Wise Words from Rob Dyrdek

It's been many times that extreme sports athletes have given this zine inspiration. I don't know what it is exactly that brings together hardcore and extreme sports, but I am pretty sure the connection is there. I guess it all has to do with being into alternate, intense ways of having fun, and being drawn to high action. The passion and dedication is also something that is common between people into hardcore and extreme sports fanatics.

For me, Rob Dyrdek is a character who inspires me a lot because he's so driven and motivated but still maintains a high level of craziness and total reckelessness. Below I have written some funny / motivational quotes from a recent Fantasy Factory episode (Dyrdek's own, funny as hell reality show on MTV).

Enjoy!

- Number One: Your doubting makes me wanna prove you wrong. I don't know if you're doing it on purpose, because you want to see me doing something amazing.

- Any time you guys have a dream and you think you're gonna be great at something, go and do it to find out if you suck.

- The reality of it is that sometimes, if you sound like a champion, you become a champion.

Simple stuff, really, but remember kids: Reality, and success are ultimately simple!

AS HEAVENS COLLIDE- 'What They Fear the Most" Review (Full-Length,2011)

When I listen to stuff like AS HEAVENS COLLIDE, it makes me angry for the amount of whack musicians and bands out there with no technical proficiency and inability to put together good songs. AHC is the exact opposite of that. I had their new release sitting on my "To Review" list for quite a while, and now I am furiously asking myself WHY I didn't listen to this earlier so I could groove to it and mosh like a mad dog!

This may very well be the best brutal metal/hardcore I heard in 2011 so far. AHC go all out and manically destroy everything that stands in their way, moshing all the way through - breaking, ravaging and tearing apart. They only stop every now and then to throw you into some mysterious avant garde halts that give you the creeps and throw you in a meditative state of altered consciousness... of death!

It is so hard to pin down this band; they may base their shit on metallic downbeat hardcore, but have so much technical skill that they can go from tech-deathcore to epic symphonic metal to old school hardcore breaks like it ain't no thing. There are so many influences and mixed genres in What They Fear the Most that I cannot even begin to explain, I would just bore you. What YOU need to do is go and find this album and get ready for some really heavy stuff.

If you like listening to cool music with tons of layers and are not afraid of mixing melodic death metal with rabid, huge hardcore parts and a new age feel, then please do yourself a favor and listen to this band. It's totally TYS approved!

www.asheavenscollide.com

www.asheavenscollide.com

www.asheavenscollide.com

www.asheavenscollide.com

ON THE OFFENSE - Demo 2011 Review

Growing up as a hardcore kid in the 90s, I didn't listen to metalcore; I didn't listen to no 'thug'-core and I certainly didn't listen to boring, watered down ex-hardcore post stuff. No! I listened to stuff like ON THE OFFENSE: honest, driving, hard-hitting hardcore music with an intense message I could relate to.

Back then all the kids were kind of trying to get as many records from the Victory Records catalogue as possible. Cause even though it was hard to find HC records, at least there was a good hardcore label that we could depend on and spent our money on stuff we knew we would 99% like. ON THE OFFENSE is reminiscent of those golden days. They play hardcore the way it used to be, and do an awesome job at it by staying close to the roots of this music and by showing lots of respect for it. I can trust a band like this to take me through the hard times, or after a long day's work. It's the HC friend I need because it's so honest.

Each one of the fours songs on this demo is a NYHC blast that takes you straight to NYC (or any other big, dirty-ass city for that matter). Yeah... this demo takes you down to dark places where creeps live, where life's no fairy tale and where you gotta be strong and hardened to pull through. It is just a wrecking ball which represents what I'd call... the honest,  working man's hardcore! Fans of Warzone, Akward Thought, AF, early SOIA, or later NYHC revival stuff will love this, I swear.

Take my word for it if you're a true fan of NYHC or heavy, old school hardcore in general. You won't be disappointed!

FEAR rules

It doesn't matter if you are a straight edge kid... no matter who you are, you can definitely still enjoy FEAR's sheer intensity and punk rock tunefulness!!! Here is a band that I think many newer 'true' kids have somehow skipped during their punk rock education. It's time to restore FEAR up there as one of the top-5 classic punk bands!

This song is angry, sarcastic and nihilistic. This song IS punk! Have a beer with fear?

NERVOUS BREAKDOWN - "A Relationship Between Oldskool Hip Hop and Nationalist Socialize Ideas" (New Song)

I never know what to expect from Indonesian punk kids Nervous Breakdown and their unexplainable song titles, as every time they come out with something different musically. Last time they sent me a single A side release of a wonderful powerpop / punk rock song that could easily get radio plays, but I also know that normally they tend to incorporate a lot of noise elements and rough hardcore punk in their sound. So what should I expect this time?

Another surprise, I guess! Oyi (the genius mastermind behind this punk gang, second from left on the pic) dedided to go to the very roots of hardcore and take us all the way back to the early 80s and a proto-core sound swinging between Black Flag and SSD. The song opens with 0: 41 seconds of multiple layered distortion and feedback, before plunging into some mid tempo, youthful, crazy hardcore with blown out guitar solos and of the hook drum patterns. It is like Jimi Hendrix jamming with a heavier Adolescents or something, so you get the picture: this is good! If it was on Alternative Tentacles you would have bought it already!

Summing up: if you like unadulterated, noisy yet catchy hardcore then this is for you! You won't be dissapointed if only to hear Oyi wishing his mom "happy birthday from your son" at the end of the song... Great stuff!