Voice Of Addiction could be a hardcore band. I'm honestly not sure. Their style goes back and forth. Sometimes Dropkick Murphy's to Back With a Bong to English Beat. Real odd one, this one.

Oddly, listening to this album reminds me of Braveheart. You know the scenes where he's all rocked out with blue face paint? He's galloping a horse up and down the lines yelling. Lots of yelling. And then at the end, he yells "FREEDOM." That's what this album sounds like. Minus the blue face paint.

These guys could come to your town soon. I'm not sure. Check them on myspace or try your luck on Ebay.

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Last time I heard Offsides, I compared them to Naked Aggression. That comparison doesn't make any sense anymore. This album is through and through, pure hardcore. It isn't punk rock, it's fucking finger pointing, moshing, stage diving and sweaty sing alongs. The only thing missing from this EP is an intro jam with breaking bottles and screaming aka party mosh.

And to top it off, there is a behind-the-scenes message about the recording of this album. It's a genuine heart warming story about hardcore can prevail with a positive attitude. Shout outs to Charles Get Outta Town for really stepping up to the plate on this one. I highly suggest finding the cd and reading it for yourself. You can find this bad boy over on Get Outta Town Records.

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I really enjoy Wait In Vain. I always have. I mean, check my gushing review of their demo. I was all about that demo and rocked it regularly. It has a northwest feel for sure, but it was larger than that. This LP is a little back in the Northwest niche. Not a bad thing, necessarily, but definitely a little more stereotypical of my expectations of Northwest Hardcore. I'm sure Aram would disagree, but then again, he wears a guard on his x-rated swatch. Yeap.

The music is good, no doubt, and the art direction on the LP sets it over the top. I really dig the style of the art, and I really think it fits well with Wait In Vain as band. It captures their feel and concepts. Shout outs to the photographer and Timm on executing a dope layout.

These guys are touring pretty hard right now so make sure to go check them out. Also feel free to try your luck on Ebay. Maybe you can pick up an older tee or something. Pretend you've been down since '05.

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My older brother and I got into hardcore at the same time. Early 90s, we even probably went to all the same first shows. Then he moved to the big city of Ithaca NY (fuck, the population of my whole town growing up could fit into a high rise in New York City). He attended many shows in upstate and launched into Straight Edge and Veganism. Following in his footsteps, I would shortly thereafter become vegan then straight edge. He was quite the positive role model. I'll never forget how he helped change my life for the best.

To that affect, I'm going to recommend he listen to Suzy Wong And The Honkeys.



This music seems like his bread and butter. Upset female vocalist backed by angry punk rockers. Lots of angst here. Forget your hipster PBR or even you sharpie marker, get some egg whites for your liberty spikes and grab your doc martens. This music brings the moshy stomp.

In reality, my brother would rather listen to Ghostface or Robert Pollard. He continues to mention good bands to me all the time (Band Of Horses, anyone?). Maybe he isn't throwing out straight edge hardcore band names anymore, but he's still my number one source for new underground indie rock. Living in Troy, NY he's probably had a chance to catch this band from Upstate NY. And if not, it's my turn to send some music his way.

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This Grave Maker album drops tomorrow. Yes, July 22nd 2008. A good day for hardcore certainly. Because this album pretty much rips from start to finish. I recall loving this on first listen. During the second and third listen, I felt a little different. Something wasn't the same. Maybe I'm not feeling super hardcore today, not sure. I am still digging it, but now it just doesn't feel as hard hitting. I recall the words "this makes me want to mosh" when I spun this the first time. Was I lying to myself? Unlikely. I'd probably still mosh to this. Some ill fucking tracks.

Don't forget, they are releasing this album over the weekend at El Corazon in Seattle. How the hell is Hatebreed playing that venue? Fuck, so good. Small venue, probably a good time to stage dive for these bands. No chance of getting a good stage dive in at Warped Tour or some such fest. El Corazon is set up just fine for diving.

This album also features great guest appearances by some of hardcore's current best. Rick from This Is Hell/Soldiers and Andrew Neufeld from Comeback Kid. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Check it.

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hed pe is apparently "the best hardcore band around!" as seen on amazon.com. Believable? No. Ten Yard Fight once said, "We Know the Truth!"

Here's how I see it. If you have ever been through Boston, you've probably heard WBCN radio. It's located around 104.1 on your old FM dial. Back in the mid 90s, they played the cutting edge in alternative and punk. Lots of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Green Day, ... whatever was hot and upcoming. Fast forward 15 years later, they still are playing the same (now) stale, fart rock. Seriously, listening to that radio station is like traveling back in time. So much Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, blah blah blah.

WBCN also LOVES to play Sublime, 311 and that song by Cracker (the about being a stone, NOT being stoned, maaaaan). The connection to HED PE is tenuous, but it is there. You know why? HED PE sounds like a mixture of those 3 bands, at least in my mind. Or maybe they sound like the vibe WBCN puts out when they play those songs, especially when played back to back. Please tell me you know this vibe because it is seriously hard to describe without using one million words.

And somehow, the term "hardcore" keeps getting thrown around. "American Hardcore act (hed) p.e...." How is this hardcore? I don't get it. Or maybe still, they don't get it. It's like when your weird cousin thinks you like jungle or house because you talk about hardcore. "Oh, like happy hardcore, maaaaaan?" No. That's the closest connection hed pe has to hardcore - your weird cousin.

That's it for me. I'm going to listen to Youth Of Today now. Peace.

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