Note: I haven't posted about of a few of these on the blog for several different reasons. I may have them in a backlog to be posted, I may have gotten them before starting the blog, or I just didn't get around to posting them for some other reason.
Top 8 demos of the year:
2) Hard Stripes - Demo: Really solid hardcore from Richmond in the vein of Urban Blight, 86 Mentality, etc.
3) Oblivionation - Demo: Straight up hardcore from members of Out Cold. Fans of that band will not be disappointed with this one.
4) Paranoid - Demo: One of two tapes that I released on this list. Am I biased because I released this? Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that this demo is really good. FFO: Think I Care, Shark Attack, Tarpit.
5) MFP - Demo: Another Boston band showing why that region produces some of the best hardcore in recent memory.
6) Violent Future - Demo: Toronto band playing stripped down hardcore. Featuring members (and for fans) of Urban Blight.
7) World War 4 - Demo: Floorpunch and No Tolerance come together to create Breakdown influenced hardcore. NYHC/Boston hardcore perfection.
8) Skinfather - Atheos Demo: The second tape that I released on this list. Swedish style death metal with some hardcore leanings. Think Dismember meets All Out War. Their new stuff drops the hardcore and goes for pure death metal. I'm sure the new EP (once released) will top my list for next year.
Top 10 EP's of the year:
1) Violent Reaction - S/T: This is my favorite release of the year. Hard hitting straight edge hardcore out of Leeds. Check this out if you haven't. New LP on Painkiller in 2013
2) Stick Together - Surviving The Times: Taking influence from the harder styled youth crew bands (Judge, Brotherhood), Stick Together is one of the best straight edge bands going.
3) Spine - Subhuman: Fast, heavy, pissed off. The way hardcore should be.
4) No Tolerance - No Remorse, No Tolerance: This may have technically come out last year, but I didn't get my copy in the mail until 2012. One of my current favorite bands. Boston straight edge band leaning on the harder side of things.
5) Purity Control - Coping: Blasting hardcore/grindcore from Toronto. Grindcore that's heavy on the CORE.
6) MFP - S/T: A continuation of the demo. Very solid first EP from this Boston band.
7) Goosebumps - I Hate My Body: Scummy, degenerate hardcore out of NY. Fits right in with the current crop of bands releasing music on Toxic State Records.
8) Green Beret - Violence Is Their Currency: Raging D Beat hardcore out of Boston. This band came out of nowhere and blew me away with this EP.
9) Rot In Hell - Termini Terrae: The band's first release with Lecky of Voorhees fame on vocals, and this thing smokes. Some of the band's finest material to date. Can't wait to see what's in store for them next.
10) Hounds of Hate - No Redemption: Old NYHC styled straight edge. I wasn't super impressed with their demo but this EP is a huge step up. New LP due on Painkiller in 2013.
Top 10 LP's of the year:
1) Prisoner Abuse - S/T: Early 80's Boston hardcore done right. Another one that came out of nowhere and blew me away completely.
2) CREEM - S/T: NY band playing early Boston/NY hardcore. I can't explain why I love this record so much but it's one of the best (obviously) I've heard this year. New EP due on Triple B in 2013.
3) Mindset - Leave No Doubt: Seeing as how I'm only an hour away from Baltimore, I've watched this band grow and progress as musicians over the past few years, and this LP proves that they are here to stay. Perfect debut LP from this Baltimore straight edge band.
4) Boston Strangler - Primitive: Early 80's Boston hardcore done perfectly. Does anything need to be said about this band at this point?
5) Homewrecker - Worms and Dirt: Heavy metallic hardcore from Ohio. I may have spun this LP more than any other this year.
6) Converge - All We Love We Leave Behind: The band proves why they've been one of the best in the genre for over 20 years.
7) Like Rats - S/T: Scathing metallic hardcore done by members of Weekend Nachos. The vocals on this record make it for me.
8) Shipwrecked - The Last Pagans: Early 80's Boston styled hardcore with some Oi! influence. After staying quiet for a few years, the band released one of the best LP's of the year.
9) Sick Fix - Vexed: Heavy, fast, straight edge hardcore out of DC. Featuring one of Chris Moore's (Magrudergrind, Coke Bust) best drum performances.
10) Six Brew Bantha - S/T: Grindcore done right by this Canadian band.
Top 5 splits of the year:
1) Coke Bust/Vaccine: Two of my favorite current bands belt out some of their best material, respectively. Fast angry straight edge hardcore from both bands. New LP from Coke Bust forthcoming from Grave Mistake Records and new EP from Vaccine due out soon on Painkiller.
2) Integrity/Gehenna: My favorite band teaming up with another of the Holy Terror elite to show that they've both still got the chops to produce some killer stuff.
3) Lack of Interest/Weekend Nachos: LOI show that they've still got it after many years on this split. More solid jams from Weekend Nachos as well. New Nachos LP out soon.
4) Sea of Shit/Water Torture: Scummy discordant powerviolence up against bass/drum powerviolence = one hell of a release.
5) Masakari/Grin And Bear It: Masakari has to be my favorite band currently playing melodic crust, and Grin And Bear It shows a huge step up from their previous material with their brand of fastcore.
Top 5 non-heavy LP's of the year:
1) Gypsy - Giant's Despair: After not paying attention to this band for too long, they dropped my favorite indie/pop punk/punk/whatever release of the year, besting their contemporaries. I love this LP.
2) Basement - Coulourmeinkindness: The UK band's swansong. This one is a bit different than their last LP and took me a while to get into it, but after a few spins I found myself loving it. RIP.
3) Make Do And Mend - Everything You Ever Loved: A lot of people have said they don't like the cleaner, less-gruff recording/song-writing on this record. Go into listening to this without any of that bias and you'll see that not only is this a great record, but it contains some of the best songs the band has ever written.
4) Pentimento - S/T: After an EP and split with Young English, Pentimento dropped a really good debut LP. Due to legal issues the band couldn't do a physical release so they offered it for free. Read all about it and download the record HERE
5) Title Fight - Floral Green: Another LP that took a few spins to really sink in, but once it did I was hooked. There's a reason that Title Fight is one of the most hyped bands of the moment.
In addition to these I also had a list of honorable mentions prepared, but this has already gone on for too long. To those that read the entire thing, thank you. To those who didn't make it all the way through, I understand.
GREAT POST! I'll be posting mine soon and alot of mine are on your list too :)
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