BLOOD BY DAYS Interview

Hey! Today I am excited to bring you an interview with an amazing heavy hardcore band from Germany. This band is no other than Blood by Days and I strongly recommend you check 'em out. They can bring both the mosh and those catchy choruses that stick to your head, as well as some bad ass rap that will have you jumping up and down in no time. Their amazing new album is called As Thick as Thieves and it is out NOW! Get into it!

1. Hey Mo! Thanks a lot for this interview. Please introduce the band to TxYxS readers. What have you done so far and what is the reason behind creating Blood By Days?

Hey dude, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. Well, we are just a couple of guys from Siegen/Germany who back in 2003 started this band to play some straight up Hardcore. We are friends for a long time and we just wanted to write music, to play shows and to have a good time. We did a lot of shows, some demos and EP’s throughout the years and now we finally managed to set up a full length record.

2. How do you describe your sound? I sense  a little bit of progression (within hardcore parameters of course) from the last stuff. Is that correct?

Yeah, I think so. We really focused on the songwriting this time. There are a lot more details in the songs. We tried some experiments and I think our sound has a lot more facets than on the older releases. It’s still Hardcore after all, that’s the foundation. But we mixed in a lot of Rap, Metal and a lot of catchy melodies.

3. What type of music do you listen at home? I mean hardcore and non-hardcore.. I hear some hip hop, some rock n roll in your sound.. and of course a lot of beatdown! Tell us about your influences.

Personally I listen to a lot of old Metal and Punk-Rock, 80’s and 90’s Hardcore, Sludge, Rap… everything. Everyone in BBD has got his favourites but musically we are a really open-minded band. We don’t try to cage ourselves in the Hardcore genre. Of course, this scene and this music is where we are based, where we have friends and we feel a strong connection to that culture. But we try to mix in all the influences we have. We don’t want to be a stereotype band with a stereotype sound.

4. What is the BBD crew? Don't you think that hardcore used to be a lot more about crews and brotherhood? Are HC crews still alive in Germany and what has changed since the old days?

Actually there really is no such thing as a “BBD Crew” haha. If we talk about this we just mean all our close friends, all the dudes we hang out with at shows and everyone who supports us. I think there still are a lot of crews today. Two of us are part of the BTL Crew, for example. I am not a crew member at all, but I really respect that whole “crew thing” here in Germany. It’s good to see that those guys team up and try to keep the scene alive. I can’t really tell if it’s different from the past. I have a lot of friends and dedicated guys here and I see a lot of ignorant and dumb people – no matter if they are crew members or not.


5. I will ask this because I heard some rapping on your record. Germany seems to have a lot of really badass hip hop, with some rappers looking like hardcore kids wearing hardcore bands' t shirts. Can you let us know more about the hardcore-rap scenes affiliation?

I’m not really connected to that whole HipHop thing and Blood By Days in general is just a Hardcore band and we don’t have any HipHop roots or something like that. I like Rap music, of course. But I’ve always been a straight up Hardcore, Metal and Punk kid. At some point we started to mix a lot of Rap into our sound and it became some kind of trademark. That’s all. And depending all that Hardcore/HipHop crossover stuff in Germany: I think a lot of it really sucks. I won’t drop any names and that’s just my opinion. I just don’t like that whole gangster-rap attitude in Hardcore. I think it's difficult for people outside Germany to understand the difference, because they don't understand the german lyrics. And some acts only have those crappy and fake gangster lyrics about beating up people and shit. No meaning, no passion. We always mixed in Rap vocals, but we always tried to have a message! I love to see when people try to mix different influences, but I hate to see, when they do it with no heart and just because it’s some kind of trend.

6. "As Thick as Thieves" is the name of the new album -- what does it stand for? Also, can you tell us a few things about the lyrics? I liked the combination of aggressive attitude with lyrics about friendship and integrity!

The title stands for being close to each other. As a band, as friends, as a scene, however you wanna see it. We thought this was a good choice for an album title. The lyrics on the record are very personal. They are about friendship, about relations in general, about passion, loss, fear, hope, anger - about the things we love and the things we hate. After all the message is about not losing sight, holding on to the people you love and about self reflection. Some of the lyrics on this album really mean a lot to me.

7. How has hardcore shaped your life? Do you think you will be still involved  in 10 years' time?

For about 11 years this music and scene is an important part of my life. I met a lot of close friends throughout the years because of Hardcore. I still love going to shows, I still do shows with a friend of mine and I love to be on the road with the guys. There are so much memories connected to this scene. And I know that some things will change, I won’t visit as many shows as I do today, we won’t play with Blood By Days forever.. But this whole thing is dear to my heart and I’m pretty certain not to turn my back on it.

8. What do you think is fake about hardcore 2013? What would you like to see change?

There are a lot of kids who just pretend to be into it because Hardcore became some kind of trend. But every scene has these “problems”. As I said before, there are ignorant and fake people and there are dedicated people, this won’t change. All we can do is support real bands, real bookers, real labels and everyone who is really into it.

9. How are you promoting the new album? Do you have any plans for 2013 with BBD?

Of course, we try to do a lot of interviews and to promote the CD on blogs and zines. We also will be playing shows – maybe even a tour, we’ll see!

10. Any good bands we should check out, or other good stuff you're into and want to share with the world?

Check out our brothers in Ablaze & Reborn To Conquer if you’re into blackened Hardcore/Metal and if someone does not know Siegen’s infamous Embraced By Hatred, go check them out, too. There are a lot of cool bands today, just keep your eyes open!

11. OK, that's all for now! Thanks for making a killer album with tons of attitude! Give the people who read this a good reason to check out BdD and close the interview in any way you want.
Thanks for the interview and thanks for the nice words, man! Good luck with your zine! Everyone who is interested in how BBD sounds today check out YouTube for songs from the “As Thick As Thieves” album, visit www.bloodbydays.bandcamp.com and give us a like on www.facebook.com/bloodbydays . Last words?! Go to as many shows as possible, support both your local scene and other bands, be open minded to other styles of music, be passionate and dedicated about this scene and don’t tolerate fake and ignorant people or fascism in any way!

www.facebook.com/BloodByDays

bloodbydays.bandcamp.com

Brothers in Arms - "Invictus"

BAND: BROTHERS IN ARMS

ALBUM: INVICTUS (debut, full length)

STATUS: ACTIVE!

LOCATION: HAMBURG, GERMANY

STYLE: OLD SCHOOL/HARDSTYLE HARDCORE

facebook // official

Bad-ass heavy hardcore is what Brothers in Arm deliver, and they do it extremely  well. With a ton of furious energy and a super-aggressive outlook, you can tell these guys don't f*ck about.

I love this band cause it preserves all the classic elements that make hardcore my favortite thing in the world: from the old school sound to the growled vocals, from the 'hood aesthetic to the urban message of brotherhood. I love it all. This IS European hardcore 20-13 , so get into it!

Overpain - "Underrated Overhated" preview (coming late 2012)

Hell yes! Greece has always been a place for harder, brutal hardcore bands. A tradition that is kind of fading nowadays, but Overpain are here to reaffirm their city's (proud members of the Salonica Hardcore Cew - SHC) and country's legacy in brutal, heavy ass street hardcore.

I have to say that I've been very positively surprised with Overpain's new stuff, which sounds totally brutal but still has that definite old school approach. This is not the shitty, overproduced metalcore beatdown shit that most bands churn out these days; no, this is real hardcore with a metallic edge, slow 'n' heavy breaks, but the 'core' is definitely here (both attitude and music-wise).

Overpain's music brings me back to older times, when the harder street attitude was definitely mixed with hardcore, when throwing mosh parts in your music wasn't a crime, when bands were competing for who makes the grooviest and heaviest shit, and not who is the most politically correct.

Support this Greek band that has paid its dues and is still continuing to put out quality hardcore and perseveres an almost forgotten legacy!

http://www.facebook.com/overpainhxc

Interview with Terror's Scott Vogel!!!

Terror and Death Before Dishonor came to Greece for one show at the 21^st of April and we just couldn’t miss it. And above that we grabbed the chance and get to ask some questions to Bryan Harris (Vocals for Death Before Dishonor) and to Scott Vagel (Vocals for Terror) Let’s check what they said about their bands, hardcore music, the music industry and more… Once again, we'd like to thank the following parties: Nick for doing the interview, Scott Vogel & Terror, Bridge 9 Records, and the Greek show promoters: Playfalse Records and Hard Times Athens.

Interview with Scott Vogel

T.Y.S.: You are about to release, with Bridge 9, a CD/DVD that contains rare video material and live footage from a concert of Terror back on 2003. How did you come up with this idea?

S.V.: The background story of that is that, Ian from Blood For Blood, about 10 years ago when we were just starting as a band was making some videos and stuff and one weekend he came by and recorded to live shows that we gave. One of those is the one on the DVD. We actually never thought of this live-footage but when Bridge 9 presented the idea, it sounded cool, the footage was ok, the sound was ok so we we were really ok with that. And you know, probably there are people that have dropped out of hardcore and only know this era of Terror and there are people that are knew to hardcore and don’t know anything of that period so I think its something good for everybody.

T.Y.S.: What do you think, has changed for Terror, since that that period?

S.V.: You know, it’s a different line-up, it’s 10 years ago, we have put out 10 albums since then, everything is completely different. Back then, we would play one show every couple of weeks and was the most exciting thing in the world and now we play one show every day, we give interviews. I don’t want to say that things are worse or better, it’s just completely different.

T.Y.S.: How does it feel when you look back at these days of Terror?

S.V.: This is like a documentation of the first 6 months of Terror. We didn’t even have a record at this time. The band went on for 10 more years, to do whatever it did, so it’s crazy I would say to look back at these days.

T.Y.S.: Which is the greatest thing that you have achieved with Terror till today?

S.V.: Just, the Keepers Of The Faith album. Everything about it. The music, the recordings, the layout, the concept. There was a lot of work in it and I am really proud of that album.

T.Y.S.: What are Terror’s plans for the future?

S.V.: After completing this tour we will start recording and we should be done by early June. So the new album is going to be out just after the summer.

T.Y.S.: The hardcore scene is growing bigger every day. Do you think that this happening the wrong or the right way?

S.V.: I think that there are a lot of problems. A lot of people take the word hardcore on their band and they don’t even know what it is, they don’t care. But I also do think that there is still a real traditional hardcore scene at every part of the world an that it always going to remain that way and that’s cool. Now there are so many bands and it is so easy for them to tour around and that sometimes “hurts”. When I was growing up there will be like one show every three weeks and there was probably only 300 hardcore kids where I lived but all 300 went to these shows no matter what. It just seemed to be better then. Now, there are so many shows and I mean some shows really suck. There are shows with nearly 20 kids. And also there are a lot of bunds that suck, and a lot of shows with bands that shouldn’t be touring at all. I mean, I am all good for go out and start working, but I think that if you are not ready to tour then you shouldn’t do it. And then you know, there is this big “music thing” that some bands before they even have a record, they have a fucking manager. You shouldn’t have a manager or have someone booking you a tour until you prove that you can do it yourself. I mean, no booking agency or manager should care about a band until this band proves that it is gonna stick around and do it on its own.

T.Y.S.: Do you think that we can blame the music industry and the record labels for that?

S.V.: Yes, of course. I think that labels take for example 10 bands that they think they might be good and throw them all at the wall. They do everything for the one sticks and starts to pick up some following and the other nine just sink and the record label has these other nine bands under their little contract and just lets them fail. Its just disgusting.

T.Y.S.: What is your opinion about illegal downloading and the how do you think that it affects the bands? Would Terror upload their new album for free on the internet?

S.V.: I don’t really know the reality o this, but Terror has asked Century Media to let us off their label and we really want to put out our next record out ourselves. So, I mean do the vinyl ourselves, the CD ourselves, record it ourselves. As for the free download, I don’t know if we are gonna put it our for free but maybe we put it up really cheap and say “hey, we did this ourselves, we play hundreds shows every year, if you want to help us out and have some sort of moral support for a hardcore band pay 5 dollars”. That’s our ultimate goal. We had a meeting with Century Media, asking them to let us off their label but they haven’t answered to us yet. So we are just waiting. Also, about the downloading thing, people might say it sucks and stuff but in the end there is no debate about it, it's happening. There is no way to stop it, it’s too late, so you have to see the good with it. I think, bands like us, we can now go to Indonesia and have kids sing our lyrics and I think that’s because they can download our records because I don’t think that our CD’s have a great districution there, maybe they don’t even have the money to buy our CD’s. So I think bands like us are lucky now to be able to travel to these places and that’s because of the downloading thing. On the other hand, when Terror was on Trustkill we used to get royalty checks for record sales and now we don’t get shit. So, you got to say “this is what happens", and make the best out of it.

T.Y.S.: Is there something you want to say about the bands you are touring with at the moment?

S.V.: Death Before Dishonor is one of my favorite bands to tour with. I think if you take everybody on this tour, Terror, Db4D, Take Offense everyone is very similar. Everyone is very different too (age range, were we‘ve grown up, were we come for), but everyone on this tour is so similar. Absolutely no egos, or any problem at all. It’s just like hardcore kids hanging out.

T.Y.S.: Would you like to name some band, that without their existence, Terror might have not been here playing hardcore music?

S.V.: Sure! Warzone, Agnostic Front, No Warning, Judge, Suicidal, Madball, N.W.A. I think that’s enough.

T.Y.S.: You‘ve played to Greece many times already so I guess you‘ll have something to say about the Greek audience. Is there something in particular that you remember from your past shows here?

S.V.: I remember when we played here with Madball, Jordan was stage-diving and acting like a fucking maniac and that was really cool cause you don’t see him like that very often. I also remember when we played here with Hatebreed, and that was a really cool show!

T.Y.S.: So, it seems that you like it playing here?

S.V.: Yes, of course, we wouldn’t come back if we didn’t like it.

T.Y.S.: Is there a message you want to send to the hardcore kids?

S.V.: Hmmm, first of all I think that they have to seriously check out Take Offense. I really think that they are one of the best new bands that I have seen in a while. Also, listen to more Hatebreed and have fun!

T.Y.S.: Is there maybe something else you want to say to your Greek fans and to the readers of T.Y.S?

S.V.: I am sure a lot of bands say that but Terror really mean it: “We don’t really feel like we come to Greece and we are cool and special. We are just hardcore kids and we are very humbled to be here. So, please keep coming back to the shows and show us love and we will come back for us long as we can.

Interview: Nikos Tolis

nikostolis@gmail.com

TxYxS Interview: Death Before Dishonor

This interview was carried out during the Unlieashed Hell inFest that took place on the 21st of April 2012. Check it out! Next up we got an interview with none other than Terror's Scott Vogel! Thanks to Nick for doing the interview, thanks to Bridge 9 Records for setting it up and of course thanks to Hard Times and Playfalse who did the show! Photos taken at the show.

Interview with Bryan Harris

T.Y.S.: Death Before Dishonor are well known for touring a lot and giving hundreds of shows every year, probably way more that the average hardcore band. Tell us something about this choice of yours.

B.H.: I always thought that it’s important to go out and play as much as you can. Play for as many people as you can. I think that this is one of the most important things of being a hardcore band. We’ve a got a lot of opportunities to play in many different places and it’s good time being on the road so that’s mainly why.

T.Y.S.: So I guess you prefer being on a tour than being in the studio and recording.

B.H.: For me, I definitely prefer being on the road than in the studio but we have to go back to the studio soon.

T.Y.S.: You usually release an album every couple of years but this time you haven’t released anything since 2009, and that’s 3 years already. What’s the main reason for that?

B.H.: Part of it is touring part of it are some line-up changes. Frankie, our original guitar player/bass player, who does a lot of writing he can’t tour anymore, he has a baby now. He is of course still part of the band he still writes with us. So it’s between these two things. Actually, I believe we didn’t even tour a lot last year as we usually do but here are a lot of things that we have been busy with. We’ve got some new songs that we’ve been working and after this tour we will definitely gonna focus on getting a record done. Hopefully we‘ll have it done by the end of this year or at the beginning of 2013.

T.Y.S.: Did those lineup changes, which you just mentioned, had a negative impact on the band?

B.H.: No, not really. I mean, Frankie wrote most of the stuff like forever you know. He did a lot of music, even a bunch of lyrics. I and he always work together. There have been other band members that did some writings but not that much to make a difference. B-Roll has stopped touring, he has some family issues but he still plays with us also I think he's gonna even come to Mexico to play with us. It's kind of weird but I think that the current line-up sounds great. I get along with everybody and I'm absolutely happy with the guys.

T.Y.S.: You’ve been a part of the hardcore scene with DB4D at least, for more than 10 years already. What do you believe has changed since back then to the scene and how do you think that these changes have influenced DB4D.

B.H.: Though we are a band for so many years we have been actually started touring not before 2005. Things has certainly change a lot and you know you can start thinking what‘s better and what’s worst. I think there are a lot more bands right now and it’s easier for them to go on tour. On the past you had to put something out and work harder in order to do that. Now is a lot easier. Anyway good bands will remain,  bad bands won’t. Things change and we try to take the good stuff and do our best.

T.Y.S.: What does hardcore music means to you? Is this all about having some values and a particular attitude?

B.H.: I think it’s just all about how you live your life. It’s hard to put it on words. For me, you know it’s not just the sound or being D.I.Y. or things like that. It’s just the way of life. Some people get it, some don’t, and some people think they got it but then they realize that this thing is not really the thing for them. For me it’s just the way I live my life. If I could put it in words I would say that it’s about being yourself whatever it is.

T.Y.S.: Illegal downloading and music industry. What’s your opinion about it?

B.H.: I mean it obviously sucks. I do it myself sometimes so I guess I’m also guilty. It definitely sucks for bands that work hard. You know some people say that they’re not gonna buy a CD which has been released from a specific label and they might be right sometimes because some labels really charge a lot. But you know, the CD’s we had on tour it was always to help us on tour. If you download it I guess it does screw the band ultimately. And especially hardcore bands. I’m not talking about mainstream bands, that‘s a whole different world. I mean when you take it from a hardcore band it’s a little more personal. We’re supposed to be there for each other.

 

T.Y.S.: What’s your opinion about some bands that upload their albums for free in the internet?

B.H.: That’s cool too. You know, some bands they upload their music for free but they also put out a vinyl and that’s also nice cause vinyl has been a big part of hardcore for many years. I would also be okay doing that, thought that is really up to Bridge9 and we are really happy with them, they really help us a lot. But if for example they were suggesting putting our next album in the web I would be ok with that. Bridge9 has also done really cool stuff on the past, like if you buy the vinyl then you get an access for a free download. And that’s nice cause when you get the vinyl you also get the lyrics and then you also have the mp3 version to put it on your mp3 player. Whatever works for the band, you know.

T.Y.S.: Do you have a weird story that you want to share with us from one of your shows. I guess you’ll have a lot but just try to remember a good one.

B.H.: One time we were about to play at a club, the things were set up, the first band was playing and then the club just burnt down! The whole place was on fire! We had to literally go in and take all of our stuff out while the whole place was on fire. We had to wait like four hours and finally we played a basement show at around 2.00 a.m.

T.Y.S.: Do you believe that the reason that you have a hardcore band is connected to the fact that you come from a place with a huge tradition in hardcore music?

B.H.: Of course it was cool to grow up at a place like Boston and you know all the cool shows I got to see there and all this mix of hardcore, punk-rock and OI music might have affected me in a way. But I certainly believe that I would still be the same person no matter what and I would still have a hardcore band. I don’t even think that the way that DBD sound is really a Boston sound.

T.Y.S.: Tell us something about the bands that you are on tour with this period. I am of course talking about Terror and Take Offense.

B.H.: We toured with Terror a bunch of times before. We are very good friends and it’s really awesome. Take Offense, I just‘ve met them on this tour and they are also great. It really gets along. This tour is just great; we have all become good friends so that makes it easier.

T.Y.S.: Do you want to send a message to your Greek Fans and to the readers of T. Y. S?

B.H.: It’s cool to be here again. Last time we played here it was awesome. We had a really great show. I am really happy to be here again and I am really looking forward to our show tonight.

Final Prayer - "I Am Not Afraid" Review (Let it Burn Records)

Genre: Brutal/Street Hardcore

Location: Berlin, Germany

Band Website: http://www.finalprayer.de/

Label: http://letitburn.de

Through years of solid work Final Prayer have managed to establish themselves as kingpins of German (and why not, European) heavy hardcore scene. Yes, I am glad cause in this world of uncertainty at least I know what to expect from a FP album: groovy beats, heavy guitars, mean vocals and all the ingredients that make for a brutal, streetwise hardcore record. But watch out, the surprise on this album is that FP pack a lot of catchy parts (still heavy, don't worry) and memorable songs.

While Final Prayer plunder and pillage with their heavy-ass, beatdown-flavored hardcore action, it's like they pack the Midas touch this time around; I say this because every song is special, every song has character and  something unique to it. This record is mature, it is clever and catchy and and at the same time it is loyal to its roots and full of attitude. FP is not another band pretending to be tough and using the same old ingredients, on the contrary they have a lot of imagination and have made a record that goes beyond the fashions and cliches of today's scene. I bet that I will be able to listen to I am Not Afraid some 5 years later and derive the same pleasure from it as I do today. It's the type of HC that can stay untouched by the wrath of time.

You can understand that there is no necessity to talk about the quality of the production and so on; you and I both know that on a Final Prayer album and a Let it Burn Records release, shit like that is always meticulously delivered and this is also the case here. The production sound is huge, crystal-clear and thankfully for this style, not too metallic.

If you care about the hardcore scene and what it represents, I guess that this record will hardly escape you. You will meet somewhere along the way. If you are into hardcore for real, you will understand and become friends with the integrity delivered on I Am Not Afraid. It contains the essence that has always brought together fans of this music and lifestyle from around the world; it's the force that unites all of us with one common parameter, and that parameter is living by the rules of hardcore. While I listen to this record, I can imagine the cloudy Berlin skies and the city concrete that these hardcore dudes step on. Now it's taken on a worldwide level.

Life After Death - "Scum of Society Forever"

50%-50% beatdown & oldschool hardcore is what you get from this Indiana, US mosh machine! These guys certainly know how to bring the ruckus with their negative mental attitude and pissed off hardcore action. If the name Filled With Hate Records sadly doesn't say anything to you, then check out the video below to find out what this band is all about and proceed with some background research on the label.

The band's free download ep (check their link below for download link) delivers 4 songs of streetwise hardcore with an awesome exchange of moshcore and fat oldschool grooves! We expect more of the same goodness from their upcoming 2012 full length.

http://stereokiller.com/lifeafterdeath
www.filledwithhate.com

TERROR, DBD, TAKE OFFENSE & More Live in Athens

This weekend, better brace yourself for some supreme hardcore action coming to our city. Terror (pretty much the biggest band of today's hardcore) hits Athens once again, this time as part of the Unleashed Hell inFest VII, together with Boston hardcore heavyweights Death Before Dishonor and Reaper Records' heavy old schoolers Take Offense. The ticket would be worth it for each band separately, let alone all the bands together!

In Clear Sight - "Fuck Fairytales, this is Reality"

Band: in Clear Sight

Country: Belgium 

Band Website: soundcloud

Label Website: Clenched Fist Records

Metalcore/Deathcore are genres generally viewed upon with much contempt, however, there will ALWAYS be the bands that make the exception to the rule. Personally, as a fan of all things brutal in metal and hardcore, can't find myself to resist bands such as In Clear Sight and their heavy as fuck metallic hardcore.

Withoutout deviating too much from the norms, ICS manage to avoid the ultra-boring cliches of the metalcore genre and go on to create some dark, powerful and devastating music. All you need is here: the pounding drums landing on your head like a ten-ton hammer, the mean NY-flavored riffs, and of course the state of the art brutal beatdowns. The vocalist spits the lyrics in a pretty guttural manner, but there are many other types of vocals (perhaps coming from other band members?) which keep a good balance between the guttural, the street, the death metal and a more hip hop style. In fact, there is quite a bit of dark hip hop imagery going on, not unlike Wu Tan and Jedi Mind Tricks. The production ties everything together in such a way that In Clear Sight is the aural equivalent of a rabid, fighting pitbul barking right in your poor face. Some more metal-oriented elements come to finish things off and put the last nail in the coffin... And if you didn't catch the above reference, this album is perfect for fans of Born From Pain, Walls of Jericho, old Hatebreed etc.

Not all music needs to generate introspection and beautiful feelings - not all music needs to display profoundly high technical abilities; music like In Clear Sight is specifically manufactured in order to do one thing: keep you angry as fuck. If you have a hard day in front of you or something pissed you off real bad, put this band on and you'll remember what I mean. This shit is also perfect for long and exhausting runs, pumping iron, relentless moshing with no reason, and general venting of frustration and hate. If you don't get it, the best thing about this band is that it is fucking frantic, and that is exactly the point most current bands miss these days.

If Clenched Fist Records puts out music like this, I'll make sure to check it again & again!

Featured Band - Hard Times: Negative Hardcore from the WV Streets

Genre: old school/heavy hardcore

Country: West Virginia, US

Band Website: facebook

Label: Unsigned 

 Hard Times (probably taking their name from the classic Cro-Mags song) is a hard as fuck, old school heavy hardcore band from Huntignton WA, USA. This band brings back the hateful mosh sound that was prominent in the late 90s and early 00s and let me tell you... Hard Times has a lot of spite to spit right in the face of every non-believer.

If you like hardcore guitars accompanied by an punishing use of double bass drumming and hip hop busts, then this is for you. The vocals are 100% hardcore and so full of rage. We are not talking about another weak-ass, wannabe hardcore hipster frontman here, but a guy that will spit his rage no matter what. This is real, hateful hardcore for pissed off people and if you know what's good for you, you will get into Hard Times right now. Fuck.

http://www.stereokiller.com/HardTimesHHF

Hardcore Personalities: Dave Haze (That's What's Up)

Dave Haze: "I don't care if it offends"

Dave Haze is the singer and most recognizable figure behind the infamous Detroit straight edge hardcore band, xTyrantx. This 7th Dagger recording outfit has raised more than a few eyebrows due to some militant edge viewpoints, as well as its violent sound and admittedly extreme looks. 

Let's face it: xTyrantx is not here for the happy PMA kids. However, Haze and xTyrantx help in representing hardcore as the most extreme and dangerous music subculture in the world!

Aside from xTyrantx, Haze also tattoos at Eternal Tattoos and is apparently a big fan of outlaw country.

Respect to the people who are still keeping hardcore extreme!

http://www.facebook.com/xTyrantxFTW

http://www.facebook.com/SEVENTHDAGGER

TERROR "The New Blood" Video (Guest Vox by Toby Morse)

Terror is a band that needs no introduction in hardcore circles or fanzines like this. They are arguably the most popular hardcore band of recent times, and one of the very few bands that keep hardcore simple and represent its core (sic) values. In fact, this is exactly what the new song "The New Blood" talks about: hardcore in its purest form and the solid, life-saving impact it can have on one's life. The song is a mid-tempo schorcher which includes guest vocals by none other than H2O's Toby Morse. Enjoy the video, and visit Reaper Records for more info on Terror and many other back to basics hardcore acts!

Coming to think of it (and after watching "The New Blood" several times), it seems like this video is a good educational clip for people who want to know more about hardcore music and its roots. If you don't know the bands featured throughout this video, it's a good place to start doing some homework. If you do, well... feel proud and play those classics fucking loud!

INTEGRITY live in Athens, 11 Feb 2012

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: One Life Crew - "Crime Ridden Society"

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.

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

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 or other trendy elements inside. In the present album Harm’s Way put together the grooviest and heaviest styles from hardcore and metalcore, to transform them into a sound uniquely theirs. You can be sure that this record is going to conquer your soundsystem in heavy rotations!

At first listen, Isolation does not sound that startling or extraordinary, rather tardy worn out and cliché, nevertheless it grabbed me from the neck with its megatone heaviness. Slowly as the tracks went by, I started realizing that Harm’s Way stand out from the crowd of ‘chugga-chugga’ thugs and copycats. Especially after listening the title track things got more interesting and addictive to the point that I kept repeating the tracks again and 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 Buried Alive, Hatebreed, Strife, Terror,  Naysayer etc., pounding open-chord progressions reminiscent of Machine Head (‘The more things change’-period), Throwdown, Soulfly etc (but totally hardcore and personalized). They make some occasional use of thrashy but warm and tuneful Merauder-like riffing of Master Killer era (pay attention to the 2:18 of ‘Slither’ or the starting riff of ‘Pretender’). There are some influences from darker hardcore acts like Integrity or the newcomers Xibalba but also slow downtuned boneshaking Crowbar grooves alongside doom hints. Yes, there are also breakdowns, but given in the band’s plodding and harsh style.

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

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

There are also some more subtle elements that push this 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 brings sludge/drone mantras in mind (especially the opening riff of Torche’s ‘Charge of the Brown Recluse’). When the vocals kick in the outcome is scorching! Another super effective creative detail is the mellow, quiet end of ‘Slither’ that has an Oceanic era Isis touch (and all the feelings of detachment and withdrawnness it denotes). It lasts only 50 seconds but is again repeated in ‘Pretender’ (the album’s closer) which finishes off with a  synth-assisted epic doom riff.

Isolation is honestly delivered, not overproduced but it has definitely a crashing production (by Andy Nelson at Bricktop Studios, mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering) and highly danceable grooves that can tear any moshpit apart. Harm’s Way deliver mid-paced metallic hardcore of 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 many styles (crust/black etc.) like other contemporaries do (see Rise & Fall, Oathbreaker, Trap Them, All Pigs Must Die etc.), they prefer to stay on the straight side of brutal hardcore. Not a single note drifts away from hardcore sound, 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, steadily focusing their sound on what culminated into Isolation, which is by far their best effort to date. Since it is a relatively young band, the expectations are sky-high for their next steps.  I would be surprised if there are any bands out there that can do any better metallic hardcore than these guys from Chicago.

Harm’s Way previous discography:

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

(2009) Reality Approaches (Organized Crime records)

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

- Rigas

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

Dead Icons: Kentucky Hardcore!!!

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.

xAFBx Reunion!

xAFBx aka Armed for Battle has been one of the most crucial straight edge bands of the previous decade. During times that the only straight edge music around was fast hardcore and neo-youthcrew, xAFBx held the flag for no shit, metallic hardcore that totally kept in touch with the movement's essential characteristics. As far as I know,  xAFBx is also one of the most popular bands for all the die hard, militant, hardline etc straight edge kids worldwide. Dudes got some pretty legendary status. Now they're back, and I can't wait to see what the remaining straight edge members (Tony Battle and co) will give the world through their upcoming release on 7th Dagger!

Jawbone - "Loss of Innocence" EP Review

When we say 'heavy hardcore' nowadays, most people think of beatdown stuff with bad death metal vocals and people wearing basketball shorts. We are lucky to have labels like Blood & Ink Records, which has been working hard at bringing us the real, quality heavy hardcore sound that is worth listening to. There are a number of bands on its roster bringing modern hardcore to a new level of chaos and brutality. Jawbone and their new ep Loss of Innocence are here to add some more credibility to an already awesome label.

Loss of Innocence consists of five songs of relentless hardcore intensity that hits hard from start to finish. This is some serious devastating metallic hardcore with complex, constantly changing drum patterns, chaotic guitar riffage, and a huge analog sound to bring everything together. I dig the fact that the vocals sound pissed of without being typically heavy. We could actually say the dude almost sings and this brings to mind mid 90s metallic hardcore bands - which is obviously a very good thing. Jawbone is a pretty exceptional band because they've managed to create a sound that will go down well with both Earth Crisis and Neurosis fans while always keeping one foot down in the roots of the original hardcore sound.

There is always room in the hardcore scene for bands who push the envelope a bit further and expand the genre's boundaries. However, I like the fact that there are bands like Jawbone who manage to walk the thin line between being innovative and at the same time true to their roots. This is 2011's true metallic hardcore!

www.bloodandinkrecords.com

www.bloodandinkrecords.com

www.bloodandinkrecords.com

www.bloodandinkrecords.com