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[diemywill]

- from the Third Age 7″ (1994, Atomic Action Records)

Third Age were a short-lived emocore band from Little Compton, RI. They released their first 7″ in 1993, followed by this 7″ and a full length before splitting 1997.

I find myself a tad bored by some emocore bands of the early 90s; never melodic in the ways I like or not heavy/rhythmic enough. That’s not the case with Third Age, especially with this track in particular. It’s driving and energetic, almost metallic, yet still retaining that introspective, melodic sound that invokes feelings of melancholic nostalgia in me. This is the kind of song that makes you want to scream along with the lyrics and then go hard on the dance floor.

The vocals remind me a lot of Ian Mackaye in Embrace mixed with Brian Fair, that sort of shouted singing that works so well in this kind of emo/melodic hardcore. Musically, there are a lot of proggy (for lack of a better term) riffs/bass lines, kind of like Shai Hulud before Shai Hulud existed, as well as thunderous drums that are more in the vein of metalcore than emo (which works, for me).

These guys were really cool, get into it.

[diemywill]

- from the Placebo Compilation 7″ (1995, Concurrent)

Order of Importance were a mid-90′s hardcore/screamo band out of Tampa, Florida. Members of the band were also in Andromeda and would go on to be in Horsewhip.

Sounds a lot like Bloodlet, to me.

[diemywill]

- from The Blood, The Honor, The Truth (2003, Back Ta Basics)

Not Without Resistance were a moshcore band hailing from Clearfield, PA in the early 2000s. They played a heavy, metallic style of hardcore that was big in the region, and were associated with the notorious BFL crew*.

Sound-wise, they almost remind me a lot of a heavier Brother’s Keeper. Especially in tracks like “Through My Own Eyes”, where the lead guitar just does some weird shit.

“One Last Look” showcases their heavier leanings, with moments of the track bordering on straight up metalcore (dem tritones).

*BFL (Brothers For Life) are/were a hardcore crew that originated in the northeastern PA region. Notable BFL affiliated bands included Krutch, Mushmouth, No Retreat and Strength For A Reason

[diemywill]

- from Telling It Like It Is (1996, Inner Rage Records)

When I was about 12-13 years old, I was very much still in my formative years as far as music went. Hardcore punk, old school metal, grindcore; if it was short, fast and loud--I was usually into it. So, it’s funny to me that my first time hearing Fury of Five... was on a trip to see Allan Holdsworth (RIP).

So how did I end up hearing one of the most wignorant bands in the history of hardcore on a trip to see a fusion guitarist? Well, interestingly enough, in this weird gift shop/CD store within the venue, there was a copy of A Fistful of Hardcore, a heavy hardcore compilation on the German label Gain Ground.

As far as I know, this was my first real introduction to so-called ‘tough guy’ hardcore. Released in 98, the comp included many bands who are now considered pioneers of the beatdown genre: Baltimore legends Next Step Up, CA outfit Hoods (fronted by the notorious Mike Hood), All Out War and Neglect of NYC and, of course, New Jersey’s own ‘Fury of Five’. At the time, being the impatient tween that I was, I wasn’t really fond of the heavier and slower sound of these bands.

Over time, I’d grow to love the harder side of the -core, and essentially rediscovering these bands I’d gotten a glimpse at in my formative years. Fury of Five are definitely one of those bands. Even on a CD full of meathead hardcore bands, Fury of Five managed to stand out by being particularly meatheady. I mean, this truly teeters the line between hardcore and rapcore. If E-Town Concrete were hardcore’s answer to Limp Bizkit, then Fury of V were Mudvayne. These dudes make Eminem look like a schoolboy. Shit, if anything, Limp Bizkit wouldn’t exist without E-Town and FOV.

With all of that said, don’t let me make you think they suck or something. I’ll admit, a lot of their discography is hit-or-miss for me, but what I like, I really like. At their best, they’re the perfect example of rap’s influence on modern hardcore: groovy, heavy, in-your-face, tough, at times comically-so. Basically, taking everything from bands like Biohazard, Merauder, Machinehead, and turning the dial up to 10. 

I always thought it was kind of ironic that, back then, so many bands labeled as tough guys also made some of the more interesting music. Obviously these days heavy hardcore is one of the most popular forms of ‘extreme’ music, but back in the 90s, these bands were not afraid to mix hardcore with hip hop, funk, even jazzy elements. I’ve always said the best bands are the ones who are weird without realizing they’re weird, rather than bands intentionally trying to be weird, and bands like these are the perfect example of that. I think bands who come from rough backgrounds have less of an inclination to want to try and impress, and in turn, their range of influences are often much broader. I suppose you could say that ties into the economic factors of genres like nu-metal/rapcore, and how it both appealed to and was created by said low-income communities.

I don’t know, guys, I’m just rambling at this point. tl;dr Fury of Five were awesome.

[diemywill]

- from Through The Looking Glass (1999, Good Life Recordings)

Aftershock were one of the best and most underrated pure metalcore bands of the 90s, especially towards the end. Featuring members of Shadows Fall, they were something of a precursor to Killswitch Engage (the others being Blood Has Been Shed and Corrin), and it’s something you can hear in their music. Heavy, but consistently rooted in a mostly traditional songwriting style--something that would become a standard of the 00s metalcore scene.

While they’re more raw and aren’t nearly as melodic, you can clearly see their influence on contemporaries like Unearth and Shadows Fall. They were ahead of their time by a few years, but it’s not really a huge surprise, considering most of this band would go on to form KSE (aka one of the biggest proponents of the NWOAHM era).

To me, what makes them so special, wasn’t that they were the first band to mix metalcore and melodic death metal (they weren’t), but their ability to play it in a way that perfectly melded the two together. In the same way bands in the late 00s/early 10s used hardcore a vessel for genres like death and thrash metal, Aftershock used metalcore as a vessel for melodeath.

I definitely recommend checking these guys out if you’re into the late 90s/early 2000s metalcore style, especially if you’re interested in hearing one of the bands that helped make it what it was.

[diemywill]

- from In A Time Where Hope Is Lost (2002, Alveran Records)

A Death For Every Sin were a metallic hardcore band from Montreal, Quebec. Coming together in the summer of 1999, they formed (in their words) as a reaction to the less heavy, ‘post-hardcoreish’ nature of their local scene.

Their original lineup included members of In Dying Days, and later, future members of Throwdown and Madball.

Sound-wise, these guys live up to their reason for forming--They’re like a more metallic, death metal-y love letter to Satisfaction Is The Death of Desire. Heavy mid-tempo hardcore in the vein of bands like Merauder, coupled with crushing breakdowns and even some thrashier parts. What I like, though, is that they manage to keep everything anchored to their traditionally hardcore roots. These guys are metallic, but their songwriting is pure 90s mosh. 

They ended up breaking up in 2003, but at their peak toured with the likes of Throwdown, Buried Alive, and--yes, Hatebreed. These guys were underrated, and definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for some lesser known heavy hardcore.

[diemywill]

- from Have You Ever Been Raped By An Angel? (2001, self-released/???)

Plague Thy Child were a metalcore band formed in the late 90s and coming together fully by 2000.

A quick google search yields few results about these guys: they were from North Carolina, they had duel-vocalists and they never really got anything off the ground. According to the internet, they had a 3-song demo and an unreleased album (which I’m assuming is where this track comes from). They apparently broke up not long after this was recorded.

I’ve seen some people say this is a self-titled album, although the cover seems to imply it’s called “Have You Ever Been Raped By An Angel?”. Nonetheless, it’s nigh impossible to find much more information about these guys.

Sound-wise, they bear a heavily resemblance to fellow NC stalwarts Undying and Prayer For Cleansing, choosing to embrace the metallic side of the -core. If anything, these guys were way more metallic than other bands in the North Carolina metal scene. The death/black metal influence on these guys is extremely apparent. If it wasn’t for the breakdowns, there are times I might even think this was some weird ass Cryptopsy demo or something. With that said, they hold true to the metalcore label and deliver with some great spoken word interludes and melodic leads.

It’s a bummer that there isn’t more info on these guys, but hey, that’s how it goes. Anyway, check em out.

FFO: Undying, Prayer For Cleansing, As Hope Dies, Dawn of Orion

[diemywill]

- from Awakening of Chaos (2017, Mark My Words Records)

[diemywill]

- from the Blood & Gold Mini-CD (2001, Final Beatdown Records)

Trapped In Life were a metallic hardcore band from Paris, France. While their early releases are closer to being straight up metalcore, this album leans much closer to a Slayer-influenced hardcore/crossover sound. Cool stuff.

[diemywill]

- from their 1996 demo (1996, self-released)

Irate were a notorious NYHC band, known best for their song “Step Up” (something of a diss track about another band known as Irate, lol), that went mildly viral back in the mid 2000s. Stylistically, they were a heavy/beatdown hardcore band, but slowly added a death metal influence over time, not unlike bands such as Crawlspace.

This is their first release, and as such, is probably their most “pure” hardcore sounding release. I like the raw feeling this version of the track has, but the later re-recording really ups the dark, death metal-y elements.

[diemywill]

- from Seldom Does Hope Exhaust Despair (1997, East Coast Empire Records)

[diemywill]

- from Dust To Ashes (2001, Prime Directive Records)

Bleeding Through, as both a band and as pioneers, are extremely underrated. From what I can tell, they are the first metalcore band to feature a keyboard player and were obviously a massive influence on bands like Winds of Plague. At the same time, they carved out their niche---combining metalcore and hardcore punk with elements of gothic metal.

This is an early track from their first album. It’s a re-recording of a song from their 2000 demo (EDIT: upon further inspection, it’s not on the demo. this is the original version), and it would also be re-recorded a second time for their next album, Portrait of a Goddess. This song is a great example of Bleeding Through’s style: evil metalcore accentuated by heavy mosh parts and moody, melancholic goth metal-esque interludes (complete with clean vocals). I can’t really do them justice, so I’d say just check out the song.

[diemywill]

- from the If Hope Dies/Beyondfall split (2001, Last One Chosen Records)

Unlike Beyondfall, If Hope Dies actually have some info about them on the internet. They formed in 1998 and were from Auburn, New York, and after this split, would go on to release three full-length albums. They had something to do with Metal Blade, but I can’t find a ton of info on that.

These guys are cool. Their releases after this lean closer to a more mainstream, KSE-style sound. I much prefer the stuff on this split, which is very much in the vein of bands like Undying and Prayer for Cleansing (though much more mid-tempo/mosh oriented). 

I’d definitely recommend this to anyone who’s a fan of old school, melo-death influenced metalcore.

[diemywill]

- from the If Hope Dies/Beyondfall split (2001, Last One Chosen Records)

Don’t know anything about these guys, other than that they were from upstate NY. Google yields few results. Sound-wise, they kinda sound like a moshier Zao. Cool stuff.

[diemywill]

- from Love Songs For The Unloved (1995, Blackout! Records)

“I hate being alone“

[diemywill]

- from Stake Through The Heart (2000, Good Life Recordings)

‘We are only satisfied - when the rain is pouring’

[diemywill]

- from Blackened Persistance (1995, Good Life Recordings)

Belgian/H8000 hardcore legends.

They started out as a metalcore band, and had shifted towards a more thrash metal oriented sound by the end of the nineties. I personally like their releases from that middle period, during the transition between metalcore and crossover/metallic hardcore.