SERPENT"S TONGUE - "Desolation" Review

Bam! When you least expect it, it always hits you! Like on this occasion, I initially didn't know what to expect from this rabid moshing pitbull hailing from Indiana, US. Judging from the cover, I thought, this could be anything from sludge to metalcore but actually it was brutal metallic hardcore that crushes bones with 1,000 tons of aural heaviness!

SERPENT'S TONGUE take some cues from the all-hailed INTEGRITY sound, while bringing it to new extremes. Let me tell you, these guys have thoroughly researched their sound. They have hardcore in their veins, but also know how to mix it well with some dark and heavy as hell metal. And by that I mean real, bad-ass fucking metal. When they go slow, they go ALL SLOW, and with that compact low sound they manage to groove like very few bands can.

Yes -- these guys are definitely dark, but also have the grove that takes you through every song pleasantly and makes you want to mosh your ass off. If you like dark European hardcore like only the best do it (AYS, Goldrush, or even  older stuff like Arkangel and Congress) then you must definitely check this out! It is bleak, mysterious, brutal and groovy, or in other words: just perfect. This band slays and you don't want to be left behind...

www.facebook.com/serpentstongue

FUCKING INVINCIBLE - fast hardcore from Rhode Island, US

 
Today's post shall be brief and straight to the point, much like the music of FUCKING INCREDIBLE. This band delivers a super tight energy which combines a classic hardcore sound with some insane fastcore blastbeats. I don't know (and actually don't care) if this should be called powerviolence and whatnot, but I do  know it's GOOD! Featuring members of Sould Control and Drop Dead!

Tad Peyton: Old School Hardcore Tattoos

I recently realized that there haven't been many tattoo posts as of late here. Nevertheless, tattoos are and have been one of my big interests in life, and I am always researching the history of tattooing and looking to find out about cool artists around the globe. Tattoos are so close to hardcore, such a big part of it. I have often tried to find out the connection between the two and what has made tattoos and hardcore blend so well, but I'll leave that to someone else. All I know is I love both. So now it's time to check out some cool tattoo art and spread the word on the artists who deserve it...

One great artist that I've recently found out about is Tad Peyton. This guy tends to create some super clean & bright, traditional old school images.What's more is that Peyton has a soft spot for creating hardcore-related tattoo themes; his art has been featured on hardcore merch and posters (Out Crowd, United Blood Fest '13), while he's also making tatoo flash that focuses on common hardcore and street punk themes/songs. What could be more amazing than a straight edge tattooist paying respect to his favorite hardcore bands? Yup, this shit is as good as it gets.

http://tadpeyton.com

NEVER-TRUST: Bomb the Fucking System!

BAND: Never-Trust

RECORDING: "Bomb Da System" EP

STYLE: Metallic Thrash/Thrashcore

LOCATION: Athens. Greece

Label: Self Released

Website: FB // Youtube

Hell yes! One of my favorite things is the hellish mix of metallic thrash and groovy, no-frills hardcore. I am not talking about no party-thrash punkers who copycat Suicidal, early Slayer and DRI; and I am definitely NOT talking about those brutal hardcore bands who incorporate 1 thrash riff whenever they think it's the cool thing to do.

What I am talking about is bands like Never-Trust, who can write some mean fucking riffs all the way through, and bring the pure thrash aggression with a "straight from the heart" hardcore touch. Ouch! These Athenian badasses pack a ton of mosh but don't forget to kick it with some pure breakneck thrash speed. On the other side, they are not afraid to make a solid hardcore song, but are always careful to pack it with a certain metal/thrash coating. It's up to you to find out which is their style exactly, but one thing's for sure: they know how to do what they do.

From what I know, these fellas have changed singers recently, which - judging from a live performance I saw them at recently - can be a good thing. The guy on this recording has a nice growl but doesn't totally have that "extra something" compared to the many hardcore/metal singers of today. What Never-Trust need is a frontman whose voice and style can really match the sheer intensity and streetwise aggression that their music already produces. However, I am sure they are now on the right track with this!

Keep an eye out for this up & coming thrashcore machine because they're gonna hit u hard!!!

Moment of Truth fanzine - Issue #1

In my head, "Moment of Truth" is a song by Madball (off the Look My Way album), and now it is also a new hardcore fanzine ran by Ricky of Backtrack. I figured since Backtrack is pretty awesome, it would be a good idea to get my hands on this zine, so I didn't hesitate to buy it when I saw it advertised by WAK (our local Greek HC/punk distro).

So this small zine (A5 size, 36 pages, full color, glossy paper) falls in the category of "true" hardcore zines -- yup, just the type we like! There are many crust and hardcore/punk zines of the leftist category which is fine by me, but then again it's also pretty awesome to have some hardcore zines that are just about the 'core, the mosh and the good times. And that's exactly what Moment of Truth is about.

In this first issue, there are interviews with Terror axeman Jordan Posner, Take Offense, Xibalba, Freddy Madball explaining lyrics to a couple of Madball songs, King Nine and a small tour report written by Surburban Scum's Karebear. Awesome shit! Even though the interviews are kinda short and don't really go in depth, I am sure this is something that can be covered on the next issue. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Karebear's tour report, which is full of stories about moshing, partying, fattening food and general mischief. That's the way to go people! It totally put me in the right mood for living and appreciating this hardcore lifestyle.

Yeah.. I totally recommend this zine to fans of tough, no-frills hardcore and the bands mentioned above. We need to support moves like this coming from this particular scene, cause otherwise the zines won't be made and PC punks everywhere will still blame hardcore kids for being... "bullheads", even though that might be the case. Now bust!

http://momentoftruthzine.bigcartel.com/

Modern Life is War: back on the map!

Even though I am not the biggest fan of reunions or comebacks, I guess this is kinda big news for the hardcore scene as Modern Life is War is a band kids truly fucking love. Also, I can't lie about how much I like the whole look and feel of this newspiece sent to us by B9 (I dig the punky black & white aesthetic), so there you have it. Enjoy the upcoming album!