Braindead / Blackbirds
Split
Burn Bridges (2007)
The split effort from Burn Bridges teams up two underrated bands that definitely deserve more attention. Pennsylvania's Braindead and Michigan's Blackbirds each deliver original songs as well as covering classic The Stooges songs. Braindead offers up three originals of melodic hardcore that draw influence from the likes of Turning Point and Kid Dynamite. In between the two "songs" is an … Read more
Brainworms
Which is Worse
Rorschach (2007)
Brainworms hail from Richmond, VA, a city with a rich hardcore/punk history. So it's not a surprise that the members of Brainworms have made waves with several other bands. Which is Worse combines up the band's original demo and cassette only release Is it Weird? Musically, Brainworms is teetering on the line between hardcore and indie rock, so I guess … Read more
Brainworms / Tubers
Split
Dead Tank (2008)
Brainworms continue their progression with each release. With numerous recordings under their belts by now, the band has finally come to a point where they're finding their own identity. The band offers up "Jay's Big Date," equal parts punk ethos and indie rock, comparable at times to that of Minus the Bear's work on Menos el Oso. They follow it … Read more
Bring Out Your Dead
Just Stay Asleep...
Detonate (2010)
Bring Out Your Dead features members of Scraps and Heart Attacks for anyone else out there that gives a hoot. I liked Scraps and Heart Attacks so I was excited hear this EP. What we have here is a metal band that plays fast and has some nice melodic picking parts and some decent early 2000's type mosh to it. … Read more
Bringers Of Disease
Gospel Of Pestilence
Translation Loss (2011)
The ex members game is a precarious one to play. For every band that bares similarity to it's members past exploit there are just as many that don't bare that mark. So to tell you that Bringers Of Disease share members with Acheron and Mouth Of The Architect should only say a minimal amount as to what this band is … Read more
Broadway Calls
Meet Me On The Moon
Red Scare Industries (2020)
Meet Me On The Moon is a teaser single for the new LP, Sad In The City, which also happens to be Broadway Calls’ first new full-length in almost a decade (which will release close to the time this review publishes). While I knew of the band, I’d never really spent any time with their records. On this short-player, I … Read more
Broken Patterns
Broken Patterns
Six Feet Under (2009)
There's a couple ways to start this one. We could examine the ex members of pedigree, which normally would give you a hint at what is included. While I, just like anyone who was into hardcore in the earlier part of this decade, was suitably excited the band member pedigree (Knife Fight, Tear It Up, Cut The Shit, etc.) that … Read more
Brooke Bentham
This Rapture EP
All Points (2017)
Even though 21-year-old Brooke Bentham is firmly entrenched in the burgeoning South London music scene, her music sounds as though it has been dusted with sand from a Californian desert. With a sound that recalls Angel Olsen and First Aid Kit, her music soars and dips though the ravages of a shattered relationship with arresting lyrics and fluid guitars.These affairs … Read more
Brothers
Black Friday
Assault (2007)
It is a shame when a band like Brothers goes unnoticed. This five-piece outfit hails from Michigan and Black Friday is their debut offering. The album is filled with eleven hardcore songs just begging for you to sing-along to. The opening combo of "Beginnings" and "The War at Home" kick things off with fast-paced hardcore akin to Comeback Kid and … Read more
Bulldoze
The Final Beatdown
Trip Machine Laboratories (2007)
The Final Beatdown is a complete discography of New York's kings of beatdown hardcore, thus the title. The release is comprised of a CD, which includes all the band's recorded material and a live set, and a DVD with over an hour of live footage. It's been over ten years since Bulldoze called it quits (they have reformed a number … Read more
Bulldozer
The Hammers
Motherbox (2008)
Sadly this is not a album by recently reformed Italian thrashers Bulldozer but a disc made by a New York band playing bog-standard punk rock with melodic and shouty sing-along choruses. It's hard to get wet and excited over another punk band that has flashes of rock'n roll and sounds like they came straight from the practice room - especially … Read more
Bullet Treatment / It's Casual
Split
Basement (2008)
This split 7" from Basement Records teams up two Los Angeles hardcore veterans for two tracks each: Bullet Treatment and It's Casual. Everything about this record, from the music and the lyrics down to the artwork, screams of the early years of hardcore. Bullet Treatment is back in action again, this time with a new vocalist, Jordan of Vultures United, … Read more
Burning Empires
Burning Empires
Fuck City (2009)
I was admittedly pretty psyched about this as it marks Andy Hurley's (Fall Out Boy) return to hardcore. Unfortunately this ends up sounding like Misery Signals and Darkest Hour joined together to make something incredibly tepid. The musicianship is definitely top notch but the songs don't seem to go anywhere, ever. The riffs are catchy but not anything special. As … Read more
By Night
A Shape of New Desperation
Lifeforce (2007)
Where to begin, where to begin... For starters they're Swedish, which would normally be a plus, but in this case it is not because they opt to sound like every other 'Mercan scream-core band you've ever heard and that's really about it. Do you like Lamb of God? Do you like every band like this that tries to sound like … Read more
Caestles
We Have Built a New God
Independent (2008)
Caestles is a six-person conglomeration of two bands that have fused together to form one entity. And when you listen to the band's self-released EP, We Have Built a New God, this makes perfect sense. The four songs that comprise this EP takes equal parts atmospheric and electronic-based indie/rock and devastating crushing metalcore. Points of this EP remind me of … Read more
Caleb Lionheart
Think Hardcore, Play Pop Punk
Farewell Party (2008)
New York outfit Caleb Lionheart's first proper offering Think Hardcore, Play Pop Punk is a bit of an odd title. Thankfully, the band does not play the mosh-influenced hardcore version of pop-punk of A Day to Remember. Instead the band's fast-paced punk is much closer to Lifetime and Bouncing Souls. Musically, I enjoy what Caleb Lionheart has to offer quite … Read more
California X
Self Titled
Don Giovanni (2013)
It seems the term “grunge” is getting thrown around again quite a bit these days when it comes to describing the current crop of buzzy-guitar-based bands. And while the actual definition of the word has always been somewhat confusing, in the 20-odd years it’s existed, it has also become a fairly accurate identifier. It would not be incorrect to use … Read more
Candle
Miles and Miles and Miles
Real Love (2008)
Candle is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Kevin Coons, who expanded his solo recording project into a full band. Miles and Miles and Miles is the group's third release in as many years, and boasts a country tinged folk sound with small touches of indie rock. The album begins with "Pennies in a Well," a simple track with a multitude of … Read more
