hardcore punk

Fans have a hard time handling change. They take it as a personal affront when a group that, for instance, once reveled in uniform hardcore adulterates new material with questionable elements. Such has been the case with Pulling Teeth‘s Paranoid Delusions/Paradise Illusions (Deathwish, Inc., 2009). UnsatisfiedParadise Illusions (excerpt) Though these Baltimore old-timers continue the Integrity-meets-Scandinavian […]

Trap Them Curran Reynolds’ Precious Metal weekly is Manhattan’s epicenter of underground metal. But it’s even better for music that ends in “-core.” The best metal is big and grand; the best “-core” is in-your-face. Lit Lounge’s basement, where Precious Metal takes place, is a narrow, dimly-lit grotto. It could be someone’s wine cellar. The […]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fvu951up_0] Last Monday’s Victims gig reminded me of how much fun hardcore shows could be – especially without karate-kicking idiots. Yet it brought back memories of Sick of It All’s “Step Down,” the classic video cataloguing hardcore dances: The Windmill, The Pizzamaker, and my favorite, Pickin’ Up Change. It’s strange how humans react to music […]

Makh Daniels, Early GravesPhoto by Stacy Schrag In the April ’09 issue of Decibel (#54, Brutal Truth cover, order here), I did a feature on how the recession is affecting touring bands. I sent 20 bands a five-question interview regarding various aspects of band finances. Their responses were remarkably uniform. However, Makh Daniels, vocalist of […]

I saw this in the Bowery Whole Foods and had to get it. (Ingredients: mustard, mangos, chile peppers, vinegar, brown sugar, curry powder, cumin, chile powder, salt.) It’s pretty good. As the name implies, it’s not that spicy. The mangos give it a sweet, Caribbean flavor. I put it on eggs and veggie burgers. Minor […]

In March 1984, Black Flag put out My War. After a long dispute with their record label that prevented them from releasing music, they had plenty stored up. Over the next 18 months, they put out four studio full-lengths, one live album, and one EP. Before they broke up in 1986, they changed the face […]

Tombs journey through genres effectively. On the surface, Winter Hours (Relapse, 2009) falls under typical progressive metal expectations. Rather, this turbulent trio flirts with down-tuned channels, shoegaze interludes, and even black metal. These ever-changing varieties aren’t just homage to influences; sounds of frontman Mike Hill’s past projects, Anodyne and Versoma, persist throughout Winter Hours. Golden […]

http://mediaservices.myspace.com/services/media/embed.aspx/m=54278301,t=1,mt=video Converge just posted a live-in-the-studio teaser to their upcoming record. The headline says, “New album out soon on Epitaph/Deathwish.” It’s unclear how “soon” that is, as I haven’t been able to find an album title or release date. Normally I am impervious to pre-release hype. But I am sitting here in a coffeeshop, drowning […]

Lots of news from the Coliseum camp: Deathwish, Inc. is accepting pre-orders for Coliseum’s “True Quiet/Last Wave” 7″. The first 1000 copies have fancy packaging with an outer vellum cover. The 7″ alone is $5. For $15, it comes with a t-shirt featuring artwork by John Dyer Baizley of Baroness. The pre-order pages contain audio […]

New York City has a clutch of top-shelf bands lacking top-shelf status – Black Anvil, Bloody Panda, Defeatist, Krallice, Leader, Tombs, Villains, Wetnurse. (Krallice did get some notice last year, and Tombs’ new record on Relapse should boost their profile.) Thus, they often play at home to spoiled audiences. On February 26, Wetnurse, Villains, and […]