The Essential Guide to Modern Hardcore

[Ol’ Qwerty Bastard]

So Batlord and Mondo have already brought us their own variations of this and done it very well. I've been debating starting this one for quite a while now, and finally decided it would be a cool project to work on every once and awhile.

Everyone already knows ****ing awesome hardcore punk was throughout the 90s, taking the world by storm and spitting in the face of just about everyone within spitting distance. After the 90s however, the genre became seemingly less and less sought after, especially after the emergance of all your other cores (grindcore and metalcore in particular.)

With that being said, there's still a ton of awesome hardcore music out there that really is worth the time of day whether you're a fan of the stuff that was put out of the 80s or in search of something entirely different. That will be this thread, in a nutshell. I'll be bringing you some of my favourite modern hardcore bands and albums in hopes that maybe you will find a new favourite of your own in the process.

For the purpose of this thread, modern will refer to anything post-2000. I'm going to try to refrain from posting anything that is more metalcore than hardcore or post-hardcore, because as I mentioned Batlord and Mondo are already doing a great job of covering those genres in their respective threads.

I also want to invite anyone with any interest in doing so to post their own favourite modern hardcore albums, which is the main reason I'm choosing to do this as a thread in the punk section instead of as a journal. So yeah, that's that.

[Ol’ Qwerty Bastard]

Dangers

Spoiler for recommended listening:

Cali has been a hot bed for great hardcore bands for quite some time now, and Dangers are among the best of them. Since their formation back in 2005 the band has released 3 full-lengths and 4 EPs.

Standout Release

Their debut Anger is a very straight-up take on the genre that hits hard and fast with some real intensity coming from each member. Perhaps the best part of the project is the tongue-in-cheek humor of vocalist Al Brown. Of course we've all come to know and love the take no **** attitude many punk bands carry themselves with, but Brown is ruthless all over this thing, spewing lyrics with a ravenous intensity that's almost animistic at times.

Other Projects

The follow-up to Anger, 2010's Messy, Isn't It? takes a very similar approach, building off of the foundation presented by the band on their debut.

The band's latest release came this year in the form of The Bend in the Break. This is easily their most ambitious effort, as the guys' look to branch out and incorporate elements of post-hardcore in their sound, but in the process give up a lot of that same intensity that made their first two records so impressive. There's still a lot of fury in their sound, and for those that prefer ambitious risk taking over breakneck riffing and pure anger, this might even be your preferred album.

You can find all of their material on spotify or over on their bandcamp page here: https://wearedangers.bandcamp.com/

[Ol’ Qwerty Bastard]

Code Orange Kids

Spoiler for recommended listening:

Much like others, I found out about Code Orange Kids after they had released their second LP and shortened their name to Code Orange. For those familiar with their 2nd album, you should be well aware of their crunching metalcore riffs and sludgey production style that comes courtesy of Converge's Kurt Ballou.

Of course I said I would stay away from metalcore acts as much as possible, and that is why I'm going to focus on the band's debut release Love Is Love // Return to Dust.

There is certainly a distinct metalcore inspired approach throughout their debut, but it's much more subdued and makes way to quite a few post-hardcore moments which is quite unlike their sophomore record I Am King. While I Am King thrives off of the band's relentless chaos and ferocity, their debut allows for a lot more breathing room and artistic adventuring. What I'm trying to say is that this album has a lot more, as Batlord calls it, "indie ***gyness" than the follow-up does. The sludgy production is one definite carryover between their two releases however, as Kurt Ballou appears behind the boards on this one as well.

I would highly recommend both albums to anyone into hardcore or metalcore, although I do believe the debut offers much more of a return. Keep your eyes peeled for these guys in 2017 as well as they'll be dropping their 3rd full-length release Forever on January 13th.


You can find all of their material on spotify or you can download their discography for free over on Sophie's Floorboard.

[Mondo Bungle]

you should frequent this blog if you don't already CUT & PASTE

[Ol’ Qwerty Bastard]

Originally Posted by Mondo Bungle

you should frequent this blog if you don't already CUT & PASTE

that's ****ing sick, bookmarked. thanks for the heads up.

[The Batlord]

This one too.

Sophie's Floorboard

[Ol’ Qwerty Bastard]

ya i know that one, we've talked about it a billion times.

[GuD]

if neo nazis were a threat to the world wouldn't they be on the news?


this is coming from someone who's both pro nationalist and socialist just not down with exterminating entire populations for having different features.

[bob.]

Originally Posted by GuD

if neo nazis were a threat to the world wouldn't they be on the news?


this is coming from someone who's both pro nationalist and socialist just not down with exterminating entire populations for having different features.

dude?

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by Qwertyy

ya i know that one, we've talked about it a billion times.

Just in case.

Originally Posted by GuD

if neo nazis were a threat to the world wouldn't they be on the news?


this is coming from someone who's both pro nationalist and socialist just not down with exterminating entire populations for having different features.

wut