HARDBOILED

Review: Cornered - Failure

2021-03-25T16:53:00.001+01:00

Hardcore is not about bands trying to reinvent themselves every other year. I rather see them focus on sharpening the same formula and just being good at it. Picture Cornered. I could guess what Failure would sound like even before pressing play, but it didn't take anything away from the excitement of finally hearing this stuff. This is nothing that will be new to anyone who has been following the band so far, but the ep is nastily effective. You know what to expect and you get what you paid for.

Clocking in less than 9 minutes in total, there’s no half-ass track on this record. It boils with aggression and infectious energy that is rarely displayed by hardcore bands over a decade in the game. Self-reflecting and almost melancholic Realms of Misery gotta be my favorite track, the creative guitar work gives this one some space while vocalist Niels attacks the lyrics with both anger and frustration. The feeling of failure is something that all of us can experience even more often in the current political and economic situation. The record’s title gives away much of its subject matter and hearing other people going through the same shit as you can be somehow therapeutic.Give it a try.

Speaking of Niels, this man has a real flair for writing smart yet disturbing lyrics, and generally for scaring an audience with his psychopathic and predatory delivery. No doubt he knows his way around some shady corners of the human mind. He sounds like the same voices that whisper to him all these disturbing visions also tell him to beat up random fools for no reason. Do not cross this man!

Like I said, on Failure the band sounds on point and the energy they bring to each track is undeniable. I recommend everyone check it out.

Blindsided Records, 2021

Ad Of The Day

2021-03-22T14:45:00.002+01:00

Recent heavy hitters

2021-03-16T16:30:00.001+01:00

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

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!

God's Hate by God's Hate

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.

Sector (Chicago) / Raw Life (New Jersey) by Sector, Raw Life

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!

Split by Pain Of Truth/Age Of Apocalypse

Biz Talk: Mentally Vexed

2021-03-10T16:35:00.000+01:00

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).

Tell us something about the fanzine. It all started with the zine, right?
My day job is in the events industry, so as of March 2020 I pretty much stopped working. I needed something to do, to stop myself going crazy, so decided to try and write a zine, which I was gonna publish online. I basically did interviews with friends and peers bands from the UK, and reached out to Year Of The Knife to try and get someone international involved too. Mully from YOTK really kindly answered a few questions from a stranger for a zine that didn't exist yet, and I put the finished thing online a few weeks later. People kept asking me when they could buy a print copy so I decided to print 50 and sold out in the first week. One by one the other guys came aboard and we haven't slowed down since.

Nine releases in one year is an accomplishment, especially when it was 2020 when the pandemic took over. Is it a lot of work to run a hardcore label?
Thanks! I wouldn't say it's a lot of work as such, but if you're not organised you'll fall flat on your face as soon as you start. I'm so proud of how much we achieved last year, so thanks to all the bands that made it possible.

Take us through stuff that needs to be done to put out a record/tape and how much time does it take?
Everything can be broken down into tasks and ticked off as each task is completed, which keeps things organised. Generally the timeline is around a month from first contact to release, and the process will usually be;
-Discuss numbers and what each party "gets" out of a release
-Amend digital artwork to fit J-card/O-card (DIY)
-Order J-cards/O-cards and tape labels (small business printer)
-Order blank tapes (small business supplier)
-Duplicate tapes (DIY)
-Create release poster (DIY)
-Assemble tapes with labels stickers etc. (DIY)
-Share release around on social media, sell and send copies to distros

You release almost only tapes. Why this format?
There's a few reasons. Tapes are cheap enough that we don't need to charge loads to sell them, they are more collectible than CD's, and there's enough variables in colour, case/sleeve design etc. that you can go crazy with the DIY customisation.

What has the response been to the stuff you released so far? What release got the most attention?
Yeah so far we've been super lucky with people buying stuff, sharing our shit and just generally enjoying what we do. We put a lot of time and effort into EVERYTHING we do, and I think that pays off. I would say the release that's got the most attention is, surprisingly for a new band, Upraised. I think there's probably a small degree of more people knowing about us and what we do, but mainly it's because the songs are really that good.

I love the rap influences on some of your graphics, it reminds me of No Limit esthetics. Where does it come from?
Yeah that kind of snowballed a bit haha. All four of us love hip hop, and we decided to do a Madvillainy rip for the first release. Jack MVR though it would be funny to make a pen and pixel type promo poster for it so he did and we had a laugh and sold out of the tapes. Then we decided to do it again for the Sector release but with the Chicago Bulls on the poster as that's where they're from. It's carried on from there, picking something from each artists home town or state and incorporating it into the graphic. We've done so many that I don't think we can stop now...oops.

Could you tell us about your upcoming projects?
Yeah, we're just printing issue #4 of the zine this week, and we're also working on getting the Suppress Promo tapes out ASAP. The songs are being mastered right now so they will be out soon. We have about 10 releases in the pipeline at this point, 3 of which are fully confirmed and should be available in the next month or so.

Is there any one band that you would like to work with that kids would be surprised to hear?
Personally I'd love to do some more punk stuff, there's a band called Stiff Meds from London who I wanted to release but they already had something lined up elsewhere. I was too slow and you can't win em all, but you should definitely check their new(ish) album out because it's SICK.

Catch Mentally Vexed @ Instagram / Facebook / Bigcartel

Review: Pain Of Truth - No Blame Just Facts

2021-03-03T22:33:00.000+01:00

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

2021-02-25T21:06:00.002+01:00

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

2021-02-16T21:05:00.001+01:00

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.

The Price You Pay E.P. by Ghetto Gospel

Is there a theme that runs throughout your lyrics?
It’s all about every day life and my perspective of it. The lyrics cover sentiments varying from frustration, betrayal and depression to positivity, unity and fighting back. We are definitely sick of this society but let’s do something to change this.

Who are Tambores de Guerra and is the tape available yet?
TDG is a Madrid based tape label, that has already put out great releases of the Spanish scene, but also cassettes for some cool international bands, like Combust, Last Wishes or Blood Sermon. I am in touch with Yoshi, the guy behind TDG, since last year and he is a really nice person, super passionate for hardcore music. We thought that it’d be better to work with him to have that EP out instead of putting it out ourselves or do it with a Greek label (even though we got in touch with 1-2 in the beginning). It’s very easy working with him, so it was the right decision. The tapes will be available by the end of the February, limited to 40 red and 40 black ones, but most of them have been already pre-ordered or reserved, so you better get in touch with either TDG or us now! There’s a cool collaborative t-shirt between us and TDG and some tee / tape bundles, available too!

What’s the hardcore scene like in Greece nowadays in terms of bands, labels and venues to play?
Hm, tough one. I think that there’s a recession in the scene the last years; not many new bands coming up and old bands getting inactive. The DIY punk / post-punk / crust scene is blooming, though. But hardcore - wise (our style, USHC, etc.), not much is going on. Concerning the labels, there’s a handful of them working hard for the preservation of the scene, but not that many unfortunately. The same goes for the distros. There are some cool DIY venues in Athens and Thessaloniki (the 2 bigger cities), while lots of shows take place in squats, too (even though lately the state has evicted lots of them). There’s also the more ‘commercial’ shows taking place in professional venues. I don’t think that we lack of shows, there’s a lot going on, from big hardcore bands to small local gigs, but we definitely need more hardcore bands and more people to be active in the scene.

What’s the overall vibe of the scene? Is it rooted in punk rock, political or more into Nikes and merch or maybe something different?
As I mentioned above, yeah the scene is more rooted in punk rock and politics, DIY ethics, autonomous centres and anti-authoritarian mentality. Big corporations have infiltrated the worldwide hardcore scene since day one, so it’s hard to get out of it, after all we all live in a capitalistic system, so yeah you get your Nikes and your Vans and your North Faces, too, but the overall mentality is going against the flow and the current cultural status quo.

Who Really Killed 2pac and WHY?
I think we all know what killed him or better how the whole fight and shootings evolved, but I am not the one to investigate the whole scene, get away from me! Long live Tupac Shakur.

The Price You Pay is getting good reviews and lots of people are hungry for more. Is there any change for new music from you this year?
The response so far has been overwhelming, lots of great feedback! Thank you very much to all of you that showed love to The Price You Pay. We have already started writing some new songs, so expect more music sooner or later.

What do you hope for the band when the pandemic is over?
The one and only thing I cross my fingers for is to get back to shows soon and have the chance to perform live in 2021. Till then, stay safe and watch out for each other. Peace out.

Found footage: One Second Thought, Queens, 1999

2021-02-13T21:26:00.003+01:00

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

2021-02-04T22:45:00.001+01:00

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

2021-02-02T21:49:00.002+01:00

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

2021-01-26T20:11:00.000+01:00

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)

2021-01-19T22:43:00.009+01:00

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.

PAIN OF TRUTH - No Blame... Just Facts by RATEL RECORDS

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

2021-01-16T21:44:00.004+01:00

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.

Private Hell/Shadow are the new songs. Tell us something about it.
These songs were originally intended for a split with a band from the US that never happened thanks to the corona virus. We recorded them earlier this summer and finally agreed to just put them out on our own instead. We were listening to a lot of Cold as Life and Neglect writing them, and lyrically we draw inspiration from things we’ve experienced in real life.

What progress do you see in each of your releases? From the demo to the newest stuff?
Our writing has become a LOT more tighter and it sounds corny but I feel like we found something that we could call our own sound. Going back to our first couple demos and listening to our newer stuff makes us almost sound like a completely different band and I’m pretty proud of that. When we first started we didn’t take this band nearly as seriously as we do now as well which is cool.

Private Hell is about losing close ones to addiction. Is it based on a real story and what prompted you to write these lyrics?
It’s based on the struggles a close family member of mine went through because of his addiction. He’s in a better place today though and I’m very grateful for that.

Are drugs a real problem in Sweden?
It’s a huge problem in Sweden and have only been getting worse over the years. Our justice system treat drug addiction more like a crime than an illness and we have very strict laws when it comes to all kinds of narcotics. You can get between 6 months up to 10 years in prison depending on how severe your drug charge is. My city is known as ”powder city” because of easy it is to get your hands on things here. Not to mention the work police do to get it off the streets only help create a harsher environment because of the tension it sparks between the people that supply it.

Photo credit: Erik Lindberg

How Covid has affected hardcore scene in Sweden? It seems your country has a rather relaxed response to pandemic with no lockdowns and tough restrictions like in other European countries.
Shows aren’t happening anymore because of the restrictions so it’s pretty dead at the moment. Bands are still putting out music online but without any way to play it live it’s easy to just put the band on hold and find something else to do. Our country has had a pretty relaxed response in the beginning and only recently outlawed bars from selling alcohol after 8pm. A few days ago the government recommended people to start wearing masks while traveling and so on. We are late with everything in this country.

Before anybody starts saying Refused is the greatest hardcore band to come out of Sweden, give us some local current names to prove those ignorant minds wrong.
Embrace Death, Waste, Constant Abuse, Existence and ESPECIALLY Blood Sermon and Outstand. They’re both gonna put out a new album very soon that will beat all your asses. Don’t sleep on them. Shoutout SBU

Top 3 beatdown bands that are not Bulldoze or Shattered Realm?
Built Upon Frustration, Bun Dem Out and Enemy Mind

Final question: is this world going insane?
It never was sane

No Saving Grate @ Bandcamp, Instagram, Facebook

Review: Big Cheese - Punishment Park

2021-01-11T21:19:00.000+01:00

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

2020-12-27T21:43:00.000+01:00

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

2020-11-18T23:35:00.004+01:00

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.

Downfall magnificat by Bloodstained

Video: Embitter - Echoes

2020-07-10T16:30:00.000+02:00

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

Interview: On Sight

2020-06-28T17:54:00.000+02:00

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!

Cause of Pain has been getting good feedback and that’s well deserved. How do you feel about the record when it’s out in the world?
It was a awkward time releasing the record during a pandemic like COVID but honestly the reaction has been amazing and we are super thankful to all our listeners

The message behind Cause of Pain is unfortunately extremely valid today. What’s your take on the whole situation? Many of the readers are not from the US so they might not fully comprehend what’s going on.
Without going to deep into things I’d first like to say I think every country has its police brutality so what’s going on in America is no secret. Cops are egotistical power trip hungry bullies. And with our history it’s no secret that poc (people of color) have been mistreated in this country for hundreds of years and still to this day.

Has police brutality ever affected you personally?
Yes in short details my mother was slammed to floor by a Paramus nj police officer in result to knocking one of her bottom teeth out.

Addressing everyday life problems and ills is something that makes hardcore resonate with people no matter where they from.. I dig the message behind the songs on Cause Of Pain, but how important are lyrics to you?
I feel Lyrics are very important. For on it’s causing kids to want to grab the mic and scream lyrics doing rid of that “horseshoe” shaped mosh pit as hate5six likes to call it.
And i mean yea we all like the riffs and the breakdowns and violence it’s what mostly attracted all of to it. But to me the message is very important. Hardcore to me has always been a big fuck you to the society we live in,in the best way possible.

Cause of Pain by On Sight

Tell us something Unbeaten Records and how did you hook up with them?

Buddy who runs unbeaten records is one of the nicest guys I’ve personally met through music. Him and his family work hard to make the name they have for themselves and for that I respect the shit out of them. Buddy saw us live a couple of times we linked up with him. We already had cause of pain recorded and ready so we pulled the trigger through him and it was a great decision.

You have a couple of videos and they are all pretty cool. Tell us something about it.
Spit your lies was our first video we took some clips from a few shows through em together.

Fading out being our second video we had a buddy of ours deema play kinda like this low life persona to fit what the song was about and With a couple clips from a private show we put together
Expired almost same thing we put together a show at a private location and just started shooting

Cause of pain was a video of one of homies tagging our album and logo at a infamous spot in Newark nj and being chased out by a cop. With COVID hitting when it did we weren’t able to go back and get some live shots because of lockdown so we used what we had and it still came out cool.

Can you tell me a little about the practicalities of the video production: budget, schedule, locations etc? Does it usually go smoothly?
On sight is one of those bands that just roll wit the punches.

I’ve seen your show on hate5six and it seems kids go nuts to your music. What are some your favorite shows to date? Best places to play?
Me personally. I absolutely love philly we played on a Monday night and the turnout was amazing. Nyc always turns up too! And of course nj our home always shows love!

What’s the craziest shit you’ve seen at a show?
Physical objects being thrown across the room like a food fight, but with chairs.

NJHC is a brand and everyone reading this knows Fury Of V, Second To None or NJ Bloodline. But what is the new breed of bands kids should check out?
So many honestly but to start: threat 2 society, roseblood,shackled, and paralysis Are some of my favorites

What local bands or people have shaped your view on hardcore?
Jesse from Stick To Your Guns and Scott Vogel from Terror are some people I look up to as vocalist and people who use their voice and hardcore as a platform to do so.

Last words, is this world going insane?
Insane? No I think a lot of people are just waking up.

Video: Rebelmatic - Insult to Injury

2020-06-09T21:38:00.003+02:00

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

Criminal Instinct - Skull Fucked

2020-05-25T22:23:00.000+02:00

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!

Skull Fucked by Criminal Instinct

Groove wit it: Bun Dem Out - Treason

2020-05-18T21:37:00.002+02:00

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!

Treason by BUN DEM OUT

Review: Regulate - In the Promise of Another Tomorrow

2020-05-09T16:48:00.000+02:00

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

2020-05-05T21:49:00.002+02:00

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

2020-03-30T20:36:00.002+02:00

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

2020-03-27T17:10:00.001+01:00

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.

Break The Chains by Forced Under