State Of Mind - Original Hate 7"

State Of Mind was a hardcore band from the Brunswick, Ohio area, and I have no idea if they did anything else besides this 'Original Hate' 7", heh... Information on this band is scarce, to put it mildly. Decent mid-tempo heavy and somewhat metallic hardcore with those semi-sung/semi-screamed vocals that are so typical of this era. They're far from the best of the bunch, bands like Trial By Jury and Betrayed that I've posted before did it much better. But it's still decent enough to give it a listen if yer into this style. The 7" was recorded and released in 1993, on Smog Veil Records, who also released records from other Ohio bands like The Spudmonsters and Face Value.

If anybody has any additional info on this band, please leave a comment. Thank you!

State Of Mind - Original Hate 7"

By All Means comp 7"

Here's an awesome compilation 7" called 'By All Means'. It was released on Progression Records in 1990. The bands on here are Hardball, Device, Face Value, Relapse and Resolution. Outspoken is listed on the back with a 'cancelled' sign across it. I have no idea why they were dropped from this comp, but whatever reason it was, it happened after the insert had already been designed, there's still a page for Outspoken's track in it. The layout for the cover and the booklet btw was apparently done by none other than Dwid of Integrity. You can see some typical Dwid touches like the Integ skull and Bela Lugosi's face on the back of the sleeve.

Anyways, even without Outspoken, this is one solid slab of vinyl of late 80s/early 90s hardcore. I imagine most of the bands on here are known to OnexPath readers, but just in case... Hardball were a militant sXe band featuring Ryan Downey of Burn It Down & Time In Malta and the vegan sXe rapper known as xEdgex (With The Dreads) who also played in 7 Generations for a while among other bands. Device were from the DC area, members moved on to bands like Elizabeth Herz & Askance. Clevo band Face Value had just started the previous year and would soon become a force to reckon with, singer Tony Erba has been in a ton of bands since, like the H100s and 9 Shocks Terror. Relapse did a couple of pretty cool 7"s before quitting, members moving on to bands like Current, Dearborn S.S. & Ottawa and even doing a label, Council Records. Resolution from the Northwest sorta formed from the ashes of legendary band Brotherhood, members would later play in bands like Sunny Day Real Estate and Engine Kid.

By All Means comp 7"

The Wrecking Ball 2015

The States host some awesome punk & hardcore fests that I would love to visit if it weren't for having to fly over there, heh... But  fests like This Is Hardcore, Black & Blue etc all have great line-ups year in year out. This year there will also be an awesome sounding fest down south in Atlanta, GA called The Wrecking Ball. It's taking place August 8th & 9th, and the line-up features bands like Judge, American Nightmare, Coheed And Cambria, The Descendents, Cave In, Blacklisted, Modern Life Is War and local favorites Foundation. I will admit not all bands are up my alley, but with over 60 bands playing across 4 stages, I'm sure even I would have one hell of a time there! The fest takes place at a well-known local venue called The Masquerade, which is also celebrating its 25th anniversary. So if yer not sure of what to do in early August and yer in that area, check it out!

The Wrecking Ball website
The Wrecking Ball tickets