THE NEW WAVE OF BRITISH HARDCORE
QUALITY CONTROL HQ
Gutter Knife – “Boots on the Ground” (2019)
Brighton is
the place to be, when it comes to these lads. Gutter Knife have been slaying
the nation since 2017, when a group of 5 boys got together and decided to craft
the harshest piece of classic Hardcore ever seen on the land. Well, this fucker
is so deeply infused in Oi! one ends up splattered all over the place. The
vocals are menacing as Hell, and the violence that drips from every single
note, is immense. I blame it on living by the ocean. There has to be a reason
for such a dark, yet energetic piece of music!
“Boots on the Ground” is the band’s 1st
Full-length after 1 Demo and 1 Promo… and let us not forget the live recording!
And here is where the band really shows their colours. Not that this “Boots…”
does not, but I have always felt that Hardcore and Punk/Oi! are better
sounding, in a live environment. Keep in mind that this classic Oi!, this is
History, this is energy wave after energy wave!
Well, these gentlemen are actually
carrying torches, you know?! Keeping the Oi! flame alive and well. Little more
than year from the release of their Full-length, and people are asking for
more, more and more. I have no doubt that the quality of their next release
will easily be equal to their latest, and we will be here, Doc Martens and
raised fist, waiting to celebrate the Oi! heritage. Oi!
Violent Reaction – “Marching On” (2015)
This beast
of an album is more than 5 years old, and still kicks your arse like no one
does. Again, lads from the UK, always true to their roots and with an enormous
will to drink and batter people In the head.
Merseyside is their home town, and
classic English Hardcore Punk their game. Like the previous gentlemen, this to
are in league with Quality Control HQ, which is no surprise, given the quality
that both display in their craft. Straight Edge Old School Hardcore, with that
English accent and attitude! “Marching On” is their last release, and I am
absolutely oblivious of why these blokes are not on the studio again!
The World needs more classic
Hardcore violence, c’mon! You like Youth of Today?! So do they… go!
Mastermind – “Bad Reaction” (EP 2019)
Well, well, well… we got a
relentless groove going on! London: capital of England and birthplace of Punk,
maybe?! Ahahah well, one thing is certain, the NWoBHC is wicked and
devastating.
Mastermind were assembled in 2018 by
4 young men looking for fun and Hardcore. Alongside a savage “hardcorian”
groove we have a virtuous guitar work. Guitar solos, ladies and gents, guitar
solos! Well, well, well… was not expecting this, but they do it so well, it is
hard to turn around and ignore. And the vocals?! This man is on a mission, to
crush and destroy! But the good thing?! They jump from rhythm to rhythm, from
groove to groove. From a scream, to a rap, and they can still crush it, with a
dynamic like not many others. Do I sense a bit of Thrascore?! Maybe it’s the
solos.
3 songs and 1 intro, my friends, and
that is all you need! This is classic Hardcore, not that fancy, more concerned
about outfits and hairdos, thing. Call my an old man, if you will but… hey
Toby, I feel you!
Vile Spirit – “Vile Spirit” (Demo 2017)
And we head on, once more, to the ocean
shore, to Brighton, where we find these bloody bastards, Vile Spirit. The
British Hardcore scene is alive and well, it is dynamic and varied. From the
Punk Oi! of Gutter Knife, to this more noisey, aggressive and dirtier side of
Hardcore, by Vile Spirit.
Each and every member of the band
keeps the tone really up high: the vocals are menacing, and they will scare the
shit out of you, the drumming is powerful and oh yes, you know it’s there
ahahah the guitar is abrasive and groovy (but never letting go of its prey),
and the bass is steady and full.
Even though the vocals might scare
the unaware Hardcore fan, please stick around and rejoice, for the end result
is superb. It will make you sweat, as the first note comes up from your stereo.
Never forget that the Brits gave us Extreme Noise Terror and Discharge and
Amebix, just like they gave us The Clash, The Buzzcocks and so many others, so
the multitude of perspectives we have, from a basis of Punk, are tremendous.
Expect to be in awe… violence and groove!
Blind Authority – “Death Dreams” (2019)
These mates are over. Dead. Gone. Goodbye and have a good life.
Wait, what?! Yeah, exactly that. Blind Authority called it quits, last year.
They were around for 6 years, and terrorized the streets and the minds of
young, innocent Hardcore kids. Well, their sounds scares the shit out of many
grown man ahahah
Another London based Hardcore band
that helped solidify the ever growing British scene. Harsh vocals, spitting,
growling! Inside hate pouring out from every single drip of sweat. Much closer
to the idea we have of the North American Hardcore, Blind Authority were one of
those bands that, besides the Hardcore basis, added this groovy element and
that Thrashy scent to their music.
Pounding like a hammer through your
skull, Blind Authority were aggressive and gave the listener not one single
moment of rest. In those 6 years of existence the band released 5 pieces of the
puzzle, each one harder than the next!
Imposter – “Demo” (2017)
Brighton, UK, once again ramming
each and every Hardcore fan in the Old Continent. Well, it is with pleasure
that I see the British scene grow and grow. Been Always a fan of a more
Punk/Oi! approach to Hardcore, that little something that only the Brits can
pull off, you know? Exactly. It still holds a lot of Boston Hardcore close to
its core, so fear not, for the violence is ever present.
The vocals. Funny thing is, all
these bands have outstanding vocalists, with an intense skill for the art of screaming…
with class. It is fast, it is loud, it is a small whirlpool of bodies and body
fluids. It is pounding, a hard pounding. An invitation to the moshpit, I dare
say.
It is modern, yet it sounds dated.
Is that bad? Well, not in my book, it is not. In a way, this is happening a lot
throughout the world of Hardcore: many bands are going back to the roots of the
genre, walking down those classic “roads”. I am not, in any way, ignoring what
the NY scene gave to Hardcore worldwide, nor am I saying that bands like
Agnostic Front or Sick of it All are less worthy of praise, the thing is: my
Hardcore is less that and more this, what is being crafted in the British
Isles. Gotta love Oi!
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