Hardcore
R.I.P. Corey Steger, Founding Underoath Guitarist Dies in Car Accident
Guitarist Corey Steger, one of the original members of Florida metalcore act Underoath, has died in a car accident. The tragic news was reported by Dallas Taylor, another founding member of band. Steger joined singer Taylor, guitarist Luke Morton, bassist Rey Anasco, and drummer Aaron Gillespie in Underoath’s original lineup in 1998, remaining with the band through 2001. He appeared on their first two albums, 1999’s Act of Depression and 2000’s Cries of the Past. Taylor, who parted ways with Underoath in 2003, shared the devastating news of Steger’s death on Instagram, writing the following: “I don’t know how to type this. I’m without words. Yesterday 3/17/2021 at around 6:00 p.m. Corey Steger one of the original founding members of Underoath was rear ended in a car wreck, and went home to...
Fiddlehead Announce New Album Between The Richness, Share “Million Times”
Back in 2018, Fiddlehead made waves in the hardcore scene with their terrific debut album Springtime and Blind. Now, the melodic hardcore band that features members of Have Heart and Basement have announced its follow-up, Between The Richness. It’s won’t arrive until late May, but they’re previewing it today with an excellent lead single called “Million Times”. Although the members of the band come from the hardcore scene and play a style of music that can more or less be described as such, Fiddlehead don’t make fast, rowdy, or angry music. Their songs are often energetic and loose, but they pull a lot from the Revolution Summer emotional hardcore wave of the mid-to-late ’80s: bands like Rites of Spring, Dag Nasty, and later Fugazi and Dischord Records. These aren’t songs for mos...
Regional Justice Center Break Down New Album Crime and Punishment Track by Track: Stream
In our Track by Track feature, artists guide listeners through each track on their latest release. Here, Regional Justice Center singer Ian Shelton pulls back the curtain on the band’s new album Crime and Punishment. Hardcore act Regional Justice Center have unleashed their new album, Crime and Punishment, out now via Closed Casket Activities. The LP clocks in at a blistering 13 minutes but leaves an impression that lasts far longer. The album shares its name with the legendary novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky and tackles similarly weighty themes of postmodern existence. As RJC vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ian Shelton explains in the remarks below, many real-life events inspired the passionate outbursts of anger and disillusionment heard throughout Crime and Punishment. Shelton previously ...
Hardcore Band Regional Justice Center Announce New Album, Unleash “Absence” and “Inhuman Joy”: Stream
Hardcore quartet Regional Justice Center have announced their sophomore full-length, Crime and Punishment. The band has also shared two fiery songs from the LP, “Absence” and “Inhuman Joy”. The album follows a prolific string of 7-inch splits and EPs by Regional Justice Center, who paired their output with an exhaustive touring itinerary prior to the pandemic. In the meantime, the band’s calculated intensity has grown even more ferocious, as heard on new tracks “Absence” and “Inhuman Joy”. The songs operate in a duality, the former holding to a classic hardcore template of blasting rhythms and urgent lyricism, and the latter pitched down to a bass-heavy dirge. The distinct writing style of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Ian Shelton shows through on both tracks. In a press release, the...
Hardcore Act Thirdface Announce Debut Album, Unleash Single “Villains!”: Stream
Nashville hardcore group Thirdface have announced their debut full-length, Do It With a Smile, which will arrive on March 5th via Exploding in Sound Records. In advance of the LP, they’ve unleashed the song ‘Villains!” as the first single. For many, this ripping track will their introduction to Thirdface, and a fine introduction it is. As the song title implies, “Villains!” is loud and grinding, anchored by swirling bass work and bold declarations against the oppressive forces of society. “When writing ‘Villains!’ I was watching a lot of [the anime series] Fist of the North Star, which gives the song its title,” vocalist Kathryn Edwards told BrooklynVegan. “I wanted to write a song about tearing some evil down from its pedestal like Ken from FOTNS would do. But decided to speak on reality ...
Singer John Joseph Defends Accuracy of Cro-Mags Shirt in Wonder Woman 1984
Eagle-eyed hardcore fans had some beef with the historical accuracy of a Cro-Mags T-shirt in the new movie Wonder Woman 1984, but the band’s longtime singer quickly put those questions to rest. In fact, it was John Joseph who sent the shirt to director Patty Jenkins for use in the film. The scene in question shows a group of punk rockers walking through Washington, D.C.’s Metro station, sporting Mohawks and band t-shirts. One of the punks is donning a Bad Brains shirt, while another is wearing a tee featuring the artwork from the Cro-Mags album The Age of Quarrel. Problem is the film is set in 1984, but that Cro-Mags LP didn’t arrive until 1986. That led hordes of hardcore punk fans to hit social media to call out the movie for a fashion faux pas. However, Joseph was quick to point out tha...
Every Time I Die Share New Songs “A Colossal Wreck” and “Desperate Pleasures”: Stream
Every Time I Die have returned with the double single, “A Colossal Wreck” and “Desperate Pleasures”. They’ve also announced a livestream event for December 19th. The songs mark the first new music from the Buffalo, New York hardcore act since 2016. In the interim, the band’s lost none of their mathematic prowess and virtuosic precision. If the rest of Every Time I Die’s forthcoming ninth studio album lives up to these tracks, fans are in for another excellent slice of passionate metal. As the titles “A Colossal Wreck” and “Desperate Pleasures” imply, there’s more than a little of 2020 that’s seeped into the new material. Vocalist Keith Buckley stated in a press release that the songs are “two sides of the same reactionary coin.” “While ‘A Colossal Wreck’ looks around at the current state o...
Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2020
Our Annual Report looks back upon the strange year that was 2020 and the music, film, and television that came with it. Here, we present our Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2020. In a year we’d mostly like to forget, the world of heavy music brought us many memorable releases. While we wait for concerts to return, we have a treasure trove of new metal and hard rock albums that amplify the anticipation of seeing our favorite bands return to stages. 2020 has been dominated by a worldwide pandemic, and if anything can provide us with a daily distraction from the suffering and uncertainty, it’s good music. Thankfully, dozens of bands decided to release new albums this year, despite not being able to tour in support of their latest studio efforts. As a reminder that life is filled with comeb...
Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta on Weight of the False Self, Adjusting to the Pandemic, Podcasting, and More
Like many musicians, Jamey Jasta thought he had his 2020 plans set. He was gearing up to release a new album with Hatebreed in the spring, plus the band had two tours booked with the likes of After the Burial, Havok, Creeping Death, Parkway Drive, Knocked Loose, and Fit for a King. Then, COVID-19 hit. Right as the band was set to begin promoting their new album, the concert industry shut down, and the album’s release date was pushed back indefinitely. Now, Jasta and Hatebreed are set to unleash their eighth LP, Weight of the False Self, on November 27th via Nuclear Blast Records. The album is one of the veteran Connecticut metal outfit’s most aggressive to date, with heavy riffing and powerful themes of self-reflection, loss, and the state of the world. While the concert industry remains s...
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes Announce Interactive “By Request” Livestream Concert
UK rockers Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes have announced “Brixton By Request”, an interactive streaming performance. The virtual show will be streamed live in real-time from the O2 Brixton Academy this Friday (November 13th) at noon PT / 3:00 p.m. ET. Unlike a number of other recent streaming performances, “Brixton By Request” will actually take place live. As the name implies, fans will be able to help choose the setlist as the concert happens and interact with the band via onstage screens. While streaming events have become the norm during the pandemic, few have featured fan interaction, arguably the most important aspect of live music. With their high-energy shows, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes have proven themselves to be one of the most dynamic live acts to emerge in the pa...
Concert Review: Mr. Bungle’s Streaming Show Masterfully Blends Comedy and Thrash
Setting the Stage: The reunion of Mr. Bungle has been a journey for both the band and its fans. In what feels like another lifetime, founding members Mike Patton, Trey Spruance, and Trevor Dunn revived Mr. Bungle for a reunion tour in early 2020… with a catch: The band would only be playing material from its 1986 thrash metal demo The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny and hardcore cover songs from the era. Furthermore, they tabbed ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian to help execute the demo’s blazing tempos and thrash theatrics. The quasi-supergroup went on a brief tour and then entered the studio to record a new version of the demo. As we remarked in our review of the album, the re-recorded Easter Bunny is a modern thrash classic from an unexpected source. ...
Mike Patton on Reuniting Mr. Bungle, Navigating the Pandemic, and More
Mr. Bungle (Mike Patton center), photo by Eric Larsen Prior to the pandemic, Mike Patton had countless irons in the musical fire. While his touring plans came to a standstill, the singer has soldiered on with his many creative endeavors. One of those projects is the first album in 21 years from his reunited band Mr. Bungle. Mr. Bungle reunited earlier this year for a handful of shows in February, featuring a lineup that included original members Patton, Trey Spruance, and Trevor Dunn, along with thrash titans Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies) and Scott Ian (Anthrax). In addition to the concerts, news came that the same lineup would re-record Mr. Bungle’s 1986 demo The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny. The re-recording, due October 30th, features the songs from original trackli...
