:: HOW'S YOUR EDGE? :: Hardcore Straight Edge

Every now and then, I get a cool package from Take It Back Records. Christian Unsinn seems like a cool dude, no matter what some anonymous people have to say. This time around, he sent me the Liferide LP. Feeling it.

Liferide has a real throwback vibe. Like I could picture any of these songs leading into Backtrack or Dissed And Dismissed or even Fade To Black. These guys play a strong hardcore very reminiscent of late 80s New York Hardcore. I dig it.

I also dig the limited nature of the vinyl. 300 total slabs. 200 on black, 100 on some color vinyl. This is hardcore vinyl for the real fans. Either you snap it up, or you miss out completely. React Records does something very similar. No need to flood the market. And thanks to torrents and the internet, the music will get around. Courtesy of being great music, these tracks will DEFINITELY be heard by a wide swath of people. Good for them.

So if you missed the vinyl, your best best is Ebay. Who would have guessed? You can probably still snap up some black vinyl here. No promises, but give it a go. You won't regret it.

I moved to Worcester in 1997 where I would end up hanging out a lot at 34 John St. A guy lived there named Tre McCarthy. Pretty good dude. One time I saw him acid drop off his couch in the middle of a phone call. The phone (cordless phone, not a cell phone. This was 1998 afterall) smashed everywhere. He put it all back together, and somehow the person on the other end of the line was still there! Also, one time I was riding with him to his new apartment. To make room in his car, he had to push a tennis racket out of the way. Yes, a tennis racket. Can you picture Tre playing tennis? Still a mystery to this day.

Years later, Tre would co-start Deathwish Inc. Jake and him would release a ton of albums over the years. In the beginning, Tre would send me a lot of their releases, but that tapered off over the years. That's fine. We both realized that I would rather NOT review something than give it a less than stellar review. And everyone knows generic straight edge is my bread and butter. Obviously, DWI needs to release more of that ... I think the last package Tre sent my way was the Curse I LPs. Yeah, a while back.

So when Tre hit me with the new Lewd Acts release, I knew I was in store for something awesome. And I was not disappointed.

This LP rips. It's not my normal fare, but I dig it. It gives me an Integrity (less scary) / American Nightmare / Lion Of Judah (minus the wigger mosh, space trip hop bit) vibe. Overall, a quality vibe. I can envision lots of kids slow moshing for this band, plenty of head banging, that's for sure. I've seen the tees everywhere. Never knew why the hype was so big. But after listening to this album, I'm a believer.

I'll probably swing over to Ebay to see if I can find some deals on tees. Otherwise, definitely go hit up Deathwish Inc for this album. Support the bands, support the label.

I've been following Set Your Goals since my friend Matt turned me onto them some years ago. Of course, he was biased. He is their tour manager. Luckily for him, they are an awesome band and chill dudes. I'm a pretty big fan of their previous albums, and even interviewed Matt a few years ago. I've been looking forward to this album ever since Merrick started singing snippets of it.

Now that I have it in my hands, I am not disappointed. Of course, it isn't at all what I expected. Which is not an issue, just surprising. I was expecting SYG to go super poppy for this one. And you know what, I was completely wrong. This album is HARDER than any other release they've dropped.

And you know what? This album reminds me of the Judgment Night Soundtrack. I know, I know, "lay off the reefer, Brian," but hear me out. Judgment Night was this dope mid 90s movie where the soundtrack was all artist team ups. So you had Biohazard and Onyx on one song, Helmet and House Of Pain on another (ill, ill song) and Sonic Youth + Cypress Hill on another. It was just this ill little mashup of bands dropping insane songs where each song had a completely different vibe. That's what this album has. One song has an ill double kick and metal up your ass, while another has a perfect pogo bounce. Throw in some guest spots by Hayley Williams (Paramore), Chad Gilbert (New Found Glory), Vinnie Caruna (The Movielife), Jon Gula (Turmoil, oh what??), and you've got a pretty sick sound.

You can catch these dudes touring constantly. If you are lucky, you hit up Gig Life and witnessed a good time. They even have tshirts for "grown ass men." If you can't find one in their tour merch, peep Ebay. You never know what you may find. Go ahead and spend those dollars on this release. You won't regret it.

Start Today come hard hitting with a 4 track EP. Initially, I was pretty confused just looking at the layout. ALL the text is in English MINUS the lyrics. They are all in a language that is not based on a character set I'm familiar with, ie not Romantic. Turns out it is Bulgarian which has roots in the Slavic language. Something I know nothing about. So I got to listen to some great tunes that MAY have featured lyrics about punching cows or stealing candy from children. Just kidding! It also turns out that they have a link with all the lyrics in English. That's pretty helpful for me at least.

The lyrics are pretty thought out and heartfelt. I can get into that, for sure. Paired with some value backed hardcore. I would use the term emotional but I don't want people to think I'm talking about Brokencyde or some shit. There's a lot of passion here with a definite Strife / Have Heart influence. Get into it.

Try your luck on Ebay and hit up Stoilov's site while you are out on the interwebs, vinyledge.com.

The Golden Age is a band I can really get into. I'm not sure what exactly grabs me, but it grabs tight. Could be the mixture of sounds. Like a weird cross of Set Your Goals (minus a lot of pop and a singer, of course) and Earth Crisis. Or maybe mid-era Lifetime and Count Me Out. It's a great little mix.

Of course, the epic Straight Edge anthems don't hurt either. I'm going on record right now saying, "The Constant may be the Straight Edge anthem of 2009." And as you know, the year is only halfway over. I love a great fucking straight edge sing along. It's not generic youth crew, but it's got balls. "A song can change your life and open your eyes, transform energy, reveal what's inside!"

These dudes are going out on tour with a couple of great bands this summer: No Harm Done and Offsides. Three excellent bands worthy of all your attention. So when they play, quit texting and mosh hard. If you don't heed my warnings and are IMing your friends all night, you'll have to scour Ebay the next day because you'll WANT this CD. Pick up some merch while your at it, bub.

Make Do And Mend hail from West Hartford, Connecticut. Normally, when I discuss bands from CT, you would expect to hear me talk about Mosh Metal, Ground Zero, or Connecticut Brotherhood. That's not going to be the case today. In fact, I can't really imagine anyone kick boxing, let alone mosh, to this band. It has a very post hardcore vibe. Think a mixture of Quicksand, Hot Water Music and All Chrome. Honestly, I was pretty damn surprised when I put it in the old cd player. Real surprised. Thankfully, it is the good kind of surprise.

The one thing I really know about West Hartford is that it's a stones throw from Farmington. Which is the home of the China Pan. Oh man, those citrus spare ribs are for me. No idea why they would dump those from the entree menu. Dumb move. Now if you don't hang out at China Pan or in West Hartford, you may want to peep ebay for all the hard to find gear and merch. Feel free to head over to panicrecords.net for the latest releases.

I grew up in Maine during the 80s. At this time, cable was still "new" to us. Like those running water jokes, you know? At my house, we eventually got cable. My brother and I would watch MTV as much as possible. It was perhaps the coolest thing we had ever seen on TV. Of course, my parents hated it. I think they caught that Great White video, Once Bit And Twice Shy and forbid us to watch that channel ever again. Or maybe it was that Warrant song ... Of course, that made us want to watch it more. We set up a system where one would person would sit in the kitchen on a stool partially watching out the front door for our parents. We were schemers!

We devoured 120 minutes and headbangers ball. But to me, I always wanted to see those Faith No More or Bad Brains videos. I hated metal. Metal meant nothing to me. It felt like a bunch of guys in skinny leather pants pretending to be scary. That sucks. There's no message there -- THE MUSIC, THE MESSAGE. But then there were punk rock bands with an actual message. That spoke to me. Even if there bay area attitude held no sway over my New England environment. I just recall thinking, "my parents could be home at any minute. Stop showing metal videos." My pleas were often unheard and I would have to suffer through a few Judas Priest videos before getting to something good.

Swamp Thing isn't Judas Priest. They also aren't Rancid. The music has that heavy hardcore vibe: some double kick, a few breaks, lots of heavy. The singing is what made me recall my youth. I can't understand a god damn word this dude is singing. Not one word. He has that scratchy, metal vocalist yell. What's his message? No idea. I lump it in with the "we're singing about hell and demons and goo." Since they aren't a metal band, I'm guessing that's not what they are about really. But I'm guessing the imagery is just as ephemeral.

If you are looking for finger pointing and stage dives, keep looking. This band has more hard mosh and heavy sing-alongs. I can see some hard pitting for this band. Go ahead and check out 6131 Records for the record and merch. If that's not enough to satisfy you, peep Ebay for that limited edition gear.

Clear Sight has an obvious angle. They have definitely grabbed onto a theme and are running with it. In this case, that image is Straight Ahead. They take it and go, go go. The sound pulls a lot from Straight Ahead -- plenty of the vocal styling and guitar techniques, for sure.

But here's the thing. Those are big shoes to fill. I mean, c'mon. STRAIGHT AHEAD. Shit. They are a Tier Zero band. It's hard to reach those heights. These guys do a good job of getting there, but there are a few mishaps. The worst of which happens to be their Straight Ahead cover, oddly enough. The recording is odd, real odd. It sounds like it was recorded in a karaoke bar where the vocals are processed through a video game mixer. Like I said, very, very weird. Music is spot on, vocals are off. I guess I'm just down on re-recorded songs.

These boys are from Kiev. That'd be in the Ukraine. For those still living in the 80s or 90s, that'd be the USSR. Good luck catching these guys. Hopefully, they start touring Europe and the US. Dudes would be into that, I'm sure. Until then, hit up IDM Demo Tapes to snag the tunes. Failing that, hit up Ebay.

Rearranged hail from the great white north. North of Turkey, that is. This demo traveled many miles to find its way to my tape deck. Thankfully, the trip was worth it, and it's on heavy rotation.

Listening to this, I hear lots of influences from California. Mostly Insted. Some Uniform Choice. Then the song Letter To A Friend came on and I had to check if it was a Youth Of Today cover song. It's good, real good.

The demo I received is numbered. I think it's either 19/100 or 49/100. I can't really tell. The first digit looks like an upside down 4. I'm going with it being a real fancy 4. 49/100. It is specially branded with the I Drink Milk Fanzine logos. I'm guessing the two came together on purpose. After some digging, I found that to be true (IDM Demo Tapes). Peep later reviews for the zine review ...

If you aren't lucky enough to live in Russia, you can download the demo via the MySpace page. You should also order it pressed onto vinyl, courtesy of Brainwreck Records. And if none of that suits your fancy, there is always Ebay. But don't delay. Pick this up!

Mouthpiece began before I got into hardcore. And Mouthpiece broke up before I started to attend REAL shows (I don't usually count seeing Sam Black Church and Tree at Zootz "real" shows). But once I started going to shows, I HEARD about the amazingness of Mouthpiece. And this caused me to pick up the What Was Said release. I played it and played it and played it. In fact, I overplayed it and probably haven't listened to anything Mouthpiece in at least 8 years. Sad but true. I just wore those grooves out and wore myself out too, in the process.

Putting on this CD was like running into a great friend you haven't seen in years. Years have gone by, but the music and the message is still as awesome and relevant as it was back then. And thankfully, Mouthpiece has stood the test of time. Oddly enough, the sound that Mouthpiece pioneered has greatly re-surged in the last few years. You've heard Have Heart. Without Mouthpiece, there is no Have Heart. Every epic note Have Heart pounds out is due in part to Mouthpiece.

The other thing I always loved about Mouthpiece was their unabashed love of The Straight Edge. Everything about this band IS straight edge. Well, straight edge and Nikes. I can support that fully. What remains? More than words!

Shoot over to Rev and pick up your copy today. But if you're looking to get those crucial old tees, you're better off trying your luck on Ebay. Or maybe lurk the LWR board for a while. Shout out to Ed on a great design job. I'm especially a fan of the cd artwork; a nice throwback to Rev 1-4.

One gripe: The live audio mp3s on this CD are ripped at 128kbps. 128kbps, for real? WTF?! I know the music is from 1993, but the technology shouldn't.

I'm not sure where I first heard about Blackened. It was either morGODo talking about "this awesome new band" or Tanguay talking about Chris Legg's new band. If you don't know, Chris Legg was once in Fastbreak, and Tanguay is a bit of a Fastbreak fan. I think Legg was the reason Fastbreak wasn't initially a Straight Edge band though. What's up with that? And of course, Jay Reason is on vocal duties for this band (hence me thinking it was morGODo who tipped me off). You may recall Jay Reason from Voice Of Reason. I know I do. I saw them at this show

May 3rd 1998 @The Tune Inn New haven CT: Time Will Tell, Voice Of Reason, Rain On The Parade, Up Front, Follow Through, Fastbreak, and Tenfold reunion

It was a ridiculously awesome show. No real weak links. Everyone had fun, lots of good times were had. I expect Blackened will have the same feel. Granted, Blackened sounds nothing like Fastbreak OR Voice Of Reason. Rather, this band gives off that AN/Suicide File vibe. It's been a while since that sound popped up so maybe these guys are going to re-start that trend. Who knows? They have the potential to do it big.

Pre-orders are available now. The official release date is Jan 20, 2009. You can get your order in here. You could also grab that back catalog for the ex-members over on Ebay. You'll never know what you're going to find. PS. I just got a sweet Fastbreak hood in the mail via a trade. Fastbreak Boston. LOL. Youth Pride, GO!

Common Cause is friggin incredible. This is not a lie. I've been slacking on my reviews lately (obviously) and Common Cause forced me to break the slump. Not sure how I slept on listening to this or reviewing it for so damn long. I'm sure Ange will give me a hard time for that. I bet he LOVES this band.

This band plays the old style of hardcore. No new jack shit. Likely influences include: Uniform Choice, Youth Of Today, Floorpunch and Rain On The Parade. This is real friggin good. The next time you are hanging in the Netherlands (Editor's note: Klaas pointed out this mistake. Oops ... Norway, duh. OC HARDCORE!), you should check out this band. And since that's not so likely, you should start a petition for them to tour the US and then follow them like they were the Grateful Dead. They are worth it.

Try your luck on Ebay. Or hit up Powered Records and try to score some ill limited colored vinyl. I got a nice powder greenish one. Looks good. Great color choice. They have some pretty cool shirts too. Quit sleeping!

Cruel Hand hail from one of my hometowns in Maine. Brunswick. The land of Wild OATS and Bull Moose. You'll never know how many hours I spent roaming those streets on my bike and just hanging out IN the Bull Moose. In fact, when I was a senior in high school, I did an ethnography centered around the Bull Moose clientele. I was in that store for 8 hours at time. Just watching and peeping used CDs. Years later, I would meet Chris Linkovich while he worked at Bull Moose. He clued me in on the resurgence in the Maine hardcore scene straight with a lot of help from Brunswick. At the time, it was Outbreak. And Outbreak KILLED it. They tore the state into shreds. A lot of that was due to Ryan and his ferocious energy. On top of that, large credit needs to be given to Chris, Nate, Chuck, Seger, Joe, ... for crafting some amazing songs.

Fast forward a few years. Cruel Hand breaks onto the scene as a project band. Chris shifts from guitar to vocals and Nate moves from drums over to guitar. Seger kept on keeping on with the bass. The song writing team is there (minus Chuck Outbreak), but now they are taking their project to the next level. Cruel Hand is now the focus and it really shows with this new album. You can hear how they stepped it up and put in the time and effort to create a great album. If you are a fan of moshing, you are a fan of this album. If you are a fan of stage diving, you may just want to sit back and let Chris show you how it is done. You'll probably be embarrassed at your lack of skills following the gig, though. Sorry.

I suggest you support this band and hit them up when they tour through your town. I'll be seeing them on Halloween later this week at the ICC. I'm sure it'll be ridiculous. Maybe we'll even get some wacky Halloween gear. If you can't make it to the show, I feel bad for you. If you still want that merch, you better try your luck on Ebay. You can always hit up the b9store for current merch too.

ps. I noticed my name in the thanks list BEFORE morGODo and Freddy Madball. Even if my name is misspelled, that some how speaks volumes. LOL.

Guaranteed: It will take you longer to read this review than it will take you to listen to the Free Spirit Demo. This bad boy barely hits the 3 minute mark with 5 songs. That's not a problem. Free Spirit pull off that sound just fine. Think of the Straight Ahead tracks from the End The Warzone comp. Short bursts of intense songs. Some good stuff here. Not exactly a Straight Ahead sound, but pretty close.

Here's one of my favorite reviews of this demo (quoted completely):

"needs more open minds"

Lol. Second favorite review:

"Needs a song called Open Mind."

I'm a fan. Gil brings a positive outlook to the scene and it really shows through his words and actions. SUPPORT! It probably doesn't hurt that the band has other notable noters in it: Jack D from Vitality (oh whut?), Kenny Look Alive(on drums!) from Step Forward, Hudon of The Action Taken (and some other band) and Luke from Waste Management and Rampage. Solid lineup, no doubt.

Funny story. At Edge Day 08, Gil handed me a copy of the tape. They had spent the entire previous evening dubbing tapes in preparation for Edge Day. I threw my tape in on the ride home and was greeted by the sound of silence. I then guessed, "oh maybe they didn't rewind" so I jockeyed the tape around for a few minutes, fast forwarding, rewinding. But I was always greeted by silence. Then I figured, "oh maybe since it's so short, I am just skipping over it somehow." I then sat and listened to both side A and side B complete. Of course, blank all the way through. D'OH! Luckily, I grabbed some emps and was able to enjoy this fine demo.

I don't they have any online shiz set up yet, but feel free to bother Gil. He can probably hook you up with a demo or at least point you in the right direction.

ps. What about DJ Crazy in that pic? Wowza.

pps. I hope you are slow readers so my guarantee was true.

Unwritten Law will trick you. I remember seeing their music in stores when I was a kid and thinking, "ooh yeah, a new punk rock album." But right there, TRICKED. They aren't punk rock, they are weird radio rock. It's like the album the other kids got and could talk "punk rock" with you about. You know, the white hats can get into them. That's this band.

This release is actually double. One disc is a CD with live tracks. The other disc is a DVD with all the live tracks. Before watching the DVD, I listened to the CD. In my mind, I was picturing the crowd to be packed with post-college kids enjoying their beers. After watching the DVD, I'm pretty my guess was right. Here are a few other observations.

1. The singer should just keep his hands on the guitar. His weird arm motions were very distracting and not in a good way.

2. The bass player would be better suited for Opeth or some black metal band. He seems strangely out of place.

3. The guitar player is rocking a Christian Death shirt (at least on the packaging). That's cool. Then again, he has about 6 lbs of eyeliner on.

4. Unwritten Law fans obviously only know the radio hits. The fans look like stale fish until Rescue Me was played. Even then, the only action I saw was a few devil horns, and pumping fists during the chorus. And some weird pogoing. They didn't even do any crappy crowd surfing. Oh wait, there is ONE crowd surfer. UGH

Lets see. To sum this up, the cover art is the best thing going for this package. Yeap. Feel free to try your luck on Ebay. Maybe you can get a sweet poster for your garage.

Mike Puffer writes this little gem. I ended up selling him a Wide Awake EP (great taste!) and he sent his payment with a copy of his zine. I fired off his record and then forgot to dig into his zine. I was too busy chasing down negligent buyers. Ugh, nothing worse than that.

Fast forward to True Colors in Haverhill. True Colors was ill, no doubt. After the set, a dude comes up to me promoting a Vitamin X show in Western MA. I could see he was enthusiastic. I mean, he was giving it his all for True Colors, so I knew he was no joke.

Mike with the "remove long sleeve in the pit" move.
GREAT MOVE!

We talked for a bit. He is psyched on the core. And that is all apparent when you read his zine. It's not too often you see a real DIY cut/paste zine anymore. Thanks to photoshop and illustrator, everything goes straight to glossy or the nerd. But Mike took the time and created a great read.

He has interviews with Shoot To Kill, Make Or Break (I even learned something new. I never realized that Charles started Think Fast! with Larry. Who knew??), Government Warning, Trash Talk and Justice. Yes, that's it. 4 interviews. 10 pages. GREAT READ.

I'm not sure how to contact Mike. That's the thing. His address is in the zine but no other form of communication. Mike hit me up. Tell us how the kids can get your zine without me blasting your mailing address all over the nerd!

ps. Pic kindly borrowed from Dan Gonyea over at future-breed.com. Great kid, great shots.

EDIT: I got word from Mike. Here's his email address. You can hit him up there, and get his address to send review items.

Energy seemed to come out of nowhere. One day they were playing shows, the next day they were dropping EPs on Rock Vegas. And now, they are dropping a new LP on Bridge 9. It all seemed FAST to me. But seeing them at shows, kids LOVE this band. Plenty of moshing and stage diving and general run a-muck-ness.

Whoa, now that I dig back in my archives, I realize I've been seeing this band since 2006. Two years doesn't seem so fast anymore. That could explain how all those kids know about this band. I'm starting to catch on.

What I'm not catching is the hype behind this band. I just don't get it. I've listened to this album a few times, and it's fine. I mean, it isn't likely to set the world on fire or start revolutions, but it is a positive addition to the BOSTON hardcore scene, you know?

But to me, the singer's voice makes it hard to focus on. I almost equate it to Mike Ski of Brother's Keeper, except way less over the top and with a "whoa whoa" slant. What's odd is that I have nothing against "whoa whoa" songs. I love Lifetime, Saves The Day, New Found Glory, Set Your Goals, ... I can hang with all those bands and their "fwoooaa" stylings. Maybe the "whoa whoa" is overdone? I can't pinpoint it. Also the sing/yell/sing genre is not for me. Leave that on the outside with My Chemical Romance. Those songs do make me cringe a little.

All cringing aside, this album is chill enough for "whoa whoa" fans. Generic youth crew fans need not apply. It dropped yesterday so feel free to head over to b9 to get a good deal. Pick up a package item (record + tshirt) or try your luck on Ebay.

Crime In Stereo dropped this album on the world yesterday. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I wasn't aware that it was basically a b-sides and unreleased song compilation. That's not a bad thing, usually. I mean, if Oasis and Guided By Voices can do it, what can't a hardcore band?

Unfortunately because these songs span 3 years and who knows how many recording sessions, it all doesn't mesh together cohesively. Some tracks come off as pumped up Hot Water Music while other tracks give off Strike Anywhere vibes. It shows the progression of the band, but it doesn't make for a whole LP. Don't get me wrong, there are moments of genius on this album, but then again, there seems to be some clunking too (like the very out of place, weirdly teen angst ridden track These People Ought To Know Who We Are And Tell That We Are Here). Which is strange, as Crime In Stereo consistently drops bombs when it comes to tunes. The standout track to me is definitely Everywhere and All The Time. It rocks from the first note to last note, and the chorus lead in is catchy, giving the song a Braid nod.

Like I said, this album came out yesterday. You can hit up b9 for a cool package deal, or you can hit up your local store to up those Sound Scans. For older gear, try your luck on Ebay.

Ruiner picked a damn funny album title. It's actually a really smart reflection of the scene we live in. I'm guilty of it, no doubt. My reviews always come off as "good band, great dudes" rather than some deep look at tuning, bridges and chords. Hell, I was super sucky at music class. I couldn't even come up with good keywords for the last sentence. What it all comes down to for me is a) do I like it or b) do I not like it. I'm guessing it boils down to that for a lot of people.

Good news for Ruiner, I like this fucking album. It's really good. It makes me want them to tour with Down To Nothing and This Is Hell. Imagine that mosh and stage dive fest! Amazing. This album definitely hits me harder than the last album. I also like that they moved away from the art cover concept. Clean images in black and white speak volumes about this band. It's rather fitting.

Australia, prep yourself because they are coming your way soon. Aren't you lucky? You can pick this album up from B9 soon. Maybe next week or the week after, I think. They are putting together some cool package deals. They always do ... If you want some older gear, try your luck on Ebay.

War Priest is on a chill, underground tip. You can't find them on the internet. You can't find them on MySpace (well, at least I couldn't). Hell, even their record label has almost no presence on the internet. Check streetcleanerrecords.com yourself for proof. It's strange, in the digital age, these guys are keeping it old school. AND IT FUCKING WORKS.

This album shreds. It reminds me heavily of Black Sabbath's Master Of Reality. Now that could just be the heavy black and purple theme going on, but it's heavy and rips. And not in the Goat Island, weird lack of robes nod to black metal sludge, but with fast, hard metal riffs and smashing drums.

And the vinyl "gimmick" works on me. Not really a gimmick, I suppose, but a one sided 12" EP really catches me. It certainly made me set it aside for further investigation. I mean, check these pics.

That's just cool. I'd love to tell you where you could pick up this album, but I have no friggin clue. Contact Ahron or try your luck on Ebay. Peace.

No Harm Done is a 3 word band name. I can think of another 3 word band name that I bet these guys are tired of hearing about: Set Your Goals. Yes, you guessed it. No Harm Done is more pop punk than hardcore -- sort of a strange divergence for Think Fast! Records, it seems.

Now, to me, that is NOT a problem. I love Set Your Goals. And after a few listens, I start to hear other nods. There are HUGE nods to Reach The Sky's last two lps and even a few nods to later era Good Riddance. If you aren't seeing the common thread, just know that I am digging this album.

After digging a little more, I realized one of the band members is very familiar. Charles from Get Outta Town Records. I have no freaking clue how this guy does it. He runs a label, plays in at least 4 bands I can think of and probably has some sort of day job. How he manages all that, I'll never know. What I do know, this album is probably my favorite project of his. And Charles involvement probably explains the Think Fast! so-called divergence.

PS. A coworker just brought in a crap ton of candy: jolly ranchers, sweet tarts, twizzlers, ... The good stuff. I don't believe the sugar has biased my review, though.

The members of Protestant wrote HYE? a letter the other day. Apparently, they really liked my review of the Suzy Wong and The Honkeys album. This is probably the only time that a band has EVER sent me material to review based on a previous review. At least, to my knowledge. Well, if the members of Protestant liked the Suzy Wong interview, they'll love this one. Sit back.

Over the weekend, I went into Worcester to enjoy some vegan fare with my friend Amanda P. She was in Worcester because her dad offered to drive her halfway back to Boston. Not only that, but they were also towing 2 mopeds that Amanda had purchased in K-Town (Mosh Crew). Now, she was meeting another friend in Worcester so he could drive her and her mopeds back to Boston. So there we were. Myself, my wife, Amanda P, her dad and Moped Guy.

I had met Amanda P's dad before so no big deal. But I had never met Moped Guy. Well, lets start by saying he LOVES Worcester. He's from Franklin and was super, super psyched on Worcester. He then proceeded to ask me if I knew "Such and Such House" or "This and That House." Of course, they had some real weird names that were completely blown out of my mind when he asked me if I knew the dudes at MANIAC MANSION!

Of course, I didn't know them. I had never heard of this house or anyone who lived there. All I could think about was how I used to spend hours playing that game on my uncle's computer. Fruitless hours, it would turn out. It seems that my uncle's version of Maniac Mansion had a glitch. Every time you would go through the basement window, it would reset your game. You'd have to start WAY back at the beginning again. Ooooofffff.

Anyway, I guess one of the dudes who lives at Maniac Mansion is nameless. Or nameless to Moped Guy. He just kept calling him The Beer and Metal Guy! Yeap, the Beer and Metal Guy. Amanda P and Moped Guy were heading over there after dinner because Beer and Metal Guy was selling some mopeds or parts. Turns out, Beer and Metal Guy had fallen down some stairs and broke his foot. When I asked Moped Guy how it happened, he wasn't sure. I suggested that it might have involved beer which caused Moped Guy to have an epiphany and quickly agree with me.

Now, this is all relevant to Protestant. Yes, yes it. You see, I can envision Beer and Metal Guy thrashing to this music. Him and Moped Guy could play this album on speakers while cruising the streets in their mopeds. Hollering at girls, buying beers and general rabble rousing. It's not really my cup of tea, but then again, I was never the Beer and Metal guy.

If you are the Beer and Metal Guy or can relate to the beer and metal guy, or even if you just live in Milwaukee (Best), I suggest you listen to this album. Moped optional.

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.

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.

Pic by Someone. Pic at Somewhere.

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.

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.

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?

Trial. What do you know about Trial? 10 years ago, I didn't know squat. 10 days ago, I barely knew more than squat. As of right now, I know a hell of a lot more. It's funny how much can change in 10 years. Then again, it's funny how much remains the same.

10 years ago, I has absolutely no idea who Trial was. Not a clue. I'm from New England, not the northwest so this isn't so unfathomable. It wasn't until 1999 that I had my first Trial experience. Let me set the stage for you. Fuck, actually, it must have been 1998. It couldn't have been 1999. Hmm, anyway.

Tre (from Deathwish Inc) and Dalbec (from Bane/Converge/Velocity Engine/...) had just moved out of 34 John St (ooh, did I drop something there? hey, now!). Dalbec was a terrible collector and had tons of shit. When he moved out, he left behind weird random crap. I say "left behind" because I would feel bad if I took stuff he was going to come back and get. Anyway, he left behind a million No Reason stickers and some random odds and ends. One of these pieces was a Trial hooded sweatshirt. It was pretty chill. Black with maroon/brown font and oddly, white hood draw strings. This seemed strange, but I was down for a hooded sweatshirt that said "STRAIGHT EDGE," you know?

I washed the sweatshirt that day as I wanted to wear it to a show that night in Connecticut. When I pulled it out of the dryer, I also mysteriously found the smallest iron maiden shirt. Complete schmedium or youth large. Shit was tiny. But it was amazing and super soft so I ended up wearing both to the show. Now this was going to be some late, all nighter gig in CT. As all CT shows started late and ran super later.

We rolled up to Billy Willys in Brookfield CT expecting to see Bane, Reach The Sky and Fear Tomorrow. We actually ended up sitting in the Converge van (Dalbec borrowed it for the the long ride to CT for Bane). And sitting and sitting and sitting. I think Billy Willy didn't show up until much later and no one could get in the club. During our long wait, we found out that Trial was playing a show somewhere else in CT, but their show was canceled. And they were now going to play the Billy Willy show. So there I was, that guy. I was rocking the trial hood and was totally that guy. But I was semi embarrassed to remove the hood because the iron maiden shirt was soooo fucking small. In the end, I removed the hood and watched Trial play a long set. Maybe it just felt long because they probably didn't start playing until 9pm. I think Craig Mack also wore a gas mask during the Fear Tomorrow set and he more than likely was throwing stools. Actually, I guess it was someone else who was throwing stools. But in my mind, it was Craig Mack.

So that was my first and really only Trial experience. The only thing that could be considered a partial Trial experience was eating dinner with Greg Bennick in Seattle. Of course, this was in 2006 and I was sitting at a table with about 14 other people. In fact, if asked, I bet he wouldn't be able to point me out in a lineup. Not that I would expect him to be able to, of course. Just saying.

So, long story short, my exposure to Trial is pretty damn limited. I don't think I even owned the cd. I think I always lumped them (unfortunately) in the whole politcal metal hardcore genre.

Fast forward to 2008. 10 years later, I'm a little older, a little wiser (HAHA), and I've come to realize that there is a difference between "time and place" and "acquired taste." Like I said, I wasn't from the nortwest in the mid 90s. I was from the home of Ten Yard Fight and In My Eyes. My time and place involved The Space and the OCBC (old cambridge baptist church, harvard sq). But after watching the retrospective and reunion shows featured on this dvd, I think Trial can easily become a great acquired taste in 2008. Of course, you won't be seeing them live anytime soon, but you can settle back with some popcorn and watch these DVDs at your leisure. Fuck it, you can even put these DVDs on and mosh in your living room.

So yeah, you have 2 amazing DVDs full of great content. Plenty of live shows from 2005 and plenty of older footage from the mid 90s. Even better than that (well, at least to me) is the retrospective with Greg and Timm. They really break it down and tell it like it is. They make it easy to love Trial as individuals, more than just a band. They talk about straight edge, veganism and political hardcore. They admit to being that political hardcore band I heard about way back in 1998. But then again, they prove that the band was WAY more than just that genre label.

There you have it. You better look into this dual dvd set. In fact, go order it from Panic Records right now. You owe it to yourself.

Edit: Looky what I found!

A poser but not a liar.

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Venia - Frozen Hands - Blood & Ink Records #034 - 2009 -- Sunday, March 21, 2010 Venia. Christian Hardcore. Yeah. Ummm. Let me live my life, and I'll let you live yours. That about sums it up. If you are interested, hit up their myspace page for more info. If you are dying for merch, try your luck on Ebay. That's all I have to say on that one. No seriously, that's it. Labels: review 0 Comments Liferide S/T LP - Take It Back Records #002 - 2010 Every now and then, I get a cool package from Take It Back Records. Christian Unsinn seems like a cool dude, no matter what some anonymous people have to say. This time around, he sent me the Liferide LP. Feeling it. Liferide has a real throwback vibe. Like I could picture any of these songs leading into Backtrack or Dissed And Dismissed or even Fade To Black. These guys play a strong hardcore very reminiscent of late 80s New York Hardcore. I dig it. I also dig the limited nature of the vinyl. 300 total slabs. 200 on black, 100 on some color vinyl. This is hardcore vinyl for the real fans. Either you snap it up, or you miss out completely. React Records does something very similar. No need to flood the market. And thanks to torrents and the internet, the music will get around. Courtesy of being great music, these tracks will DEFINITELY be heard by a wide swath of people. Good for them. So if you missed the vinyl, your best best is Ebay. Who would have guessed? You can probably still snap up some black vinyl here. No promises, but give it a go. You won't regret it. Labels: review 0 Comments Lewd Acts - Black Eye Blues - Deathwish Inc - 2009 -- Wednesday, September 23, 2009 I moved to Worcester in 1997 where I would end up hanging out a lot at 34 John St. A guy lived there named Tre McCarthy. Pretty good dude. One time I saw him acid drop off his couch in the middle of a phone call. The phone (cordless phone, not a cell phone. This was 1998 afterall) smashed everywhere. He put it all back together, and somehow the person on the other end of the line was still there! Also, one time I was riding with him to his new apartment. To make room in his car, he had to push a tennis racket out of the way. Yes, a tennis racket. Can you picture Tre playing tennis? Still a mystery to this day. Years later, Tre would co-start Deathwish Inc. Jake and him would release a ton of albums over the years. In the beginning, Tre would send me a lot of their releases, but that tapered off over the years. That's fine. We both realized that I would rather NOT review something than give it a less than stellar review. And everyone knows generic straight edge is my bread and butter. Obviously, DWI needs to release more of that ... I think the last package Tre sent my way was the Curse I LPs. Yeah, a while back. So when Tre hit me with the new Lewd Acts release, I knew I was in store for something awesome. And I was not disappointed. This LP rips. It's not my normal fare, but I dig it. It gives me an Integrity (less scary) / American Nightmare / Lion Of Judah (minus the wigger mosh, space trip hop bit) vibe. Overall, a quality vibe. I can envision lots of kids slow moshing for this band, plenty of head banging, that's for sure. I've seen the tees everywhere. Never knew why the hype was so big. But after listening to this album, I'm a believer. I'll probably swing over to Ebay to see if I can find some deals on tees. Otherwise, definitely go hit up Deathwish Inc for this album. Support the bands, support the label. Labels: review 0 Comments Set Your Goals - This Will Be The Death Of Us - Epitaph - 2009 -- Monday, August 24, 2009 I've been following Set Your Goals since my friend Matt turned me onto them some years ago. Of course, he was biased. He is their tour manager. Luckily for him, they are an awesome band and chill dudes. I'm a pretty big fan of their previous albums, and even interviewed Matt a few years ago. I've been looking forward to this album ever since Merrick started singing snippets of it. Now that I have it in my hands, I am not disappointed. Of course, it isn't at all what I expected. Which is not an issue, just surprising. I was expecting SYG to go super poppy for this one. And you know what, I was completely wrong. This album is HARDER than any other release they've dropped. And you know what? This album reminds me of the Judgment Night Soundtrack. I know, I know, "lay off the reefer, Brian," but hear me out. Judgment Night was this dope mid 90s movie where the soundtrack was all artist team ups. So you had Biohazard and Onyx on one song, Helmet and House Of Pain on another (ill, ill song) and Sonic Youth + Cypress Hill on another. It was just this ill little mashup of bands dropping insane songs where each song had a completely different vibe. That's what this album has. One song has an ill double kick and metal up your ass, while another has a perfect pogo bounce. Throw in some guest spots by Hayley Williams (Paramore), Chad Gilbert (New Found Glory), Vinnie Caruna (The Movielife), Jon Gula (Turmoil, oh what??), and you've got a pretty sick sound. You can catch these dudes touring constantly. If you are lucky, you hit up Gig Life and witnessed a good time. They even have tshirts for "grown ass men." If you can't find one in their tour merch, peep Ebay. You never know what you may find. Go ahead and spend those dollars on this release. You won't regret it. Labels: review 0 Comments Start Today - Blindness EP - 2009 -- Tuesday, July 14, 2009 Start Today come hard hitting with a 4 track EP. Initially, I was pretty confused just looking at the layout. ALL the text is in English MINUS the lyrics. They are all in a language that is not based on a character set I'm familiar with, ie not Romantic. Turns out it is Bulgarian which has roots in the Slavic language. Something I know nothing about. So I got to listen to some great tunes that MAY have featured lyrics about punching cows or stealing candy from children. Just kidding! It also turns out that they have a link with all the lyrics in English. That's pretty helpful for me at least. The lyrics are pretty thought out and heartfelt. I can get into that, for sure. Paired with some value backed hardcore. I would use the term emotional but I don't want people to think I'm talking about Brokencyde or some shit. There's a lot of passion here with a definite Strife / Have Heart influence. Get into it. Try your luck on Ebay and hit up Stoilov's site while you are out on the interwebs, vinyledge.com. Labels: review 1 Comments The Golden Age - Unlock Yourself - Panic Records #016 - 2009 -- Monday, July 13, 2009 The Golden Age is a band I can really get into. I'm not sure what exactly grabs me, but it grabs tight. Could be the mixture of sounds. Like a weird cross of Set Your Goals (minus a lot of pop and a singer, of course) and Earth Crisis. Or maybe mid-era Lifetime and Count Me Out. It's a great little mix. Of course, the epic Straight Edge anthems don't hurt either. I'm going on record right now saying, "The Constant may be the Straight Edge anthem of 2009." And as you know, the year is only halfway over. I love a great fucking straight edge sing along. It's not generic youth crew, but it's got balls. "A song can change your life and open your eyes, transform energy, reveal what's inside!" These dudes are going out on tour with a couple of great bands this summer: No Harm Done and Offsides. Three excellent bands worthy of all your attention. So when they play, quit texting and mosh hard. If you don't heed my warnings and are IMing your friends all night, you'll have to scour Ebay the next day because you'll WANT this CD. Pick up some merch while your at it, bub. Labels: review 0 Comments Inhuman - Last Rites - I Scream Records - 2007 -- Friday, June 26, 2009 Inhuman is for Brooklyn Bastards. If you don't know what I mean, then chances are, you are not a Brooklyn Bastard. These guys have love and pride for their little borough. And it isn't in a I-ride-a-fixed-gear-bike-and-wear-floppy-hats sense. But rather the roots of Brooklyn. Remember that movie Gangs Of New York? I can envision Leonardo moshing to the music of Inhuman while waging an all out street war. I can't really picture Leonardo flying his little airplane to the tunes of Inhuman though. That just would not work. This last album has a strong resemblance to modern era Sick Of It All or Madball. Lots of heavy, fast tunes, with that nod to more melodical hardcore. Merely a nod. No full blown crooning here. Not sure if this album is still in press. I'd guess so. Mike handed me a copy at the SOIA/Bane/Capital/Inhuman gig so the band still has them. If that doesn't help you, you can always check out Ebay. Labels: review 1 Comments Police & Thieves - Amor Y Guerra - Youngblood Records #25 - 2009 -- Monday, April 27, 2009 It turns out there is more than one band named Police And Thieves. Weird, right? I spent a few minutes listening to some ska band. This is obviously not the band that Youngblood records released. The hardcore band from DC is much, much better. This CD is pretty cool. It contains their Amor Y Guerra EP, the S/T EP, some unreleased tracks and the 2005 demo. Who knew this band has been rocking for nearly 4 years? Shit. I didn't realize. Their sound is a definite departure from lots of hardcore squeaking by these days. It isn't a departure from the harDCore sound that most people love. These guys are heavily influenced by their scene and give lots of nods to DC bands that came before them. Plenty of Embrace and Dag Nasty vibes. I'm digging it. Peep ebay for all those record release covers you slept on, or check their site for some tees and hoods. Get into it! Labels: review 0 Comments Bank Robber - Demo 2009 Bank Robber dropped a demo in 2007. They played some shows, did their thing. Now in 2009, they've dropped a new demo with 6 new tracks. It's not really for me. It feels like they are going for that mid 90s mosh sound. You know that post Judge metal vibe that bands had? Either you were playing Shelter and 108 tunes, or you were trying to become the next Snapcase. These guys also cover a Strife song. A song from In This Defiance. It seems like an odd choice to me. They play shows around Denver quite a bit, it seems. You'll have to check them out, decide for yourself really. If you need that back merch catalog, dig deep into Ebay, or peep their merch store over at Big Cartel. Labels: review 2 Comments Make Do And Mend - Bodies Of Water - Panic Records #015 - 2009 Make Do And Mend hail from West Hartford, Connecticut. Normally, when I discuss bands from CT, you would expect to hear me talk about Mosh Metal, Ground Zero, or Connecticut Brotherhood. That's not going to be the case today. In fact, I can't really imagine anyone kick boxing, let alone mosh, to this band. It has a very post hardcore vibe. Think a mixture of Quicksand, Hot Water Music and All Chrome. Honestly, I was pretty damn surprised when I put it in the old cd player. Real surprised. Thankfully, it is the good kind of surprise. The one thing I really know about West Hartford is that it's a stones throw from Farmington. Which is the home of the China Pan. Oh man, those citrus spare ribs are for me. No idea why they would dump those from the entree menu. Dumb move. Now if you don't hang out at China Pan or in West Hartford, you may want to peep ebay for all the hard to find gear and merch. Feel free to head over to panicrecords.net for the latest releases. Labels: review 0 Comments Swamp Thing - In Shame - 6131 Records #016 - 2009 -- Friday, March 27, 2009 I grew up in Maine during the 80s. At this time, cable was still "new" to us. Like those running water jokes, you know? At my house, we eventually got cable. My brother and I would watch MTV as much as possible. It was perhaps the coolest thing we had ever seen on TV. Of course, my parents hated it. I think they caught that Great White video, Once Bit And Twice Shy and forbid us to watch that channel ever again. Or maybe it was that Warrant song ... Of course, that made us want to watch it more. We set up a system where one would person would sit in the kitchen on a stool partially watching out the front door for our parents. We were schemers! We devoured 120 minutes and headbangers ball. But to me, I always wanted to see those Faith No More or Bad Brains videos. I hated metal. Metal meant nothing to me. It felt like a bunch of guys in skinny leather pants pretending to be scary. That sucks. There's no message there -- THE MUSIC, THE MESSAGE. But then there were punk rock bands with an actual message. That spoke to me. Even if there bay area attitude held no sway over my New England environment. I just recall thinking, "my parents could be home at any minute. Stop showing metal videos." My pleas were often unheard and I would have to suffer through a few Judas Priest videos before getting to something good. Swamp Thing isn't Judas Priest. They also aren't Rancid. The music has that heavy hardcore vibe: some double kick, a few breaks, lots of heavy. The singing is what made me recall my youth. I can't understand a god damn word this dude is singing. Not one word. He has that scratchy, metal vocalist yell. What's his message? No idea. I lump it in with the "we're singing about hell and demons and goo." Since they aren't a metal band, I'm guessing that's not what they are about really. But I'm guessing the imagery is just as ephemeral. If you are looking for finger pointing and stage dives, keep looking. This band has more hard mosh and heavy sing-alongs. I can see some hard pitting for this band. Go ahead and check out 6131 Records for the record and merch. If that's not enough to satisfy you, peep Ebay for that limited edition gear. Labels: review 4 Comments Clear Sight - Demo 2008 - IDM #03 -- Tuesday, March 03, 2009 Clear Sight has an obvious angle. They have definitely grabbed onto a theme and are running with it. In this case, that image is Straight Ahead. They take it and go, go go. The sound pulls a lot from Straight Ahead -- plenty of the vocal styling and guitar techniques, for sure. But here's the thing. Those are big shoes to fill. I mean, c'mon. STRAIGHT AHEAD. Shit. They are a Tier Zero band. It's hard to reach those heights. These guys do a good job of getting there, but there are a few mishaps. The worst of which happens to be their Straight Ahead cover, oddly enough. The recording is odd, real odd. It sounds like it was recorded in a karaoke bar where the vocals are processed through a video game mixer. Like I said, very, very weird. Music is spot on, vocals are off. I guess I'm just down on re-recorded songs. These boys are from Kiev. That'd be in the Ukraine. For those still living in the 80s or 90s, that'd be the USSR. Good luck catching these guys. Hopefully, they start touring Europe and the US. Dudes would be into that, I'm sure. Until then, hit up IDM Demo Tapes to snag the tunes. Failing that, hit up Ebay. Labels: review 2 Comments Rearranged - Demo 2008 Rearranged hail from the great white north. North of Turkey, that is. This demo traveled many miles to find its way to my tape deck. Thankfully, the trip was worth it, and it's on heavy rotation. Listening to this, I hear lots of influences from California. Mostly Insted. Some Uniform Choice. Then the song Letter To A Friend came on and I had to check if it was a Youth Of Today cover song. It's good, real good. The demo I received is numbered. I think it's either 19/100 or 49/100. I can't really tell. The first digit looks like an upside down 4. I'm going with it being a real fancy 4. 49/100. It is specially branded with the I Drink Milk Fanzine logos. I'm guessing the two came together on purpose. After some digging, I found that to be true (IDM Demo Tapes). Peep later reviews for the zine review ... If you aren't lucky enough to live in Russia, you can download the demo via the MySpace page. You should also order it pressed onto vinyl, courtesy of Brainwreck Records. And if none of that suits your fancy, there is always Ebay. But don't delay. Pick this up! Labels: review 1 Comments Mouthpiece - Can't Kill What's Inside - Revelation Records #147 - 2009 -- Wednesday, January 21, 2009 Mouthpiece began before I got into hardcore. And Mouthpiece broke up before I started to attend REAL shows (I don't usually count seeing Sam Black Church and Tree at Zootz "real" shows). But once I started going to shows, I HEARD about the amazingness of Mouthpiece. And this caused me to pick up the What Was Said release. I played it and played it and played it. In fact, I overplayed it and probably haven't listened to anything Mouthpiece in at least 8 years. Sad but true. I just wore those grooves out and wore myself out too, in the process. Putting on this CD was like running into a great friend you haven't seen in years. Years have gone by, but the music and the message is still as awesome and relevant as it was back then. And thankfully, Mouthpiece has stood the test of time. Oddly enough, the sound that Mouthpiece pioneered has greatly re-surged in the last few years. You've heard Have Heart. Without Mouthpiece, there is no Have Heart. Every epic note Have Heart pounds out is due in part to Mouthpiece. The other thing I always loved about Mouthpiece was their unabashed love of The Straight Edge. Everything about this band IS straight edge. Well, straight edge and Nikes. I can support that fully. What remains? More than words! Shoot over to Rev and pick up your copy today. But if you're looking to get those crucial old tees, you're better off trying your luck on Ebay. Or maybe lurk the LWR board for a while. Shout out to Ed on a great design job. I'm especially a fan of the cd artwork; a nice throwback to Rev 1-4. One gripe: The live audio mp3s on this CD are ripped at 128kbps. 128kbps, for real? WTF?! I know the music is from 1993, but the technology shouldn't. Labels: review 3 Comments Blackened - This Means War - Think Fast Records #37 - 2009 -- Friday, January 16, 2009 I'm not sure where I first heard about Blackened. It was either morGODo talking about "this awesome new band" or Tanguay talking about Chris Legg's new band. If you don't know, Chris Legg was once in Fastbreak, and Tanguay is a bit of a Fastbreak fan. I think Legg was the reason Fastbreak wasn't initially a Straight Edge band though. What's up with that? And of course, Jay Reason is on vocal duties for this band (hence me thinking it was morGODo who tipped me off). You may recall Jay Reason from Voice Of Reason. I know I do. I saw them at this show May 3rd 1998 @The Tune Inn New haven CT: Time Will Tell, Voice Of Reason, Rain On The Parade, Up Front, Follow Through, Fastbreak, and Tenfold reunion It was a ridiculously awesome show. No real weak links. Everyone had fun, lots of good times were had. I expect Blackened will have the same feel. Granted, Blackened sounds nothing like Fastbreak OR Voice Of Reason. Rather, this band gives off that AN/Suicide File vibe. It's been a while since that sound popped up so maybe these guys are going to re-start that trend. Who knows? They have the potential to do it big. Pre-orders are available now. The official release date is Jan 20, 2009. You can get your order in here. You could also grab that back catalog for the ex-members over on Ebay. You'll never know what you're going to find. PS. I just got a sweet Fastbreak hood in the mail via a trade. Fastbreak Boston. LOL. Youth Pride, GO! Labels: review 0 Comments Common Cause - The Power To Change - Powered Records #12 - 2008 -- Thursday, January 15, 2009 Common Cause is friggin incredible. This is not a lie. I've been slacking on my reviews lately (obviously) and Common Cause forced me to break the slump. Not sure how I slept on listening to this or reviewing it for so damn long. I'm sure Ange will give me a hard time for that. I bet he LOVES this band. This band plays the old style of hardcore. No new jack shit. Likely influences include: Uniform Choice, Youth Of Today, Floorpunch and Rain On The Parade. This is real friggin good. The next time you are hanging in the Netherlands (Editor's note: Klaas pointed out this mistake. Oops ... Norway, duh. OC HARDCORE!), you should check out this band. And since that's not so likely, you should start a petition for them to tour the US and then follow them like they were the Grateful Dead. They are worth it. Try your luck on Ebay. Or hit up Powered Records and try to score some ill limited colored vinyl. I got a nice powder greenish one. Looks good. Great color choice. They have some pretty cool shirts too. Quit sleeping! Labels: review 1 Comments Cruel Hand - Prying Eyes - Bridge 9 #103 - 2008 -- Monday, October 27, 2008 Cruel Hand hail from one of my hometowns in Maine. Brunswick. The land of Wild OATS and Bull Moose. You'll never know how many hours I spent roaming those streets on my bike and just hanging out IN the Bull Moose. In fact, when I was a senior in high school, I did an ethnography centered around the Bull Moose clientele. I was in that store for 8 hours at time. Just watching and peeping used CDs. Years later, I would meet Chris Linkovich while he worked at Bull Moose. He clued me in on the resurgence in the Maine hardcore scene straight with a lot of help from Brunswick. At the time, it was Outbreak. And Outbreak KILLED it. They tore the state into shreds. A lot of that was due to Ryan and his ferocious energy. On top of that, large credit needs to be given to Chris, Nate, Chuck, Seger, Joe, ... for crafting some amazing songs. Fast forward a few years. Cruel Hand breaks onto the scene as a project band. Chris shifts from guitar to vocals and Nate moves from drums over to guitar. Seger kept on keeping on with the bass. The song writing team is there (minus Chuck Outbreak), but now they are taking their project to the next level. Cruel Hand is now the focus and it really shows with this new album. You can hear how they stepped it up and put in the time and effort to create a great album. If you are a fan of moshing, you are a fan of this album. If you are a fan of stage diving, you may just want to sit back and let Chris show you how it is done. You'll probably be embarrassed at your lack of skills following the gig, though. Sorry. I suggest you support this band and hit them up when they tour through your town. I'll be seeing them on Halloween later this week at the ICC. I'm sure it'll be ridiculous. Maybe we'll even get some wacky Halloween gear. If you can't make it to the show, I feel bad for you. If you still want that merch, you better try your luck on Ebay. You can always hit up the b9store for current merch too. ps. I noticed my name in the thanks list BEFORE morGODo and Freddy Madball. Even if my name is misspelled, that some how speaks volumes. LOL. Labels: review 0 Comments Free Spirit - Demo 2008 -- Friday, October 24, 2008 Guaranteed: It will take you longer to read this review than it will take you to listen to the Free Spirit Demo. This bad boy barely hits the 3 minute mark with 5 songs. That's not a problem. Free Spirit pull off that sound just fine. Think of the Straight Ahead tracks from the End The Warzone comp. Short bursts of intense songs. Some good stuff here. Not exactly a Straight Ahead sound, but pretty close. Here's one of my favorite reviews of this demo (quoted completely): "needs more open minds" Lol. Second favorite review: "Needs a song called Open Mind." I'm a fan. Gil brings a positive outlook to the scene and it really shows through his words and actions. SUPPORT! It probably doesn't hurt that the band has other notable noters in it: Jack D from Vitality (oh whut?), Kenny Look Alive(on drums!) from Step Forward, Hudon of The Action Taken (and some other band) and Luke from Waste Management and Rampage. Solid lineup, no doubt. Funny story. At Edge Day 08, Gil handed me a copy of the tape. They had spent the entire previous evening dubbing tapes in preparation for Edge Day. I threw my tape in on the ride home and was greeted by the sound of silence. I then guessed, "oh maybe they didn't rewind" so I jockeyed the tape around for a few minutes, fast forwarding, rewinding. But I was always greeted by silence. Then I figured, "oh maybe since it's so short, I am just skipping over it somehow." I then sat and listened to both side A and side B complete. Of course, blank all the way through. D'OH! Luckily, I grabbed some emps and was able to enjoy this fine demo. I don't they have any online shiz set up yet, but feel free to bother Gil. He can probably hook you up with a demo or at least point you in the right direction. ps. What about DJ Crazy in that pic? Wowza. pps. I hope you are slow readers so my guarantee was true. Labels: review 1 Comments Unwritten Law - Live and Lawless - Suburban Noize Records -- Wednesday, October 22, 2008 Unwritten Law will trick you. I remember seeing their music in stores when I was a kid and thinking, "ooh yeah, a new punk rock album." But right there, TRICKED. They aren't punk rock, they are weird radio rock. It's like the album the other kids got and could talk "punk rock" with you about. You know, the white hats can get into them. That's this band. This release is actually double. One disc is a CD with live tracks. The other disc is a DVD with all the live tracks. Before watching the DVD, I listened to the CD. In my mind, I was picturing the crowd to be packed with post-college kids enjoying their beers. After watching the DVD, I'm pretty my guess was right. Here are a few other observations. 1. The singer should just keep his hands on the guitar. His weird arm motions were very distracting and not in a good way. 2. The bass player would be better suited for Opeth or some black metal band. He seems strangely out of place. 3. The guitar player is rocking a Christian Death shirt (at least on the packaging). That's cool. Then again, he has about 6 lbs of eyeliner on. 4. Unwritten Law fans obviously only know the radio hits. The fans look like stale fish until Rescue Me was played. Even then, the only action I saw was a few devil horns, and pumping fists during the chorus. And some weird pogoing. They didn't even do any crappy crowd surfing. Oh wait, there is ONE crowd surfer. UGH Lets see. To sum this up, the cover art is the best thing going for this package. Yeap. Feel free to try your luck on Ebay. Maybe you can get a sweet poster for your garage. Labels: review 0 Comments Too Deep Until Now #1 - Fanzine Mike Puffer writes this little gem. I ended up selling him a Wide Awake EP (great taste!) and he sent his payment with a copy of his zine. I fired off his record and then forgot to dig into his zine. I was too busy chasing down negligent buyers. Ugh, nothing worse than that. Fast forward to True Colors in Haverhill. True Colors was ill, no doubt. After the set, a dude comes up to me promoting a Vitamin X show in Western MA. I could see he was enthusiastic. I mean, he was giving it his all for True Colors, so I knew he was no joke. Mike with the "remove long sleeve in the pit" move. GREAT MOVE! We talked for a bit. He is psyched on the core. And that is all apparent when you read his zine. It's not too often you see a real DIY cut/paste zine anymore. Thanks to photoshop and illustrator, everything goes straight to glossy or the nerd. But Mike took the time and created a great read. He has interviews with Shoot To Kill, Make Or Break (I even learned something new. I never realized that Charles started Think Fast! with Larry. Who knew??), Government Warning, Trash Talk and Justice. Yes, that's it. 4 interviews. 10 pages. GREAT READ. I'm not sure how to contact Mike. That's the thing. His address is in the zine but no other form of communication. Mike hit me up. Tell us how the kids can get your zine without me blasting your mailing address all over the nerd! ps. Pic kindly borrowed from Dan Gonyea over at future-breed.com. Great kid, great shots. EDIT: I got word from Mike. Here's his email address. You can hit him up there, and get his address to send review items. Labels: review 1 Comments Energy - Invasions Of The Mind - Bridge 9 Records #101 - 2008 -- Wednesday, October 01, 2008 Energy seemed to come out of nowhere. One day they were playing shows, the next day they were dropping EPs on Rock Vegas. And now, they are dropping a new LP on Bridge 9. It all seemed FAST to me. But seeing them at shows, kids LOVE this band. Plenty of moshing and stage diving and general run a-muck-ness. Whoa, now that I dig back in my archives, I realize I've been seeing this band since 2006. Two years doesn't seem so fast anymore. That could explain how all those kids know about this band. I'm starting to catch on. What I'm not catching is the hype behind this band. I just don't get it. I've listened to this album a few times, and it's fine. I mean, it isn't likely to set the world on fire or start revolutions, but it is a positive addition to the BOSTON hardcore scene, you know? But to me, the singer's voice makes it hard to focus on. I almost equate it to Mike Ski of Brother's Keeper, except way less over the top and with a "whoa whoa" slant. What's odd is that I have nothing against "whoa whoa" songs. I love Lifetime, Saves The Day, New Found Glory, Set Your Goals, ... I can hang with all those bands and their "fwoooaa" stylings. Maybe the "whoa whoa" is overdone? I can't pinpoint it. Also the sing/yell/sing genre is not for me. Leave that on the outside with My Chemical Romance. Those songs do make me cringe a little. All cringing aside, this album is chill enough for "whoa whoa" fans. Generic youth crew fans need not apply. It dropped yesterday so feel free to head over to b9 to get a good deal. Pick up a package item (record + tshirt) or try your luck on Ebay. Labels: review 1 Comments Crime In Stereo - Selective Wreckage - Bridge 9 Records #104 - 2008 Crime In Stereo dropped this album on the world yesterday. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I wasn't aware that it was basically a b-sides and unreleased song compilation. That's not a bad thing, usually. I mean, if Oasis and Guided By Voices can do it, what can't a hardcore band? Unfortunately because these songs span 3 years and who knows how many recording sessions, it all doesn't mesh together cohesively. Some tracks come off as pumped up Hot Water Music while other tracks give off Strike Anywhere vibes. It shows the progression of the band, but it doesn't make for a whole LP. Don't get me wrong, there are moments of genius on this album, but then again, there seems to be some clunking too (like the very out of place, weirdly teen angst ridden track These People Ought To Know Who We Are And Tell That We Are Here). Which is strange, as Crime In Stereo consistently drops bombs when it comes to tunes. The standout track to me is definitely Everywhere and All The Time. It rocks from the first note to last note, and the chorus lead in is catchy, giving the song a Braid nod. Like I said, this album came out yesterday. You can hit up b9 for a cool package deal, or you can hit up your local store to up those Sound Scans. For older gear, try your luck on Ebay. Labels: review 0 Comments Ruiner - I Heard These Dudes Were Assholes - Bridge 9 Records #105 - 2008 Ruiner picked a damn funny album title. It's actually a really smart reflection of the scene we live in. I'm guilty of it, no doubt. My reviews always come off as "good band, great dudes" rather than some deep look at tuning, bridges and chords. Hell, I was super sucky at music class. I couldn't even come up with good keywords for the last sentence. What it all comes down to for me is a) do I like it or b) do I not like it. I'm guessing it boils down to that for a lot of people. Good news for Ruiner, I like this fucking album. It's really good. It makes me want them to tour with Down To Nothing and This Is Hell. Imagine that mosh and stage dive fest! Amazing. This album definitely hits me harder than the last album. I also like that they moved away from the art cover concept. Clean images in black and white speak volumes about this band. It's rather fitting. Australia, prep yourself because they are coming your way soon. Aren't you lucky? You can pick this album up from B9 soon. Maybe next week or the week after, I think. They are putting together some cool package deals. They always do ... If you want some older gear, try your luck on Ebay. Labels: review 2 Comments War Priest - Archaic Revival - Street Cleaner Records #002 - 2008 -- Saturday, September 27, 2008 War Priest is on a chill, underground tip. You can't find them on the internet. You can't find them on MySpace (well, at least I couldn't). Hell, even their record label has almost no presence on the internet. Check streetcleanerrecords.com yourself for proof. It's strange, in the digital age, these guys are keeping it old school. AND IT FUCKING WORKS. This album shreds. It reminds me heavily of Black Sabbath's Master Of Reality. Now that could just be the heavy black and purple theme going on, but it's heavy and rips. And not in the Goat Island, weird lack of robes nod to black metal sludge, but with fast, hard metal riffs and smashing drums. And the vinyl "gimmick" works on me. Not really a gimmick, I suppose, but a one sided 12" EP really catches me. It certainly made me set it aside for further investigation. I mean, check these pics. That's just cool. I'd love to tell you where you could pick up this album, but I have no friggin clue. Contact Ahron or try your luck on Ebay. Peace. Labels: review 2 Comments Foundation - Never Stops Raining - Triple B Records # - 2008 -- Sunday, August 31, 2008 When I think of Foundation, I think of the lead singer doing amazing stage dives. Just balls out, throwing his body around senselessly. Much like Timmy No Justice. I also think of that little EP Erika helped them put out. Then I heard this EP. For some reason, it sounds nothing like I remember Erika's EP sounding. Is that weird? Am I crazy? This record definitely has a "moshier" feeling to it, where I think the last one was more straight forward hardcore. Again, I could be crazy and living a revisionist lifestyle. All very possible. Try your luck on Ebay. And hit up the Triple B Records online store for all your favorite merch. There is still some color vinyl available. Act fast! Labels: review 0 Comments No Harm Done - Escape - Think Fast! Records #035 - 2008 -- Monday, August 04, 2008 No Harm Done is a 3 word band name. I can think of another 3 word band name that I bet these guys are tired of hearing about: Set Your Goals. Yes, you guessed it. No Harm Done is more pop punk than hardcore -- sort of a strange divergence for Think Fast! Records, it seems. Now, to me, that is NOT a problem. I love Set Your Goals. And after a few listens, I start to hear other nods. There are HUGE nods to Reach The Sky's last two lps and even a few nods to later era Good Riddance. If you aren't seeing the common thread, just know that I am digging this album. After digging a little more, I realized one of the band members is very familiar. Charles from Get Outta Town Records. I have no freaking clue how this guy does it. He runs a label, plays in at least 4 bands I can think of and probably has some sort of day job. How he manages all that, I'll never know. What I do know, this album is probably my favorite project of his. And Charles involvement probably explains the Think Fast! so-called divergence. PS. A coworker just brought in a crap ton of candy: jolly ranchers, sweet tarts, twizzlers, ... The good stuff. I don't believe the sugar has biased my review, though. Labels: review 0 Comments Protestant - The Hate. The Hollow - Halo Of Flies / Dust Machine Records - 2008 The members of Protestant wrote HYE? a letter the other day. Apparently, they really liked my review of the Suzy Wong and The Honkeys album. This is probably the only time that a band has EVER sent me material to review based on a previous review. At least, to my knowledge. Well, if the members of Protestant liked the Suzy Wong interview, they'll love this one. Sit back. Over the weekend, I went into Worcester to enjoy some vegan fare with my friend Amanda P. She was in Worcester because her dad offered to drive her halfway back to Boston. Not only that, but they were also towing 2 mopeds that Amanda had purchased in K-Town (Mosh Crew). Now, she was meeting another friend in Worcester so he could drive her and her mopeds back to Boston. So there we were. Myself, my wife, Amanda P, her dad and Moped Guy. I had met Amanda P's dad before so no big deal. But I had never met Moped Guy. Well, lets start by saying he LOVES Worcester. He's from Franklin and was super, super psyched on Worcester. He then proceeded to ask me if I knew "Such and Such House" or "This and That House." Of course, they had some real weird names that were completely blown out of my mind when he asked me if I knew the dudes at MANIAC MANSION! Of course, I didn't know them. I had never heard of this house or anyone who lived there. All I could think about was how I used to spend hours playing that game on my uncle's computer. Fruitless hours, it would turn out. It seems that my uncle's version of Maniac Mansion had a glitch. Every time you would go through the basement window, it would reset your game. You'd have to start WAY back at the beginning again. Ooooofffff. Anyway, I guess one of the dudes who lives at Maniac Mansion is nameless. Or nameless to Moped Guy. He just kept calling him The Beer and Metal Guy! Yeap, the Beer and Metal Guy. Amanda P and Moped Guy were heading over there after dinner because Beer and Metal Guy was selling some mopeds or parts. Turns out, Beer and Metal Guy had fallen down some stairs and broke his foot. When I asked Moped Guy how it happened, he wasn't sure. I suggested that it might have involved beer which caused Moped Guy to have an epiphany and quickly agree with me. Now, this is all relevant to Protestant. Yes, yes it. You see, I can envision Beer and Metal Guy thrashing to this music. Him and Moped Guy could play this album on speakers while cruising the streets in their mopeds. Hollering at girls, buying beers and general rabble rousing. It's not really my cup of tea, but then again, I was never the Beer and Metal guy. If you are the Beer and Metal Guy or can relate to the beer and metal guy, or even if you just live in Milwaukee (Best), I suggest you listen to this album. Moped optional. Labels: review 1 Comments Ceremony - Still Nothing Moves You - Bridge 9 Records #098 - 2008 -- Friday, August 01, 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 1 Comments Voice Of Addiction - Re - Evolution - 2008 -- Sunday, July 27, 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 0 Comments Offsides - It's A Struggle to Communicate EP - Get Outta Town Records #015 - 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 0 Comments Wait In Vain - Seasons - Think Fast Records #033 - 2008 -- Tuesday, July 22, 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 0 Comments Suzy Wong and The Honkeys - Demo 2008 -- Monday, July 21, 2008 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. Pic by Someone. Pic at Somewhere. 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. Labels: review, Zine 0 Comments Grave Maker - Bury Me At Sea - Think Fast Records #034 - 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 1 Comments HED PE - The DIY Guys - Suburban Noize #426 - 2008 -- Friday, July 18, 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 0 Comments Have Heart - Songs To Scream At The Sun - Bridge 9 #096 - 2008 -- Wednesday, June 25, 2008 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! Labels: review, Zine 0 Comments Verse - Aggression - Bridge 9 Records #095 - 2008 -- Wednesday, June 11, 2008 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! Labels: review, Zine 2 Comments I Rise - Down - 1917 Records #012 - 2008 -- Wednesday, May 28, 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 0 Comments Red Handed - Wounds Remain - Rivalry Records #026 - 2008 -- Thursday, May 15, 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 2 Comments Salt The Wounds - Carnal Repercussions - Rotten Records #033 - 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 0 Comments Pete Mroz - Detachment - March 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 0 Comments See It Through - Breakthrough - Fierce Justice Records #001 - 2007 -- Thursday, April 24, 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 0 Comments Hemlock - No Time For Sorrow - Blind Prophecy Records - 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 0 Comments This Is This - Life In Paradise - Wronside Records 002 - 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 8 Comments Right Idea - Demo 2007 -- Friday, April 18, 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 0 Comments This Is Hell - Misfortune - Trustkill Records - 2008 -- Sunday, March 30, 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 0 Comments The First Step - Connection EP - Rivalry Records #028 - 2008 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? Labels: review, Zine 1 Comments Hostage Calm - Demo 2008 -- Friday, February 29, 2008 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. Labels: review, Zine 3 Comments Trial - Reunion Retrospective DVD - Panic Records - 2008 -- Monday, February 11, 2008 Trial. What do you know about Trial? 10 years ago, I didn't know squat. 10 days ago, I barely knew more than squat. As of right now, I know a hell of a lot more. It's funny how much can change in 10 years. Then again, it's funny how much remains the same. Click here for more details ... Trial. What do you know about Trial? 10 years ago, I didn't know squat. 10 days ago, I barely knew more than squat. As of right now, I know a hell of a lot more. It's funny how much can change in 10 years. Then again, it's funny how much remains the same. 10 years ago, I has absolutely no idea who Trial was. Not a clue. I'm from New England, not the northwest so this isn't so unfathomable. It wasn't until 1999 that I had my first Trial experience. Let me set the stage for you. Fuck, actually, it must have been 1998. It couldn't have been 1999. Hmm, anyway. Tre (from Deathwish Inc) and Dalbec (from Bane/Converge/Velocity Engine/...) had just moved out of 34 John St (ooh, did I drop something there? hey, now!). Dalbec was a terrible collector and had tons of shit. When he moved out, he left behind weird random crap. I say "left behind" because I would feel bad if I took stuff he was going to come back and get. Anyway, he left behind a million No Reason stickers and some random odds and ends. One of these pieces was a Trial hooded sweatshirt. It was pretty chill. Black with maroon/brown font and oddly, white hood draw strings. This seemed strange, but I was down for a hooded sweatshirt that said "STRAIGHT EDGE," you know? I washed the sweatshirt that day as I wanted to wear it to a show that night in Connecticut. When I pulled it out of the dryer, I also mysteriously found the smallest iron maiden shirt. Complete schmedium or youth large. Shit was tiny. But it was amazing and super soft so I ended up wearing both to the show. Now this was going to be some late, all nighter gig in CT. As all CT shows started late and ran super later. We rolled up to Billy Willys in Brookfield CT expecting to see Bane, Reach The Sky and Fear Tomorrow. We actually ended up sitting in the Converge van (Dalbec borrowed it for the the long ride to CT for Bane). And sitting and sitting and sitting. I think Billy Willy didn't show up until much later and no one could get in the club. During our long wait, we found out that Trial was playing a show somewhere else in CT, but their show was canceled. And they were now going to play the Billy Willy show. So there I was, that guy. I was rocking the trial hood and was totally that guy. But I was semi embarrassed to remove the hood because the iron maiden shirt was soooo fucking small. In the end, I removed the hood and watched Trial play a long set. Maybe it just felt long because they probably didn't start playing until 9pm. I think Craig Mack also wore a gas mask during the Fear Tomorrow set and he more than likely was throwing stools. Actually, I guess it was someone else who was throwing stools. But in my mind, it was Craig Mack. So that was my first and really only Trial experience. The only thing that could be considered a partial Trial experience was eating dinner with Greg Bennick in Seattle. Of course, this was in 2006 and I was sitting at a table with about 14 other people. In fact, if asked, I bet he wouldn't be able to point me out in a lineup. Not that I would expect him to be able to, of course. Just saying. So, long story short, my exposure to Trial is pretty damn limited. I don't think I even owned the cd. I think I always lumped them (unfortunately) in the whole politcal metal hardcore genre. Fast forward to 2008. 10 years later, I'm a little older, a little wiser (HAHA), and I've come to realize that there is a difference between "time and place" and "acquired taste." Like I said, I wasn't from the nortwest in the mid 90s. I was from the home of Ten Yard Fight and In My Eyes. My time and place involved The Space and the OCBC (old cambridge baptist church, harvard sq). But after watching the retrospective and reunion shows featured on this dvd, I think Trial can easily become a great acquired taste in 2008. Of course, you won't be seeing them live anytime soon, but you can settle back with some popcorn and watch these DVDs at your leisure. Fuck it, you can even put these DVDs on and mosh in your living room. So yeah, you have 2 amazing DVDs full of great content. Plenty of live shows from 2005 and plenty of older footage from the mid 90s. Even better than that (well, at least to me) is the retrospective with Greg and Timm. They really break it down and tell it like it is. They make it easy to love Trial as individuals, more than just a band. They talk about straight edge, veganism and political hardcore. They admit to being that political hardcore band I heard about way back in 1998. But then again, they prove that the band was WAY more than just that genre label. There you have it. You better look into this dual dvd set. In fact, go order it from Panic Records right now. You owe it to yourself. Edit: Looky what I found! A poser but not a liar. Labels: review, Zine 1 Comments	Added in the last 7 days: Swap Lists: 1 / 816 Shirts: 0 / 1871 By band(s): Collections: The last 5 Interviews added to the Interview Section: Keith Sidorowicz - Vegan Straight Edge, Drummer, Energy ... Andrew Kline - Strife, Prohibition, Tradition Shop ... Trumbull Magazine with Owen Black & Sam Reiss Ask Yasi - LOL xChipxSem x The Collection Space The last 5 blogs added to the Blog Section: At Both Ends Magazine Available ... Chill Worcester Gig on Dec 6 ... Everbody's Scene Update Get Outta Town goes the way of Radiohead In Rainbows ... Get Outta Town - The X-Rated Skate Deck ... Previous Articles Venia - Frozen Hands - Blood & Ink Records #034 - ... Liferide S/T LP - Take It Back Records #002 - 2010... Animal Instinct - Stick Like Glue - Take It Back R... Lewd Acts - Black Eye Blues - Deathwish Inc - 2009... Set Your Goals - This Will Be The Death Of Us - Ep... Start Today - Blindness EP - 2009 The Golden Age - Unlock Yourself - Panic Records #... Inhuman - Last Rites - I Scream Records - 2007 Police & Thieves - Amor Y Guerra - Youngblood Reco... Bank Robber - Demo 2009 Archives 07.2005 08.2005 09.2005 10.2005 11.2005 12.2005 02.2006 04.2006 05.2006 06.2006 07.2006 08.2006 09.2006 10.2006 11.2006 12.2006 01.2007 02.2007 03.2007 04.2007 05.2007 06.2007 07.2007 08.2007 09.2007 10.2007 11.2007 12.2007 01.2008 02.2008 03.2008 04.2008 05.2008 06.2008 07.2008 08.2008 09.2008 10.2008 01.2009 03.2009 04.2009 06.2009 07.2009 08.2009 09.2009 10.2009 03.2010 Advertise
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