Dead Like Me

Dead Like Me are a four-piece hardcore band from Pau, France that formed in 2010. The band pulls from some incredible sources of influence, mainly metallic hardcore in the vein of the Relapse Records roster, most notably The Dillinger Escape Plan, in addition to bands like Coalesce and Converge, among others. The technical riffs, off-kilter rhythms, and brutally guttural vocals are all trademarks of this sound. They also incorporate hints of sludge metal to drag listeners through the mud of their bone-chilling chaos. A 6-song LP was released earlier this month, and I can't recommend it enough for fans of older hardcore with a modern edge. Enjoy.

Poussière, c'est tout. [single] (2011)

1. Poussière, c'est tout.

Dead Like Me (2011)

1. Toi et le monde

2. Absolescence

Me And Gerda Are Both Dead Like You (2012)

1. Le fils du pire des prédateurs - Clair

2. Le fils du pire des prédateurs - Obscur

3. Chien de nuit

Note: Split with Gerda, Dead Like Me tracks only

À Terre, Amas De Rêves (2017)

1. Seulement des corps entassés

2. À vomir des doutes et des plaintes

3. Les cerbères d'un temple oublié

4. Refléter le vide et son contraire

5. Nos corps s'épuisent et se déchirent

6. À terre, amas de rêves

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Small Brown Bike

Calm down, calm down, of course I'd eventually get to this request. Small Brown Bike are a four-piece post-hardcore/punk band from Marshall, Michigan that formed in 1996 and broke up in 2004. After a few reunion shows in 2007, they've been back permanently since 2009. They've put out three incredible full-lengths during their initial run, and one in 2011 post-reunion. This band's sound is somewhat hard to pin down on the post-hardcore spectrum, since they have find the exact line dividing melody and aggression. The dual vocals bounce between a gruff bark and background harmonies. Their interlocking guitar work can switch between heavy riffs and cathartic major chord strumming, with an incredibly tight rhythm section backing them up through all these shifts. Small Brown Bike possess an incredibly duality that very few bands in this corner of music can truly master (Hot Water Music and Jawbreaker are a couple of the other rare few that come to mind). Besides that, there's not much else to say about these things. They're an incredibly talented band with four fantastic full-lengths to indulge in, and a ton of deeper cuts for continued exploration. Enjoy.

Our Own Wars (1999)

1. The Cannons And Tanks

2. The Cold

3. Running, Swinging, And Sinking

4. Now And Forever

5. Expression Eraser

6. In Tune

7. Curiosity Killed The Cat, And I'm The Killed

8. Atlanta

9. Zerosum

10. Make This A Holiday

Dead Reckoning (2001)

1. Like A Future With No Friend

2. Sleeping Weather

3. See You In Hell

4. The Vacuum

5. More Or Less

6. My Own Disaster

7. This Ship Will Burn

8. Hideaway

9. Unsung Zero

10. Kingfisher

11. I Will Bury You In Me

Small Brown Bike & The Casket Lottery (2002)

1. Small Brown Bike & The Casket Lottery - Wrong Hometown

2. Small Brown Bike & The Casket Lottery - Now I'm A Shadow

3. Small Brown Bike & The Casket Lottery - Under Pressure

4. Small Brown Bike & The Casket Lottery - Composing Myself (A Lullaby)

5. Small Brown Bike & The Casket Lottery - Boardinghouse

6. Small Brown Bike & The Casket Lottery - Riding With Death

Note: Collaborative album between both bands

Nail Yourself To The Ground (2003)

1. Trains All Talk

2. Fami(Liar) To You

3. Blank Landscapes

4. So I Fall

5. A Table For Four

The River Bed (2003)

1. Deconstruct/Rebuild

2. Safe In Sound

3. A Declaration Of Sorts

4. Scream In The Silence

5. Day And Nightmares

6. Tragically Ending

7. Sincerely Yours

8. What's Missing Is Dead

9. The Outline Of Your Hand Still Remains On My Hand

10. A Lesson To Remember

Composite, Vol. 1 (2009)

1. When We Run

2. Hourglass

Composite, Vol. 2 (2010)

1. Some Optimistic

2. Never Walk This Alone

Fell & Found (2011)

1. Onward And Overboard

2. Rescue Mission

3. Fell And Found (The Walk)

4. In Need Of Everything

5. As We Go

6. A Minor Movement

7. Sleep River Sleep

8. On Repeat

9. You Always Knew Me

10. Just Bones

11. All Of Us

Recollected (2013)

1. Mouth of Madness

2. Dull Way Down

3. Take Care

4. Expecting Confidence

5. No Place Like You

6. Slow Time Suicide

7. Bad Anthem

8. The Twenty Sixth

9. Red Light

10. When Added Equals Three

11. Crossing Guard

12. Cold

13. Tough

14. Now I'm A Shadow (Alternate Version)

15. My Unanswered Whys

16. Still Ill

17. Count Backwards

18. Lantern

19. Thin Life Line

20. Mine Of You

21. Jailbreak

22. Hideaway (Demo)

23. World Caved In

24. So I Fall (Demo)

25. Secret Track

26. Unsung Zero (Alternate Version)

27. Blank Landscapes (Demo)

28. Wrong Hometown (Demo)

29. Familiar To You (Demo)

30. Atlanta (Demo)

Note: Album includes all tracks from original Collected, including their demo, early EP's, tracks from their Cursive split, in addition to compilation songs and unreleased tracks

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Really From (fka People Like You)

Really From (formerly known as People Like You) are a five-piece indie/jazz/emo band from Boston, Massachusetts that have been around since at least 2014, formed by members of I Kill Giants. They put out their debut album that same year, but have really begun to garner attention with the release of Verse earlier this year, on Topshelf Records.

This album has some fantastic musicianship, clean production, and some very memorable songwriting. These songs are intricate, with the instrumentals entwining so smoothly that even the most complex of drum or guitar patterns never take away from the gentle tone of the songs. The band has two vocalists, though both utilize a soft delivery in-line with the somber instrumentals. There's really not much else to say here. This is an incredible record produced by some fantastic musicians who have crafted some fantastic songs. Fans of Joan of Arc, TWIABP, Modest Mouse and awesomeness take notes. On a side note, this album is available on their Bandcamp for a mere $1, if you've got a bit of change to spare and a lot of support to give. Enjoy.

"This is what you learned." (2014)

1. Kneeplay 1: "Do you know jazz?"

2. Isaac

3. A song about white supremacy

4. Kneeplay 2: "Lilac and Linwood."

5. Everything Matters!

6. Kneeplay 3: "This apple is really depressed."

7. The Act Of Falling

8. Regret

9. Kneeplay 4: "Don't date in your early twenties."

10. The upstairs and downstairs don't exist anymore

11. Kneeplay 5: "Forever Left-Eye."

12. Your Third Act

13. Kneeplay 6: "She didn't even like jazz."

Verse (2017)

1. You Need a Visa

2. The Baker

3. Thumbnail

4. Variations on an Aria

5. Kneeplay 7: "Orchid Hunter"

6. Eulita Terrace

7. Kneeplay 8: "On rain and how it reminds me of Glass"

8. Josephine Ave

9. Hackensack Hospital

10. Kneeplay 9: "This apple is really depressed (Reprise)."

11. Sleeptalk

Really From (2021)

1. Apartment Song

2. Quirk

3. Yellow Fever

4. Try Lingual

5. I Live Here Now

6. Last Kneeplay

7. I'm From Here

8. In The Spaces

9. The House

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Topshelf

WVRM

WVRM are a four-piece grindcore band from Greenville, South Carolina who have been around since 2013. They play an intensive, pummelling, feedback-laden brand of hardcore featuring heavy blast beats and some crust/death metal influence thrown in the ring. They've been incredibly consistent in putting out fantastic releases, and their latest offering Can You Hear The Wind Howl is definitely one of the most assaulting grind releases you'll hear all year. Fans of Young And In The Way, Trap Them, and Full of Hell shouldn't pass this up. Enjoy.

Despair (2013)

1. Angel Crusher

2. Funeral Heart

3. Appleseed

4. Haunted

5. Coffin Dragger

6. The Rotted

7. Cry Baby

8. Old Boy

9. Downpour

Where All Light Dies (2014)

1. Smell Ov Old Graves

2. Worse Than Alone

3. Carolina

4. Assisted Suicide

5. Noose Man

6. XIIIXIII

7. Wounded Dog

8. A Casket To Call Home

Swarm Sound (2014)

1. Demoness

2. Grim Rose

3. Dimly Left Atop Her Grave

4. Coffin Dragger Part II

5. Funeral Heart

6. Sewn Limbs

7. Cry Baby

8. Dear Parasite

9. Swarm Sound

10. Embrace The Noose

11. Home Is Where The Hornets Rest

12. Bone Tower

13. Appleseed

14. Blastphemous

15. Eulogist

16. As The Light Dies...

WVRM (2015)

1. Slug Lord

2. Wasp Lord

Self Harm/WVRM (2016)

1. Self Harm - Marionette

2. Self Harm - Keyboard Warrior

3. Self Harm - Leech

4. Self Harm - Fremveksten Av Den Morke Herre

5. WVRM - Goth Girl

6. WVRM - Grave Bloom

7. WVRM - Vermin Thirst

8. WVRM - Torture Porn

Heartache (2016)

1. Death Erection

2. Night Collector

3. Fucked

4. Slow Strangle

5. Low Life

6. Only Suffering

7. Sleep Paralysis

8. As Below

Can You Hear The Wind Howl (2017)

1. Swollen Belly

2. Bag Of Blades

3. Distinguished

4. Suffer Ritual

5. Can You Hear The Wind Howl

6. Mountain Of Dead Pigs

The Blood Of The Coven Is Thicker Than Water Of The Womb (2018)

1. Withered On The Vein

2. Utopia Seized

3. Tourniquet Blues

4. Sea Of Trees

Colony Collapse (2020)

1. Walled Slum City

2. War Promise//Secessionville

3. Shining Path

4. Anti-Democracy//Locust Breath

5. Black Flags Toward Sodom (Me Ne Frego)

6. Tank Reaper

7. Hands That Bear The Hive

8. Thorn Palace

9. My Fucking Dixie (The New South)

10. Years Of Lead

11. Violet Nuclear

12. Furious Movement//The Burning Tower

13. Colony Collapse

14. Angel Of Assassination

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Repulsion

Repulsion are one of the most noteworthy grindcore bands to have ever existed, partially because they were crucial in its formation. They were formed in 1984 in Flint, Michigan, and led a brief four-year existence before breaking up in 1988, reforming again in 1990, and then breaking up in 1993 (though have been active again since 2003). Out of their initial four-year timeframe comes a handful of demos, and one very important record: Horrified.

Though released in 1989, it was recorded in 1986, and is often heralded as being the first "grindcore" album ever. Keep in mind these recordings pre-date Napalm Death's Scum by a year. In a very bastardized description, grindcore came together as a natural fusion of hardcore punk and thrash metal. The result is the blast-beat pounding, chainsaw guitar revving, minute-long song sound and formula we know today. This album is widely regarded as being immensely influential, and still holds up today as an incredible album. The band's contributions to the history and development of genres like grindcore and death metal are undoubted, and that is all thanks to this fantastic chunk of brutality here. Enjoy.

Horrified (1989)

1. The Stench of Burning Death

2. Eaten Alive

3. Acid Bath

4. Slaughter of the Innocent

5. Decomposed

6. Radiation Sickness

7. Splattered Cadavers

8. Festering Boils

9. Pestilent Decay

10. Crematorium

11. Driven To Insanity

12. Six Feet Under

13. Bodily Dismemberment

14. Repulsion

15. The Lurking Fear

16. Black Breath

17. Maggots In Your Coffin

18. Horrified

Dead Cross

I'm sure this is fairly "old" news by now, but a few very notable musicians have come together under the "Dead Cross" moniker and put out a surprisingly decent album earlier this year. Vocalist Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle), drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer), guitarist Justin Pearson (The Locust, Swing Kids, Retox) and guitarist Mike Crain (Retox). Their original vocalist was Gabe Serbain (The Locust, Retox).

They formed in 2015, though their first release wasn't put out until earlier this year, after Patton re-recorded Serbian's vocals. The band's eclectic backgrounds do inevitably seep into the mix here, from elements of thrash metal, experimental noise, and of course Patton's vocal aerobics. However, their defining influence stems from straight-forward hardcore punk. However, instead of emulating it, they take their collaborative influences and provide their own take on it. Let's put it this way, they cover Bauhaus instead of The Accused. Their self-titled debut is a surprisingly decent album, especially by "supergroup" standards. Enjoy.

Dead Cross (2017)

1. Seizure And Desist

2. Idiopathic

3. Obedience School

4. Shillelagh

5. Bela Lugosi's Dead

6. Divine Faith

7. Grave Slave

8. The Future Has Been Cancelled

9. Gag Reflex

10. Church of the Motherfuckers

Dead Cross EP (2018)

1. Skin Of A Redneck

2. My Perfect Prisoner

3. Shillelagh (Panicker Remix)

4. Church of the Motherfuckers (Planet B Remix)

II (2022)

1. Love Without Love

2. Animal Espionage

3. Heart Reformer

4. Strong and Wrong

5. Ants And Dragons

6. Nightclub Canary

7. Christian Missile Crisis

8. Reign of Error

9. Imposter Syndrome

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A Will Away

A Will Away are a four-piece pop punk/emo/indie band from Nauagatuck, Connecticut that formed in 2011. After an EP that garnered them a lot of attention (Bliss), they released their debut full-length earlier this year on Triple Crown Records. They play an energetic, catchy, yet cathartic blend of indie rock with hints of emo and pop punk influence. Fans of Transit, Have Mercy, and Boston Manor will definitely dig this. On a side note, there are some things I'm missing from them. Namely their first EP, Not Far From Home, as well as More Bliss, which contains acoustic versions of some songs from Bliss. Enjoy.

Cold Weather (2013)

1. Carousel

2. Livin'

3. True North

4. Lines In The Sand

5. The Masochist's Daughter

A Will Away/Head North (2014)

1. A Will Away - Dusk

2. A Will Away - Transparent People

3. A Will Away - Home

4. Head North - In The Water

5. Head North - Poor Posture

Bliss (2015)

1. Play Dead

2. My Sitter

3. Cheap Wine

4. 10 Or 11

5. Be Easy

Here Again (2017)

1. Here Again

2. Pay Raise

3. Agoraphobia

4. Chemicals

5. Crochet

6. Well-Adjusted

7. Caroline

8. Better Reluctant

9. Summer Your Savior

10. The Shakes

11. Gravity

12. Into The Light

13. Something Special

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Studying

Studying were a six-piece emo band from Annandale, Virginia that were around briefly from 2011 to 2012. Thank you to Anton for reminding me of these boiz, because this band was the shiiiiiit, and I haven't listened to them in a long time. They've got a heavy midwestern emo-influenced sound going on, which fans of Joie De Vivre and Merchant Ships will definitely dig. Their bright guitars, sad (and occasionally) screamed vocals, as well as sporadic use of brass instruments checks off the entire list of emo awesomeness. Songs About Leaving Home is incredible, as is their sole full-length Sophomoronic. Enjoy.

We Are Not Studying (Demos) (2011)

1. Wait, I'll Get Back To You (Demo)

2. Up The Corporate Ladder (Demo)

3. Winter Kept Us Warm (Demo 1.0)

4. Winter Kept Us Warm (Demo 1.2)

5. I Think I Think Too Much

Songs About Leaving Home (2011)

1. Wait, I'll Get Back To You

2. Call To No One

3. Winter Kept Us Warm

4. Up The Corporate Ladder

Carved Our Names In Snow/Studying (2012)

1. Carved Our Names In Snow - Listening

2. Carved Our Names In Snow - Facebank

3. Studying - The Passing Of 34 Days

Sophomoronic (2012)

1. Because What Was Hardened Will Never Happen

2. Nothing But Figures

3. What Do You See?

4. Tourist With A Typewriter

5. Where Bluestone Meets Carrier

6. Sophomornic

7. Goodbye, I Guess

8. A Somber, Dull Care Of Desire

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Combatwoundedveteran

Combatwoundedveteran were a five-piece screamo/grindcore band from both Ithica, New York, and Tampa, Florida that were around from 1996 to 2003. They were associated with No Idea Records, and are known for putting out splits with some other incredible bands (Orchid, Reversal Of Man), as well as being incredible on their own. They played short bursts of violent, noisy screamo, which dipped into emoviolence and grindcore. Their entire discography was compiled in 2005, though also I included their sole LP, I Know A Girl Who Develops Crime Scene Photos if you wanted it on its own. Update: Added an EP and two splits. Enjoy.

Combat Wounded Veteran/Orchid (2000)

1. Combat Wounded Veteran - Economic Downturn With The Kung-Fu Grip

2. Combat Wounded Veteran - Hank Cut Out His Bowels

3. Combat Wounded Veteran - I Talk You Listen

4. Combat Wounded Veteran - Kill The Translator

5. Combat Wounded Veteran - Rocks In A Blender

6. Orchid - Eye Gouger

7. Orchid - Panopticism

I Know A Girl Who Develops Crime Scene Photos (1999)

1. My Spine! My Spine! My Spine!

2. Watching Stock Car Racing On My Wedding Night

3. Propaganda Films Shot With A Sitcom Script

4. I Talk, You Listen

5. You'll Never Be Where I Am, Ever In Your Life

6. Fuck The Ghouls

7. Mercury Streams, The Proliferation Of Foreign Matter

8. One Arm Left

9. Folded Space-Lead Poisoning And Distortion

10. You Win, I'm Stupid

11. Appendix - Proportion Zero

12. Operation - Head Superimposed

13. You Make Statements Concerning Things You Know Nothing About

14. Christ, My Leg Is Sore

15. Let The Surgical Strike Begin

16. One Third Of The Perfect Man

17. The 7-10 Split

18. The Party Asteroid Apocalypse

19. (Bonus Track)

Electric Youth Crew (2002)

1. Reversal Of Man - Game of Chess

2. Reversal Of Man - Fire Sermon

3. Reversal Of Man - What The Thunder Said

4. Reversal Of Man - Burial Of The Dead

5. Reversal Of Man - Death By Water

 6. Combatwoundedveteran - Pieces Of Judith

7. Combatwoundedveteran - Plagarezing The Father

8. Combatwoundedveteran - ....And Now That I Am Cornered By Vermin

9. Combatwoundedveteran - F That We're Not Here To Have Fun

Duck Down For The Torso (2002)

1. Activate The Corpses

2. The Very First Pterodactyl

3. 15 Minutes On A Forklift

4. Folded Space: Mapping Unexploded Ordinance

This Is Not An All Erect, All-Red Neon Body (2005)

1. Eat More Blood Money

2. With Love, Your Mother

3. I Gotta' Sling Shot, Wanna Get Hurt?

4. Completed In Three Easy Steps

5. Six! Two! Two! Mayhem

6. Put 'Em In A Body Bag Johnny

7. The Brown Tie Is A Clip-On

8. Dead Parents, Yea!

9. Kill L.I.N.C.O.L.N.

10. Some People Ask Too Many Questions

11. The Tri-Lamb Shadow Kick Meltdown

12. God, Guns, & Guts

13. Put Your Weight On It

14. Ted, Me, & Al Green

15. Dance, Asshole

16. Say Yes, To Cathode Ray Rock

17. Cumbersome Ant People

18. We Sticks Butter

19. My Foot, The Catheter

20. ...And Other Sinister Motives

21. Economic Downturn

22. Hank Cut Out His Bowels Again

23. I Talk, You Listen (Version: Lo Fi)

24. Rocks In A Blender

25. Kill The Translator

26. Shift X 1000

27. I'm Sweet, I'm Sexy, & I'm Oh So Chocolate

28. Plastic Bullets Are So '84

29. I Hope You Get Cancelled

30. I've Gotta' Slingshot, Wanna Get Hurt? (Again, Faster!)

31. The Rise Of A Thousand Prosthetic Limbs

32. What The Hell?

33. Shit 3:16

34. Also Comes In Red, Orange & Fuck You

35. Disembowelment At Room Temperature

36. Black Hair Dye, Aisle 6

37. "Jane, You Ignorant Slut"/ Power Failure In The Suburbs

38. Operation: Super Imposed Head (Prelude)

39. And When I Swing Around, I Will Destroy You

40. Q:What Kind Of (A Band) Name Is Scrotum Grinder? A: A Terrible One

41. We Are Geniuses

42. Asshole Means I Am Better Than You