What's new?

JETSAM are a drum + bass + vocals powerviolence three-piece from Montreal. In the few short years they've been active, JETSAM have played shows in nearly every corner of the local scene. Recently, they went on their first small tours out of the Toronto-Montreal-Quebec City corridor, and if you haven't heard of them already I expect you will soon. Jack (vocals, they/them) and Neon (bass, she/her) answered my questions by e-mail in January 2025. Martin Force: What is the story of JETSAM? How did ...

The first time I heard of MEM//BRANE was when my dad saw them listed in the Bellingham weekly paper. At the time they had only put out their demo but I was hooked from the start. I love this band. Every release has gotten better (the David Wojnarowicz speech that intros their Subcutaneous EP gives me chills every listen). If you start at MEM//BRANE’s demo and work through their releases, you can hear the maturing of their sound and songwriting, this S/T record feeling like a culmination. The re...

Over the past year or so, I’ve taken an unprecedented hiatus from punk. Sure, I’ve had my occasional months-long breaks, but this one has dragged on longer than I’d like to admit. Thankfully, ZYCLONE, is the band that’s finally breaking my silence. Visions of Impending Death marks ZYCLONE’s debut self-release. Clocking in at under 7 minutes, the demo is a surge of aggression, holding a sense of urgency essential for any hardcore band worth their salt. This is fast-as-hell D-beat hardcore, firml...

The fourth print issue of The Counterforce is here, featuring all the year-end lists from our contributors, plus a few extra reviews and A Punk's Guide to Printing Zines (relevant!). Grab the printable PDF of this issue, previous issues, and more on the Zines page....

It's the first end-of-a-year for The Counterforce (although only our 8th month anniversary), so this is our first time doing Top Tens. We've got a lovely selection from many of our regularly contributors as well as some first timers....

Here we present the more concise 2024 Top Ten lists from new and old Contributors To The Counterforce....

Countdown 10-to-1 of her favorite sets of the year!...

After wanting and being offered to collaborate for several times I am finally pulling my weight to do this list. I’m Boris, I live in Montreal, I play in a band called TOTAL NADA and I’m part of the Noise Not Borders collective....

2024 Top Ten as told by Tay (of TAZ) (in no particular order)...

I think 2024 was an overwhelmingly great year for new music; it was exhausting trying to keep up with all the cool stuff that came out....

My favourite releases of this year trended crustier with earnest and anarchist lyrics, railing against the capitalist war machine and the capture of corporate technology... consider me re-enlisted for the crust war. Here’s what stuck with me this year, and what I want more of in 2025. ...

(technically 11 artists but c'mon)...