Here Comes the Two-Stepper
Posted 07/07/2010 09:23AM by Jacopo ebolarama Olivares as Article
Though some space has already been devoted to several first-rate (and a few not-so-great) hardcore albums so far this year on Decoy, it’s obviously impossible to chronicle everything that hits record store shelves (or blogs as the case may be). Here are eleven releases that you may have missed and are all very good in their own right. People, prepare to be fed steak.
Hopeless - Human
We’ll start this feature off with Hopeless, a melodic hardcore band from Australia. Don’t bother stopping me if you’ve heard this description before, because the contents of the Human 7” are nothing new, but they are done well. The highlight of the EP is “Warehouse,” a longer song that has echoes of Defeater and nicely encapsulates what these guys are all about. Definitely some good stuff worth checking out. (artist website)
Mountain Man - One
Blink and you’ll miss about half the songs on this album. Mountain Man specialize in a brand of old school-minded hardcore akin to break-neck outfits Outbreak and alumni band Last Lights, though One is not all speed all the time. Digressions into ambient territory (“Untitled”) and the sprawling number “.” (yes, the song is called period) show the band branching out and adding dimensions that make their ferocious outbursts seem all the more potent. One will be a year-end top-ten list contender for me. (artist website)
Worms Feed - Still So Much To Waste
This one came out in the early part of the year, and you’d be forgiven for missing it, as it wasn’t a highly publicized release, but you’d be remiss for not giving these Belgians a shot, especially if you like your hardcore injected with a healthy dose of the Converge aesthetic. The EP explodes with the two-step of “Set Sail,” and then proceeds to scream through the next three songs in under four minutes, before slowing down with the relatively lengthy “Lions.” Unlike several of the other bands in this feature, there is nary a melody to be found, with the emphasis on pure, unadulterated savagery. (artist website)
More Than Life - Love Let Me Go
From the excellent opening heart-wrenching melancholy of “Scarlet Skyline” you know you’re not in for the most pleasant listen, but through the gloom these Brits have crafted one of the strongest melodic hardcore offerings of the year. For a stylistic point of reference think Killing the Dream or aspects of Ruiner. More Than Life has been a name on a lot of people’s tongues since the Brave Enough to Fail EP was released in late 2008, establishing them as a band on the rise. Well consider the potential realized as Love Let Me Go stakes a legitimate claim to be cited as one of the top records of the year. (artist website)
Gray Ghost - Succubus
Keeping with the theme of albums with naked dames on the front, enter Succubus. If sludgy, grainy hardcore with a tinge of early Isis and some Integrity sounds appealing to you, then Gray Ghost’s latest offering should be just what the doctor ordered. This 7” will have you wading through dingy, oppressive soundscapes, hoping for a glimmer of light and finding none. Succubus stays mostly in the realm of doomy slow-burn, but isn’t afraid to push the envelope a bit, as with the short “Lascivious Shrines.” Go ahead and let Gray Ghost pull you under—I guarantee hopelessness seldom feels this good. (artist website)
Trap Them - Filth Rations
Originally intended to just be a one-sided 12” release via Southern Lord, Filth Rations saw digital release on June 1st. I recommend the vinyl version as the artwork is first-rate, but for those of you digital-only types, the songs themselves are killer and absolutely worth your dime. Filth Rations proves yet again that Trap Them are easily one of the best and most forward-thinking bands around today, playing a unique blend of Earache Records -style death, cross-over, and grind, with some power-violence influences, all filtered through a hardcore lens. For those of you still on the fence about this one, it was engineered by Kurt Ballou at God City Studios, so you know it will be good. (artist website)
Lower Than Atlantis - Far Q
Lower Than Atlantis hold the distinction of being the most accessible band on this list, but they’re also one of the best. Heartfelt and emotional while still maintaining a wry sense of humor and a seemingly paradoxical sense of ironic detachment, Far Q is excellent and not getting anywhere near the amount of praise it deserves. There are traces of ’90s Dischord angularity (let’s put Nation of Ulysses in there somewhere, too) and Bridge Nine bands like Crime In Stereo and Polar Bear Club. Far Q also sports some great lines (“Macaulay Culkin, tell all your friends I’m going home alone again”), often lyrically reminiscent of The Lawrence Arms . They’re a bit hard to categorize, which is a good thing. There’s a fair amount of polish, maybe turning some people off, but don’t mistake that for slickness or the band being inauthentic. As we enter a summer of highly anticipated releases in hardcore this will face some stiff competition, but as of right now it’s one of my favorite records to come out this year. Black sheep of the world rejoice. (artist website)
Heathens - II
Heathens specialize in a brand of grimey, nihilistic hate, existing just to crush your pitiful skull. Similar to Gray Ghost in their combination of sludge and hardcore, but with the sludge having a more distinctly Southern feel, there are parts of II that sound like Swamp Thing and other parts, like the majority of “Blessed Red,” that sound like the bastard son of Weedeater and late-era Black Flag. This animal just seethes malice, punishing you from a variety of different angles. My only problem with it is that it’s too short. One of the more interesting and certainly one of the best hardcore records I’ve heard this year, I could see II making it into my year-end top-ten list. (artist website)
Down To Nothing - All My Sons
For all ye uninitiated: this band has the fattest riffs this side of Trapped Under Ice and more attitude than a broad from Biddeford, all the while avoiding what I like to call the swag tap: the gimmicks and general bullshit of toss-offs like Deez Nuts. All My Sons isn’t quite Down To Nothing’s break-out The Most, but it’s still damn good. “Number One,” “Set Sail,” and “Monument” are the highlights, and they stack up to some of the best songs in the band’s catalogue. This one shouldn’t be hard to get into at all. (artist website)
Stick To Your Guns - The Hope Division
A posi-core band on Sumerian ? Despite the label’s reputation for housing more deathcore and technical stuff, Stick To Your Guns are decidedly not either one of these tags; what they offer with The Hope Division is, like several other bands on this list, a very good melodic hardcore record, though you better believe that it’s also plenty heavy. I was surprised by how much I liked this in light of the fact that I was never into the band before. “Faith in the Untamed” is an absolute beast, and one of the best hardcore tracks I’ve heard so far this year. The lyrics carry a very strong and uplifting message, and on a more base level there are some nice crunchy breakdowns and two-steps to be had. (artist website)
This Is Hell - Weight of the World
The genesis of This Is Hell has been an interesting one. Considered nothing more than American Nightmare wanna-bes in their early days, they responded with the massive metallic Misfortunes in 2008. After some line-up changes the relatively weak Warbirds 7” appeared in 2009, notable only for foreshadowing the sound that would come to fruition with Weight of the World. Unsurprisingly, the two tracks from Warbirds that appear here are the weakest, though due to track sequencing they work pretty well within the context of the album. Weight of the World exhibits very strong thrash and late-80s NYHC influences; the guitarists seem to have caught Kirk Hammett syndrome, but don’t read this as a bad thing. This record fucking rips the whole way through and is another contender for my year-end top-ten list. A stellar return to form by This Is Hell and a perfect album to close the feature with. (artist website)
Comments
Illinois
you mention deez nutz, the new album isn't bad either.
i've heard some of these, and what i've heard was good.
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Raleigh, NC
Stick To Your Guns sucks.
Fishers, Indiana
I think I'll cheggout Lower than Atlantis.
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Minnesota
Deez Nuts suck, dude. I dunno what you were listening to, but their new album BLOWS.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Washington, DC
Lower Than Atlantis is pretty good.
My favorite hardcore album that came out and went unnoticed this year is Dangers' "Messy, isn't it?" It's like the spirit of black flag was raised and posessed modern hardcore. I guess. Listen to it! www.myspace.com/wearedangers
"Standing still is where we've gone wrong" - The dingees
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San Diego, CA
Yeah I picked that up a while back. I agree, it's really good.
Too old to bother, too young to give a shit.
Alabama
The new This Is Hell is sooooo good! So is that Down To Nothing album!
Illinois
last album was better, but it's deez nuts. i never thought they were supposed to be taken seriously.
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Lehigh Valley, PA
Oh man here we go... FIRST OF ALL Deez Nutz is fuckin great. The newer album is not as good as Stay True but it's still a fun listen. I'm glad he's playin real hardcore now instead of what IKTPQ turned into.
Hopeless is probably one of the best hardcore acts in Australia right now. I hope they come to the states soon because their latest 7" has not stopped playing in my rotation.
Mountain Man is by far one of the raddest live shows out in hardcore right now. I played with them a few months back and I was blown away. They're definitely worth everyone checking out if youre into hardcore.
More Than Life has the pure energy and balls that hardcore, right now, needs.
Trap Them is overrated.
The new Down to Nothing and This is Hell are probably at the top of my hardcore albums of the year list right now. The only thing shitty about DTN's realease is that it's only an EP... I WANT MORE!
This biggest let down on this entire list is the new Lower Than Atlantis. I love their previous work but this latest release was a HUGE bummer.
Sweet list though, Jake. Glad to see some straight hardcore bands being discussed on this site.