Take Your Shot Fanzine

INTEGRITY live in Athens, 11 Feb 2012

2012-02-11T17:52:00.002+02:00

I've been waiting a long time for this... Being so that I was out of the country and missed the first time Integrity visited Athens (in a show that Chubby of One Life Crew fame allegedly broke down the snare drum!), I am eagerly waiting to witness this legendary hardcore band in action. This shit is going to be heavy.

I consider Integrity not only the best Clevo-core band (along with Ringworm, obviously) but actually more than that: Dwid Helion (Integrity's singer and main figure) is pretty much responsible for the whole Kvlt hardcore scene that has grown like a monster and is steadily getting bigger and stronger around the world. There are really no words to describe how important Integrity are for the way hardcore has evolved.

Long-running hardcore metal act Endsight will scorch our ears with the heavy role of the opening act.

Old School Classics - Disrupt / Sauna "People Killing People" (split)

2012-02-11T17:30:00.003+02:00

Our contributor Rigas goes back in time to review some legendary crust from grind pioneers Disrupt!

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Given that Disrupt is one of my favourite bands, it was really a hard choice which release to present here: The cult classic 7’’ split with Destroy! (1991) or their most influential and probably most complete work ‘Unrest’ (1994)? Although, Unrest is their only full-length that actually kept Disrupt alive in punk history I chose to write something about their split album with Sauna as representative of that era and their most crustcore output.

Disrupt was one of the best hardcore punk bands of their era playing unrelentless ferocious crust/grindcore, or more aptly termed in this case discore (Dis-bands). I particularly like their style because there are no metallic influences just pure punk energy and ethos, unlike most of the ‘grind’ or ‘polished’ punk bands of today. Disrupt, like most of their peers back then, were spreading anarchist values: DIY, abolitionist, anti-corporate, anti-authoritarian etc. (Check the anti-vivisection blast ‘A life’s a life’ from Unrest album).

Disrupt, hailing from Lynn, MA, US, were formed in 1987. They managed to release various splits, 7’’ and EPs in their short-lived career, which lasted only six years. They were in the same wave of bands as Dropdead, Destroy! and the likes. Actually, the songs found in this album were recorded only few months before their European tour (October/November 1993), after which they disbanded. Sauna, were a Swedish band and this is their only recording.

Recorded and mixed during two days (13^th and 14^th June 1993) at The Lanes studio in Boston, MA by Bill Miller ‘People Killing People’ contains some of the most consistent tracks of Disrupt. Between the necessary Discharge and Extreme Noise Terror influences, Disrupt’s skilful and outright intense delivery sets them apart from the early American crust/grindcore bands. The riffs are crashing, the drums are pummelling, the vocals are lacerated in urgency. From the d-beat holocaust of ‘Xenophobia’, ‘You’ve no one left to blame’, ‘Succumb to the pressure’ and ‘An end to white rule’ to the slightly faster tracks ‘Trapped’ and ‘Leave me be’, this split album is a manifesto of punk essence. They even included a cover of ‘Protest’ from the UK anarcho-punk legends Conflict.

Sauna’s side is a good example of Swedish crust, albeit a bit weaker in comparison with Disrupt. The production at Markstudio with Mats Andersson is more muddy and downtuned. Highlights are the desperate, shouted vocals and the typical d-beat cuts ‘Welfare’and ‘Love’.

Bottom line is that Disrupt delivered uncompromised music throughout their course to raise awareness and break the system apart. Their version of punk is stripped down to its pure, original essence: strictly political, rebellious and raw creating feelings of defiance and urgency. I suggest everybody should check them out. Disrupt were not playing punk, they were real punks. Not to forget also that 4 members went on to form the sludge masters Grief.

- Rigas

DUCKCORE: Not Quite Gone

2012-02-06T15:43:00.002+02:00

Until last week, Duckcore.blogspot.com was one of the premier DIY sites for free br00tal downloads. Its owner Ducky had uploaded hundreds of quality albums with deathcore as the main focus, as well as various forms of death metal and metalcore (technical DM, blackened deathcore, progressive DM, djent etc). Unfortunately his blog has been taken down along with all the links to the albums he uploaded. Needless to say this is a major bummer. Even if we don't upload stuff on this blog and only review music, we too appreciate free stuff and have downloaded albums through Duckcore for sure. We will miss it for sure!

In any case, the site is back at a new adress and Ducky has started uploading stuff again. Check the new version of the sitr called The Duckore here: http://theduckcore.blogspot.com/. Spread the word!

Also, check what Ducky himself had to say about the whole shutting down of his blog, as well as for the new site.

So listen as I'm sure most of you are aware DuckCore.blogspot.com is no more unfortunately. We got completely shafted by blogger. Anyways this is going to be the new DuckCore and I know with all of your help we can restore this to it's former glory. So please I'm not begging but if you could share this new blog with your friends, post about it on facebook, show your mum, do whatever you can to get this out there it would be really appreciated. We were almost at two million page views and we were averaging almost 250,000 views a month. So yeah needless to say, I'm pretty bummed.

Things will get better though and with all of you guys supporting I'm sure that we can get back to where we were. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and I'm going to be very busy with trying to get a new layout and get some sweet stuff done for the blog so yeah, thanks again guys.

Love, Ducky

Record Review: Comrades – "Collection 2010 – 2011" (Blood & Ink Records)

2012-02-03T13:20:00.000+02:00

Great music-great musicianship and songwriting. Comrades delve into (mostly) instrumental, progressive rock and post-hardcore to eliminate musical boundaries and achieve a coherent whole. Enchanting melodies and captivating song structures, compiled here in a stunning release for the music enthusiast.

Genre: Rock / Post-hardcore
Country: USA
Label: Blood & Ink Records (link)
Band Website: Reverbnation

This is a rather unusual review for TYS, since Comrades’ music is much ‘softer’ compared to most of the bands presented here. Their sound might surely turn off some hardcore kids, but on the other hand it can surely please music enthusiasts. You can simple describe this as ‘good music’ without any terms and definitions. That is to say that these guys and gals, Joe, Connor and Laura, wrote some really inspired, good-sounding songs.

Now, more in detail, Comrades play rock with some post-hardcore hints here and there. That sounds like Sweet Cobra but Comrades invest more on ethereal, heartfelt melodies than sheer heaviness. There are surely parallels to post rock acts like Explosions in the Sky but again Comrades are quite different: their songs are more ‘unsettling’, featuring more changes and complex structures than the usual ‘building up climax to the point of distorted catharsis’ pattern. You can find some similarities to bands like Keelhaul, Red Sparowes or Burst (less), but although they share the passion of building ‘progressive’ songs with manifold changes of rocking riffs and melodies, Comrades are much less loud, sweaty and dissonant.

This album consists of 10 compositions, gathered over a span of time of two years as the title conveys. This is actually a compilation of 3 self-released EPs, as an outcome of their recent signing with Blood & Ink Records to be followed by a new album later this year. Most of the songs are instrumental and whenever vocals appear they just complement the message of the songs. The production is very bright and every instrument has its own place delivering all those timbres that you can expect from an instrumental rock band. Apart from unerring songwriting, Comrades’ are skilful players.

Riffs, melodies and tempo changes are intermixed in a very eclectic and captivating way. What really stands out here is the omnipresent enchanting melodies. The songs are utterly memorable and interesting to the point of ‘forced’ repeat. It is hard to talk about particular favourites here - all songs have something to say. They have a very grounded, human nature which is appealing directly from the heart of the musician to the heart of the listener: ‘Weight’, ‘Giants’, ‘Where Moth and Rust Destroy’ (the most HC song), ‘Hammerhand’, ‘Lend Me Your Heart’, ‘We Are Halves’, ‘Encourage, Encourage’. You can actually listen to the whole record through the following link:

http://bloodandink.bandcamp.com/album/collection-2010-2011

Comrades are doing their part; they have built their own sound and have pushed some elements of rock, progressive rock and post hardcore further. It is like they distilled those music styles into a coherent whole in order to expand, or better abolish, their boundaries.

Comrades come from Richmond, Virginia, US and they have toured extensively playing in any imaginable place. They are also part of the ‘Motherland Collective’, which is dedicated to re-establishing respect, collaboration and mutual support in the scene. As Comrades put it in their own words:

“[We are] Three very different people trying our best to make honest music about things we believe to be important, such as (but not limited to) integrity, the remedying of social injustice, and our creator God.”

Review by Rigas

Record Review: Robert of the Square "Time. Truth. Heart." (Hollow Earth Records)

2012-01-29T23:09:00.002+02:00

A compelling debut EP from Robert of the Square that generates greathope for European avant-garde hardcore’s future. Rooted in both Botch-likedissonant structures and more expansive post-rock/post-hardcore themes, theyexplore the whole musical territory inbetween while treading in new ground.They develop a mature sound before they even introducing themselves.

Genre: Post-hardcore/Metal

Country: Italy

Label: Hollow Earth Records (link)

Band Website: Bandcamp

To be honest, the only thing I know about Italy’s hardcore is only somebandanna thrash and oldschool hardcore punk. Robert of the Square, from Triesteare remarkably different. They deliver a solid debut EP that is at leastpromising of great things to come. Surprisingly, their sound is already‘mature’ enough to explore, appropriate and combine their influences to craftfive ‘driving’ songs hard to go unnoticed. Well-written, skillfully-executed withan outstanding production their sound rests equally on mathcore and moreexpansive post-hardcore.

Although a comparsion with American peers like Achilles or The MinorTimes (who came into prominence in the latter half of the 2010’s) would bevalid, the listener soon realizes that Robert Of The Square consciously departfrom that sound to explore a softer, more progressive and atmospheric side ofthe genre. For instance, the song ‘Dominio’ demonstrates most evidently theirEuropean character with dark haunting melodic riffing while still keeping thedazzling, palindromic Botch affairs all too well blended. Their sound is alsoinformed by post-rock aficionados Mogwai and Red Sparrows.

The first number ‘Time’ is quite representative of what Robert Of TheSquare stand for musically: They enter the musical landscape with aninteresting 1 minute ‘showcase’ of their explorative sound palette that setsthe tone for the rest of the EP just to give place to typical mid-paced‘cumbersome’ dissonance of Botch and the likes to fall back to more ‘stretched’post-hardcore passages of earlier Swedish stalwarts like Burst and Breach.

There is no drawback in this EP, just plenty of memorable momentthroughout the whole set. From the exquisite slow second part of ‘Truth’ thatbroadcasts some glimmers of unwinding hope to the dynamic complexity of‘Impero’ which resembles some early-Norma Jean vibes and the monolithicheaviness of ‘Ego’ the genre of heavy, experimental music has won a giftedexponent. The vocals express insight and pressure, hard and throaty with noexceptions.

Every song is a creation, every song is ‘driving’ with manifold changesand tempo shifts intermingled, every song has a reason to be there altogethercreating an exciting flow in the album. This EP, unsettling and experimental asit is, may open many musical paths for Robert Of The Square to follow. Irecommend everybody to check them out, because they are a great hope for theavant-garde hardcore scene of Europe.

- Rigas

Record Review: World in Arms - "Strong at Heart" (self-released)

2012-01-25T20:27:00.002+02:00

Genre: Melodic Metalcore

Country: Providence, US

Band website: bandcamp, www.worldinarms.com

Label: - (self released)

Metalcore can be both a good and a bad thing; and in this case it is a VERY good thing. World in Arms plays emotive, modern metallic hardcore that the same time hits harder than the proverbial ten ton hammer. This is no joke; these guys took the lead from all good things in US metalcore and went to create a masterpiece of pent up emotions, accumulated sadness and blind rage.

The ep (7 tracks in total) starts of with an heavy youth crew-ish intro and the phrase "you did this to your self" manically shouted with gang vocals. This is the type of shit that shows me right away the record will fucking rule. The driving guitars contrast the gnarly vocals, the latter (along with the lyric subjects) clearly placing this band in hardcore and not so much in metal. The vocals - and I don't say this easily - are some of the best I've heard lately in this genre. There is so much passion and anger in them, but also a heavy dose of melancholy and despair. We're talking really thick, raspy vocals with a unique identity, and obviously totally removed from the Terror clones you hear every day. Dude also attacks with some ear destroying death metal vocals evey now and then, and puts the cherry on the cake with some classic (in HC) spoken words over the music.

World in Arms continues to wreck shit all trhough the album, but there also is the correct amount of diversity to keep things interesting. There are some clever and super bouncy beatdown parts that luckily don't last forever, and thus serve their purpose boosting the songs and making them sound more groovy. Then again, there are some cool clean parts that are not emo by any means, but do add a bit of atmosphere to the whole outcome. These parts make the ep sound really modern and give it a strange avant garde (dare I say) aura. But let us not kid ourselves; it's the guitars that shape most of the things around here, with the aggressive yet melodic approach which brings to mind stuff like Misery Signals or even With Honor. This is good shit!

I just want to sum this up by saying that even though metalcore is looked down by some as the flavor of the day, let us not dismiss the bands who are doing things with heart and do have something to offer. Music styles, values and aesthetics come and go as fashions in hardcore, but there are always those who are true -- and this you can suss right away. World in Arms is just like that, and they hit so fucking hard. You won't forget them easily so get into them.

Fotis TxYxS

Demonic Slaughter - "Revelations of Death" (Hellthrasher Prods)

2012-01-20T19:02:00.002+02:00

Genre: Black/Thrash Metal

Country: Poland

Band Website: Myspace

Label: Hellthrasher Productions

All hail. What we have here is a dirty rotten piece of old school black metal music for fans of that real nasty and unpleasant horror atmosphere.

Demonic Slaughter pull no punches as they plunge on to the sheer necro debauchery after a quick intro characteristically entitled "Funeral". The sound is a low-budget, dirty and flat barrage of noise, reminiscent of that gone but not forgetten early BM époque, or even the modern black thrash revival.

There is really nothing modern about the sound of these Polish necro fiends, while they destroy all in sight with this 3rd album of theirs. And even though they have the aforementioned BM worship (early Mayhem, Burzum etc) locked down, that's not all that's going on: Demonic Slaughter manages to sneak in some unholy death/thrash metal influence that is really subtle, but definitely doesn't go unnoticed. The band also layers its sound with lots of intros, samples and weird passages that bring on that real old school horror atmosphere. What we're talking about is not Necrophagia's Lucio Fulci, but the real black & white cvlt horror atmosphere which is also the most effective. The album is spiked with weird sounds, satanic poetry, weird keyboards, cracks, screams, yelps and indiscernible sounds that makes your hair stand up. Real haunted house (check the cover), cemetery, grave-rising atmosphere that will put your thoughts in a loop.

While the aforementioned theatrical atmosphere goes on, there is nothing theatrical about the band's playing, as the drummer produces some crushing BM blasts and the sharp riffs give lessons in old school black thrash violence. The distortions are not huge or anything but that's also the point here, to make a nasty necro sound that is not based on huge amps but on the "right" quality of dirtiness. There are also two kinds of vocals: nasty and super nasty. The plain nasty ones are typical blackthrash screams and they are used as the main singing voice. Then again, the super nasty ones are weaker but definitely more unholy and are used in the aforementioned sick poetry and sometimes during the verses. This double vocal exchange is quite intriguing to the ear that only expects one kind of vocal. All in all, fans of Aura Noir, Cadaver, Desaster and that whole old school thrash black sound will just love this. However, be forewarned that this band is more underground and harsh to listen to (yay!).

Fotis.TYS

Tattoo Spotlight: True Love Tattoo Madrid, Spain

2012-01-18T18:24:00.000+02:00

In general, we'd have to admit that there must be more than a few tattoo studios entitled True Love around the world. The name might not be exceptionally and totally original, but it surely stands for a lot. And sure enough, the things that happen in these studios are indeed quite unique. We have a lot of work to do to cover them all, but we'll start by throwing the spotlight on Spain's True Love Tattoo, Madrid.

I personally hadn't heard much about this particular studio beforehand, but the video below says it all. It seems like True Love Tattoo Madrid is a real mecca for people to get tattooed when in this city. I love the studio's old school feel, the checkered floor pattern and the fact that it seems like a place that a lot of HC kids and gals get their ink done. Moreover, as you'll notice by watching the video, one of the artists is wearing a Warzone t shirt and that's a definite bonus!

Enjoy this professionally shot video by Ronink Media and listen some cool tunes (including one from Social Distortion) accompanying the well known tattoo machine sounds.

Record Review: With Increase - "Signs of the Time" (Blood & Ink Records)

2012-01-18T16:46:00.003+02:00

Markos intoduces his first ever post for TxYxS with the unlikely review of Christian HC* band With Increase!

Genre: Spiritual Post-Hardcore

Country: US

Label: Blood & Ink

Band Website: bandcamp

This here is With Increase’s debut EP named Signs of the Time. With Increase come from Tampa Florida and they claim to play “spirit-filled hardcore”.

Well by listening to this 4-song EP it seems like the band is, indeed, paying a lot of attention to the spirit and melody throughout the whole album.

There are actually some well-placed acoustic parts and some parts with sorrowful sounding guitars, proving the band’s emphasis on emotional-based hardcore. If you add up some fast angry and desperate sounding parts, then you have what With Increase are all about. The production is also quite good and it helps them deliver all the feeling they aim for. All in all, to my ears it sounds quite close to something like Defeater meets Verse. I think that says it all about if you'll like it or not.

Lyric-wise, there are no surprises. The concept here is extremely pessimistic, perfectly matching the spirit of the music (this may sound irrelevant, but I really wonder how positive lyrics would sound with this music).

Apparently the lyrics of Signs of the Time are personal thoughts of the members (speaking in first person), spitting negativity and sadness but I can’t help myself from wondering – and here comes my one and only bitter comment on this album – how can so young people express such pain and negativity (taking the line “all of my pain from these 19 years..” from their song “Dig Deeper”) .

To sum it all up, this EP is quite easy listening and was made with lots of care and interest. From what I read they have been touring a lot and will tour intensively this year. If you like melodic slow hardcore in the vein of the bands named before, you should be paying this band some attention in the future.

Markos (the_underdog_hc [at] hotmail [dot] dom)

* Christian HC is no new thing by all means and even though this zine is not affiliated with Christianity or organized religion in general, we support the labels and bands that do their hardcore thing and work hard at it, even if they talk about Jesus. Why should we care? That is, until they stop sending us stuff for review or ask us to not review their records because of all the other, blashpemous and satanic stuff on this blog!

Record Review: OATHBREAKER - "Mælstrøm" (Deathwish Records)

2012-01-14T20:07:00.000+02:00

With this post, Take Your Shot fanzine celebrates a total of 300 posts! We'd like to thank all the people who visit & read, as well as the bands and labels who support us and put out awesome music. It's been a long and joyful trip in the wondrous world of underground music and it's not like we feel like stopping any time soon. In fact, our crew is now stronger than ever! On this 300th post, contributor Nick reviews Oathbreaker's weird but melodic post hardcore/crust masterpiece. Read on & enjoy!

Genre: Post Hardcore/Crust

Country: Belgium

Label: Deatwish Inc

Band Website: facebook

Three years after the release of their outstanding self-titled EP, Belgium hardcore kids Oathbreaker, strike back with their first full length Mælstrøm. Yet, another fine piece of hardcore/crust/metal tunes that are worth our attention. What I really like on these guys & girls (lady on vocals) is that they achieve to combine various elements of heavy music, keeping the hardcore aesthetics at the front page and succeed to sound unique and everything else but boring.

Though I don’t usually write about particular songs of an album, I think that in this case it is the best way to review Mælstrøm and give a clearer idea about what you are about to listen and feel. This happens mainly because of the various elements included as well as because of the huge differences between each song. Let’s start randomly checking out some of the tunes then.

The album starts with a “black-ish” riff, confusing the ones that were expecting to hear a typical hardcore/punk band but immediately turns to be an á la Converge type song, showing the band's major influence and intentions. Moreover, we can't overlook that the album was mixed by Kurt Ballou and mastered by Alan Douches (Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan). Crust-punk drumming and guitar riffing mainly follow the style of Cursed and Rise and Fall, accompanied at several points with “sick” guitar melodies and a lower tempo turn. These turns upgrade the song and remind us why Converge is one of the leading and most influential bands in the hardcore/metal scene the last 15 years. (Ok, I promise not to use the word Converge again in this review).

Mælstrøm goes on with a catchy-groovy-heavy yet trivial and indifferent riff that you have heard 1 million times before. However, it gets you in the mood and fortunately it doesn’t last long as the song (“Hierophant”) turns to be a typical crossover-thrash tune bringing memories of early nineties and late eighties bands. Similar lines are followed in the song “Thorn” (even the guitar solo is so fucking old-school) until the last minute, when it gradually enters a more doom/sludge notion and crawls with it till the end. I would like to mention again the “black-ish” sound and riffing that is obvious here as in many other songs of the album.

The highlight of this blackened sound is the six-minute “Glimpse of the Unseen” which is a 100% black metal song at the style of Satyricon (post-Rebel Extravaganza period), Tombs and Burzum. Sadistic low tempo riffs, grated guitars and torn vocals at one of the best songs of the album. Album closes with an acoustic 4 minute epilogue (“Mælstrøm”) that brings you back in a safe place and lets you breathe at normal rates again. Imagine Botch’s Afghamistam (the first part of it) with clean female vocals like Gathering and you get the picture! When the singing part starts, it's hard to believe that it's not Anneke Van Giesbergen's (The Gathering, Agua the Annique) voice, not only because of the voice similarity but also because of the similar vocal lines.

Sludge/Doom influences are also observed, i.e. in the third song of the album (“Fate Is High”), which starts with a riff that brings in mind bands like Solitude Aeturnus and Cathedral but it continues heavily influenced by more contemporary acts like High on Fire, Black Cobra and Kylesa. The rotation of fast and slow rhythms, the atmospheric feel and a more “fixed play” give you a feeling of entering dark passages and facing dragons and demons. Same story happens during the song “Black Sun”, which could be easily be described as the end of the story that started with “Fate Is High”.

Some of you might have been already convinced to check out the album (or not). Some of you might be confused. To be honest now from reading what I have written so far, I am a bit confused too. In the end, is it a good album or not? Can it be that such a weird mixture is good? Is it maybe a bit too much? Are they just copying all the things that I have described with nothing new to tell? But then I am thinking that Mælstrøm has been stacked into my playlist for more that two months already.

Oathbreaker sound way more mature than their previous work, show a tremendous capability to combine so many things, and they are not afraid to show their influences and to experiment with them. Finally, I would like to mention that I cannot think of or even imagine a better production for this album.

For the confused ones then, the clearer answer I can give to their doubt is: Check this shit out!

Nikos Tolis

nikostolis [at] gmail [dot] com

Record Review: HELLCRAWLER - Wastelands (Hollow Earth Records)

2012-01-13T21:43:00.001+02:00

Things have been progressing like crazy in all fronts of extreme music; bands transmigrate from one genre to another in the need to create something worth listening to and bring together the best of influences. But can a band combine different characteristics from multiple genres and still create a solid sound that is totally their own, trademark noise? Hellcrawler prove all of the above with their sludgy blackened metal meets barbaric crustcore.

Genre: Metal/Crust

Country: Slovenia

Label: Hollow Earth Records (link)

Band Website: bandcamp

There are times that pure death metal is too narrow a path for our intricate taste in brutal music, and on the other side even the most brutal crust is too much of a punk deal. We want something that combines the heaviness and darkness of both these genres. And Hellcrawler have a little bit of something for everyone. Either if you're a punk kid with dreads down your back, a metal dude clad in black or simply a HC kid won over by metal, you are in the right place with this gut-punching factory of brutal noise. You can either just put on this album, get Satanic and let it raw (recommended), or we can try to go into specifics and analyze these sounds a little bit. In fact, we'll do just that in the next couple paragraphs to give a better idea.

I like the fact that what's going on in Wastelands is dark and bleak, just like it should. This is why I'd say that this album, if I had to categorize it somewhere, belongs most of all in the crust genre. It is raw and dark and it has an overall punk attitude. But if you pay closer attention, you'll come to notice that these guys actually play some fucking proper metal that will satisfy many different metal tastes at once. They have the pseudo-black metal in check with their nasty unholy guitars and BM blasts; they have the retro death metal vox which nod to stuff like Hellhammer and Possessed; then again, they have the flaming hotrod rock n roll solos every now and then, just for good measure. There is a ton of D-beat too, so punx need not worry.

The production isn't clean or anything, but of course it's just right for this style. I couldn't imagine this band with triggered drums and computerized guitars. No fucking way! What blasts from the speakers through Wastelands is a truly barbaric sound that makes me picture the band play right down the end of a sludgy mountain cave in their native Slovenia. Stuff gets so dirty and muddy that at some points, even though these guys are speeding it up big time, it still feels like they're playing slow or at least mid tempo.

Summing up, I'd say that this is some of the best crust I heard in recent times, and a band that definitely deserves to be considered a bit ahead of the pack. There are so many others doing the same tired melodic crust thing or Motorhead/rock crust type stuff, we don't need more bands like that. Give Hellcrawler a chance and try something new and uncomprosmisingly heavy! With song titles like "Motosluts from Hell", what else do you want?

A welcome to our new contributor!

2012-01-09T21:25:00.001+02:00

We are glad to announce that Markos from The Underdog hardcore webzine has joined the ranks of Take Your Shot and will contribute with his awesome reviews about (what else?) hardcore records. This is a guy who's been listening to hardcore for a really long time and definitely knows his shit when it comes to this music, let alone he loves it like few people out there do.

Throughout the years, he's been spreading hardcore through his webzine, has done loads of interviews with many notable HC bands (H20, Madball, Agnostic Front a.o.) and has sat behind the drums for a bunch of Greek HC bands (including a band we play in together called My Turn). Markos is a sXe dude but he'll review all styles of HC music, from negative heavy hardcore to melodic posicore.

Welcome to TxYxS, Markos!

p.s. You can check The Underdog Webzine here: http://daunderdog.blogspot.com/.

Thrash Friday: Toxic Holocaust - Metal Attack

2012-01-06T19:24:00.000+02:00

Thrash Fridays are all about pure thrash mayhem and using the music as ammo to cause some serious mischief. Toxic Holocaust and this particular record represents A LOT of what I like about the thrash genre; I love the music, I love the black and white gory artwork, I love the start/stop patterns, I love the all out thrash havoc that this band stands for!

For many years I went through a phase that thrash metal was either not heavy enough as a metal form, or too metal for punk. But as of recently, I've realigned myself to the undisputed reality of thrash. I've seen the truth and I totally enjoy thrashing out and understanding the thrash way of life! Hope you play this LOUD.

Old School Classics: Agoraphobic nosebleed - "Enemy Soil" Split

2012-01-05T23:55:00.000+02:00

I feel as if grindcore as a genre got greatly compromised during the course of the 00s. OK for sure the genre successively reached heavier and more extreme levels, but on the other hand the 'core' part disappeared from the picture. What I mean is that most of the music that nowadays passes as grindcore is usually brutal death metal with blastbeats. I think that in the future, people will inevitably return to the original grind sound of bands like Napalm Death, Sob, Disrput etc. One of these grindcore pioneers also answers to the name of Agoraphobic Nosebleed. A band of great reputation, and for a good reason, as these guys really produced some no bullshit grind. The following video contains Agoraphobic Nosebleed's whole side from their split with Enemy Soil. They manage to get their point across in 10 songs which make up a total running time of 03:53. This is what grindcore should be all about: delivering the goods in an extra abrupt, brutal and straightforward way. I think that Agoraphobic Nosebleed manage to do just that. LISTEN!

Old School Classics: One Life Crew - "Crime Ridden Society"

2012-01-01T19:09:00.000+02:00

OK, so last year ended with a post about the up & coming positive straight edge hardcore band, Focused X Minds. This year will kick off at the totally opposite side, with One Life Crew's truly mean stra-hate edge (negative straight edge) hardcore. This is some shit taken from back in the day (1996 to be exact).

OLC has gotten a definite negative rep throughout the years, mainly for being tough guys and/or for being racist. I will not discuss this matter here, as this band has broken up and I don't know what's up with them or their personal agendas. What I do know is that they did have some pretty provocative lyrics for sure, but they had also repeatedly stated that they were not a racist band. We could say that One Life Crew was not a politically correct (PC) band and just leave it at that. No matter the case, OLC mananged to stay at the forefront of HC kids' agenda more than 10 years after they broke up, and is still a band that is widely talked about.

We gotta face the fact that the people in some of the better bands in hardcore have always been unusual individuals with a lack for better judgement. In many cases, awesome hardcore has come these kind of people, who are not your everyday PC dudes. We can be sorry for who these people are, but it doesn't undermine the importance of the music they put out. Extreme minds make extreme music and that's the whole case sometimes. At the end of the day, antisocial, provocative, negative behavior and extreme viewpoints are and have always been part of hardcore music. For better of for worse, it's what makes it hardcore. And if you don't like it, maybe you shouldn't be listening to this type of music in the first place.

The video below contains OLC's whole Crime Ridden Society recording (released in 1996), which is a piece of hardcore history you wouldn't want to miss. It is stompy, angry, heavy old school hardcore that countless bands have tried to imitate since (more often than not without the same intensity factor). Crime Ridden Society hits hard and explains a lot about the route hardcore took in the years to come, up to this day.

Featured Band: Focused X Minds

2011-12-29T02:00:00.000+02:00

FocusedxMindshail from Milwakee, Wisconsin, US. Even if Milwakee is not particularly famousfor HC punk, you should check out FxM for some passionate and self-empoweringstraight edge HC, because they are making big noise right now with incessant touringand recording.

Theyalready have a great demo (2010) that you can download for free here: http://focusedxminds.bandcamp.com/.

Somewherebetween a NYHC / Boston sound and fastpaced straight edge HC (at times thrashcore),songs like ‘No Satisfaction’ and ‘Free Your Thinking’ are bursting intoyouthful blasts of positive energy.

Earlier in2011 FxM released a 7’’ at 6131 Records, titled ‘Stay Focused’, which contains3 tracks from the demo plus 3 new songs! Especially the title track is one of the best songs I have heardlately. A couple of days ago FxM got out of the studio after recording a bunchof new songs to be released in a 3-way split with Out of Time and Another Mistake later during spring 2012 by 6131 Records. So,stay tuned, there is a lot coming from FxM!

FxM are anew band but they are spreading out mature messages (sxe, animal rights,personal change etc.) and seriously positive vibes. FocusedxMinds stand forbeing open-minded while being a straight edge kid. It is aboutself-determination refuting stagnation in any doctrines or submission to norms(even within a sub-culture).

I recallthe times when the straight edge community has suffered from ‘zero tolerance’mentalities and militant violence towards people who do not followstraight edge lifestyles. There is a difference between being passionate aboutyour beliefs and being blinded by them. In a passionate state you can goforward while in a blind condition you can become destructive andbackward-minded.

- Rigas

Links:

http://focusedxminds.tumblr.com/

http://www.last.fm/music/FOCUSEDxMINDS

http://www.facebook.com/FOCUSEDXMINDS

http://www.stereokiller.com/FocusedXMinds

http://focusedminds.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/focusedxminds

http://focusedxminds.bandcamp.com/

Another Hardcore Xmas: A TxYxS Story

2011-12-25T19:52:00.000+02:00

So... Merry Xmas everyone. Even if you see the whole Xmas thing as pure consumerist business, you too probably appreciate having time off work/school etc and kicking it with nice food and your favorite music, fighting with your family etc. And as this year is drawing to a close, I'll throw a quick recap of the year 2011 for our zine.

2011 has been very productive for Take Your Shot. Not only did we release our 4th issue, but the blog was also updated a lot more often compared to all previous years. The action picked up a lot, with constant communication with music fans, independent bands and labels from all around the world. We'd like to dedicate 2011 to them. I personally got introduced to a lot of good and heavy music through those people, and I am really grateful for that. There's no need to make a top-10 or anything like that... it's so hard to choose with all the good stuff hat came out during this last year.

During the last part of 2011, I feel as TxYxS has really found the purpose of its existence. And this purpose is very simple indeed, but also crucial: to merge ourselves with the worldwide DIY network, and become a mouthpiece for it. Since the areas we cover are often really diverse and whatnot (musically - artistically etc), you could say this was the missing link: the DIY/independent factor, which runs through every Metal, HC, whatever release we cover.

I see Take Your Shot as a journey through all things interesting, extreme, thought provoking, entertaining, even life changing. True story. Our path (metal, hc, punk, veganism, straight edge, anarchy, you name it) has the power to do that. Please don't hold it against us for not being strictly a "hardcore fanzine" any more. We cover what we like. As for me I, feel awesome and really blessed to have reached this point with this zine, and to have access to so much good and inspiring stuff. It's a blast!

Needless to say we will continue at full strength during 2012.

All the best, Fotis TYS

p.s. The Elvis song is a joke, by the way. How many punk covers of classic Xmas songs can we take anyway?

GROWN BELOW - "The Long Now" LP Review

2011-12-21T22:39:00.000+02:00

Grown Below is an exceptionally low and slow post-death metal band, and their new album The Long Now easily deserves to go in 2011's top metal albums. This monster of an album contains seven beautifully brutal songs, four of which exceed the 12 minute mark (the longest being a 17 min epic). Trust me when I say that this is enough to fill the plate of even the most exquisite extreme metal aficionado.

There is a multitude of surprises throughout this doom laden album, some of which being the use of violin, clean guitar parts and some scattered female vocals. But if that scares you away and you think that this is some type of melodic DM, you might want to think twice. This band is totally heavier than you can probably imagine, and belongs to a rare category of ambient and hypnotizing progressive post doom / death. References like DM versions of Neurosis and Cult of Luna come to mind, but for me there is one band that really has touched these depths before - and that band is Asunder. Members of Grown Below have also been in another band called Timer (which we obviously have to check out now).

Essentially, this music really seems to be a whole different genre than all other crushing types of extreme metal (which are fine, too). The difference is that it can go much deeper and touch areas in your mind that really trigger emotions and - how can we put it - nurture deep thoughts. What I hear definitely has a connection with the environment and the world around us, and this is a weird point to make -- because how can all this amplified noise have a connection with the natural earth? Yet, it does. I could imagine Grown Below giving epic 1:30 hour shows on a bill with other anarcho-crust and sludge/doom bands who share a similar philosophy.

Grown Below has this profoundly minimal take on their art, delivering thick layers of sound through multiple pillars of distortion, slow as fuck drums and totally harsh DM vocals. The music is so heavy and melancholic that at times it can become almost unbearable for the untrained. This brutally low combination has the power of throwing you in a whirlwind of emotions dark and spiritual in nature. Indeed, this album is very emotionally charged. But hidden in the noise and brutality, there come hints of powerful, distortion-drenched melodies that give you a chance to breathe and in a way become renewed. The Long Now is filled with subtle guitar effects and atmospheric keyboards, tribal build-ups with clean guitars and - last but not least - a strong bass which fills any possible aural space left. These are additional but definitely not dismissible facts about this album. This will be an hour + of music that you won't forget and you'll frequently come back to.

P.S. Remember to play LOUD.

http://grownbelow.bandcamp.com/album/the-long-now

Archetype - New EP Streaming

2011-12-20T12:29:00.001+02:00

In a world where metalcore gets increasingly more polished, it is very nice to hear bands still keeping it aggressive without compromising the most important elements of the metalcore genre: hardcore's intensity and passion combined with a metal character.

Archetype from Britain's Nottinghamshire manage to do the above. Sure they have some clean vocals, but for the most part they just plough on through with some chunky, brutal, downtuned metalcore. At times, the band gets so heavy and metallic that could even be termed deathcore (basically due to the excessive double bass drumming and the fat, discordant metal riffs). They have a chaotic and progressive dimension to their sound, which brings them close to bands like Time in Malta, Poison the Well, British contemporaries While She Sleeps and other metalcore bands with a progressive twist. However, Archetype - as their name suggests - have a unique stamp on what they do and they generally just nail it with this ep release.

Archetype are streaming their awesome new ep and you can check it out for free here. Make sure to give this groovy and extreme British metalcore powerhouse the time it deserves!

http://www.facebook.com/WeAreArchetype

Desolate by WeAreArchetype

Bitter American - 7" EP (Cricket Cemetery Records)

2011-12-17T14:01:00.000+02:00

Fuck I'm pissed off. And when I feel like this, the only legal way to vent is through some fast, angry, super pissed music. Bitter American is just like that; they have that ultra rough proto hardcore sound (think Black Flag, Bl'ast etc) but played with definitely more speed and dirt. The outcome is totally scorching and although it can make your ears bleed, it has a cleansing effect on your troubled head.

Bitter American's new 7" is another insane hardcore product of the profoundly noisy Cricket Cemetery records. The label specializes at releasing the dirtiest, trashiest (not thrashiest), meanest hardcore out there, and they do it with unique style. Bitter American is the perfect example of what the labels' all about. This band takes no punches and lands 4 short hardcore blasts of frantic drumming, short riffs, loud bass, and madman vocals. The outcome is a swift punch right in the middle of your face, leaving you on the floor wandering what just happened.

The 7" begins with a 28 second build up of feedback noise and incomprehensive drumming, leading up to the general chaos that takes place throughout the short 5 minutes that this ep lasts. Every song hits hard and straight to the point, with the last song packing a bit of, dare I say, melody to it. There is some type of tuneful guitar noodling oin the background, while the singer repeatedly spits the phrase my mind is a wrecking ball. Couldn't be more right on this one.

This is utterly and most definitely music for this bored generation; we have short attention spans, we are bored to death with all the shit people call entertainment, we desperately need to get out kicks and escape this mundane existence. We need bands like Bitter American to accompany our soundtrack and accomplish the above.

Bitter American will go down well with all fans of noisy hardcore, loud punk, maybe even those hipster fastcore / powerviolence freaks. It could also serve as the punk listen for grindcore and crust / dbeat fans. In fact, fuck it, this band should do justice all fans of extreme and pissed off culture. Get into it!

BITTER AMERICAN - "Infinate Tick" by Cricket Cemetery

And make sure to check the label Crick Cemetery here: http://cricketcemetery.com/home.html

Positively Positive Hardcore Punk Fest #5

2011-12-16T15:59:00.000+02:00

Positively Positive is a hardcore fest that has been taking place in the city of Athens every December for a good 5 years now. It has become a staple part of the Greek hc/punk scene, with the kids eagerly waiting to kickstart the holidays with this pre-Xmas hardcore show. Furthermore, the organizers make sure to bring some of the hottest DIY acts of the day, and make our time spent in An Club's basement worth the ride.

This year, the promoter decided to push the fest towards a more melodic hc/ punk rock direction, with a couple of awesome European bands and a few good local acts. Make sure to check it out!

For more info, check http://wakhc.blogspot.com

"Suicidal Pathway" - New song by Unveil!

2011-12-12T21:38:00.000+02:00

Unveil is a Swiss metallic hardcore band which proudly brings back the true 90s vegan straight edge sound and message. This poltically minded hardcore outfit functions within a deeply DIY HC/punk framework, constantly playing shows in all kinds of independent venues and releasing one good recording after the other. After a very well received demo and a bunch of 7"s (and split 7"s), Unveil is ready to release their debut full length album through a xCatalystx / Cobra Records collaboration. Make sure to check this scene-changing, highly influential band of our times, and don't say we didn't warn you when they've become a household name in hardcore. Political vegan straight edge hardcore is BACK in Europe!

Suicidal Pathway is a ne song that will be included in Unveil's new album. Make sure to give it a sneak peak through the player below!

Suicidal Pathway by unveil

http://xunveilx.com/
http://www.facebook.com/xunveilx

WORLD OF PAIN - New Album Hits Hard!

2011-12-07T13:49:00.001+02:00

World of Pain is a brutal style hardcore band, in the vein of early Hatebreed and 100 Demons. This San Diego outfit has a new album out on Beatdown Hardwear records that will crush you like it ain't no thing! What makes this band stand apart the thousands of boring beatdown acts is the fact that they actually have that tried and true, oldschool heavy hardcore sound that isn't so easy to come by these days. It takes knowledge and love of hardcore to pull this style off and not come off as another clone, and these guys manage to do it. There are plenty of metal elements here, but all molded into hardcore in such a way that you can't tell one from the other. This is just 100% mosh.

These guys stand tall alongside other contemporary HC heavyweights like Lionheart and of course the whole Beatdown Hardware roster of bands like Ruckus, Stout etc. This is the definite sound of worldwide heavy hardcore at its purest form. Their new, much awaited, self titled album is out now. Get it!

P.S. Props for the awesome japanese-style tattoo artwork which goes hand in hand with the intensity of this brutal HC musicv. Now go get it tattooed on you or something and start moshing!

www.facebook.com/worldofpainhc

www.facebook.com/beatdownhardwear

www.beatdownhardwear.de

Record Review: LIGEIA "Welcome to Palm City" (self-released)

2011-12-04T19:05:00.001+02:00

Ligeiareturn after a two-year hiatus and they choose the most direct way to reachtheir fans: by offering them their new record for free download. No record labels or other merchants in between, just the band andthe listener. I personally support this DIY attitude! This is also why I got intothis review. According to Keith Holuk (singer), this decision was a present toall the kids that supported them throughout the years. The download file containsalso a booklet with cover, lyrics, photos and info. Thumbs up!

Ligeiawas formed in Massachusetts,USA back in 2003. The group has 2 records with Ferret Music under its belt, 2006’s Your Ghostis a Gift and Bad News released in 2008. We are talkingabout a very experienced band that has managed to play over 600 shows in a 2-year periodbetween 2006 and 2009! That is to say they have the attitude of spreading theirmusic by playing all over the place wherever they can, which is respectable.

The EP kicks in quite fast andhard without wasting any moment. During the first half a minute of ‘SimulatedDrowning’ there is a newschool melodic hardcore passage ala Ruiner/Modern LifeIs War. Soon after different aspects oftheir music are coming into surface like the standard modern metalcore vocalranges (from pop punk to distorted screams). I need to mention the nice rockingriff at 01:20 leading to a breakdown. The song closes with a dramatichardcore melody and some poppy vocals on top. The second number ‘Two WeeksNotice’ is more typical metalcore style but has a drunken rocking touch thatreminds a bit of Every Time I Die.

Welcome to Palm City containssome memorable songs like the ‘Vodka Demon’ (with guest vocals from Drew Yorkof Stray from the Path) or moments like the driving riff at the beginning of‘Lie To Me’. The production is neat and clean by Jay DeLuca at The Bear’s Den studioand delivers what Ligeia wants, albeit it does not manage to move much from thestandard. Especially the rhythm section has the modern cliché plastic sound,although the musicianship is quite accomplished. However, there is more standout work on the guitars, they have an exceptionally versatile sound that is lessdistorted and more rocking in comparison.

Overall, this EP kept me hookedthroughout the listen, although I am not too much in this type of hardcoremusic. It marks some progress for the band since their last effort Bad News:they sound more ‘mature’, with improved guitar work and more serious lyrics. Whatmakes a difference with the rest of this overpopulated scene is the honesty ofthe band and their more melodic hardcore approach. At least, I prefer this EPthan the new super-selling overproduced metalcore stars The Devil Wears Pradaor Asking Alexandria not to mention Design The Skyline, who are all drenched insynths that remind impoverished black metallers like Dimmu Borgir.

I am thankful to Ligeia forsharing these 20 minutes of music with us! You can have it yourself here:

http://www.thebearsdenstudio.com/download.php

Rigas

www.myspace.com/ligeia

www.facebook.com/ligeiaband

Thrash Friday: LEGION OF PARASITES

2011-12-02T12:24:00.001+02:00

Legion of Parasites was a very noisy UK band that formed in 1981 and released three albums and an ep. Although they truly belonged in the political, crusty punk hardcore scene of their time, their sound is undeniably much closer to a proto-metal thrash sound that still sounds heavy and disturbing some 30 years later. All their recordings are different from each other, meaning that the production is totally different and that the band also fluctuated back and forth from metallic punk to the more traditional UK82 and anarchopunk sounds. This band has gone largely unnoticed throughout the history of heavy music, but I think that their contribution should be reconsidered and credited. Thrash it up with some original old school UK necro sound!

For some sparse info, you can visit www.myspace.com/legionofparasites. Moreover, the song below has been uploaded straight from vinyl (not by us) and it sounds just like it should, so enjoy!

Featured Bands: SICARII - Sheer Brutality & Pure Death

2011-12-01T13:03:00.001+02:00

Death metal is a style of music that just doesn't run out. No matter how trends come and go, there will always be bands who form with the sole intention of making some heavy, ugly music that destroys all in its path.

Sicarii is this type of uncompromising band. You won't know what hit you when these guys start delivering their guttural, sickly blasts. This mysteriously named outfit churns out pure death metal in a very punishing manner that could easily be termed as old school. Sicarrii dosn't make any use of contemporary DM musical trends like breakdowns, grindcore parts, burpy vocals and the lile. They have riff upon riff of twisted, heavy as fuck guitar work and groovy, brutal death metal patterns that groove like a motherfucker. This sick, blackened sound owes as much to Immolation as it does to Suffocation, and the reference points couldn't be better really for a DM band. We also have to give extra points for the awesome vokills, which stand out and make such a nasty wall of sound with the concrete guitar riffs. With songs like The Omega Tyrant and Bones of the Fallen, you can understand what this band is all about and that they don't sing about no happy stuff!

You can listen to some Sicarri samples for free on their social media. You can find them on http://www.reverbnation.com/sicarii666, their Facebook page and also click on DMMCOmpany's band page, to listen to the song Abort the Flesh and check out some awesome graphics which together will give you the complete Sicarii experience.

p.s. I had this on full volume and it made my cat mosh like crazy. Enough said.

Fotis TxYxS

Review: HEADED FOR DISASTER: "Jellyfish" EP (Self-Released)

2011-11-28T17:55:00.001+02:00

Right from the start, Headed for Disaster come at you swinging like a rabid bear that hasn't eaten for 10 days. They bust out one metallic punk hymn after the other, landing direct hooks on your already swollen head from too much extreme music. Yes, these guys are noise afficcionados and you gotta love them, really.

Now I should mention at first that these guys are Swedes; and in a way, this monstrous ball of aggression still wears the mark of this rock n roll generator of a country. The musicianship is ultra tight and way above average, I mean these guys can PLAY. They have one foot firmly rooted in 80s aggressive hardcore/punk, but at the same time embellish their sound with lots and lots of icing: straight up thrash, pure rock n roll touches, upbeat skater California punk (RKL, Suicidal Tendencies etc), Motorhead crusty dirt, Swedish punk n roll, epic heavy metal guitar harmonies, some melodic singing coupled with sparse crust/death metal growls, some hard rock singalongs in there somewhere too, and the list goes on. I mean... how do they pull it off? This sounds totally consistent yet it is all over the place!

This punk thrash outfit is like a huge lizard wearing an ST shirt and a backwards baseball cap, skating off a 40ft ramp with a cola in its hand, grinning in your ugly face. As the name says, destruction and disaster is the game here. This is real flaming rock n roll, by people who must live it in order to play it so well. These tunes are so hard and so tight, and have the perfect sense of urgency and emotion. What is more, Headed for Disaster have the power and ability to transmit this feeling to the listener, Yes... good music is always infectious and contagious and I'm glad to have listened to this.

The song below is from an older 2010 release, but I put it up here cause the song is rad and cause the cover for this video simply rules.

- Fotis TYS

also check:

http://hfdsweden.bandcamp.com/

http://soundcloud.com/hfdsweden/

Thrash Friday #1: ADRENICIDE

2011-11-25T13:40:00.001+02:00

From now and on, every Friday at TxYxS will be Thrash Friday! What that means is that we will post stuff about cool bands (current or from the past) that trhash it up and pack tons of energy and aggression. The reason we dedicate Fridays to thrash is because Friday marks the end of the week, the day everyone waits to get some time off and have fun. And what better way to encapsulate and celebrate this feeling with some balls to the wall, crazy fucking music!?

Here is some not forgetten thrash that worships all things DRI and Suicidal Tendencies. It's the mighty Adrenicide from rainy England with a 2011 thrashterpiece! A must listen...

http://www.adrenicide.com/
http://www.myspace.com/adrenicide1

p.s. All our sXe friends, don't worry about the beer worship either, we're sXe too but can still enjoy fun music.

Review: HARM's WAY "Isolation" (Closed Casket Activities)

2011-11-20T20:32:00.001+02:00

Harm’s Way play brutal hardcore, but unlike many peers,they are as solid and heavy as it can get without any melodic ear candies orother trendy elements inside. In the present album Harm’s Way put together the grooviestand heaviest styles from hardcore and metalcore, to transform them intoa sound uniquely theirs. You can be sure that this record is going to conquer yoursoundsystem in heavy rotations!

At first listen, Isolation does not sound that startlingor extraordinary, rather tardy worn out and cliché, nevertheless it grabbed mefrom the neck with its megatone heaviness. Slowly as the tracks went by, Istarted realizing that Harm’s Way stand out from the crowd of ‘chugga-chugga’thugs and copycats. Especially after listening the title track things got moreinteresting and addictive to the point that I kept repeating the tracks againand again. Isolation contains at least three of my favourite brutal hardcore numbers of the last years,namely ‘Breeding Grounds’, ‘New Beginnings’ and of course ‘Isolation’.

Here’s the recipe: 90’s mid-paced brutal hardcore ala BuriedAlive, Hatebreed, Strife, Terror, Naysayer etc., pounding open-chordprogressions reminiscent of Machine Head (‘The more things change’-period), Throwdown,Soulfly etc (but totally hardcore and personalized). They make some occasionaluse of thrashy but warm and tuneful Merauder-like riffing of MasterKiller era (pay attention to the 2:18 of ‘Slither’ or the starting riff of‘Pretender’). Thereare some influences from darker hardcore acts like Integrity or the newcomersXibalba but also slow downtuned boneshaking Crowbar grooves alongside doom hints.Yes, there are also breakdowns, but given in the band’s plodding and harshstyle.

All is delivered in Isolation under an ice cold,introvert yet devastatingly heavy prism with black & white aesthetics. Itis anguish, nihilism and soreness that drives Harm’s Way, not the streetattitude. It is not another band that produces plastic copy/paste patchworks bythe pound; the more you dive into Isolation, the more you realize that it isa cult album that paradoxically deviates from the standard macho style in spiteof its heaviness and dance parts. Even though Harm’s Way is a straight edgeband, this fact passes totally unnoticed throughout the record.

The songs are perfectly-crafted to reach their ends ofpulverizing despair and anger: riffs, moshing grooves, breakdowns put in justthe right place to create a flow of different tempos. The severe throaty vocalsare sparingly used to force repetitive abstract words into the music like nailsand make the crash absolutely harder (in ‘Becoming’ the phrase "cast a shadow.plead. freed" is repeated throughout the whole song). That is a real departurefrom the tiring endless screaming used by most bands nowadays.

There are also some more subtle elements that pushthis record even further like the 2:55 minute mark of the ‘New Beginnings’,where the open-chord groove is molded into pure distorted heaviness that bringssludge/drone mantras in mind (especially the opening riff of Torche’s ‘Chargeof the Brown Recluse’). When the vocals kick in the outcome is scorching! Another super effective creative detail is the mellow, quiet endof ‘Slither’ that has an Oceanic era Isis touch (and all the feelings ofdetachment and withdrawnness it denotes). It lasts only 50 seconds but isagain repeated in ‘Pretender’ (the album’s closer) which finishes off with a synth-assisted epic doom riff.

Isolation is honestly delivered, not overproducedbut it has definitely a crashing production (by Andy Nelson at BricktopStudios, mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering) and highly danceable groovesthat can tear any moshpit apart. Harm’s Way deliver mid-paced metallic hardcoreof monstrous heaviness; a homage to the 90’s with a reclusive personal twist.While they incorporate a dark image and a hard sound they do not mix manystyles (crust/black etc.) like other contemporaries do (see Rise & Fall,Oathbreaker, Trap Them, All Pigs Must Die etc.), they prefer to stay on thestraight side of brutal hardcore. Not a single note drifts away from hardcoresound, rather all instruments are packed together like a fist of concrete.Thumbs up also for the great cover illustration by John MacNair!

Harm’s Way have been always changing, steadilyfocusing their sound on what culminated into Isolation, which is by far theirbest effort to date. Since it is a relatively young band, the expectations are sky-highfor their next steps. I would besurprised if there are any bands out there that can do any better metallichardcore than these guys from Chicago.

Harm’s Way previousdiscography:

(2007) Imprisoned 7’’ EP(Organized Crime records, Tooth Decay Records)

(2009) Reality Approaches(Organized Crime records)

(2010) No gods, NoMasters EP (Closed Casket Activities)

- Rigas

http://www.facebook.com/harmsxway
http://www.closedcasketactivities.com/

Featured Bands: NOOSE - Chicago Straight Edge

2011-11-19T13:50:00.001+02:00

Noose is a vegan straight edge band from Chicago US. Their 2010 demo has created quite a lot of noise in the worldwide undergound HC scene, and for a good reason: these guys play no frills, pissed off hardcore that is not easy to come by these days! Their music takes us right back to a proto-HC sound reminiscent of Boston HC like SSD and maybe some faster shit like Infest. Even the production sounds like it was recorded in a crappy studio sometime in the 80s - and that's a good thing!

What is awesome about Noose is the sheer intensity of their sound, which - argue as much as you want - only old school hardcore music can deliver. It's so great to find out bands with this trademark sound in this rotten day and age! The band is now signed on React! Records and their new record will be out soon.

Check their site below because they post all kinds of cool stuff, like photos from their shows, links to other cool HC shit (zines, bands etc), merch, tour updates etc. Also, make sure to listen to their Fuck Art/No Respect demo.

http://noosexchicago.blogspot.com/

Review: DEUS OTIOSUS "Murderer" (American Line/FDA Records)

2011-11-18T17:14:00.001+02:00

It is just great to see death metal bands taking their music seriously. Any bunch of deathcore kids who wanna have fun can learn to play brutal and fast after some years of listening to Relapse bands and practicing; but the bands that ultimately stand out from the pack are the ones which have something more worthwhile, the ones with members who live and breathe real Death Metal all their lives. I'm talking about bands that can creep into your subconscious mind and make a nasty home in it. And Deus Otiosus is such a band.

There is a big difference between just banging out some solid DM tunes with the right ingredients (death growls, heavy riffs, double bass drums etc), and making a piece of real unearthly, sick, and disgustingly dark music. While Deus Otisius do have all the right ingredients for sure, they fall into the latter category of true deathsters, and have offered the world a true old school DM masterpiece.

Their brand of DM goes way back to the roots of old school death metal. That means really brutal, with a thick wall of sound created by the the solid guitar riffage, 100% DM vocals and a crazy drummer blasting out necro beats in the background. What I mean by 'necro' is that the beats are not hyper fast, more like an exchange of mid tempo/fast parts, but coupled with a punishing and selective use of the double bass. If you want references of what this albums sounds, then I'd have to drop in some names like early Death, Apshyx, Sinister, Bolt Thrower, maybe even rocking stuff like Entombed and Dismember. At times, these guys seem to black/thrash it a little bit in the old school style like Possessed, Celtic Frost etc. And that, my friends, is where the real inferno is at.

While Deus Otisius plays straight out DM, they manage to create a ghastly atmosphere without the use of long interludes, keyboards, or any other extras. They manage to collectively use their instruments, lyrics and layout in such a way as to create a real deathly atmosphere that drives your mind into hellish images, cold cemetaries and ghouls running amuck. Some of the riffs have an epic feel to to them and create a war/battlefield atmposhere, hence the Bolt Thrower influence I mentioned earlier. These are some of the parts that really start growing on you after you give this record a few listens.

To sum it up, I'll leave you with a line that the band itself used in order to promote the album: "twisted death metal with the reek of the damned". This is what it is!

PROS: Total old school feel, great vox, some truly epic guitar riffs, nice production, high level of brutality.

CONS: None, but strictly for DM fans

LOWDOWN: A true DM album for those who worship the roots of this music.

Record Review: RETOX "Ugly Animals" (Ipecac recordings/Three One G)

2011-11-16T19:04:00.001+02:00

Retox, seems to be anotherproject band of Justin Pearson (mainly known for his presence at thenoise-chaotic-grindcore band The Locust) and their new album…kick ass! I‘ll tryto explain myself by telling you a story.

You press the playbutton and after 13 minutes you wonder what the fuck blew your head away. Ittakes less than a quarter of an hour so you wonder. Is this possible? You pressthe play button again. Same result. Then you realize…it’s true….it‘s reallyhappening. Retox, with their first full-length album Ugly Animals succeededto produce something brilliant. They had warned us one year ago with therelease of their self-titled EP and now they come back with an excellentperformance again.

An amount of somenoise punk/hardcore filled with drops of crust/fastcore and with lots ofenergy, sickness and creativity, Tragedy meets Some Girls and Cursed meets MeltBanana. Everything coordinated, everything in its right place.

I don’t think I haveto say anything else to describe something so straight forward and direct like“Ugly Animals”. I believe that it’s better to listen to the album instead ofspending time reading this review.

Nick Tolis

Old School Tattoo flash, by Dean Denney

2011-11-14T16:33:00.001+02:00

If you're like me, you can never, ever have enough tattoo flash to stare at and get inspired from. Traditional tatto flash is amazing as a contemporary art piece, as inspiration for those of us who draw, and of course as ideas for our next tatttoo! Get it done!

http://deanieweanie.com

News: Youth of Today free show in NYC!

2011-11-14T13:29:00.001+02:00

2011 seems to be the most energetic yearfor Youth of Today since their reunion in 2008, but their latest show was aspecial event! They recently headlined the free re-release event/festival forthe book ‘Making a Scene: New York Hardcore 1985-1988’ book, which originallycame out back in 1989. The book is nowrevamped with more than double photographic material, new commentaries etc. Youcan check it out through the following links:

http://www.makingascenebook.com/

Making a Scene Facebook Page

The festival was entitled True Til Def andwas held at Santos Party House in the context of the annual CMJ music marathon,hosted by Andrew W.K. (musician/speaker/owner of the venue). Other bands thatplayed the True Til Def festival were youth crew holdovers Mouthpiece,notorious punks Trash Talk as well as heavies Kylesa and The Fucking Wrath(some indie rock and hip hop artists also appeared). The festival was free,with placed reservations.

Hit this link to see YoT rampage the stage:

Check out some photos from True Til Def here.

further links:

http://www.last.fm/music/Youth+of+Today

http://www.truetilldef.com/

http://www.cmj.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_W.K.

Rigas

Things that happen at Youth of Today shows

REBEL 8: LA Streetstyle Worldwide

2011-11-13T15:48:00.001+02:00

REBEL 8 is a clothing company close to the heart of hardcore kids. The company was founded in 2003 and since then it has been making awesome streetwear that stems from graffiti, tattoo and skateboard culture (3 things closely affiliated with hardcore music as well).

The mastermind behind REBEL 8 is the infamous graffiti and tatto artist, Mike Giant. He is one of the guys that take their creativity to the next level, managing to carve a new niche by doing what they love, even though it might not be so popular when they start out. People like Mike Giant are all about utilizing their talents and seeing the possibilites that an underground culture may have. This Buddhist, party animal, bike lovin', legend of an artist has managed to use the things he loves in life to his advantage and has built REBEL 8 into a respectable compamy based on Giant's all original, most characteristic - still hand-drawn - design. Go to www.rebel8.com and educate yourself on some loud street culture!

News: RINGWORM strike back with 2 cult 7’’ EPs!

2011-11-11T15:58:00.001+02:00

Legendary clevo-core heavyweightsRingworm release a split EP with crossover metalcore merchants Mindsnare fromAustralia! The 7’’ titled Your Soul Belongs To Us, is provided by A389Records and includes a mini comic book illustrated by the Human Furnace (the singer) himself! We expect some rough & dark quality metalcore here! Rumours saythat in this 7’’ Ringworm continue their vile metalcore legacy!

For those who do not knowMindsnare, they have released split albums with Toe To Toe and Congress (H8000crew rules!!!) while they have shared the stage with bands like Sick Of It All,Agnostic Front and of course Ringworm.

At the same time A389 Recordsreleased almost another Ringworm 7’’, this time based on a 1999 demo cassette.It is titled Madness Of War and islimited to 250 copies! It comes with a nice ‘chaos’ layout! Thepartisans will proceed I guess..:)

-Rigas

regalbigal [at] yahoo [dot] com

www.a389records.com/

http://www.last.fm/music/Ringworm

http://www.facebook.com/Ringworm13

http://www.last.fm/music/Mindsnare

http://www.reverbnation.com/mindsnare

News: Earth Crisis live show at Hate5Six!

2011-11-10T13:32:00.000+02:00

EARTH CRISIS rule, and you already know that. This band doesn't need a special introduction as it has established a legendary status and a solid heritage after years of dedication and hard work. The 2011 album Neutralize The Threat (soon to be reviewed here at TxYxS) is a scorching heavy metallic hardcore record that brings us back to the golden days of 90s hardcore. EC has been touring to support the album throughout most of the current year, wrecking venues and spreading the vegan straight edge message to old and new HC kids alike. You can visit the awesome hardcore website Hate5Six (they shoot entire HC shows from well known bands and stream them for free) and watch EC do their thing at a recent show!

With so much of today's hipster hardcore flooding the music media, it's definitely good to still have bands like Earth Crisis. Let's stay with the real, heavy, original hardcore sound and message!

Featured Bands: NunFuckRitual (Oslo, Norway)

2011-11-09T23:53:00.000+02:00

Fucking hell!

Every now and then I like to throw a little something that derails from the classic hardcore/metal stuff we post on this blog. Above all, we are into heavy music that makes an impact and when I listen to something too good and too extreme, I want to share it with the people who read this blog. Moreover, You have to do what you can to spread the word on bands that are making awesome music. BUT, this is the 1st time I ever post something from the black metal realm on this blog. However, this is totally worth it as it is pioneering, brutal, atmospheric BM that will make the hair at the back of your neck stand up. It's that scary.

NunFuckRitual is a Norwegian BM outfit (from Oslo), which however has nothing to do with the BM tradition of this country (musically at least). The black metal we have here is creepy and atmospheric, maybe even psychedelic. However, it maintains a pretty fucking high level of extremity. Perhaps the whole outcome musically and aesthetically points to something more American BM-influenced. Or maybe the Nordic tribes of BM are at it again, reinventing the whole sound of this genre.

NFRitual has released an album in 2011 called In Bondage to the Serpent, you should check it out if you are into weird, extreme BM. Fucking go for it, listen to something that will creep you out!

https://www.facebook.com/NFRITUAL
http://www.myspace.com/nunfuckritual
http://www.debemur-morti.com/ (label website)

Interview: BEAR (Belgium, Let It Burn Records)

2011-11-09T21:27:00.001+02:00

A few days ago we did a review for Belgian progressive hardcore/metal pioneers BEAR (their Doradus lp on Let it Burn Records). In fact, we got so excited with this album that one thing led to another and we ended up doing an interview with these guys. We managed to steal some time ftom those brainiac metallic hardcore kids in order to learn some more about this monster of a band that answers to the name BEAR.

1. What music did you grow up with and what is the process that led to having such a varied musical landscape? Do you have any formal music backgrounds? Were you in other bands before?

I think I speak for all of us when I say we grew up listening to more heavy music, but learned to appreciate and love all kinds of other stuff during the years. Like funk, free jazz, flamenco...everything that is played with heart or brings something else to the table. That reflects in the music we write. Unavoidably you get influenced by everything you listen to. If you only listen to one kind of music the chances are big you won't be able to step out of that mindframe and get caught in repetition. We were all in other bands before, bringing those experiences into BEAR makes that we can work more focused.

2. What is you it want to achieve with BEAR? Is there a message behind the band and if there were three words to describe BEAR as a whole, what would they be?

We just love to play the music that we do. And like every other band we like to see people enjoy our music. It would be cool to see BEAR influence other musicians or bands in what way so ever. We don't really have a message other than do what you love and believe in, do your own thing, Three words that could describe us would probably be : Non typical metal !

3. Tell us a few things about the recording process and your cooperation with Let It Burn Records.

The recording process was fun! It's awesome to hear the things you've been working on for a couple of months come together on an album. We recorded at Red Left Hand Studio with Sven Janssens who is a good friend of ours. He knew what we wanted, we trusted him so we just went for it. The album was recorded and mixed in 2 weeks and we're all stoked about the way it came out. As for Let it Burn we couldn't have wished for more at this point. Chris (the label boss) totally believes in us and was willing to give a band that was only playing for like 6 months or so a record deal. That says a lot!

4. Do you do music as a hobby or do you want to take it a step further in the future? Would you like to have music as your normal job (which is..)?

Well I think when you've been playing in bands all your life like us it isn't just a hobby. And of course we would like to take it as far as possible with BEAR. We love to play together, we've got something going on so it would be a shame to just let it hang. As far as 'normal' jobs go... well I make a living teaching guitar in music schools so I couldn't ask for more :) Our bass player is a teacher too and our drummer and singer are working in the 'graphic design' department.

5. I've seen some crazy action going on from your live videos. How hard is it to maintain top notch musical accuracy while moshing so hard?

Haha, good question! Well, let's say there are certain parts you can let it go and certain parts you have to stay focussed hard on what you are playing. You kind of make out for yourself which are the 'easy go crazy parts' and the 'shit I wish I hadn't made this so technical parts' haha. All of us have kind of a reputation of going bonkers on stage from our previous bands so we've had some good practice in the old days.

6. What are listening to nowadays? Do you still listen to metal and hardcore or have turned to other stuff?

My personal taste has always been a bit eclectic. I like music or bands that try to do something else. We all are big Dillinger and Meshuggah fans. But then again I can enjoy a good Katy B track much more than the umpteenth breakdown hardcore band. And as I said before, you need to keep an open mind to evolve. Serch our drummer and Dries our bassist still also listen to a lot of hardcore stuff aswel as other things. What can i say, when it's good... it's good.

7. What are your main likes and dislikes about the modern metal/hardcore music scene (both industry and people-wise)?

It's cool to see a lot of hardcore/metal bands trying to do their own thing, without copying other bands. More and more kids are trying to make their mark. And you make your mark by standing out, you stand out by doing something else. The only thing we don't like is narrow mindedness but you have that in every scene.

8. What are your current and near future plans with BEAR?

Well currently we are trying to get our record DORADUS heard everywhere as much as possible by playing gigs, doing interviews :). Trying to get it as much media exposure as possible. We'll probably shoot a second music video to support the album. Near plans: well we are already starting to write music for our next album. So we'll be working on that in our spare time.

9. If you were going traveling for a year and could only take one tape with you with 2 albums recorded on it, what would they be?

Damn, that's a tough one! Well it would probably be the things I'm listening to currently being: Camaron (great Spanish singer) and Karnivool (Sound Awake).

10. Do you have any other interests aside from music, i.e. art / photography / literature / politics whatever? How do you spend your free time?

Well yeah, we all have our non musical hobbies. But they are all in the creative sector too. I'll just give you a list of some of our free time spendings: basketball, martial arts, photography, comic books, b-movies, drawing, designing, eating, ... yup a whole lot o' other stuff :)

11. Thanks for the interview and for the great music!!! Please close this interview by telling TYS readers how the new BEAR record will benefit their world.

No prob! You're gonna love it or hate it, either way you will have discovered something new!

Right! So I will just close this by saying a big thanks to everyone involved in this interview: BEAR, Chris Let It Burn, as well as, the guy who took these awesome pix. Music speaks louder than words so remember to check BEAR on their social media. You will be rewarded with some awesome music and remember, these guys BREAK STUFF!

Harley Flanagan: the Cro Mags Legend Continues

2011-11-06T22:45:00.003+02:00

The CRO MAGS have got to be one of the (if not THE) most legendary bands in hardcore. When we say "hardcore", we generally mean stuff that sounds like the CRO MAGS, no matter the diversions and trends that have emerged throughout the years. That's the sound that's always been, and that's the sound that's gonna continue to inspire kids to go hardcore and make their own music and bands, now and forever.

Throughout the yeats, a lot of energy has been spent on debating who the true leader of the CRO MAGS really is. Is it the legendary Harley Flanagan (bass/vocals) or is it the iconic Jon Joseph (vocals)? The truth is that, during various times in hardcore history the CRO-MAGS have been led by both members collectively, and have also been led by Harley and Jon independently, to the point that there have been two CRO MAGS at the same time. Fans and people in bands seem to part in to two directions with the legacy of this legend of a band still remaining out there for generaitons of kids to discover and enjoy again and again.

As hardcore fan I've never cared too much about this debate, cause to be honest I look up to both of these guys. Jon has the crazy Krishna holy vegan warrior thing going on, while Harley is the embodiment of hard as nails, bad ass hardcore attitude and a killer martial artist. And because we at TYS zine tend to take sides (unlike many other fence sitters), I will go and say that judging from these guys' general precence in hardcore throughout the years, I have come to personally think Harley really is the CRO MAGS. When I look at Harley, all I know is that this guy is for real, he's 100% hardcore and he doesn't claim the CRO MAGS' legacy for the money.

I will leave this here and take it to the music which as always, speaks best. Many people don't know that the CRO MAGS released two killer songs in 2010 with Harley on vocals (and on bass, of course). This last output is totally influenced by their early classic stuff, and especially by the thrashy Best Wishes album. Here is a track that, in case you've missed, you should definitely check out.

Books: Think. "A Compilation of Cheap Poetry, Lyrical Crap, Words and Images"

2011-11-06T21:49:00.000+02:00

Compared to the amount of countless records and demos constantly coming out from the hardcore scene, there is definitely a lack of zines and books coming out of that same scene. Think. is an independent publication emerging from the Greek HC punk scene which breathes some fresh air in this music-oriented scene.

Think. is a small book which features short poems, lyrics, opinion articles and photos. It falls under the personal publication category, and while some of the abovementioned features are in one way or another related to hardcore, most are purely personal and introspective. In fact, I'd say that most of the material in this book is a way of the author venting his emotions on personal issues like friendship, relationships, depression, loneliness, money, politics, growing up, bittersweet feelings about the scene, etc. I happen to personally know this guy and hardcore is his whole life, so it is kind of interesting to read and find out what kind of mark some 10 years in the scene have left on him.

The opinion articles in this zine are more positive in relation to the poems; they are mostly guest articles written for friends' zines trhoughout recent years (including an article featured in Take Your Shot #4!). They are uplifiting and sometimes pissed off articles about getting active in hardcore, maintaing your integrity and passion, and acting with sincerity and common sense. The zines that the articles were published in are scattered pretty much all across the world, so here is a nice way to think about how hardcore can take your words and thoughts, and pass them on around the globe.

This book is a hardback edition, printed in black & white and even though the layout is quite artistic and minimal, THINK. looks more like the type of peace anarchist publication you'd find on a DIY merch table at a crustcore show. That's cool! In fact, the author makes a point about avoiding any form of artsy/hipster wannabe status and I couldn't agree more.

Like I said the author is a friend and a long time colleague in hardcore activities, so it's hard to take these words in without thinking who's behind it all. I have to pretend I am someone else reading some guy's I don't know work, so that the words speak straight to my heart (and indeed, that's how I read this book). Maybe in a way I don't want to accept that a stand up guy I know has his own issues and anxieties, so even bigger thumbs up to him for making such an all-out, honest and fearless expression of his thoughts.

http://thinkisforthinkers.tumblr.com/

Featured Bands: SLEEPING GIANT

2011-11-05T18:49:00.001+02:00

SLEEPING GIANT is an insane metalcore band which calls Redlands, CA home. They play brutal metalcore with huge breakdowns that hit way harder than most metalcore bands out there today. Luckily for us, they don't go down the clean vocal path and just deliver sheer vocal brutality with all kinds of growls and variously pitched screams. Another thing that may hit kinda hard about this bruising hardcore machine, is that they are a heavily outspoken Christian band. The amount of good Christian hardcore bands out there is unbelievable, and more often than not they seem to produce some of the heaviest, hardest music. It's hard to figure out how a bunch of devout kids can make such extreme music. Of course, we know that Christian hardcore bands don't usually get the acceptance of hc kids, but if we can judge hardcore for the intensity of the music and the integrity of the lyrics, SLEEPING GIANT is the real deal!

These guys compare their music to a soundtrack for the judgement day or the apocalypse. The destruction of this world is what fascinates them to create their music (and that's pretty dark, if you ask me!)

All in all, we don't care what you say, these guys are awesome and make great music!

Trivia: All SLEEPING GIANT members were at some point in the legendary straight edge deathcore band xDEATHSTARx.

http://myspace.com/sleepingxgiant

http://twitter.com/sleepingxgiant

http://www.facebook.com/sleepinggiant

SPED - "Dad I Learned it From Watching you" (Self Released)

2011-11-03T13:20:00.004+02:00

Sped is an unusual treat for us at TYS. This NYC punk band manages to crank up the fun factor and combine the grit and the melody in a very catchy way. Just listen to these 12 songs of snotty punk and you'll find out (or better, remember) a sense of freedom and wildness that only true punk rock music can deliver!

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Today punk is filled with bands made up of kids who perhaps grew up listening to a newer generation of punk bands, which unfortunately is not always true to the roots of this music. Gladly, this is not the case with Sped. At all. This band plays real, tuneful punk rock that takes us way back to a time when punk was dirty and in your face. These three-chord tunes are distorted, fun and straight to the point. Without crossing over to crust punk or anarcho-punk, these NYC dudes manage to get the job done and create a sufficient amount of damage!

It's interesting to observe how his record nods to various directions of punk; it has the uptempo punk/core songs, it has the poppier moments and also its mid tempo groovers. the first thing I think about when I hear this is Dee Dee Ramone, plain and simple. There are also other influences, like Rancid, Screeching Weasel and many many others. These guys follow the tradition of lowlife punx who want to write catchy and snotty music. Maybe Sped isn't crazily innovative or anything, but you can tell they have fun making this music and they do what they do well and with commitment.

There is something in this record that will send your mind straight to the dirty roads of New York and make you think of love stories, fist fights, drunken nights and being up all night. This album has a school theme throughout too, which fits nicely with the dirty punk attitude. Can you relate to being the odd punk kid at school, feeling out of place, being always late, falling asleep in the classroom? Maybe even getting drunk at school? Ha ha. For most of us this shit is history, but these guys have made an album for this kind of stuff.

So! If you like your mid paced punk laced with teenage attitude but also filled with spikes and worn out clothes, then this is for you. It's a nice break from all the metal and hardcore. Sped will do you some good.

UPs: following a not so trendy punk tradition, crazily catchy songs like "Jenni's Got a Nosebleed".

DOWNs: lack of originality and perhaps the school theme gets too much at some point

LOWDOWN: Snotty punk rock with tiny hints of hardcore and a careless attitude!

Record Reviews: SSS "Problems to the Answer" (Earache Records)

2011-11-01T11:11:00.001+02:00

SSS are a bunch of English hardcore dudes who probably loved their skateboards and thrash too much. They have been delivering blistering crossover thrashcore since the late 00s and have been doing it better than many 'thrash revival' muppets. They have a new album on Earache Records, which is a total scorcher! Review by Rigas (rigalbigal [at] yahoo [dot] com).

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Do you think there is a gap between NYHC, fast oldschool trash metal, crossover, fastcore and grind? Well, SSS (meaning Short Sharp Shock – not Super SS or other nazi stuff) are filling this niche pretty well with their 3^rd full length. No fancy stuff, no polished production - just music straight in your face and I appreciate that. These guys from Liverpool, UK manage to pack 25 songs in 41 minutes, hence most of the numbers are less than 2 minutes long.

The first song ‘The First Kill’ starts in an oldschoool Crossover / thrash manner akin to SOD, Whiplash, Slayer and Dark Angel. The vocals are shouted, reminding me Billy Milano (SOD), Roger Miret (Agnostic Front) and a bit of Ray Cappo (Youth of Today) but also Benediction in the few death metal growls. The second song is a short r’n’r d-beat tune while the third is a 15 second fastcore blast reminiscent of Cause for Alarm (self-titled 7’’), but also newer acts like early Bratpack. The fourth song ‘Laughing leads to crying’ is again somewhere between crust and NYHC while the following ‘White bread’ is a grindcore injection. Obviously, there is quite some variation between tracks. I heard even a Suicidal Tendencies style crossover in ‘Tales out of school’. ‘Direct Action’ could be the last snap before activists hit the streets! :) The last song ‘Strangenotes’ is a long experimental closer for the album, but it did not impress me.

Overall, although Problems to the Answer is not totally groundbreaking, it has a lot of stimulating moments like ‘Foreign Body Plot’ which is really a punk-thrash-crust crossover or the throwback thrash of ‘Sick Pleasures’. The vocals are fitting all needs of the songs, the bass is quite pronounced & pummeling and the music is altogether well-executed. SSS seem to possess a vast knowledge of U.S. hardcore punk and everything crossover plus they put a good deal of effort in this release, taking care of the songwriting and the general flow of the record.

Compared to their previous releases, this time they come with more speed (grind!), tempo shifts and variety, something which is positive. I think crossover thrashing skaters will appreciate this release as it is easy-to-follow straight music. Don’t leave your brains on the pavement! SSS continue their crossover revival discography carry keeping the tradition of crossover in the new age, where ‘the armies of punk rock and thrash metal finally come together into a unified front bent on exposing social injustice and political hypocrisy’.

News: MY TURN Berlin mini tour

2011-10-28T12:27:00.001+03:00

Hey! The reason why this blog is kind of quiet during the end of this week is that yours truly is away in Germany for a couple of shows with the band My Turn. For now, make sure to check http://myturnhc.blogspot.com/ for the mini tour diary blog and we will be back with you with more ferocious hardcore and metal very very soon!

Record Reviews: BEAR "Doradus" (Let It Burn Records)

2011-10-24T18:10:00.001+03:00

Naming your band "BEAR" is all good when you actually make music that sounds like a huge fucking bear landing on your head!

And this is the case here. These wild Belgians have managed to take the hardcore/metal background and shoot it to the moon. In my book, their new album entitled Doradus deserves a place right up there with the essentials of tecnhnical and progressive hardcore/metal like Coalesce, Curl Up and Die, early Converge, etc. Putting the cherry on the cake for us, Bear also manage to produce some huge sounding, epic moshing rock (or rocking mosh) that is catchy and tuneful, and goes down well any time of the day. It's awesome to hear some music that retains the true hardcore fury of previous époques, but also goes the extra mile, maintaing an equally badass and intellectual feel all the way through.

When a band plays such an interesting mix of sounds, the production that coats the music is always crucial. On Doradus, Bear packs a crystal clear production sound that creates a wrecking ball out of the twisted metallic riffs and groovy drum patterns; Everything crumples under the undisputed pressure of this solidly built destruction machine! The songs are pretty short for this genre (around the 3 minute mark), which is a good thing. However, Bear manage to squeeze in all the power, intensity and passion in each and every song, as they scoop the best elements from deathcore, progressive/post hardcore, djent, and even good old black metal.

The most important thing that this record reminds us, is that even though it's good to take different elements and mix them into the melting pot, balance and composure (sic) are also essential. It's no good to have an album that sounds like it's made up of guest musicians. That is to say identity is all important for a band, and Bear have that in check. They manage to unite all the influences into something we can simply call hardcore/metal, and which isn't overly progressive and/or tiring. Congrats to Let it Burn records for having a band like this on its roster! I am super happy to see hardcore music still making a progess without losing its touch! Check this shit out!

www.facebook.com/bearpropaganda

UPs: Super tight playing, super groovy rhythms, good catchiness factor without going pop, brutal and heavy without being chaotic.

DOWNs: None that I can find.

LOWDOWN: Diligent metallic hardcore making a tour de force, celebrating all extreme music.

Record Reviews: THE SOUTHERN ORACLE - "Hellwakening" (Let It Burn Records)

2011-10-24T17:09:00.003+03:00

The Southern Oracle is a band which juggles brutal metalcore and deathcore with such precision and technicality, that will surely delight the needs of most modern metal (and some hardcore) fans.

Hellwakening is indeed a hell of an album. It's filled with heavy metallic riffs and stompy beatdowns that succeed one in other in a very relentless and warlike manner. There is enough speed, heaviness and ferocity spat out, which will have you going for the "repeat" many times over as a result. Maybe at first, this album is a bit of a handful and sounds a bit long for the inexperienced listener, because of all the complex riffs and constant changes in the songs (and the slight lack of catchiness). However, there is no letting up by these Hungarians; just merciless metalcore pounding! What this actually means is that you have to work on the record by giving it your time and attention. In other words, it's a solid, mature, real metal record.

A thing you shouldn't be looking for in this record is clean vocals. These Hungarian dudes keep it heavy all the way through and resist going out like the majority of metalcore bands, which can't resist the pop element (i.e. The Devil Wears Prada, We Came As Romans etc). Therefore albeit having their melodic riffs, this album often departs from metalcore territory and kind of dwelves more into technical deathcore stuff. In a way, it transcends both these genres. Some of the riffs are melodic and technical, while others are more proper death metal oriented. There is something for everyone (except the emo kid).

This album also has a nice production that takes it away from the usual beatdown and metalcore stuff, and roots it firmly in a more metallic tradition. Therfore, fans of The Haunted and Heaven Shall Burn will definitely enjoy this more than fans of whatever modern metalcore is the flavor of the day out there. Nevertheless, there is enough beatdown to keep all the beatdown junkies satisfied, for sure. Add some nice layers of horror atmosphere, guest vocals by Darkest Hour and Bridge To Solace members, great looking artwork by Dyer Baizley (or someone else?), and you get a very enticing package indeed.

http://hu-hu.facebook.com/thesouthernoraclehu

UPs: Awesome production, very high technical skills, good exchange of dual vocals (high and low pitched), decent amount of brutality.

DOWNs: Not enough innovation going on here, not very catchy or memorable enough songs.

LOWDOWN: Technical but mature metalcore/deathcore for the metal fan.

Featured Bands: THE EYES OF A TRAITOR

2011-10-21T13:19:00.004+03:00

THE EYES OF A TRAITOR is a superb metallic hardcore band from Hertfordshire, England. Their unique blend of all good things metalcore is aswesomely brutal and mercilessly delivered, but also brings a hint of a mysteriously dark / new age feel. The above element enables them clearly depart from your typical US metalcore sound. With their brand new 4-track ep on Reprogrammed to Hate Records, TEOAT have reprogrammed avant garde metalcore and taken it to new levels of extremity and commitment. British hardcore astonishes once again.

http://www.facebook.com/traitorUK

Live Show: Athens Hardcore Matinee

2011-10-21T12:50:00.000+03:00

Live shows with a strict hardcore/punk focus are super fucking rare in the Greek indie music scene. The lack of a scene and bands playing old school hardcore, has pushed the few bands that do this style kind of play as the odd band in punk, metal etc shows. Therefore, it's totally awesome and new to have a show with bands that play strictly old school, straight to the point hardcore. It's great to have most of the Greek bands who play OSHC do a show together. So, tonight, forget about the crisis and make your way to the An Club if you live in Athens!

Flyer: Diablo F.E.S.T

2011-10-19T14:59:00.002+03:00

Just check out the bands on this bill: Murphy's Law, Skarhead, Lordz of Brooklyn... all NYHC! There is also a certain Darkside NYC playing, which is such a infamous and extreme fucking band. Possibly the band that started the whole death metal/hardcore, deathcore etc phenomenon back in the day. Make sure to check them out!

News: Comment Section Enabled!

2011-10-19T14:53:00.002+03:00

Go ahead and "Say Anything"

Video: The Hundredth "Desolate"

2011-10-19T14:41:00.002+03:00

The Hundredth is an up & coming progressive/post hardcore metal band, with the above description not exactly explaining how heavy and awesome these guys really are. They are on Mediaskare Records and currently tour with some Reaper Records bands, like Backtrack and Take Offense. This shows that even though The Hundredth may flirt with the mainstream HC/metal scene (professional videos, some clean choruses thrown in etc) they are still down with the ol' core. Enjoy this cool video!

Record Review: LTW "Total Carbage" 7"

2011-10-15T18:41:00.002+03:00

Cricket Cemetery is a US label that specializes in discordant, scorching hardcore punk that is definitely a step ahead of today's standards. The label is releasing one crucial 7" after the other, attacking the world with beautifully incomprehensible hardcore noise that goes unmatched in the current HC/punk (and even metal) scenes. This is our first Cricket Cemetery review, for the band LTW.

The phantom HC outfit which goes under the name of LTW is a perfect example of the label's dilapidated take on hardcore, as their Total Garbage 7" brings the noise like it aint no thing. LTW deliver three relentless hardcore blasts of rabid drumming, loud as fuck basslines, demented barked vocals and a production sound that is dirtier than CBGB's toilet.

What is really going on here is a demolition and reorganization of hardcore's bare essentials: short punk riifs, explosive layers of distortion and crazy breakneck rhythms. This ultra-sped Black Flag bastard of a son is combined with tons of feedback, well placed psychedelic breaks and some silent parts that indeed leave you wandering "what the fuck?" For sure, this would go down better with fans of powerviolence, fastcore, grind etc compared to the typical hardcore fan.

I guess Cricket Cemetary reinvents the hardcore of a new generation and, quite possibly, this is what the hipsters will soon be listening to (hopefully not). In either case, my ears hurt!

http://cricketcemetery.com/

Ups: a new style, 100% craziness and a rawness you can't debate

Downs: too dirty for some

Lowdown: maniac hardcore that you can either take or not

News: Sheer Terror new album "Spite"

2011-10-13T13:15:00.003+03:00

Sheer Terror is one of the most classic - and most underrated - bands when it comes to NYHC/punk. They are also one of the first bands to incorporate heavy vocals in hardcore and bring a distinct heavy metal element in punk rock and hardcore in general. They've had a somewhat notorious fame in hardcore, mainly due to their anti-positive, hateful approach to, well... everything!

photo by Jammi York, from Sheer Terror's FB page

After many years of laying low, Sheer Terror strikes again in 2011 with a new album on up and rising Reaper Records (home for Madball and Terror amongst others). On this brand new album with the apt title Spite, Sheer Terror deliver a bunch of their trademark, pissed off hardcore blasts; however, there are also some mid-tempo, streetcore/punk rock anthems that will have your working class pride rising up like it ain't no thing. The song "Salome" (which you can check out below) is an example of the above.

Opting for some old school punk rock is not such a strange move for a band like Sheer Terror. These guys have been quiet for quite a while and now that they're back, they take the chance to show their roots instead of just making another strictly 'old school hardcore' record to please the fans.

http://www.facebook.com/sheerterror

News: SUICIDAL TENDENCIES (Metalsucks interview, new Cyco Miko record & more)

2011-10-12T14:49:00.003+03:00

Old school thrash/hardcore legends SUICIDAL TENDENCIES seem to be at full force after the long hiatus which lasted during most of the 00s. Their 2010 comeback record No Mercy Fool! The Suicidal Family is still fresh as ST plays short tours and one-off shows sponsored by skateboard company, Vans. Moreover, Mike Muir aka Cyco Miko (S.T.'s singer and certified nut) is releasing a new personal album, which we'll make sure to review here very very soon.

For more info on Suicidal in 2011, check this cool interview on Metalsucks. It's a long and detailed interview which provides a lot of insight on this crazy but charismatic musician's life, mind and attitude. Finally, don't forget to click below and see the new video for the re-recorded super thrash classic "I Feel Your Pain" which has just been released! 2011 reallys seems to be "year of the Cyco", as ST themselves put it!

www.suicidaltendencies.com
www.metalsucks.net

Featured Band: Living Sacrifice

2011-10-10T17:57:00.001+03:00

Living Sacrifice is an awesome death metal/hardcore band that has been going since 1989. They have been pounding extreme, brutal and dark hardcore ever since, and are considered to be one of the more well-known Christian hardcore bands (a comparison you would never make based on the music). Whatever the case may be, Living Sacrifice have put out seven killer albums on Solid State and R.E.X records that all fans of heavy and dark, metallic hardcore should check. Their latest stuff have a slight industrial (think Fear Factory) feel, but the older stuff is pure heavy ass metalcore. Check the video below!

www.livingsacrifice.com

Record Review: IRONWILL - "Unturned" (Blood & Ink Records)

2011-10-07T17:39:00.002+03:00

IRONWILL is an awesome, spirit-filled band on Blood & Ink Records and their new record Unturned is a piece of emotive hardcore which is so sincere and deep that it will go down well with fans of metal, hardcore and punk alike.

The thing with Unturned is that, albeit a solid hardcore record, its sounds create a heavy-thinking and melancholic atmosphere every time you put it on. It is so nice to have a band that can create feelings and convey unspoken messages through their music, and IRONWILL does that very well. They use thick guitar layers and superb hardcore drum patterns to create a very solid base for the singer to come in and scream his lungs out about all kinds of personal and philosophical matters.

I'd go so far to say that in way IRONWILL is for hardcore music what NEUROSIS and ISIS are for metal; that is, the more weird, dark and introspective side of the spectrum. In addition, all the hardcore on this record has been layered with some extra guitar work that borrows equal elements from metal, rock and even guitar-pop. It may sound weird, but the music is so solid that the extra guitars only elevate it to an even higher level.

Unturned is a strangely unique record and in a way, it will take its toll on you. After a few listens, these hardcore songs start to creep in and become more personal, and might even give you a sense of loss, regret and whatnot. So I'd say that this record is more hardcore than hardcore, even if it is filled with melodies and crazy build ups that are not so common in today's narrow confines of hardcore.

http://www.facebook.com/ironwillhardcore

UPs: Genre-defying guitar work, super-powerful drumming, intricate song structures

DOWNs: Not suitable for when you're already feeling like shit/hurt/whatever

Lowdown: Powerful and emotive hardcore with great musicianship and totally fresh ideas while staying true to hardcore

News: Facedown Recs Summer Sampler

2011-10-05T13:18:00.000+03:00

Summer's gone for sure, but hardcore music samplers are still relevant. And you can download the Facedown Records Summer Comp for free. All you have to do is go on their Facebook page and "like" them:

http://www.facebook.com/facedownrecordsinc?sk=app_213173445359798

Dalmiro Tattoos - Religion Kills

2011-10-04T12:29:00.001+03:00

Dalmiro Tattoos is the work of Dalmiro Dalmont, an impressive and diverse tattoo artist who specializes in full color traditional Japanese style as well as old school / Americana tattoos (or a mix of both). He does mostly large scale work with incredible, eye-catching detail and color. You can check out his awesome work here and see more of his truly inspiring skin art.

The image above is one of Dalmiro's newest creations, with the dark yet awesome title "Religion Kills". An art critic am I not, but I can understand that the pain caused by imposed religion over the course of mankind still lives in the hearts of people. From what I've seen in my time documenting hardcore and tattoos, many people who live and create within alternative cultures have the urge to express their hate towards religion. At the same time, in a world of crisis we frequently witness other people's strong urge to go back to those old values. So do we need religion, or not? The answer, like always, is only personal.

Image used by permission of the artist

Record Review: SKARHEAD's NYHC Cover Album "Dreams Don't Die"

2011-10-03T14:27:00.002+03:00

SKARHEAD must be one of those bands that have as many enemies as they have fans. During their notorious 15 year old presence in hardcore, they've always had kind of an on/off status, mainly due to singer Danny Diablo's busy rap career and other business endeavors. What we can say for sure is that their 1999 Kings at Crime album is considered a 90s classic and has been widely influential for heavy hardcore. I have seen SKARHEAD live in Athens a few years back (on a beautiful night that I got elbowed in the teeth and did a flip landing with my back on the floor), and know that they can truly put on a hell of a show and that they can create that real hardcore mayhem that we all live for.

So in the year 2011 SKARHEAD's back with an unsuspected covers album. They've really made an album of mean, no fronts hardcore music, by covering the pioneers who originally formed the NYHC sound during the golden 86-89 period. We're talking bands like SHEER TERROR, AGNOSTIC FRONT, WARZONE, CRO-MAGS, KILLING TIME etc. And if you know your NYHC, then you probably already know these bands are the real deal; the legends. With this album, SKARHEAD carries on that NYHC legacy by redoing the classics in a very honest and true to the roots way. The parade of infamous hardcore vocalists on the guest vox makes this even more highly recommended.

I also want to say that -as you can understand by listening to the song below - the production sound is also close to NYHC (loud metallic bass, dirty guitar tone, drums with lots of reverb), thus maintaing the the old school feel in all of those songs. I love that they named the album Dreams Don't Die. It's like showing that after all those years and all the hardships, some people still have their hearts set on hardcore. Respect for that! Now go and find Dreams Don't Die and do your NYHC homework!

Dedicated to xMarkMyTurnx for turning me onto this album.

Record Review: TOMBS "Path of Totality" (Relapse Records)

2011-10-03T13:33:00.000+03:00

TOMBS have an awesome new album on Relapse Records entitled Path of Totality. Check out the following review by Rigas and find out why this record should accompany the upcoming fall/winter.

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What's next in 2011’s blender?! There is a lot of good stuff out there at the moment, so let’s check directly Tombs’ latest release. Tombs come from Brooklyn are quite known in U.S. underground, most notably for their granite sound and crushing live performances. The band carries on in a string of good releases, following ‘Winter Hours’ in 2009. This is their sophomore full-length (and by far their longest), with the ‘total’ title ‘Path of Totality’. The band has also scored a self-titled EP in 2007 and a split with Planks in 2008.

The song ‘To cross the land’ sounds like Neurosis jamming with Darkthrone with vocals varying from desperate early Isis shouts to growls and more black infused screams. It starts with an atmospheric intro reminiscent of Isis/Neurosis but more pale and ‘colorless’ to be followed soon by black metal riffing to finish in a doom and discordant mode. I consider this the first ‘real’ song, because ‘Black Hole of Summer’ is more like an opener where the dynamics of the band are presented, but there is nothing substantial there (filler?). The keys used there are not such a good idea according to my taste and I am glad I did not listen to them again throughout the record (only at the very end).

The third number, ‘Constellations’, marks the first affiliation with hardcore punk that incorporates a brutal hardcore riff from late 90’s era. ‘Bloodletters’ is a harvest of so many styles like death/black metal – post rock – hardcore, yet Tombs manage all this quite skillfully. This scenario pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the album with songs ranging from 3 to 7 minutes. I should mention ‘Cold Dark Eyes’ which is a highlight song that culminates at an amazing melody (akin to Red Sparowes, Explotions in the Sky, Godspeed you black emperor!). What is interesting here is that they arrive to this melody after black metal and crushing mid-tempos, whereas their post rock colleagues would climax there after acoustic calm passages. ‘Black Heaven’ and ‘Red Shadows’ are also exciting songs.

TOMBS: Happy

The black metal parts seem to have become a trademark of their music after the 2008’s split, although this time sound a bit more neat and cozy. The band is influenced predominantly from black metal (but stripped down to fit with the other genres) and Neurosis/early Isis with a touch of Red Sparrowes in the melodies. To a lesser extend, we could trace back influences from clevocore sound (most notably Integrity) and newer bands like Cursed, Rise and Fall, Trap Them etc. This heavy/dark hardcore sound is growing with more bands emerging (Oathbreaker, All Pigs Must Die etc.). I can also find artistic similarities (e.g. dark image, serious dedication) to other genre-defying bands like Unearthly Trance and Dephosphorus. I have the feeling that Justin Broadrick would be smiling listening to the wall of sound this band can build. The difference with other hardcore acts is that they have an expansive sound where even the sparse (dark and bitter) melodies are let to breathe. Anyways, Tombs is more a metal band it seems.

The production from John Congleton (Baroness, Explosions in the Sky) is good, dark but warm with the necessary depth. I would prefer it a bit more rough (which would strengthen the black metal side of the group), but I also acknowledge the difficulty of harbouring all these different styles while maintaining a cohesive sound. The vocals, which are above average, vary greatly from black (sometimes reminding some Rotting Christ growls) to deep goth-style. It is one of the few occasions that variation works positive for the band (I am really tired of the clean/brutal plastic vox!). The desperate shouts ala Isis (Celestial era) is my personal fav. The lyrics are dark, bleak and uncanny forecasting the doomsday. I really enjoy the sound of the drums while drumming is smashing, tight and clever.

The album comes also in double LP from Relapse records. The beautiful cover is created by Thomas Hooper. The album calls for those that look beyond trends and seek for original heaviness. On the other hand, this record gives me the feeling that the sound of Tombs is yet to be completed

Rigas

Do you like Tomb’s ‘Path of totality’ cover? Find out more about Thomas Hooper (NYC):

http://meditationsinatrament.com/bio/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/23/tattoo-artists-new-york

Check out more visual artists related to new cult bands:

Glyn ‘Scrawled’ Smyth:

http://scrawleddesign.blogspot.com/

http://www.cvltnation.com/scrawled-the-art-of-glyn-smyth/

http://www.myspace.com/scrawled/

Viral Graphics (Athens, GR):

http://www.cvltnation.com/true-craftmetalship-viral-graphics/

http://www.gigposters.com/designer/94348_Viral_Graphics.html

http://www.myspace.com/viralgraphics

Featured Band: LIONHEART - Brother's Keeper

2011-10-01T20:26:00.001+03:00

LIONHEART is an awesome metallic hardcore band in the vein of BLOOD FOR BLOOD, HOODS etc. The band hails from Northern California and specializes at delivering the best in brutal, ultra-angry hardcore. Their new record on Mediaskare Records hits hard and will go down nice with all fans of heavy hardcore.

Before some people dismiss LIONHEART as another 'macho' or 'tough guy' band, I would like to mention just one thing. If you notice the title of the song, it says 'Brother's Keeper'; the song's lyrics are about brotherhood and watching out for your friends. Therefore - and because I know that many HC kids out there are quick to judge - please check your shit and actually check out a band for what it's worth and what they sing before going off on one.

Just because these dudes are built like brick shithouses and they're and angry as fuck, it doesn't mean that they aren't down with what hardcore is all about.

http://www.facebook.com/lionheartca

TRIAL - ANCHOR - RUN WITH THE HUNTED etc Show Review (26.09.11)

2011-10-01T16:48:00.004+03:00

OK, so this blog has been kind of quiet during this week, but at least there's been a good reason for it. That reason is that I traveled with the band I play guitar for (My Turn) for a one of a kind show with TRIAL and ANCHOR in Sofia, Bulgaria on the 26th of September. In the following article I will write a few things about out roadtrip and especially about the awesome show we witnessed.

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I will begin by saying that we left for Sofia on Sunday morning and we had just played a show the previous night (on the 24th). So I guess that we all were a little worn out even before starting the roadtrip. But everyone who's dedicated to the music he/she loves knows that the fatigue is definitely nothing compared to the experiences gained through this lifestyle. Anyways... so we started traveling north for about 5 hours and stopped at Thessaloniki, the second biggest Greek city which is situated not more than 3-4 hours away from Sofia (our destination). We met with our friend Nick from ETERNAL HATED, and we went out for food and chilled with some friends at a square somewhere in town. We then crashed at his house after chilling and talking. I slept on a bed with two of my bandmates that night. Classy, huh?

The next day we got up, washed etc and we went to get some food supplies for the remaining roadtrip. Being a vegan, it is not always easy for me to be on the road, so usually I have to plan beforehand. Off to the super market, then. We got on the road and after a couple of hours we crossed the Bulgarian border. I was already pretty psyched about seeing TRIAL that night. I was listening to their whole discography on my MP3 player in the car and was continuously getting more and more wired, while the eastern European landscape pictures constantly changed outside the car window.

After a few hours we we arrived at Sofia and found our way to The Box, the club the show was at. We were the first band to arrive, so we just unpacked and went to eat lunch and get some guitar strings etc. When we came back to the club all the bands were in the venue, setting up the merch so we got to work and did the same. It was 5 bands playing that night, so the dudes from the bands alone were kind of enough to create a pretty lively atmosphere. Soon enough, the show was ready to start and TAKING HOLD, the only Bulgarian band playing that night took the stage. These guys play tight heavy/melodic old school hardcore with nice melodies and super groovy beatdowns. They had a lot of friends with them who knew all the lyrics (they were singing in Bulgarian) and they put on a short but definitely awesome set.

Taking Hold

We (MY TURN) got on stage straight away TH's show and had about 20 minutes to play as much as we could from our set, so we obviously had to axe some songs. It was the second time we've played in Sofia, and we kind of already had some friends and some people who knew us, so the show went down pretty well. We also had a crew of Greek hardcore kids who traveled for this particular show, and it was awesome to have them represent Greek HC, and see them in such a different and unknown context.

My Turn

The reality of the matter is that I felt kind of relieved when we finished playing our show, cause then I could enjoy the rest of the bands without worrying about our shit. RUN WITH THE HUNTED took the stage and played their Deathwish-influenced, discordant hardcore. They honestly seemed like great dudes, even though their style of hardcore is definitely not my personal favorite style. Nevertheless, they were pretty tight and quite possibly the most extreme (musically) band of the night!

Run With The Hunted

As the night progressed, it was time for the bigger bands to take the stage. ANCHOR is one of the most well-known European hardcore bands these days, and I just couldn't wait to see what they had to offer. Moreover, being vegan straight edge myself, I was really proud to finally see a band which openly represents the values I believe in and that have shaped my life in such an important way. ANCHOR played a nice enough set, but I don't think it had the urgency and intensity that I expected from them. Maybe they were kind of tired or something... They had the awesome guitar work and the nice hardcore anthems that are worshipped on their albums, but in my opinion they needed something more.

Anchor

We had reached the end of the show and it was time for TRIAL, the 90s hardcore legends. We had waited for a long time and the night was about to end, but with a blast. They typically started of with the symphonic intro to the song "Reflections", and then - like it usually happens at TRIAL shows - the whole place erupted. Greg Bennick must be one of the best frontmen that I have ever seen, with such passion and intensity and integrity. The things he says to the crowd in between songs are just pure gold, things that help you with your own life and that you can carry with you forever. So TRIAL delivered all their 90s classics which are as relevant today as they were back then. I honestly lost my mind and moshed my ass off during their show. I've been thinking that I'm a little too old to mosh sometimes, but I don't think I had another choice during that particular show!

Trial

And just like that, it was all over. In typical hardcore tradition, we hung out outside the club for a while after the show and we went to EAT like crazy. We were all kinda tired but we couldn't actually feel it from the excitement of the show. We went and sat down and everyone looked happy and full of the energy that only a hardcore show can give you. We devoured tons of food and Coke and it was time to call it a night and go to the places we were going to sleep. I slept at Niki's, the dude who put on the show and runs UGLY & PROUD Records. In his bedroom he showed me a drawer with lots of hardcore fanzines and I spent quite a few hours reading them, until I was utterly exhausted and had to just pass out. The next day we had a whole day of traveling in order to get our asses back to Athens. It is hard but I knew that an exhausting week full of work was waiting for me back home.

Special thanks to Natalia for the pix... check out her blog at: http://zombey.tumblr.com/

ALTARS - 'Opposition' EP Review

2011-09-23T21:51:00.002+03:00

Today we have another review brought to you by our good old pal, Nick Tolis. He has reviewed the very interesting and brutally beatiful new work by stalwart moshers, ALTARS. Their new ep entitled Opposition is a perfect example of new age, epic beatdown hardcore with melancholic touches and NO clean vocals. Enjoy!

ALTARS - Opposition EP

A mix of sounds

In case you are a fan of metal-hardcore, with lots of beat downs I guess you have found your thing here. The good thing is that this band manages to play something common but so different at the same time. After the intro song the album starts with a heavy beat down that will catch you from the head and throw you miles away. At the first seconds of the song “Advocate” I questioned my self whether this is a death metal band heavily influenced by Morbid Angel or a metal hardcore band. Things change rapidly. Fast beats, melodic loops, some screamo parts and some samples giving an industrial feeling create an interesting plus remarkable album.

To give a clearer idea, the album sounds like a mixture of Poison the Well, Comeback Kid, Born from Pain, Walls of Jericho and Chimaira. The good thing is that Altars succeed to put their signature to the album and to be proud to say that this is their music and not someone else’s music.

Overall, we have a six track EP, really well played, melodic-metal-hardcore with interesting ideas and lots of beat-downs to move your head up and down and enter the mosh-pit. Last but not least, the lyrics are faith-God-Christian oriented. Not really my thing to be honest but… nevermind the bollocks… let the guys play their music and express their thoughts…since they play it well… I am okay with it.

http://www.facebook.com/AltarsHC

Nick can be reached at nikostolis [at] gmail [dot] com

Featured Band: Denial Fiend - Deathly Thrashed into a Horror Holocaust

2011-09-23T13:38:00.003+03:00

Simply put, Denial Fiend is a bunch of crazy fuckers who destroy the world with their awesomely evil death/thrash metal. I mean we all listen to a lot of metal and hardcore and whatnot, but every now and then we find a band that really stands apart due to its heaviness/originality, and Denial Fiend seem to have both of these factors in check. Also, if you are sick and tired of hearing a certain Municipal Waste come up whenever the term "thrash" is mentioned, maybe it is a good idea to start supporting these fellows here.

Denial Fiend packs a ton of energy and has that extreme death thrash sound that was forsaken somewhere in the annals of extreme music history. They have the excessive double bass drum use and the sick guitar riffs, but they also manage to keep it extreme, catchy and fun. Because we should let it be known that when we say thrash, we mean something heavy and extreme and not just sped up punk with stupid lyrics and no shock value. So remove the beer/party thrash punk from your mind and get into the real, original, evil thrash about death and destruction!

http://www.facebook.com/denialfiendband

We should also mention that the song posted above from new album Horror Holocaust features Denial Fiend's new singer, who is no other than the legendary Accused's Blaine Cook. For an even heavier, more guttural Denial Fiend, check the band's older album They Rise.

CRUCIAMENTUM - Convocation of Crawling Chaos

2011-09-21T21:20:00.002+03:00

Today's review is an offering by fellow partner in crime and long time contributor, Rigas. This guy may look like an outgoing peaceful rastafari dude on the outside, but he actually has a soft spot for brutal, underground and uncompromising music. He has gotten me into loads of bands in the past and UK's Cruciamentum just got added to the list. This guy knows his shit; read on to see what he had to say about this ultra-brutal band's new offering and be forewarned: this is some of the heaviest stuff we've ever featured here!

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Death metal in 2011 bares the long history of one of the most extreme musical expressions. The genre had ups and downs in popularity but also quality; nevertheless there is a rich legacy with numerous landmark releases. Therefore, the bar is set high for new bands and I believe there is only room for dedicated people and crucial stuff, like this one.

Learn more out the awesome cover by Alexander L. Brown here

Cruciamentum play death metal - just that - and that is very refreshing in times saturated by music overproduction where every band is blending countless styles in their songs (deathcore is now on demand, following the metalcore hype). While others try to broaden their sound in a superficial cut & paste fashion, Cruciamentum take the time to focus on their sound and devote themselves to the long tradition of death metal. As they go deeper they bring much more for us to listen: three death metal epics with manifold yet ‘organic’ shifts in exciting flow, ultra-heavy ‘buried’ sound, low guttural and relatively discreet vocals and a ritualistic occult feeling.

There is a cryptic ambience omnipresent; Cruciamentum are interested to create a specific sound and atmosphere in which to deliver their music. Knowing how to play authentic death metal, they are not exhausting themselves just playing as fast and brutal as possible. Their sound draws parallels to Dead Congregation, Disembowelment, Funebrarum, Demigod, Immolation, Incantation and Winter (less). It somehow reminded me also Morbid Angel of ‘Gateways to Annihilation’ era, but much more low-fi.

Cruciamentum shift skilfully a lot of tempos yet they incorporate also some slow, doom parts (remember Disembowelment! e.g. the 3^rd minute mark of ‘’deathless ascension’’) which are very effective in their music. They also throw in some ‘morbid’ yet majestic melodies which at times are even reminiscent of early 90’s atmospheric doom/death (they use synths at the end of the EP). Surprisingly, there is a crushing beatdown part in ‘’Rotten flesh crucifix’’ which fits great and is very functional in the flow of the song, while later is coated with an obscure, bitter melody. Frankly, it is one of the best death metal releases I heard in years with its superior black & white aesthetics.

Cruciamentum hail from UK and they were formed back in 2005, but their line-up solidified in 2009. “Convocation of Crawling Chaos” comes in MCD and 10’’ MLP formats from the Greek Nuclear Winter records. It is a re-issue of their 2009 demo. ‘Rotten flesh crucifix’ has been already released as a demo in 2008. They are part of a stream of serious, original, crafty, quality death metal bands (Dead Congregation, Ectovoid, Swallowed, Eibon etc.) which are well-distanced from the gore death produced by the kilos. This wave of bands has been also visualized by committed artists like Alexander L. Brown (check also Timo Ketola, Toshiro Egawa, Mark Riddick and Scott Stearns among others), who illustrated this magnificent cult cover.

Support and disseminate original music!

http://www.last.fm/music/Cruciamentum
http://www.wikimetal.info/wiki/Cruciamentum

http://www.nuclearwinterrecords.com

Reasons Why I Still Like Terror

2011-09-19T23:53:00.001+03:00

On this short article I would like to explain just a few reasons why I still consider TERROR as one of the best current bands in hardcore music. They might be the most popular hardcore band since Hatebreed, but usually when the kids dig something so much, there is actually a good reason for it. So, here's my list why TERROR still rules...

They stick to the basics. In other words, they don't have to 'progress' and ruin everything. So sir. Just good old hardcore with tons of mosh, the way it is supposed to be done.
They are the everyday hardcore kid's favorite band. They don't sing about stuff you don't understand; they don't fuck around with pointless music patterns; they shoot to kill! And so, the kids get it.
They infuse positive values through hardcore. Although they're not your typical 'posi' band by no means, their songs are all about empowerment, venting your frustration and feeling strong through hardcore. What else do you need?
KOTF. Finally, someone brought back the Crew mentality that was missing from hardcore for so long. Keepers of the Faith, baby! We need more hardcore bands that defend hardcore music like that.
Members' credibility. Their singer sang for Buried Alive. Their bassist sings for Down To Nothing. Their drummer was in Carry On. Their guiatrist is also in Donnybrook. These are all bands with some pretty timeless value in the hardcore scene.
You can tell they're having the time of their lives. Have you ever been to a TERROR show? Then you know what I am talking about. I am sick and tired of bands and frontmen who can't be bothered to have fun on stage.
They maintain the old school hardcore aesthetics. Excuse me, but hardcore is not about tight jeans and the right kind of sneakers. It's about wearing your athletic fucking gear and feeling ready to combust at the show!
They are the perfect band to mosh to. No explanation needed, really.

These are just a few of the reasons why I still like this band after all those years. One thing I know is they've outlasted quite a few hardcore kids who are now into more 'mature' kind of music and the like. You know the deal. The Keepers of the Faith are still here!

ENTRAILS - "The Tomb Awaits" Review

2011-09-18T18:46:00.001+03:00

I see death metal in the same way I see a lot of hardcore; that is, as a style of music that metaphorically destroys everything in its way, and which gives the listener a sense of absolute strength and raging power. Heavy music has a magical way of destroying weakness and depression, and we have bands like Sweden's ENTRAILS to thank for that!

This awesome band has just released 12 songs of pure Swedish death metal at its best, similar to stuff like early Entombed, Dismember and Sinister (even though the last band is Dutch). This album really brings us back to a time when metal albums actually had substance to them and carried their own distinct identity. This is exactly what happens in The Tomb Awaits: there is plenty death metal carnage but at the same time the whole album is filled with a nice diversity which makes it so much more of a pleasant listen. At the end of the day, this is exactly what Swedish DM is traditionally all about: clever ideas combined with aggression!

What I mean by the above is that even though ENTRAILS do play pure and solid death metal, there is enough space for musical expression and a somewhat darker (compared to brutal death) atmosphere. The guitarists are capable of creating some pretty sick atmospheric riffs with the lower guitar strings that will send shivers down your spine and make the zombies in your local graveyard rise up. At the same time, the drums and vocals show no signs of compromise and just beat your brain and ears with endless aggression! Add a tiny dose of Swedish crust to the mix and you will get what I'm talking about!

The production sound also carries the recognizable Swedish identity, with the distorted bass on equal levels with the guitars and the overall outcome sounding brutally bubbling, but in a way controlled. Finally, I will also give the band kudos for the awesome acoustic guitar introduction, which gets the cemetery atmosphere going before all hell breaks loose.

http://www.myspace.com/entrailsreborn

For an extensive ENTRAILS interview go here.

PROS: Definite old school death metal feel, quality riffs, excellent Swedish production, wide variety of extremely brutal death metal vocals, crust-core rhythms here and there.

CONS: If you listen to this late at night you might sh*t your pants.

DA LOWDOWN: Awesome, solid Swedish death metal with room for sick melodies without being overly technical.

Cave In - "White Silence" Review

2011-09-16T22:26:00.004+03:00

Today we have something different to present our readers compared to the usual all hard all core stuff we post here. The following review is written by my friend Nick, who is a definite brutal music afficcionado (proven by standing the test of time!). I think that many hardcore kids will lend an ear to music like Cave In, as they are one of those bands that came out of the hardcore/metal scene and stepped away throughout their career -- but kept making good music. Read on and find out why you should check out the band's heavy as fuck new album!

Back To The Roots (?)

It is really admirable when a band can modify its style so dramatically and provide good material. Cave In seem to me like a phenomenon in the extreme music scene. Ok, extreme in some occasions, I agree. Personally I don’t know what to expect anymore when a Cave In album comes out.

White Silence is an 180o turn again for Cave In. On one hand you’ll find heavy, complex riffs, intense bass guitar and noisy guitar fill ups and on the other hand a more prog- rock approach with psycho-traveling songs and less aggression. There is an obvious influence on the sound and the style as also on the vocals, from the sound of the project bands of its members (Zozobra, Old Man Gloom), therefore along with the complex and fast riffs you‘ll find slow, drown, heavy parts and mid tempo songs.

But that is what happens only till the middle of the album, because as the album goes on, Cave In sound more like a prog-rock band than a sludge-doom-metal core one. Prog-rock with a post-rock aesthetic and with loads of psychedelic sounds is what you will find at the second half of the album. Clean vocals appear quite often but when they do so, they are either distorted or alongside with some brutal ones. I know that the marriage of these styles sounds a bit chaotic and wired. But Cave In do it and most important they do it very well.

“White Silence” is a complete album. You won’t get bored listening to the album and you will definitely play it again and again. You will move your head up and down and gradually you will become heavier, drown back and get lost. The overall result: a dirty, sick and traveling sound with loads of upside downs which leads to a dirty, sick, album that travels you from aggression to relaxation.

Typical Cave In stuff right?

RIVALS! - Make Your Own Path

2011-09-09T11:51:00.001+03:00

Rivals! is a modern youth crew hardcore band from Athens, Greece, and possibly one of the best HC bands to come out of this country. These dudes have a strong Champion / Have Heart influence, bouncing back and forth between melodic youth crew and harder straight edge hardcore. They also manage to add some new school elements (some intelligent mosh parts etc), but without sounding lame or emo.

Members of Rivals! were in a more forward straight edge band named xFor No Reasonx, and after their demise in 2008, Rivals! was created with the same ideals more or less: to play honest, driving hardcore with a strong sXe feel. They have an awesome recording that will be released soon after a lot of anticipation, as I really feel the world needs to hear this. Their ep entitled Make Your Own Path contains a bunch of hard-hitting hardcore songs with layers of melody, aggression, melancholy, and great vocals and guitar work.

The thing I like about Rivals! is that they are doing it old school: they are a bunch of kids who are friends and they love hardcore. You'll spot these dudes in hardcore shows in Athens and elsewhere keeping it clean and buying merch with a smile on their faces. I am glad to call these guys friends and I think the time has come for the world to get to know more about this band!

Rivals! Facebook Page

DEAD END PATH - Stay Up, Stay Active: Pennsylvania Metallic Hardcore

2011-09-07T14:46:00.001+03:00

As long as there are bands like Dead End Path out there, I WILL NOT lose faith in hardcore music. DEP play heavy metallic hardcore which is equally influenced by Ringworm as it is by Slayer. They have a few recordings out, including a self-released demo, an EP and a full length (released in 2011) on Triple B Records.

These Pennsylvania dudes pack a ton of aggression in their sound, and have a heavy duty frontman that will make most hardcore emo screamers of today go running back to mommy! DEP also hits you in the face with harsh reality lyrics and songs with titles like "Turn Cold" and "No Paradise". This is dark, negative hardcore that somehow makes you feel good! And that, my friends, is a rule of heavy music!

Even though the band has kind of progressed to a somewhat cleaner sound on their new full length Blind Faith (a better and more professional recording being the main reason), they have kept the underground feeling that makes a good hardcore band, as well as the extremity of their early recordings.

Check out their awesome tumblr site: http://deadendpath.tumblr.com/

Dead Icons: Kentucky Hardcore!!!

2011-09-07T14:22:00.001+03:00

I don't know much about Kentucky in relation to hardcore (or metal), aside from the fact that it has spawned an awesome, hard as nails HC band called Dead Icons. These guys play heavy, metal tinged hardcore which resembles the good old 90s stuff in many ways. If bands like Cro Mags, Allegiance and Terror say anything to you, then CHECK THIS OUT!

The band has signed with Bullet Tooth Records (ex- Trustkill) and is now on the roster with many other great acts like Most Precious Blood (modern HC pioneers), First Blood (SXE HC mosh), Kid Liberty (HC-pop punk) among others.

All it takes is one listen and you'll be convinced that these guys are the real deal. I am so tired of bands that are supposed to play hardcore and actually don't play it; I want more bands like Dead Icons, that make me wanna go crazy, make me wanna go nuts and live thus hardcore shit like I've only just begun!

www.facebook.com/deadicons

You can also hit the link and read a nice Dead Icons interview with Lambgoat and make sure to listen to the song below.

THIS MURDER OF ANGELS - Wake (EP)

2011-09-05T15:17:00.003+03:00

I will admit that the majority of the stuff I listen to is kinda violent, or at least intense in one way or another. However I try to keep an open mind and go for other styles of music every now and then, I mean it is always good to have different stuff in your record collection, and a wide palette of music to choose from so to speak.

Bands like This Murder of Angels come and fill that gap in my musical knowledge in a very efficient and refreshing way. They play a style of music that shares equal influences from pop, post hardcore, black metal, prog and even a dose of classical music. This may sound weird but when you actually hear Wake, everything sounds right in place and you can start getting into those chunky post metal grooves.

These Scottish dudes have created a new style in which they are not afraid to go all soft and then come back with hellish screams, thick-layered guitars and prog metal drums. I guess they do pretty much whatever they like, and this is something that I totally respect in a band.

I can imagine myself playing this on a variety of occasions, not when I want to mosh but when I'm feeling a bit down, when I want to go on thinking mode, when I read a book or even when I chill with someone who can't handle too much hardcore or metal. This is very progressive, very clever music and I am glad that a band like this would care to approach a hardcore fanzine like Take Your Shot. So, in the name of Unity, hardcore, metal, post-hardcore, whatever... let's go!

http://thismurderofangels.bandcamp.com/

UPs: complex, thick layered instrumentation with a wide range of influences to stretch and test our musical knowledge.

DOWNs: Not enough heaviness and maybe too much piano/keyboards.

LOWDOWN: Very progressive but also catchy post metal with awesome vocals and and an artistic, almost theatrical feel. Not yer mama's Deftones, but an original band!

More SLAYER core!!!

2011-09-05T14:56:00.001+03:00

If you, like me, are always up for some intense SLAYER-ic carnage, well how about "Angel of Death" (originally on the super classic Reign in Blood album) done justice by heavy as fuck death-core contemporaries, CARNIFEX? Enjoy the sheer brutality of a thrash classic pumped up with steroids and taken to the extreme!

COMMON CAUSE - S / T EP (React! Records)

2011-09-04T20:00:00.002+03:00

What we have here is a straight edge hardcore record that makes me wanna wear some athletic gear and go straight for a run, lift something heavy or just room-mosh with this music on full volume!

I know that React! Records puts out some of the best stuff in positive / oldschool hardcore, and I definitely wasn't disappointed with Common Cause's new ep. I first heard this band on the Chain of Strength tribute ep (an awesome comp by the way) with their cover of "Those Days", also included on this ep.

These guys continue the tradition of the few remaining purely old school straight edge bands out there. The sound, the ethics and even the aesthetics all belong in the old school SXE tradition, and this is something I couldn't be more happy about. No matter how much hardcore music progresses, it is important to save and persevere the sound of crucial hardcore bands like the aforementioned Chain of Strength, Insted, Youth of Today, etc. Being a new band, Common Cause have obviously updated their sound with a good production and a heavier edge to their sound, but the outcome remains totally old school.

The lyrics are about values and ethics like understanding and compassion. This may sound weird to some hardcore kids but believe it or not, hardcore also has its compassionate, thought provoking side. I wish there were more hardcore bands singing about this stuff nowadays, with no hard attitudes, violent and self-destructive messages etc. Hardcore stands outside from metal and punk not so much because of the sound, but because of the message of unity and integrity.

UPs: Good production, awesome self-righteous hardcore message, an evident straight edge identity, fast paces & speedy guitars, Chain of Strength cover.

DOWNs: Could do with more songs (a full album), and would like a bit of a wider vocal range.

THE LOWDOWN: 6 songs of old school straight edge hardcore with a newer edge, filled with positive hardcore messages.

Only death is real: the top ten of death metal

2011-08-29T17:04:00.004+03:00

While we are on the death metal subject, I thought I'd reblog this awesome article which goes over the 10 most classic death metal albums, according to the author.

Only death is real: the top ten of death metal

Death Metal revisited: SUFFOCATION's "Pierced From Within" (1995)

2011-08-29T17:04:00.003+03:00

Yesterday it was my birthday, so I threw a small party for friends, fam and bandmates. Like it usually happens, in the end it was just me and a couple of dudes lounging on the sofa talking about music and taking turns playing stuff on youtube until the early morning hours. As these two particular friends happen to be experts on death metal, I tried to get some info on a band that I know has been around for ages, but I never got a chance to listen to an entire album of theirs.

In particular, I was interested in a little album entitled Pierced from Within (1995) by Suffocation, because I had heard parts of it here and there and thought it sounded pretty damn brutal and super tight. I wasn't mistaken; This classic Suffo album consists of 9 songs of relentless brutal death metal from the band which pretty much invented / pioneered this sound that goes on until today.

Everything I like about a solid death metal album is here: huge aggressive riffs, super-fast drumming with constant double-bass use, disgusting guttural vocals and of course, a pretty high damn level of technical proficiency. Add to that an early huge production and a crazy bass sound that boosts the whole thing up like a motherfucker, and you got exactly what you need.

There is absolutely nothing soft about Pierced from Within; I believe that with some work on behalf of my side (that means 5-10 listens), it could easily enter my top-10 of death metal records. It is just a senseless display of brute strength and a definition of uncompromising attitude in the face of all that is watered down, preppy and weak (in our times, that's pretty much everything). A must-find, must-listen to!

LEGACY - "First Assault" - Demo Review

2011-08-23T01:56:00.001+03:00

Yes goddamn it! What we have here is some serious evil metal by guys who have put out something totally original and fun, perhaps without even realizing it.

Legacy are from Italy and play a mixture of monstrous, punky deathrash (yes, deathrash!) with some classic, cult-status metal influences that will crush your skull before you even realize it.

The production isn't perfect and the overall outcome is by no means 'pro' but who cares about that shit. There are many 'pro' underground bands and most of them are boring. These guys may have not mastered the english accent, but they have mastered the 'fuck you' attitude.

Legacy come at you like a tasmanian devil, with four songs filled with razor-sharp guitars, quick tempos and aggressive crossover death metal vocals. The influences come from stuff like Death (especially), Destruction, Nuclear Assault, Annihilator and many others -- but only the good stuff. I want to give a thumbs up to the classic metal influences from bands like Manilla Road, King Diamond, Death SS, Paul Chain and other metal beasts of the past!

It is almost hard to believe that there are people out there who still play metal like this. It's like they just busted out the time capsule they entered back in '85 or something. This is awesome; it's evil, it's mean, it's raw, it's how metal should be! There is not one single new age element in this demo, and this is something which makes it VERY new age. You know?

www.myspace.com/legacyitalia

www.facebook.com/pages/Legacy/34548283753

www.youtube.com/user/Legacyitalia

www.reverbnation.com/legacyitalia

ON THE OFFENSE NYC - The TxYxS Interview

2011-08-21T16:46:00.001+03:00

ON THE OFFENSE is a hardcore band I have a lot of respect for. They revive the true hardcore feeling I had when I first got into this music and that means a lot to me some 15 years down the line. This is an interview with Sean (vocals) discussing over music, the band, handling hardcore alongside personal life as well as life in general from the view of a true hardcore lifer. Enjoy the interview, check out these guys at http://www.facebook.com/OnTheOffenseNYHC and read the TxYxS demo review here.

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- Can you tell us your story about how you got into hardcore?

I took the route that I think most of us took.....I started off with listening to Hard Rock, then Heavy Metal, then HEAVIER metal lol. Then one day I was listening to a college radio station over here that plays Heavy Metal, and for some reason they played "We Gotta Know" by the Cro-Mags, and that was it for me. I went right to the record store and bought "Age Of Quarrel" and any record that had a bald guy screaming into a microphone on the cover lol.

What does hardcore mean to you?

I think what drew me to Hardcore, is the same things that it means to me. The realness, the harshness, the camaraderie. The fact that you could play music and express yourself through it without any image or fluff, no commercialism, that the same friends you hung out with, were the same people you could jump on a stage with and play. You didn't wait or rely on some corporate record company to "discover" you and get your music out there...you did it yourself. You record your own stuff, say what you needed to say....... you make your own covers and flyers, you hand them out yourself, you book your own shows....... and by doing all of that you meet the people you connect with, there are no "fans", only friends.

- How did you decide to form this band?

It was pretty much together when I joined. The guys had a bunch of songs down already and all they needed was a vocalist. We all meshed musically and personality wise, and we took it from there.

- Can you tell us a few things about the previous bands you were in if any?

I first started playing Hardcore back in like '86 or '87, and I was in a bunch of bands, some got more developed then others, and some never made it out of the practice rooms lol. But it was all fun , made a ton of great friends that I still talk with today. Same with the other guys in O.T.O. , they all have been in a bunch of bands through the years. Funny thing is, there weren't a lot of people in my neighborhood growing up that were into Hardcore, but Six Pack Jon lives like 2 minutes from me and we never played in a band together until now,,,,all those wasted years lol.

- What are the values that you feel NYHC and ON THE OFFENSE in specific represents?

Pretty much the same values that drew me to Hardcore from the begining. Truth, honor, respect, friendship, being who you are, unity.

- What are the top-3 essential records every HC kid should own?

I know that everyone in OTO is gonna disagree to varying degrees with me , so let me stress this is MY OPINION lol

3. Breakdown - 7inch

2. Agnostic Front - Victim In Pain

........... and without a doubt, the record that changed my life

1. CRO-MAGS - AGE OF QUARREL!!!!!!! lol

- What do you do for a living? Do you find it easy to balance everyday life with your hardcore activities?

- I work for the city, and as is too often the case work tends to interfere w/ all the fun things in life. Sometimes the balance is a pain in the ass, Six Pack usually has to put up with me screaming over the phone about how much I hate my job when I get stuck at work. But this band and this music is important to me, so I give it all I got.

- How often do you play live and rehearse? Is it easy to get shows around the NYC area? What about tours?

We usually practice once a week, more if we got a show coming up. I gotta say that musically these guys are pretty damn amazing. So it don't take a lot for them to get the music down. We just started writing new stuff which is pretty cool, love hearing the stuff they come up with. As far as shows go, they're coming slowly but surely. The great thing about the scene is that once you start making friends and hooking up with other bands MOST of the time they all start looking out for each other, and hooking one another up on shows. One thing I noticed that has changed though is every once in a while a band or a promoter comes at you with a "Rock Star" type mentality, talking about "draws" and "following"........This is the underground, it aint about popularity or fanbases. Whether there is 3000 people or 3 people at a show it shouldn't matter. Those three people had the heart to come out and represent.......you better rock it. And as far as tours go, we'll see what happens in the future. Hopefully if any tours develop during the winter here, it'll be somewhere warm and sunny , I hate the winter in NYC lol.

- Do you have any other hobbies/activities around or beyond the HC scene?

-Working and sleeping. Both Rob and me are dads, so that alone is enough of an activity.

- What is your top-5 hate-list? In life in general, or hardcore trends, whatever!

- I try not to hate to much, I've learned it's kind of a waste of energy, but if you were to twist my arm I'd say:

5. NYC Winters

4. The idea of working so hard at not having an image, that it in and of itself becomes an image.

3. Mosquitoes (as hard as I try , I just can't figure out what purpose they serve on this planet other than to just ANNOY people and animals lol)

2. People who use the "Irish Exit" when texting (Just dropping out of conversation when texting or emailing)

1. Bands that show up 15mins before there set, sell tee shirts for 30 mins, then just pack up and leave when they're done. Again the "Rock Star" mentality..........No one expects everyone to be there from the beginning to the end of every single show, but you really should show some support for the other bands playing. Every band was in the opening slot at some point, and we're all part of the same scene, support one another.

- You seem to have some very personal lyrics in your songs. What are they about? Isn't it hard to go "all out" like that?

- I found that as I got older I became a lot less angry at the outside world, and began taking a much harder look at the world inside. So most of what I write is the result of me examining myself. And in the end it actually helps me grow and understand who I am better. I put it out there because it's actually good to get stuff off my chest, and hopefully a few people might identify with the lyrics and relate to them enough that they serve the same purpose to them.

- Overall, would you say you have a positive or a negative outlook on life? Please explain your position.

- Overall I'd say that my outlook is a positive one. Some negativity isn't always so bad, I think that at times it helps keep reality in check. But for the most part I'm a happy man.

I wanna thank you for representing the way you do. If it wasn't for people like you, Hardcore wouldn't be what it is today. And any of the Brothers and Sisters in your scene want to reach out and say "What's Up" feel free to, we're all part of the same family. Peace out my Brother, see you when we see you !!!!