Issue 12

After years of being involved in graffiti and seeing / playin in hardcore bands I ask myself “how’d I get here?” As much as I have a multitude of experiences, friends and inspiration, among them there are more defining eras, points or moments. For my two biggest passions I can track the drive to explore them seriously back to my friend Bad Bill. In fall 2017 I saw GAZM for the first time and most music I had known was pretty lame to me after that. After a year we were hangin, shortly after tha...

Noise Not Borders is an annual fest that takes place in Montreal, Canada. It's also the name of the crew that puts on the fest and works year round to book shows and events around the city. ...

Something that's stuck with me for over twenty years now is how the FORMALDEHYDE JUNKIES, a band with a single decent comp appearance, one great 7" which has maintained 33% relevancy since its release (I've never seen the masses clamor for a "Repressed" cover), and a mediocre sophomore effort to their name, let the words on their epitaph read "Now don't go start your own band." It bothered me then, and it bothered me now. I think you should absolutely start your own band and I think you should ...

Contributed by Felix L.G I first came to appreciate Roberto Bolaño reading 2666 a couple years ago. The way he could build a sense of dread had me reading as attentively as I would with some of my favourite authors – Cormac McCarthy, Flannery O’Connor, Anne Hebert, to name a few who bring me to that same emotional place. This novel was a different experience. The epigraph of 2666 is a Baudelaire quote, “An oasis of horror in a desert of boredom”. This novel felt far more in the territory of th...

Creatively Bankrupt Our continued exploration, both thoughtful and thought-provoking of "the Limits" will have to wait. Blame procrastination or blame capitalism's inexorable obliteration of our waking lives. We'll get back to it, but in the meantime, enjoy this creatively bankrupt interstitial: a listicle of ten hardcore punk moments, in no particular order, that made me THINK! 1. Who knows where I first heard it at this point, maybe Dave Freeborn and Chris Nelson on Ridge Road during one of ...

Having trouble finding bands to play your upcoming show this summer? Here are some tips (yes, I used to book shows): 1. Book outside your bubble You gotta broaden your search for openers outside of the shortlist of bands your friends are in. Try booking a band from an adjacent scene or friend group, even if they aren't your cup of tea. Just because you don't know them doesn't mean they don't have a following of friends. People get sick of seeing essentially the same 2-3 locals on every show y...

For some reason I always had an affinity for the Seattle scene, but never for what it was famous for in the 90’s, frankly my Nevermind is probably Are These Our Lives?. I’m happy to see that some of the people who made Northwest Hardcore so exciting for me are still at it (even though they branched off musically), and are delivering this awesome collection of songs showcasing the wonderful current alternative-rock landscape of the Emerald City. 14 bands offer one song each on this LP, among them...

This Toronto-based project thanks THE MOB and NY HOODS as inspirations in their liner notes. I like when bands wear their influences on their sleeves (literally), especially since that’s not exactly where my mind would have gone to as far as comparisons. Granted I’m not that well-versed in those two particular bands but upon first listen early WARZONE came to mind, which is not too far-off. So we’re talking 80’s NYHC. Somehow it prompted me to dig out my copy of the URBAN WASTE EP to see if ther...

This cover of this zine features the classic Fugazi picture and the subtitle “The strange but true story of that Fugazi Basketball Hoop Show”. You know the one. I picked it up on the counter at a record store in Hamburg while my bandmates were blowing up my phone talking about a soundcheck I was late for. In the split second that it took me to notice the zine I got so excited that I didn’t bother to look at the price tag or who put it out. I was just glad I found some cool reading material about...

Ben from KATER MENU came to the show when my band played Berlin earlier this year, and he generously brought us vegan treats, as well as shirts from his vegan catering business, and this record. I didn’t get a chance to ask what it was, but I put it on when I got home and really dug it! The first thing that struck me was how cool the record looked. Picture a rather simple and evocative bold artwork with a nice color scheme, but it’s the vinyl that got me excited: beautiful solid blue that match...

This issue of this new German zine is dated from June 2025. Fabian and Justus from ECHO CHAMBER decided to do a zine to document their scene and talk to the cool stuff going on in Hardcore. 2025 was a stacked year for Hardcore, literally all the records and bands they talk about are highlights for me as well. I really like everything these guys do, so I guess our shared love for niche hardcore is no surprise. This first issue has a cool interview with Hannover Straight Edge band FORCE OF DENIAL ...

NO KNOCK's 2026 visual tour journal!...

Thanks to Ben Trogdon for sending in this 2026 photo report from New York City...

Are there any bands named off of medications that don't rock? Please send examples to Counterforce HQ. What we got here is five (5) tracks from the newest medicated hardcore punk outfit outta Atlanta. This is what we in the biz call no-frills hardcore punk. We're not reinventing the wheel here but I will happily sit my ass down and enjoy the bizzaro ride. Emphasis and just playing fast and fun. Yeah we hit an occasional "mosh riff" but who cares, that's not why were here. The vocals here are un...

This tape has no actual title but we're gonna call it "Collection". At the time of release this had all music previously released by LAMICTAL plus a few bonus versions. Orange County California. True freaked out, whacked out punk. Solo project of Alex from the OC's almighty X-ACTO. 20 tracks of that frantic nervous hardcore punk you crave. If the sour patch kids candy started a band, it would sound like this. File this under "Music to drink a lot of soda and rearrange my furniture to". The long...

Sometime in 2011, somewheres in and around Buffalo, NY, the MALLWAKERS were performing "Ten More Years (of 80s Hardcore)" and it seems it was more like ten and a half or twenty. Perfectly cromulent, nothing ventured, but nothing beyond the cool little guitar freak out in "Maniacy" that would make me think about DEAF DUMB & BLIND again. And that should have been the end of the review, but somehow DD&B pulled the tape's closer, "Trapped Inside" out of their fuckin' asses. Scrap the rest of the s...

Fourth tape of the year from NC's HARDCORE HEADACHE label. You'd be forgiven for thinking they're running for Unlawful Assembly, but this quick ripper is the best thing either label's done so far. Lots of palm muting and little metal deedle-dees, strained vocals, in and out in four minutes, the art is ugly and illegible in the best of ways, big news for all you "Eye For An Eye" fans. Listen loud here: https://hardcoreheadache.bandcamp.com/album/3-song-demo 3 SONG DEMO, by DISILLUSIONED3 track...

Big yellow cover art, BIG all caps band name. Dance Music? This is already speaking to me. Hardcore punk, leaning more hardcore (non-derogatory). Four piece band outta Oakland. Put this band in a medium sized room. Small stage just big enough to launch off of and don't mic up anything. Throw in some pool noodles to hit each other with, turn the lights on, and now we got some Dance Music. Track 3 features some real East Bay Ray style riffing in the intro before hitting you with a mid tempo moshe...

Compilation tape of two previous releases from Orange County's ANIMATED VIOLENCE. Looney Tunes hardcore punk. The front cover says "1,000 YEARS OF VIOLENCE", the spine says "The first 4ish years", so who knows actually what this release is called. When in doubt go with the spine. Crudely drawn art of someone getting their neck snapped by a blurry pic of Michael Jordan. Perfect. The first 5 tracks come from the demo tape and simply kinda fucking rock. Fun and furious hardcore, no mosh part pande...

BARREN CANYON began in 2014 as a self-described "spa metal" project, taking atmospheric black metal and attempting to place it in literally atmospheric context: the hot steam, vapors, and scented smoke of the nordic spa. Twelve years later and our world itself is increasingly resembling the environment of the spa, but with a sinister toxicity and no chance for relief. Whereas the spa could once provide a exhilarating moment of extreme heat in the sauna, or brief and cleansing blanketing of dense...