Pre-order Extreme Noise Terror, the band’s first album in six years, here.

Rock Hard \m/

Vocalist Sunao commented on the album(?):

The god named ‘economy’ was exposed. Absolute existence has begun to fluctuate. People have fallen into identity crisis. What am I? Where is the answer? It is coming time to seek it. I feel each of us will have to find it. In that meaning, this title Nuked Identity includes our wish. We will find our new identity and build them again.

Nuked Identity Track Listing:

1. Surreal-Rhythm
2. Rebel Is Creation
3. Kaleidoscope
4. Vague Of Me
5. Peter Pan Syndrome Melancholy
6. Why Must I Grab My Penis?
7. Ideoloideolo-Hierarchieraruhi
8. The Spider’s Thread That Has Been Cut Off
9. Asia Is Burning
10. Rootless Patriotism

Vivisick’s Nuked Identity will see release on CD and digital formats via Tankcrimes Records on September 11th, 2015. The CD comes packaged in a full color box jacket and includes a 12-page full-color tabloid-size newsprint insert and screen-printed envelope. Top-notch job straight from Tokyo. A vinyl version mastered by Dan Randall at Mammoth Sound will be available in 2016 coinciding with the band’s West Coast takeover with Capitalist Casualties. Further info to be announced soon. Stay alert!

Rock Hard \m/

If you need a new fight song, Halshug‘s hardcore offering, “Total Destruktion,” might be what you’re looking for. In their crust punk aggression — which is said to permeate throughout their debut LP, Blodets Bånd — there’s a definite industrial metal sound to the chromatic tone of the riffs and the rhythmic sledgehammer pulse of the drums on the album’s first single. Go check out the punishing “Total Destruktion” on Cvlt Nation and let us know what you think.

Halshug, which translates to “Decapitate,” will release Blodets Bånd on February 24th, via Southern Lord

Blodets Bånd Track Listing:

1. Gudsforladt
2. Afmagt
3. Inferno
4. Knæl
5. Blodets Bånd
6. Total Destruktion
7. Yderste Rand
8. Kvælende Frygt

About Halshug:

Formed in Copenhagen two years ago, the riotous young act, Halshug, unloads some of the most traditionally styled but urgently unloaded traditional crust punk/d-beat hardcore to be found. The enraged sentiment of archetypal leaders of the genre, Doom, Anti Cimex, and no doubt, Discharge, and direct influence drawn from Infernöh, Hoax and Death Token, is unapologetic in its presence in the band’s delivery, which, fueled by society’s modern-day ills, finds Halshug already in line with Wolfbrigade, Skitsystem, and the best of the movement’s current top acts. Through only an initial demo followed by their 2013-released Dödskontrol 7″, the band has amassed a punishing name early in the powerful trio’s lifespan through regional and even more heavily concentrated European touring, and continued to expand on their live executions in 2014 with more widespread gigs than ever. Following the release of Blodets Bånd, Halshug will tour abroad through Europe and will invade North America for the first time in 2015.

“Gravity” kicks off the album with jovial guitar riffs, and when compared to a band like Expire, who have a very similar style, the song sounds less edgy but packs a bigger punch. It has to do with the funk-inspired grooves that kindle the fire of each song until the destructive breakdown. Brendan’s vocal delivery is also something to highlight for the entire album. His voice sounds raw and without any added effects, giving each line his all and hearing his voice break and bend into screams with his familiar higher toned yells. Unlike a majority of other pure hardcore bands, he is not the main focus of each song. A few tracks are more strictly instrumental with less vocals, like “Drop” or “Bleach Temple.” Turnstile here is showing that even with high-amped energy, melody can still be prominent.

But it’s not even that this band doesn’t get aggressive. “Addicted” is one constant beat down of frantic-paced grooves with hellish sounding vocals reminiscent of the older punk bands form the ’70s and ’80s. To top it all off, the lyrics even break through with some simple morals for life. “Bad Wave” is the perfect example with the line, “Got to learn to find love in what I got.” It’s this amount of introspection that allows this band to have uplifting tunes with breakneck progressions.

The only thing that might set this album back in certain people’s (the bros of “Hardcore”) will be the the production. At times it is extremely clean sounding, like on “Blue By You,” which plays out like a garage rock anthem. Other bands had more a of a raw tone with the muddy productions, but honestly I enjoy this new clean approach. Everything sounds serene and with careful precision.

Pre-order Nonstop Feeling here.

Get the first taste of the album with “Flow” in the player above.

If you had to characterize Raised Fist – one of Sweden’s hardcore scene’s longest-running and most vital acts – with just one word, “respect” would be it. Want proof? Lou Koller of Sick Of It All described Raised Fist as “one of the world’s three most progressive hardcore bands,” Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden played them on his radio show, and Jona Weinhofen (I Killed The Prom Queen, ex-Bring Me The Horizon) cites them as a huge influence.

Speaking of the album, front man Alexander “Alle” Hagman says:

This time, everything has connected, like pieces in a perfect puzzle. You know when you have a classic album recorded. When you do something with your heart, and the timing is right, there is magic. That is what happened with From The North. From The North is where we are from, and we do shit differently up here! We do it hard, whether it’s on stage or in the studio.

From The North Track Listing:

Flow – 2:57
Chaos – 2:38
Man & Earth – 3:52
In Circles – 2:43
We Will Live Forever – 3:13
Sanctions – 2:18
Ready To Defy – 3:23
Depression – 3:06
Gates – 2:11
Until The End – 2:57
Unsinkable – 3:00

Rock Hard \m/

Sacrificial Youth is a hardcore punk musical, telling the story of TJ (Rob Baker), a teenager caught at the crossroads. When a multi-national corporation hatches an evil plot of biblical proportions to destroy The Scene, TJ is forced to accept his fate as the chosen one – to stand up and fight back.

This is the second feature film from Regressive Films, the folks who created the acclaimed documentary You Weren’t There-A History Of Chicago Punk 1977-1984. The film has already drawn praise from the likes of Artforum, and the Chicago Reader’s Drew Hunt also weighted in, saying, “Not unlike the subculture being portrayed, this punk musical makes up for its low-production values with brazen stylistics, shifting heedlessly between genres—from scene to scene, anything from rock-opera fantasy to psychological horror. The vibrant colors and incongruous imagery would make Busby Berkeley blush.”

Plans are underway for an IndieGoGo crowdsource campaign as the DVD goes into production. The DVD and VOD release will be rolling out in conjunction with a Chicago screening to be announced shortly before Losurdo and Tillman hit the road for screenings around the U.S. and Europe. The film played the CBGB Fest in NY, Fest de Nouveau in Montreal, and CIMMFest in Chicago; it will also be screened at the Mar Del Plata Film Festival in Argentina on November 18th & 21st.

The movie was written and directed by Joe Losurdo – he composed the original soundtrack which is performed by members of Tutu & The Pirates, Strike Under, Mentally Ill, Life Sentence, Rights Of The Accused, Regress, Negative Element, Cursive, Nora O’Connor, Bobby Conn, Cattivo, Regal Standard, the Goblins, She’s Still Dead, and more. In additon to Baker in the lead role, Mike O’Connell turned in a hilarious portrayal of Max Thorne, the evil band manager. In support are Sam Porter as Rob’s bandmate Jud and Kate Lane as Maggie. Venus Zarris turns in a genius performance as Maggie’s super religious chain smoking mother.

Losurdo produced the film with Christina Tillman. They are currently at work on a new documentary about the legendary record label and store Wax Trax! Records.

For more information visit Regressive Films.

Order SOS’ Strength And Conditioning at their bandcamp page.

SOS have combined punk, lounge rock, and hardcore into 14 tracks. At 48 minutes, Strength And Conditioning is one hell of an exercise. The songs take the listener through a variety of styles, rarely allowing one to settle in before taking a swing at a new genre. This keeps the music interesting and distinguished, even if “Run It Down Into The Ground” to me is referred to as that “heavy Pantera song.” The track takes a heavy beat and howls, screams, and even barks over it. The vocal range is very impressive as the riff comes to a close. Immediately after, the band switches to a more ’70s thrash style on “None More Black,” and pull it off effortlessly. The hilariously titled “What Ever Happened To…?” pulsates like an early ’90s punk song licked with power/stoner metal.

Across this entire record, the vocal range is the most impressive aspect. Mike SOS turns his voice into shrieks, growls, and guttural pitches frequently, without ever seeming to lose pace. This helps spark each song with an interest while also giving tracks more depth. At times the random variations can make the music stutter, but more often than not the flying voices are fun. The rest of the music is good, but never really spirals off into anything too crazy. It is distinguishable to hear the band switch styles frequently, and they deserve props for being able to hold it all together with 14 conscious breaths.

Hardcore punkers Iron Reagan have just dropped the new lyric video for the track “Eyeball Gore,” and they definitely took the spirit of the title and lyrical content to heart for this video. It’s jam packed with cinematic eyeball mutilation, and it’s horrific.

Singer Tony Foresta on the “Eyeball Gore” lyric video:

This song is our tribute to all things ‘Eyeball Gore’ related in motion pictures. Our people piled over hours of disgusting footage to make this lovely video possible. I hope you all enjoy/barf in your mouth. Long live ‘Eyeball Gore!’

The track comes off of Iron Reagan’s forthcoming album, The Tyranny of Will, which sees light in North America on September 16th, in the UK/world on September 15th, and in Germany and Benelux on September 12th.

Rock Hard \m/

Twitching Tongues – 2014

It is common for fans of heavier music to say, “They are much better live.” I can name a handful of bands that bring much more to their live show than what can be maintained in a recording studio. This is normal because when a band plays live they force out their best songs from all of their albums, and bring along an enjoyable experience with a frantic performance. Twitching Tongues is definitely a name that comes to my mind when thinking of great live shows and this is why they recorded an entire set and made it a CD, vinyl, and digital download. It is now accessible to hear the raw sound of their set on their new release, World War Live.

Do me a favor. Find the studio version of song “Eyes Adjust,” from their latest full length LP, In Love There Is No Law, and blast it as loud as you can. Take a listen to the same track on World War Live and you will find out that they are similar in sound, aggression, and vocal pitch. That’s right, Twitching Tongues is one of those bands where their singer does not sound exhausted or short on his voice live. Even on the incredibly quick monologued “In Love There Is No Law,” Colin Young nails every note. This has been a problem for other live albums from hardcore bands, but vocals do not fall short on World War Live.

The production and mixing also holds together well. “Sleep” is a song that changes pace sporadically multiple times during its course. From chaotic double drum pounds to doom grooves and to thrash riffs, never is one instrument overpowering the rest. One thing I wish I could hear was more of the crowd during the actual songs. Although present in some parts, the crowd is mainly heard before a song plays or a few times in chants. The setlist is also another thing to get excited over, featuring six songs from In Love There Is No Law and the most brutal songs from before that record as well.

Twitching Tongues, World War Live will be released on August 12th. Pre-orders can be made at: allinmerch.com

Verdit: 4/5 Skulls

World War Live is a solid live album, showcasing how talented Twitching Tongues really is. Even if you find yourself stumbling upon this band having never heard any of their material, this live album brings out their best songs in their most raw form.

The punk-thrash work is well-worth your ears as it’s aggressive, pissed off, and full of rage… and it’s catchy as hell.

The tracks on the new album include guest vocalists Garret Rapp (The Color Morale), Landon Tewers (The Plot In You), and Jerry Roush (Glass Cloud)

After listening to the album in the player above, and you like it, visit tragic-hero.com to pre-order it.

Rock Hard \m/