Tag Archives: Hardcore

ALBUM REVIEW: Still In Love – Recovery Language

Posted on by

Out via the British extreme music-centered label Church Road Records, UK Hardcore five-piece unit Still In Love launches a debut full-length entitled Recovery Language – with thematic focuses circulating around the discourses of generation trauma, catharsis, emotional release, and personal boundaries. Highly introspective and deeply rooted in raw, intense emotions that speak of resilience, the aggression-laden UK Hardcore undertones of this album fit the recurring themes so well, with a hint of Post-Hardcore influences as well. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Modern Life Is War – Life On The Moon

Posted on by

Life On The Moon (Deathwish Inc) is Modern Life Is War’s first full-length in over a decade. They have returned and are deviating from what you might expect from Punk in 2025. It does not stray dramatically from what the definition of Punk was in the mid seventies. They still carry most of the aggression, though layers of singing chime in for the chorus of “First Song On The Moon.” The guitars carry a frantic jangle rather than a Hardcore chug. “There Is A Telephone That Never Stops Ringing” finds the urgency building into an explosion. The kind of organic chaos The Stooges once kicked up.  Continue reading →


EP REVIEW: Palladists – Tenebrous Ways

Posted on by

Rather than worshiping Minor Threat, DC Punks Palladists pursue darker sounds on their new album Tenebrous Ways (Fiadh Productions). This is fitting when you are named after a satanic cult hidden within early Freemasonry. When it comes to the vocals on this album, they are still very much rooted in punk. It is the guitar tones that set them apart from the rest of the punk pack. They use more effects to add a creepy touch to the otherwise in-your-face rapid-fire attack. In terms of their songwriting approach, they are not busting out the kind of hooky anthems the Misfits are known for, nor are they dwelling in the kind of drug-induced morbid self-reflection Christian Death once lamented upon.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Joe and The Shitboys – Greatest Shits

Posted on by

Either Straight Edge is making a comeback, or I’m just picking differently these days. I mean, I picked this one because the descriptor shouted to me: “queer vegan shitpunks.” I had to hear this thing.Continue reading →


CONCERT REVIEW: Dropkick Murphys – Bad Religion – The Mainliners Live at The Rooftop at Pier 17

Posted on by

On a clear summer evening in Manhattan, the Summer of Discontent Tour rolled through The Rooftop at Pier 17, bringing with it a dose of Punk, Celtic folk, and rebellion. With the East River, Brooklyn Bridge, and a setting sun and a glowing full moon like a second stage backdrop, Dropkick Murphys, Bad Religion, and The Mainliners gave New York City a triple threat of grit, melody, and meaning.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: The World Is A Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid To Die – Dreams Of Being Dust

Posted on by

Much like their distinct name, The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die continue to pen unique songs with flavor and character, and new studio album Dreams Of Being Dust (Epitaph Records), is no different.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: King Yosef – Spire of Fear

Posted on by

King Yosef has always leaned into the more abrasive end of their music, and Spire of Fear (Bleak House Records) has pushed it even further into that direction with an increasingly confrontational aggression. Sonically harrowing with the genre-defining mechanical stomp. That is not to say the entire album just grinds with a robotic pulse, as there are moments like “Glimmer” to provide a more melodic contrast. It’s a darker song with a very reverb-drenched mix that sets the vocals at the end of a dark tunnel. It tapestry of cool sounds that don’t hook into years but serves stark monument of sound.Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Deftones – private music

Posted on by

Five years can seem like an eternity if one is a big enough fan of a band, and waiting half a decade for new music from Deftones has certainly had fans chomping at the bit. Deftones’ 2020 album Ohms (Reprise Records, review here) took on a heavy and reflective tone that mirrored the emotional distress of the pandemic and lockdown. Now, Deftones followers can rejoice, as the band have emerged with private music (via Reprise and Warner Records), with eleven tracks of silver lining to what’s been a tense 2025. Co-produced and recorded in California and Nashville with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Korn, Alice In Chains, Mastodon), who worked on 2010’s Diamond Eyes and 2012’s Koi No Yokan (both also Reprise/Warner).Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: False Gods – Lost In Darkness And Distance

Posted on by

Long Islanders False Gods emerged in 2015 from the ashes of the well-regarded Skeletondealer! Prior releases include a trio of EP’s: 2016’s Wasteland; 2017’s Reports From Oblivion; and 2019’s The Serpent And The Ladde. Twenty-twenty’s full-length debut No Symmetry…Only Disillusion followed soon after, as did 2022’s Neurotopia and finally a 2023 split with Japan’s Abiuro. Continue reading →