When I recieved my first bunch of cd's from Thorp Records I was surprised by the variety of bands on the label. At heart the label is a hardcore label, but the genre is pretty varied these days and they seem to have at least a few bands playing each style. Needless to say, if you are a hardcore fan you'll find many bands to your liking. Check 'em out!

Roster:


Skare Tactic
Burning Bridges
Blood for Blood
Forever is Forgotten
Madball
My Revenge
The New Breed
Pride Kills
Gone Without Trace
Rosary
How it Ends
Awkward Thought
Edgewise
Down to Nothing
North Side Kings
and tons more!

Interviews:

Skare Tactic Interview

For Dire Life Sake Interview


Reviews:

Stampin’ Ground/North Side Kings-Allied Forces
(Thorp, 2003)

I’m not sure if these songs have all appeared on other compilations or possibly tributes but I think the content for this split cd could have been a lot better. Essentially every song on here is a cover song. The bands definitely cover a lot of great bands and hardcore classics, but if someone hasn’t heard either of these bands before why would they want to pick up something that doesn’t feature any original material?

That said, I was definitely impressed with Stampin’ Ground. It’s tough to call these guys hardcore. After all they cover a Vio-lence song and pull it off with flying colors. This band is very, very heavy and supposedly their latest album is amazing. I haven’t heard it yet, but I’d recommend picking that disc up over this split cd if you want to hear what the band is all about. Aside from the Vio-lence cover, they also cover Judge, Cro-Mags, Inside Out, Knuckledust, and Agnostic Front.

The North Side Kings side of the split varies in quality. It opens with a pretty lackluster cover of SOD’s Fuck the Middle East. It’s not even a very good song to begin with, so I’m not even sure why they decided to cover it. It’s followed by what I think is the only original song on this cd. It’s not a bad song of raging hardcore, but the production leaves a lot to be desired. The best two covers they crank out are I’d Rather Be Sleeping by DRI, and I Want More by Suicidal Tendencies. You don’t really see bands cover these bands much, so it’s nice to see two of hardcores best getting some recognition. The North Side Kings side is rounded off with a cover of the A-Team theme and a Cro-Mags cover.

I can’t say that this is a bad cd, it’s definitely not, it just seems like these songs have all been available before. A few unreleased tracks, or some newer tracks from either band would have been a nice touch.

Skare Tactic-Remember When
(Thorp, 2003)

I’ve been a fan of hardcore music from the first time I heard Sick of It All, and Skare Tactic totally take me back to the days when hardcore was fresh and new to me. They have the power and sincerity of old school hardcore, yet they combine it with elements of the modern scene coming out with one of the most memorable hardcore albums I have heard in some time.

Basically take a band like Sick of It All, and add it influences from say bands like Hatebreed or the more metal side of hardcore and you have Skare Tactic. You have fast power chord riffing, some slower melodic sections and a lot of sick, heavy breakdown riffs. Vocally the band is different then the norm these days. Unlike most bands trying to be as burly or guttural as possible, this guy has a clearer shout. It reminds me of a much harsher version of the singer from Straight Faced. It’s heavy, yet still has a lot of clarity.

It’s a tough call to say if this band is original. They are definitely rooted in what has been done in the past, yet they don’t really sound like any other bands. You know how Sick of It All is similar in style to a lot of bands, but when you hear SOIA you know who it is. That’s what Skare Tactic reminds me of. You have similarities but it’s unique at the same time.

The production is a bit of a letdown for me to be honest. The drums, and vocals sound phenomenal and are mixed perfectly. I just wish this had a more powerful and louder guitar sound. It doesn’t take anything away from the music really, but that extra push could have added a lot more to it. As it stands it still sounds pretty damned good. Everything has a nice natural sound and it’s nice to hear a band electing to go the analog route these days.

As far as hardcore goes these days this is the top of the crop if you ask me. Too many bands are straying from what should be called hardcore and yet it is still being called hardcore. This is 110% hardcore, give this band a chance and you’ll be singing along and busting heads in no time.

Down to Nothing-Save It For the Birds
(Thorp, 2003)

Fans of Reach the Sky, What Happens Next, and Comeback Kid now have a new favorite band. Down To Nothing play upbeat energetic and very melodic hardcore punk music. You can rest assured that you won't hear any Slayer influenced riffs on here. They leave the tough guy chugging for the tough guys, and just play straight from the heart hardcore. They do have heavier moments, but they are more akin to classic NYHC style breakdowns then the new school of hardcore.

For me, hardcore is best when it's fast. These guys have blaze away at some crazy fast tempos, yet still keep things together and tight. It doesn't ever get into blast beat territory, 'cause after all this is hardcore punk, it isn't grindcore. Speed freaks will definitely be able to get into this. The slower riffs are just as good as the fast ones though. They are incredibly catchy, which mixed with some great vocal lines will have you singing along for days.

I was happy to see that the vocalist doesn't really destroy his throat overtop of the songs. He basically just shouts, and even then, he's not really pushing his vocal chords to any extreme. It's easy to hear the lyrics and the vocal style fits the music perfectly. The style reminds me quite a bit of the singer from What Happens Next actually.

From beginning to end this is an energetic and throat grabbing romp. The band plays the type of music that you just know would be incredibly fun in a live setting. You can picture the sing alongs and wild mosh pits. The band plays with an intensity that is seen in few hardcore punk bands these days.

Forever is Forgotten-The Architecture is Still Burning
(Thorp, 2003)

When you hear that a lot of bands playing hardcore music are heavy, they usually are pretty heavy, but this band is fucking heavy! Suffocatingly heavy even. It's like Nora or Poison the Well butting heads with Cryptopsy and Dillinger Esacpe Plan. It's heavy, technical, and actually pretty unique in a time when it's tough to stand out in the hardcore genre.

One thing I'm definitely a big fan of is the production. It may not be the tightest recording ever, but it is incredibly heavy. In most ways it reminds me of a total death metal production. The double bass drums are loud and powerful, and the guitar tone is scooped of all mids and sounds tremendously huge. I guess they could have used a more hardcore sounding production, but as is this is the perfect production for the band and their style. I wish more bands playing heavy music, would try to get a production like this.

If I had to complain about something I would say that they possibly could have made the songs a bit more memorable, but that doesn't seem to be what they were going for. The technical and crazy nature of the songwriting just doesn't always lend itself to instantly memorable songs. With repeated listens however you'll remember certain things. They have some great riffs, full of quirks that definitely will stick in your head. It's just the compositions as a whole don't really follow the verse/chorus/verse structure and there isn't much to latch on to.

You'll hear a lot of things you wouldn't necessarily expect to hear in hardcore, finger tapping, whammy bar dives, tons of double bass, blast beats, etc. It's all very metal, and damn if it isn't a great combination. The heavy hardcore influences butting heads with the technical, and death metal influences makes for one of the most interesting listens I've heard in awhile.

Punishment-Broken But Not Dead
(Thorp, 2003)

As good as Punishment may be, Broken But Not Dead is really held back by a horrible sounding production. It reminds me somewhat of a straight from the mixing board live recording. The band is tight though, which still shines through the muddy and far from incredible production.

You want some comparisons? Here you go: Madball, Hatebreed, and Sworn Enemy. Picture a combination of those three bands and you have Punishment. They aren't really adding anything new to any of the formulas, but they definitely do the formulas justice. The main thing that is different is that Punishment have a lot more death metal influence to their sound. The usually hardcore screams break away to death growls every now and then, and it's an amazing transition. So basically it's a combination of really heavy hardcore punk with some mid-paced death metal style riffing.

Like I said earlier this album definitely suffers from a lackluster production. It's somewhat strange sounding. You can hear everything perfectly fine, but it's just a fairly thin sounding production. The guitar sound is heavy, but when not accompanied by double bass drums it sounds thin. The drums are also pretty buried and thin sounding at times to. It would definitely be a good live recording, but I'd like to hear them with a heavier more polished production.

If you are into Hatebreed, Madball or Sworn Enemy you should be able to get into this no problem. These guys are actually heavier then those bands, so if you like it heavy you can't go wrong with Punishment. If you have ever wanted to hear some death metal riffs on a hardcore punk album, you'll want to check this out also.

Madball-NYHC EP
(Thorp, 2003)

Madball have definitely been a favorite band of mine for awhile now. Few bands have ever played NYHC and really created their own style without either sounding pretentious or just like another Agnostic Front clone. Madball basically take a Sick of It All like style, and make it heavier. They don’t really have many fast moments, mainly relying on mid-paced and groove oriented riffing. Let me tell you, it’s damn heavy.

I was actually pretty surprised to see that the band recorded at Big Blue Meenie studios. Tons and tons of bands record at this studio, but you rarely hear about a heavy hardcore band recording at the studio. Thankfully the live and heavy sound that the studio is known for was kept intact for this album, and it’s a damn good sounding album. I possibly would have turned up the guitar a notch in the mix, but that’s pretty much the only complaint I have.

Madball is pretty much still the Madball we’ve all come to love on this new EP. If you’ve liked them in the past you’ll still like them and definitely want to get off your ass and go pick up this cd right away.

Emmaunel 7-Machines in Routine
(Thorp, 2003)

I'm a big fan of diverse bands, but sometimes band's just need to find a niche and stick to it. Emmanuel 7 are diverse to the point that almost every song sounds like a different band. The opening track is burly metalcore with lots of chugging riffs, fast beats, and screamed vocals. The next song has similar elements but introduces some doom influenced guitar riffing. From there is basically goes all over the clean, clean guitars, clean vocals, and pretty much everything in between. It's a big combination of hardcore, classic doom ala Black Sabbath, and emo. I like the fact that they go all over the place, but I definitely enjoy the heavier tracks the most.

I'm really having a hard time getting into the entire album. It's just doesn't gel or flow very well. I like the band, but it's hard to get into a band that sounds completely different on some songs. I think the strengths in songwriting is to find a uniform sound between songs, but still have them sounding diverse. You don't have to totally change styles to write a diverse album. I'm not saying this isn't a good band, because they are good, I just wish they would stick to the more caustic and violent side of their music. I'm not huge on the more doom styled songs.


Contact:

Thorp Records
PO BOX 6786
TOLEDO, OH 43612 USA

Email: General Info

Link: Thorp Records