Tag Archives: Metallic Hardcore

Ringworm – Death Becomes My Voice

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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 →


Section H8 – Phase One

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White noise feeds back into the listener’s ears. An overwhelming feeling of discomfort sets the stage for Phase One (Flatspot Records) to begin in riotous fashion. ‘A. D. (Anno Diabolus)’ starts with a slow, brooding bass and excerpts of a voice talking about “the demon” that “feeds on your hate”, before the screaming starts. As the band kick in underneath the yelped vocals, there’s a carnal urge to flip tables and spin kick like your life depends on it. In a mere forty seconds, Section H8 are able to tap into the base urges of humanity’s inherently violent nature and get your adrenaline pumping like a shot to the heart.Continue reading →


The Royal – Deathwatch

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It is not too often where I find new metallic Hardcore that gets me paying attention as quickly as the latest release from this group from the Netherlands known as The Royal. Their latest album entitled Deathwatch (Long Branch Records) is a mix of all the fun things you like about Metal, complete with breakdowns with a Hardcore Punk vocalist. There is also a nice atmospheric touch to some tracks, just to add that bit of spice as needed to keep the listener’s attention.Continue reading →


Snake Tongue – No Escape No Excuses EP

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An EP is an auditory window to the soul. Whether it’s a band in the infancy of their career laying out their opening salvo, or a veteran act dipping their toes into more experimental waters, it gives the listener a glimpse into what lies beneath any aesthetic visage. Following on from their debut album Raptor’s Breath, Snake Tongue returns with No Escape No Excuses (The Sign Records), an EP that is a sonic departure as well as a statement of intent.Continue reading →


Ithaca – The Language Of Injury

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Those of you with a keen ear to the underground Metal scene will doubtless already be familiar with Metallic Hardcore outfit Ithaca. Whilst it has been several years in its genesis, The Language Of Injury (Holy Roar) is the band’s full-length debut and, if the cliché that good things come to those who wait still has any relevance and cache at the start of 2019, then it most assuredly can be used here to welcome this record of brutal, uncompromising beauty.Continue reading →


Cloudburst – Cloudburst

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One of the most appealing aspects of getting to listen to Cloudburst’s self-titled sophomore (Samstrong Records) effort is learning that they hail from Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Through years of tape trading, international touring and eventually communicating online we’ve always known that the extreme music market is indeed a global one, but it’s always exciting to receive these imports.Continue reading →


Terror – Total Retaliation

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No airs, no graces, no gods, no masters; this is hitting hard, beating down, aggressive music. Armed with their seventh studio album, Total Retaliation (Nuclear Blast/Pure Noise) and bucket load of muscle and testosterone to palm-mute chug into your face, LA five-piece Terror, bastions of traditional Tough-guy Hardcore, bring the chants, the slams, the pit-anthems and the attack in their own inimitable and unmistakable approach.Continue reading →


KEN Mode – Loved

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Canadian metallic hardcore-influenced noise rock band KEN Mode are back with a new album, Loved (Season of Mist), but there’s no love to be found on it. Contrary to the name, the Winnipeg, Manitoba band’s seventh album is a solid slab of slow churning, nihilist hardcore that sounds like it could self-destruct at any minute.Continue reading →


Harm’s Way – Posthuman

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One of my favorite occurrences in the heavy music world of today is when a Hardcore band with metallic influences can reach fans of both realms. Harm’s Way has done this for a few releases now, but their latest, Posthuman (Metal Blade), is certainly their best collective effort to date. Making the jump to Metal Blade was a clear sign that the Chicago natives are looking to further stretch boundaries of Heavy Metal and Hardcore. Continue reading →


SECT – No Cure For Death

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Informing me that a band features the talents of Fall Out Boy drummer Andy Hurley probably isn’t the best way to sell me on their album, but I’m glad I swallowed my ignorance. I mean, you should’ve told me that Hurley is super talented and that he’s flanked by members of Cursed, Catharsis and Earth Crisis in SECT. Combine those mega-powers with uber-producer Kurt Ballou and the fabled GodCity Studios and you’ve got a hell of a blast of Entombed-core in No Cure for Death (Southern Lord).

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