Tag: hardcore

With Honor is a band that I don’t believe we’ve shared much from in the past nor do they fit the typical definitions of an “IVM” related band but that isn’t important because their new songs absolutely rule. Sometimes it’s rare for a band to reemerge from a long absence and come back as hard hitting and emotionally connecting as a hardcore punk band like With Honor. Check out 3 new songs right now from their upcoming full length “Boundless” which will drop on Pure Noise Records on September 8th.… Continued →

Stretch Arm Strong’s now classic album “A Revolution Transmission” is getting the vinyl re-release treatment courtesy of Iodine Recordings. You can pre-order on their website here (sorry I was late on posting and several are sold out) and SmartPunk also has a limited pressing in a different exclusive color available right here. This classic album was a turning point for the band and took them on a wild ride. What’s your favorite song?… Continued →

Newly signed to Rottweiler Records, the hardcore band xDoulosx out of Southern California just dropped their label debut titled “Birth Pains” and it is available on all digital networks now. Check out the title track featuring Jon Davenport of Cultist, below. This is heavy, raw, and strikes me with that classic hardcore rhythmic sound. If you don’t know who this band is yet, you will know soon enough, and they will be your new favorite heavy hardcore band.… Continued →

Spirit Filled Melodic Hardcore band – DEBTOR, are back in action and ready to throwdown with the best of them. The band has been in the studio off and on ever since the covid epidemic began but they just announced that tracking for their new EP has finished! Word on the streets is that we might just get new DEBTOR music here in 2023! Who else is excited for more music from this mighty band? Make sure to follow them on Instagram here: [at]debtorhc… Continued →

For this special Saturday in July I thought I’d share another really great project with you this time from a group called “Generation Gone“. They are a melodic hardcore punk band out of Southern California featuring a heavy, hard hitting sound that is melodic at times and furious all the time. The music is loud but the production is above all the rest (makes sense since the famous producer Paul Miner has his hands on producing these tunes). Songs about life and frustration, about Faith and resolution, about coming to grips with who you are and what you believe.… Continued →

Training For Utopia have seemingly reappeared after disappearing over two decades ago. The band is back here in 2023 with an upcoming set at Furnace Fest and two upcoming shows in Washington and Oregon in September. Check out the flyer for these shows, below. There is even talk about new music from a couple comments I read on Instagram….… Continued →

Protect Your Heart are back with another new song. This one is titled “M.I.A.” and it will surely melt your face off. These So Cal. men know how to throw down in the best possible melodic pop-punk and hardcore manner. You want easycore done right, then give these guys a listen.… Continued →

The new punk band called Teeth For Eyes, just launched their debut EP as a band and it’s up on their bandcamp page right here (or stream it below this post). The band features members of Crux, Empty Tomb, Citron, Cicero, Godspeed, Pollywog, and Govt Hate Mail. It’s an excellent debut recording and a perfect representation of a diverse set of sounds that quite honestly defy standard definitions. Listen for yourself and get ready to hit those “follow” buttons for @teethforeyes (instagram).… Continued →

Chicago posi-core band 2Minute Minor have released a new single. The old school hardcore song features lyrics about “mental health and struggling with the strength to push on.” Fans can download the track via Bandcamp here: https://2minuteminor.bandcamp.com/track/held-down-no-longer?from=fanpub_fnb_trk… Continued →

This was one of those ‘one and done’ bands, meaning they only released one album as Lovelorn. However, they were connected directly and indirectly to a number of other projects. Vocalist Jayson Holmes had been in metalcore band Eso-Charis, and later formed The Handshake Murders (who mostly recorded on secular labels). Corey Putman (Eso-Charis, Norma Jean) and Arthur Green (Eso-Charis, Living Sacrifice) also made appearances on the album. The album is a wonderfully strange concoction of emo-core, hardcore, indie rock and math rock–almost like Roadside Monument meets Coalesce, but with bits of Karate thrown in just because.… Continued →

Those classic Spirit Filled Hardcore OGs known as FOCUSED, are reuniting FINALLY for a show (or shows) this fall or in 2024 (heck, do both!). They have announced there will also be an appearance by a 90’s Spirit Filled Hardcore Legend so my hopes are high that it is one of my faves. We are coming up on the 30th anniversary of both their debut record “Bow” and the launch of Tooth & Nail Records, which actually began right here in Orange County, California almost 3 decades ago.… Continued →

Check out the new song titled “Suffering By My Own Hand” by a new band that defines the word “Heavy” – Cultist. The songs features none other than Jeremy Schaeffer of another really heavy band deserving of recognition, Earth Groans. The band’s new album “Slow Suicide” and Facedown Records debut will release on July 21st 2023. Check out the song below. Pre-order right here in several different merch options.… Continued →

Since the genre first emerged in the early 1980s, hardcore (originally hardcore punk) has splintered into dozens of sub-sub-subgenres including melodic hardcore, beatdown, old school hardcore, new school/chugga chugga, d-beat, crust punk/crustcore, metalcore, emocore, and so forth. By and large my favorite artists have generally been those who kept closest to the genre’s origins, even if they took those beginnings in new directions. The old slogan (which I’ve often quoted here on this site) “loud, fast rules!” is apropos here. In the late 90s/early 00s a revival of the style emerged, sometimes referred to as “tough guy hardcore.”… Continued →

A word document popped up in my Dropbox while I was searching for old files. It showed that the tentative line up for the “I’m Your Biggest Fan 2” compilation that I assembled for Tooth & Nail Records on March 11th 2002, 21 years ago. A couple bands had to be swapped for a couple reasons but the final lineup is pretty close to what I had planned out. I have created a little collage video with a couple song samples from the compilation through YouTube which you can view below.… Continued →

Hailing from the tri-state area of West Virginia/Pennsylvania/Ohio,this metalcore band only released one cassette demo and one split CD with emocore band Pensive. What is interesting about that split–that is, besides being a spectacular release from two very good and rather unique bands–is that both bands featured members that would soon after go on to join the more well-known Zao. Pensive featured Brett Detar and Martin Lunn, as well as other members who joined Detar’s later band The Juliana Theory. Seasons in the Field featured Russ Cogdell on guitar, and future Zao screamer Dan Weyandt.… Continued →

Merry Christmas, Friends! I’m going to type up some thoughts on bands that should most definitely reunite in 2023 to 1) Play an anniversary set, 2) Re-Release a classic album on either vinyl, tape, or cd with bonus features (and band commentary) and 3) Throw some new and/or unreleased tracks at us that we most definitely need to hear. Thoughts and ideas can be found below…. Oh, and Tim Taber if you’re reading this, I hope you’ll consider the words below and incorporate them into future plans with Transparent Productions here in Orange County and Southern California in general.… Continued →

All In released 2 LPs on & then fell away into obscurity from what I gather. Their 2nd cd was very different in that every song is titled after someone in basketball’s Olympic dream team. They are hardcore & appears to have had 5 members. Anyways, love this song.… Continued →

In other sad news today, I must report that we are so incredibly late in posting news about the Blindside “Silence” vinyl that the band posted about a couple weeks back and it looks like the only option left is black vinyl. It’ll sound amazing regardless but the other colors are also killer. I’m very rude because I must admit I took part in splurging on this when it went up and unfortunately I lost complete track of time with the IVM news cycle. I’m sorry friends.… Continued →

Embraced was a short-lived hardcore band from Florida, active in the early 2000s. I was able to catch the band live a couple of times at local gigs and mini-festivals, and enjoyed their shows. I always liked their semi-melodic take on hardcore (I mean, they were from Florida, after all!) They were clearly playing HC, but with hints of emo and indie rock at times. Perhaps in a similar vein to Bloodshed, Beloved, and Underoath, but with their own take on it. The band only released one mini-album, the 7-song An Orchestrated Failure, in 2002 for Theory 8 Records (who also an album by The Goodbye Letter and an early split with Copeland and Pacifico, among others).… Continued →

The mighty Training For Utopia have reunited for a special set at Furnace Fest 2023. This will be an explosive day without a doubt. Between Ryan and Don Clark, everything from your favorite album artwork, critically acclaimed band projects, and even indie hits you didn’t know they were a part of were comprised of these two men. More info can be found at Furnace Fest right here or on Facebook here. You can now follow them on Instagram @tfutopia … Continued →

xNo Kingx are a new Christ centered, scripture based, beatdown, straight edge, hardcore band out of Nashville, Tennessee. FFO: Cultist, Prayer, and heavy beatdown hardcore. No king but Christ!

There was a lot of hype surrounding this band when they were first signed by Facedown Records, in large part based on the fact they had three vocalists. While the hype, and sadly also the band, were short-lived (they only released one full-length and one 3-way split album), they definitely generated a healthy buzz in their short existence. And for good reason too. Soli Deo Gloria (roughly translated as “to the glory of God alone”) dropped in 2001, and stylistically the album shows its age. Torn in Two were building off of the heavy, metallic, chugga-chugga or “new school” style hardcore of the 1990s, and adding more metallic leads and riffs without ever fully crossing over into metalcore.… Continued →

A fairly new band on the scene goes by the name of GratitudeTX, have just released their new EP “Deathless Voices” back in April of this year. This is self-described “Spirit Filled Hardcore” band is exactly the kind of HEAVY music many of you are looking for without needing knee braces and a walker. These guys are the real deal and their sound is as ferocious as it is passionate and without a doubt – a band on a mission to spread hope. Check out the band’s new ep out now on all digital networks.… Continued →

P.O.D. just had their 2008 full length “When Angels and Serpents Dance” all remixed and remastered and will re-release this magnificent album on October 14th 2022. You can preorder on CD and Vinyl right here. Check out a cool lyric video for the moving song “Tell Me Why” below this post. What is your favorite song from this album?… Continued →

So Indie Vision Music is on a roll with new Spotify playlists. For those that use Spotify, we are using this as an opportunity to spread the word about new music and artists we think you should be listening to. A mix of indie and larger artists as well as everything in between. All styles represented throughout these various playlists. This new one I just created is called “New Feel Good Anthems” and it is just that. Perfect for those summer drives and introspective quiet moments.… Continued →

Iodine Recordings just announced yesterday that the late 90’s hardcore classic by Stretch Arm Strong – “Rituals of Life”, is getting the vinyl treatment and available in 3 different variants. The album has been carefully recreated with some new artwork via UnoriginalVinyl and is completely remastered for vinyl. [Update: Vinyl is now sold out and I missed my chance 🙁 ]… Continued →

Norma Jean have dropped 2 new songs. One just released last week and it is titled “Spearmint Revolt”. Check out both new songs below this post. Their new album “Deathrattle Sing For Me” is out August 12th through Solid State Records. Pre-Order album here.… Continued →

Hailing from the fertile heavy music scene of the greater DFW region, and specifically Ft. Worth, Travail mixed heavy rap-core and nu metal riffs with dark tones and lyrics about the Christian struggle. Heavier than most in the genre, the band was sometimes referred to as “gothic rap-core” due to the darker tones and minor keys. Yet the lyrics pointed to higher things: I’ve failed you I’ve lied to you Yet you forgive and let me live Oh God help my weakness Oh give me your strength Father help me I’ll go to any length On my face, on my chest, on my knees God help me please My spirit is willing but my flesh is weak The band released a split EP with Luti-Kriss (who, of course, eventually became Norma Jean), and two full-length albums: Anchor of My Soul for the secular Pluto Records and Beautiful Loneliness for Metrovox, a sub-label Metro One.… Continued →

Emerging from the original wave of Spirit Filled Hardcore (or SFHC) came southern California’s No Innocent Victim, AKA N.I.V. In contrast to their SFHC peers like Unashamed, Strongarm, and Overcome, who often integrated metallic influences that were becoming more popular in hardcore, NIV stuck to their old school roots with a “Loud Fast Rules” mentality. In fact, their old school approach to fast and heavy hardcore played a part in sparking a revival of the style, which eventually evolved into “tough guy hardcore,” essentially an update of that old school sound with added breakdowns and heaviness.… Continued →

Nodes of Ranvier are making their return this year and in a big way. They have a special show on August 12th coming up and features openers like Names Without Numbers, Everything In Slow Motion, Stronghold, and more.. Click here for the event page on Facebook. Also click below for the embed. Names Without Numbers recently released the song “You Do The Talking” and it is strongly recommended by Indie Vision Music. More news on the Nodes Of Ranvier reunion shows this year, coming soon.… Continued →