Tag: hardcore

We just concluded a fun listening party for Part 1 of "Fighting From The Ground Up Vol. 5". It's always a good time hanging with fellow IVM readers and friends. Part 1 and Part 2 are now up for "preorder" which allows me to do these listening parties and plan accordingly in advance without having to give the whole thing away several weeks early. I am giving away a few songs from each compilation away with the $1 preorders with the rest going live on 10/23 for Free/Name Your Price. Remember, if you preorder you'll get instant access to the first songs in the Bandcamp app for streaming from any device in including vehicles with CarPlay enabled (I've tested and it's super cool). The long awaited Splitcast song is up now along with the lyrics for it. Join us this Sunday at 3pm PST for the part 2 listening party and feel free to RSVP if you like. Link: indievisionmusic.bandcamp.com

sequoia, which includes members formerly of No Treaty, have released their debut single, “Flesh Gives Way”. The song continues in a fairly similar fashion to No Treaty’s previous work, but a bit more melodic and is most certaintly a welcome progression. This scathing track is part of a future ep the band has planned (title and date TBA). Check it out below and tell us what you think!… Continued →

Bloodlines have released a new song (and video) titled “So Much To Lose”. The song is the second to drop off the band’s upcoming release, “To A Thousand Generations”, which will be available everywhere December 4th on Facedown Records. The album consists of 11 tracks including this one as well as the last single, “Revivalist”, which featured Mattie Montgomery of For Today. Check out the video for “So Much To Lose” below as well as the links to pre-orders for the new album. Pre-orders can be found HERE.… Continued →

In a surprise release today, Doulos released a cover of P.O.D.’s “Southtown”. The drop comes ahead of the band’s upcoming release “Holy EP” on Resuscitation Records in just a few weeks. Of the 5 tracks set to appear on “Holy EP”, “Southtown” is not one of them. Check out the song below and leave your thoughts!… Continued →

Excited to unveil the amazing new artwork by Nate Parrish for this mighty 2 part compilation due to release on 10/23/26 through Indie Vision Music on both our Bandcamp and digital networks. See the artist lineup below. We will be hosting listening parties for them on October 4th at 3pm for Part 1 and October 11th at 3pm for Part 2. Listening parties will take place only on our Bandcamp at indievisionmusic.bandcamp.com. The artists appearing on these two parts include, (Part 1): Splitcast, Too Bad Eugene, Gametime, Brave Days, Nate Parrish, bloke., Doc Turbo, Light The Way, The Mynerz, Dire (ft. Altira), Pennylane, Slow Coming Day, Of Malice (ft. Project 86), Sower, Luther's Hammer, Empty Atlas, NMDS, Pipe Bomb, Cold Streets, Nobody's Uncle, XIII Minutes, Feeble Attempt (Ft. Gametime and Dogwood), Chase Tremaine, Nate Goodlet, Sam's The Hero, Keith Settles, DRBY, Humble Kings. (Part 2): Brave Days, Static Ultra, Watashi Wa, Protect Your Heart, Mainframe, Audiophile, Orion Walsh, MelonCollie, Unteachers, Take, No Lost Cause, Good Grief, Forever Unfolds, Fury & Solace, Aaron Reynolds, Chives McAlister, The Caballerials, Inland Years, The Forerunner, Nostalgia, Peter118, Silent Music, Strategic, ThreeThirtyOne, Rusty Vining, Joel Raisner, Chris Bernstorf.

The Lead was an early hardcore punk band, forming in South Florida in the mid-80s. As best as we can tell, they formed in 1984 in Miami, making them the very first Christian hardcore band. An early version of the band that eventually became The Crucified also formed in 1984, but with some significant member changes and a name change (they started as K.G.B.), giving The Lead the slight edge for being the earliest. It wasn’t just their early beginnings that set them apart. It was also their originality.… Continued →

This is my 30th anniversary tribute to albums that released during the year of 1996 (and/or presumed to have released during this particular year). It was a monumental year in underground, indie music and one that was ignited by artists sharing a similar Christian Faith (not all the below listed albums are "Christian" releases but they are some of my favorites from that year). While the rest of the world was consuming their Michael W Smith, or Newsboys***, Audio Adrenaline, DC Talk***, Amy Grant, Rebecca St. James, Jars of Clay, becoming panheads, or even that guy who wrote the Butterfly Kisses song, we on the indie circuit side of things were rejoicing with a newfound optimism. Our passions ran deep and our association with Christianity was nearly unshakeable. This year, that decade, was a fire starter, a year of immense joy and unforeseen challenges. Without diving too deep into the undercurrent of what was and what may have been, let's just take a look back on some of my favorites. These are some of the songs blasted from the comfort of the old Teal green Camaro in 1996 (or that Blue Chevy truck). (***These artists haven't aged the greatest, sorry, not sorry).

The long running classic hardcore/punk/thrash band - The Blamed, just dropped some of the most amazing sounding covers of The Crucified these ears have ever heard. The band have without a doubt paid proper tribute to one of the greatest thrash-metal-punk bands to have emerged from the Christian music underground in the past 40 years a truly pioneering band that has spawned countless side projects and inspired younger generations to pick up their instruments and proudly proclaim the gospel in the decades that have followed. That band is of course The Crucified and another classic band The Blamed which actually features the drummer from The Crucified, Jim Chaffin, who continues to play with The Blamed to this very day and has picked up double duty in playing the classic beats but with a new take. These 4 songs are just the perfect presentation of a covers release done right. They take these older songs, add new flavors done only in the vibe The Blamed knows how to do while keeping the sound somewhat the same if that makes sense. The guts of these originals is there but the guitars and bass have that sound only The Blamed know how to do. It's like Frail, Again, and The Church is Hurting People meets The Pillars of Humanity (album) and Self Titled (The Crucified). The buddy experience gone wild! I love this ep and even the guitar solos are fast and furious and well placed. I love a good guitar solo and they sound incredible here. Let's talk about the vocals for a second. I haven't heard a more "Frail" esque sound in years but they've brought it back on this ep. "The Church is Hurting People" had slightly classic vocals but here is where it shines and they've come into their own while sharing that classic take. It makes sense really because you can tell how much The Crucified influenced the sound of The Blamed and as a result only The Blamed could have paid such careful attention to detail while going off on these 4 songs and paying such beautiful tribute. Now I'm a The Crucified fan, I'm a Stavesacre fan but we wouldn't have the latter without the former. The Crucified and Mark, Greg, Jeff, and Jim in particular deserve a hefty award for the years of influence on our music scene at large and for drawing together believers and unbelievers alike. I imagine an Olympic hand shaking between countries while making the analogy with the sacred and secular combining together in holy matrimony (if only it were that simple). When I was in high school, I was at the tail end of the band's final run as a band when I discovered Pillars and Self Titled. I loved them a lot and their music spoke to me in ways that other bands in the metal realm couldn't. I even decorated my school binder with Crucified logo and graphics and had a custom tshirt made at a print shop with the self titled album cover on front to profess my undying devotion to the Lord and the music of The Crucifed (weren't the 90's great?). What the "Christian" scene and sub culture doesn't do right (among other things) is pay tribute to the classics that have come before and paved the way for future generations. We have the rock n roll hall of fame for all mainstream popular rock, rap, etc artists to receive their credit but in Christian circles especially the Nashville machine, many are forgotten once their light fades and the bulbs burn out. It's a travesty and one that needs to be rectified. Thankfully a band like The Blamed have done an enormous amount of justice in giving credit where credit is due and embracing a classic band and really all of us as well. Thank you to The Blamed and thank you most of all to The Crucified for over 40 years of influencing countless generations of young people (and us old fogies as well) including myself. Hifives and hugs all around. Thank you Thumper Punk Records as well and David in particular for throwing your weight behind this project, you did an amazing job! You can find The Blamed "What If" Ep (make more please!) on all digital networks and streaming sites including at the Thumper Punk Records bandcamp: https://thumperpunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/what-if

Indie Vision Music to release Vol. 5 in the "Fighting From The Ground Up" series on October 23rd 2026. This digital compilation will be available through all digital networks as well as on Bandcamp. Featuring a varied cast of talent and characters sure to bring a smile to any face with plenty of finger points to the stage, solo room moshing, and unforgettable bed stage diving. Expect new and recent music from Brave Days, Protect Your Heart, Light The Way, Pipe Bomb, Too Bad Eugene, Splitcast, Chase Tremaine, Gametime, Sower, Nobody's Uncle, Dire, Feeble Attempt, bloke., Sam's The Hero, Humble Kings, The Caballerials, Cold Streets, XIII Minutes, and so many more plus a special unreleased Slow Coming Day song. Will you join with us? Let's make this the biggest FREE IVM Compilation release ever! Send a song link, YouTube link, etc to: compilation @ indievisionmusic.com All our band friends, if you are reading this and you have a new song to contribute, send us an email!

After releasing 2024’s Stomp to much acclaim, Pipe Bomb has been building tons of hype and excitement, culminating with the now-infamous golf-cart incident at Audiofeed 2026. If you don’t know, look it up. For those who don’t know, Pipe Bomb is essentially Mitchell Layton handling all instruments, writing, and vocals. Recent live shows have featured members of Plead the Widow’s Cause (and Layton has also been returning the favor by playing with PTWC for live shows.) But what about the music on Hell Hole? On social media, the band is being hailed as “the second coming of The Chariot,” a title Layton humbly denies.… Continued →

So maybe you’ve been wondering . . . “Hey Loyd, what’s your favorite hardcore song of all time?” Yes, yes, I know. Many of you have been wondering, even asking me this for years. I get emails almost every day asking me to reveal the winner. All kidding aside, I’ve been wanting to unleash this beast on our followers for a long time. When I first entertained the idea of featuring this track, it wasn’t available on YouTube. But good news for us, a few years ago Jason Parker (who played in the band, as well as Outnumbered, Sandalwood, and a few others) treated us by uploading the compilation for streaming.… Continued →

Floodlit is a band from Los Angeles that covers a wide swath of all types of aggressive and heavy music and does so exceptionally well. If you’ve yet to check them out, you’re in for a treat. The debut 10 track release really comes out swinging and is based on the singer’s time spent living in Myanmar and the conflict that has been ongoing in the region for some time. Check out the videos below for an explanation of what went into the making of the album as well as the video for the song “AKo”.… Continued →

KingdomCore Presents the No Hope In Hell Tour featuring Heal The Hurt, Magdalene Rose, and Unbroken Reign. ​The tour spans 15 dates and is being put on by KingdomCore which will be the brand's very first tour they are putting together as "KingdomCore Presents". Read more below.

Light The Way return with a new song today titled "Steez Machines" and it's everything you love about this band and so much more! Go listen on your favorite digital network and check out the music video right here on our website, below! It has real heart, tongue in cheek humor, anthemic choruses, and the hope this band has been conveying since day 1. It's the perfect tasty morsel of pop punk fun built for the summer of 26'. Instead of growing cynical with age these guys get brighter, more passionate, and as bold as ever proving that age is more than just a number. So hop on that skateboard, ditch the time stamp, and ride off into the sunset because pop-punk and Light The Way will never die!! Light The Way 2026.

The eager anticipation for the followup to Bloodlines’ 2024 release, “Holiness Cries” is about to draw to a close. This Friday the band has been teasing a new single, “Revivalist”, featuring Mattie Montgomery of For Today. As more info becomes available about the band’s plans for new music, we’ll keep you posted! Catch them on tour from 5/02-5/13 with Wolves at the Gate and Heal the Hurt. There are also some other dates scheduled with just Bloodlines. … Continued →

Pensive was a short-lived but brilliant and unique emocore band from West Virginia, active in the second half of the 1990s. The band ended when half of the members wound up in Zao. Shortly thereafter the remaining members joined Brett Detar in The Juliana Theory. These are some serious credentials for a band that has remained fairly unknown/obscure. The music might have had similarities to the members’ other projects, but it was distinct as well. It was an unusual mix of clean guitars and clean singing interspersed with distorted guitars and raspy screams.… Continued →

When you read about, or hear talk of “Spirit-filled hardcore,” this is what they’re talking about. Where were you when you first heard Strongarm? Do you remember? For me, I think it was on the first Helpless Amongst Friends compilation. I was blown away by so much on that comp. The raw aggression. The lyrical strength and (what seemed like) commitment to the Lord. There was a passion behind the music and the lyrics that deeply resonated with me as a young 20-something in the 1990s.… Continued →

JCHC FEST 2026 is shaping up to be one heck of a huge live festival force in hardcore, punk, metal, and a little Pop-Punk as well. Something for everyone! My boys in Light The Way were just added to the lineup so this is a show you don’t want to miss! I’m sure there will be more surprises to come. While I rarely surface in the wild, think more of a Sasquatch, I do come alive with just the right moonlight. Ha! I do want to go though.… Continued →

Las Vegas hardcore band Take has just released 3 new songs (one of which is actually a re-worked older tune), and made them available on all digital platforms. Gobble these up as it might be the last we hear the band. They are set to play Audiofeed this summer, and have no more scheduled shows after that, possibly ever. https://linktr.ee/takeband… Continued →

Chaotic hardcore project Pipe Bomb have announced a new single, “I Will Kill the Worst Parts of Myself.” Fresh off the heels of its three previous single releases, Philadelphia chaotic metalcore band Pipe Bomb is dropping one final stand-alone song called “I Will Kill The Worst Parts Of Myself” on January 27th, 2026, in support of its upcoming 10-song album, Hell Hole. Mixed and mastered by John Naclario of Nada Recording (My Chemical Romance, Senses Fail), “I Will Kill the Worst Parts of Myself” stays true to the project’s math/metalcore roots, veering away from the chains of song structure and embracing a flair for dissonance.… Continued →

All in all, I thought 2025 was a pretty good year for music! There were a few bands I’d hoped to hear some new material from and didn’t. There were a few I didnt expect to hear from whatsoever…but we did! Then, there were even a few new bands and artists I’d never heard of before who popped up on the radar and made some really great music! As we move into 2026, I most certainly have some big expectations for the new year, as I have for years and years prior, but will they be met?… Continued →

✨AF X RESUSCITATION PRESENTS… ⚡️Resuscitation Records Night at the Subculture Stage on Friday, July 3rd!⚡️ The showcase will feature Clear Convictions, Dear Adversary, Pipe Bomb, Take, Plead the Widow’s Cause, and The Forefunner. These 6 bands will be only a fraction of the 90-100 artists the festival will book between now and July. The festival recently announced Bleach as a headliner as well. Grab your tickets today, go to Audiofeedfestival.com… Continued →

If you’ve read a few of my other reviews, you probably already get the sense that I have some age on me.  And that’s fine.  I was around for record label samplers on compact disc.  And what a glorious time it was. There was nothing better than getting a free sampler with a mailorder or buying a sampler in the wild.  Those days are long gone, or so I thought… Broken Curfew Records have reinstated the CD Sampler and brought it to a new level. This sampler features 20 of their artists and it has something for everybody.… Continued →

After the well-received album Pain Split in 2022 (vinyl in 2023), South Jersey’s melodic hardcore/post-hardcore heroes are back with another full-length. Once again, CDs were pressed by the band, while the vinyl release is through Resuscitation Records and comes in a beautiful transparent green vinyl. If you want the short version of this review, here it is: if you liked the debut, you’ll probably love Silver Glass Stare. That’s not to say it’s a remake by any means. In fact, there’s more of . .… Continued →

Oh my gosh, why is it that sometimes the best bands have the shortest-lived careers?!? Pink Daffodils released one 3-song EP and then a follow-up single (literally a one-song CD) and then disappeared. Their style of female-fronted semi-melodic yet intensely screamy hardcore scratched my brain in very particular way. To this day, their Listless EP is one of my favorite and most unique hardcore releases ever. There was one more Pink Daffodils track, offered on the Trampled compilation from Boot to Head Records. Hailing from Philadelphia, the band shared some members with punk mainstays One-21, but with a very different sound.… Continued →

No Treaty took to social media earlier this evening to announce the band will not be continuing, thanking their friends and fans for their support. See their post below. https://www.instagram.com/p/DSYVw7rEcBk/?igsh=MXQ2cHVleTZ0ZjlicQ==… Continued →

I hear a lot of talk on social media these days about “2008 metalcore.” That’s what we have here in this track from Bringing Down Broadway. This was the era of metallic hardcore before clean singing and ‘ambient’ keyboards took over the scene. Sure, they dabble in clean singing for a handful of lines in this track from 2007, but its use wasn’t excessive by any means. And there’s a certain rawness to this recording that tells us that over-production wasn’t an issue (I mean that in a good way).… Continued →

Earlier today, No Treaty announced they have parted ways with vocalist Danny Thomas. A video was also posted to the band’s Facebook page briefly discussing the split. Visit the band’s socials for more on this and to stay up to date on what lies ahead for them. https://www.instagram.com/p/DRFu0d9EQ77/?igsh=MTQzbnQyNmw3ZTV5bA==… Continued →

An insanely good spirit filled hardcore band named IRAE, just dropped their brand new music video for “7 Horns 7 Eyes 7 Seals” feat. Mattie Montgomery of For Today. This music video really showcases the live hardcore experience and adds intensity to an already powerful and heavy song. Check it out below and make sure to give the band a follow. Let us know what you think.… Continued →

I am a few months behind with this review, but man, Tundra’s Rottweiler Records release, Eternal, is a straight up banger. Tundra is a Metalcore/Deathcore unit that has put together a fun listen with Eternal. Eternal has a lot of depth, as it feels like a metalcore mixtape.  There are ambient-ish post-hardcore moments.  There are seething Deathcore beatdowns.  There are festival-ready Metalcore parts.  And, last but not least, there are some spacey Djenty parts as well. This about as modern as metal gets right now.  They’ve put all the ‘core elements into a blender and hit the SHRED button.… Continued →