Hardcore stemmed from Hardcore Punk. The hardcore genre came from kids in large cities like D.C., NYC, Boston, Chicago, L.A., etc. The songs were written about growing up in tough times, broken homes and life on the streets. It was about brotherhood and family and persevering through life and death situations and violence. I’m not writing this from a perspective in which I grew up in that type of atmosphere and I’m not trying to portray myself as someone that is “Hardcore”. I would just like to set the record strait to all the half-ass punks that think they are hardcore and want to start a ‘core band, when that’s the last thing metal needs.

You’re Not Hardcore Unless You Live Hardcore. You can not come from a close, prospering family that lives in a housing development where the average house costs over 300k and call yourself hardcore. Can you really write songs about Hardcore issues when you grew up with an easy life? I suppose you could sing about them, sure, but the simple answer is no. You can be a fan, but I don’t think you can truly call yourself “Hardcore”. 

Hardcore gets a lot of flack for not be very technical music. Of course it’s not because it stemmed from punk. No, no, not the punk of today. The punk of yesterday, the dead punk genre where melodies and complex song structure where non-existent. Metalcore bands have more song structure and melody as well as breakdowns, but I question their ‘core side. Same thing with the Deathcore bands. I like a lot of these metalcore and deathcore bands but there is a new one popping up every two minutes and I have the same problem everyone else has with them. They don’t know the meaning of Hardcore and they don’t know the history of 99% of the bands they are emulating. It’s one thing to be influence by a band, but it’s another to hear a song or two from them and think; “I can do that.”, with no care or knowledge of where the sound came from and the bands that pioneered the genres. I’m not some metal elitist, I just hate posers and I think that genre crossing has got ridiculously out of control.

Now that I’ve gone through that, let me suggest a few NY Hardcore bands that I’ve been in to for quite a few years now. I was never part of the Hardcore scene, I’m just a fan of the bands. Madball is probably one of the most mainstream NYHC bands today with Agnostic Front right at their side. These two bands are closely related because a bunch of the members of Agnostic front were once in Madball and the singer of Agnostic, Roger Mirit is the older brother of Madball singer, Freddy Cricien. Sick Of It All is another NYHC band that has been on the Mainstream for quite some time now. I don’t really think I need to mention Biohazard. They were one of the NYHC bands that took the NYHC sound and added the Rap style to it. Lastly, Sheer Terror is another NYHC band that has been around forever and definitely worth a listen. I had a friend that was in to the Baltimore Hardcore scene and introduced me to these bands. Those are just a few but there are many others out there as well.

Bottom line is, before you go starting another ‘core band, know something about Hardcore subculture, the history and the music. Otherwise you’re just another poser wannabe. And if this article pisses you off then I think we all know where you stand.

Image: Amazon.com

Post from: Metal Martyr

That’s kind of a stupid question and I think we all know the answer, right? I mean there have been posers since the beginning and there are always people that want to be a part of what is deemed “cool” at the moment, but it seems things have changed since I was younger. It wasn’t “cool” to like heavy metal when I was in high school. It wasn’t cool to wear a metal T-shirts with profanity or gore on it and it wasn’t cool to like much of anything but top 40 crap. If you liked metal music or wore anything that even remotely looked “metal”, then you were a social minority.

Granted some people in the scene are still classified as outcasts, but there are a millions kids out there today that are jumping on the bandwagon because it’s what is cool at the time. You think these same kids are going to be liking metal in 5 to 10 years? Probably not because I can guarantee that most of the bands they like will not be around after that. After that there will be a bunch of sleeved kids with gaping holes in their faces and tattoos running up their necks, wondering why they can’t find a job. People will often use the excuse that they “Outgrew” that kind of stuff, but metal isn’t something you outgrow. You outgrow clothes, you outgrow toys and you outgrow certain T.V. shows…but you don’t outgrow metal.

Here is an example of how stupid this trend has grown. Wikihow has an article on How To Start A Deathcore Band. I seriously hope this is a joke and I’m 99% sure it is. If you look closely towards the bottom after the “Tips”, in the “Warning” section it again says; “Don’t Be A Poser Fool“. If you’re looking online to find out how to start any band of any genre…then you’re a posing trend whore. I’m not hating on all the ‘core bands…just the ones that are started because it’s a trendy thing to do and they have no history or knowledge of bands in either of the combined genres they are emulating.

I’m just waiting on the day when there is a new genre called “Black-Deathcore”, when we start seeing bands on stage with baggy shorts down past their knees and half hanging off of their asses, with a flat brimmed hat, plugged ears, gauntlet arm bands and corpse paint. That’s going to be a sad day in metal.

Image ©Metal Martyr 2009

Post from: Metal Martyr

Track List

01. One With The Underdogs
02. Push It Away
03. Strike You Down
04. Life And Death
05. Always The Hard Way
06. Keep Your Mouth Shut
07. Overcome
08. Out Of My Face
09. All For Revenge
10. Spit My Rage
11. Lost
12. Last of The Diehards
13. Lowest Of The Low
14. Back At You (UNRELEASED)
15. Dead End (UNRELEASED)
16. Better Off Without You (LIVE IN LONDON)
17. Lowest Of The Low (LIVE IN LONDON)

Post from: Metal Martyr

Kill Whitney Dead, Carnifex, The Demonstration, Dance Club Massacre and Salt The Wound were in Raleigh, NC last night kicking off their tour. The bands I really went there to see was The Demonstration and Salt The Wound. I got there kind of late towards the ass end of Salt The Wound’s set. They sounded good. The only thing I didn’t care for and this is something that is a person preference of mine is that I don’t like when distortion effects are used on the vocals. However I understand that if that’s your thing then roll with it.

Dance Club Massacre were pretty cool. The singer had a high tone scream most of the time that I really didn’t like but they put on a good show and everyone seemed to dig them.

Carnifex sounded great but I only stayed for a couple of songs (They played after The Demonstration), and I didn’t stay for Kill Whitney Dead.

It must have been an all ages show because Martin (The friend I went with) and I were probably 2 of about 10 people there that were over 30 and there was a bus-load of school kids there. Before The Demonstration even started playing kids were moshing in the tiny spot there was and let me tell you, this venue is smaller than flea tits. Once they started into the first song the whole damn place erupted and a wall of people almost took me and a few others down without seeing it coming.  During their set the pit stayed fairly busy and it seemed that everyone was really diggin them. They played a bunch of songs from Words Of A Con Artist and a couple of songs from their upcoming album from Mediaskare/ Century Media called Accidents With Intelligence. If This Tour comes to your town, I highly suggest you check out the bands. It seemed to me that The Demonstrations set was way too short, but with 5 bands on the bill and every band having to set their equipment up and do a quick sound check between there really wasn’t time for longer sets. That and most of The Demonstration plays for Kill Whitney Dead as well.

One last thing. If you go to their show, it’s only about 10 bucks to get so buy some t-shirts or CDs from the bands. With 5 bands on the bill, you know these guys aren’t getting paid shit and gas is expensive so show a little support by buying some merch if you can. Check out the video of The Marionette Below!

Post from: Metal Martyr

CENTURY launches e-card featuring three songs, tour dates, video trailer

Pennsylvania’s CENTURY has posted an online e-Card here (http://www.blackoceanalbum.com/), featuring three tracks from the band’s forthcoming effort, ‘Black Ocean,’ alongside biographical information, tour dates, and a trailer for the “Black Ocean” music video, which will see a debut on MTV2’s Headbangers Ball later this month. Fans can also spread the word about the e-Card at the above link. In the meantime, ‘Black Ocean’ will see an April 29 release on Prosthetic Records, and is the follow-up to 2006’s critically-acclaimed album ‘Faith and Failure’ which saw a release via Tribunal Records.

Mastered by Kim Rosen at West West Side Music in New York, a completed version of the title track from ‘Black Ocean’ and the album’s cover art are also available on CENTURY’s MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/century). Two years in the making, in conjunction with the release of ‘Black Ocean,’ CENTURY is launching a special album website (http://www.blackoceanalbum.com/) as well, featuring a fully-interactive, full-flash site will feature exclusive content, including hidden features and a bonus track only accessible by solving a code found in the album’s artwork. The website will be officially launched April 29 along with the album’s release.

CENTURY on the road

(with Time of Cholera, Pack of Wolves)

5/17 Pittsburgh, PA – The School

5/18 Delaware – House

5/19 Lemoyne, PA – The Champ

5/20 Baltimore, MD – Talking Head Club

5/21 Washington, DC – The Red & The Black

5/22 Fredricksburg, VA – KC’s

5/23 Richmond, VA – Ramakins

Image Used By Permission Of Prosthetic Records

Post from: Metal Martyr

One of Minor Threats great hits was Guilty Of Being White. Guilty of Being White was about hated merely for being white because of the white races tainted past of slavery, bigotry and the murderous ways of the KKK. Now I’m not saying that such things as bigotry and prejudice don’t exist in this day and age because they do. You’d be a fool to say that everything is fine in the world of race relations today. They spoke out about not blaming every white person for the history of some of our idiotic forefathers. It’s like Jews blaming every German of today for holocaust events.

Minor Threat also screamed out about religion in Filler, alcoholic violence in Bottled Violence, straight edge ways in Straight Edge, Out Of Step and In My Eyes, Self Pity in Sob Story, and Napoleonistic bastards in Small Man, Big Mouth.

Although their recording history is short Minor Threat did enough in the short time they were on the scene to make an impact in the world of Hardcore and Punk. While aforementioned bands like Bad Religion are still carrying a dimming torch, the world of hardcore/punk is still slightly alive and kicking. Hardcore metal and Metalcore (kind of both the same but not really) have lit a new torch and carry it high with more mainstream bands such as Hatebreed, As I Lay Dying, All That Remains and a boatload of other bands, but there is still a huge underground following in major cities such as L.A., N.Y, Boston, and Chicago just to name a few. Where there are hard knocks there is always hardcore.

Now back to Minor Threat for a moment. There is not that many full-length albums out there of Minor Threat, mostly EP’s because that’s all a lot of bands of this type could afford to do back then . What you will find online and at some major record stores and I’m sure some smaller ones is Minor Threat Complete Discography. The complete discography consists of 26 Minor Threat hits. Not much of a discography, I know but an amazing short career of an amazing band. If you every get a chance and are interested in the world of old School Hardcore/Punk I would highly suggest Minor Threat The Complete Discography. It never hurts to expand your mind in the world of music and see where some of your favorite bands got their influence from.

Image Source: Amazon.com

Post from: Metal Martyr

Anyway, UA is a collection of cover songs from Punk, Straight Edge and Cross-over bands like D.I., D.R.i, Minor Threat, T.S.O.L and Jeff Hanneman’s side project. Even if you don’t like any of those genres I can almost guarantee if your a Slayer fan you will like Undisputed Attitude. Gemini being the only original on the record is a great Slayer tune and is said to have been excluded from Divine Intervention. Short to say the least, I think this is shorter than Reign In Blood. Fast, brutal and to the point.

Below is a link to Amazon and a Youtube.com video of Slayer playing Gemini live at 1998’s Monster Of Rock. Enjoy

Slayer Undisputed Attitude At Amazon.com

Post from: Metal Martyr

MADBALL..SICK OF IT ALL..
DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR..WISDOM IN CHAINS

DONT MISS HC HISTORY !!!

Jan 22 2008 7:00P
Alley Katz Richmond, Virginia
Jan 23 2008 8:00P
Tremont Music Hall Charlotte, North Carolina
Jan 24 2008 8:00P
Masquerade Atlanta, Georgia
Jan 25 2008 7:00P
Backbooth Orlando, Florida
Jan 26 2008 6:30P
Studio A Miami, Florida
Jan 27 2008 7:30P
State Theatre St. Petersburgh
Jan 28 2008 8:00P
Beta Bar Tallahassee, Florida
Jan 30 2008 8:00P
Headliners Music Hall Louisville, Kentucky
Jan 31 2008 7:00P
Diesel Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Feb 1 2008 7:00P
Showplace Theatre Buffalo, New York
Feb 2 2008 7:30P
Reverb Toronto, Ontario
Feb 5 2008 8:00P
The Living Room Providence, Rhode Island
Feb 6 2008 7:30P
Toads Place New Haven, Connecticut
Feb 7 2008 7:00P
Main Stage Pompton Lakes, New Jersey
Feb 8 2008 8:00P
First Uniterian Church Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 9 2008 7:00P
Highline Ballroom New York City, New York

I’m hoping to be able to catch them in Richmond or Charlotte

Post from: Metal Martyr