UNBROKEN.

You know how San Diego has a benchmark "sceamo" sound?
Well... THIS AIN'T IT.

Before all that, there was Unbroken, and what they did for "modern" hardcore will never be truly acknowledged.
(Too) many have tried to replicate the sound, and while some have come close, they've all lacked that passion. Heartfelt shredding vocals, dissonant chaos / chuga-chug guitars, rumbling/rolling bass lines and excellent breakdowns is what made Unbroken THE STANDARD by which few can be ranked.
You can't go wrong with any of their material; I'm not actually sure why I'm saying this as 90% of you loyal readers probably already have them in your collection. If not, here's a collection NO ONE should be without.

This stuff STILL blows away 95.7% of what is deemed "hardcore" today - I guess you could call this "your father's metalcore"?
If so, maybe you should go thank Dad...



(Link will open in new window)

Unbroken - Death of True Spirit

I just enjoyed a bangin' birthday weekend - June 25th. by the way - which started last week with beers & cake at work (drunken fork lifting antics / cake fight), new iPod Nano, new iPhone 3GS (later today), KILLER steak dinner ( courtesy of the in-laws), a fresh window-tint job on my Scion xB "Battle Toaster", yesterday's trip to Sonoma to go swimming, AND I took today off from work. Score!

Life is pretty fuckin' rad right now, that's all I'm saying...

ETERNAL SUFFERING.

Loyal L-RV comrade (and recent Bay Area transplant?) Moose suggested these guys after checking out my post featuring gurgle-shredders Pyrexia. Thanks to the wonders of the webernet, I was able to this down for you all...

If you enjoy Pyrexia, vintage Suffocation and early Obituary, then you should have no problem downing this either.

A classic in it's own right, really.



(Link will open in new window)

Eternal Suffering - Drowning n Tragedy

YDI.

While DC had Void,
Detroit had Negative Approach.

NYC had (by this time) Bad Brains,
and Raleigh, NC had Corrosion of Conformity.

(Insert your fave town here) had (insert fave burly hardcore band here),
and
PHILLY HAD YDI...

Definitely one of the most unsung, underrated, and under-appreciated - especially on a national scope - bands of the first era of American Hardcore.

For your listening pleasure today I offer you this most-amazing collection culling material spanning the years 1982-1988.

ENJOY.



(Link will open in new window)

YDI - Out for Blood

RE-UP: FLIPPER.

I've had a few requests as of late for a re-up of that rippin' Flipper demo, so here it is.

More later, the couch is callin' me...

PYREXIA.

Okay...

If you truly, truly, TRULY enjoy having your ears pummeled with low-end gurgle-throb brutalic death stylings, then this record is for YOU.

While the Suffocation comparisons will come in to play - Guy Marchais (guitars) is now in said band - Pyrexia seemed to play it deeper into the murk - all Nyquilled-out to the max and shit, bro.

(This has been my morning-drive CD for the last few weeks)...



(Link will open in new window)

Pyrexia - Sermon of Mockery

NULLA OSTA.

Here's some excellent blasting-crust from Croatia whose lineup features TWO bass players, and NO guitarist. There's a sick spastic drummer in there as well.
You'd never notice the lack of six-string motherfucking as the twin-bottom attack nullifies any lack of space in the music; it just works!

Full-on raging crust, and the Croatian tongue sounds excellent over top of it all.



(Link will open in new window)

Nulla Osta - Poslije Zivota

VIOLATION.

Chunka-chunka-chunka,
Growl-growl-growl...

I mean that in a GOOD way.

Excellent contemporary more-newschool-hardcore-than-metal, and defintiely NOT part of the "Thrash Revival".
These So-Cal thugs are more akin to falling sound-wise somewhere between World Burns to Death/Buried Alive/Slayer. Rad cover art, too.



(Link will open in new window)

Violation - Devoured