ALBUM REVIEW: SECT – Plagues Upon Plagues


Former Cursed frontman Chris Colohan, is the driving force behind SECT’s dark take on Hardcore. Colohan might not be the band’s most well-known member (which would be Fall Out Boy’s drummer Andy Hurley), but regardless, it’s Colohan’s voice that sets apart their new album, Plagues Upon Plagues (Southern Lord) from the current resurgence of metallic Hardcore bands. Colohan’s husky croon gives a wink in the direction of Neurosis. His approach not only brings the articulated lyrics to the forefront but adds more depth to the dark tension of the music. When he does begin screaming as the punch of the riffs hits home, it has a greater dynamic impact. Continue reading


Freya (Earth Crisis) and RIG TIME! Team Up for North American Tour Dates


This January, Freya from Syracuse, NY (featuring members of Earth Crisis), and co-conspirators RIG TIME!, from La Crosse, WI, have joined forces for a run of East coast US shows. They kick off on January 12th in Salisbury, Maryland, with nine dates, concluding in Cleveland, Ohio. Head into the article below for more information.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Freya – Fight As One


 

When legendary New York Hardcore band Earth Crisis temporarily went their separate ways in 2001 Freya was born, formed by three members of EC, bassist Ian Edwards, guitarist Eric Edwards and vocalist Karl Buechner. Named of course after the Norse goddess, Freya picked right up where Earth Crisis left off and have released a plethora of music over the last two decades, blending their Hardcore roots with a good dollop of Thrash Metal, while often using mythology as a basis for their lyrical content. 

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Riot Fest 2023 Announces its Daily Lineups with Foo Fighters, The Postal Service, Death Cab For Cutie, The Cure, Queens of the Stone Age and more


 

Riot Fest 2023 has previously announced their stellar lineup with Foo Fighters, The Postal Service, Death Cab For Cutie, The Cure, Queens of the Stone Age, Turnstile, with The Mars Volta, Mr. Bungle, Tegan and Sara, 100 Gecs, The Gaslight Anthem, AFI, Death Grips, The Used, The Dresden Dolls, Say Anything, 070 Shake, The Breeders, Kim Gordon, Viagra Boys, Pup, Sleep Token, The Interrupters, Flogging Molly, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Pennywise, Bayside, Ani DiFranco, Finch, Silverstein, Insane Clown Posse, Head Automatica, Parliament Funkadelic Ft. George Clinton, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, L.S. Dunes, Gorilla Biscuits, Ride, Cults, Nothing Nowhere., Code Orange, White Reaper, Balance and Composure, Fake Names, Eshu Tune, Quicksand, Enter Shikari, The Wrecks, Thursday, Hawthorne Heights, Bowling For Soup, Braid, H20, Spitafield, Jehnny Beth, Drain, Snapcase, The Bronx, Microwave, Oso Oso, Origami Angel, The Exploited, Plosivs, Steve Ignorant Band / Crass, Black Angels, Yard Act, Warpaint, Nothing, Screaming Females, High Vis, Rival Schools, Caroline Rose, Sludgeworth, Free Throw, Just Mustard, Hotline TNT, Quasi, Corey Feldman, Just Friends, Bearings, Pinkshift, Olivia Jean, Calva Louise, The Aquadolls, Enola Gay, Earth Crisis, Empire State Bastard, Cassyette, FEA, Fleshwater, The Bobby Lees, Pool Kids, Young Culture, Fade ‘Em All, CK Vassi, and Total Chaos. Tickets are on sale now and the fest just announced their daily schedule!

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ALBUM REVIEW: Incendiary – Change The Way You Think About Pain


 

When looking up the meaning of the word incendiary you are met with the following definition ‘tending to excite or inflame’. This feels appropriate for a Metallic Hardcore band of the same name who have been tearing it up since 2007. 

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Riot Fest 2023 Books Foo Fighters, The Postal Service, Death Cab For Cutie, The Cure, Queens of the Stone Age


 

Riot Fest 2023 has announced their lineup and it’s a banger, easily the heaviest and most throwback lineup to 1990s and 2000s bands in recent memory. Headliners include, Foo Fighters, The Postal Service, Death Cab For Cutie, The Cure, Queens of the Stone Age, Turnstile, with The Mars Volta, Mr. Bungle, Tegan and Sara, 100 Gecs, The Gaslight Anthem, AFI, Death Grips, The Used, The Dresden Dolls, Say Anything, 070 Shake, The Breeders, Kim Gordon, Viagra Boys, Pup, Sleep Token, The Interrupters, Flogging Molly, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Pennywise, Bayside, Ani DiFranco, Finch, Silverstein, Insane Clown Posse, Head Automatica, Parliament Funkadelic Ft. George Clinton, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, L.S. Dunes, Gorilla Biscuits, Ride, Cults, Nothing Nowhere., Code Orange, White Reaper, Balance and Composure, Fake Names, Eshu Tune, Quicksand, Enter Shikari, The Wrecks, Thursday, Hawthorne Heights, Bowling For Soup, Braid, H20, Spitafield, Jehnny Beth, Drain, Snapcase, The Bronx, Microwave, Oso Oso, Origami Angel, The Exploited, Plosivs, Steve Ignorant Band / Crass, Black Angels, Yard Act, Warpaint, Nothing, Screaming Females, High Vis, Rival Schools, Caroline Rose, Sludgeworth, Free Throw, Just Mustard, Hotline TNT, Quasi, Corey Feldman, Just Friends, Bearings, Pinkshift, Olivia Jean, Calva Louise, The Aquadolls, Enola Gay, Earth Crisis, Empire State Bastard, Cassyette, FEA, Fleshwater, The Bobby Lees, Pool Kids, Young Culture, Fade ‘Em All, CK Vassi, and Total Chaos. Tickets are on sale now! 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Drain – Living Proof


 

I was familiar with Drain thanks to them being name-dropped by fellow Santa Cruz Hardcore outfit Scowl, whose Psychic Dance Routine EP I had the good fortune of reviewing recently. Therefore when the promo list came round and I spotted Living Proof (Epitaph Records) on there, it was simply too good an opportunity to pass up.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Incite – Wake Up Dead


Formed in 2004 by Richie Cavalera, the stepson of former Sepultura frontman, Max Cavalera, Arizona groove thrashers Incite have undergone several changes in personnel during their eighteen-year existence but their edge has not been dulled even slightly. Wake Up Dead (Atomic Fire Records), the band’s sixth full-length studio album, is another seething mass of riffs and rage that sees the return of bassist Christopher “EL” Elsten and drummer Lennon Lopez while also welcoming guitarist Eli Santana to the fold.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Solstice – Casting The Die


Eleven long years after their last full-length studio release, Floridian act Solstice makes a glorious comeback with Casting the Die (Emanzipation Productions), reuniting founder members Alex Marquez and Dennis Munoz for the first time since 1995’s Pray (Steamhammer SPV).

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Ringworm – Death Becomes My Voice


Diminished twin lead guitars fade in above a filthy, distorted bass line. It segues into the intro of the title track, and Death Becomes My Voice (Relapse Records) begins in ill-conceived circumstances. This intro segment is a slow crawl through power chords and crashing cymbals, and completely unrepresentative of the album as a whole. When the main bulk of the title track begins it’s clear that the slow introduction was a calm before a storm, but perhaps an unnecessary breather to kick things off. It may have worked better somewhere in the middle of this unrelenting album as something of a palate cleanser, but more on that later.Continue reading