Hey everyone and welcome to the 1st post for 2013-- hope you are all having a good one!
Due to work etc posts here have become less frequent here, but that doesn't mean that Take Your Shot is dead, nor that our faith in hardcore (or the vegan straight edge!) has diminished a bit. No--hardcore is still the thing that gives us reason to get up and face each fucking day! We have a few reviews lined up and some more nice things in store.
TxYxS may or may not go in the freezer for a while, like it's also happened before in the past. What's most important for us is to keep things DIY and fresh, and not to sell out to the lack of good content, just to be "still in the game". No matter what happens, we will always be here to listen to new music and interact with you, so bring it on! Hardcore is... f o r e v e r.
There are few bands that can truly uphold the realness and street spirit that NYHC is originally known for. It is so nice to see bands like Olde York putting out quality NYHC records in this day and age, and thus help persevere this awesome form of underground music!
The new record Shallow World is released by Dutch hardcore label WTF and contains 11 songs of intensely aggravating traditional hardcore that is bound to get kids kids seriously pumped! This is true hardcore: groovy tempos at various speeds, in your face vocals filled with anger & attitude, and speedy wall-of-sound guitars!!!
Check out the song "Peeling Paint" from Olde York's upcoming album below! Or even better... do yourself a favor and research this awesome band's history and back releases if you haven't already!
Throughout the past couple of years, 6131 Records has undoubtedly been one of the most active record labels putting out nothing but quality hardcore (and some awesome punk rock). Enlisting bands like Rotting Out, Focused Minds, Bent Life, The Beautiful Ones & otherss, 6131 is definitely one of the important labels for current hardcore.
6131's upcoming release will be a dose of mean as fuck hardcore: Hardside's scorching Time is Punishment will hit the streets some time in August 2012. What we have here is some hard-hitting brutal hardcore that is not afraid to blend in some Rock influences, just like many 90s hardcore bands used to do. Enjoy the song and check 6131 Records!
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.
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.
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?
2011 seems to be the most energetic year
for Youth of Today since their reunion in 2008, but their latest show was a
special event! They recently headlined the free re-release event/festival for
the book ‘Making a Scene: New York Hardcore 1985-1988’ book, which originally
came out back in 1989. The book is now
revamped with more than double photographic material, new commentaries etc. You
can check it out through the following links:
The festival was entitled True Til Def and
was 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 that
played 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.
Legendary clevo-core heavyweights
Ringworm release a split EP with crossover metalcore merchants Mindsnare from
Australia! The 7’’ titled Your Soul Belongs To Us, is provided by A389
Records and includes a mini comic book illustrated by the Human Furnace (the singer) himself! We expect some rough & dark quality metalcore here! Rumours say
that in this 7’’ Ringworm continue their vile metalcore legacy!
For those who do not know
Mindsnare, they have released split albums with Toe To Toe and Congress (H8000
crew 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 Records
released almost another Ringworm 7’’, this time based on a 1999 demo cassette.
It is titled Madness Of War and is
limited to 250 copies! It comes with a nice ‘chaos’ layout! The
partisans will proceed I guess..:)
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 checkhttp://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!
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.
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!
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:
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!
Hello again, after a short holiday break. We got a new design on this blog to fresh things up a little, as we also embark on a new quest: to discover & present only the best from the world of hardcore/punk/metal and beyond!
We have a lot of cool stuff in store. For now, enjoy this video of crusty rock n roll madness with hilarious shots of punx from famous 80s films!
Resistant Culture: Serious tribal crust/grind/punk from Los Angleles
AUG 01 2011 - AUG 15 2011: AWAY FOR SUMMER HOLIDAYS
Even we at Take Your Shot need a bit of a vacation every now and then. While we still live & breathe hardcore on a personal level, we will be taking a short break until the 15th of August. We will be back shortly thereafter with more action from the world of hardcore music -- a world filled with passion and anger and attitude. Until then.... go slam or something!
The saga continues... Freddy Madball seems to be going further with his career as a rapper, picking up where his 2009 1st solo hip hop album, Catholic Guilt left off. Is "thug" hip hop the future of the NYHC we used to know?
BACK in the early 00s/late 90s, there was a golden era when the term 'emo-core' was understood as a new style of hardcore that was a bit more melodic and well... emotional, but it was definately still HARDCORE, or at least punk. The genre had nothing to do with what emo came to be through the years (whiney kids focused mostly on style, playing modern corporate rock music).
Which brings us to the Movielife and the re-release of their now classic 2nd album "This Time Next Year" by Mightier Than The Sword Records. Originally released in 2000 by Revelation Records, "This Time Next Year" had dropped on the hardcore scene like a bomb, bringing melody and freshness in a scene that was oversaturated with the mostly chugga chugga metal mentality of 90s hardcore.
Some 11 years later, the album still sounds fresh and I am very glad to see it circulating back in the scene which needs positive, melodic bands like the Movielife. Their short career in hardcore surely left its mark on the kids and now it is time to re-live their history all over again!
Some extra info for you all: the re-issue is limited to 562 copies of 180 gram vinyl, so all you collectors can go crazy as of now. The Movielife have reunited for some 2011 shows while you can check out the Mightier Than The Sword webstore here: http://store.mtsrecords.com/products/7850.
NYHC King Rick Ta Life is back on the trenches of hardcore again, recording a new album for legendary, much loved side project Comin Correct. The NY Hardcore icon doesn't seem to slow down after last year's 'S.I.B' album with 25 Ta Life (read the TYS review here), or the personal and health problems he's gone through during the last couple of years.
In true hardcore tradition, Rick Ta Life is moving on straight ahead, creating his trademark positively minded heavy hardcore - a style he's created an maintained since the early 90s. So if you've been wondering what Rick Ta Life's been up to and how come you haven't heard a lot about this crazy-busy, crazy-creative hardcore personality, check out the following video and get a pre-taste of the new Comin Correct album. You'll see that apart from a few extra tattoos and a few extra lbs, Rick Ta Life is still out there doing what he knows best: creating some of the best underground hardcore for us all!!!
