Ohio's Homewrecker have only been a band for a relatively short time, but in that time they have bridged the gap between clevo-style hardcore, powerviolence, and straight-up grind. Within their brief recorded history the band has managed to do this pretty well. Their A389 debut proves to be a different challenge as, now, many more are familiar with their general … Read more
Over the grassy knoll, down the weed tangled pathway, and to the right of the small babbling brook lays a large one-hundred-year-old oak tree. It has widely been known that the exposed massive root system has been used by generations of wolves for years thus giving many wolf pups their first home prior to venturing out in the unknown darkness.However, … Read more
In the event of a worldwide nuclear war, I have come to the conclusion that only one thing will survive. And no, it is not the cockroach; it's Hoods. The Sacramento-based hardcore band has survived it all, including constant line-up battles, DIY tours across the globe, and a brief tenure with Victory Records that didn't go so well - see … Read more
Hoods, the reigning kings of Sacramento hardcore, have endured a lot throughout their decade of existence. The band have released a slew of recordings in all forms - LP's, EP's, splits, and compilations - on a handful of labels. Such an unwillingness to give up is rare for a band, especially in the genre of hardcore. And yet, here they … Read more
East coast and west coast heavyweights collide on this split release from two under the radar acts in today's metal/hardcore scene. Hoods and Freya attempt to set themselves apart from the dullness that is plaguing the hardcore and underground metal scenes. Sacramento's Hoods has been striving for recognition for the past seven years; the majority of that time has been … Read more
There is a fine line between noise and music. Notice that I didn't say art, because in all honesty, art is pretty much anything you want it to be. But music, well, music and noise and two totally different things. Case in point, Hoor-paar-Kraat. Hoor-paar-Kraat is the "brainchild" and "creation" of full-time painter recently turned musician Anthony Mangicapra. Prior to … Read more
Hop Along have been on a tear since the release of their 2012 debut, Get Disowned and came to proper prominence with 2015’s Painted Shut, a showcase of a young band coming into their own, and placing the extraordinary voice of singer/guitarist Frances Quinlan center stage. It’s a low-key classic in it’s own right, so the release of Bark Off … Read more
I had the privilege of seeing Hope and Anchor on the final show of their tour in D.C.. It was a very personal and emotional set, with most of the crowd sitting down and listening intently as the band played without microphones and switched instruments and duties from song to song. Their set gave me a sense of calm, comfort, … Read more
Many recent listeners may not remember (nor heard in the first place) the first couple of releases by Florida's Hope and Suicide (1999's Razorblade Smile and 2003's split with Emmanuel 7) let alone know that members of this band were integral members of the almighty Bloodlet (vocalist Scott Angelacos was also the vocalist of Bloodlet while bassist Tom Crowther was … Read more
Heading over to their Last.fm account, the light hearted description ‘Australian for Deafheaven’ doesn’t exactly seem to serve as an appropriate designation for Brisbane based black metal troupe Hope Drone. Sure, the atypical approach towards standard genre fare is evident, and the lush, wide production on this 4 track release certainly draws parallels. Though it is likely more of a … Read more
Metalcore has been an interesting genre over the years. Initially bands like Integrity, Earth Crisis, and Unbroken were labeled as metalcore for their metal influences in the hardcore sound. Since then, bands like Cave In, Botch, and Poison the Well have been labeled as such, all while developing their own styles within those bounds. Additionally the term has been bastardized … Read more
On The Lost Riots, Hope of the States debuts with tragedy on their shoulders. In midst of recording the album, founding guitarist James Lawrence was found dead in the studio as a result of an apparent suicide. Do not, however, write this album off as merely pieces of suicide notes because of some lamenting lyrics like "I carry sadness on … Read more
Psych rock is a mixed up genre. Ok, yeah it is spacey it technically rocks without really being rock per se. The part where i have issue is that sometimes these bands find it more interesting to write songs that don\'t go anywhere. They just stay locked in their moment in time and space never truly building on a riff … Read more
Replacing a vocalist is always a huge ordeal and turning point for a band, particularly when needing to do to it for a third time as Horna found themselves in the process of during 2009 when Corvus left his duties at the mic stand behind to concentrate on his other projects. This Finnish group have been at the forefront of … Read more
We are a generation that grew up with Mario, The Power Pad and the o so godly Nintendo Entertainment System as companions. It was just a matter of time until this part of our lives would be digitally inserted into our music. And although bands like The Advantage and The Minibosses pay homage by doing straight up covers of video … Read more
I remember distinctly the first time I was introduced to Horseback. It was by their 2012 album Half Blood, and I'm told that my experiences were pretty standard. For the uninitiated, your first few seconds of listening to Horseback will inevitably go something like this:"Hm. This is some pretty interesting post-rocky stuff. Oh, hold on, something's messed up with this … Read more
Connecticut hardcore, no matter how great it is, always seems to get overshadowed by the nearby bustling Massachusetts (particularly Boston) hardcore scene. In fact, oftentimes people just consider them to be one in the same. This is unfortunate because over the years the state of Connecticut has churned out a plethora of stellar bands: Hatebreed, Dead Wrong, Sum of All … Read more
Hailing from Philadelphia, Hostages play over-emotional guilt ridden hardcore in the version of American Nightmare, The Hope Conspiracy, Suicide File and other bands that once hailed from Boston. I would compare them to Knives Out if anyone outside of the City of Brotherly Love knew who I was talking about. Hostages are another band for lonely sleepless nights with your … Read more
Looking for the SPB logo? You can download it in a range of styles and colours here: