Best of 2017

2017 was an awesome year for hardcore. There have been tons of great releases, so much so that I've had to make some hard choices to come up with a top 10. 'Thankfully' I haven't had a chance yet to listen properly to a bunch of obvious yearlist contenders like the new Converge, Amenra, Integrity or Sect records... So that made this list a little bit easier... But in the end I had to make some hard choices. And I decided to stop mulling over which releases to drop once I narrowed down the list to 15...

I'm sure I missed a ton of awesome releases, so please leave a comment with your top picks! I love checking out new records even if I mostly blog about 90s hardcore.

So, my top 15 records of 2017, in alphabetical order:

Body Count - Bloodlust
The video (and lyrics!) for 'No Lives Matter' already promised a lot, and Ice-T, Ernie C and co delivered. To say this album exceeded my expectations is putting it mildly. BC ... BC ... BC ...


Break Through - The Seventh Circle Of Hell
Crushing Disembodied-inspired metalcore from Tasmania. Yep.


xDevourx - Defiant Until The End
Uncompromising XXXedgeXXX metal from Belgium.


Drawing Last Breath - Final Sacrifice
Florida edge metal. I think that says it all...


Ecostrike - Time Is Now
Vegan straight edge hardcore from Florida that sounds more like Strife or Outspoken than Morning Again.


Get The Shot - Infinite Punishment
Their previous album 'No Peace In Hell' made my top 10 of 2014 list, and this one does it again. If you like up-tempo thrashy metalcore that brings the mosh, this is for you.


Grasp - Under The Grief
Late 90s/early 00s metalcore done by kids from the Crimea peninsula.


Higher Power - Soul Structure
This band from Leeds, UK keep going from strength to strength. Imagine what Leeway might've sounded like had they kept going after 'Adult Crash' and 'Open Mouth Kiss'.


Malevolence - Self Supremacy
Sheffield, UK's hardest. Sick metalcore meets beatdown with plenty of groove, this shit is addictive.


Mindforce - The Future Of...
Excellent followup to their 2016 demo. Crossover hardcore from Poughkeepsie, NY that brings back the early 90s.


Mourning demo
A two-man project from the UK, this kicks serious ass. The small hints of old Kickback certainly don't hurt!


Pulse - The Light Is Calling My Way
After seeing them several times over the years at shows in Belgium, I'm glad this EP shows the major potential this band has. Overcast worshipping done right. 'Bloodstains' might be my fave song of 2017, it's seriously amazing.


xReignx demo
Blistering and militant vegan sXe hardcore from San Diego. Fuck yeah!


Soulground - Life Ends
Awesome heavy riffing hardcore from Berlin, Germany.


Thoughts Of Ionesco - Skar Cymbals
TOI are back and they're still a one-of-a-kind band. Uncomparable and unique, suffice it to say, TOI still sounds like TOI.

Heidnik - Nothing CD

Today's post is a slight departure from the usual posts. One of my Instagram buddies, Lada, contacted me about Heidnik's Nothing CD, which was released on Too Damn Hype in 2002. Unfortunately I don't have it. But when he managed to acquire it, he ripped it for me so I could share it on here, so here it is.

Heidnik were a metallic hardcore band from Philadelphia, PA, and they combined the chaotic metalcore sound of the early 00s with a tougher and heavier edge. Good stuff for sure, a bit like a more chaotic All Else Failed, but fairly underrated. During their 4 year run they managed to do a couple of releases including this CD. Their stuff is pretty hard to come by these days it seems, so I'm happy Lada was kind enough to share it with me, and OnexPath. Merci beaucoup, mon ami!

Members of Heidnik moved on to band such as Dead In The Face and Eaten Alive. Guitarist Max Moya died unexpectedly a couple of months ago, which also signaled the end of Eaten Alive. All proceeds of their new album will go to Max's family, so if you feel like supporting them, please check here. RIP.

Update: Lada also sent me scans of the CD. Awesome!

Heidnik - Nothing CD & scans

Planet Freek - Payback E.P. demo

If you're ever in Brussels, Belgium, make sure to visit Electrocution, a small record store in the center of Brussels owned by Kirby (Deviate, Length Of Time, Arkangel). I was in Brussels this past weekend and as usual dropped in for a quick browse, and walked out with a bunch of old demo tapes. Including this Planet Freek demo from 1995. I had seen their name on a few NYHC flyers from back in the day (including a couple that Rick Ta Life sent me in the mid 90s) but never heard anything by them, and had all but forgotten about them... So obviously finding this demo was a nice surprise!

In any case, Planet Freek were a hardcore band from Long Island, NY who were around for about 4-5 years but I don't have a clue if they recorded anything else besides this 'Payback E.P.' demo. This demo is a solid slice of heavy metallic NYHC with 'Tragic Fool' as my fave from this demo. Not sure about closing track 'Walk Away' which is more on the punk-ish side, but overall I really enjoy this demo. If anybody has more information about Planet Freek, please leave a comment!

Planet Freek - Payback E.P. demo

Mindwar - s/t MCD

A few years ago I blogged about the Evolve/Mindwar split 7". As mentioned in that post I was looking for the other Mindwar releases, and I found them, I just never got around to blogging about them... Here's their self-titled MCD from 1992. Despite what I said in the other post, Mindwar from New Britain, CT didn't sign with Germany's XNO Records in 1994 but a few years earlier. This was the first record they did with them, followed by the full-length 'Degeneration' in 1994 (I'll post that at a later date), which would also be their last record. This 4-song MCD comes in one of those thin CD-single cases that required the covers to have these weird 'cutouts' (always hated them). If you don't know what I mean, check the scan in the zip to see what I mean. Ugh. Anyways, this is good stuff no matter how it was packaged, heh... Mindwar played a style that had its roots in early 90s metallic hardcore but combined this with a ton of heavy alternative rock/metal. They had a sound of their own, but I'm not sure if that worked in their favor or not, this band seems rarely mentioned. Underrated is good word to describe this band. Please give them a try!

Mindwar - s/t MCD

Step Aside - I'll Take Darkness... 7"

I first heard VA's Step Aside on the 'A Change For The Better' comp 7" from 1990, which I blogged about here. I loved their track on there but I somehow never managed to add it to my record collection. Soon after posting that comp 7" I corrected that oversight and I now own on black & red vinyl heh (I am still looking for any of the alternative covers tho, in case anybody's willing to part with one). In any case, Vicious Circle Records who released that comp, released this 7" in 1991. And it's simply awesome, right up my alley, so much so that I somehow thought I had already blogged about this 7" soon after I got my hands on it, haha... Early 90s mid-tempo metallic hardcore with great semi-spoken/shouted vocals. And it even has some guest vocals by Lance from As It Stands (and the almighty Mayday afterwards), how could this not rule! I am pretty sure that regular readers of my blog will eat this shit up. Unfortunately I have no idea what else this band did besides a couple of comps and this 7", nor what the members did before or after Step Aside. If anybody has any information, please leave a comment!

As an aside, a couple of years later another Step Aside, from Brooklyn, NY, would appear on a couple of compilations (including one of the amazing East Coast Assault comps)... Good stuff, but not the same band tho.

Step Aside - I'll Take Darkness... 7"

Asphalt - 357 Knockout CD

Project or band, Cleveland, Ohio's Asphalt was one of a kind. Their sound was both unlike anything that came out of the Clevo scene at the time, while at the same time fitting right in with the creepy, brooding atmosphere it created. In 1994 2 members of Integrity, guitarist Chris 'Hawthorne' Smith and drummer David Nicholi Araca, got together with the bassist of their old band False Hope, Sam 'Salvatore' Lopiccolo, and started jamming. They enlisted the help of various people from the Clevo scene for doing vocals and additional instruments, including Dwid who does vocals on most tracks. The end result was the '357 Knockout' CD which was released on Dwid Integrity's Dark Empire label in 1994. The album also includes one track each from 2 other projects/bands they were doing at the same time, Backslider and Mammoth. All in all, this is a great release, altho I admit it took me quite some time before it really grabbed me, it's just not yer average Clevo hardcore album, hah. If you don't like it, give it time and some more plays... It's well worth the effort.

Within weeks after finishing the recordings for this album, drummer David Araca died of a brain aneurysm. Hawthorne and Lopiccolo would do another 7" a year later (which I don't have unfortunately), but that was basically the end for Asphalt, a unique entry in the already quite diverse history of Cleveland hardcore. Their other band Backslider stayed active for quite a few more years and Hawthorne also ended in Keelhaul.

 Asphalt - 357 Knockout CD

Omega Man - s/t MCD

While Florida bands like Morning Again and Culture got a lot of attention, other awesome Florida bands stayed fairly obscure and underrated, such as Omega Man from Tampa. I don't know why tho, Omega Man was every bit as great as them. Maybe it's cuz they weren't as prolific and their sound was less polished? In any case, Omega Man deserves more recognition... Formed out of the ashes of another underrated band, Scrog, Omega Man stayed around long enough to contribute to a couple of compilations and self-release a MCD, in 1997. A year later, No! Records out of California re-released that MCD, which is the copy I have (and yes, I'm still looking for the self-released version in case anybody wants to part with it!). Lyrically the band touches upon their straight edge background, but also topics such as domestic violence and rape culture. Oh, and if you're someone who enjoys samples with their metalcore, Omega Man is just the band for you!

Omega Man - s/t MCD

Force Feed - Offerings Season demo

Here's another of many demo's that I picked up at Alain OFB's distro at a show back in the day, twice actually as the tape of my first copy broke soon after I got it. Anyways, Force Feed was a short-lived band from the Île-de-France, which includes Paris and the surrounding cities and towns. They released this demo in 1998, and as far as I know that's all they did unfortunately. This demo is a prime example of what the term deathcore stood for in the late 90s, it's a mix between death metal and mid-tempo beatdown-ish hardcore with deep guttural grunts. A band like End Of One comes to mind. I quite enjoy this demo, I just wish the production was less dense and muddy. If anybody has any information on this band and its members, leave a comment please!

Force Feed - Offerings Season demo

Woodenhorse - Title 7"

Woodenhorse played a rocking melodic almost poppunk style that sounded like they could've been from the late 80s D.C. scene. But instead they came from Pensacola, Florida, where the band started out in the mid 80s as The Headless Marines. Around 1989/1990 they had some changes in line-up and sound, and decided they also needed a new bandname to go along with it, so they changed their name to Woodenhorse. The 'Title' 7" was their first record under the new name, and while this is not my usual cup of tea, Woodenhorse definitely  makes the cut, this is a great solid 7". It was released in 1991 by House O' Pain, a Nashville, TN based label that seemed to focus on local bands for the most part, this Woodenhorse 7" being an exception to that rule. Afterwards the band would release another 7" and a full-length CD before calling it quits. Their singer Skott Cowgill is now a painter/graffiti-artist in San Fransisco, and some of the other members now play in a band called 60 Cycles Of Sound. Enjoy!

Woodenhorse - Title 7"

The Human Offense - Supreme Knowledge demo

The Human Offense was a hardcore band out of Union County, NJ. They released the 'Supreme Knowledge' demo in 1992. While they appear to be relatively unknown outside of the east coast, their sound can almost be considered a precursor to later NJHC bands, mixing a raw hardcore style with groovier bass-heavy mid/up-tempo hardcore and hiphop-esque vocals. It's all still pretty rough around the edges tho, and it doesn't work too well in all of these songs, but they were definitely doing their own thing, and there are some excellent parts in songs like 'Terminal Ballistics' and 'And Now We Go To School'.

I am pretty sure they did at least one other demo, but I have no clue if they did anything else besides that or what bands came before or after. Their bass-player helped out NJ Bloodline when they were just starting out tho, but I wouldn't necessarily say they were similar sound-wise. Still, give it a try... I know some of the OnexPath regulars will definitely be able to enjoy this demo for what it is!

The Human Offense - Supreme Knowledge demo

Arkham - The Wrath CD

I've done posts for Neglect and Cleanser in the past, and today's post is about another one of guitarist Derek Schilling's bands and projects, Arkham. I first became aware of Arkham when German label Gain Ground released their 'Born With Scars' 7" in 1997, which quickly showed up in all distro's at all the shows over here. Soon after that 7" Arkham's first album, called 'The Wrath', got released, on Acrid Production Records, also based in Germany, in 1998. Solid metallic hardcore that doesn't really sound like other bands. Maybe a bit like Cleanser, but with gruffer more burly vocals, with occasional hints of the thrashier, more metallic style of later Arkham records. It took a number of years, till the mid 00s, before they released a few more albums, this time under the name Arkham 13. In any case, you can't really go wrong with Derek and his music, the guy just knows how to write some solid tunes! So enjoy!

Arkham - The Wrath CD

Save You compilation 7"

Here is one of many benefit compilations that were released in the 90s. Released in 1997 by the Mountain Collective and Fallout Records (altho on my copy there's a small Mountain sticker covering the Fallout name and address), this was a suicide awareness benefit, with proceeds going to suicide prevention centers around the NY & NJ states (where both labels as well as the bands were from). Speaking of the bands, this comp features a song each by So I Had To Shoot Him, C.R., Devoid Of Faith and The Judas Iscariot. If you're familiar with the bands, you know what to expect: short, fast and frantic bursts of harsh grinding hardcore/punk. At barely 6 and a half minutes long, this comp is over before you know. All bands are well worth checking out, and aside from Devoid Of Faith's contribution I believe these tracks only appear on this comp (and C.R.'s discography CD, duh). In typical 90s fashion, the insert has some additional writing on the subject, as well as a reflective 'mirror' with 'You are unique, unprecedented and unrepeatable' printed underneath it. It may come off as corny nowadays, but they really don't make em like this anymore. Hell, there's even a small note apologizing for a fuck up in the insert's layout. Yep, people were actually polite in the 90s! Enjoy!

Save You compilation 7"

Dust To Dust - Burial Of Hope MCD

Not to be confused with the (nu-)metal band out of Brooklyn, NY that surfaced a few years later, this Dust To Dust was based out of the Selinsgrove/Williamsport area in Pennsylvania. I think they were a pretty short-lived band, aside from possible demos they did only this 'Burial Of Hope' MCD that I'm aware of. This awesome 6-song slice of late 90s metalcore was released on Undecided Records out of Florida in 1999. I don't know why this band didn't get the attention they deserved, but I seem to recall seeing this MCD a fair bit at the time at various distro's (altho with my shitty memory it was probably always the same distro, and nobody picked it up except me, hah). I'm glad I picked it up tho, this ticks all the right checkboxes. If anybody has any info on this band or the band members, please do share!

Dust To Dust - Burial Of Hope MCD

We'll Never Be Tamed live comp CD

The 'We'll Never Be Tamed' hardcore compilation CD was the first release on Mad Mob Records out of Berlin, Germany, a label started by the drummer of hardcore band Charley's War. It was recorded at a show at Berlin's legendary SO 36 club, and features 3 bands from Berlin (Murdered Art, Punishable Act and 3rd Statement) and one from Kassel (Brightside). Mostly representing what was known as 'Eurocore' (with bands like Ryker's and Right Direction as well-known names), it's a great document of that side of the Berlin & German hardcore scene at the time. That's not to say that that was all Germany had to offer, far from it, don't get me wrong! Also props to Punishable Act, who are still a pretty active band, almost 25 years after they first started playing. In any case, if yer interested in checking out some Eurocore, enjoy!

We'll Never Be Tamed live comp CD

Sun Burns Cold - May demo

Sun Burns Cold was an emocore band from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area in PA. As far as I know they released 2 demos, a self-titled one in 1993 (which I don't have) and the 'May' demo in 1994, which I ripped here. Their style is very emotive and rocking in the early to mid 90s vein, similar to bands like Tomorrows Gone which I blogged about before (here and here), with very personal lyrics dealing with emotional numbness as well as the loss of (I think) the singer's mother. All in all a pretty decent demo, I would love to hear the first demo as well if anybody's got it.

Singer Christopher Sleboda went on to another emo band, Bedford, as well as become a designer for records of bands such as Dashboard Confessional. His brother and guitarist Andrew focused on his guitar playing and went to Berklee School of Music and started exploring all kinds of musical styles. As for the other 3 members, which also includes 2 brothers, beats me...

Sun Burns Cold - May demo

Rage Generation: A New Hope comp CD

Hardcore is a worldwide thing, even if some scenes get far less attention than others... In the 90s Singapore, aka the Lion City, had a very vibrant and healthy hardcore scene, which was first documented way back in 1993 on the 'Lion City Hardcore: Together At Last' compilation (which I don't have unfortunately, but you can check it out here). Then in 1996 a second LCHC compilation came out called 'Rage Generation: A New Hope', on a new label called Rage Generation (which started out as a fanzine). It features 7 bands that play a wide range of hardcore/punkrock (and admittedly also a wide range in quality): Tools Of Society, Nine One Six, Retribution, Stampede, Jabs, Recover and Revolt. My personal faves on this comp are Tools Of Society and Retribution. I wouldn't say there are any hidden gems on this comp tho, but I do enjoy checking out these local scene compilations which is why I picked this up many years ago. Give it a try!

And in case you thought Lion City hardcore is dead, you're dead wrong. Check out Out For Blood, Losing End and LC93 (made up of oldheads who even played on the aforementioned 1993 comp).

Rage Generation: A New Hope comp CD

Seize To Exist - Hate Is Human Control demo

Seize To Hate was a hardcore band from Holyoke, MA that recorded this demo in the summer of 1994. Rough hardcore with raspy, burly vocals that are mixed with some pretty strange vocals from time to time that don't fit the music at all. I can't say this is the best demo I've ever heard, to put it mildly, but hey, I doubt many people outside of Western Mass ever heard of this band, let alone heard this demo, so I'm posting it for obscurity's sake, hah. The band would manage to release a CD later that year or in early 1995 called '94 Hatecore' on a local label called Fear The Dead Records, which I don't have. Fear The Dead operated out of Holyoke, MA as well, so it might have been their own label? I couldn't find any information on what the band members did before/after this band, if anybody has some info, please do share.

Seize To Exist - Hate Is Human Control demo

Face Down NJ - Before My Eyes demo

Recorded in late '96 and released in '97, here's the 'Before My Eyes' demo by the NJHC band Face Down NJ, altho at the time they hadn't yet added NJ to their name. I can't recall where I picked this up, but the band managed to tour Europe in late '97. I saw them in Dilsen, Belgium with I think Trapped In Life and a bunch of other bands. So I might've picked it up there... Anyways, Face Down played heavy metallic hardcore that mixes a harder, tough edge with some Snapcase-style riffs and a mix of vocal styles. Overall, it's a really solid demo, esp 'All Is Gone' is simply awesome. After this demo the band would add NJ to their name as there was also another Face Down active in Canada and over here in Belgium there was also a Facedown. The band then did the 'Angels With Soiled Wings' 7" in 1998 and appeared on some compilations. I have no clue what happened to the band or the band members afterwards tho, so if anybody has more info, please leave a comment!

Face Down NJ - Before My Eyes demo

Fragment Of Reality - Demo 1998

Here's yet another demo I picked up from Alain RPP's amazing distro, at a show in Belgium in the summer of 1998. At that time, in the late 90s, there were a ton of bands in France that followed in the footsteps of French bands like Stormcore, Drowning, Kickback and Trapped In Life, playing hard and heavy metalcore. Fragment Of Reality from the Nantes area is no exception. Stylistically the band has a lot in common with the KDS crew bands from Rennes, just north of Nantes. Especially A Way Of Life comes to mind, altho they never quite reach that level of awesomeness. Still, this is a great demo with some awesome riffs. The lyrics are fairly simplistic tho, but don't sweat it, even with the lyrics sheet it's difficult to follow them anyways, hah.

Aside from this demo they appeared on a couple of compilations, I don't think this band released anything else. Band members moved on to bands like Right 4 Life, Slamface, Nantes Resilience, Die Die Die and Tromatized Youth.

Fragment Of Reality - Demo 1998

Cage - Earth At 95 demo

A random demo from a band I know virtually nothing about. Anyways, Cage was from Methuen, Massachusetts (also the town where Cave-In was formed btw) and played a heavy and downtuned hardcore/metal hybrid, similar to bands such as Blood Has Been Shed. Add to that a singer whose vocals alternates between gruff shouts to the type of singing that brings to mind BHBS's Howard Jones (also Driven & Killswitch Engage), and you should know by now whether this might be interesting for you or not. They recorded the 'Earth At 95' demo in 1995, and I think this was their second demo. I don't think they did anything else after this one tho, but if somebody has more information about Cage, please leave a comment!

Band members moved on to bands like Nok, Never Got Caught (which also featured someone from Boston hardcore band Tree) and Gozu.

Cage - Earth At 95 demo

Manifold - When Silence Erases My Name 7"

Manifold was a new school hardcore band from the Lazio region in central Italy during the second half of the 90s. Their 'When Silence Erases My Name' 7" was released on Rebound Action in 1997, a label run by their drummer Andrea 'Capò' Corsetti who still runs the label and also still drums, in a brutal grind/hardcore band called Neid...

Anyways, Manifold was a (partly?) vegan sXe band with lyrics about those subjects, and played a heavy style somewhere between more early/mid 90s new school sounding and the more metallic sound of Italian edgemetal bands like Reprisal and Purification. But rougher and less polished, both in execution and production. Good stuff tho, it's a shame they remained fairly obscure, especially outside of Italy... They also did a split 7", but I don't have it unfortunately. Members also played in bands like Muddle and Tear Me Down.

Manifold - When Silence Erases My Name 7"