Bitter End
Bitter End
Malfunction (2008)
Texas hardcore powerhouse Bitter End return with a brand new 7" EP. You get two brand new cuts of punishing New York-flavored hardcore on this limited vinyl release. Following a short intro track "Purgatory" slams you in face like an unexpected punch. You get clobbered with searing riffs and throaty yells. It's a slamming grove that doesn't stop, save for … Read more
Bitter End
Climate of Fear
Malfunction (2007)
There was a brief period in my life when I lived in Texas. During that time, I attended quite a number of hardcore shows that were always overflowing with young and energetic bands of youthful individuals. Even though I've moved on and live elsewhere, I must say that I still keep tabs on Texas because there is constantly a flux … Read more
Bitter End
Mind in Chains
Malfunction (2006)
Bitter End is a five piece hardcore band from Helotes, Texas of all places. Helotes is a smaller city that is just northeast of San Antonio. Right now, this is the farthest place I can think of that I would find a band playing NYHC in the vein of Leeway and Killing Time. Okay, I know there are other bands … Read more
Ceremony
Ruined
Malfunction (2005)
Ceremony is hateful and unrelenting hardcore/punk from California. Why people from California are so angry is beyond me, but since it results in hardcore as stellar as this, I'll let it slide. Ceremony formed from several mid-level (in notoriety) hardcore bands in the Bay Area a couple years back, and have since transformed themselves into one of the most promising … Read more
Ceremony
Violence Violence
Malfunction (2006)
Hate is a tough thing to grasp for many people. They say they hate, but I'm not sure I believe it because the term "hate" is like love. It's thrown about haphazardly and used in offhand comments and that makes it lose it's true, immensely dark and angry feeling. So when a band aims to go for hatred as the … Read more
Ceremony
Violence Violence
Malfunction (2006)
My buddy Dave said it best: "This shit makes me want to punch a whale." Ridiculous? Perhaps. But Ceremony's first full-length, Violence Violence is completely ridiculous. And I mean that as a compliment in every way. They released their Ruined 7" not too long ago and the hardcore hype train started a-chuggin'. You'd see kids in Ceremony hoodies and tees … Read more
Internal Affairs
Deadly Visions
Malfunction (2007)
Internal Affairs is a band that embodies what hardcore should truly be about. The music is fast, energetic, and pissed off. The lyrics are honest to the point of being blunt - hardcore used to be about speaking your mind, somewhere along the way most bands forgot this. And finally, the band puts on one heck of a performance, inviting … Read more
Internal Affairs
Internal Affairs
Malfunction (2005)
Corey Williams scares me. Now, this isn't anything bad because Williams is a great guy. But add a microphone and a stage - or maybe just a microphone - and this man turns into someone that you probably don't want to meet in a darken alleyway. If Mr. Williams is scary, Internal Affairs frightens me to death. After several prominent … Read more
Learn
Life and...
Malfunction (2006)
If we at Scene Point Blank believed in short reviews I could easily wrap this up by saying, "More sweet hardcore with great breakdowns from the fine folks at Malfunction: 8.5/10" and be done with it. What else do you, the reader, really need to know? Well let me fill you in. Providence, RI's Learn reminds me another young hardcore … Read more
Reign Supreme
American Violence
Malfunction (2008)
Philadelphia's Reign Supreme burst onto the hardcore scene in 2006 with great intensity. Fronted by former Blacklisted member Jay Pepito and also featuring former members of Palehorse and others, Reign Supreme deliver a highly visceral and punishing blend of metallic hardcore. American Violence is their latest EP, the follow-up to a demo and a 12" single. Reign Supreme knock on … Read more
Right On
Reality Vacation
Malfunction (2006)
There are a grand total of twenty-four tracks on Reality Vacation, that's a lot of hardcore. However, like most bands on Malfunction their first release on compact disc usually serves as a discography of sorts, which is always nice for the record player deficit out there. So let's divide this up. Tracks one through nine are the actual Reality Vacation … Read more
Trash Talk
Plagues
Malfunction (2008)
2007 was a huge year for this group of young men from Sacramento. A relentless touring schedule in support of their debut full-length, Walking Disease, fueled a hype machine - not necessarily in a bad way - that landed them on Malfunction Records and onto a lot of hardcore kids' favorites of '07 lists. Plagues picks up where the band … Read more
