7"EP - $7.00 / CD - $4.10
STREET DATE: 3/3/23
CAT#: CLCR05272
LABEL: Closed Casket Activities
Debut EP from Boston's Living Weapon. Featuring members of Vein.fm
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Burnt By The Sun, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Vein.fm
LP - $15.30
LP UPC: 196626754226
STREET DATE: 2/3/23
CAT#: QP012
LABEL: Quiet Panic
To tap into the present moment while simultaneously avoiding its pitfalls is no easy task, but on their debut LP Echo Planet, San Diego’s Negative Blast make it look easy. Engineered and mixed by the band’s own Alex Jacobelli at Sunsick Studios, mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, and releasing on Quiet Panic Records, Echo Planet is a fully realized, layered, and expertly crafted slab of hardcore punk that is both unconcerned with convention and deeply reverent of the genre’s roots.
The members’ musical pedigree runs the gamut from 2000s hardcore stalwarts Lewd Acts and Hour of the Wolf to innovative post-punk act [CON•TACT], with the recent addition of Mario Rubalcaba throwing Hot Snakes, Earthless, OFF!, and more into an already impressive list of bona fides. Boasting those qualifications, it’s no surprise that Negative Blast are as precise as they are left of center. With a knack for mid-tempo dirge that evokes My War-era Black Flag or Pissed Jeans and a darkly atmospheric melodic sensibility that calls to mind contemporary acts such as Gel, Negative Blast are at once of the moment and outside of it entirely. Where other bands might eschew melody, Negative Blast employ it as a foil to their naked aggression, resulting in a sonic push and pull that keeps every second of Echo Planet’s sub-20 minute runtime exciting and engaging.
Hardcore is a thing that is perpetually in motion against itself—Steeped in the tradition it seeks to uproot. In less capable hands, that duality can result in either a boring rehash or art for its own sake that loses the plot. But on Echo Planet, Negative Blast have masterfully shaped those contradictions into something that is as happy to make you think as it is to punch you in the teeth, and it excels equally at both.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
The Bronx, Black Flag, Pissed Jeans, Fucked Up
12"EP - $15.30 / CD - $7.00
STREET DATE: 2/3/23
CAT#: SDR077
LABEL: Sunday Drive
Feeling stuck with little direction, and a weight of emotions encapsulates the new EP from Sparing, “No Room Left to Grow”. Following the 2021 EP, “Old Dreams”, songwriter Zach Godwin has re-focused Sparing to be a full solo project. Whereas “Old Dreams” combined 90’s alt-rock and pop punk, Sparing leans heavy on the early 00’s pop-punk/post-hardcore sound, taking influence from bands like Thursday, Allister, The Movielife, Senses Fail, etc.
Tracked over a few weekends in the spring of 2022 in North Carolina, Zach painstakingly performed nearly all instruments and vocals, with the help of Jonathan Owens (Dull Mourning) on drums and Brooke Nicole who is featured on the title track. “No Room Left to Grow” is full of guitar melodies, breakdowns, sing-along choruses and more, making this a perfect album to get stuck on repeat in the car all summer.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Senses Fail, The Movielife, Allister
LP - $17.25
STREET DATE: 1/27/23
CAT#: FSR65
LABEL: Flatspot
“No borders, no boundaries, we just love hardcore.” That’s the attitude owners Che Figueroa and Ricky Singh push forward when talking about their long-standing record label, Flatspot Records. Started in 2004, Flatspot has consistently been a vital source of what’s new and next in the world of hardcore and heavy music. The label spans a vast catalog; with early releases from heavyweights like Trapped Under Ice, Backtrack, and Angel Du$t, to the forefront of this decade’s new crop of breakout bands like Scowl, Zulu, and Section H8. Flatspot has also boosted itself as a platform for rising and established bands alike through the release of The Extermination Compilation series, featuring exclusive track contributions. The dedication Figueroa and Singh have in keeping their ear to the scene has allowed the bands on their roster to form a sense of community, often touring and playing festivals together. The community aspect expands to the label’s worldwide fanbase and presence as well, having collaborated with international labels and record stores to meet the ongoing demand for Flatspot releases. After almost 20 years as a label, Flatspot Records are setting their sights big in 2023 - bringing more bands to their roster and releasing Volume 4 of The Extermination Compilation. Having no intentions of slowing down, Figueroa and Singh are only adding fuel to the fire that is Flatspot Records.
This Compilation was started to provide a snapshot of the current state of hardcore. Every song is exclusive to the series, and we love to see bands take pride in giving us some of their best songs for this compilation. Looking back, The Extermination has released exclusive tracks from Power Trip, Angel Du$t, Turnstile, Terror, King Nine, Backtrack, Soul Search, Piece By Piece, Take Offense, and the list goes on. With Volume 4, we present the next wave of Hardcore from our perspective. For this volume, every single band gave 110% of raw power & pure energy. This is a true representation of Hardcore in it’s purest form.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Speed, The Chisel, End It, Section H8, Law Of Power, Buggin, Spy, Choice To Make, M.A.D., Raw Brigade
7"EP - $7.00
STREET DATE: 1/27/23
CAT#: TG061
LABEL: Twelve Gauge
This split brings together two powerhouses -- Nepalese immigrindcore outfit CHEPANG and the legendary anti-racist political hardcore band RACETRAITOR. This split features tracks that were recorded years ago that have never seen the light of day. Four tracks, two from each band, pressed on a two-sided 7" with a folder jacket with lyrics.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer, Day of Suffering
12"EP - $14.00 / CDEP - $7.00 / CASSETTE - $7.00
12"EP UPC: 791689665542
INDIE 12"EP UPC: 196925263382
CDEP UPC: 196925272032
CASSETTE UPC: 196925330930
CD/CASSETTE STREET DATE: 9/9/22
12"EP STREET DATE: 1/27/23
CAT#:CCA180 / DW241
LABEL: Closed Casket Activities / Deathwish Inc.
What happens when two of underground music’s most undeniable and unpredictable forces of nature collide? Well, the union of END & Cult Leader resulted in the 2022 split EP, Gather & Mourn [Closed Casket Activities & Deathwish Inc.].
This four track-collection finds each of these each of luminaries firing at full blast with the kind of heavy music that simultaneously repulses as it enraptures, fusing grind, hardcore, and death metal with an ominous intensity befitting of a world on fire.
The project itself represents the strength of the underground community, marking an important joint release between arbiters of integrity Closed Casket Activities and Deathwish Inc. Converge guitarist and producer Kurt Ballou [Code Orange, High On Fire, KVELERTAK] notably mixed Cult Leader’s two tracks, while GRAMMY® Award-nominated super producer and END guitarist Will Putney recorded, mixed, and mastered END in addition to mastering Cult Leader. Deathwish Inc. founder and Converge frontman Jacob Bannon also personally created the artwork and layout.
Both heads of this vicious sonic hydra have built an unshakable foundation, leaving fans and press in awe. Among widespread acclaim from Brooklyn Vegan, Invisible Oranges, and more, END’s 2020 full-length, Splinters from an Ever-Changing Face, earned a rare “5-out-of-5” star review from KERRANG! followed by “4-out-of-5” from Metal Hammer.
However, END roar back with their first release since 2020 now. With an unimpeachable pedigree, the group consists of Will Putney (Graphic Nature Audio, Fit For An Autopsy) [guitar], Brendan Murphy (Counterparts) [vocals], Gregory Thomas (Ex-Misery Signales) [guitar], Jay Pepito (Reign Supreme, Ex-Blacklisted) [bass], and Billy Rymer [Drums] (ex-Dillinger Escape Plan). Drawing on the chemistry between these seasoned musicians, their first single from the split, “Eden Will Drown,” steamrolls forward at full speed fueled by bludgeoning rhythms, smart bomb-precise guitars, and a foreboding roar.
Meanwhile, Cult Leader continues to fixate listeners with a different breed of darkness. Gather & Mourn picks up where they left on 2018’s A Patient Man. The latter landed highly coveted year-end spots on Consequence’s top 25 Metal and Hard Rock Albums (#19), Revolver’s Best Albums (#11) and more; it also generated millions of streams, highlighted by “to:Achlys” and “I am Healed.” Cult Leader unleash their first new music in four years now with the single “Ataraxis.” Clocking in at just under two minutes, it hinges on guttural growls, pummeling percussion, and chaotic guitars, speaking to the band’s mastery of cataclysmic intensity.
Gather & Mourn heralds a next era of heavy music, translating the pulse of the underground into an unshakable sonic storm.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Trap Them, Full Of Hell, Converge
12"EP - $15.30
STREET DATE: 1/20/23
CAT#: SDR076
LABEL: Sunday Drive
On “A Wishful Thing”, Broken Head is joined by new team members: drummer Evan White and studio producer, Trevor Reilly. The two help to bring out even more rhythm and dynamic from Broken Head’s already infectious choruses and melodies. On “A Wishful Thing”, Broken Head continue to shine in their ’90s alternative-rock sonic influences from Catherine Wheel, Swervedriver, etc. Rob and Alessio’s dual vocals continue to harmonize through the tracks, backed by their well-studied guitar tones, creating the perfect rhythms to get stuck in your head.
Producer Trevor Reilly allows the band to perform their sound well, tracking a more pristine and less polished recording. And while only four tracks, “A Wishful Thing” comes in at nearly 20 minutes. Broken Head is confident and comfortable in these songs, and as a listener, these minutes easily pass by and instantly begin to repeat.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Catherine Wheel, Swervedriver
12"EP - $12.70
STREET DATE: 1/20/23
CAT#: SIR031
LABEL: Safe Inside
Forming in the summer of 2019, Take It To Heart is among a new wave of socal hardcore proudly carrying the Orange County banner. Drawing from bands like Bane, Comeback Kid, and Killing The Dream, the band brings the emotive fury of the early 2000’s into the modern era. In early 2020, they appeared on the local scene with their debut EP The Brighter Side, joining the ranks of Safe Inside Records shortly after. 2021 saw Take It To Heart return to live shows post-pandemic with the rest of hardcore, cutting their teeth opening for acts such as Dare, Berthold City, and the UK’s own Higher Power.
During this time, the band also wrote and recorded their upcoming sophomore effort Hymns For The Hopeless. Expanding on their previous work, it delivers a fusion of melancholy melody and unrelenting pace in a neat but dynamic 6-track package. Hymns runs the sonic gamut of the era it reflects - from emotional stage-dive anthems to dissonant metallic precision. The record is slated to drop digitally through Safe Inside mid-August, physical formats to be made available later on in the year.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Killing The Dream, Bane, Modern Life Is War
LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 196626588074
STREET DATE: 1/13/23
CAT#: CLCR082
LABEL: Closed Casket Activities
The anticipated second full-length album from Pittsburgh, PA’s own Eternal Sleep. Produced, mixed, and mastered by Arthur Rizk, Desperate Prayer Blues features 12 new songs of evolving metallic hardcore. Vinyl comes packaged in a gatefold LP jacket complete with UV spot varnish.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Harm's Way, God's Hate, Melvins, Alice In Chains
LP - $14.00
LP UPC: 723314784076
INDIE LP UPC: 723314784144
STREET DATE: 1/13/23
CAT #: SV21
LABEL: Epitaph / Secret Voice
Late December 2020 found Soul Glo holed away in an unfinished warehouse, beginning to find drum tones for their upcoming full length, Diaspora Problems. They had just begun to accept that they would be in talks with Epitaph Records, and that it was likely they were going to go with the label as they hadn’t even begun to reach a place where they could consider shopping it to other record labels. Working with Epitaph was far and away the best case scenario that the band could’ve hoped for, but they simultaneously wondered if the label had any understanding of what they were getting into.
From 2016 to 2021, Soul Glo conceptualized and produced Diaspora Problems nearly completely alone. The demo and tracking process was handled exclusively by the band’s bassist GG and engineer/close friend Evan Bernard. The final tracks were recorded in that same unfinished warehouse and the band’s practice space during the hottest parts of summer 2021.
Thematically, Diaspora Problems is a simple analysis of where Soul Glo currently finds themselves: poised to leap into their future, for better or worse, with nothing but their life experience and lessons learned to communicate, and only each other to rely on. Lyrically, the album deals with analyses of the music industry as it exists through the eyes of people who are experiencing it for the first time. Aside from that, the concepts explored include an artist and individuals’ self-doubt and self-hate, past traumas that can only be worked out in adulthood, financial instability and how it affects an artist, the effects of institutional and state violence, and the power of community that delivered Soul Glo through each struggle the band has endured from their inception and before.
Diaspora Problems is only the beginning of what will undoubtedly be a bright future for Soul Glo, as well as a forecast for what the band is capable of musically. Hardcore punk is at the precipice of a sonic revolution as a higher variance of people find room for themselves and the expression of their lived experience within the genre. More and more people will be injecting a cultural identity and offering a narrative previously unheard and/or underappreciated by punk rockers and kindred spirits the world over. Diaspora Problems is not aiming to be the only album like it that exists, but instead one of many entries in a new dawn for rock music.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Denzel Curry, Jeromes Dream, Gulch
LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 196925610575
STREET DATE: 1/13/23
CAT#: CLCR111
LABEL: Closed Casket Activities
SCALP carved their way into the underground consciousness with Domestic Extremity (Creator Destructor) during 2020. CVLT NATION christened it “one of the most exciting and explosive heavy albums of the year,” while NO ECHO raved, “The Southern California outfit absolutely slays, spewing forth elements of power violence, death metal, hardcore, and sludge in a truly terrifying way.” During 2022, they hit the studio with producer Taylor Young [Deadbody, Twitching Tongues] of The Pit Recording Studio to cut Black Tar. The musicians only pushed harder than ever to match the intensity of the subject matter.
“Black Tar is a very negative outlook on my past life experiences: trauma, addiction, psychosis, losing family members to overdose, personal opinions with religion, and blasphemy,” notes guitarist Devan Fuentes. “I saw a side of humanity that was pretty disturbing to accept. It’s seeing people’s houses, seeing how they let themselves rot away, and seeing individuals who shouldn’t be alive kept alive just to live in suffering rather than die. The story isn’t about redemption or recovery. It’s very unfiltered judgement, and I wanted to replicate those experiences in the most disturbing way.”
This album comes packaged in a gatefold LP jacket, complimented with artwork by Sawwarwarsaw and is available on four different Smoke variants. Engineered & Mixed by Taylor Young and mastered by Brad Boatright.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Nails, Gulch, Regional Justice Center, END
LP - $17.25
LP UPC: 791689665573
STREET DATE: 1/13/22
CAT#: DW100
LABEL: Deathwish Inc.
"No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me" is a full length album from Blacklisted. The album marked a more experimental turn for the band. Let the music speak for itself.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Nirvana, Neutral Milk Hotel, American Nightmare
LP - $14.65 / CD - $7.00
STREET DATE: 1/6/23
CAT#: CRR185
LABEL: Church Road
The reissue of the debut album by UK Thrashers Inhuman Nature.
TRACK LISTING:
FOR FANS OF:
Power Trip, Red Death
7"EP - 6.50
7"EP UPC: 783495117162
STREET DATE: 1/6/23
CAT#: 31G132
LABEL: Three One G
Justin Pearson (Dead Cross, Deaf Club, The Locust), Luke Henshaw (Sonido de la Frontera), Kevin Avery (Field Day, Retox) and Scott Osment (Deaf Club, Glassing, Volente Beach) formed Planet B with the shared purpose of creating music subversive in sound and sobering in message. Their music lays somewhere just out of reach of genre, with aesthetics rooted in hip hop, hardcore punk, turntablism, and 70s-80s horror movie scores. It is catchy, heavily percussive, and eerie all at once, much like the creative output of dark dance duo ADULT., a pair that seek to harness “the perverse aspects of the late '70s analog dystopian post-modernism.” These artists’ bodies of work mirror one another in form and function, and both “Release Me” and “Glass in The trash” encapsulates the ethos of both, allowing the duos’ similar mindsets to collide. Nicola Kuperus’s hypnotic vocals add an occult aura, mysteriously alluring and supernatural, pulsating and equally intense alongside Pearson’s aggressive style. Henshaw and Adam Lee Miller’s sampling, sequencing and synthesizing entangle and diverge seamlessly, providing dance-driven soundtracks fit for an apocalypse. Both tracks ebb and flow, pull and push, begs to be released and yet remains throbbing in your head long after it ends.
This record has been recorded by Adam Lee Miller and Luke Henshaw. Mixed and mastered by Brent Asbury at Measurable Harm.
Design and layout by The Black Moon Design.
Album photography by Becky DiGiglio.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Industrial / Electro-clash
LP - $15.30
LP UPC: 196925390293
STREET DATE: 1/6/23
CAT#: QP013
LABEL: Quiet Panic
Oversize draw inspiration not only from American alt-rock big hitters such as The Smashing Pumpkins and Dinosaur Jr, but also from closer to home in the UK’s home-grown sounds of New Wave, Shoegaze and even 90s Britpop. Formed just before the pandemic took hold, the alternative 5-piece used the unprecedented free time afforded by lockdown to forge a cohesive and unique sound with a litany of boutique guitar pedals, a rock-solid rhythm section and soaring vocal melodies.
Since the release the single ‘Drive’ and the subsequent debut EP ‘In Balance’ in Late 2021, Oversize have already have an impressive amount of live shows under their belt playing across the UK supporting the likes of Phoxjaw, Static Dress, Higher Power, Narrowhead, and Your Demise to name a few.
TRACK LISTING:
FOR FANS OF:
Dinosaur Jr., Narrowhead, Slow Crush, Tennis System, Smashing Pumpkins, Fiddlehead, Title Fight
LP - $14.00
STREET DATE: 12/30/22
CAT#: PRO-073
LABEL: Protagonist Music
New Day Rising helped to start an "emocore" explosion in the mid 90s. They created a unique sound unlike any other band of the time, which spurred many record labels to approach them for releases. Memoirs Of Cynicism, the band's only full length, sees them going beyond their original earlier 90's melodic hardcore roots to embrace a darker direction. Fueled by a growing lyrical pessimism alongside the musical rise of a more metallic delivery, the stand-out album from 1997 is a documentation of the band's growing song-writing power. Mixing a gutteral assault with elements of vocal beauty, New Day Rising showed that they would not be held down by the limitations of genre. This milestone album is finally making it's debut onto vinyl for it's 25th Anniversary!
Members also play(ed) in notable bands such as Spread the Disease, Acrid, The China White, Die In The Light, and Omen Astra. The original recording was only ever released on CD, but has been newly remastered for this 25th anniversary vinyl edition by James Plotkin at Plotkinworks, with all new artwork and layout by band-members Dave Buschemeyer and Oliver Nac.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Cave In, Hourglass, Groundwork, Spread the Disease, Envy
LP - $13.35
STREET DATE: 12/16/22
CAT#: PRO-050
LABEL: Protagonist Music
The Arizona desert has produced its fair share of notable underground music over the years, and one of its early hardcore offerings was the emotional and political charge of Groundwork. Rising from the dust in the first half of the1990's and imploding in only about four years, Groundwork left behind a series of vinyl releases and live performances which still retain an impact on heavy music today. Sharing the stage with bands like Unbroken, Rorschach, Swing Kids, Chokehold, Born Against, Outspoken, Downcast, 4 Walls Falling, Native Nod, and many more, their evolution in sound and approach culminated in their only full-length release in 1994. Today We Will Not Be Invisible Nor Silent is sometimes cited as a defining LP of that era in hardcore, despite the band remaining lesser known than many of its contemporaries. Sharing subtle melodic touches, bone-rattling heaviness, and an undercurrent of groove, the record uses quiet passes and wild crescendos to achieve a battering experience that leaves a lasting impression. It is a testament to everything the band stood for, explored, endured, and ultimately was destroyed by; an intense and emotional journey for a group of friends set to the soundtrack of catastrophe. Members went on to play in bands such as 400 Years and Absinthe.
The recording was lovingly restored from the original reels and remixed by Steve Roche at Permanent Hearing Damage. It was then mastered for vinyl and digital by James Plotkin at Plotkinworks.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Chokehold, Rorschach, Disembodied, Downcast, 400 Years, Absinthe
LP - $14.00
STREET DATE: 12/16/22
CAT#: SDR065
LABEL: Sunday Drive
Consistently looking within, questioning, and finding solutions to become a better person is an overall theme Spark has established in their music. On their first LP, “Supernova”, vocalist, Andy Villhauer dials on these themes from song to song, expressing rage for the way things are and encouraging positivity and growth. There’s truly a “Supernova” of emotions heard throughout the LP, with the backing of decades of influences of hardcore—from the sounds of DC’s revolution summer to the straight edge revival of the late 90s–early 00s. Fabian, Yannick, Chris and Jonah are at their strongest here, creating dynamic, expressive and melodic hardcore.
With the help of producer David Deutsch, Colin Knight and Will Killingsworth wrapping up mixing and mastering respectively, Spark shines on their first LP, creating a concise, emotional, and modern hardcore LP.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Have Heart, Carry On, In My Eyes
LP - $13.35
STREET DATE: 12/16/22
CAT#: SIR-034
LABEL: Safe Inside
Rejection Pact’s new album “Can We Wait?” is the 12” follow up and natural progression from their previous 7” release “Threats of the World.” In familiar fashion, the songs leave no room for filler with the 13 track album clocking in under 20 minutes. The new album leans much more into social & political issues with every song fitting a cohesive theme that begs the question “CAN WE WAIT?”
The group pulls in influences ranging from politically charged punk acts like Propagandhi & Bad Religion to more straight forward hardcore acts like Bane & Have Heart, as well as drawing heavily from PNW hardcore legends Go It Alone.
The album was record by Ryan Morgan of Misery Signals at the Tonic Room in Boise, ID throughout the spring-summer-fall of 2021, and it was mixed by Taylor Young at the Pit Recording Studio, and mastered by Nick Townsend of Infrasonic Mastering in Los Angeles, CA.
In a wave where so many hardcore bands are leaning into the heavier/mosh sound, “CAN WE WAIT?” is a politically charged, pissed off journey that doesn’t waste any time sugar coating it’s message, and will have you singing along and stage diving in no time.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Bane, Trial and Count Me Out
12"EP - $16.60
STREET DATE: 12/9/22
CAT#: SDR056
LABEL: Sunday Drive
Collider is the debut EP from Freehold, NJ alternative/shoegaze band, All Under Heaven. Formed in 2017 by Nick DeFabritus, the band self-released their first demo and since then, Nick has stayed busy playing in NJHC band, Shackled. In 2020, Nick revisited All Under Heaven with bandmates Michael Cucci and Andrew DiCamillo to begin writing new music, and shortly after, the band went to the studio with producer Wyatt Olberhozer at The Knife Lair in Philadelphia, PA. The result is Collider—a well-focused album that explores heavy emotions of mourning and wondering, while sonically, delivering a perfect balance of loud, heavy guitars/drums with soft vocal melodies.
TRACK LISTING:
MARKETING POINTS:
FOR FANS OF:
Starflyer 59, Team Sleep, Title Fight
