2012 so far. What I’ve been listening to.

So July is upon us, over halfway through the breakneck year that is 2012.

In terms of music, and especially hardcore, 2012 has been awesome for me so far. So many good bands have come onto my radar and there have been so many moments where I have listened to a track/ep/lp which has made me sit up and really get excited about music.

I am going to take a few minutes to give something back with this post. I was considering doing a mixtape to share with you all, dear readers, but this seemed like too much effort, so instead I am going to choose a selection of my favourite bits of music that has come out this year, and if I feel inspired enough I’ll write something about them.

The absolute standout record of 2012 this year for me was Frustration with Dying Breed (you can read my full review of it here.) From the very first listen I gave this album I completely got it. The raw, tribal feel of the rhythm section mixed with the Crowbar-esque guitar work mixed with some of the rawest vocals of the year all combine to make a tour de force of a record. Featuring a tonne of cool guest vocals, Dying Breed really puts its hand up for an album of the year spot. Released on Purgatory Records I highly recommend listening to it, I’ve embedded tracks off their bandcamp, Peace And Safety… features guest vocals from Ajay of BWP fame, bang your heads.

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Next up is another band smashing it on Purgatory at the moment. If you’ve had half an eye on the scene over the past few years these Manchester bruisers will need little introduction. Broken Teeth dropped their new E.P Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked (read my review here) a few months back and have taken 2012 by the scruff of the neck since then and smashed it around a bit. Adding more of a metallic hardcore feel to previous E.P The Seeker, these guys are really showing why the Manchester scene is blowing up. Backing up the E.P with outstanding support slots for bands such as Bitter End and Backtrack, Teeth are really showing why they are a force to be reckoned with. Again, released on Purgatory, pick up a copy of this, you wont be let down. Check out the title track off the E.P here

Broken Teeth – Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked

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Another Manchester band who are blowing minds at the moment are Survival. I was lucky enough to catch Survival play at TDON7 which they announced was their second show, and even then they shone with potential. Having been on bills all over the place these lads have shown that along with Teeth, Manchester really is bringing it hard at the moment. Recently playing with Bitter End at the Star And Garter in Manchester the guys tore the roof off the place inciting one of the most intense moshes I’ve seen in a long time. They have their Demo E.P up for free download on the bandcamp which you should get on, and they have a new track up on their Facebookpage which kills it.

Survival smashing Outbreak Fest

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A band who I don’t think get enough recognition for what they are doing at the moment is The River Card who hail from my home for the last three years, Stoke-On-Trent. The River Card have shared stages with some of the biggest names in hardcore, if you want a list check their Last.Fm out!

They recently released their new record Momentum which I must say took me by surprise with how good it is. Unlike a lot of records nowadays this is a strong listen from start to finish. Massive respect to frontman Chris Smith for his lyrics on the song Cliques which deals directly with all of the bullshit floating around in the scene regarding hype bands and whats ‘cool’ – keep it real and listen to who and what you like. If you have any spare pennies you should definitely pick up this record and some merch, help the guys out as they’re friends of mine and deserve it so much.

You can listen to the entire record on their bandcamp, just a heads up, Pitfalls is one of the best songs you will hear this year.

Smitho showing some rage.

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Within the last week I got my hands on the Twitching Tongues record and instantly regretted not going to see them with Frustration and Broken Teeth (hindsight is a wonderful thing.)

This record combines heavy, groove heavy riffs with clean(ish) vocals which definitely surprised me upon first listen. Its a really easy album to get hooked on so I recommend getting a copy as soon as you can and giving it a listen, it may take one or two plays to get into, but once you do, it is completely worth it.

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In other listening, the new Pariso album will smash your skull in should you give it a chance, check out a review I wrote for DeadPress. The whole album is a total crush fest and if you’re a fan of their previous material, you will love this.

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I recently stumbled upon a band called Anguish who have a really cool Black Sabbath meets hardcore vibe, check them out if you like riffs. Coincidently if you don’t like riffs, you’re probably on the wrong blog as it is.

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And last but not least! Check out Fausto from Cheltenham, a D.I.Y project I noticed the other day. For a demo recorded in a kitchen I dig this really hard.

LISTEN HERE

I can’t post without mentioning the labels that are helping the scene be as strong as it is. Give your support to labels such as Purgatory, Holy Roar, Tangled Talk, Carry The Weight and Moshtasche Records as well as many more. Buy some merch, pick up some records and support your scene.

E.P Review: Broken Teeth – Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked

Broken Teeth are back with Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked, an E.P that is harder than before, darker than before and undeniably more pissed off than before.

Compared to previous material, everything about Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked seems to have been turned up a notch. The slow drum and guitar intro to title track Life Worry soon make way for a fast paced riff backed by the angry bark of vocalist Dale Graham who sounds more enraged than ever.

The pace continues into The Evil Eyes where the instrumental side of this E.P shine through hard, the guitars are razor sharp, throwing riffs out for the entirety, the drumming is hard especially the double kick that pounds away just before the whole song breaks down. The mosh part in this song is perhaps the best thing Broken Teeth have put out so far, if there aren’t obscene amounts of pitting going down when this is dropped live there is something seriously wrong.

Final track Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked is the best thing Broken Teeth have put out so far. No questions asked. The guest vocals from Tom Curry just add to the track and the playoff between his vocals and that of Dales work really well. Half way through the final track when everything crunches down there is no option but to mosh. The lyric “You stop, stand and stare at the gates of Hell” is spat out righteously before the band reign it all in, guitars trading riffs to set up one final assault.

All fans of UKHC should be checking this E.P out. Although it only weighs in at three tracks long, there is more than enough in it to keep you listening over and over again. Anyone aware of Broken Teeth will know how the band work and will be blown away by this, anyone new to the band, get involved and get to a gig.

Hopefully this is just a taste of what is to come from the band leading the charge within Manchester Hardcore.

You can catch Broken Teeth out on the Backtrack tour which hits the UK on the 20th of April in Cardiff.

Pick up the record at www.purgatoryrecords.bigcartel.com and support your scene.

Check out the track Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked on Soundcloud as well.