Unholy
New Life Behind Closed Eyes
Prosthetic (2009)
Unholy returns with a brand new full-length effort, and with it comes a number of new beginnings. First off, the band has seen a major lineup shift, trading out vocalists and its rhythm section. Secondly, the band has upgraded to a more high profile home at Prosthetic Records. In spite of these changes, Unholy has continued to deliver a quality … Read more
Unholy Majesty
Self Titled
A389 (2012)
Burgeoning from a small town called Margate in the United Kingdom, is Unholy Majesty, a metallic hardcore supergroup meant to convey the bleak atmosphere of their city through music. With members of bands such as Sacred Ritual, Cold Snap, Age Of Kali, The Break In and Santa Karla it’s clear that this band has paid it’s dues and are looking … Read more
Uniform
Shame
Sacred Bones (2020)
Uniform’s music is aggressive; it’s harsh, noisy, power electronics with smatterings of industrial, metallic hardcore and rumbling chords and overseeing it all is Michael Berdan’s voice – a voice that has lived through more than most can ever imagine and one that underpins their fourth full-length, Shame, as its narrator.Shame is the study of the in between, the moments that … Read more
United Nations
The Next Four Years
Temporary Residence (2014)
United Nations have been locked away for a few years now. Members have come and gone and we aren't even exactly sure which ones. In those four years though, they created music, and that music is finally available to the masses in the form of The Next Four Years. While it's being released as a new full length, it's fair … Read more
United Nations
United Nations
Eyeball (2008)
The initial suggestions of United Nations falling under the grindcore, powerviolence, and traditional screamo umbrellas may have created unrealistic expectations for some music lovers. However, one can't really fault the band members of United Nations for attempting to distance themselves from the stereotypes of their main projects with these descriptions of what to expect from the band. To many screamo … Read more
United States
Divorce Songs
Iron Pier (2006)
United States are back, following up their Fuck It Tapes cassette release with an pseudo-urgent catcall of angular and somewhat disjointed full-length tunes on an album entitled Divorce Songs. The band is from Brooklyn and these songs, according to the one sheet, are about "surviving the city, struggling in the city and learning in the city." The lyrical content definitely … Read more
Universe 217
Never
Catch The Soap Productions (2013)
I still remember the first time I saw Universe217 playing live in Athens, back in 2008. They were the supporting act for Scott Kelly of Neurosis and I found myself thinking that this band definitely is on the right path in terms of what they are doing with their music. Considering they had just released their debut self-titled album at … Read more
Unmothered
Self Titled
Independent (2013)
Unmothered from Austin, Texas have released one of the most promising releases of 2012. The band, featuring members of acts such as Lions of Tsavo and The Hidden Hand, brings seven tracks of atmospheric sludge that you definitely need to have a listen to. By combining their sound with influences from stoner and southern rock influences along with their doom … Read more
Unreal City
Ephemeral Subsistence
Double or Nothing (2008)
Cities like Boston, San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles get a lot of attention when it comes to hardcore. And it's not that it isn't deserved, they turn out a ton of quality bands. But there are other cities to keep tabs on as well... Pittsburgh is one of those cities and it has finally unleashed the debut full-length … Read more
Unsane
Visqueen
Ipecac (2007)
Damn, it is real hard to believe that Unsane is still going strong (minus a break from 2000-2003) almost twenty years after initially forming. Like many people, my knowledge of the band originates with seeing their video for "Skrape" on MTV many moons ago. The gnarly visuals (predating CKY, MTV's Jackass, or Scarred) of skateboarding accidents instantly made me a … Read more
Unsane
Wreck
Alternative Tentacles (2012)
Some days, I just can never get enough Unsane on my headphones, which is the method to which I listen to music while at work and might be a great explanation of why that a little Unsane is never enough as anyone with just a tinge of workplace angst might be able to empathize with me; and Wreck is one … Read more
Unsanitary Napkin
All Billionaires Are Bastards
AlwaysNeverFun, Limbless, Slimebag (2022)
My favorite Dutch swear words are “natte krant” (wet newspaper), “zak hooi” (bag of hay) while “pannekoek” (pancake) gets an honorable mention. As you can see, these don’t translate very well to English. You could tell me to look to the English for more creative English curses, but to my ears they only sound good if you say them with … Read more
Unseen Force
In Search of the Truth (Reissue)
Grave Mistake (2008)
Most people that really delve deep into and are passionate about hardcore and punk know Richmond, Virginia for its fruitful output over the past decade or so, but that wasn't always the case. There was obviously a time when, like many other cities, it was a budding scene on the cusp of something huge. Which brings up to this album … Read more
Until the End
From the Beginning...Until the End
Eulogy (2008)
Whenever I think of Until the End, I think of the time I crammed five finals into a twenty-four-hour period so I could take a road trip down to Gainesville Fest. The kids there went absolutely bat shit for them - head walking and jumping off each other, huge pile-ons, and, of course, devastating mosh. Sure, it sounds like a … Read more
Until Your Heart Stops
Errors
Creator-Destructor (2011)
This album begins with a short acoustic introduction. With tense melodic vocals leading to background screaming. this song lasts for under a minute and does little to really prepare one for the rest of the record. This California band tends to traffic in semi melodic hardcore blasts. This belies their name for certain as most would attribute the band name … Read more
Up and at Them
Demo
Independent (2006)
Up and at Them are four kids playing hardcore music. No frills, no fashion, no hideous lyrics about suicide or emotions. Just straight-up hardcore; it recalls Sick of it All and Comeback Kid and is delivered with a distinct lack of irony that is strongly welcome in a music world where "irony" is so often used to excuse poor musicianship … Read more
Up For Nothing
Escape Route
It's Alive (2022)
While Up For Nothing has apparently been around since 2002, this is my first exposure. It’s interesting to learn about a band after listening on repeat, as I had the impression they were young ‘uns. They should take that as a compliment. Rather than sounding jaded, it sounds vibrant. Up For Nothing is a punk band from Brooklyn. The style … Read more
Up the Fury
Behind Every Mind
Detonate (2008)
Screw you with your Crime in Stereos, your Capitals, your Agents, and your Thieves and Assassins. Seriously, take a long jump off a short pier into Long Island Sound. Every week there seems to be a new band coming from that damn island that of yours that just feels the need to completely floor me. Is it something in the … Read more
