THROATCUT. : "RESILIENCE."

 Dark and hammering hardcore with an ugly metallic hearbeat that crushes with these jarringly heavy riffs that stomp your skull. Germany is not where I imagined this band coming from, but there we are. The vocals are not in the metalcore growl, but screamed with the kind of inflamed larynx torture that is convincing they are angry enough to make this kind of music. There is an atmosphere that haunts the periphery over the guitar sound. It gives enough of a sonic edge to what they are doing to make the brutal nature of it even more punishing. Though three songs in, they hit the wall of effectiveness and need to switch it up a bit. 

"creep." They do not give you much more room to breathe, though the nuance they do attach proves to be effective, and what their overall sound could benefit from. He begs you to die for him, with enough passion to make you a believer, it's not the same kind of CrossFit motivational sermons you get from most hardcore bands. Even as abrasive as they are, it still feels like hardcore is at the heart of what they are doing here, and metalcore is just a marketing label. "shattered glass" is an equal part confrontational and bludgeoning. There are no breakdowns, but an angular riff that bends time and space, in the machine-like crunch it gathers strength for. 

They keep hitting you with similar methods of punishment, which give marginally more groove for " death/ rebirth." It launches into a more feral blasting in some parts, and sometimes hits with more deliberate muscle. Their eponymous anthem finds a faster attack in place when you have been numbed out to the pounding already. "loner" has a more deliberate syncopation to its hammering attack that is laced with abimance amid the fury.  It is when they pour on the speed that things get lost in the blur. By the time we get to 'hell.high.water" they are beginning to hit me like a cross between Knocked Loose and Harms Way. This remains a fair comparison on the last two songs, though, with a rawer, more feral mood in places on "stray" They navigate through the songs with machine like precision, unpacking a great deal of twisting riffs within each song. Their last song is more jagged and emotionally desperate. I will give this album a 9, while it might not be dynamic or melodic enough for my personal tastes it is heavy as fuck and this guys know what they are doing so it is hard to deny. 

10.2

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The Top 10 Punk / Hard-core Albums of 2025... so far

 

Since I split up the larger metal list into sub-genres, forcing hard-core to be lumped in with punk.   These lists serve as a decent snapshot of where the year is heading in terms of music. I have already received promos for albums dropping as far out as August in my inbox, so they are really going to need to bring it to compete with the top five albums on this list. No matter the genre,  darkness trumps speed when it comes to heavy, so these bands reflect that sentiment. These albums provide a fitting soundtrack to the demise of the US.  I have included links to full reviews if you want to check these out, and with all that said, here are the Top 10 punk  / hardcore albums of 2025 so far. 

10-Scare- "In the End Was it Worth it" 

This Canadian band plays a very metallic version of hardcore. They even throw in guitar solos to seal the deal. The vocals are screamed from a place of gnarled, feral anguish. A compelling album of dark hardcore. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/scare-in-end-was-it-worth-it.html

9-Spiritworld- "Helldorado" 

Despite being called "Deathwestern" the band's 2022 album only used country & western music as a window dressing to perhaps bookend the album with. This time around, it's blended to create a more Clutch-like swagger. This leaves the more metallic meat of the songs to groove with a darker energy. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/spiritworld-helldorado.html

8-Staticlone-  "Better Living Through Static Vision" 

 A ripping crust punk barrage. The vocals are a gruff Lemmy-like rasp, that finds the rest of the band racing behind the vocals, but with a sense of songwriting smarts, as there are guitar melody lines that provide a hook over the rumble of the bass. In many ways, this is like the crust version of Motorhead, due to not only George's vocal style but the rumble of the fuzzed-out bass-blowing speaker as it provides the backbone. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/staticlone-better-living-through-static.html

 7-Ingrown- "Idaho" 

 Off the bat, what I like about this band is that they pack a great deal of riffage into the minute and forty seconds of the opening track. They have in-your-face pummelling sections that are rapid-fire but give you something to sink your teeth into and headbang a bit

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/01/ingrown-idaho.html

6-Butcherbird- "Drought / Deluge" 

This hardcore band from London has a metallic groove to their feedback-squealing attack. The vocals are the most straightforward thing about the overall sound, as they are delivered with the kind of angry shout you expect from hardcore. They throw some breakdowns at you, but they come from less expected places. Despite the jerking whiplash of the mathy riffs, there's more of a rock n roll feel than, say, Full of Hell. They are willing to give into the atmosphere, with unwieldy sections of choruses colliding at you, making them more  Rollins Band than Black Flag.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/butcherbird-drought-deluge.html

5-Idle Heirs- "Life is Violence" 

Sean Ingram of Coalesce has not made any music for at least a decade, so fans of Coalesce should be thankful to have this as it touches on many of the same sonic aspects of that band. Perhaps more melodic and less jarring, we hear more of Ingram's singing voice here. Josh Barber, who is partnering with Ingram here understands where he is coming from musically, so it works.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/idle-heirs-life-is-violence.html

 

 4-Propagandhi - "At Peace" 

There are weird contradictions in life. One of them being for someone who does not like political punk, I do like this band. Perhaps it's because they are from Canada, it hits differently. They have a brooding metallic edge to their sound that is perhaps brought out even more in the production of "At Peace," which is the band's 8th album. Taunt, thrashing riffing, not is not a far cry from Bad Religion. I think the fact that they are so technically sound as musicians rather than guys banging four chords helps factor into why I like them so much. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/04/propaghandi-at-peace.html

     

3-Age of Apocalypse- "In Oblivion" 

I loved "Grim Wisdom," so expectations are high for this one. At times, there is more of a thrash feel until things slow and get more moody and melodic as the song progresses. There is still a Life of Agony vibe going on, but they are covering way more ground sonically this time around and throwing down with more punishing accents to pound you with what some might consider breakdowns.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/age-of-apocalypse-in-oblivion.html

2-Callous Daoboys- " I Don't Want to See You In Heaven" 

 If there is any justice in the universe, these guys should be at least as big as Knocked Loose, just on the merits of songwriting.  While the screamed vocals are more dominant, Carson Pace's voice continues to grow. His poppy-sung vocals carry the need hooks to contrast the chaos.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-callous-daoboy-i-dont-want-to-see.html

1-Deadguy- "Near-death Travel Services" 

30 years after Victory Records hardcore band Deadguy cemented their legendary status with their album "Fixation on Coworker ". The band is not just back to reaffirm their relevance; this album has the benefit of 2025 production value, so it sounds far better than the more metallic guitar sound they debuted with. This makes for an album that is heavier with the guitars creating a more organic wall of sound. They hit you with a more fully realized onslaught

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/deadguy-near-death-travel-services.html

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EYES : "SPINNER"

Quite a few impressive hardcore bands are coming out of Scandinavia. In fact, we were so impressed by the Danish hardcore band's 2020 album that we gave this one a shot. It feels a little more metallic in the spastic way it emotes like a rabid version of the Deftones that flirts with metal core.  "Deflating Rooms' reminds me a little too much of the song before it until they stomp into a breakdown. The band's more unhinged qualities remind me of Dillinger Escape Plan, but without any of the progressive flirtations.  The bass leads the way into "Beelzebub" to create a more punk feel. Then, when they kick into the syncopated riff, things hit their stride here. It is kinetic in the same way the Refused once were. There are breakdowns, but handled in a more original manner than most. 

There is a hookier touch to their songwriting, which works really well and makes this album more memorable than if they just hit you with a bunch of unhinged screaming. They get the point across without beating it to death. There is still something nu-metal about the groove for "Moving Day For the Overton Window." It is not the first time metal-core has intersected with nu-metal; in fact, the current incarnation of the genre is pretty much an incarnation of it. 

Songs like "Clown" are a more burly outburst of punk the direction of grindcore. They go for the throat with a feral lust here."Money Mouth" picks up with where the intensity of the previous song left off, though things are deliberate here.  The title track closes the album. It is the kind of frenzied attack you would expect from these guys. The chaos the vocals allow themselves to descend into holds touches of Mike Patton, though with none of his melodic sensibilities. They stepped up the songwriting, and that gives this album the grooves needed for me to rate it a 9. Out on Prothestic Records .

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LIFESICK : "Loved By None , Hated By All"

 This Danish hardcore band packs a punch that is more metallic than not. They take you back to the 90s when this style really began popping off. If you were a fan of Victory Records styled hardcore then these guys will appeal to you. If you just like in-your-face, hyper-aggressive metal you might also dig this. "Peace Through Superior Firepower " takes aim at the Military Industrial Complex.  There are moments of blast-beaten accents. The vocals are angry, somewhat similar to Itergrity in this approach. 

The guitar tones as crushing in the vein of Entombed with this album sounding like a "Wolverine Blues" tribute. Sometimes the vocals are more howled, they are always angry. A song like "Hollow Treats' displays how they prove you can be a hard-core band and still write nuanced songs with melodic touches. Another example of the difference between, metallic hardcore and metalcore. The big difference is the organic nature of their riffs. These guys are not only influenced by Entombed but you can hear how Obituary has played a role in their playing. They crush your head in with the breakdowns on this one. 

"The Mourning March" packs a punk. Less deliberate than the previous song, it still works for what they are doing. They keep the tempo to a reasonable speed. These guys do not allow their momentum to carry them away.  I will give this a 9.5, as they pull this together in the most aggressive manner possible while still writing songs with grooves. If you like 90s hardcore you should like this album.

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the Top 10 Hardcore Albums of 2023

Much like punk, hard-core finds itself in an interesting place in this angry world,  There is no shortage of people claiming to play it, but to find real hard-core that is not afraid to point the finger at all sides while refusing to conform is a harder aspiration, given the masses' willingness to conform.   These albums captured the true spirit of hardcore by doing their own thing and bringing the anger.   After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2023. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Hardcore albums of 2023.

10- King Yosef - 'An Underlying Hum" 

this guy is an artist I have been on the fence about. Was not into the collaboration he did with Youth Code, as I just wanted another Youth Code album and not the kind of noise he was bringing to the table. Now it's hard for him to catch a break as everyone is comparing this album to Code Orange's "Underneath" album which is a high bar to measure it by. This album serves as a reminder that nu-metal came out of the 90s hard core scene. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/king-yosef-underlying-hum.html

9- Graf Orlock- "End Credits" 

This hard-core band has made a concept album of sorts that pays homage to post-apocalyptic science fiction. This is not done in a grandiose fashion, uses the grit they normally offer. A well done and honest album that deserves to be here as it goes above and beyond in so many ways. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/graf-orlock-end-credits.html

8- Gel- "Only Constant" \

This band is like a cross between the Plasmatics and GISM , but with more metallic aggression, mixed with the drive of rock attitude. They managed to win me over with the apocalyptic feel of their songs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/gel-only-constant.html

 

7-Ken Mode -"VOID" 

This time they are returning to their noise rock roots by lashing out as they open the album with a blistering hardcore banger. The drumming propels the second song in a more punk direction. This might not be as dark, but I appreciate the feel of the late 90s hard-core capture with the more melodic moments

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/11/ken-mode-void.html

 

6- Jerome's Dream - "The Gray In-between" 

This album falls more on the screamo side of the equation. These guys know what they are doing, I think they accomplished what they set out to do with every ounce of their souls invested in it. If you like screamo this is a must.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/jeromes-dream-gray-in-between.html

5-Mouth For War-"Bleed Yourself" 

With their name, I was expecting more Pantera influence. Instead, it is the kind of metalcore I like that places the emphasis on the hardcore side of the equation and has little to do with Myspace. The thrash grooves gave this a great deal of replay value and it was certainly one of the heaviest hard-core albums to drop this year. 

 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/mouth-for-war-bleed-yourself.html

4-Death Pose-"Midnight Society" 

 This Chicago band is being marketed as noise rock when they are a hard-core band. There is a more angular dance with the riffs, but the vocal narrative has the mic out in the crowd, along with the explosive energy that pervades the song. They are likely a hard-core band that is into math rock, or a noise rock band with a hard-core singer, though the latter does not explain the punchy manner they attack their songs. This is their debut album, so they could still find themselves settling into who they are. Once they bring the breakdowns the debate is settled.    

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/death-pose-midnight-society.html

3- Svalbard - "The Weight of the Mask" 

This marks the third time these guys have made My Top 10 Hardcore  Albums of the Year list. This time around they were almost moving in a more black metal direction,  They retained the crusty side of what's going on here with hard-core influenced accents. More often than not a furious tempo, that is more explosive than dark or cold sounding, thus making it hard-core once more, while they have not forgotten the atmospheric elements like the vocals of  Serena Cherry. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/svalbard-weight-of-mask.html

 

2- Will Haven - "VII" 

They hit you with hammering hardcore and manage to pack in a dense atmosphere. The syncopated chugs create the apex of breakdowns.  If you grew up listening to nu-metal but matured into metallic hardcore, then this is the album for you. Really if you like heavy music colored by atmosphere this album is also for you as well. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/06/will-haven-vii.html

1-Harm's Way - "Common Suffering" 

After being convinced to check them out upon hearing the "Undertow" single featuring the singer of King Woman, I was surprised by the rest of the album, which hits in the way that I typically want my hardcore to slap me. Harm's Way has a gritty musculature to the riffs, and the vocals punch in all the right places to rally the head bob inducing syncopations shift with a groove. There is a great deal of emotion to the construction of the songs that paints things in a bleak shade of gray rather than just being the macho in-your-face beat down you might expect this to be

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/harms-way-common-suffering.html

Incendiary : "Change the Way You Think About Pain'

 I wish I had time to review more hard-core. I seek some out, but when labels send it to me, it is often under produced and all sounds the same so often there is not a point of reference for me to start my search unless I am clicking around Bandcamp. I do keep my ears open, which put these guys in my lap asTodd Jones from Nails gave these guys props during his episode of "What's in My Bag".  They play an almost rapped style of New York Hardcore. The opening track punches you in the guts but they do not feel as fresh with the punch they pack on "Jesus Bones". A great deal of this lies in the fact the vocalist is a one trick pony. "Echo of Nothing" finds a dissonance ringing out in some of the stompy chords. The chant of "Every Window/ deserves a brick " is a little more memorable than the delivery of the second song. 

"Host/ Parasite" finds a more sonic rock n roll feel to some of the chords , though the bulk of the song is a double driven Slayer like assault on your ears. "Lie of Liberty" calls out cosplay soldiers. It has the obligatory break down like riffs punching at you, but I am listening for when they kick you with things you are not hearing from every other tough guy from NYC . The songs began to blur together by the time I got to "CTE", so I had to go back and give another listen. There is a Victory Records vibe in places when they get more metallic. The rapping is getting old for sure the more I delve into this . The drummer is pretty good, but four albums in he should be.

'Rats in the Cellar" is the last song that holds my attention it has a hooky enough groove to the riffs to carry the weight needed to compensate for the vocals. Other than that it fades into a bland pastiche honoring the regional sub-genre. I think even if you are into this sort of thing a 7 will be fair enough when it comes to how they keep the 90s alive here. 

Bloodclot : "Souls"

 Despite being the original singer of the Cro-Mags, the name goes to Harly who is doing ok with it. This is a blessing in disguise as I do not see John Joesph straying away from the Cro-mags more New York hard core sound to make a thrashing banger like this. They title track opens with the fury of a Slayer song.  Slayer always wanted to be a hard-core band after the fact, and hard-core bands wanted to be Slayer after the fact, so this song alone encapsulates this. This is hyper aggressive and in your face as any young band out there today. You would think I would go into this album wanting it to sound like "Age of Quarrel" before I can even consider this it slaps me upside the head. He uis backed by members of Quicksand, Sick of it All and Madball.  

They do not let up on the second song, in fact I was starting to think was a little straightforward even for him. They continue to lead you on a high-speed thrashing assault with commanding drill sergeant vocals that rally the troops for gang vocals, as the hooky guitars pack more Exodus like punch, as it rides the hammering riff. "Save the Robots" finds John actually singing, his voice has held up really well the first riff that strikes me as sounding like the Cro-mags in on "Infectious". His also features him really singing. He carries a sneer that is trying to restraint it's disdain, before going into a higher croon. 

"Relentless" is just that. It goes back to a more old-school hard-core feel, thought there are slight inflection in his voice that allow you to hear what he once did as a vocalist to certain extent.  Not sure why they chose to cover a Bad Brains song, but they do. They pretty much nail "How Low Can a Punk Get" . He proves that he is one of the few singers from his era of Hard core that can pull off HR's chaotic vocal style. I will give this a 9.5, it was surprisingly more meat and potatoes hard core, but they do it well, since they invented it, the songwriting proves it.

Terror : "Pain Into Power"

 I prefer the other band Todd Jone's is in . Nails to these guys. But 20 years in the hard core game is no joke. Jones has returned to produce their 8the album. The entire album clocks in around 20 minutes. Often the songs are so fast and aggressive they speed by and it is hard to tell where on ends and the other begins. "Unashamed" has the kind of frenzied fury that reminds me of S.O.D.  The lyrics "make no mistake, this was no passing phase, the passion remains" says they are true to hard core in ways the ever shifting social culture of today can not aspire to. I appreciate the conviction, but if adherence to the genre causes all songs to begin to sound the same in the assault of tough guy break downs then I might call it into question.

As long things are not rushed and the riffs have hooks on the level of " Outside the Lies" then I am cool with it., or even a fan. The more mid paced hard core of " One Thousand Lies" still has the emphasis on the right parts at the right times and keeps you engaged.  When things are blast ahead at the frantic pace of " Can't Let Go" it sounds like every other metallic hard-core band who does this sort of thing,. George Corpsegrinder Fisher lends his growl to " Can't Help But Hate", which is little more than an accent though I appreciate how angry the song is and it's more deliberate moments,.  "On the Verge of Violence" is a social commentary, things are kept both tense and intense on this song. Though it sounds more like every New York hard core band from the 90s.   

The riff leading into "Prepare for the Worst" reminds me of the Cro-Mages, which is a positive. While i appreciate the sentiment of the lyrics when the song really takes off it losses the more creative edge it had by conforming to what it should sound like. The last song has more of a thrashy gallop to it's chug, but falls in line with your standard hardcore. I will give this album an 8 as it is very well done and fans of the band should be pleased even with the more overt metal direction, but they are true to themselves for sure. 

      

Hatebreed " Weight Of the False Self"

 

From playing in hardcore bands I have been exposed to these guys , and Jamie Jasta is a big metal head who gets around, so more than familiar , but never spent a great deal of time with their albums. From what I am hearing here, it sounds like there is les Slayer influence here and more of a return to their hard core sound. Granted very based hard core at that. We got tough guy break downs and plenty of gang vocals . Jasta barks out the self help hard core lyrics. The guitars are however produced more like a metal record. They are pros at killers that is not called into question .I think where we might find the sticking point for me is in the vocals which are so far a one trick pony. 

I like the chorus, but the lyrics go almost over board on the motivational speeches. I do not want anything positive in hard core. I do not want the world to be made better I want to burned down. But there are some decent hooks in this song. " Cling to Life" does not make much of an impression , but the more metallic " A Stroke of Red" is the best song so far.  Jasta comes closer to singing on the chorus of " Dig Your Way Out". The verses are blazing fast and do not do as much for me. The riffing is more aggressive in the drive of " This I Earned" . For some reason I am beginning to get Slipknot vibes at this point the album. "Wings of the Vulture" is pretty par for the course with little in the way of surprises when it comes to these guys . The drummer how ever proves he is fucking crazy. 

It sounds like he is quoting bible verses on "the Herd Will Scatter" .  'From Gold to Gray" is pretty much color by numbers for this sort of thing. The guitars are more melodic going into "Invoking Dominance" closes the album. I will give these guys an 8.5. Yeah it is mass marketed hard core for the same demographic that listens to Slipknot, but these guys have been doing it for some time so they are good at what they do. Out on Nuclear Blast.

Svalbard : "When I Die , Will I Get Better ?"

 

They throw a lot at you in the first song. It is a hybrid of hard core and shoegaze. More atmospheric than the last album. The hard core is even more in the forefront on the second song. The female vocals are better than the screamed male ones . Their is a higher guitar creating more of a sonic texture over all of this and not allowing it to become run of the mill hard core. The hard core side of the band bull dozes the shoegazing . The screamed vocals bear to wear on me with their uniformity. I do not remember that being a complaint for the last album. 

The male vocals go into a more sung part that breaks things up. It seem all three members of the band sing  There is a more rock feel to " Silent Restraint" .  The lyrics to the shouted vocals can  take form with more clarity. The yrics seem pretty pissed. "What Was She Wearing" is more commited to being shoe gaze It also benefits from being a more nuanced song.  It does build up into the kind of atmospheric hard core they have been pounding us with so far .  They blast out in anger with "the Currency of Beauty"  .

I do remember last time noting how they sometimes share a similar sonic space as Deafheaven and that is what " Pearlescent" gets built up into. There is a poppy post rock opening before the explosion which creates a nice contrast. I like how the atmosphere has been dialed up on this album. I will give this one a 9 and see how it sits with me/. 

Nasty : "Menace"

These guys are the kind of metallic hard core that runs so closely to the metal core that came from the days of Myspace that I rarely review it. But what the hell, I need to get caught up on the harcore that came out this yeat or in this case is coming out as this album drops Sept 25th. The guitar is the most metal thing baout this. The vocals are kind of growl tough guy shit with almost rapped gang vocal cadence. 3 songs in and the guitar is beginning to sound the same to me. The singer actually sings on "Be Careful" . This guy is good, he makes the songs interesting and switches it with varied approaches which I like. The song writing itself could use some work as "666am" just sound likea mush of riffs and yelling. The name of their game is how many break downs can be squeeze into three minutes or less.

The more metallic "Betrayer" is pretty good. It's darker and have varied vocals, so all the boxes are checked off. The vocals actually have some hook to them. They are hit or miss as the song after this is just back to riffs and barking. They do put more thought into 'Inhale / Exhale" . Gnerally speaking the lyrics are lost in the delivery. Not a deal breaker as I prefer singers to use their voice more like an instrument rather than verse chorus radio stuff, unless it's pop music and even then I am flexible. He sounds more like a demon chicken in the vocal pattern to blood crop. 'Addicted" is more of a song,  but runs along the lines of what you might more typically expect from this.

They tread on the smae gorund as by the end it all begins to run togehter. It is not until the last song that we here some more thrashing tempos. Even then it sounds like they are coming to this place by way of Killswitch Engage.  As far as hardcore goes these guys do not play very fast so more metal influence than punk. Perhaps that is my normal complaint when it comes to that sort of thing. There are moments and these guys have potential. This particular album while it is well produced and i Like when the vocalist puts more effort into it, it is not my thing I will give it a 6.5 .I am surprised this is going to be a Century Media release . They must really have their ear to the pulse of where music is going that I am unaware of if they invested in this kind of hardcore.

Dropdead : " s/t"

These guys are back. Somethings have changed a little.  The vocals are not just screaming and much more deliberate on the first song. At just under two minutes "Torches" has more time to develop it's self into an acutal song, where some of these ditties are aborted too early. "Road to Absolution" is more hard core than grind core, aside from the fact they keep it to an under a minute burst. At 33 seconds I can not really count "Only Victims" as a song it's more of an idea. They stick to the basics when it comes to hard core. They are fast and nasty. It is a good thing they keep "Warfare State" to just over a minute, because any more than what they do here or other songs would be redundant if they went longer. I would lose interest for sure in some of these blasts of speed. By the time they got to "the Black Mask' this was beginning to get old for me.

The vocals get stale first. The guitar follow quickly behind them. The drummer is earning his pay for sure."Book of Hate' shows what they are capable with a more metallic bass line leading into this like it is going to be a dirge. It is deliberate like " I Saw Your Mommy" . So it takes me back to better place for punk. "Flesh and Blood" is two minutes so yet another song that is allowed to be more than a spastic temper tantrum. This is the band's 3rd album since forming in 1991, so it is kind of a big deal. This might make you come to conclusions like they would care more about song writing since they had plenty of time. The Cro-mags who I have to assume are an inspiration, do something similar but allow themselves to expand into songs. "Stoking the Flame" is more of a temper tantrum.

Some of these bursts are better than others as I like "Nothing Remains" , but " Hatred Burning' did not do much for me.Lyrically there is more to "Nothing Remains"  There is more of a thrashing to "Abattoir of Pain".  "Hail to the Emperor" is a minute and a half. It races off into punk tropes that sound like all the others. The extra time did not benefit them. I can not really say this is not my thing ,as I do like Cro-mags style hardcore, I think their approach to song writing is not my thing. I will give this a 7.5 , pretty mediocre from supposed legends.

Year of the Knife : "Internal Incarceration"

This band comes from the new school of hyper aggressive hard core than is metallic in its punishing intent. The way the pound the riffs home is very hard core. The vocals are also hard core and not growled. What they do is more impressive onthe first song than it is the second which does not bode well for what my over all feelings are going to be in regards to what they are doing. I am fine with you being heavy as fuck as long as you write songs. Just ask Nails and Phobia. Two bands that are heavy as fuck but still write songs. The swtich up the attack a little on " Stay Away".  There is a little more of a growl on a few places here , but the vocals are typically pretty one dimensional . The have more purpose than just being an obligatory voice as they punch into the openings. By the time we get to "Manipulation Artist" not only are the vocals beginning to run together from song to song , but everything else is as well.

"Final Tears" attacks with the same mean spirited nature as the other songs have. There is a touch of Slayer to the drums that give it just enough finesse . The more thrashing moments are what this album needs to lean into. These are moments are where they capture a groove rather than just an endless stream of blunt force truama. "Premonitions of You" sounds like a break down in motion. Violence is the only dynamic here, but they some how make it work on this song. Lyrically it is the same admonishments that hard core bands are always dishing out. It is like a slef help speaker yelling at you. The drums go into that punk beat I am not fond of . This does not aid the monotany of the vocals. 'Sick Statistic" is a little more chantable when it comes to the spit fire of the vocals.

The guitar hits like concrete on "Eviction" , but you are numb to the beating they have been dealing you. They nail the kind of riff they need to be attacking your ears with on "Nothing to Nobody". Even as mean as the riff is there is only so much your ears can take before it runs together. Sound wise the album is great. It is dense and powerful. How the sound are put together into the song is where they find challenges. The kind of 90s tough guy barking we heard back in thedayfrom bands like Damnation AD comes intoplay on the apocalyptic "DDM".  I will give this album an 8.5 , the hype of it being more metal than hardcore is unfounded by, there is a certain welcome levelof familiaroty whenit comes to hardcore. This album comes out August 7th on Pure Noise Records.

Bleach Everything :" So We Gnaw"

 It is clear that despite the fuzzy blown out tone of this recording and the primitive hard core they rumble out from it that these guys know what they are doing. They should since they are comprised of guys from the likes of Darkest Hour, Mammoth Grinder and Iron Reagan. The sound of Iron Reagan being the more prominent  if you compared the influences of the their collective resumes.One you get about 4 songs in the punk side begins to make everything sound the same. Their is a more metallic d-beat sound until the more dumbed down leanings of punk take hold in "Soft Bigotry". They are more impressive earlier in the album. The first song almost has a sludge feel to it. There are some catchy riffs still laced with enough anger to keep them legit. 

The harshly yelled vocals keep the lyrics from really being in your face, but the song titles are enough to tell you they are political. I am glad I can't make them out. I tend to stray away from wanting politics mixed with my music even when it comes to punk where that is more of a thing. I remember when Trump first got elected , people consoled themselves with the fact that perhaps they might get some good punk out of it. There did not seem to be an increase until 3 years later. Since these same people who bitch on the internet about the world they only see from the filter of their Facebook feed, they are unlikely to actually vote. Even if the system was not already rigged  and it would do any good so for the next five years we are going to see even more widespread influx of punk.

You are asking the computer screen, so why are you talking politics now? There is not much mroe to say about what these guys are doing because if you heard one angry punk song you have heard them all. I do like the last song "Dumb and Dug In" because it offers more in the way of dynamics and the riffs have more of an edge to the,. We have been getting all in your face aggression for the duration so needed some sonic variations. I will give this album a 7.5, these guys are good at what they do . I wish what they do was more like the first and the last song. Still it is well done , since the genre itself does not lend it self to a ton of new thoughts.

Hands of God : " Blue Print For Self Destruction"

The first song blends an early 90s style of cross over hard core, that was before the Myspace days put the emphasis on breakdowns. The vocals are shouted.There are lower death metal grunts as back ups. The lyrics are socio-political which is appropriate considering the genre. They are good at what they do. The thing about what they do is that it is not all that original as I have heard a 100 bands do this before 2001. The key is since not many bands are currently doing this it makes it more effective.

It is when we get into the meat of the album  with songs like "Sacrifice" and "245a" that things being to get somewhat weighted by the adherence to the more typical trapping of traditional hard core that give them a more uniform sound. "245A" At least benefits from a strong enough groove to inspire enough head nodding to make the conventions of the genre muted at least on the first couple of listens. These guys are as good as any of the Victory records bands, though the employ the metallic side of what they do as secondary factor to the street wise slam of the riffs.  "Ethnic Decay" makes even more use of the break down groove and gather momentum.

The strength of this band is the fact they don't get caught up in punk like bursts of speed. "W.M.D" . This song finds the anger more refined and dealt like a solid punch. I will round this down to a 8.5 ,as it is not the most original thing I have heard. I get that many or most of my readers are too young to have been around for the first time this kind of thing came about in thee late 80s so it might feel fresher to them than it does me. I do think this band nails the sound they are going for and does so with a great deal of conviction.

Ringworm : "Death Becomes My Voice"

I really liked their 2011 album "Scars" , but every album I have heard from them since has yet to measure up. The title track that opens the album, starts off more metallic then when the vocals come in things get more of a hardcore punk feel. The vocals can be a bit of a one trick pony. They are mid rang e shout that is sometimes accented with a growl. What I need more from these guys are the kinds of riffs like the ones that end "Carnivores".  When they slow down and play things more deliberately it clicks into place better than being rushed. The spoken parts set against the yelled vocals feel like something Pantera would do. The drummer certainly works overtime on this album, When he goes into that really stiff snare pattern that is too punk for me it bugs me a bit.

They find more groove on "Dead To Me". When the bass rumbles in behind the riff it makes me think of S.O.D... that is a good thing. When they are in thrashing mode it is the Slayer like moments that are more notable. Much like death metal just trying to run off anger and aggression only goes so far in terms of dynamics. This is what eventually makes things seem stale by the time i get to "Dying By Design" there is just not enough groove to hook me in .  Even when they slow down for "Seperate Realities" the vocals begin to wear on me.

"Let it Burn" is more thrash than it is hardcore. The chorus has more of the shouted hardcore vocal .  The riff to "Final Division" is pretty fucking mean, but does that mean it can carry the whole song? Well it comes pretty close and the vocals at least work with it to some extent. I will round this down to an 8 and say two things about this album, first off it is a great deal better than most of their post 2011 work. Secondly I do like hardcore , but the vocals are turn off for me, though I can't think of many people who would sat they listen to it for the vocals. This won't get repeat listens from me , but if you are into straight forward thrashing hardcore then this is worth your time. This comes out May 3rd on Relapse Records.

Svalbard : "It's Hard to Have Hope"

It's weird that a British band named themselves after a part of Norway, but there is a coldness to their music that is isolating as the region. The album starts off with the kind of fast punk styled riffing you would expect from a hard core band. Things don't get interesting til "Revenge Porn" it has faster hard core burst balanced out with clean vocals sung by the female guitarist, which is something that is volleyed back and forth through out album from this point on. "Feminazi" races into a very sweeping metallic place that kind picks up where the previous song left off.  "Pro-life" is more interesting as the bass line finds a groove and the sung vocals provide a wider dynamic.

There are some elements of the way they attack some of these rapid tempos that gives this the feel of blackened hardcore, but black metal from more of a Deafheaven school of thought than Burzum.  It's important for things like the sung vocals at the end of "For the Sake of the Breed" to balance this out. "How Do We Stop it " works off an angry blasting speed that this album has no shortage of. I do enjoy the more sonic intensity this song holds. They dial it way back into the ambiance of "Try Not to Die Until Your Dead". They do blast into the more aggressive hard core sections, as they should since hard core is supposed to be angry, but I appreciate the layers they are giving to do so. "Iorek" indulges in a more post-rock moment. It does build into something heavier which is cool.

"Open the Cages" rages more than it relishes the atmosphere. The guitars do contract to create some tension and the chords rings out with a great deal of melody on what would be the chorus. I'll give this a 9 as the more sweeping passages help expand the definition of hard core. If you like metallic hard core that is not just drill Sargent tough guy shit, then these guys are worth your time.

Baptists : "Beacon of Faith"

Canadian sludge punks Baptists are back. The first two songs are more punk in form as they are under two minutes. The first more original in what they are trying to do though it doesn't feel like a fully fleshed out concept and the second song is more formed but sounds like feral distorted punk, which is what they are going for but begs the question...what are they doing that we have not already heard hundreds of other hardcore bands do ? Converge would be the first who comes to mind that fills this need for me personally and they do with more darkness and sonic intensity. So by the time I get to the title track I find myself asking what do I need this band for ?  There is not a resounding answer. There is a little more roar to the drive of "Gift Taker", but nothing that sets this apart from other bands doing similar, as from the aggressive density which they pursue this.

"Capsule" is the first song that breaks the two minute mark. The first minute is pretty much build. There is a more powerful almost Jesus Lizard that rumble to the stomp they finally settle on. There is a more musical quality to the tension created here that makes it the first song to really grip me. "Outbreeding" finds them rushing back into a more furious hard core take on punk that comes fully equipped with gang vocals. They pursue this further in a more Converge like direction with "Vicarious Trauma". The guitars are more interesting the anger in the assault unleashed here is something I have already heard Converge do better. They do implement some interesting elements of atmosphere on this one which is an improvement.

The angular jerk of riff to " Victim Services" keeps their momentum, but the vocal really begin to feel like a one trick pony here. "Indigo Child" keeps the rabid attack going for the throat. But this kind of single minded offense is one your ears are quick to throw up a defense against. The more melodic passage this evolves carries over into "Eulogy Template" that follows. This gives them more breathing room to prove what their guitars are truly capable of. The vocals can't really do much more than what you have already heard from them.The last couple songs are just marginally more refined versions of the same kinda mad dog metallic hardcore these guys are normally banging out this time the production is just better on this album. They can polish this sound they have and are good at what they do so I will give them a 7 as they accomplished what they set out to do , I just already own albums that meet that need. This album comes out May 26th on Southern Lord.

Wowod : "Nutro"

The opening chords of the first song remind me of something I can't put my finger on. These guys play a very dark metallic brand of oppressive hardcore which after feeling the initial weight of it's heaviness will find me asking the question ok now can you guys write a song. This is what we shall try to determine in the course of the review. They can play blast beats in a punk fashion, do the dots connect between the two sections, not really. The second song finds them at a more ripping hard core tempo. Most hard core bands play like this I get it. The catch is I have already heard most hard core bands so looking for something different ...see this entry for more info...http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/01/what-i-want-from-2018.html

There is a tense Converge like chug to the build coming out of the verse. Nothing is catchy or really sticks with me, this is what sets Converge apart from the spawn they influenced. By the third song they are beginning to run together until they slow it down and give the song some room to breath and allow it be heavy sonically and not just heavy metal. The vocals have more of a low death metal roar to them. Sometimes they go up a little higher into more of a death metal snarl. The production is very dense and the album is well mixed so it has that going for it. I am half way into the fourth song, before I realize where I am at in the album. There is a riff that breaks things up, but the rule around here is cool riffs alone do not a good song make. However this song might have the most moving parts that work well with one another.

They don't fully have my attention again until the last song "Death". It's the melodic ring of the chords that finds that sweet spot of heavy sonics bringing me back in after the song before it faded into a buzz of distortion that just became background noise as I could have been listening to any metal band.I'll give this a 6.5, these guys have potential .Taking influence from Converge is not a bad thing, I would just like to hear a fraction more melody and less regurgitation of stock hard core. But you don't hear much of this sort of thing coming out of Russia so maybe it's next level shit over there. / metal riffs.

The Drowned God : " Moonbearer"

This takes me back to the early 2000's and the days of Myspace, this would have been considered hard core back then, but now the lines are kinda blurred. There is a darker current to their anger and in some ways the more metallic guitar tones remind me of the new Code Orange album. We can hear the kind of emoting from the guitar that we heard back in 1999, though the vocals are more along the lines of what we expect from scream these days. "I'll Catch the Back of Her Head" is punchier as the syncopation is where the intensity is built as the take a more melodic middle of the road path to vent their screaming. The bass player steps in to fill the gaps when things get more atmospheric for "Tomorrow Your chest Cavity Will be Alone". The vocals are actually sung, which helps bring a much needed change of pace.

 The old screamed hard core tricks do not really breathe any new life into the orbit of a song like " Darkness Comes Early Down Here". The song twists and turns , but lack something that really hooks you in.Some of the guitar trickery is impressive when you listen to it but there lies half the problem for me is wasting a tone of time listening for it, but I already invest so much of my time hunting down music that moves me that I don't have time for something that is redundant. The more motive sung vocals return for " Nighttime Lips" it almost feels more like an interlude than them committing to an entire song, but they do pull it together and deliver. "Sundowning " tries to marry more commercial hooks in with the sound of black metal influenced hard core.They do throw a moody break down into the middle of the song.

Aside from the more Minus the Bear like break in the last song "Moon" they don't do a helluva a lot to really keep your teeth latched onto this song. The drummer obviously has some chops and these guys never have their musicianship brought into question. I am unsure as to why this song is over 13 minutes long as I begin to wonder what else they can do this. The answer is to jam out what you have already heard from them. By the nine and a half minute mark it is beginning to become  test of endurance. While this song does get tedious , over all the alum is pretty well done, I will give it an 8, though I am not sure this is something that I will listen to enough to warrant it making the trip to my iPod. If you like screamo these guys are worth your time.