Fury

Fury are a five-piece hardcore punk band from Orange County, California that formed in 2014. Their sound is pretty clearly rooted in early youth crew hardcore, such as Youth Of Today. Their songs are straight up, aggressive, and to the point (as their name would suggest), with the positive outlook gang chant vocals to top it all off. Fury do an excellent job of preserving the raw power of this sound, while still giving it a refreshing new energy, and not just rehashing old tropes. Their debut LP, Paramount, came out last year on Triple B Records, which really pushed this band to a whole new level. While they were an excellent hardcore band before, this album takes the sound of hardcore punk and pushes it to its full extent, in a forward-thinking way, like a band such as Turning Point did. It's made a ton of waves, and it rightfully should. Unfortunately I'm a little late to the punch in posting this, but it's definitely one of the most noteworthy hardcore releases in recent years. Enjoy.

6-Song Demo (2014)

1. The Fury

2. Ricochet

3. Day Today

4. Big Man

5. Play (BAB)

6. The Fool

Kingdom Come (2015)

1. Royalty

2. Reality Check

3. Holy

4. End Is Nigh (It's Time)

5. Kingdom Come

Live On KXLU (2015)

1. End Is Nigh (It's Time)

2. Day Today

3. Royalty

4. Reality Check

5. The Fury

2016 Promo (2016)

1. Duality Of Man

2. Thin Line

3. No Choice

Paramount (2016)

1. Danse

2. Thin Line

3. Novo

4. Damage Is Done

5. In Extremis

6. The Fury

7. Death Yellows Life And Reason

8. Leviathan

9. Duality of Man

10. The Feeling

2017 Promo (2017)

1. America

2. Lost In The Funhouse

3. Buried (Ability)

Note: All profits go to Planned Parenthood, didn't include download link

Failed Entertainment (2019)

1. Angels Over Berlin

2. Good Time

3. Vacation

4. America

5. Inevitable Need To Reach Out

6. Birds Of Paradise

7. Mono No Aware

8. Lost In The Funhouse

9. New Years Day

10. New Years Eve

11. Crazy Horses Run Free

Bandcamp

Friend/Enemy

Friend/Enemy were a short-lived indie rock project created by Tim Kinsella and Todd Mattei, lasting between 2001 and 2002. Both of them were also members of Joan of Arc at the time. If you're familiar with that band (and Owls to an extent), the strangeness of this project will come as no shock to you. The foundation of these songs were laid down by the aforementioned members, and then a ton of collaborators would come in and add density to these tracks. Other contributors include bassist Sam Zurick (a regular in the Cap'n Jazz/Owls/Joan of Arc collective), and even Zach Hill on drums (of Hella and Death Grips notoriety), among others. Sonically, this project is very experimental, dipping into elements of math rock, jazz, prog, and indie, all beneath Kinsella's distinct vocal stylings and storytelling. In addition, there's an array of sounds in the mix here in addition to standard rock instrumentation, such as a banjo and a bunch of percussion. It's an interesting album undoubtedly, and highly recommended to fans who lean more towards the stranger side on the strange/sad Kinsella spectrum. Enjoy.

10 Songs (2002)

1. Thax Douglas

2. Do The Stand On One Foot Dance To The Radio Rodeo

3. I'd Rather Be High Than Get Laid Any Other Day Of The Week

4. How Do You Explain Me To Your Mom

5. Out At The Inner (Dark)

6. Just Like Anne E. Fay's Bues

7. Teeny Comealong

8. The Lost Sciences Of The First Bible Pressing

9. I Once Loved Something, Etc.

10. Okay We'll Fade Before The End

The Suicide File

The Suicide File were a five-piece hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts that were around from 2001 to 2003, though they have played a few reunion shows since. They were relatively short-lived, though their output still stands out today as some of the most incredible Boston hardcore of (arguably) all time. This band is also noted for having members involved in tons of other legendary projects, including The Hope Conspiracy, Death By Stereo, and Give Up The Ghost/American Nightmare, all of whom they definitely share sonic qualities with. There's really not much else that needs to be said beyond that. If you're a fan of fucking great, no bullshit, in and out straight-up hardcore, this is a band I'm sure you've heard before. If not, this is your lucky day. They were one of many bands from that scene that really revitalized hardcore during that era, removing the tough guy bullshit and leaving good, high energy punk rock in its place. In terms of releases, they were fairly active in their time. Though they only put one "full-length" (18 minutes constitutes a full-length in hardcore terms), they also put a few splits and such, all of which were conveniently compiled in 2005. Enjoy.

The Hope Conspiracy/The Suicide File (2002)

1. The Hope Conspiracy - Failure

2. The Suicide File - Ashcroft

3. The Suicide File - I Hate Rock N Roll

Twilight (2003)

1. Twilight

2. The Edge Of Town

3. Rum, Romanism, And Tammany

4. W

5. Ashcroft

6. Laramie

7. Song For Katy

8. Down Underground

9. Mission Hill Party

10. November In Brookline

11. Song For Tonight

Live On WERS (2004)

1. Song For Tonight

2. Kissinger

3. Ashcroft

4. The Somme

5. Achtung! Landmine!

6. Song For Katy

7. Mission Hill Party

8. I Hate You

9. Interview

Some Mistakes You Never Stop Paying For (2005)

1. 2003

2. Fuck Fox News

3. I Like The Nightlife Baby

4. Cold Snap

5. Things Fall Apart

6. Achtung! Landmine

7. Some Mistakes You Never Stop Paying For

8. Ashcroft

9. I Hate Rock n' Roll

10. The Purple Dawn

11. Now Lie In It

12. Kissinger

13. The Somme

14. I Hate You

15. A Pleasure To Have In Class

16. Kissinger (Demo)

17. I Hate You (Demo)

18. Another Night In America (Demo)

Bandcamp

Life Long Tragedy

Life Long Tragedy were a melodic hardcore band from San Francisco, California that formed in 2001 and broke up in 2008. They were contemporaries to a ton of other incredible bands within the same corner of hardcore, such as Modern Life Is War, Ruiner, Killing The Dream, Sinking Ships, and many, many more. Fans of the impassioned, visceral, emotionally vulnerable and melodically coherent will undoubtedly dig this. They put out their last record through Deathwish, which is not surprising considering how many of the other great melodic hardcore bands of their decade also worked with them. I'm missing their EP A Sealed Fate and split with Sabertooth Zombie, so if anyone has those, please send them my way! Thanks Juan! Enjoy.

A Sealed Fate (2003)

1. Forgotten

2. The Strong

3. Past Days

4. Out Of Reach

5. Our Wings

6. For What It's Worth

7. Set In Stone

8. Oceans Of Blood

Destined For Anything (2005)

1. Worth Loving

2. Explaining A Feeling

3. Make Or Break

4. Live Forever

5. Standing By Our Words

6. Where We Belong

7. Roll The Credits

8. This Feel Right

9. Sincere

10. Coldfront

11. Time Stands Still 

Final Fight/Life Long Tragedy (2006)

1. Final Fight - T.S.

2. Final Fight - Rage

3. Life Long Tragedy - Soul Search Party

4. Life Long Tragedy - Sweet Innocence

The Dungeon Sessions (2007)

1. Life Long Tragedy - Ghost Fleet

2. Life Long Tragedy - Hey Death

3. Life Long Tragedy - This Year's Disease

4. Sabertooth Zombie - In The Shadow Of Shops

5. Sabertooth Zombie - Curly Locks

6. Sabertooth Zombie - Lady Death Pt. II

Runaways (2008)

1. Call It A Day

2. Collecting Dust

3. Hey Death

4. Andromeda

5. Harm

6. Ignoring Lessons

7. Masquerade

8. The Bottomless Hole

9. Sweet Innocence

10. Youth

11. Liars

12. Runaways

Blowout

Blowout were a four-piece emo/indie/punk band from Portland, Oregon that got started in 2014 and broke up earlier this year. Last year, they put out their fantastic debut (and now sole) full-length, No Beer, No Dad. This is a fantastic album with some clear influences taken from the reverb-soaked melancholic, melodic guitar parts of Rainer Maria, along with the upbeat celebrate-in-the-face-of-distress pop punk of The Promise Ring. Blowout have a great energy, some fantastic lyrics, and put together a solid front-to-back album of indie/emo goodness. Enjoy.

We all float down here (2014)

1. Get Loud

2. Don't Wake Grandpa

3. Tune Out

4. Wet And Reckless

5. Tiny Boots

No Beer, No Dad (2016)

1. Intro

2. Cents Cents Money Money

3. Indiana

4. Interlude

5. Fuck Slang

6. Guts Grown Up

7. Thrashy

8. King PP

9. 1 I Want

10. Green Couch

11. Pound Pit

12. If-Else-If

Bandcamp

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Operation Ivy

Does this band really need an introduction? They've been massively influential, become very well-known (partially because of their successor), and helped create a new subgenre (ska punk). Here's a quick overview anyway, to fill up space. Operation Ivy were a four-piece punk/ska band from Berkeley, California that were around from 1987 to 1989. They were one of the earliest bands to fuse punk rock and ska music together, though they do take clear influence from The Clash, who were doing that nearly a decade earlier. Op Ivy only released a handful of material, though their sole LP Energy is a bona fide classic, and an album I think introduced a lot of people to punk rock.

It's hard not to mention this band without acknowledging what two out of four of these guys would do after. Guitarist Tim Armtrong and bassist Matt McCall formed Rancid after Op Ivy broke up, though that's a whole other thing. Vocalist Jesse Michaels put on an album a few years ago with his new band, Classics Of Love, which is also worth noting. Below is the compilation released in 1991 that included both their LP Energy as well as their EP Hectic. Enjoy.

Operation Ivy (1991)

1. Knowledge

2. Sound System

3. Jaded

4. Take Warning

5. The Crowd

6. Bombshell

7. Unity

8. Vulnerability

9. Bankshot

10. One of These Days

11. Gonna Find You

12. Bad Town

13. Smiling

4. Caution

15. Freeze Up

16. Artificial Life

17. Room Without a Window

18. Big City

19. Missionary

20. Junkies Runnin' Dry

21. Here We Go Again

22. Hoboken

23. Yellin' In My Ear

24. Sleep Long

25. Healthy Body

26. Officer

27. I Got No

Shikari

Shikari were a four-piece hardcore/screamo band from the Netherlands that were around from 1999 to 2005. They played an incredibly aggressive, fast-paced version of screamo similar to bands such as Tristan Tzara and Orchid. Tremolo-picked guitars (hinting at some black metal influence), pounding blast beats, and high-pitched shrieked vocals are at the forefront of their onslaught. Bands like these with such a high caliber of intensity are what make this genre so visceral and incredible. They released a handful of EP's and splits in their time, all of which was initially compiled in 2004, but released again in 2005 to include releases from the previous year. In addition, their final release was an incredible split between them and Louise Cyphre, which is highly, highly recommended. Enjoy.

1999-2004 (2005)

1. Post Student Syndrome

2. Copycat

3. Robot Wars

4. ...And Just When I Thought I Had It All Figured Out

5. Written In Some Depressive Mood

6. Encounters

7. You Know So Well

8. Fuel

9. In Existence

10. The Kids Shouldn't Be Playing With Fire

11. Tekila

12. Attitude

13. Dead Men

14. Morning Wood

15. Utopia Dismantled

16. The Last Thing

17. Biela

18. Fall On Proverb (Unbroken)

19. Ons Land

20. Nieuwe Politiek #1

21. Tijd Was Ons Niet Zo Goed Gezind

22. Nieuwe Politiek #2

23. Laatste Halte

Shikari/Louise Cyphre (2005)

1. Shikari - Verloren Bij Aanvang

2. Shikari - God Zij Geprezen

3. Shikari - Overwegingen

4. Shikari - Nooit Te Stoppen

5. Louise Cyphre - Laut, Langsam

6. Louise Cyphre - Rendezvous With Tommy Gun

7. Louise Cyphre - Intermezzo

8. Louise Cyphre - 1000 Und Eine Nacht Der Lebenden Toten

9. Louise Cyphre - Poor Little Boy Stuffed In Drag

10. Louise Cyphre - The Negative Energy Spectrum

Pitchfork

Pitchfork (no affiliation with the website) were a four-piece post-hardcore band from San Diego, California that were around from 1986 to 1990. They are perhaps best known for being the band that Rick Froberg and John Reis were in before Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes. They only released one album and one EP, both of which were eventually compiled together in 2003 on John Reis' label, Swami Records (though they're included separately below). Sonically, this band sounds like what you'd expect from one-half of Drive Like Jehu. The angular guitar rhythms, odd song structures, and Froberg's distinct voice are all present here. Albeit, the songs do tend to take a slightly more straight-forward punk influence, with more fast-tempo songs and distinct melodies. They sound like a half-way point between earlier bands like Husker Du and Embrace, and the noisy, complex, drawn-out instrumental chaos that DLJ would be. Pitchfork put out some fantastic music in their time, and though it is hard to separate this from what its members would go on to do, it's a great document to prove the prowess these guys displayed from the get-go. Enjoy.

Saturn Outhouse (1989)

1. Thin Ice

2. Goat

3. Sinking

Eucalyptus (1990)

1. Burn Pigs Burn

2. Placebo

3. Twitch

4. New Kid

5. Rana (Frogs)

6. Loot

7. Flatland Farming

8. Drop Dead

Broadside

Broadside are a five-piece pop punk band from Richmond, Virginia that have been around since 2010. They've put out three full-lengths since. In terms of sound, they're what you'd expect from a  modern pop punk band. Fans of The Wonder Years, Hit The Lights, Four Year Strong, and (early) Fireworks will probably dig it. I've said it before, but this isn't something I really listen to, so can't say much else. They get requested a ton though, so enjoy!

Far From Home (2012)

1. Far From Home

2. The Thrill

3. The Situation

4. Broz Hang Out

5. In Return

6. Smith St.

7. Loose Lips Sink Ships

8. Four Miles Into Jersey

9. Pulling Teeth

10. Maybe Today

Old Bones (2015)

1. A Place To Lay Your Head

2. A Better Way

3. Human Machines

4. Playing In Traffic

5. Storyteller

6. Come & Go

7. Coffee Talk

8. The Simple Type

9. Damaged Kids

10. A Light In The Dark

11. Old Bones

Paradise (2017)

1. Hidden Colors

2. Paradise

3. Lose Your Way

4. Disconnect

5. Laps Around A Picture Frame

6. Who Cares?

7. Tunnel Vision

8. Summer Stained

9. Miss Imperius

10. Puzzle Pieces

11. I Love You, I Love You. It's Disgusting

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The Blue Ontario

The Blue Ontario were a four-piece alternative/indie band from Denver, Colorado that were around briefly from 1997 to 1999. They were formed by members of the incredible Christie Front Drive and Crestfallen. In their time, they put out one split and one EP (although I could only find the EP, and next to no trace of the split). The band were fairly progressive, crafting drawn-out songs featuring melodic vocals, astral keyboards, and noisy, effects-laden guitars that come close to shoegaze/dream pop territory. Similar to Christie Front Drive, their songs build and fall, covering a lot of ground in the 5+ minutes they last. Though The Blue Ontario are nearly as heralded as their previous work, they put out a solid EP nonetheless. Enjoy.

New Frequencies EP (1998)

1. Lost Astronaut

2. Twenty Three

3. Permanent Wave

4. Halo

Bandcamp

.Gif From God

.Gif From God are a six-piece hardcore/emo violence band from Richmond, Virginia that formed in 2015 (presumably) by former members of Caust. Without a doubt this is some of the most ear-shattering music I've heard in a long time. It's a progressive, assaultive blend of hardcore, metalcore, screamo, and grindcore that's heavy, noisy, discordant, and has more screaming vocal layers than a schizophrenic. Even when the band pulls back to allow for some "melodic" bridges, they never release the tension. Fans of bands like Love Lost But Not Forgotten, Majority Rule, The Number Twelve Looks Like You will undoubtedly dig these unhinged, violent spasms. I cannot recommend this band enough, this shit has me floored. You can grab their stuff over at Zegema Beach Records, if you want to show some support for this incredible band and a fantastic label. Enjoy.

...defragmented...reformatted (2016)

1. adios bozo, this time i'm downloading you straight to hell

2. self pwnage for a narcissistic nutjob

3. rats

4. let's look at the plague

5. physics problem: sucking nothing but vacuum

6. technology will kill you 111111

7. empty grave, shallow mind, i'm still alive but my mind is head of shit

8. maybe none of us understand what we've been through

Note: You can pick up the cassette here

2016 Winter Tour Tape (2016)

1. no dude, he likes to spray

2. sassafras molasses ass

A Release Of Excess Flesh (2017)

1. .Gif From God - why i died wide eyed

2. .Gif From God - like a splinter in yr mind

3. Vein - A Crumpled Memo

4. Vein - Progenitor

5. Vein - Ideation: Self-Destruct

6. Vein - While You Weren't Caring,

Note: You can grab the 7" here

Bandcamp

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StoreEnvy

Despise You

Despise You are a four-piece powerviolence/hardcore band from Inglewood, California that were initially around from 1994 to 1996. During this time, they never played any shows, however did record a fair amount of material, spread out over an EP, a few splits, and numerous compilations. All of this was compiled in 1999 on West Side Horizons, which features some of the most spastic, angriest hardcore ever documented, with dual vocals and dark lyrics. In 2007, the band reformed to play shows for the first time. They've been active ever since, and have recorded and released new material, particularly two great splits with two great bands. Highly recommended, classic powerviolence. Enjoy.

West Side Horizons (1999)

Note: Long tracklist here

And On And On... (2011)

1. Despise You - Bereft

2. Despise You - Repeat Until You Fail

3. Despise You - Roll Call

4. Despise You - 3.26.00

5. Despise You - Three Day Hold

6. Despise You - Yes Officer / No Officer

7. Despise You - Fear's Song

8. Despise You - Two Or Ten Faces

9. Despise You - Shit Goes In, Shit Comes Out

10. Despise You - You Can't Fix Me, Don't Trip

11. Despise You - Painted Gray

12. Despise You - All The Regimes You Hold Most Dear

13. Despise You - Destinial

14. Despise You - Bankrupt Social Code

15. Despise You - Seven Funerals

16. Despise You - They All Died Is What Happened

17. Despise You - ...And Expirations

18. Despise You - Cedar Ave. (Was The Best Place To Watch People Ascend To Heaven)

19. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Half Dead

20. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - As Bad As It Is...

21. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Miscommunication

22. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Los Infernos

23. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Ungrateful

24. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Possession

25. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Burlap Sack

All Your Majestic Bullshit (2015)

1. All Your Majestic Bullshit

2. Centinela Park, Hosanna

3. Drink Positive

Despise You/Coke Bust (2017)

1. Despise You - Temples Of Grace On Hyde Park Blvd.

2. Despise You - Stillborn, Fuck It

3. Despise You - Give This / Get That

4. Despise You - All Souls, I.b.

5. Despise You - Bluest Skies

6. Coke Bust - Closing The Net

7. Coke Bust - Weakest Link

8. Coke Bust - Plan B

9. Coke Bust - Community Abuser

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Gatecreeper

Gatecreeper are a four-piece death metal band from various parts of Arizona that formed in 2013. They haveve been putting out a steady slew of material ever since, with their fantastic debut full-length coming out last year on Relapse. Stylistically, they take influence from old school death metal essentials such as Entombed and Dismember, with a modern take on that classic sound that fans of bands like Black Breath and Mammoth Grinder will undoubtedly dig. Enjoy.

Gatecreeper (2014)

1. Void Below

2. Force Fed

3. Overdose

4. Slave

Take Over & Destroy/Gatecreeper (2015)

2. Gatecreeper - Poisoned Mind

Note: Gatecreeper track only

Gatecreeper/Young And In The Way (2016)

1. Gatecreeper - All Your Sins

2. Young And In The Way - Solitude

4-Way Split (2016)

1. Gatecreeper - Carved Into Stone

2. Homewrecker - Perpetrators Of Annihilation

3. Outer Heaven - Death Worship

4. Scorched - Autopsy Incomplete

Sonoran Depravation (2016)
1. Craving Flesh
2. Sterilized
3. Desperation
4. Rotting As One
5. Stronghold
6. Patriarchal Grip
7. Lost Forever
8. Flamethrower
9. Grotesque Operations

Unleashed In The Middle East (Live) (2016)
1. Craving Flesh
2. Sterilized
3. Desperation
4. Flamethrower
5. Patriarchal Grip
6. Rotting As One
7. Stronghold

Sweltering Madness (2017)
1. Sweltering Madness
2. Mastery Of Power

Iron Reagan/Gatecreeper (2018)

1. Iron Reagan - Warning

2. Iron Reagan - Paper Shredder

3. Iron Reagan - Take The Fall

4. Iron Reagan - Proudly Unaccountable

5. Iron Reagan - Burn For This

6. Gatecreeper - Daybreak

7. Gatecreeper - Dead Inside

8. Gatecreeper - War Has Begun

Deserted (2019)

1. Deserted

2. Puncture Wounds

3. From The Ashes

4. Ruthless

5. Everlasting

6. Barbaric Pleasures

7. Sweltering Madness

8. Boiled Over

9. In Chains

10. Absence Of Light

11. Anxiety (Bonus Track)

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Bandcamp