Lewd Acts – Black Eye Blues
Leaden and imposing while still agile and heated, Black Eye Blues isn’t redefining the world of hardcore overall but it’s still bold, inspired and original enough to be stunning.
hardcore
Postcards From Natalie Zed, Part 1
Hellbound readers, please welcome aboard Natalie Zed! Natalie was our big grand prize winner back in January, taking home more than 50 CDs + and shortly after she received her huge box ‘o CDs, Ms. Zed asked us over at Hellbound HQ if we’d be interested in running reviews of her winnings if she did postcard sized reviews of the albums. How could we say no?
So, without further adieu, here is Natalie’s first installment in what Hellbound likes to refer to as “Postcards From Natalie Zed”…
Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies: The Hellbound interview
“Our first record is considered a punk rock classic now but a lot of people back then were saying that Suicidal was the worst thing to ever happen to punk rock. Punk rockers said we weren’t punk and we didn’t give a fuck. Suicidal has always stuck out. We weren’t trying to fit in. We weren’t trying to fit in with punk or metal. A lot of bands keep doing the same thing over and over and I never liked that.”
Justin M. Norton interviews Mike Muir, frontman and figurehead for the long-running LA hardcore/punk legends Suicidal Tendencies.
Killing Time – Three Steps Back
This 12-track affair is surprisingly progressive, unwittingly infusing a great deal of punk rock ‘n’ roll into their beastly Sick Of It All-influenced (as in, Three Steps Back feels like it could be a natural successor to Scratch The Surface) delivery.
FACE VALUE: Rode Hard, Put Away Wet
Where the forward-thinking hardcore bands of the time embarked upon a course of combining ‘core with metal riffing and mosh tempos, Face Value spit-balling together punk/hardcore’s fury and speed with classic rock sensibilities, jacked up rhythms and guitar hero soloing.
We Came As Romans: Ready To Plant Seeds
We Came As Romans aren’t your Dad’s sheen of metal, as Bill Adams finds out when he interviews band guitarist Joshua Moore on the eve of their January 2010 tour of Ontario.
Suicidal Tendencies: Live At The Olympic Auditorium
Suicidal Tendencies concerts have always been a combination of ultimate fighting, self-help seminar run by the Rev. Mike Muir and communal exorcism of bad mojo. If you’ve attended a Suicidal show you’ve likely left bruised or with a split lip but feeling like you could tackle the New York Marathon. Once I got popped on the side of the head, had a cigarette flicked down my shirt and still had a good time.
Coalesce: OX EP
Following their post-hiatus full-length OX which was released this summer, the 7-track set is more of the same – a short collection of completely astounding music.
Doomriders: Darkness Come Alive
Four years after their debut effort Black Thunder—though they have a number of EPs and other releases—apocalyptic groove-metal brigade Doomriders unleash what is easily their most accomplished effort in sophomore affair Darkness Come Alive.
Converge: Axe to Fall
Converge seem to be following a trend among veterans like Sacrifice, Suffocation, Asphyx and Brutal Truth who have released albums this year: offering music that despite the band’s longevity, are if not one, the best albums they have ever created, all while staying true to their original sound.