Violent Treatment

We return to the microphone to catch up on some recent gigs we've seen and then pick our favorite hc releases of 2025 thus far. Combust, Grand Scheme, Bulls Shitt, Age of Apocalypse, and much more.  Buy our zine: https://violenttreatment.bigcartel.com/product/violent-treatment-fanzine-2 Intro song: Combust - "Belly of the Beast" (Live) Outro song: Told Not to Worry - "Tonight, We Die in Battle"

Vlad of Delayed Gratification Records joins us to talk about his label's past, present, and future. Then, we argue for which Mental release is better: 'Get An Oxygen Tank' or 'Planet Mental.'  Buy vol. 2 of the Violent Treatment zine: https://violenttreatment.bigcartel.com/product/violent-treatment-fanzine-2 https://delayedgratificationrecords.bandcamp.com/ Intro song: Innervision- "Ties" Outro song: Mental - "Hate Me Now" 

Writer and Endless Scroll co-host Miranda Reinert joins us to look back on "the wave" of post-hardcore from the early 2010s: Touché Amoré, La Dispute, Defeater, etc. and how all of those groups helped filter our generation into hardcore.  Buy Miranda's magazine: https://www.twoflatpress.com/shop/p/portable-model-issue-2?ref=aplan.fyi Subscribe to Miranda's newsletter: https://www.aplan.fyi/ Intro song: La Dispute - "Damaged Goods" Outro song: Drug Church - "Slide 2 Me"

It's just the two of us this week as we tackle a few new releases: Jivebomb's 'Ethereal,' Ingrown's 'Idaho,' and the D-Bloc/Bad Beat split. Then, we dig into the archives and review the 1989 Dischord Records comp, 'State of the Union' -- feat. Fugazi, Shudder to Think, Scream, and many other D.C.-area groups.  Intro song: Ingrown - "Bullet" Outro song: Shudder to Think - "Let It Ring" 

Michael of new Pittsburgh hardcore band Madman joins us to talk about some late-career albums by classic hardcore bands: Black Flag, Bad Brains, Warzone, Integrity, and Sick of It All. Intro song: Bad Brains - "Long Time" Outro song: Warzone - "Countdown" 

It's just the two of us this week as we spend the majority of the episode reviewing new music by Identity Shock, Combust, Final Resting Place, The Massacred, and Disguised. Then, we dig into some of Converge's early material by assessing the 'Caring and Killing' comp.  Intro song: Identity Shock - "Traces of Life" Outro song: Converge - "Fact Leaves Its Ghost"  

With United Blood returning later this spring and hardcore from the early 2010s coming back into favor, we had Jack Cooper (What It Takes blog, Collective Action band) and Vince Guglielmi (Daily Snob writer, Violent Treatment producer) join us to draft bands from the UB 2010 lineup. That year of the fest is a really great timestamp of where capital-h was at heading into the new decade, and we each assemble five-band teams composed of bands on the bill.  Vote for which team you think won on the Violent Treatment Instagram or Twitter.  Violent Treatment on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/violenttreatment/ Violent Treatment on Twitter: https://x.com/violentreatment United Blood 2010 lineup: https://lastfm.freetls.fastly.net/i/u/ar0/01ba244574b3772bbd1c37bc5472c44a Check out What It Takes: https://www.instagram.com/what.it.takes.blog/ Check out Collective Action: https://collectiveactionhc.bandcamp.com/ Check out The Daily Snob: https://thedailysnob.substack.com/?utm_source=homepage_recommendations&utm_campaign=1771694 Intro song: Bracewar - "In a Rut" Outro song: Collective Action - "Collective Action" 

Scott from the Mundane Moshers fanzine joins us to discuss the state of zines in hardcore, and then fire off some hot-ish takes about where things are at in the genre.  Buy the Violent Treatment zine: https://violenttreatment.bigcartel.com/product/violent-treatment-fanzine-1 Peep the Mundane Moshers bigcartel: https://mundanemoshers.bigcartel.com/ Follow Mundane Moshers on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mundane_moshers_fanzine/  

We're back in the new year discussing our time at FYA 2025, speculating on hardcore's near future, and reviewing some fresh releases from Godskin Peeler, Crush Your Soul, Demonstrate, and Coreuption Records.  Order Issue No. 1 of our 24-page zine, feat. interviews with G.O.O.N., Splitknuckle, and Instill, as well as scene reports and other hardcore shit: https://violenttreatment.bigcartel.com/product/violent-treatment-fanzine-1 Intro song: Killing Frost - "Frozen Dawn" Outro song: Fury - "The Feeling"

It's the end of the year, so we made lists. We're joined by Brooklyn Vegan editor Andrew Sacher to count down our respective hardcore top 10s of 2024.  Pick up Violent Treatment's first-ever label release, tapes for Chicago hardcore upstarts Majesty: https://violenttreatment.bigcartel.com/ Keep up with Andrew on Twitter: https://x.com/llllbfgllll Intro song: Invertebrates - "No More" Outro song: Speed - "First Test"      

We're 20 years out from 2004 -- a great year in hardcore. To celebrate, we're joined by Nick Birtles (If It Rains, The Next Level, Ultimatum, etc.) and Dan Schultz (Worn, Fatal Wound) for a big 'ole draft. We build teams of five albums each, chat about everyone's picks, and then leave it to the listeners to decide which player assembled the best grip of 2004 hardcore releases. Vote by visiting the Violent Treatment Instagram (@violenttreatment) and Twitter (@violentreatment) and selecting which team you like best in the corresponding poll. Check out Nick's new label Physical Therapy: https://www.ptfanzine.com/ Listen to Worn: https://wornhardcore.bandcamp.com/ Intro song: Terror - "Overcome"  Outro song: Think I Care - "The Hammer" Buy the first ever Violent Treatment zine: https://violenttreatment.bigcartel.com/

In the 2000s, Kids Like Us were torchbearers for Florida hardcore of the Lockin' Out variety, doing splits with Down to Nothing and the Mongoloids, and playing shows all over the U.S. After breaking up in 2012 and playing one one-off gig in 2017, Kids Like Us will be reuniting at FYA in 2025, and they've just reissued their crucial 2005 LP, 'Outta Control,' via Triple B Records.  KLU singer Lars Lundquist joins us to discuss the band's history, where they fit (or didn't) in the 2000s hardcore landscape, their musical arc, and whether or not they're here to stay after this one-off reunion. Intro song: Kids Like Us - "Outta Control" Outro song: Kids Like Us - "Don't Eat Rocks, We Rocks"  Buy the first ever Violent Treatment zine: https://violenttreatment.bigcartel.com/

Nick Acosta of New Morality Zine joins us to recap some recent shows, chat about his label's eclectic output, discuss shoegaze's association with hardcore, and speculate on hardcore's cooked-ness.  Intro song: Si Dios Quiere - "Roll the Dice" Outro song: Dime - "Phases" Buy the first ever Violent Treatment zine: https://violenttreatment.bigcartel.com/  

We're back with a guest, and this time it's Mike Shaw, guitarist of Mindforce, Fatal Realm, New World Man, Sentinel, Collossal, and many other bands. Since Mike has almost never been interviewed about his work, we take some time going through his hardcore story and talking about his many bands, including his take on Mindforce's wild trajectory. Then, we switch gears and review the seminal 1984 Japanese hardcore comp 'Hardcore Unlawful Assembly,' featuring songs from GIZM, Lip Cream, Zouo, and many others.  Listen to the 'Hardcore Unlawful Assembly' comp we discuss here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz35rchlZCU Buy the first-ever Violent Treatment zine: https://violenttreatment.bigcartel.com/products Intro song: Mindforce - "New Lords" Outro song: Fatal Realm - "The Gift" 

Just Hugo and Eli this week, as we tear through a mega-episode of different hardcore happenings. First, we recap some recent shows we saw by Jivebomb, Destiny Bond, Cicada, Invertebrates, Public Acid, Speed, Candy and more. Then, we review new releases by Fentanyl, Cicada, Hindsight, and Chopping Block. And finally, we review a 1990 edition of the Good and Plenty zine, which leads us to talking about Turning Point, Carry Nation, Billingsgate, Moondog, and more.  Read the Good and Plenty zine we discuss here: https://t.co/CnDFp6tEyI ALSO. Hugo made a zine under the Violent Treatment banner, the first of more to come. It's about Chicago hardcore and you can buy it for $1. Pick it up: https://violenttreatment.bigcartel.com/

It'd be hard to deny that From Within Records' One Scene Unity compilations are the definitive hardcore comps of the 2020s thus far. The Florida-based DIY label has released four editions of their genre-wide series, and we had From Within head honcho Carter Holmes (also of the bands Statement of Pride, Payback, and more) join us for a discussion about all four comps. We talk about the bands and songs that appeared on each edition, and use the comps as a framework to discuss how hardcore has evolved in the 2020s thus far. Check it out.  Peep the From Within Records store: https://www.fromwithinrecords.com/ Intro song: Payback - "The One Scene, Pt. II" Outro song: Impunity - "4Giveness"

Michael Thorn of Razorblades and Aspirin joins us for a primer on the history of Richmond, VA hardcore. For a mid-size city of its kind, Richmond has had a thriving scene since the birth of hardcore, and we traced its lineage with the help of someone who lives there now, and has had one leg in the scene for decades. From White Cross and Honor Roll in the early 80s and Four Walls Falling and Avail in the 90s, to Municipal Waste and Direct Control in the 2000s and all the many bands rocking in Richmond today, there was so much to discuss — and almost all of the music is great.  Intro song: Four Walls Falling - "Culture Shock" Outro song: Direct Control - "Cleptomaniac" Read Razorblades and Aspirin: https://razorbladesandaspirin.com/

It's time to check in on this thing we love.  We're almost halfway through the 2020s, and hardcore is beginning to feel different now than it did at the beginning of the decade. We remark on how the vibes have shifted (for good and bad) since the post-COVID lockdown boom of summer 2021, and think about how 2024 has felt like a strange transitional year for the genre. Not too many essential LPs, a lot of ephemeral micro-trends, and a lot of reverence within hardcore for sounds that aren't hardcore.  Intro song: Praise - "Coming Up for Air" Outro song: Condition One - "Hard Shift" 

Andrew Vacante of Combust, Steamroll, Downfall, and more joins us to talk about NYHC from a modern New Yorker's perspective. We get into how the identity of NYHC has changed over time, the drought of native NYHC bands in the 2010s, and how Andrew's bands have helped change the tenor of the scene. Plus, many other digressions on hardcore minutia.  Bands mentioned: Killing Time, Sheer Terror, Cro-Mags, Breakdown, Madball, Merauder, Sick of it All, Countdown, Krimewatch, and many more.  Intro song: Combust - "Why I Hate" Outro song: Steamroll - "Marked"   

Eye for an Eye drummer Thos Niles joins us to discuss his band's come-up in late Eighties Boston, an odd transitional period for one of the most important scenes in hardcore history. We talk a lot about Eye for an Eye's short yet sweet first go as a band, and paint a pretty vivid picture of what hardcore was like leading up to the Nineties post-hardcore explosion.  Bands we talked about: Eye for an Eye, Slapshot, Wrecking Crew, Kingpin, Quicksand, Supertouch, Have Heart, Fiddlehead, Speed, and many more.  Eye for an Eye just reunited over the weekend to play their first shows in 32 years, including a Boston gig opening for a little band called Have Heart. They also just reissued their crucial EP's, 'Omega Drone' and 'Who', on vinyl via Deathwish. Pick it up here: https://deathwishinc.com/products/eye-for-an-eye-omega-drone-who

Prolific Pittsburgh hardcore musician, podcaster, and writer Gem Fair joins us for an episode about albums that are important to our experiences with hardcore. Not our favorite hardcore albums. But releases that opened us up to new sides of hardcore, got us into the genre, helped frame what we want out of it, etc.  Bands we talked about: Terror, Ceremony, Integrity, G.L.O.S.S., Articles of Faith, SSD, CHEW, Cerce, Punch, Hatebreed, Descendants, JFA, Converge, Side By Side, Ankle Monitor. Check out Gem's bands and podcast:  https://positivethinkingpgh.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2023 https://bigbabypgh.bandcamp.com/album/big-babys-big-fuckin-record https://humanpettingzoo.bandcamp.com/album/a-demonstration Dog With a Mullet podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4JZQQui0EI2SS1glrSYXuE?si=85f591b75ac74dd3

Convulse Records owner Adam Croft (who also drums in Destiny Bond) joins us for our first label profile episode. We talk to Adam about the eclectic DIY empire he's building with Convulse, his personal canon, the Denver hardcore scene, bands he wishes he could release music by, and more (including a preview of some unannounced Convulse material).  https://convulserecords.bandcamp.com/ Intro song: Militarie Gun - "Dislocate Me" Outro song: Rash - "Breeding" 

Chance Allen of What Counts, Full Stride, Velocity, RTR Tapes, and the Gulch Brigade joins us to discuss youth crew, Indiana's poppin' hardcore scene, his many bands, and more. 

Hunter Winstead of Through N Through Printing joins us to talk about a bunch of recent shows we've attended. To start, we give a thorough first-hand account of the first Torture tour, and why that band's ascent in hardcore is so unprecedented. Then, we share our experiences seeing Velocity, Drain, Gatecreeper, Spy, and more.  Intro song: Torture - "Agonized Desperation" Outro song: Home Invasion - "Bleach" 

Have Heart are reuniting to play some shows this summer, and the band's debut seven-inch 'What Counts' turns 20. So we talked with Have Heart frontman Pat Flynn about the band's pre-LP days. His teenage disillusionment with the attitude of hardcore, the Massachusetts scene he came up in, early 2000s hc minutia, and Have Heart's early days slogging it on the road with no one paying attention.  Later in the episode we talk about Have Heart's legacy in the present day, and why the current state of hardcore inspired the band to play some shows once again.  Intro song: Have Heart - "Something More Than Ink" Outro song: Have Heart - "Dig Somewhere Else"

Friend of the pod David Anthony returns to dig into the state of "adjacent" sounds in hardcore. We spend a lot of time talking about death metal's current place in the genre, and wonder whether "hardcore kids making death metal" is good for either hardcore or death metal. Then, we look at the more melodic side of the spectrum: Koyo, One Step Closer, Militarie Gun, etc. How does that lane compare to what it sounded/looked like 10, 20 years ago?  A lot of hypothesizing. A lot of opinions. David is always an insightful guest who basically takes the reins as a third host — and we're better for it. Check it out.  Intro song: Sanguisugabogg - "Dead as Shit"  Outro song: Rival Mob - "Hardcore for Hardcore"  Subscribe to David's newsletter Former Clarity: https://www.formerclarity.com/

We're joined this week by Nick Birtles and Evan Stein of the bands Anklebiter, Broken Vow, If It Rains, Attrition Rate, Ultimatum, and Pummel (RIP). First, we roundtable our three favorite hardcore releases of 2024 thus far. Then, we talk about each of the guys' bands, their influences, the current state of New England hardcore, and much more.  Intro song: Sinister Feeling - "Poisoned Mind"  Outro song: If It Rains - Superfluous 

Last year, we read Samantha Sansone's new oral history of the Pittsburgh hardcore scene, 'Through Our Eyes' — and we finished the book with more questions than answers. So, we had Pain Clinic frontman Ty Dawson join us to fill in the gaps. What was it like seeing No Retreat and Built Upon Frustration back in the day? What are the defining features of Pittsburgh hardcore? How important are Code Orange to the city's sound? Why, in 2024, is there a divide between the thriving beatdown scene and the thriving hardcore-punk scene — and was it always that way? This was a fun one.  Intro song: Built Upon Frustration - "The Rest of the World" Outro song: Pain Clinic - "Lead Core"

The catalog of Lockin' Out Records is having an unavoidable resurgence right now, so we went deep on the label's stamp on hardcore history. We're joined by Matt LaForge, guitarist of the LOR signees Mil-Spec, who had a key vantage point to the rise of Lockin' Out, and spoke to us in great detail about how the label's flagship bands — Mental, Righteous Jams, The Wrong Side, etc. — impacted the hardcore zeitgeist in the early 2000s.  Intro song: The Wrong Side - "Feeding Time at the Zoo" Outro song: Mil-Spec - "Hall of Mirrors"

Ned Russin (Glitterer, Title Fight, and many other bands) joins us for a conversation about how hardcore dancing has evolved over the ages. We watched videos of sets ranging from Bad Brains in '82 and Breakdown in '88, to Hatebreed in '94 and Rival Mob in '13, and then talked about the way the crowds behaved during those periods. Ned, being the hardcore scholar that he is, provided a lot of fascinating commentary about what these audience behaviors said about these eras of hardcore, and how the arc of the genre has developed over time.  We also spoke with Ned about the new Glitterer album, 'Rationale,' and how living in D.C. does/doesn't impact his work. We're thankful for Ned's time, and hope ya'll enjoy this nerdy-ass convo as much as we did.  Intro song: Bad Brains - "Big Takeover" Outro song: Glitterer - "Plastic" 

We're only a month into 2024 and there's already a bunch of new music to discuss. In this episode, we're joined by Ace Stallings — frontman of Mutually Assured Destruction and Sentinel, and host of the Forum of Passion podcast — to review a bunch of fresh releases by Apex Predator, Dimension Six, Lethal, Rejoice, and Live It Down.  Intro song: Dimension Six - "D6" Outro song: Live It Down - "Construction Boot Stomp"  Check out Ace's podcast Forum of Passion

As we've mentioned on this show before, we're currently experiencing a resurgence in a particular strain of metalcore that's being welcomed under the hardcore umbrella. Bands like Balmora, Since My Beloved, Adrienne, A Mourning Star, Dying Wish and many others.  In this episode, we're joined by Balmora frontman/Ephyra Recordings owner Senti, and Fallen God frontman/Equinox Booking co-owner Jeff, to zoom in on this current trend and connect today's metalcore bands to a greater lineage that's been percolating throughout the last 25 years of hardcore.  Editor's Note: Eli literally opens the show with a lie. This is NOT our first two-guest episode. We just had our buds Andrew and Tom on for our 2023 AOTY ep. Alas, everything else uttered within is the stone-cold truth. Intro song: The Black Dahlia Murder - "Unhallowed" Outro song: Since My Beloved - "A Sentimental Obsession" Keep up with Violent Treatment on Twitter @violentreatment 

We're back, and we're joined in this episode by fellow hardcore scribe Vince Guglielmi. In the spirit of the new year, the three of us look ahead to where we envision hardcore's sound and culture going in 2024. We touch on democore,  deathcore, the identity of the decade thus far, and make a few other predictions based on what we've been witnessing at shows, fests and around the 'net.  Subscribe to Vince's newsletter The Daily Snob https://thedailysnob.substack.com/ Intro song: Collateral - "Collateral"  Outro song: Mile End - "Avarice"  

We talked about our favorite hardcore of 2023 with two fellow hxc scribes, Stereogum Senior Editor Tom Breihan and BrooklynVegan Edtior Andrew Sacher.  We each counted down our 10 favorite hardcore albums/EP's of the year, and had fun discussing the overlap, the mixed feelings, and the outlier picks.  Follow Tom on Twitter @tombreihan Follow Andrew on Twitter @llllbfgllll   Intro song: Buggin - "Get It Out"  Outro song: Militarie Gun - "Do It Faster"   

First, we talk about our favorite hardcore sets we saw in 2023 — from Negative Approach to Vein. Then, in honor of its 40th anniversary reissue, we discuss SS Decontrol's 1982 debut 'The Kids Will Have Their Say,' as well as our more general thoughts on Boston's first important hardcore band.  Intro song: Balmora - "Under the Weight" Outro song: SS Decontrol - "Get it Away"

There're certain metal bands that, for whatever reason, hardcore fans love. Whether its their sound, their iconography, or just their aura, bands like Type O Negative, Bolt Thrower, Sepultura and even Slipknot have become as much a part of the hardcore milieu as actual hardcore originators like Circle Jerks and Agnostic Front.  Eli had Hugo listen to many of these "shirt bands", and we dicussed the quality of their music, their relevancy to hardcore, and why hardcore fans and musicians are so drawn to these capital "m" Metal bands.  Intro song: Sepultura - "Arise'  Outro song: Obituary - "Chopped in Half"  

Agnostic Front's 1984 debut, 'Victim In Pain', is commonly regarded as the benchmark NYHC album. Moreover, if you look at the history of early 80s hardcore, it's the first hardcore release from New York that really "mattered" outside of that city's streets.  Plenty of hardcore scholars talk about the hotbed that NYHC became after 'Victim In Pain,' but for this episode, we wanted to look at some of the releases that were coming out of NY in the years prior. We listened to bands like Urban Waste, Antitode, The Abused, The Mob, Stimulators and more, and came away with some interesting takeaways about the underrated no-mans-land that existed before Agnostic Front put NYHC on the map.  Intro song: The Abused - "War Games" Outro song: Agnostic Front - "United and Strong"  

First, we review new albums from Magnitude and Broken Vow.  Then, it's a late-Eighties NYHC showdown. Hugo loves Killing Time's 'Brightside', Eli loves Leeway's 'Born to Expire'. Which one is better? We discuss, you decide.  Intro song: Broken Vow - "Propaganda of the Deed" Outro song: Killing Time - "Brightside"  

We're joined by blogger Jay Papandreas to talk about melodic hardcore. What is it? Who earns that designation? And which bands that frequently get called melodic hardcore don't belong in that pool?  Check out Jay's blog  https://www.listenupnerds.com/ Intro song: Lifetime - "Turnpike Gates" Outro song: Koyo - "Diamond One"

We listened to all five installments of the America's Hardcore compilation series that Triple B Records have been releasing since 2010. We debate how effective the comps are at capturing the moment of 2010s hardcore, which tracks are best, and what Triple B means to the fabric of contemporary hardcore.  Intro song: Bitter End - "Disguised" Outro song: Mil-Spec - "Time After Time"

After some brief chatter on our recent listening habits, we dive into discussing a handful of albums from throughout hardcore history where bands "sold out" by making metal, pop-punk, or butt-rock records. From SSD, Earth Crisis, No Warning and beyond, we listened to those "failed swing" albums that bands pretend never happened, and see if they're actually as bad as people say they are.  Intro song: No Warning - "Bad Timing" Outro song: Shelter - "Alone On My Birthday"

After seeing one of Bane's reunion shows, we decided to do a dive into their discography and talk a bit about their legacy today. Does Hugo actually fuck with Bane now? Listen to find out.  Then, we switch gears by reviewing the 1993 'East Coast Assault' compilation, which features early songs by Life of Agony, Merauder, Converge and more. It's a hugely instructive time capsule for that era of heavy hardcore, and we had fun going through it all.  Intro song: Bane - "Can We Start Again?"  Outro song: Bane - "Calling Hours" 

We review the new album from Restraining Order and then dive into a discussion about the way hardcore gets condescendingly covered by many music journalists (not us, of course).  Intro song: Restraining Order - "Fight Back"  Outro song: Restraining Order - "Another Better Day" 

We're joined by music journalist pal David Anthony to talk about Black Flag's 'My War.' Is this foundational record still relevant in modern-day hardcore? How influential is it actually? Is it even any good? All that and many other Flag-related digressions.  Read David's blog Former Clarity https://www.formerclarity.com/ Read David's 2017 Noisey article about Black Flag's 'Damaged' https://www.vice.com/en/article/gv7d74/black-flags-damaged-is-an-iconic-record-so-why-isnt-it-more-influential

Hugo runs down a few thoughts he had on Tied Down Fest in Detroit. Then, we review new releases from Drain, Anklebiter, Envision and Never Ending Game. And finally, we look back on Shai Hulud's 2003 album 'That Within Blood Ill Tempered', just to see how it holds up.  Intro song: Anklebiter - "Catharsis"  Outro song: Never Ending Game - "Never Die" 

Picking up where we left off on our first episode, we reveal our favorite, most underrated, and most overrated hardcore albums of the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. Stark differences and surprise common ground abound.  Intro song: Trapped Under Ice - "Pleased To Meet You" Outro song: Fury - "Vacation"     

For our first episode, we picked our personal favorite, most underrated, and most overrated hardcore albums of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Next episode, we do the same for the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.