Restless Youth

The mid-2000's are a weird time for hardcore records with me. I'll scroll through the list of releases from those years, and while there are some modern classics from that period, I still find that there are some records that I never paid too close attention to back in the day. I'm really not too familiar with them and so they still feel somewhat new when I listen to them now. One of those records is the first Restless Youth 7 inch from 2005.

I know that I downloaded the State Of Confusion songs back in the day, but I was probably paying more attention to bands from REV's Generations comp, or were playing Posi Numbers that year, so didn't pay much attention to that 7 inch. When I was buying some records from a Discogs seller recently, and I saw that they had the red colored vinyl version of the 7 inch available for less than $2, I figured that I'd drag those songs back out for a listen to see if should grab the record. Based on the fact that you are reading this post, I obviously liked it enough to buy it. It is tough to see the red vinyl in these pictures, so you'll just have to trust me.

These songs are really good with some frantic energy that reminds me of Bad Brains. This record is a lot of fun, and it has me thinking about checking out more from Restless Youth.

Blue Discipline

At some point last year, I found myself in the Painkiller webstore looking to buy the Rated X record. While I was in there, I noticed that the label also had a record available from a band named Heavy Discipline. I'd never heard of this band before, but since they had the same name as an old GBH song, I figured that I'd check them out. After being disappointed that Painkiller was already sold out of the Rated X colored vinyl pressing, and that Heavy Discipline didn't sound anything like GBH, I left the store empty handed.

I didn't think about Heavy Discipline until Marcus posted about the record a few months later. He seemed into it so I figured that I'd give it a second chance. These guys definitely fall into that early Boston hardcore sound, and I'm glad that I received the push to check them out again. Honestly, I'm surprised I let this one pass me by the first time around...I mean, if someone had clued me into the fact that this is the same singer from Hounds Of Hate, I would have been all over it from the start.

I was surprised to find that Painkiller still had the blue vinyl available when I went back to the store, and I didn't hesitate to grab one this time around.

Rated X

More often than not, it seems that I'm late to the party for new bands. I feel disconnected and out of the loop, so it was no surprise that when I was finally tuned into Rated X that the limited pressing of their United Front album was already sold out. I thought that someone out there might have given me a heads up on this, as it is obviously something that I'd be into, but no, apparently my friends only think of themselves.

Rated X is another project from the man behind Violent Reaction, and you get exactly what you'd expect...fast and ripping straight edge hardcore. These twelve songs do not let up...from start to finish, you are just pummeled.

Once I'd discovered that I'd missed the colored vinyl option through Painkiller, I added it to my Discogs want list and hoped for the best. Thankfully I didn't have to wait long, and a Discogs seller came through rather quickly, and at a great price too, and I didn't hesitate to jump on it before someone else snatched it up. 160 pressed.

Don't Forget To Tell The World

I'd never heard of Big Cheese until a couple months ago when I meet up with Marcus in Boston. While he was in town, he took a trip over to the Armageddon Shop, where he picked up their latest release from Painkiller Records. Initially I wasn't too interested, as I figured that Big Cheese was some obscure weird Nemesis or Conversion Records band from back in the day that I wasn't aware of...but once I learned that they were actually a new hardcore band, I figured that I'd quickly check them out.

I did a quick listen to Big Cheese on Spotify, and after a few songs, I was rushing to Discogs to see if I could grab a copy of the album for myself. The Don't Forget To Tell The World album is a compilation of the first Big Cheese 7 inch plus some other demo tracks, all neatly packaged by Painkiller and released last year. When Marcus mentioned that the colored vinyl sold out rather quickly, and I found a Discogs seller that was letting a copy go for a relatively great price, I jumped to get one for myself. Funny enough, Marcus bought his copy from the Armageddon Shop in Boston, and the Discogs seller that I grabbed my copy from turned out to be the Armageddon Shop in Providence.

I was on a streak with great new bands, and quickly jumped to pick up this Big Cheese record. It seemed like every new band I was discovering was fire, and I couldn't lose...but now that I have this Big Cheese record, and I'm giving it a closer listen, it is just okay. It doesn't really ignite that same fire that I felt when I quickly checked them out initially. I'm still interested to see what they deliver with their release on Triple B later this year, but right now, this one falls a bit flat.

Delayed Aggression

Back in 2015 I took a chance on a band called Aggression Pact. I'd never heard of them before, but since they were on Painkiller Records, I figured that I'd roll the dice. The gamble paid off, and that 7 inch became one of the best surprises that year.

When I was in the Painkiller store picking up the Deadlock record, I noticed that they also had an Aggression Pact 7 inch that I wasn't familiar with. When was this released, and how did I not hear anything about it? Without hesitation, I grabbed a copy.

Apparently, back in early 2017, Aggression Pact released this second Hardcore attack, and it took me a year to notice. Shame that more people aren't losing their minds over this record.

200 pressed on coke bottle clear vinyl, and somehow still available at Painkiller.

Locked In

Life moves fast. Work is busy...the kids are stressing me out...I'm trying to find time to squeeze in a run to keep up my training and don't crash and burn during some of the big races that I have coming up...plus I want to set aside some time to chill with a book and listen to records. There is so much going on every day, it can be difficult to keep up. At some point during a hectic day, I was tipped off to the new Deadlock record that Painkiller was releasing. I can't even fucking remember who brought them to my attention, and I had no idea who Deadlock was, but with 30 seconds to spare I checked out the bandcamp page to give it a preview.

Once I realized that Tom from Violent Reaction was involved, and I heard that familiar ripping Hardcore sound, I was adding a copy to my cart. This shit is the real deal.

500 pressed on black vinyl, with half of them getting red covers, and the other half getting yellow.

Golden Vision

I'm definitely out of touch with what is cool in the Hardcore world. When I started seeing pictures of some record from a band called True Vision on Instagram and record nerd blogs, I was clueless. Who was this new band out of the UK? Didn't know...didn't care...until I saw Marcus and Chris start to blog about their new 7 inch, Against The Grain, from Quality Control HQ. Okay...if those two are excited over it, maybe I should check it out.

Looking to avoid overseas shipping from Quality Control, I hit up Painkiller for the US pressing. I'm not sure when this record was first available to order, but Chris included a link to the Painkiller store in his blog post. I was surprised to see the gold vinyl pressing was still available, so I jumped on it.

110 pressed on gold.

Apparently True Vision has ties to Violent Reaction, and it shows in the songs they deliver, 'cause this thing rips.

Aggression Pact

As I mentioned in my last post, I haven't been very motivated to seek out newer hardcore bands. When your daily playlists are back to back 80's metal albums from start to finish, I guess that tends to happen

When Painkiller announced preorders for some new hardcore band, Aggression Pact, I was tempted to just ignore it. Pfft...who has time for another fucking hardcore band? Still, I live in fear of "music regret"...not wanting to miss out on some hidden treasure...so I gave the band 30 seconds of my attention. After a brief listen of one of the songs, I wasn't completely sold, but I figured that I'd throw a few bucks to the label and grab the record anyway.

Sitting here, a month later, and listening to the full record, I'm thinking that this may be the best gamble I took all year. I can not get enough of this record. Damn...these six songs have got me in a hardcore state of mind. What other shit have I missed out on this year?

150 pressed on green vinyl.

Boston To London Painkillers

I can't really call these two 7 inches "the most anticipated hardcore releases of 2014", since I really didn't know they were coming until I saw that Painkiller posted the pre-orders for them.

Sure, there has been some talk about a new Step Forward release, but since it has been eight years since their last 7 inch...well, let's just say that I wasn't holding my breath. Sure there was the demo tape a couple of years ago, but I like to pretend that cassettes don't really exist, so that one didn't count.

So here we are, eight years after their debut. Can Step Forward still hold down the Boston Straight Edge? Damn right, they do. Well worth the wait.

200 pressed on clear vinyl.

Along with Step Forward, Painkiller also released the US pressing of the new Violent Reaction 7 inch, Dead End. The band released one of my favorite hardcore albums last year, and this short blast is a fun follow up.

The first pictures that I'd seen of this record, the vinyl was kind of an army green color. When I received mine in the mail, I was disappointed that I didn't get the limited pressing. How could that be? I ordered my copy, and then let Marcus and Sandwell know they were available for pre-order...so how did they end up with the green vinyl, and I only got black? Further inspection revealed that my copy was actually more of a dark grey marble variation on the green vinyl pressing. I did get the limited vinyl, it just doesn't look very impressive.

Clusterfuck Of Used Records

Back at the Cruel Hand show last month, in addition to the Clear 7 inch that I bought, I took the opportunity to go through a box of used records. Of course, there were a few in there that I wanted.

The first one that I pulled out of the pile was Painkiller number one...The A-Team 'Clusterfuck'. I've had the 'A Is For Asshole' album for a while, but never really looked into what else The A-Team had released outside of that. Holding the first press on orange vinyl in my hands, I figured that now was as good a time as any to finally grab something else by them. Good stuff.

Limited to 321.

Next one to be pulled from the box of records was the Soulside 7 inch. I love this band, and I've been digging a bunch of this kind of Dischord stuff recently. I bought the Trigger LP back in the early 90's, but after buying their discography CD, I never bothered with any more of their vinyl. When I saw this 7 inch, I knew it was time to fill this hole in my record collection.

Finally, I grabbed the R'N'R 7 inch. Their follow up LP fell a little flat for me, but the two songs on this EP are amazing. First press on Cadmium Sick Records. I'm glad to finally have a copy of this.

Down With The Hounds

More Painkiller pre-orders that I didn't want to miss out on...

The Trust were a Boston Straight Edge band that were making a good name for themselves in the late 90's. They released a 7 inch on a new label at the time, Bridge Nine, and were getting a great response opening for bands like In My Eyes. Then I lost track of them, and they seemed to disappear. Years later I found out that some of the members went on to form a new band called Down But Not Out, and they recorded a demo in '99. I was listening to a lot of Anti-Flag and Good Riddance at the time, so DBNO never really made it onto my radar, and I never had the chance to check them out. 14 years later, Painkiller pressed the demo to vinyl, and properly introduce the band to me.

This is pretty good stuff, but honestly, I'm not blown away by it. What did surprise me was how fast this thing sold out. In a flash, they were gone from the Painkiller store with promises of another pressing on the way.

This version of the Down But Not Out 7 inch was hand stamped and limited to 117 for the Painkiller 10th anniversary show. The show ended up being cancelled for one reason or another, so the label just threw them up in their webstore.

A few months ago I first heard Sectarian Violence, and it kicked me in the ass. It fired me up and got me in the mood for some new hardcore. I'd heard the name Hounds of Hate tossed around recently, but I thought the band's name was shitty, so I just never paid attention. With Painkiller prepared to put up pre-orders for their new LP, and my desire for something new, I figured that I'd take my head out of the sand and finally check them out.

Damn! I'm impressed. Hounds of Hate remind me of those early Sick Of It All or Killing Time albums. Such a great NYHC sound. I am loving this.

Only pressed on black vinyl. 1,000 pressed.

These City Streets Are Red With Violence

There has been a lot of hype this year around Violent Reaction. I wasn't too familiar with the band when Painkiller announced that preorders were going to be going up soon, but I knew that if I slept on it, I would regret it. I made sure that I was one of the first in line, and insured my copy on colored vinyl.

I'm glad that I followed the hype train on this release, because this record rips. This is a great Straight Edge record, with a strong early 80's Boston Hardcore influence.

There has been a lot of talk over the past couple of months, that Violent Reaction may top The Rival Mob for record of the year. The jury is still out on that verdict, but now whenever I listen the the City Streets LP, I immediately follow it up with the Mob Justice LP, in an effort to figure out which one I like more. Violent Reaction are Straight Edge, so that helps their case to be number one, but no one can fuck with Rival Mob's Brutes Of Force. It is going to be a tough call at the end of the year.

Get High From Painkiller

Back in the early 90's, Dive was one of my favorite Boston bands. I was just getting into hardcore at that time, and Dive's 1991 demo cassette may have been one of the first demos I ever purchased. After the band broke up, I was excited to hear that the singer, Kevin, was doing a new band. Even though the band's name sucked balls, I still was looking forward to what Get High would deliver. They released an album back in 1999, and as much as I wanted to get into it, I just couldn't. The album started off strong enough, but by the time the last song had finished, I was bored. I probably gave it more than a few chances, but in the end, it just took up space on my shelf and was forgotten.

Described as "the most unsolicited re-release in Boston Hardcore history", I'll admit that I was scratching my head when Painkiller Records added the Get High Demo LP to their webstore. People care enough in 2013 to release these demos on vinyl? It had been a while since I'd last given that self titled Get High album a spin, and with Painkiller citing influences of Swiz, Soulside, and Shawn Brown era Dag Nasty, I was interested in checking it out.

I know that Get High had bored me in the past, but I found myself really looking forward to checking this LP out. I don't know why. Maybe it was the influence of the early to mid-90's kick that I'd been on...maybe I wanted something just a little different than the standard straight forward Hardcore. Whatever it was, the time was right. I put the needle on the vinyl and as soon as the first track, Mayinga, kicked in, I was hooked. I was transported back to those days of the early 90's...back when bands didn't necessarily feel the need to sound like someone else, and they just were who they were.

Numbered and limited to 289.

Clear Case Of Prisoner Abuse

Earlier this year I finally picked up a copy of the Mongrel record from Think I Care. I hadn't really paid the band much attention over the years, but for some reason things just started to click, and I couldn't get enough of them.

As if on queue, Painkiller recently announce that they are releasing an album from a band called Prisoner Abuse, which happens to feature members of Think I Care and No Tolerance. Goddamn right. I typically like to check out new bands before I buy something from them, but for this one, I took a chance and bought the LP blindly.

My impulse buy pays off, because this record is Hardcore perfection. Brutal, uncompromising, and sounding like Think I Care's twin brother.

100 on clear vinyl.

Petal Pushing

Painkiller recently released another 7 inch from the series of records that Give have been releasing. REACT!, Deranged, Triple B, Painkiller, and then the latest that should be arriving soon from Youngblood. This band gets around! While each 7 inch is released on a different label, I love that they continue to maintain the same look for each one.

I don't pay too close attention to what Painkiller releases, so I'm thankful that Marcus gave me a heads up when Petal Pushing was available for pre-order. Green vinyl was limited to 218 copies, and I expected it to sell out quick, so I didn't hesitate.

I only ordered the green vinyl from Painkiller, and as soon as it arrived, I was scratching my head as to why I didn't pick up the black vinyl as well. A quick shopping trip to the Revelation webstore solved this problem.

Omega-2

A few months ago, a friend of mine introduced me to the new album from Omegas, Blasts of Lunacy. Very cool early 80's inspired Hardcore. The problem was, I couldn't find the LP anywhere. Every place I looked, it appeared to be sold out. To this day, I haven't found a copy. To fill the void, I picked up the band's two 7 inches.

First up is the new release, NY Terminator, on Painkiller Records. Decent stuff, but not as strong as the LP. Seems that the white vinyl was sold out when I placed my order, and I ended up with black vinyl. 600 pressed.

While I was at it, I also grabbed a copy of the Sonic Order 7 inch, which was released back in 2009 from High Anxiety and No Idea Records. It has been a long ass time since I've bought anything that No Idea released. This was a nice find. 500 on colored vinyl.

Hard As Iron

I'm still not really sure how I feel about the Iron Age 7 inch, The Way Is Narrow, that was released last year on Painkiller Records. First of all, the cover art is absolutely killer...I love the 60's psych vibe of the whole thing, and might have bought this based on the cover alone. The two songs on the record are pretty good, I guess. Everyone seems to be loving this band right now, but I think it will take some time for me to really grasp this one. There are a lot of layers here for me to dig through, and while it didn't really grab me right off, this is getting better with each listen. I'll keep spinning it, and see if I want to invest in the new LP they just released.