Not Your Kingdom is the band’s 10th full-length and first one in eight years, their last being For the Cause, in 2018. Joining Freddy is: Paul Delaney – bass, Mike Gurnari – guitars, and Mike Justian – drums.

The band has remained intact for quite a while, and Freddy sounds absolutely maddening on this album. 14 songs in 30 minutes, the band wastes no time, ripping right into “Tethered”. You can feel a NYHC pit starting immediately as this song opens with a killer groove. The band opted to have the album produced in Nashville, TN, and Andrew Baylis really helped to get the best Madball sound possible. Lee Rouse did a stunning mix/mastering job, as this ensures Madball sounds as relevant as they did when first starting out as a bunch of kids.

“Flammable” is next and is ferocious. Blistering speed opens the song, and then out of nowhere, a fuckin blast beat. At 59 seconds, this song swoops in and levels the playing field. Intense NYHC!

“Rebel Kids” is a nod to the band, former members, the NYHC scene, and the philosophy of growing up in NY, back then and how kids thought and felt. One of the catchiest songs the band has ever written, it’s only a matter of time before the entire crowd is singing along live to ‘Let me hear your voices say I’ve been led astray, been led astray’. The grooving and hoppy moments go along with the emotive nature of what the lyrical content is meant to convey. I love this song, and this will be an excellent connection between the band and the live audience.

“Don’t Misstep” was a song selected to be one of their singles, and the speedy opening hardcore attack eventually simmers down to allow that excellent groove to hit, then back into the hardcore galloping attack. This will be a great circle pit song. The song has nods to the band’s earliest material as well as Agnostic Front, no surprise there.

“Life’s a Mural” is a great song, with true NYHC lyrics talking about hypocritical people. If you’re gonna talk the talk, you’d better walk the walk and be true to your values and not be a chameleon. Always improving oneself and basically don’t talk outta your ass. Some excellent guitar moments with an excellent breakdown showcasing the strong rhythm section. The song gets into a rather nice gallop, then slows back down, and once again his track screams, play me live!!

“Chase a Dream” closes out this terrific NYHC album, with some phenomenal drumming as the galloping takes us on a speedy opening path. Awesome and aggressive vocals help move the song along. The song slows down, and we get a nice little isolated bass guitar that is rooted in classic 80’s NYHC, as well as on the west coast, D.R.I. hardcore bangers. The song speaks about staying true, following a good path, and not allowing naysayers to try and tear you down. Excellent album closer.

Before I finish up this review, I must mention the passing of legendary NYHC singer, Lou Koller, from NY’s Sick of It All. He recently passed away from cancer, after it returned last year. Fuck cancer! Lou was a purveyor and staple in the NYHC movement, and the band is taking the time to mourn and some time for themselves. RIP NYHC Brother!

Not Your Kingdom is a ferocious and fun hardcore album from Madball. The band is hellbent to come outta the starting gates swinging and slamming, and that is exactly what they do. Releasing one of their strongest and most intense albums with terrific lyrical content and meaning. You all need to run out and get this scorcher asap!!

I’ll get straight to it and, like this 25-minute bruiser, make it short. This is super beefy, metallic hardcore that will appeal to (sans the clean vocals) fans of Dying Wish, Boundaries, Kublai Khan TX, and most certainly Knocked Loose, down to the higher-pitched screams of Emile Dupitie, which might get grating for some folks after a while. Research and purchase of the band’s prior albums shows he used to mix it up with a gruffer bellow and a lower register scream, but it appears he does not do that anymore. Some gang chants break things up, though.

Musically, though, this is some tough shit. It’s got that earlier Gatecreeper/Fuming Mouth, almost Swedish death metal guitar tone, and wee hints of death metal (though not quite as much) like their countrymates Glassbone or even Bodysnatcher, and every single tune kicks you in the teeth with some sort of massive groove or breakdown.

Whether it’s opener “Dust Off”, trundling “Bystander”, “Never Ending War”, “Chaosystem”, “ANYONE” (even with its short atmospheric intro); “Kiss of the Cobra” (with arguably the album’s hardest hitting, albeit short breakdown), “Deadlock V”… fuck it,  all of them; they are all mid-paced, loping, lumbering tracks that are perfect lifting/workout tunes. Or tunes to start a revolution, too.

Get to it.

The band suffered a loss two years ago when their bassist Erik Barrett passed away (RIP, brother). The band was able to soldier on, and Sean Martin is now on bass. Pete Morcey – vox, Rich Rosa – drums, and Jeremy Braddock/ Rick Brayall guitars round out the band as they’ve done for years. My boy Rick, used to be the guitarist for Tyrant Trooper out of Connecticut, btw. And we played some shows back in the 90’s when I was fronting Internal Bleeding. If you never checked out TT, you must do so pronto!

100 Demons is a downbeat hardcore band from CT and while they have gotten better on each of their albums, I am unsure if the world will be ready for this new monster. Embrace the Black Light is 12 songs in 37 minutes and is so fucking bludgeoning, the band may get locked up for releasing this album. It should be a crime due to how monstrous this actually is and the fact sinkhole pits will be forming from here to the Pacific Rim with this.

“The Nightmare” starts with some church bells in the background until the music hits. And the production is definitely the best the band has ever had on their albums. The mid-paced, ruthless groove hits, then we are hit with a blast beat and some galloping hardcore thrash moments. Super aggressive. The downbeat hardcore hits, and boy, does it ever hit. Hard AF! Pete sounds even better all these decades later. He sounds like he’s jumping through the mic to bodyslam you again and again and again. This is how you open up a comeback album, folks! “Made For Nothing” is next up and has a fast hardcore galloping beat that slows down with the song title being yelled at us, and the groove is just a monster. Total beatdown music.

“Through Seven Eternities” has some great opening drums, and you can tell the ‘Holy Shit’ moment is about to hit. Boom, right into a monster groove. The song gallops, then gets faster, taking us back to a hardcore beatdown groove. You will be swinging all damn day. You will want to create a whirlwind circle pit that creates tornado-like winds. The song gallops some more, and the slam hitting at the 2.20 section is criminal at best. No one will be left standing during this beatdown moment. It is beyond lethal.
“Nail It Shut” takes me back to those NYHC days with the ripping fast moment opening things up. Excellent riffs and heavy. Catchy bendy riffs with perfect tempos. At under two minutes, this song is not here to stay long; it makes a pounding impression.

“Spiritual Obliteration” ends the album with a slow and heavy buildup, almost as if the first song started with the music. Then the vicious hardcore-infused thrash speed takes over, then right into a mid-paced groove, which gets slower, really beatdown slow. The isolated riff at the 3.05 moment signifies the slam. And what a slam it is. Terrifically heavy and violent, this is how the music ends. A little atmospheric outro takes us to the end, and before you know it, you are playing the album again.

Embrace The Black Light puts the hardcore scene on notice. Creating an outstanding heavy AF album. This is the most aggressive and heavy album 100 Demons has released, and their other albums were killer. I am unsure if the band tours. They should. I would love to see a tour with them opening the tour and Emmure and Biohazard on the tour. I think that would be a monstrous tour which would bring some of the deathcore into the house with Emmure and I would call the Tour: The Sinkhole Tour.

I am being dumb, but at the end of the day, Embrace The Black Light has the best grooves of any 2026 release. The full motion cover on Apple Music is super neat with the swirling smoke and suns moving around. The production is insane and musicianship is stellar. This is how violent grooves and slams should be written. Outstanding!

Then a promo came across my desk that touted Statement of Wills as ‘for fans of Doom metal, hardcore, 90s death metal and the New Orleans sludge sound‘. So I grabbed it, and then, as a bonus, found out the band was founded by Derek Kovacs, who founded one of my very favorite 00s hardcore bands, Built Upon Frustration. He’s joined by Bob McSherry on drums and Jake Morris on bass.

The promotional description is pretty spot on, except I’m not getting much 90s death metal. This is a sort of doomy, sludgy hardcore that does have some Crowbar-ism, but you can also hear Kovacs’ hardcore roots, with the riffs and his bellow that are reminiscent of his Built Upon Frustation days. 

The guitars are nice and beefy, delivering simple, stout riffs that come across as a slightly moody, doom-ish version of Kovac’s hardcore days. But that said, none of it really sticks or hits hard, lacking some of the emotional and actual sonic heft of a Crowbar, etc.

There are some decent riffs like opener “Visibility”, ‘Two Worlds” or the closer “Light The Way”. They try to get a little more draining on “Existence Denied” and “High Above”, where there are some cleaner croons, but it doesn’t quite land. And that sums up the album. It’s decent and something I’ll listen to as background music, but there’s nothing here that pulls me back, demanding I listen to it again, beyond reviewing purposes.

Which is why musically, sometimes, I just need something super simple – something that really requires little to no analyzation so I can stare into the middle distance and disassociate for a lil bit, or just bang my head without having to think too much about it. If I can tune out while still passively letting out some of the aggression or frustration built up from just generally being alive in the world? Hell yeah, brother. Sign me up.

Enter the UK’s Cage Fight – and sure, you may be thinking to yourself, “I dunno man, I’m not really sure saying a band requires little thought is actually, like, a compliment?” But I promise you, I mean this with the utmost respect and admiration. Cage Fight is one of those band that, when asked, you can genuinely just categorize them as “Metal,” and you really don’t have to elaborate any further. It’s really all you need to know, and I honestly think that’s a beautiful thing.

If you NEED to break it down, Exuvia has a little dash of everything here to please just about everyone. The first proper track, “Oxygen,” begins life sounding like it was lifted straight out of Arch Enemy‘s Wages of Sin album, with militant, thrashy guitars straight out of the Amott playbook. But instead of playing out like a straight-up mimic, the band blends in some bombastic, catchy-as-all-hell UK Metalcore elements throughout the track ala Bleed from Within or Malevolence to add a little spice to the bag, making for an aggressive, if not pleasingly melodic start that gets the blood pumping in short order. Vocalist Rachel Aspe throws everything she’s got into the mix, with a nice range of raspy, venomous harsh vocals – and a nice balance of airy cleans that come together nicely to deliver an effective and engaging listen. Throw in a good n’ burly breakdown to close out the track, and we’ve got the makings of something super fun here.

And make no mistake, Cage Fight can bring the punishment. “Pig” is a groovy, Metallic Hardcore anthem that bounces along at the kind of pace that easily inspires all sorts of pit antics – from swingy two-stepping, to more punishing crowd killing, to a good ol’ crowd-pleasing pogo. There’s even some appropriate pig squeals! Lending the track a sort of Despised Icon-esque Death/Hardcore vibe that tickles my brain aplenty – a feeling that only gets amplified on the super fun, wholly unserious “Pick Your Fighter,” featuring the squealy talents of Benighted‘s Julien Truchan on guest vocal duty. It’s a quick-hitter that minces no words about it’s intent of dealing out as much punishment in as little amount of time as possible. If you can believe it, “The Hammer Crush” pulls a similar stunt, taking less than three minutes of your time to just be fun, heavy and bouncy, featuring perhaps the album’s most fun and raucous breakdown just to really hammer the point home (see what I did there? Again, I should stress that this is not highbrow shit here. It’s just fun).

There’s also a few tracks where I stop and go “Devildriver… dat you?” only lending further to the stance that Cage Fight is just simply a Metal band (I’d even argue at this point they’re Devildriver-ing better than Devildriver themselves?). “Deathstalker,” title track “Exuvia” and the super fun and excellent “IHYG (I Hate Your Guts)” really fit the bill – a little thrashy, a little groovy, a little metalcore-y (if you squint), but honestly just quality, no frills Metal that satisfies you on a base level. The kinds of tracks that really just tap into your most basic metal needs in the best way. Aspe’s cleans on the title track are great, bringing to mind a little bit of Kittie‘s Morgan Lander (COMPLETE side note, Lander ‘s new gothy darkwave project Winterlvst with Blackguard’s Justine Ethier and Jonathan L Leduc just recently released a fuckin EXCELLENT album called Awkakening that I HIGHLY recommend. Anywayyyyyyy) and adds some really impressive and enjoyable depth to her performance.

I genuinely have nothing bad to say about Exuvia – it’s a super solid release that, honestly, wasn’t really even on my radar, but I’m really glad I had a go! It’s no bullshit, no pretense, just straight in-your-face heat that should put a smile on anyone’s face. Don’t think too hard about it, just give ‘er a rip and enjoy the ride.

But when this came across my desk, I thought it might be power metal or heavy metal based on the band moniker. Ooh, boy, was I wrong, as Alabama’s Wielded Steel has dropped some of the heaviest hardcore/beatdown of 2026…so far…

While definitely (metallic) hardcore at its…..core, it’s like the bands above, it’s certainly death metal adjacent with the way it delivers some of the deeper vocals and blasty, heftier moments. But the use of gang vocals and a plethora of two-step breakdowns keep it squarely in hardcore territory.

At a brisk 21 minutes, this feels like an EP, but there is so much fucking girthy heaviness contained here, it’s satisfying regardless of length ( …paging Dr. Freud). From the intro to the closer “Martyr”, this thing is downright stupid heavy.

In particular, “Your Words Mean Nothing”, ” In The Line Of Fire” (Feat. Blaythe Steuer of No Cure), “Perpetual Hell” and “Fabricated Integrity”, will just knock your fucking teeth in.

This is going to have a lot of appeal to modern hardcore/beatdown bands like The Acacia Strain, Bodysnatcher, Kublai Khan TX, and Knocked Loose, as well as some death metal/slam bands like Sanguisugabogg (down to the snare drum sound) and Corpse Pile (whose Jason Frazier appears on the tite track), and older, burlier hardcore like Full Blown Chaos, Liferuiner, and Built Upon Frustration.

Good fucking shit.

Then Agnostic Front took the stage. So we go from death metal right into NYHC, and Agnostic Front were still in support of their Liberty and Justice For… album from a few years prior. There must have been some bad blood between Morbid Angel and Agnostic Front because, in between songs, Roger made it a point to stick it to Morbid Angel, by doing a little trash talking their way and saying this song specifically does not go out to Morbid Angel. It could also have been an inside joke between them, and they were, in fact, friendly towards one another. Once S.O.D. took the stage with Milano jumping off the high-rise speaker, the pits were some of the most massive I have ever seen or been in.

I have been into Agnostic Front since the Victim in Pain album. I did not realize they had their first release, the United Blood EP, so a few years later, I went back and scored that. Agnostic Front, coming from a punk background, really started the NYHC scene and were also responsible for the crossover genre alongside D.R.I.

AF’s 1986 landmark album Cause for Alarm was the crossover catalyst, incorporating speed metal into their sound, and the band has remained ardent on their hardcore crossover sound throughout the decades. They have influenced all hardcore and many metal bands. They’re a huge influence on Slayer’s early years, as Slayer would always go on record saying this. The one thing about AF is not none of their albums are weak. Sure, there are some samey records; however, all of their albums have speedy fast moments, mixed with Stigma’s guitar tone and Roger’s original hardcore voice and lyrics. The album mix is done by none other than Zeuss at Planet-Z, who is responsible for really bringing out the sounds of the band he is working with. 15 songs in 27 minutes, and Agnostic Front are back and as strong as ever.

“Way of War” gets right into a hardcore gallop that is circle pit worthy. Then it gets into a little groove, then back into the gallop. Danny Lamagna’s drum sound is terrific – especially the snare sound. Craig Silverman is back on guitar to complement Stigma’s leads, and Mike Gallo’s bass guitar is throughout the album. The second song, “You Say” has a sharp, fast guitar riff opening with the song title being gang shouted. At only 90 seconds, this is an anthemic and very catchy song that will no doubt be in their live set.

RUN DMC’s Darryl “DMC” McDaniels sounds killer on “Matter of Life & Death”. His rap tone fits perfectly during the groove moments. This song is a constant pit-moving song. Very beat down worthy with the stomping sections. Stigma lets loose with a crafty guitar solo, then back into the beat down hardcore groove with the song title being gang shouted, with McDaniels also helping in that department. Hopefully some live shows McDaniels can come out and sing this song with the band.

“Sunday Matinee” is such a damn catchy and fun song that brings us back to the CBGB’s early shows of the band and the relationship they have forged with their fans and crowd, especially in a live setting. The song gallops with the band yelling ‘Here We Go. Then, into a very catchy groove with the chorus shouted ‘We Are All Together At The Sunday Matinee’ – referencing all those early shows. I know what that’s like. When I was in Internal Bleeding we played alongside NYHC bands, in the 90’s at Sunday matinee shows. Sooo cool. This is a very special song to hear Agnostic Front put together. Another live highlight, I am sure.

“Art Of Silence” calls to mind the band’s earliest material, as this is a 40-second super-fast hardcore tune, and then there is “Hell To Pay”. An absolute banger opening up with a killer drum roll, then right into a brutal crossover fast moment with Roger yelling, the new term going around, Fuck Around Find Out to single out naysayers, people that have done them or others wrong. They are putting those dbags on notice.

Echoes In Eternity is another excellent Agnostic Front album holding the NYHC banner high and proud. The production and mix is spot on and very powerful. The band is on fire, showing no signs of letting up, even with some of their health issues, like Roger’s heart condition. If you have never seen the band live and they come to your area, make the time and effort to see them – they are great live. Love this band, all these decades later!!!

Phew. No wonder they are ready to Settle all Scores with album number 7.

And they certainly do Settle All Scores on this album. It delivers everything you’d expect from these Long Island legends. Even with more member turnover, as vocalist Steve Worley of Sacrifical Slaughter replaces Joe Marchese, and bassist Ryan Giordano (ex- Escuela Grind and ex-Flesh Tomb) replaces Shaun Kennedy. The core trio of original member Chris Pervelis (guitars), as well as Kyle Eddy (drums) and Chris McCarthy (guitar/backing vocals), keep things familiar as they did on the last two efforts, blending hardcore 2-stepping grooves and slamming death metal into an immediately recognizable stew of East Coast Death Metal gabagool.

As with pretty much all their releases, the emphasis is on pit-moving grooves and breakdowns that will induce immediate neck snappage. Worley brings a little gruffer death metal vocals than the prior guys, even if still backed by McCarthy’s more hardcore shouts.

At a brisk 30 minutes or so, the album gets right to it with “Intangible Pact” and never lets up, with a palpable anger present in each track from the growl-along chorus of “Settle All Scores”, personal “Crown of Insignificance”, burly standout “Prophet of Deceit”, stomping “Enforced Compliance” (which even has a rare solo), hugely groovy “Glorify the Oppressor” and moodier, more varied album closer “Deliberate Desecration”.

It’s hardly a game-changer, and each song sounds pretty similar, but you know what you are walking into when you hit play on an IB album. And it’s clear that modern bands like Sanguisugabogg, etc were and are still heavily influenced by IB.

The only downside I’m going to gripe about is the production, mainly the bottom end. The guitars sound amazing, crisp and deadly sharp. But the drums and bass are just not there. And this type of music commands a heftier lower end to make those grooves and 2 steps fucking shatter glass and wreck speakers. “Prophet of Deceit” should have. It just doesn’t.

And as with Corrupting Influence and Imperium, some pals show up to help out, as Skinless’s Sherwood Webber, former IB vocalist Joe Marchese, and of course, OG IB growler Frank Rini appear, with the latter providing a super massive and ridiculously long album-ending growl on “Deliberate Desecration”.

Biohazard has always been my favorite hardcore bands, and I used to see them live in NY, before they were signed. I remember them opening for Morbid Angel, when Altars of Madness came out, and Biohazard’s scorching debut had not even been released. For me, the best Biohazard albums are certainly their first four, as well as Means to an End, which I put right up there with the first 4 classic albums. We can now add Divided We Fall to that. Before I get into the weeds with this outstanding album, let me fanboy for a little bit.

At one of the local Long Island, NY shows after Biohazard played, they took a picture of the crowd, and the back of the original debut album featured a photo of said crowd and my brother, his friend, and myself are in that photo, clear as day. Once their second album Urban Discipline, came out and they made a video for “Punishment”, the video was on MTV Headbanger’s Ball all the time. I can go on about their collab with Onyx etc. as well.

When I joined Internal Bleeding in 1994, our drummer, Bill Tolley (RIP), was also a huge Biohazard fan and loved Danny’s very tasty drum patterns. He was an influence on Bill’s own tasty grooves. I had gotten my first tattoo, and Evan came to the park where I was working that day. He and I got to talking because we had played the Milwaukee Metalfest that summer with them. I remember showing Evan my tat, he liked it, and he slapped it. I was like dude I just got it like 2 weeks ago – it was funny. So we are at the Metalfest and I see Evan come out of a room and he was like…”Hey it’s Frank, the guy who works at the Park, come on in here man”. There were a lot of ladies in that room; however, I had Internal Bleeding responsibilities, like selling merch, so I politely declined, but I was sure tempted. I go downstairs, and Bobby is hanging out, and Bill and I chewed his ear off, and he watched our set.

My third show with the band, and Bobby from Biohazard watched our set and loved it. Huge moment for me. Some would say my vocals on the first Internal Bleeding album, Voracious Contempt, had some tough guy type of vocals mixed with my death metal vocals it was really the second album, The Extinction of Benevolence, in 1997, where I really started with the power-violence hardcore type of vocals, like on the song “Plagued by Catharsis”. Biohazard was a direct influence on some of the tones I used.

Fast forward to April 20^th, 2017, a dark day when Internal Bleeding drummer, Bill Tolley, a firefighter with FDNY died in the line of duty while putting out a fire. Danny reached out to us on our Facebook page and left his phone number. I called him the next day, and we chatted for quite some time and that moment was incredible as I had tears in my eyes talking to him about Bill and how much his drumming was influenced by Danny.

Fast forward again to 2023 with Danny drumming on the new Hardcore band, Kings Never Die, incredible debut album, All the Rats. I raved about it on this site, in my review, and then Danny asked for my address and sent me a huge care package. The man is not only a killer drummer, but an amazing and generous human being….ok rant over.

Anyway, let’s get back to the topic at hand: Divided We Fall contains 11 songs, and many of these songs will remain in the band’s setlist for some time. The band released several singles first, and the first one was “Forsaken”. Not only did I listen to this song a 1000x times, so did my sister, from another mother, Jen, who is a drummer, since she is also a tremendous ‘Hazard fan. Starting with an opening guitar riff, calling to mind “Shades of Grey” and then Evan signifying the ‘Holy Shit’ moment with yelling, Let’s Fuckin’ Go, and BOOM, right into the fast part. Classic Biohazard is written all over this, and Billy is screaming his head off, and Evan is complementing with his lower vocals. The groove, that hits, will have 2-steppin’ all damn day!! Gang vocals and then a slower groove with the classic Biohazard sound and Bobby’s soloing is just perfect. Danny’s fast drumming and tasty drum fills will have you swinging for the fences, especially when we get an homage to “Hold My Own” with Evan saying “Step to the Rhythm of the Brooklyn Beat”, and then boom , a monster groove with the song title gang shouted. This is the best Biohazard song in 20 years. Monstrous song.

As much as I love the opening song “Fuck the System”, I feel “Forsaken” should have opened the album. Regardless, the album opener has a tasty opening guitar riff, then right into the fast part and killer groove moments. The title is being gang shouted, and there are quite a lot of beatdown slam moments. Again – a song I foresee in the band’s setlist for years to come, especially since this is kinda the title track since Divided We Fall is also said during the song.

“Word to the Wise” has some of that tasty drumming from Danny, as he has some very cool drum rolls, and then right into the fast parts, with killer moments. This song is one of the fastest the band has ever written. Massive gang shouting moments of the song title, guitar solos, showing off Bobby’s emotive soloing, and Evan and Billy’s vocals complementing one another exceedingly well. This song is controlled chaos and pretty extreme with the fast moments, the heavy beatdown grooves, and vocals. This has to be in their live set now!!!

“The Fight to be Free” has one of the best opening groove moments the band has ever crafted. Pure NYHC madness. This guitar tone is heavy, and the fast moments are pure galloping 1990 bliss. The gang singing the ooohhhhaaa moments takes me back to before Biohazard were signed and had some Oi!! moments to the vocals. So damn catchy.

“Warriors” closes out the album, and the band has been known to close out their classic albums with slower songs, such as with “Tears of Blood”, but not here. This song has a great opening before getting right into the gallop. Right after the song title is yelled, then right into the groove with more of those gang singing OOOOhhhhhaaaaaa, very catchy, then right into the galloping. Check out the rhythm section at the 1.41 timestamp. This moment is very catchy, and the band is gelling like a well-oiled machine. The band opens the album on fire and closes on fire.

There have been some stellar releases for 2025; however, Divided We Fall, at this moment, is my AOTY. The other Biohazard albums, I did not mention, I really do like, especially, New World Disorder, however, Divided We Fall, calls to mind all the best moments of their strongest albums: The s/t debut, Urban Discipline, State of the World Address, Mata Leão and a Means to an End.

I was looking for Biohazard to get back to those monster grooves, killer aggressiveness, and this album does that and then some. We are also treated to an organic production, which is warm, capturing all the instruments and vocals perfectly. The songs are beyond catchy, and this is NYHC – the Biohazard way, as well as modern and relevant. Welcome back brothers!!

Despite hailing from the depths of darkest South Yorkshire, in England, you’d be forgiven for thinking the band was from the deep south of America, as since their inception, the band has leaned hard into a groovy, Southern tinged form of thrash and hardcore that has distinct hues of Crowbar, Pantera, Lamb of God, Hatebreed, Kingdom of Sorrow etc.

At the heart of this sound is guitarist Konan Hall, who, along with Alex Taylor’s traditional hardcore bark and snarl, delivers a spot-on, Kirk Windstein-style, gravelly, bluesy croon to almost all the songs. 

The musical influences listed above bleed through in every tune, delivering ample amounts of blustery hardcore, replete with some very tasty, beefy grooves and breakdowns such as “Counterfeit”, ‘Imperfect Picture”, “So Help Me God”, and “In Spite” (where Lamb of God‘s Randy Blythe helps out). They can even thrash it up pretty good, as heard on “If It’s All the Same to You” and “Demonstration of Pain”.

But the material has lots of soulful Crowbar-y, bluesy choruses, like “Heavens Shake”, semi-balladic “Salt The Wound”, and closer “With the Dirt on My Grave”.

Everything is glossed in a beefy, but crystal clear modern production from Josh Wilbur ( All That Remains, Lamb of God, Trivium, etc) and with all these elements in place, even though they are already on a ‘major’ label, these guys appear to be poised for a Bodysnatcher/Kublai Khan international blow up.

(Pictured: An American male. Obviously)

There’s just no getting around it. I am what I am. And despite the fact that this country is currently making it actively more difficult to enjoy every single one of these mentioned things (and plenty more), I remain steadfast in my pride for so much of what America actually can offer when its not getting duped into handing the keys to the kingdom over to a fake-genius South African billionaire Nazi and his soggy orange puppet (Yes, I know you have eyes on this Elon. No, I cannot begin to care anymore).

One thing America’s always been really goddamn good at? Party metal. And by that I mean the Scissorfights, the Alabama Thunderpussys, the Kyusses and Sasquatches of the world who blend the best parts of Stoner Metal, Punk, Hardcore and straight up Hard Rock sensibilities into a raucous, sludgy concoctions purpose-built with beer, bud and backyard wrestling all on top of mind. It’s like, our thing, man. It’s what we do best.

… but what if it wasn’t?

Raging Speedhorn are not American. In fact, they’re a bunch of friggin’ Brits. And yeah, Teeth of the Diving may well be led by our own Union Jack’d Erik T, but even he abandoned those royal-loving bastards decades ago in favor of that sweet American freedom and liberty (we don’t have to get into how he’s feeling about that decision NOW). This isn’t supposed to be their thing. STAY IN YOUR LANE YA FUCKIN BEANS-FOR-BREAKFAST DWEEBS.

Alas, for over 25 years Raging Speedhorn have been doing their absolute damnedest to earn their honorary red, white and blue cards and, frankly, have been pretty gosh dang successful. Hell, their name is in reference to taking speed and getting raging boners. Add in a screeching eagle and a revving V8 motor and I can’t possibly think of anything much more American than that. Now they release an album called Nightwolf sporting an incredible depiction of Teen Wolf himself shotgunning a beer and, I just don’t know anymore. My fellow patriots need to do something to reset the scales.

It doesn’t help when the album comes barreling in with “Blood Red Sky,” featuring a barrage of catchy, earworm riffs and gruff, no-fucks-given vocals announce their arrival with killer intent. Even more-to-the-point, follow up “Buzz Killer” gets right to the matter-at-hand with some killer Thin Lizzy–inspired guitar licks, crowd-inspiring gang vocals, and one hell of a great, simple breakdown sure to turn any backyard hootenanny into an absolute rager. The fantastic refrain of “DON’T KILL THE BUZZ” is enough to make me grab for another beer long after I’ve had far too many and keep the mayhem churning. Bring on the mud wrestlers.

But this is just the start of the ruckus RSH are bringing to the party. “Every Night’s Alright For Fighting,” a tongue-in-cheek nod to legendary countrymate Elton John, may well end the party anthem of the year, chock full of simple, no-nonsense riffing that forces your heart rate into a frenzy, and again featuring a killer, doomy breakdown that would be just as well served in a junkyard as it would at a proper venue. Maybe even moreso. It’s an absolute doozy that earns your fervor through sheer force of will, and I wish all good luck in trying to resist it’s fuck-all charms. Similarly, the album’s title track “Night Wolf” takes a fucking monster riff straight out of Scissorfight’s wheelhouse and delivers a swaggering, anthemic track that will earn just as many fists in the air as it will across the chins of anyone that happens to piss you off while the track is anywhere in earshot.

And if you think there’s any respite from this absolute dog fight of an album, I urge you to heed caution, because it just does not relent. “DOA” and my personal favorite, “Comin’ in Hard” continue to slam the pedal to the floor with reckless abandon, the latter featuring a sweet little banjo riff mixed in with the guitar assault just to keep things extra fuckin crispy. God forbid you ever find yourself in a West Virginia holler being chased down by a group of 3-toothed hill folk carrying garden tools, but if you ever do find yourself in this unfortunate scenario, I hope you’ve got this track to spur you on away from that hillbilly horde. If that doesn’t give you the motivation to get a move on, I dunno what will.

I know it’s a cop out to say it’s pointless to belabor the point of “Night Wolf,” but I’m pretty sure Raging Speedhorn aren’t looking to a whole lot of explanation or platitudes for their work. They just want you to crack open a beer, rip a bong or a line off the back of some questionable toilet, and get down to fuckin business with this album.  I’m not even ashamed to say this is the most American album so far of 2025, and damned if I won’t use it as fuel to fight off the fuckwits in this country who apparently have no problem letting it become a playground for Vladdy Putin and the billionaire elite. With this album blasting in my ears, I feel just about ready to take on anything.

Open Kasket plays a form of meaty, girthy beatdown/hardcore-driven death metal that lumbers and slopes with bad fucking intentions at every turn. With a hefty low end, and gait that culls from the expected Bolt Thrower tropes, Open Kasket does lean a little more into the beatdown Bodysnatcher side of things with the guitar tone, rather than a hm2 tone, like some of their peers. But regardless, the 10-song, 30-minute pummeling will ensure many babies are punched.

Right out of the gate with “Ersatz (Sine Die)” Open Kasket is out to rattle your fillings and bet you around the head and neck area with a monstrous mid-paced intro, and it gets progressively heavier from there, peaking with the likes of “Bruised Sprainstein” “Putrid Existence”, “Defective”, “Chain Whip” and nasty closer “Ripped Up” (even with its introspective final moments). All splattered with equal parts doomy crawl and groove-laden brutality. They can also pick up the pace occasionally, as heard on “Chemical Death” very briefly.

Guest vocal spots on “Internal Threat” (Stan Liszewski of Terminal Nation), “Chain Whip” (Bryson Sherick of Backbiter), and “Chemical Death” (Jackson Edwards of Zashed) complete the utterly bruising affair that has been one of my go to work out albums in early 2024.

After hearing the beginning of “Horizon of Spikes,” the opener, you might call me an idiot. While that’s true, stick with me. It’s visceral and straightforward. You may notice hardcore influence in the vocals of Christoffer Kofoed. His delivery is confident, forceful, and intelligible. Maybe the breakdown at the end will bring home my point.

What gives me metalcore vibes is the production. It’s not bad by any means, but I could certainly use more CHONK and heft. Tracks such as “Shackled to a Corpse” aren’t too far from being massive. Luckily, this minor gripe doesn’t take too much away from the overall impact. When there’s a massive breakdown such as the one with twenty seconds left, the song is still worth every single moment.

As far as the rest of the album, 46 minutes go by quickly and smoothly. “SILO,” the second to last track, is furious and unrelenting. At nearly 3 minutes, there’s what briefly sounds like a thrash breakdown, which leads into an instrumental section. Stops and starts coupled with pinch harmonics permeate it. A brief vocal passage momentarily breaks it up, but the last 3 minutes are essentially vocal-free.

Up next, there’s no room for lengthy experimentation on the final track, “Face Splitting Madness.” It’s straight for the throat, just as expected. Around 3 minutes, some deeper vocals come in, there’s a bit of a pause, and one can feel the breakdown coming. It doesn’t. There’s a tease of some atmospherics, then back to the pummeling. The last minute brings some but keeps it simple.

Dear reader, have you ever enjoyed an album to such a great deal that you feel like you’ve had it forever? In this case, I have had the album for over a month, yet it feels longer. Long enough that I forgot I had a review of it to knock out. Since it was released at the end of the year, its presence on lists may not be a foregone conclusion. That’s a shame, because it’s quite an album, and I feel it will be on some of 2024’s “what I missed” rankings.

So less than 18 months from the release of the debut they are back with an 11 song album.  The band is rounded out with Dan Nastasi – guitar/vocals (original Mucky Pup/Dog Eat Dog), Dylan Gadino – vocals, Evan Ivkovich – bass (Wisdom in Chains) and Larry “The Hunter” Nieroda – guitar.  The title track opens with the song title being shouted over and over before the music hits.  And it sure does, then the song gallops into a speed attack and the lyrics are uplifting.  About living a good life, where you came from and do not forget your memories.  The vocal tones of Dylan and Dan are excellent and very catchy.  Great opener.

“Never Let Go” has a sound similar to something off Agnostic Front’s Cause for Alarm, with respect to the guitar tone. The catchiness of the song title being sung over and over is reminiscent off their debut with the quality of catchy tunes, each catchier than the next.  The galloping beat has an 80’s flair to it, most definitely, with some hard hitting hardcore guitar riffing.  The classic guitar solo at the two minute mark is pure classic NYHC influence.

“Can I Get A Witness” is the shortest song at two minutes.  The groove at the 20 second moment will have you two-steppin’ all damn day and picking up change in circle pits incessantly.  The galloping moments with the song title being shouted and then going right into the groove moments are excellent. The song is not overly complicated and those galloping moments are actually headbang worthy. This, along with the title track and “Never Let Go” must be in their live set.

“The Rights” is a jam-based song.  It has some good moments with some thumping bass guitar lines, which I very much enjoy.  The vocals come in around the 50 second mark and there are some cool, catchy vocal lines.  The drum work on the groove patterns are quite good with some double bass fluttering’s happening.  The song stays in the groove pattern for the duration.  The isolated guitar riff at the 2.20 section, then bass plucking, signifies a cool tempo shift that has a nice buildup, before getting back into the groove.

Overall this sophomore album, The Life & Times, is good.  There is something missing though.  The energy of the debut is not as prevalent on this one.  The catchiness of the debut where each song was catchier than the next and I can sing each of the songs front to back, is missing on this album.  As I stated the title track, “Never Let Go” and some of the others are the best and are up there!!  The rest of the songs are all ok, just kind of there, however without too much staying power.  The production and mix is excellent though.  Maybe Kings Never Die needs to take a little longer in crafting more memorable songs for the next album. I know they can do better.

But then after 2016s You Will Never Be One of Us, when the band was peaking and signed to Nuclear Blast, there was some controversy surrounding Nails frontman founder and Todd Jones, a very public feud with Metalsucks.com, and then everyone but Jones left the band.

So eight years later and with a new lineup that includes drummer Carlos Cruz (Warbringer), bassist Andrew Solis (Despise You, Apparition), and guitarist Shelby Lermo (Ulthar), Jones is back with a new Nails album and hoping all is forgotten, with the antagonistically named Every Bridge Burned.

Even with the revamped lineup, and time away, Jones and Nails are back with a vengeance, containing the band’s vicious d beat/crust/grind that they played way back when they blew me away with Unsilent Death 14 years ago and perfected with 2013s Abandon All Hope and 2016s You Will Never Be One of Us. Now, there is still some Rotten Sound/Nasum pure grindcore but there is plenty of  fucking filthy grooves (“Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy”, “No More Rivers to Cross”), nasty gallops (“I Can’t Turn it Off”, “Give Me the Painkiller”), and skin peeling blasts (“Imposing Will”, “Trapped”, “Punishment Map”, “Dehumanized”).

Of course, everything sounds disgustingly filthy and fuzzed out with Kurt Ballou (Gatecreeper, Fuming Mouth, All Pigs Must Die, Vallenfyre) delivering his trademark heft and buzz, and like all prior releases, it’s a swift, short but violent assault (21 minutes).

That all said, I don’t think Nails is hardly  ‘reclaiming the genre throne’ or anything, as in the eight-year gap, bands like Gatecreeper, Fuming Mouth, and such have certainly kept the throne pretty warm in their stead.

Such is the case for The Pursuit of…. from Atlanta’s Yosemite in Black. If you are a metalhead and are on Tik Tok, you probably saw the click from the song “Cold Shoulder” blow up a little; great fucking opening riff, cool minimalist black-and-white video, tons of energy. (though ‘cos the internet is shitty, it blew up due to the bass player as well)…

The thing is they don’t even repeat that riff for the rest of the damn song, let alone match the level of awesome for the rest of the album.

Now, to be clear the album isn’t a bad album. It’s a pretty standard Hatebreed/Lamb of God-ish metallic hardcore/groove metal album with some decent moments, a bit of  Southern swagger, some Gatecreeper, Fuming Mouth or Terminal Nation fuzz here and there (i.e. the start of “Just This Once” and end of “Cold Shoulder” have an out of nowhere, literal change in guitar tone).  But man was I expecting a real ban burner based on the “Cold Shoulder” tease….

The rest of the tunes are solid even if it takes five other tunes till you get to the money shot. It’s a sub-30-minute blast with the longest song being the 3:01 minute closer, “Fade Out” a cool little Crowbar/Down-y, swampy, groovy beast.

Other decent moments arise in “Robber Baron”, “Kitsch” and the aforementioned above closer, but none of them come closer to the cock tease that got me to check out this promo in the first place.

Deprecipice is the band’s 4th album, and is a brutal, nasty,no frills 10 song punch in the face that continues and develops from the last album Leave Me the Ashes of the Earth, with a heavier denser, chainsaw-sounding tone (from long-time producer Joe Clayton), and it’s a killer ride.

This is one of those releases that long-winded hyperbole and creative analogy just seem kinda of wasted on. This is one of those releases that you just need to go listen to and let it beat you about the head and neck for its bruising 34-minute run time, then go take some Advil (oh sorry this is a UK band… take some paracetamol).

This Iron Monkey/Gatecreeper love child spares no women or children from the opener “Bite Radius” to closer “Thorn Trauma”  with meaty riffs deserving of their massive canine moniker, lumbering fetid grooves sludgy crawls, and snarling blasts like appropriately named “Skin Stripper” and “Thorn Trauma” (where I really got Trap Them vibes).

A few moments of discordant programmed noise arise here and there like in “Cut Throat” or “The Shape”, but mostly there are just caustic, menacing, loping riffs like standouts “Everything is Ending”, “Void”,”Worship” and thunderous Xibalba-ish “Pitiful” (the breakdown after the shout of “Fuck this world, let it burn!” is fucking savage).

The vocals from Jim Hodge and Lee Ross are a perfect mix of gruff bellows and feral screams and it all comes together for a surprise album that kind of grabbed me by the throat outta nowhere and shook me around here in early 2024 and is certainly (and literally)  going to leave its mark for the rest of the year.

I can’t tell if this state of mind is the best, or the worst way to dive into Norway’s Shaving the Werewolf, an act I just last year was introduced to through their split EP with countrymates Utflod. My takeaway from that little get-together was, more-or-less:

Bonkers. Absolute apeshit. But, fuck me, I couldn’t get enough of it. I savored every explosive, unhinged moment of their chaotic blend of Power Violence, Noise, Mathcore, Hardcore and, just like, screaming. Lots of screaming. I dunno what it is, but it just reached out and grabbed hold of some primal need in me to remove myself from polite society and get as far away from the straight-laced world of “normal” I’ve struggled mightily to at least be on speaking terms with.

So as I get ready to dive into God Whisperer, I have to ask myself… Is listening to Shaving the Werewolf good for my mental health?

Well what I can tell you is that the band still seems to going through it, whatever the hell “it” is. God Whisperer is no-holds-barred, absolute anarchy from the get-go – an unrelenting face fuck of a sound, spamming your ears drums and brain cells with pure filth from start to finish. The very first thing you hear is essentially the sound of the most grating, eardrum-piercing digital alarm clock you’ll ever find, followed soon after by vocalist Ottar Skift skipping past any notion of “singing” and just going straight for unhinged rambling – something about being depressed, going to the doctor and getting, like, an outpatient lobotomy? I honestly can’t think of a better way to describe what listening to this sounds like so, I mean, pretty dang appropriate if you ask me. The results of this procedure seem to have had some catastrophic effects, despite Skift proclaiming (loudly) that he feels like a million bucks – because I can only assume that’s what led to this completely deranged performance. The dude is a friggin’ menace, and his bandmates are no less committed to the chaos, launching into heaving breakdowns littered with a barrage of noise rock accents courtesy of synthesist Vegard, who keeps himself plenty busy polluting the band’s sound with all manner of audio jetsam.

But that’s only scratching the surface of lunacy. “Junk Food” continues the barrage of discordant guitars and brick wall rhythms while Skift continues his assault on common decency as he screams at some lucky gal or fella about letting him be their “Junk Food.” Take whatever meaning you want from that, but the vibes don’t suggest anything PG-13. As he unleashes a tortured, belting scream on the song’s last breakdown, it seems any semblance of sanity has long since flown the coop, and we’re all just left here to see where the wild ride goes next. Speaking of which “God Whisperer,” with it’s carnival-like synths opening the track, feels like being forced on a carnival ride 15 years past its scheduled inspection, with danger and certain, sudden death seeming imminent around every corner.  There’s so much going on in it’s furious 3 minutes that you may find yourself struggling to remember any specific moment of it, but goddamn if you don’t just keep coming back to experience the insane thrill ride again and again.

And we haven’t even gotten to the truly cracked shit! I present to you: “I Came Here to Fuck.” Imagine minding your own business, and this dude came up to you and just started screaming “I CAME HERE TO FUCK” for like a full minute:

That’s what we’re dealing with here, friends! This is the vibe. Take whatever sense of security you might have been feeling and just dropkick that shit off a cliff. If there’s ever been a face to match a sound, it’s Ottar Skift and Shaving the Werewolf. They go together like strippers and glitter. I T   I S   U N C O M F Y. And yet, I can’t imagine this band, or this track, any other way. He might honestly be a Cenobite. Point is, Shaving the Werewolf may well make your skin crawl, but they’re a band operating on a level f self-awareness and clarity most bands could only hope to reach, and “I Came Here to Fuck” is the ultimate culmination of that effort.

If the last track hadn’t brought things to a little bit of a stall (a 6 minute slog that’s just as unsettling as the rest of the album, but feels slightly unnecessary – but fuck you this band does whatever the hell it wants), this little EP would fly by real quick-like. It’s sorta like having a stroke and waking up 3 months later thinking no time had passed at all. Make no mistake, I don’t mean to suggest God Whisperer doesn’t leave an impact – quite the opposite. It was enough to send me into a minor existential spin, so that’s certainly something. The band themselves refer to their music as “disagreeable music for disagreeable people” and… I mean, yeah. I should have probably just started and ended the review with that. Look, this isn’t gonna be for everyone, and clearly the band doesn’t want it to be anyway, so mission accomplished. I, for one, will be all over this for a bit.

Made of Stone will have fans of fellow Frenchmen Kanine, Dying Fetus , Despised Icon, Full Blown Chaos, Benighted as well as the UKs Malevolence and Dyscarnate crapping their collective camo shorts. And as if to hammer it home ex-Dying Fetus and current Misery Index Frontman Jason Netherton helps out on “Unconquered”,  and Benighted‘s Julien Truchan helps out on “Exterminate The Threat”. As a bonus, Kirk Windstein from Crowbar helps out with the title track with some typically gravelly vocals.

From start to finish, the 12 tracks here just punch you in the face with a plethora of combative beatdowns, slams, grooves, blasts, reeeees and bleghs. Lots of bleghs The above tracks with guests certainly stand out especially “Unconquered” and “Made in Stone I” where Windstein adds some soulful croons to the moodier, mid-paced lumbering tune (part II is a surprising acoustic number…….no joke).

“Oppression”, “Aeons of Fire”, “Worthless Hound” and another mid-paced rumbler “Minotaur’s Wrath” are other pure fucking bruisers made for punching floors….. or faces. If you need to fuel a workout or go on a baby-punching rampage, this should help.

I preface this to say that now I am the proud owner of End’s digital discography.  Back to my opening question!!!!  Yeah…..END is that band… A super group Hailing from New Jersey and with members of Shai Hulud, Counterparts, Fit for an Autopsy and The Dillinger Escape Plan,  END incorporates elements of hardcore/black metal/grindcore/industrial all tied up with thought-provoking and grief stricken lyrics encapsulated in what I am hailing as the most bludgeoning release of 2023.

Holy Shit!!!  10 songs in 30 minutes “A Predator Yourself” starts things off with a little feedback and right into the off-kilter grind and the music is so vicious with venomous vocals to basically open your throat and shit right down your gulliver.  The breakdown at the 1.08 section is massive as is this guitar sound.  At 1.22 it’s the shortest song on the album before “Gaping Wounds of Earth” starts with a sludge heaviness before the grind erupts and is ferocious.. The drums at the 1.10 section with the dissonance of the guitar is pure madness and the jumpiness to the slow-down groove, will have pits at the 2-minute mark leveling cities worldwide.  Did you hear that…..come a little closer…yes right there.  Did you hear that explosion go off??  That was me as I picked up your neighborhood and blasted it into orbit during this monstrous groove.

After the Take No Prisoners album title slaps you in da face “Thaw” comes in with some industrial/samples influences and this is an interesting song.  It reminded me of Fear Factory from Fear in the Mindkiller and Skin Chamber with some Godflesh leanings as well.  Some cool drumming before the noise elements kick in with this song.  It’s distorted, atmospheric and quite honestly with some of the various vocal elements and effects makes for a disturbing listening experience.  Shut off the lights and listen to this song..It’s peaceful too, with some of the piano and guest vocals by Debbie Gough of Heriot towards the end of the song.

Dylan Walker of Full Of Hell lends his vox to “Worthless Is The Lamb”.  This has amazing blasts to open the track…and they are intense as the vicious vocals erupt through your speakers and tombstone piledriving you right through the concrete.  “Twice Devoured Kill” features a guest vocal appearance from J.R. Hayes of Pig Destroyer.  This song has more off-tempo and non-linear musical patterns and some excellent drums on this song.  The guitars are heavy, distorted and in some respects quite cold.  It adds to the stomping madness that happens during the groove moments and the start and stop moments at the 1.39 section are crafted perfectly.

If you are into bands like: Pig Destroyer, Godflesh, Fear Factory, Nasum, Anaal Nathrakh, Skin Chamber, Mouth For War, Pyrrhon –  then I feel you need to add END to your musical rotation.  This is pure power-violence type of music that will make you want to drop elbows, punch faces and collapse chest cavities all damn day.  The Sins of Human Frailty, by END, shows us all why extreme music should be dangerous sounding, as much as it is thrilling.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this but, that’s a pretty big fucking deal! And it does come with some questions – perhaps the biggest of which being, how will a band as forward and outspoken as Svalbard take to a bigger label affiliation? Will the band who has been fighting ferociously in the corner of the marginalized and abused, themselves fall victim to their new overlords? Will they succumb to the pressures laid upon them by their new, more powerful bosses?

The answer to both, as it should have been expected, is no. Abso-fucking-lutely not.

* I should be responsible here and say, I don’t personally know of any specific or rumored instances of Nuclear Blast Records treating any of their associates unfairly, I’m mostly just deploying my flair for the dramatic to build conflict or tension to engage the audience (writing 101, baby!), however recent events involving the split between Nuclear Blast’s now parent company (French conglomerate Believe Digital) and original founder Markus Staiger (who went on to form the tongue-and-cheekly named Atomic Fire Records, bringing many NB longtime stalwarts along with him) has certainly raised some eyebrows. From my understanding, the split basically seems to come down to a general difference of opinion about how their music labels should be run – Nuclear Blast believes digital, perhaps unsurprisingly, leaning into a more digitally-focused distribution strategy, and Atomic Fire Records essentially sticking to its brick-and-mortar roots, continuing to rely more heavily on physical distribution of CDs, Vinyl and Cassette. Conclusions can be drawn as to what that ultimately means as far as the culture of each enterprise is concerned, but I claim zero expertise on the subject. A very thorough article outlining the whole ordeal can be found here if you’re interested (fair warning – the article is pretty one-sided, so take everything with a grain of salt and form your own conclusions).

While I may not have been entirely genuine in my dramatic buildup, it does make for somewhat of a… curious pairing. But for anyone out there concerned that Nuclear Blast has gone the way of cold, calculating money-maker uninterested in artistic integrity, I cannot find any signs of it here on The Weight of the Mask. Svalbard is still very much Svalbard, albeit with some slight tweaks and noticeable areas of growth that make a big difference, the first being a much more singular-focus in subject matter. Where their back catalogue ran the gamut of tough topics, The Weight of the Mask is almost completely based in mental health – following the duality of facing day to day life with a smile, while internally struggling with depression. Opener “Faking It” couldn’t possibly fit the bill any better, laying bare the band’s intentions with this album like an open, untreated wound. A straightforward, no frills duel vocal barrage from the incomparable Serena Cherry and Liam Phelan continue to lead the attack, packing the same emotional haymakers you’ve come to expect from this pair – anger, pain, uncertainty, hope (how ever distant it may be), it’s all there, belted out with throat-tearing intensity. And Cherry’s unmistakable tremolo-picked leads are still giving the band its unmatched edge and identity, providing as much an emotional guide as the vocals, if not more.

With that said, its the rhythm guitars that begin to really make in impact here, boasting some of the strongest straight-up riffs the band have produced to date. The vicious pre-chorus attack on “Faking It” is an absolute brute, along with the driving force of riffs in “Lights Out,” “Be My Tomb” and the tail end of “November” that elevate the songs in ways that make the secondary guitars seem like less of an afterthought as they sometimes felt on prior records. Don’t get me wrong, Serena Cherry’s melodies deserve all the attention they get, but I feel the balanced attack just makes both parties stronger, creating a more vibrant contrast that lands an even greater impact.

Speaking of balance, the more narrowed focus on the album’s theme has paid off in a big way, too. Not that prior albums ever felt disjointed, but The Weight of the Mask has a real sense of fluidity to it, as if Svalbard really wanted to tell a full story with this album, exploring the different facets and stages of grief, depression and coping. The passionate outburst of “Faking It” is followed with the recalcitrance of “Defiance,’ an anthem if there ever was one for standing up to your own inner demons and fighting, even if it’s a losing battle. But like the manic ebbs and flows that come with mental stress, “November” comes and rips the wind right out of the listener’s sails, breaking everything down into a quiet, near-whispered interlude where Serena Cherry absolutely nails the numb, defeated feeling of daily burden with her vocal delivery. It all builds to another huge, blasted outburst where the band really puts their blackened edge at the forefront, expressing the bitterness of loss that ultimately led the initial despondence. It’s a brilliant progression that really does speak to the band’s growth as songwriters, which remains self-evident through the remainder of the album’s emotional roller coaster. Their willingness to explore the lows a bit further on “How to Swim Down” and “Pillar in the Sand” make the cathartic eruptions of “Be My Tomb” and “To Wilt Beneath the Weight” feel all the more cleansing.

At the album’s close, it’s clear that the “Serena Cherry sound” is still very much intact and further celebrated on The Weight of the Mask, continuing to cement her place as one of extreme music’s most distinctive and, frankly, important personalities. I don’t mean that to take away from the performances of the rest of the band which are, once again, top notch – but with every Svalbard release comes, it seems, another opportunity to see what this immensely talented young woman is capable of. I suppose that’s why this marriage between the band and their new label is of such interest to me, because it’s sure gonna be a shame if any entity does try to stifle Serena Cherry’s platform. For now, what I can say is that if Nuclear Blast’s main focus is just making money? It does not seem to be coming at the expense of letting their bands do their thing, their way. So rejoice, friends, because Svalbard still fucking rule, and The Weight of the Mask is still the powerful, emotional gut punch we’ve come to crave.

And this debut album All the Rats, fucking smokes!  With members from NY, NJ, PA this 10 song 30 minute album is just what the hardcore doctor ordered.  There are smatterings of punk and metal all interspersed within the hardcore musical base with positive and uplifting lyrics, to coincide with some serious subject matter.  “Stay True” opens with the vocals coming in and the classic hardcore music bursting through.  Having a strong base of growing up in NY and listening to NYHC at a very early age  – I would slam around in my parents basement to Agnostic Front’s Victim in Pain, constantly.  I would bring those hardcore movements and attitude to the death metal scene when I fronted Internal Bleeding and still singing on albums to this day. This track will cause you to two-step and pick up change all damn day.  I was doing some whirlwind windmill kicks.  This song sets the stage for the rest of the album and I would love for this to be their live opening song.

“Stand for It All” is up next and is just as catchy as the opening song, with a little Biohazard guitar melody early on and Danny’s signature drum patterns are all over this song.  The one minute mark is an excellent breakdown, where a guitar solo comes through, and then some yells and back into the groove.  This part is classic-I swear it takes me back to like 1983-1987, era NYHC.  The 2.14 groove will have pits erupting all over the place and you will want to go down the street to Ancona Pizza, grab a few slices, and slam dance in the pit while eating your slices.  “Were We Friends at All” starts with the title being yelled, then the song speeding up with a nice little nifty guitar solo and then the song gets into a more mid-paced groove, and this song has classic lyrics and gang shouted vocals.  The lyrical content will remind you of certain songs, like MOD’s “True Colors”- about, being there for others, but then in the end are the mofos really having your back or are they friends with you only to serve their own selfish greedy ass needs?  Powerful and fun all at the same time.  In the end if you do not have respect for your true family and friends then go fuck off!

“Side By Side” is another uplifting tune in terms of if someone you’re close with if they’re going through tough times you have their back and you intrinsically know they deserve it ‘cause they would do the same for you.  The song has some good use of double bass drums and has a classic quick gallop reminding you of the 80’s hardcore metal combinations.  There’s some quick, short little fast punk hardcore numbers like “The Juice”, which provides the listener with just enough headbanging and circle pit moments to make one’s head fall clean off their pathetic shoulders and “This One’s for You” is my favorite song on the album, due to the chorus.

Kings Never Die are a great new band and while only being around for a few years have created a very memorable debut album with All the Rats.  Rooted mainly in NYHC, there are punk and metal moments.  At various moments you will hear some Biohazard, The Misfits, Agnostic Front influences, all intertwined in an excellent, not overly produced album.  The production is great, retaining an organic quality, where all the instruments and vocals are mixed in nicely and no instrument overtaking the other.  And who said east coast Hardcore was dead?  Great debut and I am happy to see Danny still nailing those drum beats.

Whether or not the payoff was what I was necessarily expecting? That’s another thing.

I’ll go ahead and make this point right off the bat to help weed through the readers who may or may not want to stick around for this one – with Moments Elsewhere, Johnny Booth have very much embraced a completely modern approach to hardcore/metalcore – which is to say, there’s a lot of electronically-forward, “nu-ish” elements at play, a lot of simple, heavily distorted riffs ripping away at your senses, a lot of the same kinds of things that have helped skyrocket the careers of bands like Knocked Loose, Code Orange – which does include more than a few moments of absolutely brutish heft. Album opener “2040” wastes exactly zero seconds before breaking out the sledgehammer. It’s basically a one and a half minute beat down (don’t come at me genre know-it-alls I mean this metaphorically) whose only intention is violence. And follow-up “Collapse in the Key of Fireworks” isn’t much different, hitting you with the kind of futuristic, electronics-and-distortion-embracing breakdown that made the first couple Enter Shikari releases so interesting and endearing. “Ring Light Altar” and “No Comply” are both just stupid heavy, the latter kinda sounding like what might happen if you took Every Time I Die riffs and tuned them down to like, drop G – just wrecking balls designed so scatter a wake of pure filth behind their destructive path.

But the other side of the coin here are some of those more modern elements and general kind of weirdness you might expect from the likes of Vein.fm and the like. Granted, being a little odd isn’t necessarily uncharacteristic of a band who’ve always displayed more than a minor appreciation for acts like At the Drive-In, Fear Before the March of Flames and, being the good Long Islanders that they are, throwing in a healthy dose of Glassjaw to the mix as well. The end result is an album that should appeal to a pretty widespread audience, with tracks like “Full Tilt,” “Bright Future” and, in particular, “Why Becomes How” showcasing a much catchier, ready-for-college-radio kind of vibe that the band are apparently just as adept at pulling off. The difference this time around is that these elements are just so much more at the forefront of the band’s sound, and while this adaptation to a sometimes softer, friendlier sound may turn some folks off, I personally find the balance really nice, especially considering that the harder elements are no less intense than they ever were on Firsthand Accounts or any previous effort.

And for those who embrace this addition to the band’s sound, you’re rewarded with some really fine examples of when the Johnny Booth coin is flipped and somehow lands standing straight up, showcasing both sides in equal, highly effective fashion. One of the best examples manifests itself in “Only by Name,” whose opening Screamo riffing, combined with vocalist Andrew Herman’s passionate screams combine to work their way beneath your skin, drawing you in closer and closer until the moment devastation erupts a minute and a half in, and you’re slammed in the face again and again with bricks of distorted guitars and pulsating drums for one of the album’s more obscene breakdowns. That’s when, left in a daze, you’re lulled into a lush pillow of sound, almost like coming-to after receiving the worst beatdown of your life and thinking “ah shit, I’m dead. This is Heaven,” but the respite is brief, and only there to knock you again off balance as the song rounds out with more chaotic riffing, and the return of that absolutely pummeling breakdown just to make sure you really are good and dead this time around.

Moments Elsewhere is truly a product of its time – one that very much embraces the path forward and looks not to settle on the formulas that brought Johnny Booth to where they are today. That said, after the recent blistering “Storyteller” EP that included the previously mentioned brutality of “Deepfake” and also pummeling “Crowd Control,” I was definitely expecting something more punishing from start to finish than what we ended up with. I’ll even admit, it took me a couple spins to really grasp what Johnny Booth was laying down with Moments Everywhere, but I’ve got to say, when taken as a whole, this is a very satisfying listen, with enough moments of singular brilliance and absolute bludgeoning that will satisfy the casual listener just trying to add a couple tracks to their playlist. If I were wagering on the next unexpectedly heavy band to land on Coachella or Bonaroo, Johnny Booth ain’t a bad bet. Take that for whatever it’s worth, I guess.

Street Terrorists is their second full-length and Jerry and I have been in touch for some time now. After the very cool instrumental intro with vocals/excerpts, I just had a feeling this band would do exactly what the band name implies.  “Hypocrisy” comes in with some lethal and pummeling NYHC beatdowns.  I mean punishing.  Jerry’s vocals are a bit different on here, than when he sang on the IB album – Onward to Mecca, where he was more growly, but still had hardcore-styled vocals.  On here he screams a lot and definitely sings in more of a hardcore voice.  There’s also plenty of metal influences with this band and check out the next song, “Mark of Cain”-nice opening thrash metal type of speed, with a little blasting going on and Jerry getting into those lower register vocals over the blast.  During this part, I just want to pick up change and windmill and knock people’s teeth the fuck out.

The title track has a nice opening.  The hardcore groove is lethal as it creates a sinkhole where everyone gets swallowed in.  This song has way too many beatdown grooves…So I would set this song right in the middle of their live set.  If you open the live set with this song, no one will be left standing.  That 1.28 slam with the screams is punishing and after some weird guitar/bass type of noises, the groove hits again and again.  The groove slows down even more and this section reminds me of early The Acacia Strain.  It’s got that super slow-down groove, which is just punishing.  The double bass drums on this song hit super hard, especially towards the end of the song.  Ridiculously fun and brutal hardcore song.

“Linestepper” is the perfect named song as that is exactly what you will be doing-line and two-stepping all damn day……..Jerry lets loose on some growls and the various vocals around the 1.15 part, with the screams, growls and shouted vocals is quite dynamic and the song then picks up the speed.  The 2.29 part is the Holy Shit moment with the slowdown.  You will two-step all damn day to this and the bass guitar slaps you silly across that mean mug of yours too, for good measure, just to keep you in line. “Natural Born Dealers”, is exactly what you would think the song is about.  The song has a very urban flair to it there is a plethora of NYHC slam moments.  The 2.07 part with Jerry’s growl and then the slow-down groove is a pit-inducing monster. 

 Street Terrorists is a killer NYHC album by Punchyourface.  The album is very organic with a lot of urban influence and street-sounding cred to their sound.  I like Jerry throwing in some of the growls, as an homage, to his death metal influence and the band would do well in front of death metal bands with slams, like my alma mata Internal Bleeding and Devourment etc….I did not know what to expect when Jerry sent me the album (thank you my brother) and definitely, my ears perked up once I cranked this mutha up. Oh yeah-crank this loud and proud.  NYHC style mofos!

Welllll I wouldn’t say I’m dependent on it, but I’ll admit that without that little kickstart of caffeine, it does take me a bit longer to shake the rust off in the morning. I’ve tried black tea, which gives a little boost but… it’s still just not quite the drawback-free jolt I’m looking for. Thankfully, the shot of energy I need to shoot out of bed like my friggin’ pillow is on fire just came in a tidy little four song package.

JESUS FUCK. Good fucking morning indeed!

What we’ve got here is a quick little split from a pair of hard-hitting, chaotic, no-punches-pulled hardcore acts from Norway, and let’s not mess about – it’s a fucking hand grenade. Four tracks of visceral destruction that scoff at the very notion of subtlety or restraint, hellbent on coming for you, me, your little dog, whatever the hell happens to find itself in its path. I’ve walked away from a car rollover less phased than I was after feeling the impact delivered by these two maniacs – and I can tell you, it’s just as much an adrenaline rush, without the annoyance of skyrocketing insurance premiums.

Starting the assault is Bergen’s Utflod, led by the positively nuclear vocals of band co-founder Oda (last name unknown). She and the band come bursting through the goddamn wall with “Bror” like a meth-and-Red-Bull-fueled Kool-Aid man desperately crashing through every house searching for their next fix. Imagine Every Time I Die dialed up to “11” and led by the world’s most pissed off Fisher Cat (I mean this in the most loving and complimentary of ways), and you’re starting to scratch the surface of the kind of ferocity on display here. Forget the friggin’ dark roast – just give me this 2-minutes of bricks to the face and I’m running out the door showered, clothed, and ready to tackle the day like I’m Lawrence Taylor on my fifth bump of the quarter.

But here’s the thing – Utflod has a lot to say and very little time to say it, so stand the hell back as they deliver the atom bomb that is “Boa Constrictor,” which just goes straight for the jugular with a fury of blasting drums, furious riffs and a total devastation of screams that genuinely make me dive for cover. It’s a blistering barrage that only lasts a minute and change, but trust me when I tell you IT’S ENOUGH, to the point that when the band goes for their piledriver of a breakdown to finish out the song, it somehow feels like a reprieve. Make no mistake, this is some of the most explosive material I’ve heard in a minute, so if it’s absolute aggression you’re looking for, Utflod have the goods stockpiled and ready to launch.

So even after just two songs, only a few ticks over 4 minutes of material, I could use a break, man! I’m nearing 40. I’m out of shape. I don’t need this abuse! Do you think Oslo’s Shaving the Wearwolf could take it easy on this weak, frail body? No. What they deliver instead, is some screaming. Like, a dude just losing his shit for 15 seconds of raw, naked screaming. It’s terrifying. If you don’t know, Shaving the Werewolf delivers the kind of unhinged chaos you got from the likes of Ed Gein, Curl Up And Die, and early The Red Chord, the kind that makes you seriously wonder “good god what are these dudes on?” But I’ll tell ya what, if you want a fuckin’ doozy of an early 00’s-inspired metalcore breakdown, “Eat Shit or Die Trying” most certainly has what you’re looking for. I FEEL YOUNG AGAIN.

Comparatively speaking, I guess you could say “Pyromantic Pleasures” seems… somewhat tame? At least until the massive breakdown the breaks out about a minute and a half in. It brings a real goddamn ruckus for a quick minute, a real pit-mover layered with vocalist Ottar Skift continued assault on his own vocal chords, causing me emotional stress in the process. By this point my brain is fried and wants desperately for some soothing whale or rainforest sounds or some shit. Maybe some Enya. Someone light me some incense and chant some healing incantations my way.

Uhhhhh look, this split rules. I know I made it seem painful, but I promise it was only in the very best kind of way. These two bands are absolute maniacs and I may just never sleep again, so caffeine problem solved, I guess! Hop on this little rage bus with me and lets get weird.