying to record it in the summer before Sound & Fury.

What are your touring plans? Upcoming shows?

At the end of May we're touring up to Rainfest with Rotting Out and Alpha & Omega. Right after Sound & Fury we're leaving on a full U.S. tour with New Morality and Cornered, both from the Netherlands. Cornered's got a record coming out on 6131 before the tour so keep an eye out for that.

Once again, thanks for doing this interview. Any final thoughts or shout outs?

Thank you. Hi to all my friends.

Interview done by Jeffrey Wang from San Jose, CA

New Blood: Maya Over Eyes

Maya Over Eyes really began in the summer of 2004 in San Jose CA. In no time at all they began sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in Hardcore, establishing themselves as a prominent figure in the local scene. Their first recording came as a demo in 2006. Soon after they finished their first demo, the band began to venture out on the road, including a western US tour in 2007 and a northwestern US tour in 2009.

Maya Over Eyes really began in the summer of 2004 in San Jose CA. In no time at all they began sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in Hardcore, establishing themselves as a prominent figure in the local scene. Their first recording came as a demo in 2006. Soon after they finished their first demo, the band began to venture out on the road, including a western US tour in 2007 and a northwestern US tour in 2009.

First off introductions, what is your name/instrument played in the band?

Paco, vocals.

How did Maya Over Eyes come to be?

Maya Over Eyes started in late 2003 as a high school project. With no plans to do anything major. Just a bunch of kids into metal/punk that believed family and friends was the biggest thing in life when it came to hardcore music with a few other influences. As 2004 began, things had gone from jamming in a garage/back yards to performing at the Campbell, Ca Gaslighter. High school talent show at D.C.P. Collage prep. We started to get a following in San Jose, Ca as soon as the Cave opened. Gig after gig we soon wanted to become a full time touring band.

What bands influence you guys?

Maya Over Eyes has a very diverse influences when it comes to music. There's bands from all different genres that have a huge impact on us. They range from latin bands to metal bands, but I think we can all agree that Hatebreed is our most major influence.

What is the band all about? (What is the message the band wants to send out?)

The message we have is pretty basic. Live life to the fullest and be happy with what you have.... "Better Times" is a song that we released that breaks down everything we stand for. Hard times or not, there's always better times..

Where/what do you draw from your life to write lyrics?

I write lyrics from my past. Experiences my family and friends have gone through. Things in life will take you to the most extremes without planning. Definitely worth writing. Everyone has things to say. Poetry to write or rhymes to rap about. Life itself is where things come from..

What is the biggest challenge you guys have faced as a band?

The biggest challenge we've had is keeping this project together. With so many line up changes. Things always get complicated. But some how, some way we manage to keep it rollin...

How is hardcore in the Bay Area?

B.A.H.C. is very strange. It has a South Bay, East Bay divisions. When they come together, it's really huge. We have a few generations that hold it down. Over all Bay Area has a great scene. If you can turn heads in your direction, no doubt you can make some damage.

What is the band’s current label situation?

We've never had a label. This has always been D.I.Y. band. Never had plans to sign with any labels but things keep going our way. As long as we got heart and a little cash. Maya will keep doing they're thing.

What has the band released? (Put download links as well if you guys want)

"Things Get Worse Before They Get Better" is the only official self release E.P. we have since 2009. Theres a few demos but nothing worth downloading.

Here's a link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?lwzly0imjmt

Any touring plans? Upcoming shows?

A full U.S. tour with Make It Reign (Reno, NV) & Forty Winters
(Coral Springs, FL) in June. It's a month and a week long. First U.S. tour we will do. A few gigs coming up but for that you can check out the Facebook page..

http://www.facebook.com/mayaovereyes?sk=app_123966167614127

Thanks for your time. Any final thoughts or shout outs?

We want to thank everyone that has always had their arms open to us. Lets us stay on their floors, shower and have taken care of us like family. You all know theres too many to name. To the kids that haven't seen us. It's only a matter of time. Shout outs to all San Jose for giving us there love. We always keep it 408 no matter where we go.

Interview was done by Jeffrey Wang

Strike Back Interview

Strike Back hails from France and is all about angry hardcore played at decent speeds and with a decent weight on it. Ten years after their debut album and they still have not lost it. After two full lengths and couple of Eps, the band has self released their new album called Still Holding On in January. If you read the review I’ve posted some time ago than you know it’s good, if not, make sure you check out this shit. Fans of Madball or Sick Of It All will be happy, fans of My Chemical Dildo might be disappointed.

Strike Back hails from France and is all about angry hardcore played at decent speeds and with a decent weight on it. Ten years after their debut album and they still have not lost it. After two full lengths and couple of Eps, the band has self released their new album called Still Holding On in January. If you read the review I’ve posted some time ago than you know it’s good, if not, make sure you check out this shit. Fans of Madball or Sick Of It All will be happy, fans of My Chemical Dildo might be disappointed.

Can you tell us a bit about the history of Strike Back? How things got started and what have you been up to so far?

The band started 10 years ago, on New Year’s Eve 2000. With 3 friends of mine we wanted to play punk hardcore music, something in between Strife / Sick of it all / Madball /Agnostic front etc… a mix of all the bands we loved at that time. The problem was that we weren’t great musicians, we were young and inexperienced, so the beginning was hard and it took a while to find our own style. In 2004 came out our first LP “Straight from the 95”. When I listen to it now, it sounds a bit weird, a mix of punk rock, street punk and hardcore songs but I think it was a decent CD. You know now it’s a collector, very hard to find!

We started playing a few shows around Paris too and basically that’s how things started for us.

In 2007 came out our 2nd LP “Where I Stand”, we got great reviews and many people said it was one of the best hardcore CD ever released in France. We recorded it in a great studio and it really was a step forward for us. We played many shows in France and abroad with this CD and played with many great bands as well (Champion, Ensign, Comeback Kid, Internal affairs, Verse, No Turning back… )

In 2010, after a tour in the UK, all the guys left the band one after the other, I guess after 8 or 9 years in the band some guys wanted to do something else or were pissed with the hardcore scene.

So there was a total change of line up and luckily some new guys joined the band; otherwise it would have been the end of the band I reckon.

We worked hard and after a few months we were ready to record a new CD. Unfortunately our label stopped its activity so we had to do things on our own with a few friends for this one, the recordings, the promo etc… that’s a lot of work as you can imagine. Anyway, this CD is harder than the previous one and more aggressive. I think it’s our best CD, the songs are good, and the lyrics are sincere.

When you listen to this CD you kind of figure out who we are. We’re musicians, and normal people, we love playing music and writing new songs, we‘re not rock stars or hipsters. We spend more time in the studio then in bars or in clubs showing off or on the web spreading bullshit. We don’t try to be people we’re not.

Your album Still Holding On has been out recently. How has the reception been so far for? How long did it take to put the album together?

The CD came out 2 months ago; so far the reviews are very positive. We try to propose to the public something else, more authentic. I guess the youngsters won’t find us cool enough but usually the people who’ve been around for more than 6 months appreciate what we do.

The final line up was set in August 10 and we recorded in December 10. Many songs were written before august 10, with past and present members but we had to rework on everything to do something coherent.

So what can kids expect when they pick up a copy of the disc?

We play down to earth hardcore in the NY vein. There is no technical shit and no fantasy here. If you are into aggressive, sincere and energic hardcore this is for you. We talk about things we know and we deal with everyday there is no bullshit in here.

Which bands influenced Strike Back sound the most?

Each and every member of the band listens to different things, metal, hardcore, punk rock. We have always listed in our influences the same bands: STRIFE / MADBALL / SICK OF IT ALL for instance.

Speaking for myself, I’m not that much into new bands, and I still listen to the same old bands I used to listen to when I was younger: INTEGRITY / MERAUDER / CROWN OF THORNZ / WARZONE and also faster things like 10 YARD FIGHT or IN MY EYES

What are your overall thoughts about the state of the hardcore music and community nowadays? I am asking after reading the lyrics to couple of tracks on the album, like Newbie In This Game or Fuck Your Scene. What inspired these rants?

I think that for many people it’s meaningless. You know we live in a consumption society were image is important and commitment and trust is not. Everything goes very fast now, so it’s easy to move on to something else.

If I look at the old bands some recorded 3 or 5 CDs now it seems that every new band lasts 1 or 2 years and then split, you see what I mean, either they get tired of it or they weren’t that interested in playing music and being part of that. This is why I’m not that interested in the new things cause you never know what is the spirit behind that. I am not saying everybody is like that, but it seems that music, creation, the message, is not that important. Some people have understood it very well, some bands will sell 10 different types of shirts and have only recorded 5 or 6 songs… you know there is something wrong with that, the approach is different.

As I said before I’m not that much into new bands because, you need to know what you’re talking about, I wasn’t born yesterday and I know how things work, so when I meet 18 year old kids who talk shit, about politics, the scene, life etc… I just move on…

I dig the Crashing Down song but I am wondering, how do you guys cope with the new, challenging economic situation facing everyone today? What’s your advice to get ahead but not to get trapped in life´s routine?

Today if you want to survive in this world, you need money… there is no alternative and sometimes you sit on your principles. You know people don’t like to talk about money in the hardcore scene, but people are selling shirts and CDs against money … so for me there is no problem in having a real job and still being part of the hardcore movement. Why? because if you want to talk about society about what’s going wrong, the best thing is to be involved in that and to face it every day. In every job there is some kind of routine, no doubt about that, but if you like what you do and it allows you to do your things afterwards (like music, sports or what so ever) then it’s good.

I guess having a passion and hanging out with good friends sugar the pill

And what is the story behind the Self Respect song? What you think should be done to keep kids away from drugs and fucking up their lives in general?

This song is dedicated to all the people who ruin their everyday life because their too fucked up to move on and to do things. I mean since we were kids people have told us that drug using is shit so why people keep on doing that? I’m not Straight Edge and I enjoy sharing a drink with my friends but in a conscious way because I know that the day after I have things to do and I can’t afford to screw everything up because I got high the night before.

I don’t have a solution to keep kids away from drugs, I guess the inner personality is important, some people are stronger, some are weaker, and it’s easy for someone who has a boring job, no girlfriend, no ambition or dreams to fall in that trap.

France has always had a reputation for having one of the hardest bands in hardcore. What are some of the current bands from your country everyone should check out?

Unfortunately most of the bands we hang out or played with stopped… we had a bunch of great bands here in France. Nowadays there are a few new bands that hit the stage recently and that sound pretty good.

If you are into hardcore music, you can check out: xDIGx or BLACK SPIRALS, if you are into New school hardcore, check out REVIVAL, and if you are more into Punk Rock, check out THE DAVID CARRADINE APOCALYPSE.

What does the future hold for you guys as a band?

We are going to try spreading our name as much as possible. We got some shows coming up, and with the new CD out, we’ll try to play more after this summer. We ‘re also looking for people who could helps us dealing the CD abroad, review it and talk about the band too. We would like to go abroad for a few shows before the end of the year too. We are also going to do our first video clip in May on the song “Self Respect” .So we’ll see what comes up

Do you have any shout outs or anything that you would like to say?

I just want to thank all the people who have supported us since day 1 and all the others. As you can see we’re still around and we’ll keep on doing what we do best.

If you are interested in the band, the music etc… don’t hesitate to get in touch with us too through www.myspace.com/strikeback95 or facebook .

Finally thanks to the people who picked up our last CD too and to you for giving us the chance to appear in your webzine

Edge Of Spirit Interview

Edge Of Spirit is a long running Japan hardcore band with a heavy metallic sound. They take a lot both from classic metalcore sound as well as straight up metal and they do their thing just right. Their new self titled album is a proof they know how to handle their shit, delivering strong and tight performance while avoiding genre clichés. I just have to add that this interview has been actually done couple of weeks before the tragic tsunami that hit Japan and I just hope that no one from the band was harmed during these tragic events.

Edge Of Spirit is a long running Japan hardcore band with a heavy metallic sound. They take a lot both from classic metalcore sound as well as straight up metal and they do their thing just right. Their new self titled album is a proof they know how to handle their shit, delivering strong and tight performance while avoiding genre clichés. I just have to add that this interview has been actually done couple of weeks before the tragic tsunami that hit Japan and I just hope that no one from the band was harmed during these tragic events.

Your latest album self-titled has been released recently. What can people expect from it?

It's pretty simple, I would like people to have a listen to it, crank it, and enjoy it. All we can do is just to output music, so If I could have people feel what they feel from the music, I would be happy enough then.

Now that it hit the streets, how do you feel about it? Are you satisfied with the outcome? What has been the response so far?

We're very satisfied with it. We have inputted all what we think and what we want to do into the album. The response has been so far so good, everybody says it's cool.

Has anything changed, music wise, since the bands previous release?

Nothing really has been changed basically. We take pride in the fact that we have kept producing original metallic hardcore sound and we will never change our own ethic.

What is the main inspiration when writing lyrics and is there a theme or themes behind the writing of this record?

The theme of the album is "revolution". I don't mean anything political, but I mean the theme is about how we can achieve what we can't, how we can make our things better, how we can solve our own frustration and struggle by ourselves around our daily life. The theme statement is, let's make a revolution in ourselves day by day. So, my inspiration mostly comes from anything around myself.

What is your label situation? How did you hook up with Demons Run Amok records for this release?

In Japan we have been on a label called OCH. I'm satisfied with deal and activities with them very much. Our manager Hideki enabled us to hook up with Demons Run Amok in Europe. He has been our fan for years and keeps trying to spread our music to the world. He's a brilliant manager.

What are some of the moments that stand out to you when thinking back about the band’s history so far?

Way too many good moments in this 14 years to name though, we got to known with friends in Korea, Canada, Australia, and America through our music by touring. That's what stands out to us.

What are some main influences that have shaped the band?

Musically all kinds of hardcore music and metal music have influenced us a lot. In terms of attitude, hardcore mind has influenced us a lot.

Describe hardcore scene in Japan at the beginning of the 21st century.

It has been excellent that various type of hardcore bands came out. Every year many overseas bands come over here, and everybody gets together, supports each other and trys to make an excellent scene. It's DIY level though, I think it's very good scene.

There are many kids saying that the hardcore is constantly changing and adapting. How do you feel about the progress in hardcore in terms of music and lyrics and how do you see the future of the scene?

For sure music is constantly changing and adapting. Rather than that, I think how we make a change with music is way more important. It's not like the newer music is, the better it is. Who and what kind of person plays the music is more important than what the music it is. The fact that new kind of music keeps coming out is very exciting and good, however I would like young people to check out where current music came from and try to understand that as well. The scene may be going to be bigger or die off. I can't really say what is going to happen in the future. I can't predict the future. If we don't really care how we should enjoy too much and everybody makes sure keep loving the scene, then the scene will stay good I think.

What is your definition of real hardcore and what is your formula for staying true to the roots of the genre but at the same time giving your music some fresh flavor and exploring themes not commonly done in hardcore albums?

My definition of hardcore is to stay true to yourself, not to change your mind by others' opinions. There are many kinds of music out now, but what kind of hardcore music you play doesn't really matter to me. What is important is your heart. I even sometimes feel hardcore mind from some of people who play other type of music. Our formula is to keep stepping and progressing with hardcore mind.

Beyond just hardcore bands who are some people you feel represent true hardcore?

Talking about here back in the ancient, samurai warriors represent hardcore!

Pick 3 words that describe your live show?

Passion, Heaviness, Chaos

Thanks for the interview. Any last shout outs? So what are some other band’s plans for the future?

We are going to go and tour Europe on May! Please check out www.mad-tourbooking.de for more info. I would like you to see us live and enjoy music together. If we visit your town, then please come and have fun with us!

www.facebook.com/edgeofspirit
www.myspace.com/edgeofspirit

One X Choice - Forever War

Give Em Hell to release new EP on Westcoast Worldwide Records

Westcoast Worldwide Records is proud to present the triumphant return of Northern Cali hardcore monsters Give Em Hell! As the world already knows, Give Em Hell is hardly your run of the mill hardcore band, and 2011 will further solidify that with the release of Volume 1. Anybody can release a full length album, but only a band like Give Em Hell can make it into a full blown campaign! April 10th brings forth the first offering of what should be quite an epic 3 EP series for 2011.

“We just really wanted to try something different” said guitarist Jon Korn. “We felt that things change so fast over the course of modern life, we just really wanted to be able to reflect that. Plus, we wanted to do something a bit more reflective, and keep things moving in an extra current manner. Not only with what goes on in our lives but also in the scene too. We felt this was a great way to put our experiences as a band and as people on tape……as they happen.”

An A-typical approach to hardcore has become somewhat of a calling card for GIVE EM HELL. Its debut release (Westcoast Worldwide), 2008′s WE ARE THE WOLVES was a banquet of melodic riffing, complex vocal arrangements, and sonic songwriting, with a dash of stoner/southern rock, and a side crushing breakdowns thrown in just to keep it extra tasty. VOLUME 1 marks a bigger, badder, smarter and slicker GIVE EM HELL.

With VOLUME 1, we really feel like we hit our stride”, remarks Vocalist Peach Daniels. “Weve changed a lot as a band since WE ARE THE WOLVES. Weve had a few changes to the band (including the addition of drummer Craig Spinelli of HOODS fame), as well as weve lived life! We really feel that VOLUME 1 is a strong statement about both us as people and as a hardcore band, and we cant wait for people to hear it!”

This is certainly no slouch statement. This is a road tested, and tried and true GIVE EM HELL! Fans of such bands and Comeback Kid, and Bane will find it impossible to put these records down. Any fan of passionate sing-a-longs, diversely melodic attack, and foot stomping breakdowns will surely find something to love about GIVE EM HELL

Crowd Deterrent - Full Set

Face Your Enemy to drop new album - Message In A Bomb

Message In A Bomb is new album but Italian powerhouse Face Your Enemy. It will be released by Urban Discipline Records. The album includes nine tracks which sound is pure beatdown/hardcore with some rap influences. If you're a fan of Madball, Deez Nuts, Beastie Boys and Nasty this might appeal to you. You can listen to all of the new songs here.

Ruined Tongue “All Of My Bad Habits” 7″ on Irish Voodoo Records

Irish Voodoo Records has launched pre-orders for new 7″ from Ruined Tongue. The Ep is titled “All Of My Bad Habits” and will hold five tracks, including a Black Flag cover. This release was co-released with Reckless Mind Collective & Radical Friends. Everyone who places the order will get a download card of the songs. The first 50 people to pre-order will get a special Ruined Tongue/Black Flag,hand numbered cover over the original art work. First 33 people will get the marble vinyl.

No Second Chance signed to Goodlife for a debut album

Good Life Recordings is proud to welcome No Second Chance from London, UK to the family! No Second Chance caught Good Life's attention in Summer 2010, after having released a 10-song split CD with Beater on Loyalty and Devotion, an Indie Clothing Co/Label! NSC have now recorded a brand new full length album that is now in the hands of Nicolas Declève for Mastering and will be released before summer 2011, pre-orders will be up soon!

Agnostic Front - That's Life

Rise From Above - Phoenix

The album starts with a solid, groove driven passage which immediately brings to mind my favorite hardcore albums when I was a kid. The music has this classic feel to it reminiscent of old crossover records like for example Cause For Alarm by Agnostic Front. But it’s also not only about the past, the music has been updated so to stay in line with what currently make hardcore kids go crazy. I guess the Wolf City or Lionheart merch they’re wearing on the inlay photos gives you some kind of hint what their influences are. I never heard the split with Stay Cold so I cannot say if the band progressed or not, but this CD is very good. For the most part Rise From Above knows what to play and how to play it. The riffs are good, the songs are skillfully put together and the vocals do the job as well. The songs are mostly fast, but there’s some room for slower, groovier parts as well. The vocals are strong and spit out lyrics full of anger and conviction. There's good vibe and energy in what the band is doing, but they could put more variation in it to make it a bit more interesting. Nonetheless, if you’re out for tight and in your face hardcore delivery, there’s no reason to complain. I actually enjoy these songs more than some of the albums by the bands that are being heavily hyped on the scene nowadays.

Review by Dloogi
Label: District 763
Year: 2011
Band's website

Xibalba - Cold

Agnostic Front to tour Europe this Summer

Agnostic Front will be touring Europe in July. Dates are as follows:

24/06 Munchen, Germany @ Backstage
25/06 Unterrohr, Austria @ Saint Sinner Festhalle
26/06 Ferrara, Italy @ TBA
27/06 Roma, Italy @ TBA
28/06 Milan, Italy @ Carroponte Sesto S.G.
29/06 Athens, Greece @ TBA
01/07 Roitzschjora, Germany @ Full Force
03/07 Sulingen, Germany @ Reload Festival
05/07 Pecs, Hungary @ Rockmaraton Festiva
06/07 Brno, Czech Republic @ Faval
08/07 Gavale, Sweden @ Gateway Rock Festival
14/07 Friedewald, Germany @ Festhalle
15/07 Koln, Germany @ Underground
16/07 Dour, Belgium @ Dour Festival
17/07 London, UK @ TBA
18/07 Manchester, UK @ Moho Live
22/07 Schloss Holte, Germany @ Serengeti Festival
24/07 Helsinki, Finland @ Tuska Open Air Metal Festival

New album by Truth In Needles out now on Pride Over Pain Records

Truth In Needles’ new cd "Turning Gray Black" out now from Pride Over Pain Records. Recorded at Method Of Groove studio in Brooklyn NY, produced by Joey-Z(Life Of Agony). The follow up to their first release "Hardcore Liberation Front" which gained worldwide acclaim for its raw and aggressive songs, produced by Don Fury. Both can be found on itunes and digital stores. Check it now with first music video "All Bets Are Off!"

Plead The Fifth joins Arrest Records

Sacramento, CA’s Plead the Fifth has signed to Arrest Records! The band formed in 2007 and play bouncy energetic late 80′s NYHC influenced hardcore. PTF is currently in the studio recording a new 7″ for Arrest Records which is being recorded and produced by skinhead OG Mike from Pressure Point. Please check out their social networking site and online store below and be on the look out for their new record this summer!

Strike Back - Still Holding On

It’s good to hear the NYHC sound is getting more popular In France. Until recently, bands from out there that I was most familiar with were mostly into heavy stuff, like Kickback, Primal Age or Out For The Count. Can’t say I don’t love this sick, brutal shit that only French are capable of, but a little diversity is always a plus and makes things more interesting, right? Strike Back is one of the bands that made me change my perception of what’s going on over there. The band is totally into fast and aggressive hardcore in New York vein, with a strong vibe and some slight metal touch to keep things sharp. They are totally at home with this style and creep through these ten tracks with vicious flows and catchy hooks. It’s not ground breaking, I don't get that shivers-down-the-spine feeling which I get when I pop any Madball or Breakdown album, but I can assure you it’s damn solid. Nothing fancy, no messing around, no technical wankery, just getting down to business from start to finish. This is a type of approach to play hardcore I’m totally down with! Lyrically, the band explores the themes of friendship, self pride, integrity and getting by despite the bullshit everyone gets, whether from the scene kids or the society in general. They must have a beef with a lot of people in their local scene as ‘fuck the scene’ attitude is present in more than one song in here. You shouldn’t take it too serious though, Strike Back is and will always be a hardcore band, but if you’re getting tired of bullshit politics and phoney preaching in the scene, you can relate. All in all, Still Holding On is a solid album that delivers its share of aggression and energy. It’s a good soundtrack to these hard times we continue to face and gives you a sense of meaning, pride and direction.

Review by Dloogi
Label: Self released
Year: 2011
Band's website

Violence Approved - No Free Rides

Violence Approved has been already eight years in existence and through all this time they stuck to the concept of delivering straight in your face, no frills hardcore. Their style is all about pure old school sound in vein of Agnostic Front, Only Attitude Counts or Backifire. You basically know what to expect – irresistible hooks, easy-to-sing gang vocals and impossible-to-forget choruses with dirty aggressive guitars and pounding rhythm section all over. The band delivers sharp as nails performance and approaches each tune with a sense of mission to give listener what they want. They also bring a sense of unity and hardcore family with guest appearances from Agnostic Front, The Warriors, Anticops, Dead End Tragedy and Bleed Into One. All the guys laying down the vocals fits pretty well with the vibe of the album and basically do the great job.

My only gripe with this album is that I don’t really hear anything new or particularly innovative here, and with little diversity between the songs, at the end of the album the energy start to burn out. Don’t get me wrong, I am usually the last one to expect hardcore bands to be original or creative. This specific style of hardcore has been done million times before and I know playing good hardcore is not about reinventing the wheel, but it never hurts to keep some of your own personality and style in the music. On the other hand, it might not be memorable or awe-inspiring classics, but they still deliver that rawness and energy hardcore album should have.

Overall, this is a worthwhile release that though not the most ground breaking you will ever hear, still delivers some nice dose of an unrelenting power and intensity.

Review: Dloogi
Label: District 763 Records
Year: 2011
Band's website

Twitching Tongues

Twitching Tongues is new addition to BDHW Records family and will surely appeal to those who like when bands combine hardcore with some weird influences, like in this case Type O Negative or Black Sabbath. In nine out of ten cases this is just a poor excuse for playing some lame ass music for college nerds, but thankfully Twitching Tongues keep it tight with right balance of aggressive and fancy parts. And while we wait for the band to hit Europe and deliver their debut album sometime this year, here's the interview!

Twitching Tongues is new addition to BDHW Records family and will surely appeal to those who like when bands combine hardcore with some weird influences, like in this case Type O Negative or Black Sabbath. In nine out of ten cases this is just a poor excuse for playing some lame ass music for college nerds, but thankfully Twitching Tongues keep it tight with right balance of aggressive and fancy parts. And while we wait for the band to hit Europe and deliver their debut album sometime this year, here's the interview!

For those that don’t know you, please introduce yourself and tell us where you’re from? What do you want people to know about Twitching Tongues that they may not know?

My name is Colin Young, I am from Los Angeles, California. I want people to know that this band will be touring full-time from now on, and we've got an LP finished titled "Sleep Therapy" that we're waiting to release. Twitching Tongues is thankfully not a side-project and is the band I've always wanted to do.

Tell us something about the upcoming tour in Europe? What are your expectations for these shows?

I'm expecting a lot of people who might not have heard the demo yet, but hopefully enjoy what they hear! I still expect every show to be fun though. Europe appreciates everything and I love that.

What are kids going to experience at your shows, that they won’t experience from just listening to your demo on MP3?

I think all of the songs and the new songs hit a lot harder played live. There will definitely be some people who will write it off right away because of the clean vocals and what-not but thats pretty standard. Very much looking forward to Europe and the US hearing all of the new stuff we're playing.

How did you hook up with BDHW for the debut release and what should we expect from the upcoming album?

I also play drums in RUCKUS, whom they took an interest in early on, and put out a record for. I sent them some Twitching Tongues tracks and again, they were interested. The EP they're putting out is two new songs, the demo, and a Pentagram cover.

Your music, with a strong mixture of various influences, really stands out against today’s trends in hardcore. How did this sound originally evolve?

I'm not really sure how to answer this one, bands try new things I suppose. Mixing hardcore with clean vocals was inevitable. We aren't re-inventing the wheel really, but I'd like to think there aren't many active/current bands that sound like Twitching Tongues.

What musical groups, or musical directions, have influenced the development of the band’s sound?

Type O Negative, Only Living Witness, Black Sabbath, Pantera, Agents of Man, tons of R&B. The band is named after an Only Living Witness song. Check it out if you haven't!

Share a bit about some of the topics, some of the stories you want to get across in your music?

It is my personal stupid belief that everybody's gonna get their heart broken at least once in their life. If I can write a song about my experience with that, and ONE person can relate to it on a serious level, then I'll feel like I've done a good job.

What is the hardest part about being in hardcore band?

There are tons of things that are difficult about being in a hardcore band. Being in a hardcore band in general is hard. Booking tours, making sure your demo gets out, paying for things out of pocket. Hard knock life, ya' know?!

Anything you would like to add before we finish?

We can't wait to go to Europe, we can't wait for our LP to be out, we already can't wait to go back to Europe. Check out other cool California bands:
Minus, Downpresser, Take Offense, Xibalba, Soul Search, Sleepwalkers. Thanks for reading!

Lifeless

Lifeless hails from New Jersey, US and plays that heavy style of hardcore that is tough as nails but also fresh and interesting. There are some Merauder, Strength For A Reason and even Bulldoze influences in it and that's not a bad thing in my book at all. Keep your eyes and ears open as the band just got signed to Harvcore, USA and Filled With Hate, Germany and plasn to release debut album called "NLFTW" this year!

Let’s start with the beginning, how did Lifelesss come together?

Our two prior bands (When These Days End/Dead and Buried) weren't really going anywhere and always playing the same shows together. A lot of laziness and conflict played into them not going anywhere... it just seemed like the right place at the right time to join the positive elements from both bands that were and roll with that. the formula seemed to really work, so we went with it and here we are today.

For those unfamiliar with the band - what do you want people to know about the band and your music or message?

We're real hardcore kids who aren't involved in the politics and poison ivy that infects the hardcore scene... we just do us and don't represent anyone's interests but our own. as for our message... i guess when you give up on everything and lose hope, life isn't so disappointing. there's not much good left in this world, so we'll do this because it's pretty much the only thing that really keeps us going in our otherwise dead end lives.

For those who have not heard anything from you how would you describe band's playing sound?

A wild cross between 100 demons and merauder. heavy, aggressive, real and mean. we want our music, by itself, to pretty much speak for how we feel overall about everything and everyone everywhere.

What are some key elements and influences that have shaped the band style? And where do you draw your inspiration from when it comes to the lyrics?

Our own personal struggles... whether having to deal with shit we're currently going through or shit from our past that haunt us. dealing with bullshit every single day from fake people who put up fronts and try to be somebody they're not.

What have you released so far?

A demo that no one's ever really heard and a newer 2 song demo that we handed out at This Is Hardcore 2010.

What is your current label situation?

We are currently on Harvcore out of West Chester, PA and Filled With Hate out of Germany. Both labels have been a great help to us and we appreciate what they've done.

Being a relatively young band, what are some of the road blocks you just remember?

Not having a van REALLY sucks and is holding us back a lot. we hate being the band that has borrow everything when we play far away but it's our only option right now and we're just lucky to have had so many people and bands willing to help us out along the way. we all pretty much live paycheck to paycheck and it's hard to afford the things that would help us the most... but we're trying to make it work the best we can.

What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned in hardcore?

When you're younger, hardcore kinda influences you that your friends are there for you no matter what through everything... then they stab you in the back and let you down. so overall, you realize there aren't many people you can really trust. Just be REAL don't be one of those politically correct, try to be liked by everyone type of people. be 100% yourself and just like anywhere else in your life don't settle for less or let anyone walk all over you.

What are the next steps for the band? Plans, gigs and releases planned for the upcoming months?

We are releasing a full length on Harvcore/FWH "NLFTW"... we are trying to play as many weekends as possible as far out as we can before we go to europe in late may. we will probably record mid to end of summer for either and EP or a handful of splits. sometime in fall or winter we plan to try and do the US for a month (maybe a lil less) with Ruckus.