Honor Role

Honor Role were a four-piece hardcore/post-punk band from Richmond, Virginia that formed in 1982 and disbanded in 1989. During that time they essentially went through an entire reinvention, beginning as a by-the-numbers fast-paced and scrappy hardcore band, before evidently discovering Joy Division and Bauhaus in 1985, which marked their course-correction to a transfixingly winding and melodic sound that proved influential to emo in a similar way that Moss Icon did, with drivingly dark bass lines, tight-knit drum patterns, and ringing, reverberated guitars wrapped around, with an expressive vocal delivery that's reminiscent of T.S.O.L.'s Jack Grisham. Thought never given quite the credit they deserved, they put out a steady stream of solid albums that pushed the envelope of punk rock's possibilities in the late 80's, with all that recorded material eventually ending up on the 1997 compilation Album. 

Album contains everything from 1985 on, which includes 1985's Judgement Day single, 1986's Purgatory single, the 1986 LP The Pretty Song, 1988's Craig Olive single, and the 1989 LP Rictus (both albums are included on their own as well here). Their early stuff is decent, but it's nothing ground-breaking, so I suggest starting with Album and then try It Bled Like A Stuck Pig or 1982 (which contains the same songs as the Your Skull Is My Bowl split with better quality) if you're interested in hearing their actual origins. Enjoy.

Your Skull Is My Bowl (1983)

1. Graven Image - Child Abuse

2. Graven Image - Fascist State

3. Graven Image - Uncomfortable Environment

4. Graven Image - My World

5. Graven Image - Double Life

6. Graven Image - Trigger Happy

7. Honor Role - Living In The 60's

8. Honor Role - Bowling For Bibles

9. Honor Role - War

10. Honor Role - Southern Lifestyle

11. Honor Role - I'm A Nerd

12. Honor Role - Uptown

13. Honor Role - Infanticide

14. Honor Role - Profit Prophets

15. Honor Role - Cap And Gown

It Bled Like A Stuck Pig (1984)

1. An Hour Behind

2. New Hope

3. Bowling For Bibles

4. Chocolate Milk

5. I'm A Nerd

6. Vance Picked Up Dot Over A Bush By The Tail

7. Early Grave

8. B.D.K.O.

9. Dot Is In Your Car & Boy Does She Smell Bad

The Pretty Song (1986)

1. Throwing Rocks

2. Early Grave

3. My Place

4. Go Places

5. Shuffle

6. Six
7. Anonymous Cave

8. Purgatory

9. Clockwork

10. Observation

11. Present Conditions

12. Care Taker

Rictus (1989)

1. Listening To Sally

2. Absolve

3. Following Footprints

4. Swing It / Interlude

5. Skippy

6. Salty Tears

7. So Anyway

8. Thankless Job

9. Familiar And Plain

10. Break The Ice

Album (1997)

1. Listening To Sally

2. Absolve

3. Following Footprints

4. Skippy

5. Salty Tears

6. So Anyway

7. Thankless Job

8. Familiar And Plain

9. Break The Ice

10. Twist

11. Lives Of The Saints #135 (Naked Wife)

12. Throwing Rocks

13. Early Grave

14. My Place

15. Go Places

16. Shuffle

17. Six

18. Anonymous Cave

19. Purgatory

20. Clockwork

21. Observation

22. Present Conditions

23. Care Taker

24. Jank

25. Judgement Day

26. Anonymous Cave

1982 (2006)

1. Livin' In The 60's

2. Bowling For Bibles

3. War

4. Southern Lifestyle

5. I'm A Nerd

6. Uptown

7. Infanticide

8. Profit Prophets

9. Cap And Gown

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Stop It!!

Stop It!! were a four-piece post-hardcore/emo band from Richmond, Virginia that were around from 2001 to 2003 (approximately), putting out one demo and one LP (via Robotic Empire) and included former members of City of Caterpillar and Municipal Waste. The band played winding, discordant rhythms with angular lead melodies and shouted vocals, dynamically shifting not unlike City of Caterpillar with influence from the likes of Shotmaker, Twelve Hour Turn, Navio Forge, Sleepytime Trio, and Jawbox. Their sole full-length is worth your time, as is virtually anything Robotic Empire was putting out around this time, the consistency and creativity was absolutely insane. Enjoy.

Demo (2002)

1. When Doves Cry

2. My Prerogative

3. Theme Song To Beverly Hills, 90210

4. When A Man Loves A Woman

5. Paradise City

6. Exile On Main St.

7. Mr. Roboto

Self Made Maps (2003)

1. Maybe She's Born With It

2. Name And Number

3. Amen And Boys

4. A Clever Play On Words

5. Remove Your Teeth

6. S.S. Betrayal

7. Captain Roboto

8. Here's To New Shortcuts

9. Beethoven's Funeral

Wayfarers All (2004)

11. Not Mentioned On Maps

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Government Warning

Government Warning were a four-piece hardcore punk band from Richmond, Virginia that formed in 2004 and disbanded in 2011. They knocked out a slew of releases in that time, including two full-lengths and several EP's. Sonically, they harkened back to the classic sound of hardcore in its original era, taking cues from bands such as the Adolescents and Zero Boys' rambunctious energy to knock out stellar songs in 60 to 120 seconds. If you're new to this band, Arrested is probably my personal favourite from them, though No Moderation is probably the essential entry point. Enjoy.

No Way Out E.P. (2005)

1. Railroaded

2. Blank

3. Government Warning

4. Walking Dead

5. Ghost Town

6. Self Destruct

No Moderation (2006)

1. No Moderation

2. Jocks And Cops

3. Cutting Room Floor

4. Fat Nation

5. Self Medication

6. Trend City

7. Slave Labor

8. Powder Keg

9. See The Truth

10. Sick Of Home

Arrested (2007)

1. Arrested

2. Maniacs

3. Killing For Fun

4. Safe And Sound

Paranoid Mess (2009)

1. Rot And Decay

2. Nowhere To Go

3. Urban Warfield

4. Endless Slaughter

5. Stop Again

6. Revolving Door

7. Blurred Yellow Line

8. Disengage

9. Hour After Hour

10. Glued

11. Factory Line

12. Shot Full Of Holes

13. (Global Warming)

14. Paranoid Mess

15. Enough Is Enough

Executed (2009)

1. Executed

2. Shirked Obligations

3. Modern Day

Violent Reaction/Barge/Night Birds/Government Warning (2016)

1. Violent Reaction - Victim In Pain

2. Barge - Stabbed In The Back

3. Night Birds - Haunted Town

4. Government Warning - Deny Everything

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Crestfallen

Crestfallen were a five-piece screamo band from Richmond, Virginia that were active from 2000 to 2003. They released a split, LP and EP in that time, which were put out by fantastic labels including Magic Bullet and Robotic Empire. Unsurprising for a Richmond band in the early 2000's, they also shared members with pg.99. Crestfallen were absolutely fantastic and incredibly underrated, crafting violent bursts of grind-influenced emoviolence, with elements of metalcore thrown into some riffs. The vocals are also a major high point, which sound face-melting in a literal sense. Highly recommended, enjoy.

Waifle/Crestfallen (2001)

1. Waifle - Australian For Women

2. Crestfallen - Epileptic Requiem

Streaks Of Terror (2002)

1. Nine To Five RSVP

2. Beyond Recognition

3. Never Say Never!

4. Scouring For Any Signs Of Life

5. Seen And Not Heard...

6. ...Biting Your Tongue Off

7. Pecking Order

8. Disappearing Act

9. Eternal Nightmare

Crestfallen (2003)

1. Backlashed

2. Spread Bald Eagle

3. Rogue Rodeo

4. Sucker Punch Fucks Off

5. Early To Bed Early To Rise Again

6. Silent Track (66.6 Seconds)

7. Minor Threat (Minor Threat cover)

8. Human Fly (The Cramps cover)

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Forcefedglass

Forcefedglass were a three-piece emoviolence/screamo band from Falmouth, Massachusetts that formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2000, after having relocated to Richmond, Virginia. Their actual released output was pretty minimal, with just one "full-length", two splits, a demo and a few compilation appearances. The majority of their recorded stuff was included on a reissue of that sole album, When Backs Are Turned, Knives Are Pulled. This is what's included below, with bonus tracks from those splits and other misc. songs. Sonically, this band crafted short burts of distorted, blast-beat heavy chaos, with vocals pushed to their limit and frenzied guitar riffs. Ben Koller was actually the drummer of this band prior to joining Converge, as a fun fact for ya. Highly recommended, enjoy.

When Backs Are Turned, Knives Are Pulled (1998)

1. Paper Mache

2. M.P.

3. What Do You Think of That?

4. A Hollywood Ending

5. Something To Say

6. The Plague

7. Nailed To The Wall

8. Can't Look Back

9. Proper Use Of Explosives

10. Emobombs

11. Deadeyes

12. Strapped In

13. The Untold Stories of Brick Walls

14. Thirteen Second Sickness

15. A Beginners Guide to Piracy

16. Open Face Surgery

17. Pistol Complex

18. Fifteen Minutes to Fairvale

19. Running On Borrowed Time

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Verse En Coma

Verse En Coma were a five-piece indie/emo/post-rock band from Falls Church, Virginia that were active around 2008. This project included members of City Of Caterpillar, Malady, and pg.99, which is a pretty good reference point in describing this band's sound, especially the former two. The dark, twisting melodies and cleanly sung vocals of Malady mesh with the expansive, effects-laden sound of City Of Caterpillar, with tremolo-picked guitars and whirling reverb. This results in the haunting Rialto, their sole recorded project. Like many of its members other works, this was released by Robotic Empire. Definitely check this out if you're familiar with the aforementioned bands, or if the phrase "clean screamo" sounds remotely appealing. Enjoy.

Rialto (2008)

1. Through Ice Patches And Pine Trees

2. Disappearing Glaciers

3. In A Factory

4. Tiny Speakers

5. DCC Cassette

6. Untitled

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Engine Down

Engine Down were a four-piece post-hardcore/emo band from Richmond, Virginia that were active from 1996 to 2005. They maintained a fairly prolific career, with four full-lengths and a few other releases coming out in the span of 6 years. Despite this, they remain one of the most underrated bands in their scene/era. They took fairly clear influence from DC/Dischord bands that first championed post-hardcore in the early 90's (Fugazi, Lungfish, Hoover, Shudder To Think, etc.) while exploring their own viscera, making for some dynamic and emotionally impactful songs. They utilized the classic quiet, clean guitar sound  mingling with subdued vocals and slowed drums, alongside distorted, octave-heavy crescendos with angular riffs that built and released tension almost interchangeably. Thanks to their multiple vocalists, harmonies are usually layered and provide a sense of unison despite the often-distraught lyrics. 

Its members are also of note, besides being in the incredible Engine Down, they were active in a few other projects you're most likely familiar with. For starters, vocalist/guitarist Keeley Davis was a member of Sparta who joined just before Threes. He was also a member of At The Drive-In during their reunion back in 2016, and played on In•ter a•li•a. Along with guitarist/vocalist Jonathan Fuller, Davis also formed Denali. Drummer Cornbread Compton was briefly a member of Cursive, and played on Mama, I'm Swollen. Enjoy.

Engine Down 7" (1998)

1. Hold All Applause

2. Castalia

Twelve Hour Turn/Engine Down (1998)

1. Twelve Hour Turn - Wide Awake

2. Engine Down - Flowers For The Dead

Under The Pretense Of Present Tense (1999)

1. Castalia

2. Dead Letter

3. Colorado

4. Nearsighted

5. Slingshot

6. Brushes

7. The Offer Of Something

8. Daredevil

To Bury Within The Sound (2000)

1. Retread

2. Trial Error

3. Somnolent Detachment

4. Intent To Pacify

5. Patent On The Better

6. Worth

7. Depth Perception

8. In Favor

9. Two Tone

10. To Bury Within The Sound

A Sign Of Breath (2001)

1. Second Of February

2. In On The Kill

3. Your Suit

4. Retone

Demure (2002)

1. Songbird

2. Pantomime

3. Far From Now

4. Detour

5. Taken In

6. Demure

7. Overrated

8. Second Of February

9. Closed Call

10. Relief Sketch

Engine Down (2004)

1. Rogue

2. And Done

3. Control Group

4. Cover

5. In Turn

6. Long Time Waiting

7. Too Much Of A Good Thing

8. 101

9. The Walk In

10. Standby

11. Well Read

12. Etcetera

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Lovitt Records

Wow, Owls!

Wow, Owls! were a five-piece screamo/hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia that were around from 2003 to 2006. Their output was pretty limited, with one incredible LP, a split, a demo, and a few final recordings. Sonically, they are fairly comparable to bands such as L'Antietam, Wolves, and Life At These Speeds with a dash of post-hardcore a la At The Drive-In. They played with a burgeoning energy and distinct attitude, creating tension with angular chords and heavy syncopation. Their LP, Pick Your Patterns is sorely underrated, and I highly suggest anyone who has not heard give it a listen, I think a lot of people who frequent this blog would dig it. The only other note to make on their discography is the compilation Pee Sout, which includes their demo (also included here), a remix and the final three songs they recorded. Members went on to play in Best Practices and Mouthbreather. Enjoy.

Mind Explosion Demo (2004)

1. Initiate Mind Explosion Sequence

2. Five Sexy Alligators, Please

3. Chris, Did You Ruin The Dance Party?

4. Cole Hutchison: 1982-2012

4. 1989: The Best Four Years Of My Life

6. More Explosive Than A Jerry Bruckheimer Joint

7. Mind Explosion: The Saga Continues

The Setup/Wow, Owls! (2004)

1. The Setup - My T-Shirt Has Something Important to Say

2. Wow, Owls! - Hissy Fits and Temper Tantrums

3. Wow, Owls! - Cole Hutchinson 1982-2012

Pick Your Patterns (2005)

1. 1989: The Best Four Years of My Life

2. Your New Favorite Song

3. Five Sexy Alligators, Please

4. I'll Be Your Huckleberry

5. Destination: Pizza

6. Houston, We Have a Drinking Problem

7. Chris, Did You Ruin the Dance Party?

8. Saccharine for My Sweetie

9. Nominative Was The Case They Gave Me

Pee Sout (2006)

1. Scary Barry

2. Gems

3. Let's Get The Fuck Out Of Raccoon City

4. Initiate Mind Explosion Sequence

5. Five Sexy Alligators, Please

6. Chris, Did You Ruin the Dance Party

7. Cole Hutchison 1982-2012

8. 1989, The Best Four Years of My Life

9. More Explosive Than A Jerry Bruckheimer Joint

10. Mind Explosion: The Saga Continues

11. Five Sexy Alligators, Please (Yeah Yeah Remix)

Down To Nothing

Down To Nothing are a five-piece straight edge hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia that have been active since 2000. Without a doubt this post is long overdue, and it's finally here. Down To Nothing were incredibly active in the 2000s, putting out release after release. Sonically, you could say they bridge the gap between their Revelation Records predecessors (Sick Of It All, Judge, etc.) and bands such as Backtrack, Expire, and Trapped Under Ice (who they even share a member with). There's not much more that needs to be said, they're a classic, straight-forward hardcore band with several solid albums under their belt. If you're new to them, grab The Most, Unbreakable, and Life On The James, as that covers most of their material without repeating tracks. Enjoy.

Demo (2002)

1. Keep Your Head Up

2. Burn

3. Life Of The Party

4. Used Up

5. Contaminated

6. Stand Down

7. I Hope It's Worth It

Save It For The Birds (2003)

1. Save It For The Birds

2. One Eighty

3. The Normal People

4. Outcome

5. Choke Louder

6. 3 Or 4 Years

7. Pet Peeve

8. Who Are You To Say

9. Honorable Mention Mr. Starky

10. What Comes Around Goes Around

11. Fire Escape

Down To Nothing/Kids Like Us (2004)

1. Down To Nothing - We're On The Run

2. Down To Nothing - Risk It

3. Down To Nothing - Skate And Annoy 2.0

4. Down To Nothing - I'm So Lucky

5. Kids Like Us - Holyshit

6. Kids Like Us - Mike P. Does Coke

7. Kids Like Us - Synthesizer Nerd

8. Kids Like Us - Bad Reputation (Joan Jett cover)

Down To Nothing/On Thin Ice (2005)

1.Down To Nothing - Go Ahead With Yo Fake Ass

2. Down To Nothing - Us V. Each Other

3. Down To Nothing - I Can't Believe My Eyes

4. Down To Nothing - Smash It

5. On Thin Ice - Forgiven In Hell

6. On Thin Ice - The Thaw

7. On Thin Ice - The Ides Of March

Splitting Headache (2005)

1. Go Ahead With Yo Fake Ass

2. Us V. Each Other

3. I Can't Believe My Eyes

4. Smash It

5. Burn III

6. Unbreakable

7. Home Sweet Home

8. We're On The Run

9. Risk It

10. Skate & Annoy Vol. 2.0 (Sk8 Or Die)

11. I'm So Lucky

Note: Includes tracks from the Kids Like Us and On Thin Ice splits & more

Higher Learning (2006)

1. Higher Learning

2. Alright Already

3. Burn It!

The Most (2007)

1. Along For The Ride

2. Conquer The World

3. My Disguise

4. No Faith

5. Serve And Neglect

6. Down On You

7. Well Deserved

8. Running Out

9. Higher Learning

10. Your Loss, Your Regrets

11. Up River

12. Quick To Judge

Unbreakable (2008)

1. Save It For The Birds

2. One Eighty

3. The Normal People

4. Outcome

5. Choke Louder

6. 3 Or 4 Years

7. Pet Peeve

8. Who Are You To Say

9. Honorable Mention Mr. Starky

10. What Goes Around Comes Around

11. Fire Escape

12. Go Ahead Wit Yo Fake Ass

13. Us V. Each Other

14. I Can't Believe My Eyes

15. Smash It

16. Burn III

17. Unbreakable

18. Home Sweet Home

19. We're On The Run

20. Risk It

21. Skate & Annoy, Vol. 2.0 (Sk8 Or Die)

22. I'm So Lucky

Note: Compilation of Save It For The Birds and Splitting Headache

Hem Hem (2008)

1. Park My Car

2. Wildcard

3. His Not His

4. Crucifixion Of The Bunghole

5. Voicemail

6. I Wanna See You Again

7. Yah Yah

Down To Nothing/50 Lions (2008)

1. Down To Nothing - Watered Down

2. Down To Nothing - Shot Down

3. Down To Nothing - When My World Turns Cold

4. 50 Lions - The Realness

5. 50 Lions - Searching

6. 50 Lions - Love And War

All My Sons (2010)

1. Number One

2. Set Sail

3. Gone For Summer

4. Undefeated (All My Sons)

5. Pipeline

6. Monument

Greetings From Richmond, Virginia (2013)

1. Life On The James

2. Dirty South

3. Swallowed Up

Life On The James (2013)

1. When I Rest I Rust

2. Dirty South

3. Life On The James

4. Sheffield

5. No Leash

6. 3:24

7. Brothers Turned Strangers

8. Island Time

9. Cardinal

10. Soak It Up

11. Fish Ain't Bitin'

12. Draw 4

Live! On The James (2017)

1. Life On The James

2. Along For The Ride

3. I Can't Believe My Eyes

4. Dirty South

5. Go Ahead Wit Yo Fake Ass

6. Conquer The World

7. When I Rest I Rust

8. Save It For The Birds

9. The Normal People

10. Brothers Turned Strangers

11. Skate Or Die

12. Pipeline

13. My Disguise

14. Soak It Up

15. Down On You

16. Smash It

17. Home Sweet Home

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