Late in 2009, Fat Wreck Chords celebrated their 20th Anniversary with the release of a 3xCD box set titled “Wrecktrospective.” The set includes a first disc with 33 so-called “Fattest Hits,” a second disc with 28 demo tracks, and a third consisting of all 27 songs from the “Fat Club” 7″ series. Included in the [...]

Few bands are as talented as DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN in making both their records and live shows seem like out of body experiences. The progressive metal/hardcore band is as intense and chaotic live as their studio recordings are examples of the brain’s innermost workings. After several full-lengths on Relapse the group has taken matters largely [...]

When I moved down to the DC area from NY in the late 90s, one of the first local labels that I encountered was Virginia’s Magic Bullet Records. Bands such as MAJORITY RULE, PG. 99, CRESTFALLEN, and FRODUS, among others were commonly found on bills, and I had a particularly high appreciation of the first [...]

One of hardcore music’s better qualities is voids in the genre rarely last long. Bands rise and fall like roller coaster carts – at the precise moment a popular act calls it quits, another one is waiting in the wings to take charge. I haven’t made an exact timeline on this, but it seemed that [...]

This is our fourth interview with the BOUNCING SOULS in the past 10 something years and the one thing that has held true among all of them is that the band’s easy going, friendly nature is just as strong through the media as it is in their music. After successfully figuring out a way to [...]

The nuance between being a “heavy” band and being an “intense” band is an overlooked distinction. ATREYU is heavy. CONVERGE is intense. Few bands find a similar kind of headspace like CONVERGE does. Even extreme metal/grind bands, who run at a stunningly fast clip, often lack the internal compass that directs music in such it [...]

My experiences with P.O.S.’s 2009 release Never Better highlight how these things are supposed to happen. First, I read a review of Never Better from Punknews.org’s Aubin Paul in which he heaps praise upon the disc (trusted filter) and not a week later, I find that the label, Rhymesayers, sent a radio clean copy of [...]

The year 2009 marks a new chapter for both OUTBREAK and Think Fast! Records; and inevitably, for Ryan O’Connor – the driving force behind both. In just a few months, the 24-year old Maine native has rebuilt the band he created, recorded a new album, and inked a distribution deal with Trustkill Records for his [...]