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 Blockage
“Berlin Takedown” (DBNO Records, 2024)

Ah, shit! DBNO Records is fucking great, and all they release is epic as Hell! The end.

We could just leave it at that, right? Cannot be any clearer about the quality of their releases, but I feel I need to talk a bit more about this specific one. Blockage is a German quartet that plays Old School sounding Hardcore with an immense nostalgic feel to it. I get an absurd Agnostic Front feel from this one, Old School Agnostic Front of course, but also UK and all that. It even has some Oi thrown in there! It sounds really killer, and it has been on a fucking constant loop! They sound very much like something I cannot name at the moment. It is like you are hearing a specific tune but cannot name that tune. I just hate when that happens.

This is a pretty short release, but we got used to Hardcore being short but effective… and killer! Blockage has me hooked, and I cannot wait for what is coming next. Destruction and Rage!

Opposition
“A Legacy of Tragedy” (2024 EP)

If there is one YouTube Channel I trust, is XstekkahX. The lad keeps me updated in terms of what is hot in Hardcore and all the affiliated sub-genres! I know that if I drop by something good is on, and today was no exception. Opposition, a band of which I had no idea existed, greeted me with this amazing 7-minute EP. “A Legacy of Tragedy” is the band’s latest release after the 2023 EP “Prayer of an Empty Sky” and “Demonstration” Demo. All in all, these lads kill it with everything they put out.

Their sound? Harsh, aggressive and melodic, almost delicate at times. Opposition is a hard-hitting bunch of Hardcore mates from Boston. And we love BHC, right? Right, we do. Who does not? Back to it… at first, the vocals did not sound right to me. I am not a big fan of this sort of vocals in Hardcore, but it seems to be almost a trend, the Death Metal alike vocals. Nonetheless, I did not press STOP it and listen to it all the way to the end. I pressed PLAY again, and again, and again, and again, and again… is it possible that I had grown fond of the vocals? Maybe I was able to “ignore” the vocals and enjoy it as a whole. Whatever it was, I was enjoying it a lot!

Their sound has bits of this and bits of that. Harsh Hardcore, aggressive vocals, a lot of groove – that heavy as Hell groove – melody, good riffing and a thick atmosphere. Overall, a damn fine cup of Hardcore. In the end, this is Hardcore, make no mistakes. This is Hardcore but…It has something else. Mid to slow pace, that is how they take it. I find it really cool and hope people get to listen to it. Opposition and “A Legacy of Tragedy”.

Arc of Violence
“To Kill a King” (2024)

“Street Reaper” sounds a lot like Slayer, good old Slayer… and then it jumps into this Hardcore classic groove. Damn, son! This starts off ace! Arc of Violence is a band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and this is their second release after 2023 EP, “Ruin”.

As mentioned before, this starts off with a Slayerish riff, which is already good, and proceeds to slay everyone around. This might be seen as Crossover due to the Thrash elements we can find, however, I do not know if that should be the label. Not Thrash, that is settled, not exclusively Hardcore; overall massive and energetic. Drums are solid as concrete, and give the music this stable structure, d’you know what I mean? Vocals are great and fit the music like a serial killer and its knife: killer.

I dare you to check it out and not come out with bruises and such! This is a bloody fist to the teeth!



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