Having undergone a major upheaval in 2022, Illinois thrashers Misfire return with a very different line-up and some of the gnarliest ’80s San Francisco Bay Area riffs to come out of modern-day Chicago. Second full length studio release Product of the Environment (MNRK Heavy) not only finds the band in devastating form, but also boasting guest performances from the likes of Rob Cavestany from Death Angel, and Rob Dukes (both formerly and currently of Exodus).Continue reading
Tag Archives: Hardcore
ALBUM REVIEW: EYES – Spinner
It’s not enough for Scandinavia to export the world’s best black metal; the region is pumping out great punk and hardcore as well. Perhaps it’s the confrontational outsider approach both genres have in common. Denmark’s EYES are stepping up to bring their take on hardcore to a larger audience with Spinner (Prosthetic Records). This does not mean they are compromising but balancing out their volatile nature with Deftones -like grooves that put them on the metal-core side of the equation, yet they are not making pop music with the occasional scream but retaining an in your face aggression that builds up into spastic outbursts at times. Are there underlying nu-metal vibes? Yes, but without any of the Adidas swagger. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Niis – Niis World
Los Angeles-based hardcore punk group Niis released their debut full-length album, Niis World, via Get Better Records. After signing on with the label last year they released the single “Lovesick” in November 2024, conveying a grungier new era for Niis. At the beginning of this year, the band announced that their inaugural LP, Niis World, would soon arrive.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Jivebomb – Ethereal
Baltimore-based hardcore punk group Jivebomb released their debut full-length record Ethereal via Flatspot Records. Clocking in at just 15 minutes, the group’s inaugural LP is a heavy-hitting, unrelenting body of work that cements the group as one of the genre’s most brutal and poetic up-and-coming acts. Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Spiritworld – Helldorado
If you believe Hardcore has little to offer outside of the fairly narrow musical alleyway it usually occupies then today might just be the perfect time to take a listen to SpiritWorld. Combining Country Music and bedazzled outfits with Punk aggression and Thrash Metal riffs, the Las Vegas act are a sight to behold and they return with a vengeance on third full-length album Helldorado (Century Media Records).
EP REVIEW: Iron Form – Cut From Cold Blood – Church Road Records
The new EP from Church Road Records artists Iron Form titled Cut From Cold Blood is a five-piece band showing off their musical influences and technical merit. Another example of a band breaking through genres by just playing what comes naturally to them in their songwriting process.Continue reading
EP REVIEW: Fomented – Bitter And Miserable Beings
If you ever find yourself wanting to listen to something so heavy and disturbingly unhinged that it almost defies description then let this to be your introduction to Fomented. A two piece act from the West Midlands consisting of ex Savage Messiah guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Sy Taplin, and Kieran Scott, the voice behind death metal sluggers DeathCollector, the duo’s independently released debut EP Bitter and Miserable Beings is the musical equivalent of violent nipple torture and ten times more uncomfortable.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Scour – Gold
Trading Louisiana sludge for a more European soundscape, black metal act Scour is the latest project from Phillip H. Anselmo, the former frontman of Texan bruisers Pantera and New Orleans supergroup Down. Although quite some distance away from his usual musical stamping ground, this isn’t the first time Anselmo has turned his hand towards black metal, but where the likes of Eibon and Viking Crown merely laid the groundwork, it’s with Scour where all the pieces have finally come together.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Stress Test – Stress Test
The more uncertain the times, the more violent the reaction. A point proven in the eighties with the explosion of Hardcore and Thrash, and this self-titled debut by Oregon act Stress Test is like taking a step back into that time. A time when everyday existence meant the fear of war, disease and hate; a time when religion and politics were even more corrupt and depraved than certain types of criminals. The sad thing is though, you only have to spend thirty seconds watching the TV or doomscrolling through your news feed to see history repeating itself, only worse and often in more insidious ways.Continue reading
ALBUM REVIEW: Killswitch Engage – This Consequence
Since originally forming decades ago, the name of Killswitch Engage has become synonymous with the metal-core genre as a whole. It is impossible to have a discussion of what makes the best albums and artists in the subgenre, without the veteran band being mentioned at least once. Throughout their careers, the band have strived on to create some of the most iconic melodies and songs that could have only come from this band, amongst the thousands that make up metalcore. Now on their ninth studio album, This Consequence (Metal Blade Records), the band are taking it again up another level, according to their frontman Jesse Leach. Can the band fulfill these lofty highs now so far into their career?