Monday, December 24, 2012

The Great Age Of Enlightenment? comp 7"

Here's one of countless benefit compilations that were put out in the 90s, one of the more obscure ones. This one was 'a benefit for Toronto Friends of the Lubicon legal defense fund'. It dealt with the struggle of the Lubicon Cree natives against a big paper manufacturer called Daishowa who wanted to cut trees from the Lubicon land. I've also scanned the inserts so you can read up about it, or if you can't wait, here's a lot more info about the issue. This 7-band, 8-track 7" was released in 1998 as a joint effort between Hit The Ground Running and A-Team Records, both from Greensboro, NC.

Bands on here are Noisome Faugh, Reversal Of Man, Synguya, Racetraitor, Dropdead, President's Choice and Passafist. There's quite a bit of variation between bands stylistically, everything from noise to grindcore to screamo to hardcore punk. The Reversal Of Man track only appears on their 'Discography' CD on Schematics Records (and is called 'Theory Of Lamastra' there instead of 'Theory Of La Masastra' as it appears on here). The Racetraitor track is an early track of theirs which doesn't appear on any of their other releases and has an even more muffled, cardboard box like production than Chokehold (so you gotta love it). The Dropdead track is taken from one of their LP's I believe. I know absolutely nothing about some of the other bands (and in Synguya's case, I have zero desire to hunt down their other stuff), so those might be exclusive to this compilation, I have no idea. Reversal Of Man is the standout band/track on here for me, their track slays, as always. It's not the best 90s compilation by any stretch of the imagination, but it was for a good cause and has a pretty varied line-up. Check it out if yer into any of the aforementioned bands.

The Great Age Of Enlightenment? comp 7"

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Faultline

Faultline was a outspoken political straight edge hardcore band from Connecticut. They played metallic new school hardcore, with lyrics dealing with various issues of sociopolitical and environmental nature. For whatever reason this band seemed to never have gotten the recognition they deserved. Maybe they were too political for the crowd that could appreciate their mosh/chugga chugga style, and too 'tough' for the more PC crowd that could appreciate their lyrics and politics? Who knows... What I do know is that they were awesome. The self-titled 7" was released on Alliance Records in 1994/1995 and is a great example of how politics and chugga chugga don't bite. I believe this 7" was first released on Faultline's own Earth House Records tho? It's got some good mid-tempo chugga chugga parts, combined with the heartfelt vocals that were such an important part of Faultline's sound. It's a shame my copy of this 7" doesn't have the insert, which I assume did come with it originally, I would love to read the lyrics more properly.

In 1996 the follow up to the 7" was released as a split release between the awesome Endless Fight Records and Earth House Records. The 'Roots Of The Rape Culture' CD brought a more refined sound. It continued the in the same vein as the 7", and there were still chugga chugga/mosh parts, but the band had incorporated a few more influences, and the vocals had a slightly more hiphop-like delivery. There are also 2 spoken words tracks on here, to reiterate the political nature of the band. It is an awesome album, with some really great and intense lyrics which are definitely worth a read.

There's not that much information about Faultline online, so I don't know what else they released besides this 7" and the 'Roots Of The Rape Culture' CD. I do have a couple of compilations they appeared on, altho with tracks from the 'Roots Of The Rape Culture' CD so no additional tracks/recordings unfortunately. These comps include the 3rd installment of the Over The Edge compilations which I blogged about here as well as the 'Youth For Justice' comp CD on Earth House Records on which they contributed 2 Faultline tracks as well as a few spoken words tracks by the singer. I ripped these spoken words tracks for those who are interested in them. If anybody has any more information about this underrated band, please share! Enjoy!

Here's a vid of them performing 'Separate' from the 7" at a show:

Faultline - s/t 7"
Faultline - Roots Of The Rape Culture CD
John Faultline's spoken words tracks from 'Youth For Justice' comp CD

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Respect Due compilation 7"

Here's a fairly obscure compilation 7" I came across recently. Released on Brick Records in 1996, it features 4 quite distinct bands, making this a somewhat weird, but also very cool compilation that showcased 2 Massachusetts bands, Intent To Injure and Lockdown, and 2 bands from Rhode Island, Time's Expired and Temperance. Brick Records was, and still is, (co-)run by Josh Gagne of Intent To Injure, who also goes by the name Truth Elemental. The label is still around but releases hiphop/rap records. I don't know if there were any other hardcore releases on Brick Records? ITI do a Black Flag cover here, decent enough but it doesn't really stand out. Time's Expired's song is great groovy new school hardcore with rap vocals, the song was taken from their self-titled 7". Lockdown was a hardcore band which had broken up in '94 or so, but got back together again. This was their first recording since reforming I believe. Excellent heavy tuned down metallic hardcore, I wish I had more of their material. Temperance's song was taken from their self-titled 7", great mix of emo and metallic new school hardcore. A sweet compilation all in all. Enjoy!

Respect Due compilation 7"

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Persevere - 1997 demo

Ages ago I posted the Positive Youth/Persevere split 7", and wrote that Persevere had potential and wondered about their other recordings. Recently a cool guy named Arvid 'the BF' gave a me a bunch of 90s demo's, and one of them is Persevere's 1997 demo, their only other recording. So here it is. It's an excellent demo of 90s metallic & melodic 'new school' hardcore mixed with some emo-esque parts, a mix of screamed and spoken vocals, and some pretty hardcore Christian lyrics. Not my kinda thing lyrically, but musically this is right up my alley. Just listen to 'Through It All' which is amazing and intense from start to finish as it shifts seamlessly between emo, melodic hardcore and almost chugga chugga. Persevere were from Bowie, Maryland, and were around from 1996 until 1999. It's a shame this band never recorded anything else, as they had written a lot of material that was never recorded. I think a member also played in some old school hardcore bands around the same time called Longshot and What Lies Ahead? Anyway, enjoy this demo.

Persevere - 1997 demo

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Holdstrong - Gaining Ground 7"

I've done posts before on releases on Pin Drop Records like the Crosscurrent 7" and the Fall From Grace/Polyglot split 7", so today I decided to post the first Pin Drop Records release, Holdstrong's 'Gaining Ground' 7", released in 1994. Holdstrong was a hardcore band from Massachusetts which started out in 1993 and lasted till the late '90s, and unfortunately they never got the recognition they deserved in my opinion. Like I used to do (and still do), I picked up this 7" at a distro at a show based on its looks and the amount of my money still left in my wallet, heh. Must've been some time around 1995/1996 and it was also my first encounter with Pin Drop Records, which was run by one of the Holdstrong members (I think their guitarist, Bill Cole?). Fairly straight-forward mid-tempo crunchy hardcore, just the way I like it, and Holdstrong did this style really well. This was their first proper record, and I loved this 7" from the first time I gave it a spin. They improved their sound with every subsequent record, all of which would also be released on Pin Drop Records. But as with so many bands/records, the first record you hear is often the one that you go back to the most. But even so, every record they did was awesome, so don't hesitate to check out this band/their other records.

Holdstrong - Gaining Ground 7"

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Legion - Hell At Last 7"

Legion666 is a Canadian black metal/death metal/crustpunk band which has been around since 1998. In 1999 the 'Hell At Last' 7" was released on Ugly Pop Records, and I believe this was a re-release of their demo? The band hadn't yet put 666 as part of their name, and they also had more crust influences in their sound than on later releases. Solid release if yer into crust/metal. As the name of the band suggests Legion666 is not exactly into religion, which is also reflected in the artwork and lyrics. I believe one of the members played in a more political hardcore band called One Blood? Anyways, enjoy!

Legion - Hell At Last 7"

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Fahrenheit 451 demo

Here's a demo I got hold of recently. Fahrenheit 451 was a groove-heavy hardcore band from NYC which formed in 1995. At the end of 1995 they did a 2-song demo, which I've ripped here. Soon after they recorded their 'The Thought Of It' MCD. They also appeared on a couple of compilations and did recordings for a full-length that was never released. The band folded sometime in 1999/2000. All of these recordings, including the demo, were compiled on the awesome 'If I Know Then What I Know Now: The Complete Discography' CD/DVD, one of the most well put together discographies I've ever seen. So while I assume must of you will already have this demo courtesy of the discography, here is a rip of the original demo with scans. Enjoy!

And for those who've never heard F451 before, here's my fave track of theirs, from the 'NY's Hardest' comp:

Fahrenheit 451 demo

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Provisional - It Was Always About Feeling Alive 7"

Here's a 7" from my collection by a band called Provisional, which I got many years ago, at a random distro at a random show, heh. It is a fairly obscure 7", but some of the members of Provisional have gone on to make a bit of a name for themselves within hardcore circles. Provisional was a melodic hardcore band from Michigan in the first half of the 90s. This 7", apart from any demo's their only release that I know of, was released in 1993 on Absolute Music, which was a label run by Provisional's bass-player. They played a nice mix of melodic hardcore and a harder mid-tempo semi-metallic hardcore, which reminds me of bands like Endpoint and especially Empathy at times. The comparison to Empathy is not made without reason, as guitar player Jay Palumbo would later play in Empathy, as well as other bands such as Elliott and By The Grace Of God. Also, Provisional's singer was none other than Mike Warden of Conquer The World Records fame. I also blogged about a later project of his called Manetheren not too long ago. Bass-player Ron Jasin would later play in The Aasee Lake (with Duncan Barlow of Endpoint, By The Grace Of God, ...). Enjoy!

Provisional - It Was Always About Feeling Alive 7"

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Test Of Time - Refugee 7"

Not to be confused with the current Boston straight edge hardcore band of the same name, here's the sole 7" by an early '90s Connecticut hardcore band called Test Of Time. Recorded in 1991 and released in 1992 on Inner Rage Records out of France, this is their only release besides demo's. Inner Rage Records btw was the label run by Jean-Marc, the original singer of Drowning. I believe the band quit soon after this 7" was released? Which is a shame, this is great hardcore with a lot of groove and melody and some sweet bass-parts. Unfortunately my 7" is missing the insert, so I have no idea what the lyrics are about, and I also have no idea who was in this band and what they did before or after Test Of Time. So if anybody has any information, please share! Anyways, enjoy this underrated band!

Test Of Time - Refugee 7"

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Contradiction - Erie Hardcore demo

Contradiction was a hardcore band from Erie, PA. They were around in the late '90s, here is their 1998 demo. Unfortunately I don't know anything about this band, sorry. I have no idea what else they did, but this demo is definitely good enough to post here. Mid-tempo metallic hardcore with good vocals. Not sure what was in the Lake Erie's water, but the amount of good bands that came out of Erie in the '90s was ridiculous. If somebody has some, any, info on this band, please leave a comment. Did these guys do anything else, or maybe play in other bands? Anyway, enjoy, cuz this is a solid demo.

Contradiction - Erie Hardcore demo

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Bloodrust - New Jersey Devil Core 7"

I've posted a decent amount of Back Ta Basics 7"s in the past. Here's another one, by NJ's Bloodrust. To be honest, I know very little about this band, they seem to have been around for only a few years and I don't think that besides demo's they did anything else besides this 7"? As you can probably imagine from the title of this 7", 'New Jersey Devil Core', Bloodrust played 'evil' metalcore. In sound they are comparable to another NJ band from the late '90s that I blogged about before, As Darkness Falls (here and here), as well as a band like Deadeyesunder. This 7" was released in 1998, and in true Back Ta Basics Records fashion, it has a badly handcut, photocopied cover and comes with a BTB list of releases. Unfortunately there are no lyrics and almost no info on Bloodrust on the insert. Oh well... The 7" is pretty solid tho, it's a shame the band didn't get some more attention while they were around. If anybody has some info on this band, please leave a comment.


Bloodrust - New Jersey Devil Core 7"

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Southpaw - Brighter Future CD

Southpaw were an underrated hardcore band from Long Island. They were formed in '95/'96 and recorded the 'Brighter Future' full-length in 1998, which was released on New Found Hope Records. Good up-tempo '80s NYHC inspired hardcore with shouted, somewhat high-pitched vocals which can take some getting used to (I like 'em). After the full-length the band released a live-recording on a Brazilian label which I've never seen or heard (if anybody can hook me up that would be awesome!) and the band also appeared on some compilations during its existence. In 2000 the band folded.

However, that's not where their story ends. In 2007 the band got back together and in 2008, 10 years after 'Brighter Future' was released, the band released their second album 'Stand For Something' on Motherbox Records. I haven't heard that album, nor do I know who's left of the old line-up. Anybody have this album?

Southpaw - Brighter Future CD

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Restrain - '96 demo

Some time ago I posted about Drowning from Paris, France on xStuck In The Pastx. One of the records they did was a split 7" with Restrain from Ozone Park, Queens, NY. Recently someone asked about Restrain and I ripped him Restrain's '96 demo. So why not share the wealth? So here's Restrain's '96 demo. As said, they were from Ozone Park, Queens, NY and I (still) have no clue if they did anything else besides this demo and the split 7" with Drowning, which was released on Back Ta Basics btw. Which would be a shame, cuz they were solid. Leave a comment if you have more info please! Apparently, the original requester told me, Restrain are gonna reunite for a couple of shows, so if yer in the neighborhood, go check em out! Enjoy!


Restrain - '96 demo

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Crosscheck - First Offense demo

Almost 2 years ago I posted the Crosscheck 7", which as it turned out had Brian Peterson on bass, the author of the awesome Burning Fight book. A while ago I got my hands on Crosscheck's 'First Offense' demo, from 1995 just like the 7". Like the 7" it's mostly mid-tempo hardcore with good lyrics. I prefer the 7" as a whole, but if you enjoy the 7" you will also enjoy this demo. A solid demo by a solid, and underrated, band. Enjoy!

Crosscheck - First Offense demo

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Manetheren - s/t 7"

Not too long ago a flyer popped up online of an upcoming 2-day Conquer The World fest, with 2 amazing line-ups. Had it been real, I would've considered flying over to attend both days. Chokehold, Morning Again, Culture, Empathy and Thoughts Of Ionesco among others. However, it was fake, as expected, heh... Anyways, Mike Warden, who ran Conquer The World records, has had a pretty sketchy reputation for many years now. Whether that reputation is deserved or not, he did release some classic bands/records, there's no deying it. One record which he also released and which not too many people seem to be aware of tho, is the self-titled Manetheren 7", which was released in 1997. Named after a city from the 'Wheel Of Time' fantasy book series by Robert Jordan, Manetheren was more or less Mike Warden on vocals and guitar and as the insert explains it was mostly a project for him to put some of his own music and words/feelings to vinyl. He asked some people to help him out with recording this 7". They were bass-player Nathan Miller who was playing in Thoughts Of Ionesco at the time and had previously played in Empathy, second guitar player Mike Derrick who was also from Empathy, and drummer Cliff Magreta from Ambassador 990. Both Empathy and Thoughts Of Ionesco also had releases on Conquer The World btw. Anyways, this 7" would be the only recording this 'band' ever did, and I have to say, it's a pretty good effort, both musically and lyrically. Give it a try.

Manetheren - s/t 7"

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Brother's Keeper - Because We Care... tape

Brother's Keeper from Eria, PA was a band that people seemed to either love or hate, primarily due to singer Mike Ski's high-pitched vocals. Personally, I loved and still love BK, great band, both live and on record. Bass-player EMS, who also does Surprise Attack Records and the awesome, but now dead, Coregasm blog and now plays in a band I recommend checking out if you haven't already called Smoke & Mirrors, posted the Brother's Keeper discography a few years ago here. It was hosted on the now defunct Megaupload, so the download links don't work anymore. But here's a cassette tape that wasn't included in that discography... This was a tape that was released as a benefit for an Erie, PA based animal help group called 'Because We Care'. The Surprise Attack Records discography page states there were 500 of these, all hand-numbered, with additional inserts and all. My copy however doesn't have either and the leaflet's also different from the picture on that page. It is a pro-printed tape tho and the leaflet's printed, not photocopied or anything, so I have no idea what's up with that. Possibly a second run to raise some more money for Because We Care? Either way, this tape has a 4-song live recording, recorded at the Pickle Patch in Goleta, CA on July 7, 1998, when BK were touring with Boy Sets Fire. Not the best quality sound-wise, but great stuff nonetheless as far as I'm concerned. I ripped each side of the tape as 1 MP3, so there's 2 songs per MP3. Unfortunately the tape cuts off right near the end of 'The Continuum', nothing I can do about that. But still... enjoy!!

Brother's Keeper - Because We Care... tape

Monday, May 28, 2012

Implode 1997 demo

Implode was a New Jersey hardcore band which was formed in 1996 by 2 brothers, Mark & Brian Conforti, who had previously played together in an old school hardcore band called Emotive Drive from the late '80s to the early '90s (Emotive Drive released a 7" on Revelation Time Records in '89). In 1997 Implode recorded and released the demo I ripped here. There were some line-up changes afterwards where Mark would also take over vocal duties, besides playing guitar, and the band would also get a new bass-player. With this new line-up the band would record and self-release a full-length CD in 1999. I do not have that CD unfortunately, so if anybody can hook me up I'd appreciate it. They also appeared on a number of compilations. The band quit in 2002. Mark Conforti would later on be the driving force behind the infamous Guerilla Warfare video fanzines. Members of Implode moved on to bands like Flat Earth Society and Stand Alone.

Implode 1997 demo

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Vent - Ephemeral 7"

Vent was a hardcore band from Wichita, Kansas, they were around from 1992 to 1996. They're probably best known as the band who ended up as Hydrahead Records first release, Vent's 'Long Lost Human' 7" from 1996, which is still available from their online store here, so I didn't rip it. Before that 7" however, they did another 7", the 'Ephemeral' 7" from 1995, which I ripped here. This 7", which contains 2 songs which came from their demo, was supposed to be released on Mayhem Records, but that fell through and it would eventually come together with No Labels fanzine #3, even tho it still says Mayhem Records on the sleeve. I don't have that zine unfortunately. This 7", even tho it has only 2 songs, is plain awesome, if you're into more mid-tempo hardcore with metallic undertones and with introspective lyrics. After Vent broke up, members moved on to another Hydrahead Records recording artist, Boxer Rebellion, as well as other bands such as Angst Driven and Magnaflux.

 Vent - Ephemeral 7"

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Vibratory Disturbance 2 compilation 7"

Here's a fairly obscure compilation 7" featuring a Gandiva song which is not on their 7", which I posted here. It also includes another band I posted about before, Baby Gopal, but it's not a new song. I got this comp on one of my trips to Amherst, MA, which is not too far from Holyoke, MA, where the label was from. Sike Records released this compilation in 1996 and the other bands on here are Accidental Birth and Line Of Fire. As far as I know this was the only released track by Accidental Birth besides demo's. One of the band-members also played in Gandiva, and I think one of the guys from Sike Records also played in this band. Members also later moved on to Last In Line. Line Of Fire also did at least 1 7" of their own and a split 7" with Capgun, and appeared on a couple of compilations. Both their tracks are decent enough, but the reason I originally got this compilation was for Baby Gopal and Gandiva, and their tracks are also the better ones on here for me. I love Baby Gopal, and even though their track on here also appears elsewhere, it's always nice to hear their music. Gandiva's track however does not appear on their 7" as explained above, and while it's got a muffled production especially on the drum-sound, it's awesome. This is a worthwhile compilation just for the Gandiva song alone in my opinion. Unfortunately my copy does not come with an insert, so I can't say anything about the lyrics.

The first Vibratory Disturbance compilation was a cassette only release with a bunch of bands I've never heard of like Slow Poke, The Mighty Sturgeon and Skunkjuice, I don't have that one tho. Besides these compilations, Sike Records put out quite a number of records, mostly by bands I don't know, but some I do know, like In Pieces and Hallraker (post-Gandiva).

Vibratory Disturbance 2 compilation 7"

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Breed/Extinction - s/t 7"

Here's the first release by Breed/Extinction, a band from Connecticut which was around from the late 90s till 2005 or so. They played a great and heavy style of screamo. Apparently the band shared members with or had ex- members of Catharsis, but I'm not sure. This 7" was self-released by the band in 1999 and is awesome, I love it. It also comes with an essay about money, greed and the virtue of living your life doing what you want to do, personal wealth over monetary wealth. Besides this 7" they also released a split 12" with The Awakened and a MCD/12" called 'Alaska', and they also appeared on a few comps including the Inside Front #14 compilation (IF's final issue). Great stuff and if anybody wants to part with the other Breed/Extinction releases, do get in touch! After the band folded members moved on to a band called Thieves.

Breed/Extinction - s/t 7"

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Incision - East Coast Hardcore demo

As has been mentioned on this blog several times before, Alain RPP's distro used to be one of the best places to pick up great demo's. I also picked up this demo by Incision from Massachussetts from his distro at a random show in the late 90's. Incision played excellent heavy and tough hardcore like so many Mass hardcore bands from that time. I've already blogged about several such bands like With One Intent and Punch The Klown, so why stop? This 'East Coast Hardcore' demo was recorded and released in 1997 and I think it might be their only demo/release? Some of the lyrics of the songs on this demo were written by Dennis Lydon, I'm thinking this might be Dennis from Brawl Park, another mid 90's Mass hardcore band, does anybody know? Maybe he was Incision's singer before Bryan Harris became their singer? Also, if the name Bryan Harris sounds familiar in regards to Mass hardcore, you're not mistaken. After Incision quit, Bryan Harris and Incision's drummer Dan Loftus started a new band called Death Before Dishonor, you might have heard of them... Anyways, this demo is awesome enough as-is, so give it a chance. Enjoy!

Incision - East Coast Hardcore demo

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Instant Justice - s/t 7"

A while ago I posted the Brickhouse 7", which was the 2nd release on NJ's Street Level Records, a label which would eventually become Watermark Records. This is the 1st release on Street Level Records, the Instant Justice 7", which was recorded in 1989 but released in 1990. Instant Justice was a band from PA and this 7" is the only thing I'm aware of that they released apart from demo's. It's a weird mix between almost youth crew like hardcore, mid-tempo heavy and metallic hardcore and some straight-up (bad) metal solo's. It reminds me of Edgewise's 'Silent Rage' record overall, tho this is not nearly as good as that. Definitely not the best 7" I've ever posted on OnexPath, but hey, they can't all be classics. This is a piece of PAHC history anyways and I can enjoy it for what it is. Singer Jesse also did a zine called Homeslice (which I've never seen, but I've also never been a zine-geek), no idea what the members did music-wise before or after Instant Justice.

Instant Justice - s/t 7"

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Failsafe - The Pros & Cons Of Breathing... 7"

Failsafe was a hardcore band from Indiana in the late 90s. This 7" was recorded in late '97 and released in '98 on Diffusion Records. Pretty decent screamo-esque metallic hardcore, with a bit of an 'evil' sound cuz of the singer (altho some of the lyrics are way emo). I don't know too much about the band really. The main thing about this band is that it is basically The Suicide Note before they were called The Suicide Note, with a different singer. Apart from this 7" they also appeared on a compilation 7" called 'What April Showers Bring', no idea what else they did. I'm also not sure if my cover for the 7" is the regular cover as it is hand-numbered, it has a written message on the inside and it alsoincludes a date on the front. As mentioned above, apart from the singer, the members of this band moved on to The Suicide Note. Other bands that the members were in include Extinction, Stabbed By Words, Old Devil Moon & Sweet Cobra.

Failsafe - The Pros & Cons Of Breathing... 7"

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Unavowed - Anathema demo

Here's a demo by Unavowed, a hardcore band from Minneapolis, MN. This demo was released in 1998 and contains 4 songs. Fairly straight-forward east coast hardcore, it reminds me of Toe Tag (Boston, not the one from Florida) in places. Not bad, but nothing exceptional either. The last song is called 'I.T.I.', I can only assume it stands for Intent To Injure, but who knows? Anyways, it's a decent enough demo, so check it out. Information on this band is pretty damn hard to find and the insert that comes with this demo also doesn't help much either unfortunately. So if anybody can give me any more information on this band and/or its members, please leave a comment. Thanxxx!

Unavowed - Anathema demo

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Peaceful Non-Existence - Crisis In Democracy 7"

Peaceful Non-Existence was a hardcore band from North Carolina in the first half of the '90s. Their guitarist, Aaron "Hard-Edge" Chrietzberg, would later on play guitar in a more well-known band called The First Step (he also played in Reinforce, Until Today & Triple Threat etc). Peaceful Non-Existence however was not a youth crew inspired hardcore band, they were more on the crunchy metallic hardcore end of the spectrum. Good stuff, nothing outstanding, but a nice listen nonetheless. This 7" was released on Cohesive Force Records in 1994. Besides demo's I'm not sure if the band did anything, or were on any comps, I also don't know what the other members did before/after Peaceful Non-Existence. If you do, please leave a comment.

Peaceful Non-Existence - Crisis In Democracy 7"

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Strike 3 - 'Side By Side' demo

Another demo I got from Jim Moo Cow. Strike 3 was a hardcore band from New Hampshire in the mid 90s. Here's their 'Side By Side' demo from 1996. This is seriously heavy mid-tempo hardcore, with deep vocals. While this band is pretty unknown and I don't think they did much in the way of touring or recording, singer Caleb Scofield would eventually move on to play bass in a more well-known band called Cave In. Anyways, Strike 3 sounds nothing like Cave In. But this is a pretty solid demo, esp if you like heavy bands such as Unconquered, so definitely give it a shot. I have no idea if Strike 3 did any other recordings or what the other members did after Strike 3. So if anybody has any additional info, please leave a comment!

Strike 3 - 'Side By Side' demo

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Exist - Decrepit Lessons Crossing Imperfections CD

Exist from California was a band I had not heard of until recently when I saw a video for their song 'Wondering' on youtube (see below), and I was instantly hooked. Soon thereafter I got my hands on their 'Decrepit Lessons Crossing Imperfections' CD, which I ripped here. Exist was a Christian metalcore band from California in the late 90s. After a demo called 'Burn', the band's first, and only, full-length album, 'Decrepit Lessons Crossing Imperfections' was released on Cataclysm Records in 1998. The band had an ex-member of Centerpoint on these recordings, but he left the band some time after these recordings I believe. For whatever reason this band seems to have faded into obscurity, I cannot even find a reference to them on the Christian Hardcore Records blog. Which is weird, this CD is damn good, it could have easily been released by Tooth & Nail. Metalcore reminding me of bands ranging from Focal Point to Focused to Coalesce to Prevail, with scathing screams and personal rather than spirit-filled lyrics. Singer Joey Martinez died in 2001, RIP. Members went on to bands such as Redlight Halo, amusicboxserenade and The Warned. Enjoy.

Exist - 'Wondering':


Exist - Decrepit Lessons Crossing Imperfections CD

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Mediafire issues

Just a quick post. My mediafire account has been suspended, seemingly because one of the files (the download for Ember's 'One Cell Will Become Two' MCD which I posted on xStuck In The Pastx last year) was considered copyright infringement by a porn company/franchise called Ember Reigns (NSFW). Ofcourse the file contains nothing even remotely related to that site, so hopefully my account will be back up again soon... If not, I'll look into other options. For now however, downloads here (and those in my posts on xSITPx) do not work, I'm sorry.

Update: I'm gonna upload some files again, but not thru my still suspended account... We'll see how that goes for now.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Polyglot - Industrial Strength Child Killer MCD

I wrote about Polyglot from Maine very briefly in my post on Fall From Grace, cuz they did a split 7" with them. I was more into the FFG side of the split, so didn't really keep up with Polyglot. That doesn't mean that the split 7" was all they did. Here's a 4-song MCD they did on Bull Moose Music, which was the label of a Portland, ME record store of the same name that Polyglot's singer worked at. This MCD is actually pretty decent, and I prefer it over their side of the FFG split 7". Pretty hard & rough hardcore, similar to bands such as Hatebreed, Holdstrong and such. They were quite big in their homestate of Maine but I guess they didn't tour/play much outside of the Northeast, they didn't seem to get much attention elsewhere. I don't even know what else they did besides that split 7" and this MCD... At least one member of Polyglot would eventually do some time in Blood For Blood. Also, after the last song there's some silence and then there's a cover of The Cars' 'Just What I Needed'. Enjoy!

Polyglot - Industrial Strength Child Killer MCD

Friday, February 17, 2012

Morality Crisis

Morality Crisis from Minnesota/Wisconsin was a band I had never heard of till recently. One of its members, Christ, contacted me about his band, and label Minnesconsin Records (Minnesota, Wisconsin, get it?). Morality Crisis just released a new 4-song EP called 'North'. And it is pretty damn good! Morality Crisis mixes various styles into a great blend, ranging from post-rock to sludge to metal to hardcore. Good stuff, great riffs, with a heavy & full sound all around. And the vocals are awesome as well, nice range in styles, without sounding forced at any point. As I said, I had never heard of this band before, but they've been around since 2003, released an EP in 2005, broke up in 2006, and are now back together. Their new EP is streaming at their bandcamp, where it can also be bought as a digital download. Their old EP can be downloaded for free from there as well, it is also quite good. Physical copies of the new EP should be available sometime soon as well. Definitely give this band a listen.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Disbelief demo

Disbelief was a hardcore band from from Bowie, Maryland, here's a demo of theirs. I don't know if this demo originally came with an insert, mine just has the cover with the track-listing, and contact information on the tape labels. It doesn't even have a date or year on it, but I guess this one's from 1995/1996, as their first 7" was released in 1996. I picked up this demo at a random record store over here in Rotterdam in the Netherlands actually, of all places. Must have been 2000/2001 cuz I was working at a place near that record store at the time. I think I got another demo that time as well, but can't remember which one right now, oh well...

Anyways, the first time I came across Disbelief was when I got their split 7" with Outcome, on Moo Cow Records/FistHeldHigh Records. I got that split 7" cuz of Outcome, who did an amazing 7" on Surprise Attack Records. Unfortunately for Disbelief, the Outcome side on that split 7" ruled hard as well, so I didn't play the Disbelief side nearly as often as I should have. While they're not Outcome, nor sound anywhere near them, they were definitely a good band. This is a really solid demo with fairly straight-forward hardcore, with some metallic influences and a 'hard' edge. The last song is a cover of Killing Time's 'Backtrack'. Besides this demo and the aforementioned split 7" and some appearances on compilations, I know they also did a self-titled 7" and a split 7" with Emerge, neither of which I own unfortunately. I guess they were into ice hockey, as both this demo and their side of the cover of the split 7" with Outcome feature a picture of fighting ice hockey players. Enjoy!

Disbelief demo

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Medicine Man - Céad Míle Fáilte 7"

Here's a 7" of a band I know very little about, Medicine Man. This 7" was released in 1993 on Thrashing Mad Records, and besides a demo which I don't have this is their only release it seems. They also appear on the 'Revive Us Again' compilation 7" on Machination Records out of Belgium from 1993. The weird title of the 7", 'Céad Míle Fáilte', means something like 'a hundred thousand welcomes', it's a traditional Irish greeting apparently. To keep the Irish connection going, while Medicine Man were from New York, their bass-player Anthony Champa apparently now lives, or has lived, in Belfast, Ireland. He also played in Puzzlehead and GO! before Medicine Man, and GO! played in Ireland on their '91 European tour, so maybe that explains the title of this 7" and his current whereabouts. Anyways, this is decent hardcore that alternates between rocking mid-tempo hardcore and short fast bursts of hardcore. Oh, and the abrupt end of 'For The Love Of God' is the way it ends on my 7", but it sure does sound like a screw up by the pressing plant (or whoever cut the lacquer I guess).

Medicine Man - Céad Míle Fáilte 7"

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

A post about ACTA

I never had the intention of turning this blog into a political soapbox, but ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) does deserve some attention, also in light of the recent SOPA/PIPA media frenzy... While SOPA & PIPA made headlines all over the Internet not too long ago, and deservedly so in my opinion, ACTA has been making the rounds in government offices all over the globe quite a while now, mostly behind closed doors (in the interest of 'national security', if you can believe it) and with as little media attention/exposure as possible. ACTA has just as potentially damaging consequences as SOPA/PIPA, and from what I can tell is quite broad in scope. Unfortunately it has already been signed by governments all over the world including the US, Australia and the majority of the EU countries. But in the case of the European Union, it is still not too late to act and turn the tide, as the European Parliament still needs to vote on it. Anyways, as I am not a lawyer nor do I feel I am the right person to explain the inner workings and potential consequences of ACTA, here are some links (with varying points of view and backgrounds) you can check out, which I urge you to do. Decide for yourself.

ACTA full text pdf
Thought SOPA Was Bad? 10 Reasons to Oppose ACTA
What's wrong with ACTA Week
How to act against ACTA
Counter-Arguments Against ACTA
As Anonymous protests, Internet drowns in inaccurate anti-ACTA arguments
Impeach Obama for bribery? Anti-ACTA spin reaches new lows

And a video by Anonymous (which does take a worst case scenario stance, but why not?!):

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Shudder - The Hand Of God demo

Recently Jim of the amazing Moo Cow Records was selling a ton of demo's on ebay. Demo's which bands had sent him to be considered for his label. I managed to acquire a bunch of those demo's, so I'll be putting some of them on here. This is the first one. Shudder was a heavy metalcore band from Madison, WI in the late 90s. This is a seriously good demo, if you enjoy late 90s bands that are more metal than hardcore like Sevenday Curse, Hyde, Dawn Of Orion, etc, you should give this band a chance. I've found pretty much zero information on them online, unless this is the same alternative/nu-metal Shudder who have now re-united? If anybody has any info on this band, please leave a comment, I would love to find out more about this band.

Shudder - The Hand Of God demo

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Day Of Contempt demo

Day Of Contempt was an Australian metal/hardcore band which started out in 1997 in/around Adelaide. Here is a demo by them from 1998. Solid heavy metal/hardcore in the vein of bands like Earth Crisis and Another Victim, with similar vocals. The band had several sXe members, I don't think the band was a full-on sXe band though. After this demo they released the 'Where Shadows Lie' MCD on Voice Of Life Records & Trial And Error Records in 1999 and the 'See Through The Lies' full-length on Good Life Recordings in 2002. Both of these releases continued in the vein of the demo and are pretty good as well. In 2004 the band moved to Los Angeles to try to establish themselves there and become a full-time band. Their sound also changed considerably in a more commercial direction with added clean vocals and such, and they weren't nearly as heavy as before. They turned to shit basically. The end-result was the 'The Will To Live' MCD on Epitaph in 2005. It's pretty bad if you ask me. However this demo, and also their other releases, is great solid and raw hardcore/metal. Enjoy.

Day Of Contempt demo

Monday, January 16, 2012

Acid Snake

Acid Snake is a band from Brisbane, Australia which plays hardcore in the vein of bands such as Nails, Converge, Trap Them etc. They wear their influences on their sleeve, so if you like said bands, you will surely like this band as well. The vocals are raw and gritty, but expressive still. And the music rages while being diverse enough to keep my attention. I've heard a lot of bands do worse than Acid Snake in this style. In 2011 they released 2 EP's, 'Pariah' and 'The Sun Distortion Session'. Both of these are available from their Bandcamp page, tho I've also provided links to direct downloads which were given to me by the band. They're hoping to release an album sometime this year, hopefully that'll give them some more exposure. While OnexPath is definitely about 90s hardcore, and continues to be devoted to that era, I am also trying to keep up with current hardcore and there are exciting bands popping up every day. Acid Snake is one of them, so do support these guys if you like them.

Update: It appears that a few days after the band contacted me, the band folded unfortunately die to internal conflicts. Shame.

Acid Snake - The Sun Distortion Sessions EP
Acid Snake - Pariah EP
Acid Snake facebook

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Denile

I did a post on Denile's 'We Have Not Begun!' demo some time ago to which I also added their unreleased 'Where Heaven And Hell Meet' album. Recently Kris Steele who played bass for Denile emailed me and explained that the version I have up there of the 'Where Heaven And Hell Meet' album was a recording which they used as a promo, but that afterwards they did a re-recording of the entire album, which would also remain unreleased. He sent me the re-recorded version, which I have uploaded here. Awesome! So lotsa thanxxx to Kris for hooking me up. I've also ripped their 'Autumn: A Season Of Dying' CD for this post, which was released on Double Down Records in 1999. As with all Denile material, excellent stuff! I wish I could've had the chance to see them back in the day, but they unfortunately never made it out to Europe. I'll say it again, Denile was an awesome and underrated band who should've gotten way more attention than they did. So check them out if you haven't already. Besides the aforementioned post on Denile's demo, I also posted their split 7" with Dysphoria here, so also check that out if you like what you're hearing and haven't heard the split yet.

Update January 29th: Kris emailed me again to send me the cover for the 'Where Heaven And Hell Meet' album. I've included it with the download. If you have already downloaded the zip and just want the cover, just right-click the cover on the left and save. Once again, lotsa thanxxx to Kris for providing me with the album.

Denile - Autumn: A Season Of Dying CD
Denile - Where Heaven And Hell Meet unreleased album (re-recorded version) - updated download with cover image

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Minority - s/t 7"

A quick post. Here's a 7" I got a few years ago as part of a lot of fairly random 90's hardcore records. It's nothing special, but a good listen nonetheless, especially opening track 'Hesitation'. Minority, or Minority, was a fast hardcore/punk band with some melodic elements to their sound. They were from Copperas Cove, Texas and were around in the early 90s. I can't really tell you all that much about this band I'm afraid. This is their 2nd 7", released on Flaming Steve Productions in 1993. Their 1st 7", called 'There Is A War', was also released on Flaming Steve Productions, in 1992, but I don't have it unfortunately. But check the Texas Punk Treasure Chest if you like what you hear, they have their 'There Is A War' 7" and also a compilation 10" Minority were on. Enjoy.

Minority - s/t 7"

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

One 4 One / Overthrow - split 7"

For whatever reason, I've always had a weak spot for New Jersey's One 4 One. Can't say I know for sure what sets them apart for me, maybe it's the vocals, but there's something about this band that does it for me. They started out in 1994 and after a break in 2000 are playing again, and band-members have played or are playing in too many bands to mention. I would also have to agree with AJ PathToMisery's post that their 'Seven Year Cicada' album is their best record. But all their material is worthwhile, make no mistake about it. Here's the split 7" they did with Overthrow. This split 7" was released on Distance Records in 1996, the first (and last?) release for that label. The One 4 One tracks on here would later be re-recorded for their 'Trust Is Lost' MCD on Time Served Records, which was a label run by Kevone Bulldoze. Great tracks, both of them.

Overthrow was from Long Island, they were around from 1996 to 2001 and they played fairly straight forward NY hardcore/punk with some slight oi influences. Both their tracks would also appear on other releases of theirs, one on their 'Empowerment Cover Up' 7" on Race Productions from 1996 and one on their 'React' CD on Triple Crown Records from 1999. They would also do a few more splits. Overthrow was quite decent at what they did, but One 4 One is where it's at for me. Unfortunately my copy didn't come with an insert or anything, sorry about that. Either way tho, enjoy.

One 4 One / Overthrow - split 7"