Since it is a live recording, it’s difficult to know its lo-fi sound is deliberate, but it works. The guitars have a great ’80s thrash sound with leads that remind me Suicidal Tendencies, while the vocals sound Danzig-ish. Definitely a cool mix to be heard.

WYN commented on the live performance:

We’d actually never performed this song, but being so locked in that show, it was an opportunity to challenge ourselves. It’s a privilege to play with a group of guys with such a deep trust, musically and otherwise. I believe that shows through in this recording.”

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Kyriakos “Charlie” Tsiolis explained the track:

‘Smash Reset Control’ lyrically and musically captures the angst millions feel daily. The system isn’t there to protect them or make their lives better. It’s really there to protect those with the real power. Not the puppets in Congress or the WH. The ones behind the scenes. Time to reset the power structure. The point of this track and the record is to expose the real enemy.

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Known for their unrelenting, furious style of metal-infused hardcore, LA’s homegrown Terror holds nothing back on their latest record, Total Retaliation, which features Fit for an Autopsy’s Will Putney (Thy Art Is Murder, Body Count, Knocked Loose) in the producer’s chair and is the band’s first new material since last year’s The Walls Will Fall EP. Clocking in at just under 30 minutes, Total Retaliation is a succinct yet intense message of resistance within a world that can inspire little else. It’s a helping hand for the disillusioned and a firm middle finger to the authorities that are tearing apart society as we know it. As the band’s seventh full-length studio album it serves as yet another example of why Terror have not only endured, but remained at the top of their game for over 15 years.

About Terror:

LA-based powerhouse Terror have always been a name synonymous with hardcore. From their inception in 2002, the band have displayed a level of steadfast dedication unlike any other in the scene. Now with six studio albums, a series of live albums, splits, compilations, and EPs under their belts, the scene veterans have now released their latest full length Total Retaliation.

Terror Is:

Scott Vogel – Vocals
Nick Jett – Drums
Martin Stewart – Guitar
Jordan Posner – Guitar
Chris Linkovich – Bass

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We can only ask as we stare slack-jawed at the Jason Mewes (Jay of Jay and Silent Bob fame) wannabe sporting the Mike Muir hardcore look of bandana, block-letter hat flipped high, and, yes, even the body language. Then there’s the European attempt at a hispanic hardcore accent in the vocals… what in the fuck? With the European accent it just comes across as “trying way too fucking hard.”

via GIPHY

Snoochie Boochies, baby

But the cultural appropriation doesn’t stop in Los Angeles, no, it continues into Asia with Japanese-based costumes. OK, that wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t look so much like Slipknot meets Baby Metal meets the ‘80s.

So, if you turn off your eyes, what are you left with? A shitty accent trying to sound gangsta and hard, a laughable song title, enough production to sound like there might be a decent live performance, and at its core, nothing that Suicidal Tendencies didn’t do in the ‘80s. Look, the song title and the image wouldn’t be an issue if these guys weren’t taking themselves so goddamn serious.

Ultimately, Rise of the Northstar might have a short stint succeeding on a few festivals in the years to come, but by and large these guys are a flash in the pan.

Check out “Here Comes the Boom” in the player on this page.

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Rock Hard \m/ (but probably not)

I’m a little conflicted about what to say about this Baltimore-based band, and I’ve gestated this topic for about 24 hours. While the music is good and relatively hard (it could be a little more aggressive for a hardcore band), the lyrics are on the weak side. Of course, I’ve only looked at the lyrics of a couple of songs, “Fuck You Donald Trump” and “Clever Girl.” On the surface, there’s a lot of potential with song titles like these, but what we get is a soft attack on politics and something resembling feminism (I think).

If you don’t dive into the lyrics, you might dig Sharptooth’s debut album, Clever Girl. So, if you like punk or hardcore, check it out and yell at us for being either right or wrong in our comments section below.

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You can listen to and order The Notion of Control on Bandcamp. And, dare I say, that Allout Helter present here a slightly softer, more melodic side of hardcore. Sure, the thrash element is here, and the vocals are as hardcore as they get, but somehow this feels more accessible without compromising their integrity.

The album was produced by Trevor Reilly (A Wilhelm Scream), recorded and mixed at Green Door Recordings, and mastered by Audiosiege.

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Hardcore band, Downswing recently signed to Rise Records, on which they will release their debut EP, Dark Side of the Mind, on November 10th. From the EP, Downswing has released the track and video for “Enough.” Have a watch and listen on this page.

Dark Side of the Mind is available for pre-order here.

Downswing Is:

Brett Colvin – Vox
Anthony Salvaggio – Guitar
Chris Arnold – Guitar
Brandon Jared – Bass
Nick Manzella – Drums

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Additionally, Integrity has been announced as the headliner for this year’s East Coast Tsunami Festival on September 23rd. The band will also tour Japan this upcoming October. A full list of confirmed tour dates is listed below.

Howling, For the Nightmare Shall Consume is a conceptual foretelling of the final days of Armageddon, a manifestation of pentecostal nightmares and religious depravities, wrought with fire and brimstone sermons and occult prophecies bathed in waves of destruction. The album was recorded and mixed at Developing Nations Studio in Baltimore with mastering handled by Brad Boatright (Obituary, Toxic Holocaust, Full of Hell).

Integrity Tour Dates:

Oct 06 Tokyo, JP Antiknock
Oct 07 Mie, JP Chaos
Oct 08 Osaka, JP Hokage
Oct 09 Tokyo, JP Earthdom

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Hardcore metal band Fire From the Gods has released their Ramon Boutviseth-directed music video for “The Voiceless” — which is not a reference to the “reality” singing show. Produced by Jonathan Davis (Korn) and sounding a bit like Killswitch Engage, “The Voiceless” is off of their upcoming full-length album, Narrative Retold, due out May 19th, via Rise Records. Have a listen and check out the video in the player off to the side.

Although “The Voiceless” is the latest release, previously released track “Excuse Me” might actually be the superior track. Check it out below. But first, vocalist AJ Channer commented on “The Voiceless”:

‘The Voiceless’ is referring to the callousness of society. This generation is exposed to so many shocking and graphic events. No one seems to bat an eye. There is no compassion or care for one’s fellow man. Violence towards each other is a normal occurrence factored into our lives these days. Speaking up about it is nothing new, but it needs to be said. Yes, the world will keep spinning, and life does go on, but we need to slow down and smell the fucking roses once in awhile.

About Fire From the Gods:

Heavy music deserves a heavier message. That’s what Fire From the Gods deliver on their second full-length album and first for Rise Records, Narrative Retold. Speaking from a platform cast in heavy metal power, hip-hop consciousness, and even a little reggae spirit, the Austin, Texas, quintet — AJ Channer (vocals), Jameson Teat (guitar), Drew Walker (guitar), Bonner Baker (bass), and Richard Wicander (drums) —- urge for change through conveying a story that’s both personal and universal.

That story stems directly from AJ’s life. Born in the Bronx to a single mother of Jamaican descent, he spent his childhood moving between London, New York City, Los Angeles, Norfolk, and even Ghana where he attended middle school. Drawing from this diverse experience, he speaks with unmitigated honesty about the state of the world. AJ commented further on the album:

This album is the personal narrative of a minority man living in major cities and being American. There’s a socio-economic theme throughout the whole record that carries from each song to song. It’s all about the underdog. We’ve all had to fight for everything we have in this band. The political climate in our country is quite racially and socially charged. There are a lot of issues and energy people are expressing along with misguided hate and anger. I want to channel this in music that can resonate. This is where we come from and who we are as a band.

In order to properly capture this vision, the boys retreated to House of Loud Studios in New Jersey to record with David Bendeth (Paramore, Of Mice & Men, Breaking Benjamin). They spent a month in the winter of 2016 tracking what would become Narrative Retold.

“There’s no crying in Bendeth’s dojo,” laughs AJ. “He really pushed us, and we grew in a short period of time. The band takes on a life of its own with this record.”

Fire From the Gods have quietly built a rabid fan base through tireless touring across the United States. They’ve shared national bills with the likes of August Burns Red and festival stages alongside Slipknot, Bring Me the Horizon, Judas Priest, Killswitch Engage, and more at Knotfest two years in a row and with Motionless in White and Underoath at South by So What. Now, their Narrative Retold is on display in 2016.

“I want people to feel empowered when they listen to this record,” AJ leaves off. “Come out of the experience knowing somebody thinks like you. You’re not alone.”

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