Ranking the hardcore hype bands

Drug Church

Hardcore has been getting a lot of attention recently in the mainstream press. Big alternative publications like BrooklynVegan and Revolver have been paying more attention in recent years, but real mainstream outlets have started to take notice after the explosion of Turnstile's Glow On and the popularity of fests like Sound and Fury. Hardcore press coverage in 2022 has gone from maybe a mention in Pitchfork if you're cool enough, to major spotlights in places like The New York Times and the Grammy's website.

This recent attention has coincided with a bit of a boom period for hardcore at large. Our scene is thriving, and I would estimate across all sub-genres there are at least 100 bands worth talking about in some capacity. It's funny though, because when you read coverage from these outside publications, there is a small group of 10-15 bands who get brought up again and again -- usually using the same talking points. These bands are a bit more presentable in terms of either their musical sensibilities or their aesthetics. Either that or they have an interesting backstory or theme that makes them easy to write about. Or a really good publicist.

These are the hardcore hype bands. I say that with no malice. Some of them completely fall outside what I enjoy. Some of them are my favourite bands going. All of them are interesting and worth talking about. I decided when Grammy.com dropped their list of "10 Bands Expanding the Boundaries of Hardcore" (exclusively featuring bands who end up on a lot of these lists) to check out each band's most recent release and rank them based on my personal taste.

Scowl

Here are the rankings:

10. Soul Blind

I don't think this is a hardcore band. To me it sounds like the Deftones. They're doing that heavy riffing mixed with pedal rock shoegaze adjacent type vibe. I guess there are hardcore kids in this band and they play hardcore shows, but -- not even trying to be elitist -- this is a completely different, already established genre of music. I think the record is really well produced and clearly a lot of effort went into it. It hits a lull for me about halfway through where it becomes very monotonous. I might be more on board for an entire record of this if I liked the style of music, but I don't. I'm still glad I heard it and would watch them if they came through on a tour package with band I liked.

9. Scowl

I already went over why I'm not crazy for this on my No Echo review, so I'll spare the re-hash. This band is interesting for a number of different reasons, so I can see why people are into it. I'm not on board yet, but I have high hopes for their upcoming record.

8. Zulu

The songs on their EPs rip a little harder than I remember upon revisiting. I just wish there was more music here. I'm not a big fan of sound clips, and that seems to be a pretty important part of how they develop the themes for the project. I'm not hating, it's just something that doesn't sonically appeal to me as much as adding a couple extra minutes of music would, so I don't revisit Zulu very often. Hopefully their upcoming record will flesh out the songwriting and give us an abundance of riffs.

7. Speed

I was browsing r/hardcore after one of the cringey threads on there went viral and I saw some idiot comment "I don't really like bands like Speed and Sunami who only write music for dancing". That criticism resonated with me. A lot of Speed's output is just mosh part into mosh part into mosh part. I don't find that objectionable, but it doesn't turn my crank that hard either. I think this is something you need to experience live and the EP is largely a means to facilitate that.

Speed

6. Drug Church

I've been a Patrick Kindlon dick-rider for over a decade, and somehow Drug Church is the only music-related endeavor of his that I don't connect with. I might be sleeping on this to be honest, but there's so much good shit out right now that I never really come back to it. DC just doesn't get my blood pumping and my ass shaking like my favourite hardcore bands do, even though it's undeniably well done.  Kindlon says on his podcast Axe to Grind that Drug Church isn't a hardcore band, but there's enough minor-key palm muted chug on here and his vocals are firmly shouted, making it just as hardcore as 70 per cent of the rest of this list.

5. Regulate

This band has shown a lot of potential since their demo days but not yet materialized into the type of artist who really sticks to my ribs. I've heard their brand new record twice now and I think it could really grow on me, but I'm not quite there. Parts of this record sound like Turnstile Jr with the Bad Brains I Against I groove, but it's also both heavier and cleaner than Glow On. Apparently it pulls from the Equal Vision Records catalog, but I don't know anything about that except Bane and Alexisonfire so I couldn't tell ya. Drug Church is more musically coherent than this, but the Regulate record gets my blood pumping way more. The lyricist Seb has also evolved a fair bit from the demo days and really shines on this one.

4. MSPaint

This is the band you name drop if you want to impress the cool kids and tastemakers of hardcore. I came into this listen expecting to be like "I still don't get it", but I must admit it's undeniably good. The tempos are kind of plodding and lackadaisical, which is why I think this didn't immediately grab me. The textures and tones at work here are super dynamic, though. This reminds me of that Aussie egg punk shit except cool and collected instead of manic and weird. I'm finally gonna give this band the chance they deserve and try to get them in regular rotation.

Militarie Gun

3. Militarie Gun

I'm kind of cheating putting them this high, because the deluxe record they just put out includes their previous two EPs as well as four new songs. I love the previously released material. They sound like they're "going for it" on the new stuff. The guitars are bigger and the vocals are cleaner. They're leaning hard into that 90's non-grunge college rock. I think, after relistening to the the old stuff, that element was always present, but the drumming, production and vocal delivery tethered MG a little closer to hardcore. The new stuff is well written, but it draws on influences I'm not personally familiar with and it may take me a bit longer to get on board. 

2. Buggin'

I really like this band. I think they have a lot of potential and I'll always check for when they drop. Their style is basically a fastball pitch to my tastes -- the bouncy, stompy, but not super tough NYHC worship popularized by Lockin' Out records in the early 2000's. I'm a bit confused as to why the Grammys picked this band specifically, because to me it's basically really good demo-core and there are five to ten bands doing this right now to varying levels of success. This is a great fuckin example of that though so I can't be mad at it.

1. End It

This is my pick for 2022 AOTY so it doesn't get much better to me. This is everything I like about hardcore distilled in eight short minutes. It's heavy and hard but catchy, bouncy and dynamic. It's also fast, which is a core tenet of hardcore that I think people ignore these days. Akil from this band is an excellent front person and has assembled an ass-kicking crew of musicians to get the job done.  

Those are my thoughts on the most hype bands in our scene right now. I have a feeling someone is gonna get butthurt about this but I literally tried to be really nice and fair so take it up with your mom and miss me with that bullshit!

Peace.

End of a Year 2022 - Albums Pt 2

 Here are my top 10 albums of the year for 2022. Part 1 of this list (albums 25-10) can be seen here.

Combust

10. Gridiron - No Good at Goodbyes (Triple B)

Rap metal is usually disparaged, but when it's done well -- with musical chops and tongue firmly in cheek -- it can be extraordinarily fun. Case in point: this Gridiron record, which is chock full of football themed one-liners and absolutely assbeating riffs. Members of Never Ending Game and Simulakra make this record proficient and well-written enough to be interesting even when the jokes wear off.

Listen to "Trench"

9. Combust - Another Life (Cash Only)

Late 80's New York Hardcore heads will find lots to love about this record. It's some of the most faithful genre worship imaginable, channeling bands like Killing Time and Breakdown right down to the guitar tones and drum fills. Combust are students of the game -- New York dudes who love NYHC and know the formula inside out. There's certainly no dearth of New York inspired shit floating around right now, but few do it as convincingly as Combust on Another Life. They've got you covered if you want the real deal.

Listen to "Why I Hate"

8. Tribal Gaze - The Nine Choirs (Maggot Stomp)

Is there such a thing as crossover death metal? I've never heard that term before, but it seems apt to describe this wave of hardcore kids trying their hand at OSDM. It's definitely death metal, but the songs are shorter, lean heavily on stompy midtempo riffs, and even feature the occasional two-step part or stop-mosh chug. I would call it deathcore but that's a different thing. Anyway, Tribal Gaze stands out from that whole crop for me because they embrace a sort of dirgy, sloppy approach that can be found in both bands like Autopsy, and the more metallic side of the Deathwish Records catalog. Tribal Gaze have metal flowing through their veins. They're not just Knocked Loose fans trying to write moshcore songs with trem riff fast parts and Obituary breakdowns. This record is steeped in black denim Texas weirdness. 

Listen to "Jungle Rituals"

Raw Breed

7. Raw Breed - Universal Paranoia (Convulse)

I might have picked this for album of the year if I discovered it before October. I'm pretty open with my thirst for Rival Mob style "Boston meets New York" basement-core, and this record really scratches that itch. It's got the speed and raw nerve of DIY punk, with the palm muted bounce I love in my hardcore. This record also has a dash of that feral, Youth Attack-influenced intensity we expect from the Denver scene. That mainly comes across in the riffing. There's not a ton of delay and reverb in the mix here, which is a nice change of pace compared to a lot of bands that Raw Breed presumably plays with. It's simple, straightforward and catchy. Hardcore for hardcore, if you will.

Listen to "G.D.K"

6. Dream Unending - Tide Turns Eternal (20 Buck Spin)

This record technically came out right at the end of 2021, but I didn't hear it until this year, so I'm counting it. This feels like the more ambitious effort compared to their newer album, despite the (somewhat) shorter track lengths . Every layer of texture and every moment of momentum seems pondered and poured over. It's also the heavier of the two releases, retaining the most crushing qualities of that Peaceville Three material, with heavy ass doom breakdowns and pummeling double-kick. This record is great, and in the right mood, under the right circumstances, it can reach transcendent levels of emotional catharsis. 

Listen to "Tide Turns Eternal"

5. Mindforce - New Lords (Triple B)

Mindforce is like chocolate ice cream. They really haven't ventured from their formula over four proper releases. So what? I'm still gonna shove it down my throat with a spoon whether someone is watching or not. This record tightens up the technical intensity, but at the core, it's the same ol' same ol'. Shredding, circle pits, singalongs, breakdowns. Don't like that? You don't like hardcore. BOOM!

Listen to "Survival is Vengance"

4. No Pressure - No Pressure (Triple B)

I thought Triple B hit a bit of a downswing over the pandemic, but this year they bounced back with a smattering of incredible records. My favourite of the bunch is No Pressure's self-titled LP. My normie girlfriend and I had a very lengthy debate about whether this was hardcore or pop-punk, but one thing we did agree on is that it slaps. Endless melody and nonstop up-tempo energy make this an absolute staple for (short) road trips and summertime fun. This is even more straightforward in songwriting than Saves the Day and Lifetime, who people will inevitably compare it to. That's why I argue it's a hardcore record. You also can't argue the fact that these songs would sound perfect in an early Blink-182 set. I'd actually take them over most of Dude Ranch in a heartbeat,.

Listen to "One Way Trip"

End It

3. Age of Apocalypse - Grim Wisdom (Closed Casket Activities)

I found myself going back to In Love There is No Law by Twitching Tongues over and over again this year. That record is a Life of Agony inspired CCA classic brought to you in large part by hardcore guitar wizard Taylor Young. In that same spirit, I spent a lot of time with Grim Wisdom, a record that feels very much like a spiritual successor to the Twitching Tongues catalog. It's definitely not a one-to-one. Grim Wisdom has a big helping of Hudson Valley thrash. It also doesn't reach the creative heights that the TT record does, but we're talking about comparing it to an all-timer. The fact that it's even in the same conversation speaks volumes.

Listen to "Grim Wisdom"

2. XweaponX - Weapon X Demo (Self Released)

The world needed a vindictive, uncompromising straight edge demo after a pandemic which saw millions of people turn to a lethal combination of substance abuse and Facebook misinformation to deal with unprecedented levels of stress, anxiety and grief. I made a conscious decision late in 2021 to completely stop indulging in the self-destructive behaviour I'd made part of my personality for over a decade at that point. This record validated my choice, and fuelled the anger I felt as parts of my past slipped away because of it. Musically, this sounds like Harm's Way trying to write Tragedy songs and failing in the most amazing way possible.

Listen to "In Spite Of"

1. End It - Unpleasant Living (Flatspot)

Just like the Raw Breed record gets me salivating over the nods to Rival Mob, I go bonkers for a band who can channel Trapped Under Ice at their best. Many try, only the realest succeed. This End It record rips. People forget how many 80's punk records TUI jammed when they were lifting weights in their underpants and writing the demo. This type of hardcore NEEDS to be fast. The riffs on the End It record are legit hard to play because they blow by. Then there's Akil Godsey, the classically trained choir performer who decided screaming clever one-liners in a BCHC tough guy band was more their speed than performing at the philharmonic. This is meathead hardcore played by highly talented individuals, and the results are astonishing.

Listen to "The Comeback"

~~~

Honorable Mention: Lexan - Demo, Poison Ruin - Not Today, Not Tomorrow, Snuffed - Coping Human Waste, JID - The Forever Story, NBA Youngboy - The Last Slimeto, Undeath - It's Time to Rise From the Grave, Candy - Heaven is Here, Anxious - Little Green House, Simulakra - The Infection Spreads, Downfall - Behind the Curtain.

Needed More Time - Regulate - Regulate, Inclination - An Unaltered Perspective, Blackbraid - Blackbraid I.

End of a Year 2022 - Albums Pt. 1

2022 was a great year for music, but mostly because live shows came back after the pandemic and we could see our favourite bands in person again. I think a lot of artists focused on making up for lost touring time this year, and as a result, there weren't a ton of albums that captured my imagination like there were in the past two years. The albums I had in heaviest rotation were classic death metal records I discovered through doing my podcast. There was still some pretty good stuff to come out this year, but almost nothing that I listened to again and again and again. 

I usually do EPs and full-lengths as two separate lists, but this year the EPs were of such high quality that I had to include them on the main list. I added 5 more slots to my normal top 20 to account for that.

Here are records 25-10. Part 2 is here.

Punitive Damage

25. Earl Sweatshirt - Sick (Tan Cressida)

Hip-hop had a pretty down year as far as I'm concerned, but you can always count on Earl Sweatshirt to deliver when he drops. This record fits in perfectly with the rest of his catalog, so if you're a fan, you know what to expect. It's not Some Rap Songs but it'll do in a pinch.

Listen to "2010"

24. Terminal Nation/Kruelty - The Ruination of Imperialism (20 Buck Spin)

This falls squarely into the recent trend of "hardcore kids making extreme metal" and does a pretty good job of it. These two bands are on the more hardcore end of that spectrum riff-wise, even though the songs are pretty long. The Terminal Nation songs on here don't hit the heights of their last full length, but they get the job done. This was my intro to Kruelty and I was impressed by their doom-infused heaviness.

Listen to "Suppression"

23. Killing Pace - Killing Pace (Raven Records)

Continuing with the "hardcore kids playing extreme metal" through line, these dudes from RVA are going for a "late 80's British hardcore" kinda thing. This is super influenced by shit like Napalm Death and the whole scene that came up around them, but it's also congruent with a lot of modern hardcore. You don't have to be an Earache Records head to enjoy this, although it certainly helps. 

Listen to "Dosed to Death"

22. Slug - Continuing Growth (Delayed Gratification)

The DGR Records scene from Ohio is turning out a lot of formidable demo-core, and Slug might be their flagship band. This is basically just Mental/Righteous Jams reimagined for a 2022 basement show. What's not to like about that?

Listen to "Chains"

21. Punitive Damage - This is the Blackout (Atomic Action!)

I think this record would have been higher on my list if I had more time to spend with it, because it's very well done. You can tell  there's a lot of thought that goes into this from looking at the artist's Bandcamp page, and I think that translates to the music. They're taking well trodden West Coast DIY hardcore and doing it as well as you possibly could. This album has riffs for days and not an ounce of fat.

Listen to "Fool"

Chat Pile

20. Chat Pile - God's Country (The Flenser)

This is another album I expect to move up the list as time goes on. I initially wrote it off as hipster BS because of who was jocking it and the fact that it was being compared to Eyehategod but didn't sound like it was made by low down New Orleans drug addicts. I re-listened recently though, and the album's weight hit me like a brick. This sounds like when the wimpy kid in your elementary school finally lost it on the bully and hit back.

Listen to "Why?"

19. Pusha T - It's Almost Dry (GOOD Music/Def Jam)

Pusha T is gonna do what he's always done -- call up his hall of fame producer friends and rap about selling cocaine over their beats. Instrumentals on this album were exclusively handled by Kanye West and Pharrell, Push's longtime musical collaborators who just happen to be two of the best to ever do it. This isn't a five mic classic, but Push never spits wack bars and there are moments where he's doing stuff he's never really tried before from a musical standpoint. Still, the album's high points are when Push does what he does best.

Listen to "DIet Coke"

18. Primal Brain - It's Still All a Game (O.D.D. Tapes)

Early 80s-influenced punk hardcore seems to be having a moment in the popular zeitgeist. Many of those bands have very specific touchpoints when it comes to their influences. Primal Brain flirts with some of that popular stuff, but it seems like mostly a coincidence. Their brand of crate-digging goes a little further into the deep end. The result is genuine weirdo shit that still manages to be part of the conversation by virtue of skill and good fortune. 

Listen to "Smiles in the Service Industry" 

17. Drake - Honestly, Nevermind (OVO Sound)

This record was widely panned when it first came out for taking an absolutely bizarre direction. As a longtime Drake fan, however, it felt good to hear him try something outside of the formulaic pop-rap he had been mass-producing for the last half decade. I think artists deserve to be rewarded for taking risks, especially considering Drake could have just dropped Views 4.0 and it would have probably sold more than a house record that got ripped apart by amateur critics on Twitter. Not every track on this record is good, in fact some of them are really bad. The ones that hit, though, hit a little different, don't they?

Listen to "Texts Go Green"

16. Peace Test - Pry (To Live a Lie)

This record was an early-year favourite for me, but as more stuff came out I found myself going back to it less and less -- a shame, considering there are some great songs on here. Pry closely explores powerviolence's ties to early 80;s hardcore, retconning a record that's just as enjoyable for the Xclaim! Records head as it is for the Slap-A-Ham goober. There are parts of this record that legit sound like The Rival Mob with blast beats. How could you say no?

Listen to "Combat Boot"

Dream Unending

15. Televised - Human Condition (Convulse)

Convulse Records are the top merchants of the early 80's hardcore revival, and this was arguably my favourite from their seemingly endless torrent of 2022 EP releases in that vein. You know what to expect right from the first riff of this record: stompy, meat and potatoes hardcore punk with a no-nonsense attitude. This sounds like it very much could have come out in 1981, but has the benefit to draw on 40 years and an entire global movement worth of hardcore for inspiration. Classic stuff.

Listen to "Waiting Around to Die"

14. Taylor Swift - Midnights (Republic)

Here comes my biannual does of poptimism. 1989 was the record that made me fall in love with pop music. Taylor's next two albums were quite frankly, the worst in her discography, and then Evermore and Folklore went down a route I wasn't trying to hear. Midnights is a return to form, proving TSwift is one of few pop artists who can make an album listenable from front to back, instead of a playlist stuffed with random Tik Tok jingles and songs written by committee. This record stumbles here and there, but it just came out and I expect it to grow on me pretty hard.

Listen to "Midnight Rain"

13. Kendrick Lamar - Mister Morale and the Big Steppers (TDE/PGLang)

Kendrick is another world renowned artist who popped back up on my radar this year after a long time away. In his case, though, it wasn't because he was making bad music, but that he wasn't making music at all. We can debate if MMATBS was worth the five year wait. I may not love the songs to the extent I love GKMC or To Pimp a Buttlerfly, but I relate more to his lyrics than I ever have. This is some of his most visceral and personal work, and even if it doesn't necessarily get a room moving like his older shit, there's still a lot of value on this record.

Listen to "Rich Spirit"

12. The Flex - Chewing Gum For the Ears (Lockin' Out)

The Flex have been flying under my radar for quite some time, releasing a formidable brand of stompy, burly hardcore punk that I think the rest of the scene is finally catching up to. With the popularization of bands like The Chisel, as well as a seemingly increased appetite for shit like Rival Mob, Chewing Gum... lands perfectly in the centre of hardcore's current taste. I already know a few bands who cite The Flex as an influence, and I expect their legendary status to grow over time. Especially if they keep putting out music of this calibre.

Listen to "Voight-Kampff"

11. Dream Unending - Song of Salvation (20 Buck Spin)

This is the second Dream Unending record in 12 months, which is impressive considering how sprawling and textured these records are. Song of Salvation is bookended by two 15 minute epics. The second song on the record, "Secret Grief" is arguably the band's most digestible track from a conventional perspective. I saw someone on Twitter describe tracks three and four as "guitar playthrough type shit" which I think is a very apt way to describe them. They feel kind of throwaway to me. I can't stop listening to this album despite that, and it only came out a few weeks ago. I think that's good enough to land it just outside the top ten.

Listen to "Secret Grief"

~~~

Thank you for reading part 1 of my list. Check out part 2!

Hold Your Ground Fest recap

I recently attended Hold Your Ground Fest in Mississauga, Ontario. It's the first hardcore fest in this part of Canada since Not Dead Yet stopped existing in 2018. A ton of high profile heavy hardcore acts from around North America played, as well as lots of homegrown Canadian talent.

The event took place at the Hansa Haus in Mississauga, which is some crazy Bavarian (???) cultural centre and hall. There was all sorts of German insignia all over the walls. It felt like a big VFW, complete with wood panel flooring and a serviceable five foot high stage. The place was in the middle of fuckin' nowhere but there was a kitchen in the venue so I didn't need to leave to get food. They lined the merch tables up along either side of the room.

Friday:

I got there around 4:00 PM and the first band was set up and getting ready to start as I walked in. Not many people had arrived yet. I'd say 25 people inside and maybe 10-15 more chillin outside on the steps of the venue.

The first band to play was End Game from Calgary, Alberta. They had a definite NYHC influence -- fast paced but with a fair bit of heaviness. Lots of friends were in the room for them moshing and showing support. They played a TUI cover and I had to mosh. 

Next up was Infamy from Milwaukee. They were a beatdown band with a heavy slam influence and lots of death metal riffs. They played a fast song that I thought was really sick. The Milwaukee dudes they brought with them were some scary mfs. I also had a great chat with the dude Bryan from this band about Suffocation and Cryptopsy after their set.

Fellow Milwaukeeans Enervate played next. I was surprised these guys had any energy left after going so hard for their friends in Infamy. They had a bit of upbeat flavour but also a ton of heavy mosh parts. The entire room reacted pretty well to them, but at this point I noticed a big "fuck you horseshoe" forming in the crowd. Lots of people were standing at the side or in the back of the room.

I got pretty hungry during Enervate's set and decided to check out the kitchen. They had a limited menu, and the first thing I tried was the poutine. Predictably, they used shredded mozzarella cheese instead of curds, which is an automatic L. I didn't know how to feel about the fries, which were more shoestring-y than you would expect in a poutine. The gravy was really good, but the dish was so big that by the time I was done eating it was cold and gross. 6/10.

Spaced, from the beautiful city of Buffalo, took the stage next. They had lots of two-step parts and lots of side to side parts. They reminded me of a heavier Scowl, especially with the vocal delivery. They were reaching in the punk direction but still very rooted in hardcore. 

Tacoma's Denial of Life was up next. I'm not a big fan of their record, but live they were a completely different band. They play what I describe as "mesh shorts thrash", which is crossover that's super indebted to metalcore by proxy, due to the fact that the members are coming from a heavier hardcore/metalcore background. DoL had the liveliest crowd reaction up to that point, and even elicited the first stage-dive of the night. 

At this point the venue took away re-entry privileges and cordoned us out to a cool little patio between bands. Some of my homies were in the building by this point and the vibe of the "smoking section" was really chill and welcoming. 

Montreal's Prowl were up next. They kinda sounded like Denial of Life. To be completely honest. the heavy hardcore was kinda starting to blend together for me and I was getting burnt out. I watched like half of this set and then chilled outside for a bit. 

Just in the knick of time, Winnipeg's Meantime provided a much needed stylistic curveball. They were described to me as a youth crew band but I feel like they were more along the lines of something like Magnitude with that metallic 90's straightedge sound. Still, they were the fasted and most straightforward band so far. It was funny because you could tell people were into it but they didn't really know how to mosh to the fast parts so there wasn't a big reaction.

Keeping up the fast pace was Boise's Ingrown. I was most excited for this set on day one and the band did not disappoint. They went really hard on stage, which is impressive considering they're a three-piece. The audience was also super into it. I saw two almost-fights during their set. Crazy how the first pit beef of the day (that I saw) was for the "powerviolence" band.

I wanted to get some food before the kitchen closed, so I grabbed an order of chicken fingers and a drink. The fingers didn't have much flavour. I could only taste the breading and even that didn't taste like much. I also think one of my shits was undercooked. I still ate it though cuz I'm built different. 3/10.

Momentum was up next. I'd heard a lot about this band but never listened to them because I figured it wasn't gonna be my thing. (I actually listened to their album after this and wish I'd checked them out sooner). Their guitar player was wearing a walking boot and they had a dude in an FSU shirt standing on stage who looked like he was there to press the guitarist's pedals or something. They also had a guest vocalist who did one of the wildest mosh calls I've ever heard. I'm not gonna repeat it on here but hearing it without any context literally made my jaw drop. You can find it online if you look hard enough.

Pain of Truth closed out the night and they were really good. I thought their set was gonna be really short cuz they only have the EP and a split but they played at least eight songs so they must have some comp tracks or something. They also played the intro to "Juggernaut" by Crown of Thornz which was a bit of a tease to everyone in the audience. They were the first band to actually have singalongs up front and break through the fuck you horseshoe. 

The show got out around 10:30. I was DONE with hearing heavy music at this point so I listened to the Eagles on my drive home. 

Saturday

Mile End repping their hometown

Traffic to the venue was a lot less hectic on Saturday considering it was a weekend. I got there early to see my homie's band Mile End open the show. They did a great job of setting the tone for the day, playing tight as hell and bringing a whole bunch of friends out to mosh and pile on. I think I saw more Mile End shirts in the building than any other band shirt.

Final Declaration from Buffalo was next. They had two dudes in Bills jerseys which is an automatic W for me. Their music was very heavy beatdown but without a lot of death metal influence. Classic style like Bulldoze or Cold as Life. They had a lot of friends in the building to support them.

Next up was Constraint from Louisville. They won points for me by saying Christian Fascists should be met with violence. They also covered the Suicide File, which was cool but I don't think it was the right audience. The rest of their set was more burly, moshy hardcore in a sea of burly moshy hardcore and without knowing the band very well their set kinda washed over me.

I missed most of Age of Apocalypse's set because I was fucking around in the parking lot and didn't realize they were on. That bummed me out a lot because they were one of the bands I was most excited to see. I managed to see three songs, though. They sounded super huge.

Cohezion was up next. I believe one of the main dudes responsible for booking HYG (Kyle) fronts this band. I don't usually gravitate towards their style of metalcore but they do it very well and the festgoers loved it. The dancing was a lot better when people knew all the parts and let their style fly organically instead of just reacting to drumbeats. Someone cartwheeled through the entire pit which was fuckin awesome. The band was also going super hard, feeding off the audience and putting on a show.

Cold Shoulder continued the local rock block. They started their set talking about solidarity for the LGBT community in hardcore, which was a nice gesture as apparently there was some discussion online about people feeling unsafe at shows. They also said "we're not a heavy band" but them started playing a bunch of palm muted chug riffs. I was excited to see this band because they're one of the bigger artists in our region and I don't mind them on record. Unfortunately though, my brain was checked out on moshy hardcore for the time being and I left during their set to sit in my comfy car before the venue stopped doing in and out privileges. 

Gates to Hell was a nice change of pace. They're a deathcore band, but that new style of deathcore where it's derived from short moshy metallic hardcore, with trem riff/punk beat fast parts instead of circle pit parts and double kick slow parts instead of the average side to side riff. Still, it provided enough stylistic variety that I was able to enjoy it. 

I grabbed a burger and fries combo after Gates to Hell's set. The patty was thick and flavourful and the bun was a nice, fresh, firm kaiser. My boy Andy said the bun to meat ratio was off but I'm a bun man so I disagreed. The fresh condiments were really nice but it was a little weird how they were chilling on a little craft services table all weekend. We've already established I'm built different though, so you bet I was eating that botulism tomato. 8/10

Division of Mind was up next. They played probably the most skilled and tasteful interpretation of super-heavy hardcore the whole weekend. Their fast parts were actually fast which I appreciated. I think I would have been more stoked to see them if they came on their own tour package, cuz by this point all I could think about was how bad my back hurt. I watched their whole set, though, cuz they were really good.

After DOM, I laid in the grass behind the smoking section and tried to stretch my back out. It actually worked pretty well and I was able to stand for the rest of the fest without much pain. I did feel some internal pain, however, when someone told me Mindforce couldn't make it for whatever reason. I was super excited to see them, and was really let down. Luckily the fest did their best, tapping Ingrown and Pain of Truth to play for the people who didn't see them on Friday (there were a lot more people there on Saturday). 

Ingrown was super tight again. The audience reaction wasn't as crazy but they might have played even better than the night before. Pain of Truth also did a really good job. They soundchecked with that CKY song from Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3, and covered some song that a lot of people knew (IDK what it was lol).

Gridiron was a fuckin scene. They were hard, fast and entertaining. The crowd loved them. There were du-rags, basketball jerseys, and Jackson guitars on stage. It was awesome.

Sunami was the second last band of the evening. I don't really care about them to be honest, but watching them play drove home how influential they are on the heavy hardcore scene. I don't think there was a single smaller band who played that weekend that didn't owe something to Sunami, whether it be their riffs or their presentation or just their general swag. The band was pretty solid live. Someone was doing pushups in the pit and another dude came along and kicked him in the ass. That was pretty funny. 

I was completely done with any sort of critical analysis by the time Never Ending Game took the stage. I moshed very briefly because I was trying to get the people in the back of the room to stand closer -- to no avail. It kinda sucked how many people were standing in the back of the room, but the band still got a pretty solid crowd reaction compared to everyone else that weekend. This was my favourite set of the whole fest.

The weekend was all in all a great time. I got to chill with and meet a ton of cool people. My only complaints are that the bands could have been a little more diverse in sound, and that people were struggling to dance and go off for the bands properly. Other than that it was a great experience and everything ran smoothly. Probably the best experience I've ever had at a fest,

Hopefully Hold Your Ground becomes an annual thing and I see some of you fools there next year!

I don't care if you can name five songs from the band on your t-shirt

I have mixed feelings about gatekeeping.

On one hand, I do not think it's cool to physically assault teenagers at shows to "separate the strong from the weak" or whatever.

I do, however, encourage e-bullying people like hesh.dad off the internet for thinking that 2000 TikTok followers makes their opinion more valuable than people who have been putting on shows for 10+ years. 

(Sorry to normies and people who are not terminally online, that last sentence was probably word salad)

My relationship to gatekeeping is complicated. Maybe I'll go deep on that one day.

Let's get into one specific aspect of it though -- the idea that you must be a knowledgeable fan of a band to wear their merch. The "name five songs" principle, if you will. Can't name five songs from the band on your t-shirt? Take it off.

This isn't just a subculture thing, in fact many boomers and cringey high school kids get extremely butthurt about people wearing Nirvana and Metallica shirts as fashion. I guess the problem these people have is just that -- the wearer of the shirt is somehow using the band's image as a "fashion statement" for "social clout", and it undermines the band's "true fans" who have "been there since day one".

Please don't ask me to explain the logic behind that, because there is none. Music is highly emotional, and I guess there's an irking response to seeing something you love "corrupted by posers". Sometimes you have to overcome you emotions, though. Realize how incredibly stupid it is to care whether the stretched ears metalcore kid can name five Agnostic Front songs. 

Why? Well, band t-shirts are sold primarily in one of three ways:

1. By the band themselves at a show, or by their record label on a website.
2. At a large retail chain through a licensing agreement.
3. Second-hand through resellers, merch swaps or (if you're lucky) a thrift store.

Each of these avenues for shirt procurement has a distinct reason for why you shouldn't care about what t-shirts other people are wearing.

1. Direct from the band/label

This should be obvious. Buying merch from a band or a label is the easiest and most effective way to show support from a financial perspective. Anyone who put $20+ in a band's pocket by purchasing a shirt from them has every right to call themselves a supporter of the band. I would say that most REAL hardcore kids actually have band shirts where they CAN'T name five songs from the band. Real ones wear shirts from bands they gave $20 in gas money to five years ago and then never listened to again. 

2. Through licensing agreements with major corporations.

I really shouldn't have to explain why getting triggered over this is stupid, but people who are trying to gatekeep classic rock bands have brain worms, so here goes.

The band who "means so much to you"  that, as a 40 year old man you have to bully high school students, made the conscious decision to sell their merchandise on the racks of a multi-national corporation like Wal-Mart or Hot Topic. The band signed a contract, as a corporation, allowing another corporation to sell their likeness. To the band, the people buying the shirts are just a faceless amount of money that shows up on a balance sheet. To the retailer (that's corporate speak for store), your favourite band's merch is just some bullshit delivery they get from a random third party, along with all the "#1 Grandpa" and "Wine Not" shirts you see at your local Target. 

What about this process is sacred to you? You might as well get mad at five-year-olds for not knowing George Carlin was the original host of Thomas the Train. You sound like a fucking lunatic.

3. On a secondary market

This is the one that makes the most sense to be upset about. Some little poser is not only wearing a really cool vintage Joy Division shirt, but he also paid at least three figures worth of currency to buy it. I get it. It's funny. This is where the concept of "punching down" comes in, though. You have to be confident enough to just appreciate the coolness of the shirt and not feel contempt for the rube who's wearing it. Don't insult these people. They'll feel enough insult when they look at their checking account, then look down at their shirt and realize they can't name five songs from the band they just missed rent to rep.

Actually, you know what? I don't think those kids are that self aware. Yeah, I guess you can gatekeep those fools. Whatever.

What are your top 3 favourite Power Trip records?

August marks two years since Power Trip's frontman Riley Gale passed away. He was, from all accounts, a friend to many in our scene. I never got to meet him, but his band's music was my gateway into extreme metal. Power Trip never put out a bad record, so picking one favourite is surely a debate worth having. Here are my top three, in descending order.

3. Nightmare Logic - Southern Lord, 2017.

This is probably Power Trip's consensus "best record". It features "Executioner's Tax", the band's breakout hit and most iconic song. It's also the record that catapulted them from hardcore darling status to big room metal co-headliners. I think it's their most consistent effort. There's not a bad song on here. Lyrically, it contains some of the bands fiercest and most poignant political ideas. It's critically acclaimed and heralded as one of the 2010's best metal records. I love Nightmare Logic, and the fact that I put it this high just goes to show how deep Power Trip's catalog is. This is their heaviest and hardest record for sure.

2. Manifest Decimation - Southern Lord, 2013

I have this record neck and neck with Nightmare Logic, and could probably swap them depending on the day. I think Manifest Decimation is a less consistent effort. There are a couple parts on here that I think drag. That being said, the highs on this record are as high as Power Trip ever gets. My taste aligns better with the production on this record as well. I think it's just a bit grimier. The guitars sound more like Iron Age's Sleeping Eye, which has one of my favourite hardcore guitar tones ever. There are also really catchy moments all over this record. Nightmare Logic is a steady stream of great music. Manifest Decimation has peaks and valleys, but the highs are too high to ignore.

1. Power Trip - Lockin' Out, 2011

I probably sound like some corny hipster taking the 7" over the LPs. Hey, at least I didn't pick the demo. To be honest this list was hard as hell to pick. Power Trip is nothing if not consistent. I picked the S/T EP as my number one choice because pound for pound, riff for riff, this record is unbeatable. There isn't a single second I would change on this EP. It has two of Power Trip's best tracks and a really awesome cover. I also give it points for being on Lockin' Out because I'm a LO fanboy. There's not much else to say about a perfect three song EP other than it fuckin rips and I love it.

So that's my ranking for top 3 Power Trip records. Bonus content -- here are my top five songs.

5. Divine Apprehension

4. Executioner's Tax

3. Crossbreaker

2. Suffer No Fool

1. Hammer of Doubt (Ideally the AHC version but the MD one slaps too).

What do you guys think?

How to ACTUALLY treat women if you're a nice guy incel

Another day, another bozo getting cancelled on hardcore Twitter for acting weird. 

A No Echo contributor recently got dragged for sending this strange, invasive question to the singer of a band in an interview.

The dude, to his credit, owned up and made another (pretty cringey) apology post. He was subsequently dunked on by like 40 people whose reactions ranged from genuine calls for accountability to typical Twitter BS.

Such is the nature of online cancellation.

I cringe when I look at this dude's behaviour. Everything about it is cringey as fuck. I also can't deny, it hits a little close to home.

I used to be the type of weird little nerd who might try something like this. I read feminist literature. I vocally advocated for women's rights and sex positivity (interesting how dudes seem to group these concepts together...). I wore the "consent is sexy" shirt I got from volunteering on campus. 

Yet I constantly disrespected or overstepped people in an effort to get with them. Surprise, surprise, it didn't work. I was never an outright creepazoid, but I would try these little passive aggressive "moves" to have women engage with me in ways that I was too afraid to ask for.

We have to acknowledge that  doing shit like this is not the move if we're trying to create a space where everyone feels welcome.

I mean it's not the move regardless, but hey.

Let's get a few things out of the way before I go any further.

1) I am not privy to the entire details of the specific situation mentioned above. This could be the tip of the iceberg. The dude could be a total fucking rapist for all I know. I am using the above scenario as a springboard to talk about "nice guy incel" behaviour, and for all intents and purposes, the rest of this article is about an abstract topic, not any specific incident.

2. I am sure, with the diversity of sexual attractions and orientations in the hardcore scene, this type of behaviour affects more than just women. I'm using the term "women" because it's easier and because this entitled behaviour is (in my experience) most prominent with straight, cis men.

3.I'm not trying to soft-condone this shit and make it seem better (or worse) than any other creepy shit women may encounter. The victim in these situations ultimately decides the impact the behaviour has on them.

4. THIS IS NOT A GUIDE ON HOW TO GET LAID. This is advice on how to approach certain relationships for the benefit of yourself, and more importantly, the people around you. You're thinking with your dick if you're reading this with the hopes of learning how to break free from involuntary celibacy. That's what created this problem in the first place.

So if you think you might be the guy I'm talking about, it's time for a gut check.

I mean let's face it. Most of the dudes in the camp of "nice guy incel" have some weird Dunning-Kruger complex where they think women respect and feel safe around them because they performatively champion women's rights or call for inclusion and representation or "listen to female artists" or some shit. 

Here's the kicker, though. Women typically form sexual/romantic relationships with people they respect or at least trust, so if you're out here trying and failing to form these types of relationships, women probably don't trust or respect you. I would guess that's because you're actively trying to leverage their identity to get into their pants.

You can't seem to form healthy romantic relationships with women even though you're out here waving the "women's rights" flag? You need to seriously look in the mirror and ask yourself what your intentions are.

You have to stop the performative behaviour right now, before you send another DM or try to flirt with another woman at a show.

I'm not saying you're unworthy of love and affection. I'm saying, right now, you're doing more harm than good,.You need to learn some things about yourself and the world around you before you can start building healthy relationships.

1. Go to therapy and learn what boundaries are.

Same dude btw

Look at the example above. This dude is literally trying to get with women under the guise of "working together" in the hardcore scene. Be more transparent. Stop trying to passively assert yourself over people with backhanded bullshit that doesn't have any place in the conversation you're having. Getting involved in hardcore is a great way to meet people and make friends, but meeting someone doesn't give you an in to immediately start flirting. Contacting a photographer to use their photos establishes the boundaries of your relationship as a professional one.. You're contacting people in these scenarios who expect you to act professionally, and when you don't do that, you're violating their trust.

Unlearning this takes practice. You should really be working on this with a therapist, because real world people are not your crash test dummies to unpack predatory weirdness. Proceed with an abundance of caution if you can't access therapy. Keep the flirting PG-13 and only on dating sites or other spaces where it's UNIVERSALLY considered acceptable. 

2. Learn how to tell when people actually like you.

This builds on the concept of boundaries. I thought, as a nice guy incel, that romantic attraction worked like this -- you pick the object of your affection and then calculate every interaction with them in an effort to make them like you back. That's not how it works. That's actually manipulation and bullying. Learn to let interactions develop naturally and take queues from people's verbal and physical reactions. You'll be surprised how many opportunities there are to build relationships once you stop wearing blinders and acting weird. There are plenty of resources on the internet for how to do this, but you're gonna have to dig through some red-pill turds to find the good stuff.

Using your big boy words is also key. Telling someone you're interested in them is an invitation to set new boundaries for your relationship, giving the other person a choice of whether to indulge with you or set a boundary of their own. Silently and continually trying to push someone's boundaries to where you want is not only creepy, it's also way less effective than just having a tough conversation.

3. Learn how to be an actual ally

Most activists will tell you there's nothing worse than a performative ally, and I can't think of anything more performative than using feminism to try and get in a woman's pants. I found flying the flag and trying to speak on behalf of women usually meant I was speaking over them in some capacity. Supporting safety and equality should be part of your values, not your costume or your elevator pitch.

There's definitely more to talk about, and I could probably go on about this all day. I think this is a pretty good start though, I'm super open to feedback if anyone (especially someone who's been on the receiving end of this behaviour) wants to speak on it.

Thanks for reading!