Latest Additions
DAMAGED GOODS
fever (2008/CRUCIAL ATTACK)
HARDCORE. Belgiums trashers of DAMAGED GOODS are back with 10 songs on the "Fever" LP. After a solid 7" on Not Just Words Records and playing shows across Europe, DAMAGED GOODS went down to Studio 195 to record this one-sided LP. With 10 songs clocking in below 14 min., "Fever" is faster and with more crazy guitar riffing the friction will drive you insane. To tip it all off there's a laseretch on the B-side. Limited to just 500 copies. Be fast for this record or cry later!
BAD MAN
neighborhood watch (2008/FLAT BLACK)
HARDCORE. These youngins from San Pedro/Long Beach blast out song after song of fast, snotty hardcore. If you took JFA's "blantant localism" and mixed it with D.R.I.'s 22 song 7" debut release, then you will know exactly what to look forward to on this release. All the songs are just what you would expect from a tight hardcore band - fast, short songs that pump the adrenaline through yer body. If you like contemporary greats like CITIZENS PATROL you should buy this limited item!
Q AND NOT U
power (2004/DISCHORD)
POST/EMO-PUNK. Q AND NOT Not U continue to expand on the dance-punk formula 1st introduced on their debut, though they shedd the dueling guitars for dueling disco rhythms and a more direct politically charged lyrical approach.
PREYING HANDS
through the dark (2009/CONTRASZT)
CRUST-HARDCORE. Upon returning from a European tour, BALLAST promptly broke up - 3/5th of the band would continue to play together and soon would form PREYING HANDS including new members. The sound seamlessly blends an odd combination of crust, melodic hardcore and a touch of punk. The powerful female vocals, that lyrically combine the personal with the political, complete an intense picture.
SPAZM 151
s/t (2001/MIND CONTROL)
HARDCORE-PUNK. These Texans blaze through 13 tracks of fucking classic hardcore in barely over 20min. with tons of energy and a great multi vocal attack. The songs are the perfect blend of pissed off hardcore and punk rock as well, taking the attitude and slight catchiness of the latter and blending it with the pure aggression and speed of the former. There's even a thrashy crossover feel in a couple of the tracks. Plus there are some totally reckless lead breaks to boot. You can't lose! They even close out with 2 raging covers: "build me a bomb" by JERRY'S KIDS and "i hate myself" by THE OFFENDERS.
THESE ARE:
scare tactics (2007/HOLD TRUE)
HARDCORE. Boston's THESE ARE bled just about every form of hardcore into one cohesive sound on "scare tactics". The debut consists of 20min. of furious, off-kilter aggression with no remorse, stopping only to unleash volley after fiery volley at the pillars of hypocrisy that can be seen rising throughout society. Pollution, religion and provincialism are all taken to task in "scare tactics". This is an album that references the glory days of hardcore without seeming overly reverential or redundant. It’s a brash, slapacrosstheface album that will not be overlooked. Limited to 500 copies; handnumbered!
OF QUIET WALLS
dopedisco and the hetero elephant (2007/SHARK MEN)
POST-HARDCORE/METALCORE. Fancy artwork, catchy name and weird song titles all created a very good impression to me. OF QUIET WALLS is a band from Germany. They play a mix of modern and new-school metalcore, in the vein of bands like PARKWAY DRIVE, POISON THE WELL mixed up with chaotic parts that reminded me bands like THE CHARIOT and CONVERGE. All this package wrapped up with a sense of melody. Their 2 singers give them a very good advantage too. OF QUIET WALLS show a lot of potential with this 7 song, drawing their influences and mixing up genres, something that is really important in this genre nowadays.
DISASSOCIATE
imperfect world (2000/MIA)
GRINDCORE. DISASSOCIATE is a grinding hardcore band with members of JESUS CHRUST, DARKSIDE NYC and BRUTAL TRUTH. Recorded and produced by Steve Austin of Today Is The Day. This is a relentless and crushing album fueled by epic bong hits of medical grade weed. A true old-school grindcore album by these NYC veterans. Brutal, pissed, uncompromising and heavy as fuck. Topped off with amazing cover art by Erik Roper (Sleep, High On Fire), pressed on minty green marble vinyl.
CRACKS IN THE WALL
s/t (2009/CRUCIAL ATTACK)
HARDCORE. With a demo tape, lots of shows under the belt, it was time for CRACKS IN THE WALL to take it to the next level. This debut 7" deliever 11 songs of fast, furious and angry hardcore. As influences they drop the following names: BLACK FLAG, JERRY'S KIDS and NEGATIVE APPROACH - you know what to expect, right? Get into it.
PRIDESWALLOWER
lifeswallower (2007/BRIGHT SKULL)
POST-HARDCORE. "lifeswallower" deliver 5 crushing, chaotic hardcore songs from Louisville's PRIDESWALLOWER, featuring members of KODAN ARMADA, IN TONGUES. PRIDESWALLOWER takes the legacy of late '90s Seattle sound and sends it through the monsterous amps and feedback laden soundscapes that dominate the Louisville hardcore sound in recent years. The result is sure to make your ears bleed and your heart pound. Packed in a nice screenprinted cover!
MORNING GLORY
poets were my heroes (2012/FAT WRECK)
PUNK-ROCK. MORNING GLORY 1st became the spark of an idea back in 2001 when Ezra Kire (LEFTOVER CRACK etc.) took time off from touring and started to write and record some songs in his NYC apartment. Built on the backbone of ska, punk, crust, much like his other work, the songs Ezra wrote for MORNING GLORY served as an outlet for the expanded spectrum of his songwriting. This epic album is a sonic kaleidoscope of punk melding strings, horns, choirs, pianos, and organs over a web of distorted guitars and marching, single kick pedal drums. It is both grand and elaborate, with each song evoking a different mood and style, challenging the musicianship of even the most dexterous players, while still maintaining its punk-inspired simplicity and catchy anthemic sound throughout. Vinyl includes a digital download card.
LIGHTEN UP
absolutely not (2010/JUMP START)
HARDCORE. Not simply a throwback to early '80s hardcore, Philadelphia's LIGHTEN UP play fast and pissed off melodic hardcore in the vein of PAINT IT BLACK in a time when hardcore bands call SLAYER more of an influence than MINOR THREAT and BAD BRAINS. Their debut record, "absolutely not", throws out 12 songs. Vinyl version includes a digital download card.
DROWNINGMAN
don't push us when we're hot (2005/THORP)
PROGRESSIVE-HARDCORE. Vermont's DROWNINGMAN has been noted by many as a pioneering conspirator in the the mixing of metal, hardcore and noise elements, which has spawned many descriptors and definitions, most including the words chaotic, spastic or clever pigeon holes such as screamo. With the release of "don't push us when we're hot", DROWNINGMAN claim their place as the creators and champions of the schizophrenic, sarcastic niche in hardcore that they created and will always own.
SEAS WILL RISE
disease is our refrain (2012/MAN IN DECLINE)
HARDCORE. SEAS WILL RISE, featuring LANDMINE MARATHONE founder Eric Saylor on guitar and vocals, offers its debut full-length, "disease is our refrain". The Arizona band plays heavy, brooding hardcore punk, inspired by the likes of HIS HERO IS GONE and FROM ASHES RISE. The sound is raw and aggressive, pretty straightforward, the sort of thing that anyone can play, but it takes work to play well. It's full of enough instantly accessible hardcore tunes to warrant repeated plays. Limited edition of 500 items.
POWER & THE GLORY, THE
call me armageddon (2004/DEATHWISH)
POST-HARDCORE. THE POWER & THE GLORY walk the fine line between the worlds of crust punk, contemporary metal and hardcore. Creating a post everything musical bombardment as compelling as it is difficult to classify by traditional means. From song to song the album rages forth as a soundtrack to worldly and emotional catastrophe. Building to an epic finale that evokes the apocalyptic spirit of their contemporaries NEUROSIS and CONVERGE, while maintaining their own sense of character. Shaking the foundation of the independent music community as it firmly roots them in place as a new and powerful mainstay.
