What's new?

Print issue #5 of The Counterforce is here, collecting everything published so far in 2025. Download the PDF on our zine page (along wish past issues, and many other punk zines) to print and distro some copies! Now in A4 for the rest of the world and with beautiful cover art by our own contributor Ghas Attack....

There's something to be said about being an active band for 7 years, consistently putting out music and honing in on your craft all this time; meanwhile touring literally everywhere, taking no shortcuts. The proof is in the pudding: this record is undeniable. COMBUST never strayed from their initial sound and identity, they are the quintessential modern New York Hard Core band in my opinion. These guys are students of the game and deliver a high-quality record packed to the brim with NYHC bonanz...

This Montreal band is a secret gem. I had never really delved into their recorded output before, as I assumed it would not live up to the feeling of their live shows, often delivered through copious amounts of amps and pedals. Well I guess the joke's on me because this new album is impressive. The recording itself is outstanding, and they really capture the essence of what the band is about without any gear gluttony on display. You still get volume, tone and the feeling of being wrapped-up in a ...

I checked out this album when I heard that the bass player from END OF A YEAR/SELF DEFENSE FAMILY had a new band and it quickly became a recurring listen. I keep noticing cool parts and details I hadn’t before, which is rare for a straight forward punk record. LIFE ABUSE are from Albany, NY and they remind me of the type of bands that would be on something like Havoc Records, or that I’d read about in Heartattack Fanzine. Which is not surprising considering the members are veterans of that scene...

Montreal's DUREX is Alex (vocals), Kelly (drums), Hannah (bass) and Felix (guitar). They just released their second tape "SHAME". Interview contributed by DJ Buckingham Palace....

If you follow what's new in contemporary crust, you will have heard of Montreal's PORTAL TOMB and their Last Frost Demo released on Sore Mind last year. I started a Signal group with Aíne and Ava to chat about the band. ...

Slime punk, egg punk, egg. Chain wave, chain punk, and, eventually, inevitably, similarly, just chain. Does this help? Make more sense? No no no, just keep throwing some shit at the wall so every review sounds like a sales pitch and every band is a camel comprised of diametric sonic interests. D-beat, kang, raw, D-beat raw, UK82; female fronted, fast hardcore, fastcore; Devocore (that's a thing! The author's sweating!) Oh, good grief, let's not turn this first outing of mine into a referendum o...

CONDUMB’s S/T debut ep does something that I think is nearly impossible: sound very good and very noisy at the same time. Everything is balanced and shines while a layer of high gain covers the whole thing. Trish, who also plays guitar, did a great job recording this (as well as everything else of hers that I’ve heard). The bass is punchy and helps drive the entire ep, the drums are solid and straight forward in a way that props up the riffs instead of distracts from them. When I sent this to a ...

BRUTE is a very appropriate name for this band. Hardcore leaning into powerviolence from Vancouver that sounds like it was written by primitive humans and I mean that in the very best way. Is it recorded perfectly or horribly, you have to decide for yourself. Based on the artwork I assume this is or will soon be out on tape and honestly I'd be a bit afraid that the tape will destroy my tapedeck from too much sand in the casing. Caution the intro to BBG may have a drastic effect on your ability ...

I think a lot about the way things get lost: band shirts that evaporate, ignored buildings demolished after you leave the neighbourhood, faint acquaintances delete their social media and you never see them again, digitally or otherwise. Almost all punk demos are like this: tossed off to niche audiences in limited quantities, uploaded to incredibly fragile file sharing sites, and usually eventually abandoned for lack of interest by either the band, the audience or both. This article lines up rou...

A new printable zine PDF as been added to the zine distro: NO BRAINS #3. Also added the newest MRR Reviews digest for Issue #501. Download these zines, print some copies, and distro them at shows! The Directory has also been updated with a few additions and more categories. For example there is now a Calendars category with all the online show calendars we know about. If you know of one we are missing (or anything else!) please get in touch....