High Priests
Spinning
Triple Eye Industries (2018)
When I first saw High Priests 3 or 4 years ago, I would have labeled them as stoner punk. While their press photos certainly still hit on that imagery, I’m not so sure that Spinning matches that descriptor in any sense. As for additional semi-relevant background info, the band has some recognizable faces from the punk scene: members and ex-members … Read more
High Tension Wires
Welcome New Machine
Dirtnap (2011)
Namedropping in reviews is an easy thing to do, and I’m not averse to it myself. The obvious ones for High Tension Wires come via the members’ pedigree (Riverboat Gamblers, Marked Men, The Reds, Bad Sports). I usually try to limit it to that—the other projects that members have worked in, and how it compares with said artists’ output. Still, … Read more
Highness
Hold
Magic Bullet (2013)
With one fell swoop Highness manage to confirm suspicions and completely avoid them. When a band made up of more than a few well known underground acts get together there is bound to be a few ideas as to what they should or will sound like when the finished product is available. When your band consists of members of such … Read more
HIM
Dark Light
Warner Bros. (2005)
HIM is known as the biggest musical joke of our generation and is bashed frequently by message board elitists everywhere. Are they really that bad? It depends. Listening to HIM's new album, Dark Light, is not a good way to introduce oneself to this Nordic phenomenon. I'd recommend going back to the beginning, eight years ago, when Greatest Love Songs … Read more
HIM
Tears On Tape
Razor & Tie (2013)
HIM have been kicking about on the rock ‘n’ roll scene for as long as most of their fans have been alive, a terrifying thought in itself, and anything we needed to say about their love metal outlook or their relevance to the world of music in the 21st Century was said when we took a look at XX: Two … Read more
HIM
XX: Two Decades of Love Metal
The End (2012)
Whatever you may think about HIM – joke band, has-beens, rip-off merchants and so on and so on – it’s hard to deny the very essence of their hard rocking joy. XX: Two Decades of Love Metal compiles nearly twenty (twenty!) years of the Fin’s self-branded love metal and it’s clear that their passion and whole-hearted belief in their woe-filled … Read more
Himsa
Courting Tragedy and Disaster
Prosthetic (2003)
When I first downloabought the new Himsa record, I can't lie, I had really low expectations for it. I'm not a big fan of metalcore, and I've never liked anything by Himsa I've heard in the past. To my surprise, within the first couple tracks, I found myself quite entertained. Himsa really bring nothing new to the table at all, … Read more
Himsa
Hail Horror
Prosthetic (2006)
In 2003 Himsa dropped Courting Tragedy and Disaster on an unsuspecting hardcore and metal scene. It was an intense follow up to and a major stylistic shift from their first full-length album, Ground Breaking Ceremony. The five piece went through a bit of lineup shuffling (Nothing new to a band that has replaced everyone but the bassist at least once … Read more
Hinds
Leave Me Alone
Lucky Number (2016)
When Hinds’ debut Leave Me Alone started with a jamming guitar riff, I was scared that this Spanish (but English-singing) all-girls rock band was going down the same lo-fi indie road that bands like The Lovely Bad Things and Black Lips have already thoroughly pounded into the ground. But almost immediately, the jam dissipates into a chilled-out, nonchalant air reminiscent … Read more
Hiss Tracts
Shortwave Nights
Constellation (2014)
It’s not so surprising that 2014’s Shortwave Nights, the debut album from Canadian duo Hiss Tracts, sounds similar not only to Godspeed You! Black Emperor music of the late ‘90s but also the two Set Fire to Flames albums: band member David Bryant collaborated on both those aforementioned groups while fellow Tracts member Kevin Doria made a name for himself … Read more
Hoi-Poi Farplane Wind
Sain’t Adorable
Nasty Cut Records (2020)
Hoi-Poi Farplane Wind hails from Thessaloníki, Greece, and apparently splits their time between there and Copenhagen, which is an arrangement that sounds like a travel blogger’s wet dream. They play an evolving brand of post-hardcore that often has a Hot Water Music influence standing front and center. Their early sound is fuzzier, harsher, an offhand shot at their own interpretation … Read more
Holy Molar
Cavity Search
Three One G (2007)
I once heard an interview with Justin Pearson (Holy Molar, The Locust, Some Girls) in which he said that a fan of his said the music he made was "smart" and that was the most sincere compliment he ever received. He went on to say that he'd rather play smart music then play popular music. For the last three weeks … Read more
Holy Roman Empire
Lost in Landscapes
Hewhocorrupts Inc. (2005)
Do you remember Ashes? Junction? Hell, even Samuel for that matter? Have your ears ever had the chance to listen to Beta Minus Mechanic? Copper? Idle Hands? Well maybe it's all little rusty for you hardcore kids in the 25 and older age range, so let me refresh your memory. Holy Roman Empire as well as all the bands listed … Read more
Holy Roman Empire
The Longue Durée
Hewhocorrupts Inc. (2007)
The first time I heard The Longue Durée was driving back from the Holy Roman Empire's record release party. I was lucky enough to accompany a friend's band that was also playing and they invited me along. That was a nice gesture on their behalf since they knew I was a fan. Anyway, on some stretch of highway between Wisconsin … Read more
Homewrecker
Worms & Dirt
A389 (2012)
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
Honshu Wolves
Cosmic Creature Capture
Voodoo Rhythm (2021)
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
Hoods
Ghetto Blaster
Eulogy (2007)
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 King is Dead
Eulogy (2005)
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
