The Armed

From: Detroit, Michigan

Genre: Hardcore, Punk Rock

For Fans Of: Some ultimately pissed off music that retains a certain undeniable catchieness and groove.

My first exposure to The Armed was simple. Kurt Ballou, the guitar player for Converge and recording mastermind at God City, shared their new video for their song "Paradise Day" off their new album, Untitled. Being the massive Converge fan I am with the massive respect for Kurt Ballou I had, I decided to check out the music video, and boy was I ever pleasantly surprised. "Paradise Day" hit like a semi truck right out of the gate, but more in the way of one that kept running you over, never giving you time to catch your breath in between each repetition. Oddly enough as well, it had an immediate ear worm chorus, causing me to sing "ALLLL ON MY OWN, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY" repeatedly through out the course of my day. Needless to say, I was not only impressed by my first taste of The Armed, but completely in love.

Luckily, the LP that "Paradise Day" came off, managed to retain the raw amount of energy and passion, as well as strange knack for melody, that "Paradise Day" originally showed. From the very beginning of Untitled, straight through the end, The Armed pour out their souls into one of the most beautifully pissed off, spine shivering records I've heard in a long time. However, The Armed never allow their pure and utter rage distract them from the fact that melody needs to be heard and appreciated. This is one of the first hardcore records in a long time that I have heard in a long time and have been able to sing along to on only the second or third time through. Songs like "Forever Scum" and "Paradise Day" (which, honestly, is my new ring tone), show The Armed's unique ability to craft a chorus with strong melodic tendencies in a scene currently over obsessed with "how low can we tune and how stupid heavy can our breakdowns be?".

What's also interesting is to me is that The Armed do not list themselves as a hardcore band anywhere, but rather, simply just as a punk rock band. Perhaps this mindset is what allows them to avoid breakdown worship and set themselves apart from their peers. However, I like to think they list themselves as a punk band due to the common saying "Never trust a hardcore kid who didn't listen to punk first". (This paragraph was entirely to try and squeeze in that joke).

Anyways, if isn't readily apparent, I really, really enjoy The Armed, and think that most of you will too. Besides, it can't possibly hurt to check them out, especially since their discography is free on bandcamp. Seriously one of my favorite bands in awhile.

Free Tunes: https://thearmed.bandcamp.com/album/untitled

Lewd Gesture

From: Seattle, Washington
Genre: Powerviolence
For Fans Of: Spazz, Charles Bronson, Man is the Bastard

You know what I was really sick of? Guitars. God those things suck, always providing notes in a higher register than basses. Seriously, who needs them? Lewd Gesture sure as hell don't, and they seem to be doing just fine without them. This ep provides a blistering 15 minutes of straight drum and bass powerviolence, and doing it in the best way possible, with plenty of blast beats, a little bit of noise to keep the Man is the Bastard school of powerviolence happy, and even some vocals that remind me a lot of MITB. It's good to know that there are still PV bands out there who worship MITB (as it should be) instead of joining the new era of powerviolence that revolves around ripping off Weekend Nachos and Punch's sounds without just changing their band names to Weekend Nachos 2.0. I dig this album/ep/whatever you want to call it a lot, although, in the long run, some longer noise passages and maybe a guitar would help to more fully flesh out their sound a bit.

Free Tunes: https://lewdgesture.bandcamp.com/album/the-self-titled-ep

Oak

From: Sweden (Can't spell the city name due to lack of special characters).
Genre: Screamo, Hardcore, Chaotic Hardcore
For Fans Of: Converge, Antioch Arrow, Pg.99

Oak takes some of the most primal, chaotic parts of hardcore and mashes them together in one super lump of insane hardcore. This band reminds me of emoviolence bands in all of the best way possible, as in interesting riffs yet still retaining heavy, crushing riffs that make your brain want to implode. The bland charges through song after song, ripping apart any dead space and making sure there is absolutely no room to breathe. When breakdowns do hit, they are crushing masterpieces, maintaining the intensity and making sure that the listener has no time to settle down and feel comfortable. This is not to say that Oak is simply a band who relies solely on their extremity, however. As well as maintaining the raw passion and power reminiscent of early Converge, the band also shows their ability to craft a strong post hardcore melody amid the chaos. Check it out.

Free Tunes: http://oakhardcore.bandcamp.com/

10 New, Up and Coming Hardcore bands that are better than Parker Cannon's (of The Story So Far) god awful "hardcore" band, Snarl.

For the people that know me, it is no secret that there are few things I despise more in this world than the warped tour-core/mall-core/tank top-core/tr00 pop punk bands that seem to be everywhere these days. These bands spawn like rats, and about 90% of the time they are just god awful. But what happens when these bands aren't just content with trying to act like tough guys singing about how every girl they have ever met has wronged them in some dramatic way? That is when they feel the need to prove their tr00 punk cred and prove that they are even "tuffer" than you originally thought. That is when they decide they are going to start a "hardcore" band.

This exactly is what happened to The Story So Far (who is awful) singer Parker Cannon, who decided that aggressively wearing snap-backs and crew necks just wasn't cutting it. No, that wasn't enough for Ol' Parker. He had to prove how "tuff" and "tr00" he was by taking it up to the next level, and making a god awful "hardcore" band (who is really just a glorified nu-metal band). Here are 10 new, up and coming hardcore bands that are about a million times better than the rap-metal crap fest that is Parker Cannon's hardcore band, Snarl.

1.) Venkman

Starting off this list is the fantastic powerviolence band, Venkman, from Oakland, California. These guys play powerviolence the way it was meant to be played, fast, aggressive, and with a snotty sense of humor (and odd obessesion with Bill Murray) that defined such early powerviolence bands as Spazz. These guys are definitely one to keep an eye on, as my bet is that they will gain much more attention with what appears to be a wave of new interest in the powerviolence style of hardcore in the extreme music community. 

For Fans Of: Spazz, Charles Bronson, Scapegoat

Free Tunes: http://venkmanburninhell.bandcamp.com/album/7

2.) Left Astray

Left Astray is a hardcore band from Los Angeles, California that incorporates many of the best types of extreme music and hardcore into their sound, including but not limited to, skramz, d beat crust, metallic hardcore, and a strong underlying black metal influence. Left Astray takes all of those elements and mixes them to form one totally crushing, destructive sound that mercilessly pummels the listener when it needs to, but borrows from the more melodic areas of skramz bands and black metal bands when it needs to. Just an absolutely insane band. 

For Fans Of: Young and in the way, Ram Lord, FLOWERSxOFxCARNAGE, His Hero Is Gone

Free Tunes: http://leftastrayhc.bandcamp.com/album/dont-look-for-me

3.) Kashyyyk

Kashyyyk is a grindcore/crusty hardcore band from Mesa, Arizona. This band is disgustingly, filthily heavy, and more power to them for it. Their favorite things appear to be d beats, blast beats, vocals that sound like they're coming from an angry grizzly bear, and breakdowns so heavy that professional body builders couldn't lift them. If you like your hardcore dark, crusty, and stupidly heavy, chances are that Kashyyyk are the band for you.

For Fans Of: His Hero Is Gone, Cursed, Call of The Void

Free Tunes: http://kashyyyk.bandcamp.com/

4.) Disinterest

Disinterest is a Powerviolence and harsh noise band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and hot damn are these guys insane. My first encounter with Disinterest was at a Single Mother's show at my local record store, where they went on between an emo band and one of the guys that used to be In Tigers Jaw rap (?) project Wikka Phase Spring Eternal. Needless to say, I wasn't really expecting this kind of band to go on at all at this show, but there they were. The vocalist started the set with one mic duct taped into his mouth and screaming, while he made noise with the other by running it along various amps and speakers. This was a band who was legitimately pissed off, and their music is so much better for it. While they only have a few awfully recorded demos up (which are still good if you can get past the quality), I highly recommend listening to the first track off their split with Skin Graft, and keep a close eye on this band. I'd also try to catch them live, as they're quite the experience.

For Fans Of: Man is the Bastard, The Endless Blockade, Witch Cult

Some Tunes: http://disinterest.bandcamp.com/album/b-side

5.) Wvrm

Wvrm is a deathgrind/hardcore band from Greenville, South Carolina. This band is yet another that is punch a hole in the wall angry. Wvrm rarely slows down or gives you room to breathe as they blast through track after track, only slowing down for sections drenched in shrieking guitars or heavy as bricks breakdowns/and or sludge songs. To deny the raw anger and pissed off attitude of Wvrm is to admit that you don't understand or completely love some of the most pissed off hardcore possible.

For Fans Of: Pig Destroyer, Nails, Votnut

Free Tunes: http://wvrmgrind.bandcamp.com/

6.) Sovereign

Sovereign is a metallic/crusty hardcore band from Lansdale, PA, and by and large, one of my favorite local bands. These guys deliver consistently heavy, fast angry hardcore perfect for moshing or head banging your brains out. Where Sovereign really shines through though is there their live musical precision and the intensity with which they perform. This band takes whatever the energy the crowd gives them and throws it back about twenty fold, constantly moving around and really just throwing down as they play, which is always awesome to see.

For Fans Of: Call of the Void, Trap Them, Cursed

Free Tunes: http://sovereignpa.bandcamp.com/album/the-world-takes

7.) Bleak

Bleak is a metallic hardcore/sludge metal band from Syracuse, NY. A lot of bands in hardcore claim to be heavy, but few are actually the extreme levels of heavy that make your jaw drop. I am happy to report that Bleak is one of those bands so heavy, that they would make your jaw not only drop, but most likely break from the sheer heaviness of their sound. If you exposed a small child to Bleak, I have no doubt that said child would most likely go through puberty before your very eyes, and then proceed to angrily mosh their way through a brick wall. Bleak puts every single down tempo, "beatdown" hardcore band to shame with how heavy their music is. I cannot stress enough how perfect and heavy Bleak is.

For Fans Of: Xibalba, Cult Leader, Gaza, Really heavy music

Tunes: http://ihatebleak.bandcamp.com/album/bleak

8.) Ten Ton Hamer

Ten Ton Hammer is a metallic hardcore band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This band seriously just slays. They're a much more mid tempo band, but unlike a lot of hardcore bands who try to pull off the metallic hardcore sound at a more medium tempo, this band is fantastic at it. The riffs never feel repetitive or boring, and constantly want to make you mosh. The breakdowns are also a forced to be reckoned with, never becoming stale or boring and falling back on simple chugs, but maintaining a nice, sludgy tempo that provides plenty of incentive to mosh. This band also shares members with Rock Bottom and a few other Philadelphia hardcore bands.

For Fans Of: Rock Bottom, Integrity (older material, before they got really experimental), Earth Crisis

Free Tunes: http://tentonhammerhc.bandcamp.com/releases

9.) Mishap

Mishap is a straight edge thrash crossover band from Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Along with Sovereign, these guys are by far some of my favorite locals. Their music is an excellent mix of old school thrash crossover mixed with some Youth Crew that allows the music to not only make you feel the urge to mosh and headbang, but also just really groove and allow for some excellent two step parts. I highly recommend checking out their Living Rage ep and keep an eye out for a new release that should be coming soon.

For Fans Of: Cro-Mags, Youth of Today, Disengage

Free Tunes: http://mishaphc.bandcamp.com/

10.) Lilith

Lilith is a metallic/crusty hardcore band from Phoenix, Arizona. Unlike most bands in the metallic/crusty hardcore sections of hardcore who seem to take a lot of influence from death metal and grind bands, Lilith definitely takes much more influence from sludge/doom metal bands, setting them apart and giving them a distinctive sound. Lilith's brand of hardcore, while extremely dark and angry, is accompanied by that classic doom/sludge groove. That doom/sludge influence is not to say they still don't take influence from other realms of metal though. It's easy to hear the grind and thrash influence on some of those buzz saw like guitar riffs, and the massive prescence of the drums only reinforces that idea. Overall, Lilith's music is just a crusty, dark conglomerate of angry hardcore that makes me want to punch a hole in a wall and mosh until my legs fall off.

For Fans Of: Cursed, Nails, Eyehategod, Seven Sisters of Sleep