Here are a few facts about Ceremony as they pertain to me AND hardcore, in general.

- I have only "seen" this band play once. It was at Posi Numbers 2005 and I probably missed actually watching them because I was too busy listening to morGODo talk about his roast beef not being refrigerated. He thought it was gross, but that didn't stop him from eating a ton of deli slices. Something about getting protein before getting a good pump. You know how morGODo rolls.

- Everyone has a million and one good things to say about this band. Alternative Press thinks they are going to blow up in 2008. You can't stop seeing their name in text on message boards. It's crazy.

- Kids like to mosh.

Fuck, that last bullet has nothing directly to do with Ceremony -- Maybe distantly because I'm sure kids love to mosh when this band plays. Seriously, a two item list is barely worth making a list at all. Give me this one, ok?

As for this album, I'm not sure I see it. After all the hype, I was expecting my head to be blown back, like full on fall over in amazement. It didn't happen. This album is chill but it comes off as Integrity Lite to me. Way less evil. More Motorhead, less Ringworm.

Do you remember the first time you listened to the Systems Overload cd on Victory and the demo tracks came on at the end? That shit BLEW MY FUCKING MIND. Literally. I was blown back. And then listening to Those Who Fear Tomorrow. Well, fuck. Mind numbing good. This album IS good, but I think the hype overshadows it for me. My expectations were unfairly raised. Sorry boys.

I will say this, they have some damn fine looking tshirts. Great merch coming out of that camp. Head over to b9 to grab some or paw around on ebay for some recent limited tour gear. I'm sure they had a gem or two at Sound And Fury. Word.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Have Heart - Songs To Scream At The Sun -- File Under EMO. And I'm not kidding. This albums is wracked with emotional pain. No, I'm not talking about Fall Out Boy, you jerk. More along the lines of Rites Of Spring, despite having an album title that sounds like it was the follow up to Promise Ring's Nothing Feels Good. This albums is heart pounding and gut wrenching at times, like having your lungs ripped out of your body (no, not like Cannibal Corpse, you jerk).

Each song seems to feature either an epic build up or a long, drawn out rhythm break. Maybe my bias shines through here, but it reminds me a lot of when Bane toured on It All Comes Down To This. Do you remember when Nick would end the set by wailing on his drums? Every now and again, a band member would remove one piece of Nick's equipment, and he'd still bash away. Bashing with passion and purpose. That's what this album is.

Listening to this album, you may be a little confused. You may wonder where the ink on your fist has gone or if you mind has been disarmed. Trust me, it's all still there. But now with a bigger hammer. Or maybe Pat's beard is too tight. Regardless of Pat's facial hair, it comes out today and you should buy it. Support your home town boys. B9 Records. Word!

Aggression is the sophomore release from Verse. A lot of bands tend to hit a sophomore slump. Not sure why, but that's what usually happens. However, this is not the case for this particular album. In fact, it seems like a natural progression from their From Anger lp. The passion and heart haven't changed. The outspoken/unbroken vibe is still there, and the theme of achieving goals still remains. In fact, in the layout of the cd, there is a long list of books, articles and documentaries for bettering the world. Read up. Aggression is obviously the perfect soundtrack for that learning.

Strangely, considering it was released just yesterday, there is already schwag on ebay. Weird. Instead of ebay, wander over to theb9.com and stock up on the cd, vinyl, some t-shirts, maybe a banner or two. Do it. Do it now. And then when Verse (and Have Heart) come to your town this summer, pick up a few more tees and an extra cd for your little brother. Get him started on the right foot. What? You don't have a little brother? Well, you can certainly pick one up for your little sister or uncle or weird, creepy neighbor or grandfather or ... Support the bands!

I've seen I Rises a few times now. A while back, Alex told me he was going to give me one of their "new cds" from 1917 Records. Of course, it slipped both of our minds. Every time I would see them, he would mention it, and we'd both smack our heads for being forgetful. 6 months went by. Finally, the stars aligned, and he handed me one. Damn, it was worth the wait!

First off, the second half of the CD is the demo. I reviewed it many moons ago. It is amazing. The first half is the newly recorded EP for 1917 Records. It too is awesome.

On/Off topic: Here's my thoughts on I Rise. Remember when Converge broke onto the scene? Mid 90s. People didn't really take notice, but this band was doing something new and groundbreaking. They had their own sound and would eventually go on to set the world on fire. This is how I see I Rise. The demo is stupid ridiculous, and the new EP is equally as good. Hell, it's even better than the demo. But it seems the scene is still sleeping on them. In fact, the last time I saw I Rise (welfare records, May 2008), Nicky berated the crowd for hanging in the "skybox." They weren't there to bring the mosh, and that was a mistake FOR THEM. In a few years, they are going to look back and kick themselves -- they'll have missed the boat. Nicky and crew will probably be out autographing boobs and these "skybox" kids won't be able to ride those coat tails. Too bad, too bad.

BACK ON TRACK -- this cd is awesome. Order the EP or CD (plus demo) here. Do it now. Before the new album drops, or you'll be WAY behind. Also, pre-order the new album while you are there. It drops in July so don't sleep too long.

Somehow I have been sitting on this Red Handed album for a while. Call it laziness, I'm ok with that. But now that I'm at home chilling all day, I need some entertainment to fill the hours.

This album is doing the trick. Just the right blend of hardcore and punk rock for me. Not super thrashy as I was semi-expecting, but enough to get in a circle pit for. I like it. It's definitely different the usual music I get into it.

I suggest checking these guys out when they hit up your town. Get into it. You can also just go to Rivalry Records and order the album too. Also a good plan. Support Kyle. Word.

Salt The Wound plays screamy metal. I hate screamo-core. I have nothing good to say. Actually, I take that back. I was browsing the bands myspace page and spotted a dude wearing a Straight Edge hoodie. That's the one positive take away for me. Everything else is "growl grrrrr growl" -- "aiiiiieeeee yiiiiiieeeee weeeeeeeeeeeeee" aka "ugh ugh ugh" to my ears.

Why do I continue to do this to myself?

No idea.

No freaking idea.

How do these people find me?



According to Mr Mroz's press sheet, "there is a crisis at hand and Pete Mroz is the inexhaustible hero." Of course, the PR sheet goes on and on joke after joke, hyperbole topping hyperbole. Before listening, I assumed I was getting a Good Clean Fun solo project. I was truly expecting some Atom And His Package shit.

Of course, this is nothing at all what I would expect. My assumption that people actually send me "hardcore punk" is constantly challenged. This album is the other end of the spectrum. It's acoustic rock with an occasional piano or string accompaniment, with a chill male voice over it all. Sadly, this music immediately puts me to sleep. It also makes me think about possibly knifing myself. If broken hearted love songs are your thing, I have the disk for you. Ugh, "my tears, they fall like rain." This must be the youth crew of cliche broken hearted acoustic tracks.

Honestly, I'm not even sure why I'm reviewing this. The review will probably pop up high on Google results, and Pete Mroz will ask me to take it down because it isn't a sparkling review. I should just stop now.

Try this, go to google right now, and type "pete mroz hardcore." What an ironic first hit. Fate is fucking with me.

See It Through is from Reno, Nevada. Maybe they know Zeke. They certainly give shout outs to xAFBx in their liner notes. I'm sure thy must end up on the same bill every now and then. Which leads to the next question.

Will bands from Nevada forever be categorized by that National Geographic "documentary?" Will they be under the microscope because of that footage? Who knows. Hopefully not. Pigeon holing is hardly ever accurate. I mean, consider this. 7 Seconds is from Reno, Nevada. Isn't Big Bob from Reno too? That's a lot of positivity for one little town. I think I drove through their once on a quiet Sunday night. I was expecting a bustling Vegas vibe, but was greeted by a Sunday Worcester vibe instead -- ghost town. Real strange.

Of course, hardly any of that has anything to do with See It Through. They aren't metal, they aren't kick boxing material. They categorize (hey now!) more along the Outspoken / Verse side of hardcore. I can see kids fast skanking to these songs, maybe finger pointing, singing along. Not bad. This band could have played Detroit Fest in the late 90s and they would have fit in perfectly. Word.

Hemlock is from Las Vegas. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Hemlock doesn't believe in that. They have taken their blend of metal and ... something ... to all corners of the globe. What's up with that weird harmony part in World Of The Transparent? Then a shift into Shadows Fall... This cd (or just the song, for that matter) is all over the map. I bet these dudes love Faith No More, Outcast and Pantera. I can almost guarantee that.

And what do you know? They are playing the Metal and Hardcore Fest at the Palladium this weekend. Do you remember when it was actually worth adding the term HARDCORE to the fest name? I do. Now that was a weekend event worth attending. Me? I'm not the metal head some dudes are. Think back to 1999.

May 1 1999 @ The Palladium Worcester Mass: New England Metal & Hardcore Fest: Buried Alive, Converge, Cavein, Bane, Madball, Earth Crisis ... way too many

You're moshing.

This Is This is this is this is not for me. I don't get it. It's like weird mosh metal merged with Motorhead. But not in an appealing way. I can't even picture kids kickboxing to these songs. I just don't see the draw at all. It's as if they are going for a madball / blood for blood vibe but are falling WAY short. This album could have potential too, I think.

Perhaps it is a New Zealand thing ... Like a "Connecticut thing." There was a time where it seemed CT was in a weird time warp of kickboxing mosh. No where else in the world seemed to feel this phenomenon but CT was repping hard. I can't complain since it spawned Hatebreed, but it is a weird phenomenon. Maybe that's what's going on in New Zealand now. No idea. Good luck to these guys regardless. They seem genuinely into it. Cool for them.

Right Idea is everything good about new and upcoming hardcore currently. I can't believe how good this demo is. No serious, fully backed. This is straight up, youth crew style hardcore from Cleveland. This demo makes me think of Side By Side, Our Turn, ... everything I love about hardcore. Some true PMA going on here. This review is probably coming off "fanboy" like but shit, this demo is that fucking good. It's like a ray of sunshine in a sea of mosh metal. Stoked.

Also, the demo (on CASSETTE, hell yeah!) I received has features 3 classic looking varsity jackets. A Right Idea one, Chris Daily's Smorgasboard one and the Youth of Today Free At Last one. I remember trying to get the YOT one off of Christie a few years back, and he just stopped replying. I see it ended up in good hands. Now I wish I owned a varsity jacket. Someone hook me up!

To sum it up: dumb if you don't.

What do you know about This Is Hell? Here's what I know. The only harder working band that I can think of, in recent memory, is Champion. This Is Hell are basically work horses for the kids. If This Is Hell isn't playing your state this month, you can be damn sure they'll be there within the next 3 months. These dudes are always on tour and are always touring with the best bands. And when they aren't touring Europe or Australia, they are in the studio recording split EPs or amazing full lengths.

That's what we have here. An amazing sophomore effort from This Is Hell. It's really freaking good. Following up where Sundowning left off, Misfortunes rips from one track to the next. I don't know if this album has as many finger pointing opportunities but it'll still get you off your ass moshing. You can try and hang in the back of the club when they play, but that won't last. You'll be drawn in and before you know it, you'll be having a stage diving contest with Travis. He'll win, but you'll put your best foot forward.

If you are in Europe, prepare as they are coming to your hood later in April. If you are in the north east, you better doubly prepare. This Is Hell is playing all the H2O record release shows, and if you skip those, you aren't my friend. Think about it. A new H2O album and This Is Hell at some top notch venues with great stages. Dumb if you aren't diving.

The First Step have been a staple in hardcore for many years now. The first time I remember seeing them was way back in 2002. It was this big show at the Knights Of Columbus in Wallingford, CT. I can recall Fred and Ashley being up front losing their shit. And almost everyone else was just standing back soaking it all in. Like everyone had this common thought, "holy shit, this band is going to be something big." At least that's what I was thinking. More likely, kids were probably too busy trying to confirm internet rumors or talking shit to enjoy this experience. Sad. Sad because The First Step was mind blowing that day. It didn't hurt that they were playing before Champion and What Feeds The Fire. Aram and Fred were in the same room soaking it all in. Where was Greg? Wack.

I think it is safe to say that this album is my favorite release by The First Step so far. Yes, very safe to say. This album grabs me and makes me want to stage dive and finger point. It follows up nicely to their other albums, but something about it straight sticks out. Could it be the melodies or Steb's heart felt lyrics or maybe the influence of Fred, Aram and Greg? Maybe. Something about the album is just that appealing to me. Not sure what, but it's there. I can see kids losing their shit to these songs.

I love that every song clocks in at less than 2 minutes. That's the sign of a great hardcore song. Now this next statement isn't a negative. You'd think coming from me, it would be a negative, but I swear it is not. This album appears to have more of a religious feeling towards it. Not some "I love Jesus" tunes, but a definite Krsna/Buddhist undertone. Take Learn To Trust for example. The song isn't over the top spiritual, but you can see the metaphors used are pulled from krsna/buddhism (life is an illusion ...). It doesn't take away from the album, but rather enhances it as the message is super positive.

I can dig this album. I suggest you go to Rivalry Records and order this EP now. Kyle throws in a digital download too so you have no excuses. Do this. Now.

ps. How's that Mr TFS?

Hailing from CT, Hostage Calm brings the punk rock noise to hardcore. I'm not sure what's in the water in CT, but it must be tainted with melody. Coming up behind Ambitions, Hostage Calm holds it down. I'm quickly reminded of Good Riddance and early era Bad Religion. I'm really digging it. But you can definitely hear the hardcore undertones too. Plenty of opportunity to sing along and finger point. Hell, if you try hard enough, I'm sure you can figure out some appropriate moments to stage dive.

Check their myspace page, as the whole demo is currently available for download. It is well worth downloading. Great stuff.

Glue is a western Mass hardcore band. Semi out of the ashes of R'N'R, Think I Care and every Shumsky project, add the Red Ranger from Attitude and a bassist. It was Josh Hynes (from Resist) but now appears to be Natalie Kacian. WHOA, not edge. WTF!?

When I say out of the ashes, I pretty much mean it. This album doesn't sound anything like Think I Care or R'N'R or So Be It or even Attitude. The songs have a nice edge, but the lyrical flow isn't really laid back enough for my liking. In my head, I envision a more Greg Mental style flow to these songs. You know, a little chill, a little peaced out.

Regardless, this is another great Shumsky driven project. You should probably get behind this band and support. I think there first show is in April. Come out and don't forget your friggin camp stool. Peace.

I see you thinking about it. You're thinking, "Lie And Wait sounds like some other band I've heard before." If you are thinking this, it's probably because they used to go by the moniker Look Out. I reviewed their EP back in 2006. At the time, I compared them to No Warning with a early 90s Mass Hardcore vibe. Somewhere along the way, they had a lineup change and apparently, according to their website, changed their sound up some.

To my ears, they now remind me of Guns Up more. Who remind me of No Warning, who remind me of a bunch of other bands, who finally remind me of Leeway. But this band is way more on the metal tip then any of those bands.

I had the opportunity to see this band at Welfare records a few weeks back. I didn't realize they were once called Look Out. Doh. At the show, they had both cd and vinyl. I guess the CDs were down by Thrashed Records, while Triple B took care of the vinyl. And when I say take care of vinyl, I mean, they killed it. Look at this vinyl, so amazing.



Those are one sided LPs with hand screened images on the b-side. The real limited white vinyl has snowflakes and says "winter tour 2008." The other vinyl has an ill gothic image. When I was trying to remember what it looked like, all I could imagine was an epic war between angels and devils, where good was represented by Transformers and bad was represented by midget porn actors. Obviously, my memory was way off. I'm probably just confusing it with a Lion Of Judah concept album. I don't recall if the swirl vinyl was one sided or not.

Pechblende is a little thrash number from Quebec, Quebec, Canada. This album could have been a nice follow up to Dive or Bound (Mass). It's pretty ill. Plenty of hardcore vibe, a little thrash, lots of guitar mashing.

Apparently they play a lot in the area, and I have just never seen them. I see they have played Welfare Records with Dropdead. Oooffff, probably was a great show. I missed out. What was I doing that day? Probably nothing. Doh.

Next time, next time. Maybe for the next Dive reunion? Who knows. Hopefully that one isn't planned on a Patriots playoff game day this time.

I don't know what to say about Eyes Set To Kill. They have this beautiful sounding female lead vocalist who lulls you with her voice. And then smashing through it is this terrible, screamy, yelly atreyu voice. BLAHT BLAHT BLEEEEEAAAAAARRGH. Ugh, what a stinker. Pretty much ruins any chance of me ever liking this band. Of course, my scene isn't the skinny pant Hot Topic scene. I can see this band playing the downstairs of the Palladium and killing it. According to their press release, they are the rebirthed phoenix, here to save the newly dead scene. Piggity pass. I'd rather listen to the worst Youth Of Today rip off than this band.

Fuck, I listened to it again, and I freaking love the girls singing. It's a very Velocity Girl like sound. But then BLAHT, the dude comes in and ruins everything. What a terrible shame. Otherwise, this band would have potential. Probably not in the metal hardcore scene, but I could see a nice indie rock project coming from the ashes of this stinker.

Holy shit, Final Verdict is carrying the torch of mid 90s hardcore. If you miss Groundzero, Holdstrong and 25 Ta Life (wait, you can't miss them, they are still playing shows), then Final Verdict is for you. This band may as well have stepped out of a time machine from 13-15 years ago. I didn't know that torch still needed carrying, but these guys are holding it high. I'm not sure if you can kickbox to this band, but you sure could try. If you are ever looking for some heavy mosh in Victoria, British Columbia, just look these dudes up.

One funny note: Austin, the guy who sent me the cd and the vocalist for Final Verdict, must know my review style. In his note to me, he apologized up front for spelling "hyperbole" wrong. Nice!

Miles Away. Australian Hardcore. Discuss. After viewing the web page, you'd think they were an emo band. I mean, look at those tshirt designs. How many other bands have you seen rip off a Saves The Day tshirt design that wasn't emo? Actually, when was the last time you saw any band make a Saves The Day shirt rip? I don't think I've ever seen one. Pretty original, I suppose. Much better than the dime a dozen Youth Of Today rips. That's for sure.

But after listening to a track or two, you realize you judged a book by its cover. Yeah, that's right. You passed judgment on the band before hearing a track. Tsk, tsk. Once you get into the tracks, you realize this band rips. Very much in the vein of Have Heart & Verse. They make me want to start a band that sounds like Have Heart or Verse. Of course, this is Sydney not Boston. These guys give their own little flair to the style, and they do it with ease.

Here's what you do next. Go out and buy this album. Support Australian Hardcore. Support 6131 Records. Support hardcore. When you get the album home, make sure to post on your favorite message boards how much you love it. Dumb if you don't.

No Apologies are NOT from my back yard. Strange how close Defiant Hearts are to me, and how extremely far away No Apologies come from. 6131 Records must really bust their ass finding unsigned, dope bands. There can't be any other explanation how a band from Mass and a band from Sydney, Australia are on the same label. Good for 6131 and good for No Apologies.

Now, if I was to pigeonhole this band, I would put them in a Cro-Mags hole. Plenty of hard mosh, but without that kick boxing, connecticut vibe. I can hang with this record. Probably not something I would play on repeat for hours, but definitely worthy of a few spins. I bet Morgado would mosh his ass off for this band. That's just me guessing.

As for the cover art: I'm strongly reminded of the Betrayed Substance LP art. Thankfully, that album didn't feature Aram's naked butt. Phew. I'm into the black and white imagery based on the strength of the work, but I'm guessing people chuckle over the butt. Probably a lot.

Defiant Hearts are from my back yard. Almost literally. How they ended up on 6131 Records out of Huntington Beach, California is a little beyond me. I'm puzzled by it.

Defiant Hearts isn't forging a new path or breaking new ground, but what they do, they do well. A little melodic hardcore on a snowy morning is just the thing to brighten the spirits. If you had been in my living room, you may have seen me doing a little skank during Old Hosmer. Thankfully, this album isn't bedroom moshing material or I probably would have spilled my latte. Shit, illy is so fucking good. This album is a little illy, actually. One or two Right Brigade riffs might get you moshing though.

And, I just noticed they are playing with Permanent this week in Boston. Very chill. See you there?

It isn't too frequently that we receive books to review. In fact, I think HYE? has only ever received three books ever. In the case of books, the quality out weighs the quantity. What Southern Empire Records is presenting here is a glimpse into the lives of straight edge men, women and children outside of the hardcore show. There are 60-70 black and white photos with very minimal text describing each image -- basic information like name, age, how long edge and occupation.



Overall, Faces Of Straight Edge is a great coffee table piece. The pictures are intriguing with great sets and interesting stances. Most of the pictures are so powerful that they don't really required text blurbs. The format is also a nice touch. It's no DIY cut and paste zine, but the simple layout really lends itself nicely to a high quality table book. One you don't mind if your nosy neighbors or grandparents flip through.

All this praise doesn't mean the book is flawless though. I certainly have a few points to pick with it. First and foremost were some questions I couldn't get out of my head while looking at these pics, "Who are these people? Where did they find them? Why should I care about them and are they still straight edge now?" Maybe my PMA has gone dull, but that's all I could think about.

At times, it feels that the photographer has gone WAY out of his way to track down these individuals. I mean, c'mon, an "anarchist primitivist," a "bike punk/sex worker" who has been straight edge for one year ... It's as if he dug out all the weirdos and wackos in order to take a prettier picture. I understand he is trying to show how the straight edge community is built upon the backs of unique individuals, but this guy is really stretching. Call my PMA into question again, but I don't think I would want to feature any person who has been straight edge for less than 5 years, or is under the edge 21. I've known too many people who have been "true to 21" to think otherwise. But hey, that's just me.

The other part of that repeating question was "who are these people and why should I care?" This book features over 60 people and after flipping through it, I would say I recognized only 3-4 people. A few I have met and a few I only know through the internet or via their reputation. The rest of the individuals are complete strangers to me. I'm sure the anonymity of the individual was the goal of the book (hearkening back to the "it takes all kinds" sentiment), but after checking out the pics, I still wonder, "why should I care?" I don't know this chef, I don't know that repossession agent. I wouldn't say I'm a big name scenester or anything (my head hasn't swelled that much), but I know a lot of people, coast to coast, continent to continent. And to know so few people in this book leaves it a little flat for me.

Now I'm not looking for a book with 400 pictures of Tim McMahons, Sweet Petes and Larry Ransoms. That's probably been done a million times before. This one is thinking outside of that box, I know this. I know this. But some sense of familiarity would be nice.

Past those question, my other point of criticism is the overall lack of hardcore community. In my mind, without a hardcore show or inclusive hardcore scene, these people may as well just call themselves "drug free." I understand that straight edge is about those 3 tenets but in my little world, straight edge is more like a brotherhood united by one thing: the hardcore show. To remove the show from these pics feels like removing the greater spirit. It probably didn't help when the publisher told me, "I have an aversion to shows these days."

Again, maybe it's just me and my little world, but my sense of straight edge involves stage diving at local VFW halls on Tuesday nights which always then lead to Wednesday morning struggles at work. Like I said, without that sense of community where is the need for the straight edge label? Where is the need for any label, for that matter? I know a few happily married adults who neither drink nor smoke but they wouldn't have any idea what straight edge is. In fact, I'm sure if I was to ask them, they wouldn't even think to label their lifestyle.

Again, I'm sure the pictures were taken outside of this environment to show, "hey, we're people just like you." But what is the point to that? The audience this book is being sold to is more than likely straight edge kids between the age of 17 and 24. Most of those people don't even own coffee tables. The "just like you" individual, is in fact one of the people who could be featured in this book. The casual reader is the straight edge individual.

Enough ranting and raving because in reality (outside my little world), this book is truly well done. It's an interesting perspective on straight edge in America, the crazy cast of characters and the lifestyles they lead. The photos are top notch and the art direction is classically simple. Adding a few Xed hands and the title "straight edge" takes it from a nice photo album to a subculture overview via photographic evidence. I am a fan. The book hits shelves this month so make sure to go buy a copy now. Peace!

Get Back Up is the odd man out on Organized Crime Records. I always associate super hard mosh bands with OCR but Get Back Up definitely doesn't fit that stereotype. Maybe it's my fault for trying to pigeonhole OCR. Typically, when I get a package from OCR, I prepare for brutal mosh, kick boxing hardcore.

I mean, this album still brings the mosh, don't get me wrong. But I don't feel like any of these dudes rock puffy vests (Nothing against puffy vests, of course. In fact, if anyone can find me a penfield vest, size large, I'd be stoked). These guys have the mosh, but bring an element of melody that tunes it all down some. 9 songs of sweet mosh. OCR says, "for fans of Gorilla Biscuits, Have Heart and Comeback Kid." So there you go. Make your own decision and check these dudes out the next time you are in Buffalo, NY. Or maybe the next time they come to your hometown.

This is heavy. Out and out heavy. Pellinore hail from New Jersey, but they have a definite Cleveland influence. I wouldn't be surprised if they kill it in Ohio.

Plenty of slow mosh, plenty of fast mosh, lots of hard breakdowns. This band basically takes all the good stuff and lumps it into one song. What's awesome is that most of these dudes are just high schoolers. I wasn't doing anything remotely as cool as this in high school. Not even close. I never would have thought to use this scary ass artwork for my cd then either. This shit is borderline creepy eerie. Not creepy like 70s mustaches, but creepy like your soul shivering. Awesome.

If you like bands like Cold Sweat, Mind Eraser, Ringworm, ... you will definitely be into Pellinore. If you only like Youth Of Today, you may just want to stick with Youth Of Today. Fuck, how good is Youth Of Today? Shit, so good.