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From Thursday 07 September 2017

Helpless – ‘Debt’

Ugly. Harrowing. Barbaric. If those three words in any way describe the kind of music you get your sick, miserable kicks to then congratulations, you’re about to have a new favourite album. ‘Debt’ is the debut full length from Plymouth trio Helpless, following on from their 2015

Saturday 12 August 2017

Khmer – ‘Larga Sombra’

Music is often a direct product of its creators’ natural environment. It’s no coincidence that the snow-covered forests and mountains of Norway birthed the cold, bleak sonic landscapes of black metal; nor is it that the arid, sun-baked deserts of the United States produced the leading lights of the

Friday 14 July 2017

Cocaine Piss – ‘Piñacolalove’

Self-described as a ‘glittershitstorm’, Liege, Belgium’s noisiest sons (and daughter) Cocaine Piss have been tearing up stereos, venues and general presumptions about hardcore’s inherent machismo since their 2013 demo through to last year’s debut full-length, the Steve Albini-produced ‘The Dancer’. This month the band have returned with

Monday 26 June 2017

Suffocation – ‘…Of The Dark Light’

Without question one of the all-time greats of death metal, New York legends Suffocation have spent the best chunk of 30 years carving a savage and bloody path through the extreme music scene. From their 1991 debut full length – and undisputed classic – ‘Effigy Of The Forgotten’, through

Tuesday 06 June 2017

Fotocrime – ‘Always Hell’

For more than a decade, Louisville, Kentucky punks Coliseum were one of the most revered and respected bands in all of hardcore. Never resting on their laurels, they constantly evolved their sound, from the unrelenting punk of ‘Coliseum’ to the hard-edged political hardcore of ‘No Salvation’, through the moody

Monday 05 June 2017

Eighteen Visions – ‘XVIII’

Of the countless bands that spawned from the late ’90s/early ’00s metalcore boom, there may not have been a single one more influential than Eighteen Visions. Though some bands, like Killswitch Engage or Eighteen Visions’ Orange County buddies Avenged Sevenfold, might have seen greater levels of commercial success and

Tuesday 30 May 2017

Mutoid Man – ‘War Moans’

In the entire history of hardcore, it’s doubtful there are two bands whose members have collaborated more frequently, and with such consistently stunning results, than Converge and Cave In. For those keeping count, the list of Verge-In projects thus far looks a little like this: Kid Kilowatt, Old Man

Thursday 18 May 2017

No Omega – ‘Culture’

‘Blackened’ is a descriptor that has been bolted onto the front of pretty much every sub-genre of heavy music at some point. Blackened Death? Check. Blackened Grind? Yep. Blackened Hardcore? You betcha. The fusing of the sonic palate of Black Metal with other, not directly related forms of music

Wednesday 03 May 2017

LIVE: Ritual Festival 2017 @ Canal Mills, Leeds

Music festivals are a hell of an undertaking when it comes to organisation. So many moving parts have to be working in unison for everything to flow properly, and just a small hiccup here and there can bring the whole thing crashing to a halt. When things

Tuesday 02 May 2017

At The Drive-In – ‘In•Ter•A•Li•A’

Imagine writing and releasing what would come to be considered one of the defining albums of an entire generation. Imagine buckling under the weight of expectation from the entire world and very publicly disbanding less than a year after releasing said album. Now imagine returning with a