Tag Archives: NYHC

Reviews

(review) Incendiary – ‘Change The Way You Think About Pain’

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Incendiary are hailing from New York upstate area and this is their brand new full length release. This one contains ten songs. Incendiary play what we use to call back in the nineties new school hardcore, being a mixture of old school hardcore punk with lots of metallic influences, groove and moshing parts, but just being good old NYHC style with some punk roots and fast parts in there as well. Vocals are shouted, but not screamed, fitting just perfectly to the music and angry, wicked hardcore songs, with couple of hooks and tough sounding melodies thrown in behind all the brutality, like in awesome ‘Jesus Bones’. Besides mentioned song, my personal favorites are ‘Rats In The Cellar’, ‘Lie of Liberty’ and the title song. There are also couple of sing along gang backing vocals and song themes deal with survival, healing wounds, friendship which failed, personal thoughts, anger, inner self and more. I think you as a listener can find yourself in these songs and music, being a hardcore kid for more than thirty years now. I really enjoyed this album, so if you like your hardcore tough, metallic, street smart and wise, go grab this one, you will not regret it!

8/10 axes

books

(book) Harley Flanagan – Hardcore Life Of My Own

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Well, there is is. Finally. I remember when I interviewed Zach from Pears five years ago, he told me that Harley Flanagan is genuine epitome of hardcore punk, one of the rare guys that lived through all that he sang about and still sings about. I love Cro-Mags, their first two albums (Age of Quarrel and Best Wishes are an unavoidable milestones of NYHC). I remember when I first saw that video for We Gotta Know, I was scared of this beast of bass player, tattooed and vicious skinhead. I eagerly sought for this book until I finally obtained it and now it is a proud part of my collection and probably one of the top three books I have read this year.

Harley is, like Vinnie Stigma, Jimmy Gestapo, Roger Miret, Raybeez and couple of other guys, true O.G. of NYHC, founder of Cro-Mags and this book says it all, from his childhood and drumming as a 12 year old for his aunt´s punk band Stimulators, across founding Cro-Mags and all the battles and fights, early NY skinheads, founding of the scene and all the stories. But, what fascinates the most are stories about all the fights, drug abuse, Lower East Side and all the dirty mischief Harley has been through and I am sure he would have at least one more book to tell about all of the misadventures and literally blood, sweat, drugs and beatings.

This book is a punch in your face, hardcore and street punk tour de force. I recommend it to all hardcore people throughout the world.

books

(book review) The Blood And The Sweat: The story of Sick Of It All’s Koller brothers

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New York hardcore, or NYHC is one of my personal favorite genres of hardcore punk ever since I was a kid and Sick Of It All is a very important part and was in my music upbringing and becoming the man I am today. They were first international, let’s say big hardcore band I watched when I was a kid almost thirty years ago and I watched them more times since then and they never disappointed with their live shows or their records.

This is not ordinary boring biography book. This is a book done in kinda interview way, with Lou Koller, SOIA singer and his brother, guitarist Pete Koller tell their story through chapters thematically divided into some meaningful sense. Like you may have guessed it all starts with their childhoods and upbringing as being youngest of four brothers and growing up in Queens, first going to shows and discovering metal and hardcore, which made up their minds to form a band.

Then it goes through first ten years of hardships, with weekend tours and Mondays back to day jobs, fear how to make a living and struggles to overcome all life’s obstacles to days when they can live off touring, but that is not so secure life as we all witnessed last two years. I love how there are lots of anecdotes and unknown stories from touring with other bands I love, seeing some other side of some bands that I am not sure I like, because I idolized some of them. This is a book about positivity, about love for music and that’s what helped most of us continue through hard times and what gave us strength to continue. I recommend this one warmly, go read it.