hardcore punk

Have you ever wondered what Celtic Frost would sound like as a hardcore punk band? Me neither. The idea of replacing Tom G. Warrior’s beanie with a cadet cap is ludicrous. But Chicago’s Like Rats have gone ahead and done it — and the results are tasty. Sun Guitarist Todd Nief, who is Weekend Nachos’ […]

Stenchcore??? Evidently, that’s the name du jour for the mix of d-beat, crust punk, hardcore, grindcore, and metal that bands like Atakke and Hellbastard peddle. I won’t get into the subgenre soup that surrounds this stuff (stenchcore vs. crustcore vs. mincecore vs. grindcore, etc.). My general impression is “when crusties (hence the “stench,” perhaps) go […]

The Armed are young. You hear their youth in their energetic stitching together of various strands of punk and metal. A band like The Armed could not have existed ten years ago, or perhaps prior to Deadguy (who inspired Dillinger Escape Plan, who clearly inspired these Detroit dudes). Though not without its missteps, These Are […]

D-beat has been beaten like a dead horse. Every new band with bullet belts and Amebix t-shirts thrashes through the motions. Though Victims will be new to many Americans thanks to Deathwish, Inc. reissuing their latest, Killer, they have torn up stages for a decade. While nowhere near as ferocious as Skitsystem, Wolfbrigade, or Tragedy, […]

Philadelphia’s Reign Supreme takes its cues from hardcore forebears who borrowed from metal: Hatebreed, Madball, Cro-Mags, and Agnostic Front. The blurring of lines between genres resulted in legions of reprehensible bands. Yet Reign Supreme stands out due to a firm (though formerly limited) command of the music and an above-average frontman. Saving GraceSlipping Away Thanks […]

When I interviewed Complete Failure drummer Mike Rosswog for a Decibel feature (#45, Opeth cover, order here), he was diplomatic about Steve Austin, Today Is the Day frontman and Supernova Records head. Austin had given Complete Failure’s debut, Perversions of Guilt (Supernova, 2008), strange production, to say the least. It was fuzzy, messy, and drum-heavy. […]

The Hall of Fame album for this month’s Decibel (#57, Summer Slaughter tour cover) is S.O.D.’s Speak English or Die. As a kid, I was blown away by Scott Ian’s tone on it. In the HoF feature, Ian recalls, “My philosophy with Alex [Perialas, co-producer] was, we’re gonna have the sickest guitar tone that anyone’s […]

Doomriders On June 14, Club Europa hosted the BrooklynVegan-BBG Showcase, curated by brooklynvegan.com’s Black Bubblegum. It should have been called Sludge Fest. The lineup featured Doomriders, Clouds, Sourvein, Unearthly Trance (replacing the injured Zoroaster), Javelina, Cough, Howl, Wetnurse, and Liturgy. I arrived during Howl‘s set. They justified their recent signing to Relapse with big riff […]

During the ’90s, Coalesce played the villain in a hardcore scene dominated by bands preaching positivity and unity. Their lyrics were malevolent and their music off-putting. While most of their peers sang about brotherhood or political consciousness, Coalesce mined the dark recesses of the human psyche. The Villain We Won’t DenyBy What We Refuse It’s […]

Rock musicians, like most professional athletes, peak early in their careers. Extreme music is equally unforgiving to old-timers. Tours coupling brash youngsters with metal oldheads often result in cruel wake-up calls for the elderly. Sea WitchA Restoration Effort The members of Narrows cut their teeth in such bands as Botch, Unbroken, Some Girls, and These […]