believekevin
Well-known member
Because hardcore's boundaries are dry cement, innovative groups tend to get bogged down in arguments over to which subgenre they belong. Most older hardcore fans concede that the best records are coming out of eastern europe, central/south america, and japan. Off the top, I recommend these from the late 90's / early 00's:
Nine Shocks Terror "Zen and the Art of Beating Your Ass" (Havoc)
- this is everything you want from thrashy/angry punk. really raw and rad. this record was remixed without compression and later re-released. repping cleveland of all places.
the first Tragedy LP (self-released)
- ex-his hero is gone, portland, oregon.. dirty and punk. really dirgey and tuned down with a triumphant "fuck it" sense of hope
the 2nd Zegota LP/CD (Crimethinc)
- homemade percussion, long guitar jams, song cycles, and a cover of CSNY's "ohio" ! this record and this band rule. they are 1/2 european (stockholm, amsterdam) and 1/2 US (north carolina)
Orchid "Chaos Is Me" (Ebullition)
- THE record to spark the resurgence of the early-90's emo sound.. blastbeats in 3/4 time and totally shredded vocals from beginning to end.
the first Locust LP/3" CD (Three One G)
- birthed from the 90's san diego world. criticized for dancing around DIY dogma. sparked a deluge of copycat "synth-core" bullshit but last time i saw them, they were still wrecking everything.
Refused "Shape of Punk to Come" (Burning Heart)
- this record got a lot of press (even covered by the nu-metal band Crazy Train) and was the product of a band on the verge of breaking up.. still really exciting use of digital studio techniques applied to hardcore.
Catharsis "Passion" LP (Crimethinc)
- the best metal / hardcore there is. along the lines of Acme and other german hardcore, this is really dark and heavy with tons of double bass. the flagship band of the crimethinc. strain of traveler/anarchist punks.
Trial "Are These Our Lives?" LP (Plus Minus)
- same drummer as the catharsis LP. the singer of this band discovered a polyp on his vocal cords and assumed the band was over. they took a year off, during which time he crafted the most solid "political" hardcore lyrics that have ever been laid over mosh breakdowns.
It's worthwhile to mention that with the exception of Refused and Trial, I've seen all of these bands live (in some cases several times) and hardcore has never really been about records for me.
Nine Shocks Terror "Zen and the Art of Beating Your Ass" (Havoc)
- this is everything you want from thrashy/angry punk. really raw and rad. this record was remixed without compression and later re-released. repping cleveland of all places.
the first Tragedy LP (self-released)
- ex-his hero is gone, portland, oregon.. dirty and punk. really dirgey and tuned down with a triumphant "fuck it" sense of hope
the 2nd Zegota LP/CD (Crimethinc)
- homemade percussion, long guitar jams, song cycles, and a cover of CSNY's "ohio" ! this record and this band rule. they are 1/2 european (stockholm, amsterdam) and 1/2 US (north carolina)
Orchid "Chaos Is Me" (Ebullition)
- THE record to spark the resurgence of the early-90's emo sound.. blastbeats in 3/4 time and totally shredded vocals from beginning to end.
the first Locust LP/3" CD (Three One G)
- birthed from the 90's san diego world. criticized for dancing around DIY dogma. sparked a deluge of copycat "synth-core" bullshit but last time i saw them, they were still wrecking everything.
Refused "Shape of Punk to Come" (Burning Heart)
- this record got a lot of press (even covered by the nu-metal band Crazy Train) and was the product of a band on the verge of breaking up.. still really exciting use of digital studio techniques applied to hardcore.
Catharsis "Passion" LP (Crimethinc)
- the best metal / hardcore there is. along the lines of Acme and other german hardcore, this is really dark and heavy with tons of double bass. the flagship band of the crimethinc. strain of traveler/anarchist punks.
Trial "Are These Our Lives?" LP (Plus Minus)
- same drummer as the catharsis LP. the singer of this band discovered a polyp on his vocal cords and assumed the band was over. they took a year off, during which time he crafted the most solid "political" hardcore lyrics that have ever been laid over mosh breakdowns.
It's worthwhile to mention that with the exception of Refused and Trial, I've seen all of these bands live (in some cases several times) and hardcore has never really been about records for me.