Boston natives Death Before Dishonor really broke through with their 2007 full-length Count Me In. Like it's predecessors, it featured a punishing assault of metallic hardcore that captivated hardcore fans around the globe. In addition, the band infused their standard sound with some of their hometown punk upbringings, which - for me - brought up mixed reactions. Two years later Death Before Dishonor return with their second full-length effort, Better Ways to Die. "Peace and Quiet" doesn't waste any time dillydallying around. This is a minute blast of ferocious hardcore that is anchored by a truly dynamic drumming assault and the barking vocals of Bryan Harris. "Remember" follows and continues the assault, with a slow dirge of heavy riffs and a muted solo before quickening the pace to a punk rock-inspired beat. If Rancid and Blood for Blood got in a fistfight, it would surely sound like this song. There are whoa-s and there are harsh breakdowns. You'd think they wouldn't' work together, but somehow they do. Unlike the songs that experimented with this style on Count Me In there is more care in the structuring and execution of these varying styles. As a result, they come off less generic … Read more
Detournement are an Eastcoast band with members from a host of familiar bands. Rather than focus on who they are, … Read more
Set Your Goals follows up their debut album, Mutiny!, with yet another fusion of pop punk and scarce hardcore elements. … Read more
Long Island natives This is Hell have been going full-force since their formation in 2004. There has been an endless … Read more
Spencer Krug may be our generation's Robert Pollard. Both seem to excrete music. Both create surreal visions full of vibrant … Read more
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With the recent resurgence in the archetypal screamo sound popularized by Gravity Records in the late '90s, few bands remain as true-to-form as Loma Prieta. Grandiose post-rock guitar lines, the relentless abrasion of grind, and the unbridled display of emotion captured on hardcore and emo records can all be found on this succinct five song, seven minute split from Loma Prieta and Italian screamo act Raein.Brash and caustic with a sound similar to bands like Pg. 99 and Ampere, Loma Prieta ("dark mountain" in Spanish) have released consistently great records, with 2012's I.V. seeing the band at their heaviest yet. Their path of destruction continues here with the band delivering brutish and to-the-point emoviolence. "Mansion Fire," at two minutes, is their longest song on the split. It begins with pummeling … Read more
It's hard to believe that Richmond, Virginia natives The Catalyst are only releasing their first full-length record in the form of Swallow Your Teeth. But I suppose that is a testament to their craft. They've kept fans satisfied with a series of split recordings and EP's over the years so that fans haven't had a chance to really yearn for … Read more
Panic Records has been on quite a roll as of late. Releasing great records from Final Fight, Outrage, Make Do And Mend, and a 7" from a Texas hardcore band The Golden Age. This five-piece made quick work in the studio to record their new full-length, Unlock Yourself which is being described as "one of the best melodic hardcore records … Read more
In 1995 Testing the Limits of Infinite would have been standard fare by any big league hardcore band. You see, back then many bands liked to play metal. They really loved their Slayer riffs interspersed with their mosh parts and we all ate it up because our dirt bag metal head friends wouldn't piss and moan about what we played … Read more
Always an air of mystery or uncertainty surrounding The Hope Conspiracy due to their status and rare live appearances, the group provides us with a bit of a tease in the three-song EP, True Nihilist in order to remind people that they are still out there lurking on the edge of existence stewing in whatever fuels the angry sounds for … Read more
Occasionally, a member of the staff at Scene Point Blank will write a piece on an artist of which I'm not entirely familiar. As a result, I will have to do some investigating in order to make sure all facts are straight. Every once in a while this leads to my becoming a fan of the group. It's been a … Read more
About the only comment that I could muster when I saw the existence of this release was an extremely emphatic, "NICE! A new Forensics record," before promptly heading over to the Magic Bullet web store and ordering the extremely limited CD (only 88 copies and a few additional that did not meet the artistic standards of the group). Even though … Read more
Certainly, GREYMACHINE is a group whose mere existence is enough to generate interest and the inevitable hype considering its composition of some rather prominent members of the "extreme" music community. Seriously though, how could it not comprising members of Isis, Godflesh, Jesu, and tons more? The real question, at least if we concentrate on the actual content of Disconnected should … Read more
Los Angeles by way of Boston by way of Miami by way of Venezuela, Mellowdrone return with a second full-length recording in a career that now spans ten years. While the first five years saw Mellowdrone remarkably productive as a solo venture releasing a series of EP's, it took a while to produce the first long player. The now trio … Read more
Bold, in your face stoner rock from members of Bad Wizard and Party Time. If you like your rock heavy with Sabbath sprinkled into the mix, Red Fang are your guys. Curiously, the first four songs blast your face off. Then later on, it got a bit too Nirvana-esque for me song structure wise. "Reverse Thunder" will singe your eyebrows … Read more
Austin, Texas natives We'll Go Machete offer six songs on their debut EP, released through indie label Cedar Fever Records, also based in Austin. It comes in a cardboard sleeve, which for a CD release isn't much plus, there are no lyrics. Over these six songs, We'll Go Machete, blast through twenty minutes of alternative influenced hardcore punk. If you … Read more
Two newcomers from Texas team up for a split 7" release. You get one track each, generally falling within the bounds of the indie music circuit. A Kid Named Thompson is not a one-man emo guitarist - thank goodness. This three-piece outfit instead offers up "Fall Down," a three-minute venture of upbeat pop-rock. I'd liken them to Jimmy Eat World, … Read more
Seafoam Recordings teams up No Harm Done from Florida and Offsides from Connecticut on this limited edition split 7". The a-side features the final three tracks from No Harm Done, who just recently called it quits. This Floridian outfit continues their melodic hardcore and punk assault that follows the lead of Strike Anywhere and Rise Against. I've always found this … Read more
Two years back I reviewed ¡Apeshit!'s self-titled demo. The record contained thirteen songs in just about eleven minutes. This 7" EP - which the band has self-released on their own label - counts a modest seven songs in just a smidge over seven minutes. Cavalier Activity is an extension of the sound heard on their previous recordings, which also includes … Read more
With the demise of Some Girls and the considerable downtime of The Locust, Justin Pearson got the itch to do something new. He teamed up with fellow Some Girls cohort Nathan Joyner and Maniqui Lazer's Jung Sing to form All Leather All Leather ventures towards slightly different territory that previous Pearson projects, and yet there is still that distinct sound … Read more
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