Year-end top ten issue. Top tens from 2017, photographs from Angela Owens and Farrah Skeiky, Charmpit from London, Chicago's Rash, Isotope Soap from Sweden, Tijuana's DFMK, and Erik Nervous from Shipshewana, Indiana.
Members from Rise and Fall, Kingpin, and Spirit of Youth got back together to start Chain Reaction. After a demo on Control records they are back with this debut 7" on Six Feet Under records / Control records. 5 tracks of metallic Hardcore influenced by 90's NYHC and Cleveland Hardcore.
After a blistering, well-received demo in 2016, Payday brings you 3 new tracks which will appear on their upcoming LP next year. This is London Straight Edge, harder than a sack of bricks, second to none. The title track starts with a pounding intro, followed by riffs that are ever more drenched in wrath and vengeance. Souring reverbed solos and dives wrap around a relentless rhythm section, which will have your veins throbbing with boiling blood as you see red in the pit. Fans of Confront and 90s Clevo hardcore will once again rejoice, and with the addition of a second guitarist, Payday have developed their sound to include sections which will get any early Integrity fans bristling. ‘Original Sin’ showcases an atmospheric gradually unfurling soundscape, with lyrics exploring minds corrupted. Straight Edge may be a sub-culture that has currently fallen out of favour in hardcore, drunk on it’s own stereotypes, but Payday scorch a path that has long been forgotten, and make it relevant in this confusing and ‘HyperNormalised’ world of today. Get ready, for “There’s nowhere to hide”.
Big Cheese show off their incredible live power on this session recorded by Tom Pimlott at the Crusader Industrial Estate, London 6/01/2018. Expect a set erupting with songs from the Aggravated Mopery 7" and Sports Day Demo filled with those late 80s NYHC hooks we have come to know and love from this Leeds based NWOBHC outfit. This is followed by a 10 minute interview, and then on the B Side you will find the Sports Day Demo for those who missed out on it the first time round.
The long-awaited return of Chicago Hardcore legends VIOLENT END...rabid HC PUNK for the few that still care.Released by boutique hipster label Rock N Roll Disgrace Records and strictly limited to 300 copies, all black vinyl.Exclusively available through FWS, Beach Impediment Records and Violent End directly, I've managed to get a few copies.
Hailing from the agitated Denver, CO underground, Combat Force comes out swinging with this four-song EP of feral hardcore. Drawing influences from the great classics, Combat Force stampedes forth in a timeless manner, taking no prisoners and delivering over-the-top vocals and insanely catchy riffs captured with perfect lo-fi production by Denver scene stalwart James Trejo (Cadaver Dog, Civilized, Culture Shock).
For their first release, rightly named "Mass Hysteria," Spiritual Cramp relates this state of unease in a seemingly at-ease system. The sounds borrow from the past, echoes of late-'70s, early-'80s, working-class rock 'n' roll/punk, which function on the upbeat, showcasing very bright guitars yet generating darker vocal rhythms, darker patterning. Punk music and its sensibilities are all exemplified here, just as much in the visual as in the beat. 7" includes digital download. On colored vinyl.
North American straightedge/vegan hardcore/crust outfit Sect -- featuring scene lifers hailing from Cursed, Left For Dead, Catharsis, Undying, Earth Crisis, The Path Of Resistance, Day Of Suffering, Racetraitor, and more with their second full-legth. Sect is harsh, unforgiving and brutal metallic hardcore in all the most effective ways.
Following up their blazing 7" on Triple-B, Florida's Unified Right is back on the attack with ten songs of fast hardcore that stands up with their peers Fury and Freedom while nodding to the prime years of the Youngblood Records catalog.
When a band forms, as Red Death did in late 2013, primarily out of reverence for Corrosion Of Conformity - and especially when half the members hail from North Carolina - their second LP is bound to have a lot riding on it. Everything that made 2015's "Permanent Exile" LP and 2016's "Deterrence" EP modern classics has been amplified on the new album: the solos soar higher, the riffs penetrate deeper, the rhythm section pounds harder and with more precision, and the vocals are more unhinged. From their first practice in D.C. some four years ago, Red Death has been heirs to the proudest of traditions in the heavy-music underground, and with "Formidable Darkness," they've fulfilled their immense promise - just in time for the world's ignominious end. Now available on vinyl.
With a looser, more free-form indifference to their playing, The Repos' second full-length charged on with an even crazier, fist-in-the-face Midwestern rage and transcended their influences with a faster and more monstrous delivery, exemplified in Aaron Aspinwall's insane vocals atop Joe Philips' guitar tornado. Originally released in 2006 and out of print until now, this deluxe reissue features newly remastered audio by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios. Pressed on 180-gram black vinyl, this LP comes housed in an embossed, spot-gloss slipcase with a slightly updated, UV-gloss coated jacket design, and a Euro sleeve displaying art sourced from original materials including an unseen live photo of the band playing a Dekalb, IL, basement show from this era.
In the wake of the dismal millennium thrash revival, The Repos brought a fresh perspective to hardcore by blending nihilistic humor and dirtbag culture with a furious, classic sound that created their own distinct style. Originally released in 2004 and out of print until now, this deluxe reissue features newly remastered audio by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios. Pressed on 180-gram black vinyl, this LP comes housed in a spot-glossed matte slipcase with a slightly updated UV-gloss coated jacket design, and Euro sleeve displaying art sourced from original materials including an unseen live photo of the band during their first-ever performance at Buffalo Bill's Garage in the South Chicago suburbs in 2003.
After one demo and one 7" on Toxic State, Haram from Nuke York release their debut album on Toxic State. Taking their name from the Arabic word for "forbidden," Haram plays simple hardcore with lyrics sung entirely in Arabic. The songs are driven by a primitive drum sound, melodic guitar work and intense vocals by Lebanese frontman Nader. LP includes an 19" x 24.5" poster.
Portrayal Of Guilt from Texas – blackened screamo/violence at its best with members of Illustrations. When I first heard the songs, I was totally blown away – this band is so heavy and intense. FFO: Majority Rule and screamo/violence/grind in general.
Available for the first time on vinyl, the "Carve The New Path" 7" is two new Harness song debuts in 2017 before their return at Sound And Fury. For fans of Incendiary, Foundation and Kickback. 7" includes digital download and is limited to 500 copies on colored vinyl.
Lately, Houston, TX, has been a boiling cauldron of piercing and purposeful, new, young bands. Erupt is a testament to that recognition. Here's the follow-up to their demo: three originals and one cover. Limited edition of 100 copies.
Of all the disaffected psychos in the arid state of California, of all the sludge-caked riffs and hostile utterances one might dare to imagine, the world must now reckon with these, the ungodly constituents of Diztort. What amounts to a shriek of pure abjection emanating from the San Joaquin Valley hinterland, Diztort's 2017 demo is certain to mortify anyone living a glibly comfortable existence in a coastal metropolis. This is the wretched sound of geographical and existential isolation. Limited edition of 150 copies.
Search For Purpose is a new US XXX band started as a solo project by some North Carolina kid, Matt Kalbaugh, who was / is known for booking gigs in his area. The record, which is actually the 2 demos, features 5 tracks of 90’s influence Hardcore for fans of Strife, Undertow, Trial and a few classic 90’s band on Crucial Response.
Backtrack returns with "Bad To My World," their first album since 2014's "Lost In Life." Along with longtime producer Nick Jett (Terror), they entered the Wild Arctic studio to lay down 10 brand-new songs with Dean Baltulonis (Madball, No Warning). Backtrack continues in the classic NYHC tradition of bands like Madball, Killing Time and Outburst while still remaining fresh and injecting their own unique flavor into the timeless sound. Vinyl version includes digital download. On colored vinyl.
Seattle, WA's Wake Of Humanity debuts their second release on Catalyst and they deliver a blistering dose of metallic hardcore with heavy breaks, sludgy fast parts, and piercing screams to set the tone for the thematic assault of "Grotesque Lie." 7" includes digital download. On colored vinyl.
Coming out of Florida, Faze presents their debut vinyl output out of two on cassette. Faze combines elements of modern hardcore a la Fury with some of the '90s powerhouses like Resurrection, No Escape, and later Turning Point. On colored vinyl.
In 2016, five members of various bands met in a Fountain Valley, CA, rehearsal studio to try on a new suit: Isaac Golub, vocals (A Chorus Of Disapproval, A.18), Mike Hartsfield, guitar (Outspoken, Strife), Matt Horwitz, drums (Adamantium), Marc Jackson (Throwdown), and Brian Manry, guitar (Mean Season). In the span of a couple of hours, the as yet unnamed rabble had several songs in the can. Tight, fast, driving, metal-influenced hardcore coupled with dark and desperate, well-worded poetic threats. On colored vinyl
"xXx Fanzine (1983-1988): Hardcore & Punk In The Eighties" isn't merely a collection of articles, reviews, and photographs from one of hardcore America's best-known fanzines. It's a chronicle of punk's evolution in the '80s: a story of music and ideologies in motion. xXx's story picks up while the first wave of hardcore was in full swing. Major players including Minor Threat had already released landmark records and bands were loading up station wagons to play now infamous venues like The Channel, A7 or D.C. Space. While based in Boston, MA, xXx's main writer and editor, Mike Gitter, not only concentrated on his own city's burgeoning scene, spearheaded by bands like S.S. Decontrol and DYS, but looked to other states and countries for xXx's reportage. This 288-page book documents a time when hardcore and punk were not mutually exclusive and bands and cities had a chance to develop their own diverse and strident sounds. This creative ethos and aural zeitgeist is literally spelled out on the 19-song compilation that's included with xXx Fanzine, a limited-edition LP (available exclusively through mailorder or special sales outlets). A wide variety of current hardcore, punk and hard music luminaries including Strife, Letlive, Fu Manchu And The Riverboat Gamblers contributed their interpretations to some of the most influential songs to come from xXx's original era. Now, in addition to reproducing (and restoring) countless interviews and pages from the 'zine itself, xXx Fanzine re-interviews countless bands and musical prime-movers including Ian MacKaye, Keith Morris and members of Agnostic Front, Bad Brains and Cro-Mags to give the book a rare "then-and-now" perspective. "xXx Fanzine (1983-1988): Hardcore & Punk in The Eighties" isn't merely a look back at hardcore's salad days, but a unique look at how punk's music and message shook the mainstream itself. This is the yellow vinyl version, exclusive to Rev and limited to 300 copies.
"xXx Fanzine (1983-1988): Hardcore & Punk In The Eighties" isn't merely a collection of articles, reviews, and photographs from one of hardcore America's best-known fanzines. It's a chronicle of punk's evolution in the '80s: a story of music and ideologies in motion. xXx's story picks up while the first wave of hardcore was in full swing. Major players including Minor Threat had already released landmark records and bands were loading up station wagons to play now infamous venues like The Channel, A7 or D.C. Space. While based in Boston, MA, xXx's main writer and editor, Mike Gitter, not only concentrated on his own city's burgeoning scene, spearheaded by bands like S.S. Decontrol and DYS, but looked to other states and countries for xXx's reportage. This 288-page book documents a time when hardcore and punk were not mutually exclusive and bands and cities had a chance to develop their own diverse and strident sounds. This creative ethos and aural zeitgeist is literally spelled out on the 19-song compilation that's included with xXx Fanzine, a limited-edition LP (available exclusively through mailorder or special sales outlets). A wide variety of current hardcore, punk and hard music luminaries including Strife, Letlive, Fu Manchu And The Riverboat Gamblers contributed their interpretations to some of the most influential songs to come from xXx's original era. Now, in addition to reproducing (and restoring) countless interviews and pages from the 'zine itself, xXx Fanzine re-interviews countless bands and musical prime-movers including Ian MacKaye, Keith Morris and members of Agnostic Front, Bad Brains and Cro-Mags to give the book a rare "then-and-now" perspective. "xXx Fanzine (1983-1988): Hardcore & Punk in The Eighties" isn't merely a look back at hardcore's salad days, but a unique look at how punk's music and message shook the mainstream itself.
DEVOUR - full album debut on LP. Straight Edge Metalcore/Hardcore from Belgium. Think of H8000 mixed with Unbroken, Snapcase, All Out War and a bit of ExC Slither era.
