Eye for an Eye drummer Thos Niles joins us to discuss his band's come-up in late Eighties Boston, an odd transitional period for one of the most important scenes in hardcore history. We talk a lot about Eye for an Eye's short yet sweet first go as a band, and paint a pretty vivid picture of what hardcore was like leading up to the Nineties post-hardcore explosion.

Bands we talked about: Eye for an Eye, Slapshot, Wrecking Crew, Kingpin, Quicksand, Supertouch, Have Heart, Fiddlehead, Speed, and many more.

Eye for an Eye just reunited over the weekend to play their first shows in 32 years, including a Boston gig opening for a little band called Have Heart. They also just reissued their crucial EP's, 'Omega Drone' and 'Who', on vinyl via Deathwish. Pick it up here: https://deathwishinc.com/products/eye-for-an-eye-omega-drone-who

Prolific Pittsburgh hardcore musician, podcaster, and writer Gem Fair joins us for an episode about albums that are important to our experiences with hardcore. Not our favorite hardcore albums. But releases that opened us up to new sides of hardcore, got us into the genre, helped frame what we want out of it, etc.

Bands we talked about: Terror, Ceremony, Integrity, G.L.O.S.S., Articles of Faith, SSD, CHEW, Cerce, Punch, Hatebreed, Descendants, JFA, Converge, Side By Side, Ankle Monitor.

Check out Gem's bands and podcast:

Convulse Records owner Adam Croft (who also drums in Destiny Bond) joins us for our first label profile episode. We talk to Adam about the eclectic DIY empire he's building with Convulse, his personal canon, the Denver hardcore scene, bands he wishes he could release music by, and more (including a preview of some unannounced Convulse material).

https://convulserecords.bandcamp.com/

Intro song: Militarie Gun - "Dislocate Me"

Outro song: Rash - "Breeding"

Chance Allen of What Counts, Full Stride, Velocity, RTR Tapes, and the Gulch Brigade joins us to discuss youth crew, Indiana's poppin' hardcore scene, his many bands, and more.

Hunter Winstead of Through N Through Printing joins us to talk about a bunch of recent shows we've attended. To start, we give a thorough first-hand account of the first Torture tour, and why that band's ascent in hardcore is so unprecedented. Then, we share our experiences seeing Velocity, Drain, Gatecreeper, Spy, and more.

Intro song: Torture - "Agonized Desperation"

Outro song: Home Invasion - "Bleach"

Have Heart are reuniting to play some shows this summer, and the band's debut seven-inch 'What Counts' turns 20. So we talked with Have Heart frontman Pat Flynn about the band's pre-LP days. His teenage disillusionment with the attitude of hardcore, the Massachusetts scene he came up in, early 2000s hc minutia, and Have Heart's early days slogging it on the road with no one paying attention.

Later in the episode we talk about Have Heart's legacy in the present day, and why the current state of hardcore inspired the band to play some shows once again.

Intro song: Have Heart - "Something More Than Ink"

Outro song: Have Heart - "Dig Somewhere Else"

Friend of the pod David Anthony returns to dig into the state of "adjacent" sounds in hardcore. We spend a lot of time talking about death metal's current place in the genre, and wonder whether "hardcore kids making death metal" is good for either hardcore or death metal. Then, we look at the more melodic side of the spectrum: Koyo, One Step Closer, Militarie Gun, etc. How does that lane compare to what it sounded/looked like 10, 20 years ago?

A lot of hypothesizing. A lot of opinions. David is always an insightful guest who basically takes the reins as a third host — and we're better for it. Check it out.

Intro song: Sanguisugabogg - "Dead as Shit"

Outro song: Rival Mob - "Hardcore for Hardcore"

Subscribe to David's newsletter Former Clarity: https://www.formerclarity.com/

We're joined this week by Nick Birtles and Evan Stein of the bands Anklebiter, Broken Vow, If It Rains, Attrition Rate, Ultimatum, and Pummel (RIP). First, we roundtable our three favorite hardcore releases of 2024 thus far. Then, we talk about each of the guys' bands, their influences, the current state of New England hardcore, and much more.

Intro song: Sinister Feeling - "Poisoned Mind"

Outro song: If It Rains - Superfluous