Battery - Until the End

If I ever had to pick a best or favorite record from the 90's, it would come down to Battery's "Until the End", By the Grace of God's "fortheloveofindierock" EP, and Snapcase's "Progression Through Unlearning", with an honorable mention to Ten Yard Fight's "Hardcore Pride" EP (In My Eyes "Nothing to Hide" misses by a year- damn!).

"Until the End" is quite possibly the most played record that I own. For quite a number of years this album and the aforementioned By the Grace of God EP were almost daily listening, and with good reason-

Great lyrics, a passionate singer whose voice was always full of emotion, and music that was fast but able to hold a tone of heaviness when needed. The Until the End tracks that were actually recorded for the lp have an almost punky feel to them, as if the band blended punk and a metal sound to come out the other end with a punchy hardcore sound (the last 3 tracks actually appear on the 'Let the Past Go' EP and aside from These Are the Days, have a much heavier sound to them similar to the first lp "Only the Diehard Remain").

Brian McTernan had a way with getting his emotions across in his words and his voice (as he similarly did when playing guitar and occasional vocals in previous band Ashes), and Ken Olden as always, has a way to get the music to where it needs to be. The band was rounded out at the time by the equally noteworthy bass of Ben Chused (Ten Yard Fight) and drummer Jason Hamacher (Frodus, Combatwounded Veteran).

What has always set Battery apart for me, and kept them a lasting band some 15 years later, is that the music remains fluid to time- it isn't so rigidly defined by any time period, be it the heavy chugga, chugga of the 90's, or the youth crew revival that took off right around the time Battery disbanded. The lyrics still resonate, so many of the subjects in it are still things I have feelings about, even if some of them aren't necessarily relevant to my life anymore (I will be 33 tomorrow, I've moved on from feeling like the outcast kid in Has-Been, though it is still a indulgent thought to think about fat ex-high school jock stars as fat, balding used car salesmen), the lyrics and the emotion found within is about as close to timeless as I could ever call a hardcore/punk record.

Even when talking about things like the hardcore scene (In Our Hands, That'll Never Be Me, Until the End) it isn't 'rah rah rah- stabbed in the back- fingerpoint!' The same can be said for the emotional and personal issues discussed throughout, with the most glaring probably being the third track, "Why is She in Pain?" Tackling image issues and perception that rail thin, almost starving female figure is what should be held as the epitome of beauty; and more than that, accepting the responsibility the author has unwittingly played in that process.

At the end of it all, what makes Battery so incredibly important to so many is one shared thing that in all of my conversations with Battery fans, they just can't quite put their fingers on- the overall band and its emotion and feelings conveyed through their songs... all the records were good, but Until the End is the best one. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD: Battery - "Until the End"

*That was weird...download link FIXED*

H-Street - "Self-Titled" 7inch

H-Street were a hardcore band from Austria in the 90's/early 00's. They played a fast and slightly revival type of hardcore- owing a lot to older bands at a time when heavy and chugging riffs still dominated. As the cover would indicate, they were a straight edge band, but their appeal was much wider than that.

With songs about friendships, racism, , and perseverance, they tread some familiar ground at times, but the music and lyrics definitely make for a combination that does not feel rehashed or generic. Add in a cover of a local band (Open Season), some melody to the fast beats, and its a nice 5 song EP that still holds up some 10-12 years later.

Enjoy!



DOWNLOAD: H-Street - "Self-Titled" 7inch

H-Street "Common Ground":

Mourningside - Dispose EP

Coming around towards the end of what could be said was a revival of metallic tinged Vegan/Edge bands playing a predominantly 90's influenced style of hardcore (at least in California), Mourningside slipped in along with bands like Abandon as some of the more notable bands were running their course and splitting up.

That's not to say Mourningside is a vegan/edge band, to my knowledge they were just a straight edge hardcore band; but more importantly a hardcore band with something to say. Not to be confused with a nu-metal esque side project of some other people, the band is usually referred to as Mourningside AD.

This 3-track EP was the bands first offering and shows their brand of chugging hardcore that continues forward at a constant pace, taking only moments of pause for a guitar only interlude with screaming vocals. To say that this ep is nothing new would be the truth; but to say that this ep is not worth listening to would be a complete lie.

With vocals that are usually a clean scream-talking yell and well timed guitar leads, Mourningside certainly has their moments where they remind me of Damien Moyal era Morning Again and even more so, Birthright; with the title track, "Dispose" being my favorite track on this short EP.

They later released a 4-song 7inch on Hard Press Records before disbanding. Word has it that the band is back together and has recorded new songs for a future release (they have played some shows sporadically).

More info, including picking up the 7inch at the Mourningside AD Blogspot

DOWNLOAD: Mourningside - Dispose EP

Third X Party Records Ad

Leaving little to doubt about whether or not Third Party Records was a Straight Edge affiliated label, this nice silk screened ad was tucked inside of one of the 7inches I have that this label released. I'm sure many people probably pass off a lot of stuff that they did as somewhat generic youth crew revival, but they did have some diversity to the label. Besides the diversity, I loved that "generic youth crew revival" stuff. At least two TXP releases have already made appearances on this blog and there's bound to be a few more. Nick Baran, thank you!

Abnegation - Extinguish the Sickness 7inch

I was never too big on this band & I'm still not. However, I had a chance to pick this and the "Jihad" 7inch up at a Record Swap a year or so ago for just a few bucks. I figured at the very least I could give the band a proper listen and always move the records later. And of course, I could post them on the blog.

They've grown on me some, but I'm still not a huge fan. I'll alternate between putting the songs on my ipod, listening to them about 5 times in a week when I get the urge and then ignoring them and deleting them from said ipod when I need space. And so, the cycle repeats.

90's hardcore, lots of chug, screamed vocals (not quite so "evil" sounding as the Jihad record), breakdowns, squealing guitars, and everything else 90's, including less than stellar recording quality.

Animal Rights, Straight Edge, Hardline, evil looking artwork, all the things you could ask for with this 4-song ep. People are still crazy for this band, I can see why... but im still not one of em. Not a bad record though. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD: Abnegation - "Extinguish the Sickness" 7inch

Holding On / Coalition - Split 7inch

A quick one to get back into the swing of things. This 5-song split 7inch (2 Coalition, 3 Holding On) brings together two of the better, but not huge, hardcore bands from the mid-2000's.

Holding On hailed from Minnesota, playing fast and aggressive/borderline heavy old-school flavored hardcore. They would release two full lengths and a slew of 7inches (this and their split with The Real Enemy are both great) which would eventually end up on a collection CD. At times Holding On makes me think of a more 90's influenced version of Striking Distance. Angry, pissed off, to the point- but where SD leaned more to the furious punk side of things with a bit more of a explosiveness; Holding On had some linings of a more positive spin and heavy moments.

Coalition hailed from Michigan and at first (to my recollection) had a more standard kind old-school/revival sound that was huge in the late 90's/early 00's. I was fortunate enough to see them

around the time of their 3-song 7inch (yes, i'll post it later) and a very fun & energetic show at the Che Cafe. You could hear a little more in the sound changing to a little heavier influence which would start to show itself on their first lp before fully exploding on their second (last) lp. I remember someone saying it was kind of like revival hardcore taking cues from bands like Unbroken. I'm apprehensive to compare anyone to Unbroken, not because I'm a crazy Unbroken fan, but because that's a big thing to say (and it gets thrown around). But listening to the LP's, you can hear that heavy but punky/fast sound going on. In that aspect, yes. But here, you still hear the more straight forward Coalition as they move towards the heavier sound.

A nice record, good bands, and the covers are great and the facial expressions on some of the members faces is great. ENJOY!

DOWNLOAD: Coalition/Holding On - Split 7inch

V/A - Return of the X-Men Comp. 7inch x 2

There was no comp. post this past Thursday, for which I apologize. So, to mix things up a little we'll do a comp. on Saturday and make it a double 7inch comp. at that.

8 bands of varying mid/late 90's hardcore, most of which are from Europe. In fact, the only US band is By the Grace of God, who offer up a non-lp version of "Beneath the Blue" (later compiled on the Initial Records version of "Three Steps to A Better Democracy").

While I had heard of almost all of the bands on this record, BTGOG, Vitamin X, OIL, Mainstrike, & Spawn put forward the best tracks (in my opinion). Mostly, fast hardcore of many variations, Spawn checks in with the heavy, nearly 5 minute track here.

The download includes the scans for the whole layout, which explain nicely a bit more of the history behind this record and the fest that it is associated with. Good read while listening to these songs. The layout also has little sections for each band, which, if you know me and you follow this blog- that is one of the things i love most about comps, especially 7inch comps. I'm not sure how many of these tracks were exclusive to this release and remain so today, but the Mainstrike song is a live recording.

DOWNLOAD: Return of the X-Men Comp.

Outspoken - Coming of Age Fest 2005

SPAAAARKKK!!!!

Since Jump Breaks seem to be working much more here in this modern age (compared to when I was doing What We Want), it's become easier to do some photos on the blog. Personally, as much as I love taking & seeing live photos, I don't care much for blog posts that are 10 miles long because of pictures. Just kinda detracts for me. However, a well placed jump break can make all the difference. I can hop to the actual post by itself and look at everything; or, should I not want to see the pictures at that time, I can keep scrolling to the next post without all the pictures. Lazy? Maybe. But really, I think it just kinda clutters.

After the Chorus pictures, I've started sorting some more and here you get some Outspoken ones. In fact, there's enough that I will post maybe 6 or so and the rest will be in a zip file that anyone can download.

Hartsfield on the move

Feel free to use these as you like, if anyone wants to repost them on a blog, a zine, WHATEVER, just please let me know either with a comment or an email. Also, if you're using them, link me to the blog, post, or what not. And should you by some wild chance want to use them for a zine, it'd be nice to get a copy.








More after the jump, inc. the download

Final Exit - Too Late For Apologies 7inch

Umea Hardcore at it's finest. Final Exit released this 7 inch and 2 LP's in their very brief existence. Uncompromisingly in your face music, throaty but clear vocals, and lyrics with both a serious content (And Never Again, Oil Unit Corps God Government) and lyrics that can jab at the reality of straight edge kids who take themselves entirely too seriously (Bent Out of Shape) while still emphasizing their feelings about smoking (You Suck).

I first heard Final Exit, like many of my early HC discoveries that fell outside of the staple DC, LA, Boston, NY bands, through KSPC 88.7; having taped a show that played their song "Roles & Rules" off of their 'Umea' LP.

So loud, such a fervent pace to their whole sound, but a band that can bring a breakdown and a laugh and still have the song get done in a minute plus. This version of the record was released on the long running Third Party Records (Standard Issue, Reinforce, Halfmast, Get It Away, Xplauged with rageX, FPO, My Revenge! and many more).

PS- It was a long time before I found out that this band was basically that other band, who I won't mention.
I think I like Final Exit more, and I really like the middle records by that "other" band.

DOWNLOAD: Final Exit - "Too Late For Apologies" 7inch

A Chorus of Disapproval - Coming of Age Fest 2005

i am the law, me! so long sucker....


Cue the bass line, and brace yourself for the downslide.
I find myself listening to the XCHORUSX for the first time in a very long time. I always knew that when I came back to it (I always knew I would) it would still explode and pull me in.

A Chorus of Isaac

I saw A Chorus of Disapproval the first time, I believe in what was early 1997, for a last show. It was Showcase with Clear and I believe Downfall/Optimus Prime. I have one of those huge Showcase show flyer/posters somewhere. What a fucking show. They get on stage, the lights go out, and these nature sounds come over the showcase PA, birds singing and what not- and then Regis' bass comes in for the opening of Downslide. Holy Shit! From there it is a surreal blur. Yeah, Chorus is strongly tied to their huge Straight Edge message, but they transcended that for me with such a feeling of emotional struggle and pain and things I could relate to in songs like Father's Day. It's not flawless, No Part still makes me cringe, Justice makes me laugh even though I like the song, a lot. But Downslide, Full Circle Stop, A Way Out, they still hit and hard. Not to mention a nice little combo of cover songs and a good laugh with Replacement.

I digress, the last time I saw them was the Coming of Age Fest again at the Showcase, in 2005. A few pictures to enjoy, after the jump

A Thin Line Fading - "Discography"

A Thin Line Fading were, as you can see, a sXe hardcore band from New Jersey in the 90's. They played a style of old school hardcore at a time when the mid/late 90's revival was really in full swing again. Building intro type music on a song like "Neville Chamberlin Was A Chump" (aka Fuck You) that shows just a hint of melody, to shorter blasts like "Better Than Her" which also breaks from standard lyrical fare and deals with domestic violence.

I could certainly see ATLF playing a show somewhere between In My Eyes & Fastbreak (pre-Rev lp) as there are songs that have some vocals that drift somewhat away from out & out screaming and add some singing as the music changes pace for a brief moment.

I came across this band just by chance on the good old interwebs when they were still active, sometime in the mid/late 90's. I think it was via Laces Out and around the time In My Eyes came out for the Rev Tour. I distinctly remember one of the guys from Laces Out, who I had been talking with at the time had shared that In My Eyes was opening their sets on the tour with the Minor Threat cover songs. I digress. I heard the band on their website and wrote the band about getting a hold of their stuff. I had also been trying to put together a compilation record at the time and the band had been gracious enough to send me a CD with the demo, split with Gatecrashers, and 3 unreleased songs. In fact, the CD case which is packed away somewhere actually has a nifty sticker on it with a picture of the band. Good Times.

Members went on to, among other things, Anything Goes (whose 7inch is posted HERE) and Down In Flames.

*Demo cover boworrowed from HC/Punk Demo Tape Archives, a fine blog, so check it out.

DOWNLOAD: A Thin Line Fading - "Discography"

Horizon Records Comp: Ressurection, Flagman, Lifetime, & Encounter

What a great comp. I've come to realize that I am more fond of 7inch records, especially when it comes to comps. Just something about 4-6 songs/4-6 bands that appeals more to me. I'm sure years of punk/hardcore music has taken an irreparable toll on my attention span, either way, here's a great comp from the first half of the 90's.

Each track is a winner and offers some variety in sound; though each is threaded together with a touch of older/more straight forward style of hardcore. Ressurection offers up the to be expected cathartic and screaming 90's hardcore that would elevate them to their deserved status of being one of the better bands in the 90's Flagman & Encounter both play a style that definitely shows the influence of 90's emo and the burgeoning screamo sound. Pauses, melodic guitar parts, and the occasional quiver in the voice; both bands do it well, but the Encounter track is noticeably better (both bands released good 7inches as well). Lastly, Lifetime offers up a track from early on in their existence and shows a much more hardcore rooted sound than the melodic/poppy hardcore that they would become so famous for. In fact, both the Lifetime & Ressurection tracks come from the time frame of when both bands were very intertwined with members (Ari playing drums in Ressurection & singing in Lifetime, Dan Yemin playing bass & guitar respectively).

A newer addition to my personal collection, and for cheap I might add (at least in my opinion)- and one I'm all to glad to share. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD: Horizon Records Hardcore Compilation 7 inch

Carry Nation - Face the Nation

Sorry, No Monday post. Bit of a crazy weekend- worked Saturday, found out we're having a boy, just a little bit going on- heh.


Carry Nation were a long running, little output Hardcore band from Southern California. Featuring members of TONS of hardcore bands at the time (and since); inc. running concurrently with No For An Answer & Insted, with whom they shared members. While surely fitting in with those bands, they took a bigger sound and bigger voice and put a twist on the standard late 80's sound.  Drums near the front of the mix, building bass lines, and a mid pace to some songs that wasn't yet quite so prevalent for bands that weren't heavier. Carry Nation also took on some larger subjects than the average hardcore band; but to expect less from a band fronted by Dan O. would be foolish.

Aside from this little 4 song 7inch they had two live tracks on Nemesis Record comps, a live version of "Protect & Serve" and the otherwise unrecorded "Temple Walls." It's too bad more wasn't recorded, Temple Walls shows a growing sound and members have said in interviews many years later, that the direction Carry Nation was headed was exciting.

DOWNLOAD: Carry Nation - "Face the Nation"

Classic Record: Justice League - Think or Sink 7inch

I know the Stuck In the Past guys do something similar; this isn't meant to be a bite of that, rather, a nod to both Record Store day and to a record I was already planning to post.

Justice League hailed from Southern California (particularly what is known as the Pomona Valley). Technically a Los Angeles (county) band, growing up they were always referenced as the first and foremost hardcore band from the Inland Empire. While PVHC might be a stretch for be associated with the Inland Empire, to be fair, members of this band would go on to be in one of the larger recognized IE bands (Chain of Strength). To truth to it all is, Pomona, Ontario, Chino, Riverside, Moreno Valley, and so on all kind of ran together as the parts that didn't quite fit LA and weren't San Diego. It's still largely this way today in the respective areas/scene.

Justice League carry the distinction of being one of the very first Straight Edge bands on the West Coast. Fast hardcore with a large nod to punk, Justice League put an emphasis on thought among the punk/hc scene and a Pro-Youth outlook both from themselves and the world around them. Think or Sink stands not so much as a genre defining record, but rather a very large marker on the path Hardcore was taking. A record that after its release; bands, labels, & fans could look at and say "Yeah, that's the look, that's the sound... that's the aesthetic." Not to sound corny, cheesy, or to imply that a singular look was what was acceptable. Rather, I look at a record like Think or Sink and it stands as a prototypical record- the cover drawing, the back live photo, the record labels, the lyric sheet folded and stuffed inside the jacket; everything about this record says 80's hardcore, southern california, and even straight edge. I get the same feeling holding RKL's "It's A Beautiful Feeling"or The Middle Class' "Out of Vogue."

Justice League would go on to record a full length with new singer Casey Jones, and eventually an EP with guitarist Ryan Hoffman handling a lot of the vocals. The band's sound progressed along the way, moving to a fuller hardcore and almost melodic punk sound; in my opinion by the end they had taken a direction similar to 7 Seconds with their "New Wind" record. Different members came and went from the band, many going on to other notable hardcore & punk bands (Chain of Strength-named for a Justice League song, No For An Answer, Eyelid, Ignite, Inside Out, & Drive Like Jehu) with the band running it's course in 1988. A discography was released a few years ago, but is currently out of print and unavailable. Perhaps it will turn up here at some point.

DOWNLOAD: Justice League - "Think or Sink"

RECORD STORE DAY IS THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 16th- go to your local shop, preferably a Mom & Pop and check out their regular stuff and the exclusives just for Record Store Day.

Strife Poster & Flier 4.11.1997 @ Showcase Theatre

This was the first time that I saw Strife live. If memory serves, they had just come back from tour. i remember that Rick looked pretty scruffy and his voice was starting to give out (which he acknowledged). This was one of the few shows I had managed to drag some of my diehard punk friends who hadn't made any transition to hardcore (beyond Minor Threat or Black Flag)to. Surprisingly, they enjoyed it. I remember one of them, who to this day is one of those washed up diehard "punks" (oi! oi! up the punx), was very impressed by Strife & Rick's sincerity and his staying to talk to and shake hands with anyone who wanted to talk.

I also believe this was the only time I ever saw Rule of Nines, I might have seen Insurgence a few other times. I know it was the only time I saw Sparkmarker & Circle Storm. I remember Sparkmarker getting mad & telling the crowd not to mosh/hardcore dance. Circle Storm, holy shit. I believe this was one of only 3-4 shows they ever played. I had the ep/7inch and dug it, and of course loved Chain. I remember Curt remarking something to the effect "there's more chain shirts than Circle Storm shirts in the crowd, what's up with that?" Haha. They also closed with playing 'True Til Death'. Hmmm.
Strife was great and set a definite bar to live up to. Rick's vocals were going out, but the crowd and the energy definitely picked up the slack. 14 years ago this Monday, that's wild.


Circle Storm's set from that show:

Amendment 18 - "Defining the Color: Conviction" 7 inch

Happy Friday Afternoon everyone, hope you gave the article below a good read, it's worth a look. As for this post, we have the second 7 inch from southern california hardcore band, Amendment 18. Released on Organized Crime Records out of Illinois, this shows some of their first changes from a very standard sounding old school hardcore sound to a fuller sound that had small touches of more modern/new school touches.

Make no mistakes, old school hardcore here with some new songs (Dig, In Droves, & Bitter Pill), an older song (Where I Left Off) , & a cover (Real Deal) that helps this 7 inch bridge the gap from the first lp/7inch to the lp that followed this.

Included in the download is a few different scans because this copy came with three covers (that doesn't include the other cover for the pre-press with the razor blade), including some pictures by yours truly. This record also lists different people based on who was in the band at the time, but I believe the line-up was Isaac, Hartsfield, Chris Smith (also on the previous 7 inch), & Steve Insted. Enjoy and check back tomorrow, should be a good size dose of some early 90's hardcore.

DOWNLOAD: Amendment 18 - Defining the Color 'Conviction'

Time For Change - Live on KSPC 88.7

Time for Change were a hardcore band from the Inland Empire, Ca. area from 2003-2009. They played a 90's influenced style that also drew on old school influences. Pissed off hardcore that could throw in a well placed breakdown with lyrics that drew on personal struggles and experiences, and the occasional straight edge song.

In their time they recorded a demo, 2 ep's, 2 7inches, an lp, and a handful of comp. tracks; ending with this live set shortly before their break-up. This 12 song set was recorded at the long running KSPC station here in Southern California which is operated by the 5 prestigious colleges that make up the "Claremont Colleges" in Claremont, California. At the the time of the recording the band was Andrew: vocals, Matt: guitar, Jordan: guitar, Brian: drums, and Fick: bass (who is not on this recording).

Members went on to Agosto Espias, Xibalba, Wunami, Burn Your Life Down, Darassum, & more- not to mention that the band featured members of many other bands of the same time. Singer Andrew also runs the recently relocated record label Glory Kid Limited (Convulsions, Restrained, TFC, Maladie, Separation, Outrage, & more). He's also a good artist who's done work for quite a few bands.

DOWNLOAD: Time For Change - Live on KSPC

Under Your Influence - SSD Tribute Comp. 7inch

GLLLLLUUUUUUUEEEEEEEE!!!!! Where Fear & Weapons Meet kick off this fine tribute 7inch with the SSD anthem. This really is one of the better tribute records out there, and being a 6 song 7inch helps, all the bands can pick a song from the SSD catalog that is of supreme quality and no one gets stuck with How We Rock (really though, tribute lp's of a single band can lag, but a 7inch gives you just enough cover song enjoyment for one sitting).

The aforementioned Where Fear and Weapons Meet kick it off and it just follows with a bit of a who's who of late 90's old school/revival influenced bands; Ten Yard Fight, Committed, Fast Times, Time Flies, & Kill Your Idols round out the record. The record label should have tried to sneak the Mighty Mighty Bosstones cover of "Police Beat" on the record (which is such a fucking great cover!).

All in all, a tribute record the way it should be- a great band to pull songs from, a good

selection of bands in a fairly similar style to each other (I like different covers as much as the next guy, but look at the Bad Brains tribute as a case in point, the odd covers stand out like sore thumbs), and the record end just about the time you realize its started (it just restarted as I type this)- 6 songs: 9 minutes. Enjoy & a big thank you to Vicious Circle for putting this record out!

DOWNLOAD LINK FIXED: "Under Your Influence" Comp.

Over My Dead Body & Swindle "Split" 7inch

I Can't really think of a better way to end the weekend, which is why it's ending with this. One of my personal favorite split 7inches with my favorite straight edge bands of the 00's and one of my favorite punk bands from that same time. It's a double dose of San Diego this time around.

Over My Dead Body cranks out 3 demo tracks (re-recorded) on their side (the other 2 turned up on No Runners and the intro ended up on the Time X split). Songs dealing with the poor stereotypes of straight edge at the time being portrayed as a thuggish gang-like at the time, the eternal pledge to remain true to hardcore, and being open minded ("I can't believe it, they're telling us who we can love").

As I had mentioned with the Swindle/Finders split, Swindle holds a particularly fond place in my heart. This split and specifically the song "The Wall" is a large reason why.
Having recently been in Sacramento myself and seeing the California Vietnam Wall in person for the first time; that wall was too big to really put my mind around and it only held the names of the Californians killed or missing in action, never mind the wall in DC with everyone on it. The Swindle song touches on the immensity of such a thing, of people who believed their country was right and acting justly and the thought one must have in the presence of such a thing like The Wall- "would I die for anyone, for someone like me?... and, am I worth it at all, are we worth it the wall?"
I'm not advocating the war nor is the song, the very opposite in fact. It was a war we waged on & with our youth and we lost incredibly with it. And the torn and destroyed lives still persist today. Alas, I digress, some good hardcore & punk- enjoy!

PS - You Can't tell by the scans, but inserts are actually transparencies kind of like an overhead from back in elementary school. Pretty cool in my book.

DOWNLOAD: Over My Dead Body | Swindle - "Split" 7inch

Written Off - Demo 2011

Impromptu Friday Night Post: Just came across this while doing some blog walking in between working on future It Follows posts...

Really good Youth Crew style Hardcore here. This demo just came out at the start of the year and fuck, it's one of the best things I've heard in awhile.

Yes, it's that tried and true formula of catchy fast songs that make great use of little tempo changes with clear/clean vocals over the top. Louisville, Kentucky strikes again! 5 songs in just over 6 minutes. The vocals kept reminding me of someone, it's the Damage Done, especially the first EP.

Every song does the trick, but currently "Questions" is the one I'm stuck on the most- the little tempo change and line "And Now You Ask, Where's the Unity? I have to Ask: are you fucking kidding me?" The complete pause and snide monotone of 'are you fucking kidding me' is great. These guys are also going to be on an upcoming comp, you can get the full scoop and much more over at their Facebook page.

DOWNLOAD: Written Off - Demo 2011 (band camp mp3's) (mediafire wav's)
*Normally I would upload it to the blog mediafire because I'm a nerd like that, but the band camp download is perfectly fine and the band also has a mediafire download already for wav file versions. So take your pick and enjoy!

PS - I'm loving the late 80's/early 90's looking logo.