A pretty cromulent year all around for ragers. Lots and lots of dumb bullshit in the “hardcore” scene these days, but most of it is pretty easy to ignore.
YellowCake
Apparitions of War Tape
Total Peace Records
Raging female-fronted crust punk. It would be cliche to compare them to Nausea, but that is pretty much what they sound like minus the metallic tinge. This band has a couple of other records out that I need to check out. Really good.
Criminal Assault
Demo 2025
Somewhere between the Flex Your Head and No Core compilations comes Criminal Assault from Texas. Real big Corrosion of Conformity vibe here, but also bands like Deadline and Artificial Peace. I am looking forward to what comes next from this band.
Shitcontrol
Hungriga, Frusna Och Lamslagna Tape
Another rager from Sweden that sounds like it comes from…Sweden. Totalitar would be a good starting point here.
Pig Rides
These People Are Not Your Friends Tape
Pig Rides are from Cleveland and remind me of the best of the early 2000s wave of thrashy hardcore (led by many Cleveland bands), but with some punk soaked snotiness. The production here really sells it: It is very heavy and loud. The drumming especially sounds great.
Shark Attack
Raw Unleashed Tape
My War Records
Shark Attack rises from the ashes with five new songs that continue in the same vein as their previous records plus two covers. This is a rager from ex members of Rain On The Parade, Knife Fight, and some others.
The Final Agony
Depraved From Darkness 7″
Triple B Records
The Final Agony from Washington DC remind me a lot of mid-90s Cleveland. Think “Seasons in the Size of Days” era Integrity or In Cold Blood. One of the best of the year for sure.
Destruct x Svaveldioxid
Split 7″
Prescription Records
Ragers from America and Sweden team up on this split record. Destruct, from Virginia, remind me a lot of Doom’s Police Bastard record. Svaveldioxid are very Swedish in their influences, but throw in some Entombed style riffing as well to mix things up. This is great!
Camellia Sinensis
Tout Prendre 7″
Une Vie Pour Rien Records
Some pretty mid-paced and heavy stompers from the French band Camellia Sinensis. This would have fit in well with the wave of bands in this style that reigned in the mid-2000s. I would love to hear more.
Fuckin’ Lovers
Crucifixion of the Masses 7″
General Speech Records
Blazing fast hardcore in the vein of Neos, Offenders, DRI, etc I love the bass tone on this one.
Deletar x Skizophrenia
Split 7″
Kick Rock Records
Deletar from France remind me of late eighties British bands like Extreme Noise Terror, Ripcord, and Doom. Skizophrenia from Japan remind me of bands like Rocky & The Sweden with some pretty unique vocals.
Exploator
Apokollips 12″
Phobia Records
Members of legendary ragers Totalitar are back with a new album that continues the legacy of that incredible band. Raging Swedish hardcore that keeps up a heavy, mid-tempo, pace.
Alienator
Meat Locker 12″
Black Water Records
Real big “Early COC meets early COC” vibes from Portland’s Alienator on their Meat Locker album. This one is in and out in about 15 minutes, which is a perfect length for this style of crossover hardcore. One of the best of the year.
Innumerable Forms
Pain Effulgence 12″
Profound Lore Records
DFJ is back with his death metal band Innumerable Forms. This is not my expertise, for sure, but I dig this in small amounts. I like that it does not wear out its welcome at around 30 minutes. Some bands in this genre have records that drag on way too long. There is a dude at my job who knows nothing about hardcore, but loves this band. Pretty cool.
Inmates
Role of God 12″
Iron Lung Records
Cleveland’s Inmates are back with another record of raging hardcore. Paranoid and angry lyrics are met by burly heavy hardcore with former members of Integrity among many others with their own unique take on this style. One of the best of the year.
Nisemono
Self Titled 12″
Toxic State Records
New York by way of Japan and Sweden come Nisemono, who have put out another great record. I love the riffs on here: There is a uniqueness to them I really dig.
Mecht Mensch
Anthology 12″
No Coast Records
Mecht Mensch are an extremely underrated band from Wisconsin. Somewhere between Die Kreuzen and Necros, they did a great seven inch and appeared on two tape compilations. This collection has all of that plus another session and some live tracks. Essential USHC.
Ripcord
The Damage Is Done 12″
Quality Control HQ Records
An essential rager gets a reissue. This band was a mix tape favorite for me in the old days. Speedy hardcore that sounds like it is going to fall apart at any moment. This band has been covered by No Tolerance in recent years.
Swiz
Discography 12″
Dischord Records
Another essential band gets a fresh discography. I think this one sounds a lot better than the Jade Tree one did. Very few bands can combine being melodic with sounding HARD quite the way Swiz does. A lot of the bands that try to replicate this sound end up sounding pretty lame outside of a chosen few. Another great reissue from Dischord, who are doing a great job of archiving their scene.
Enuf
Demo 1988 7″
Radio Raheem Records
Obviously, the best band to ever come from New Jersey is Ripping Corpse, but Enuf’s demo might be the best record from this state. Somewhere between the Cro-Mags and Youth of Today comes this brief demo with a hard intro (that definitely influenced Floorpunch) and songs about The Straight Edge, skating, and other important concerns. Of course it was reissued by Radio Raheem! There is another session from Enuf, but it seems the tapes have been lost.
White Cross
Fascist 7″
Beach Impediment Records
A top ten USHC record gets a nice remastering by CC. White Cross are one of the few bands who got close to the ugly fury of Italian bands like Raw Power, Wretched, and Cheetah Chrome Mother Fuckers. I originally got this on a mix tape with a bunch of midwest bands and wore the tape out before it being probably the first thing I ever made a digital rip of to save the tape. This is a nice replacement for that.
