Current Bands Playing 90s Style Hardcore, Part 3

Here we are with part 3 of our coverage on current bands playing 90s style hardcore. As stated before, I plan to continue doing these so if you have a band or know a band that should be mentioned here, shoot us an email at xstuckinthepastx@gmail.com

Monument To Thieves - Southern California

I was extremely excited when this band was announced...members of Throwdown and Force of Change playing Disembodied influenced hardcore. Sign me up. Super heavy. They have a 7 inch coming out and a rumored split 7 inch with Disembodied as well in the works. As of right now, just local area shows have been announced but Im hoping for a full US tour. Check their Myspace for more info.
You can order tshirts from Monument To Thieves here: Monument To Thieves

Mourningside - Orange County, CAMourningside sent us an email asking us to check out their band and needless to say I was pretty blown away. Mean Season influenced hardcore that if you were to hear it and not be told they were a new band, you'd swear that New Age released them in 1994. They just recorded a demo which can be downloaded for free on their Myspace. Im expecting big things from this band in the future so be prepared.

You can download the Mourningside demo from their Myspace here: Mourningside Myspace

Meantime - Daytona Beach, Florida

Meantime is one of my favorite newer bands. Real intense hardcore that at times has a bit of an Integrity feel. Since they started they have toured as often as possible and just released a split with Atlanta's Foundation. I was told they are planning on touring this summer so if they come to your town make sure to go out and see them. Another band that is going to be big in my opinion.
You can order their split with Foundation here: Ghetto Josh Records
You can order their self titled 7 inch as well as tshirts here: Double Or Nothing Records

Crystal Lake - Tokyo, Japan

Crystal Lake plays heavy hardcore that at times reminds me of older Poison The Well (without the clean vocals) but at other times reminds me of Morning Again and Arkangel. For some reason they have gotten little exposure over here but hopefully that will change soon. They recently played the Taste of Chaos tour in Japan and are in the studio writing a new rccord.
You can order their full length as well their splits here: Crystal Lake

Withdrawl - Winipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Withdrawl reminds me so much of Buried Alive. To me, this is a good thing since BA is one of the best bands to ever walk the Earth. Withdrawl is currently on tour right now and getting ready to release a 7 inch called "Unknown Misery" this summer. Real fast and heavy.
Check out the Withdrawl Myspace for upcoming dates: Withdrawl on Myspace

Foundation - Atlanta, GA

Foundation has been playing out and touring regularly for a few years now and are definately one of the best bands out there right now. At times, Im reminded of Trial and Integrity but they are able to make the sound their own. They just released a split with Meantime as well as a release on Triple B Records.
You can order their split with Meantime here: Ghetto Josh Records
You can order their self titled 7 inch here: Triple B Records

Canon interview from Still Standing zine

Justin actually scanned this awhile ago for me and I just realized I had it. This is an interview with Canon that was conducted sometime in 1994 or 95 for Still Standing zine. Justin scanned the pages as well as the cover. Also I included a flyer promoting the 7 inch as well as the elusive "urban legend" of the Canon MCD that was to include 2 bonus songs. This has been a topic of discussion many times on the Catalyst Records board and Ive pretty much convinced myself they do not exist (please someone correct me if Im wrong). Henrik from Those Who Fear Tomorrow blog posted pictures that someone sent him of a Canon shirt. Check that out here. Now without further ado, Still Standing zine interviewing PA's Canon.

Chris Higdon from Falling Forward/Elliott's new band: Frontier(s)

Check out Chris Higdon's (vocalist and guitarist for Falling Forward and Elliott) new band, Frontier(s) on Myspace.

No Exit comp

Inside Front was a zine done by Brian D. of Catharsis/Crimethinc fame, and issues came out on a semi regular basis from 1994 to the early 2000s. It was quite common for the zine to be accompanied by a comp, and this one titled "No Exit" was the first of them. Although I often found the romanticized politics to be over the top, there's no denying that Catharsis, and most of the bands encompassing Inside Front/Crimethinc were awesome.

va - No Exit - Hardcore Compilation
[1994 - Inside Front]
http://www.mediafire.com/?xnnunyjz0q0

Classic Records: Falling Forward "Hand Me Down"

Louisville had a knack for pumping out great bands and Falling Forward is definitely in my top 3. How this record is no longer in print is beyond me. "Hand Me Down" is just one of those records you have to get someone to sit down and listen to because when today's generation hears the word "Emo", they probably think of 4 or 5 guys dressed in extremely tight pants, ironed hair, goofy sunglasses and pastel colored shirts. If thats what you think of when you hear the word "Emo", extend your arm, make your hand into a fist, punch yourself in the face, then scroll to the end of this post and download this record to learn something. Emo or emo-core is emotional hardcore. Aggressive music with emotional lyrics and/or vocals. Rites of Spring and Embrace (arguably) started it and these bands from the midwest really did a great job perfecting it. Falling Forward and Split Lip were definitely my favorites (along with Dayspring) but lets not get off track. "Hand Me Down" had this energy that seems lacking in alot of music today. The vocals are yelled/sung with this strained style that you could tell when he finished tracking he was probably crying from the emotion. Live, I never got to see em (Louisville Joe may be able to help me with this one) but I imagine the crowd crying while singing along. This record was originally released on the now defunct Initial Records and has been out of print since the early 2000s. Such a shame...I wish someone would reissue this with a remastering for the new generation of kids who need to be educated. Members went on to Elliot but this is their defining moment in my opinion. I looked on youtube for a live video of the band but kept finding some new band of the same name. Either way, Ive included a link to download this amazing record so I encourage you to check it out and enjoy this as much as I do.

Falling Forward - Hand Me Down

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DLJBDJET

Chamberlain - Fate's Got A Driver "Deluxe Edition" Reissue

With the reunion of Split Lip/Chamberlain for Burning Fight in Chicago and a few other shows, Doghouse is reissuing "Fate's Got A Driver" on limited vinyl with new artwork and bonus tracks. This is only being issued on vinyl but does include a download code for all the tracks as well bonus songs not included on the re-release. Heres what Doghouse Records has to say about the re-release:


"We are proud to announce the vinyl reissue of Chamberlain's beloved 1996 record Fate's Got A Driver. The long out-of-print LP is being reissued with fully redesigned artwork and five previously unreleased tracks.For those unfamiliar, Chamberlain were one of the most important and influential bands in the underground Midwest music scene. Originally the Indianapolis hardcore band, Split Lip (under who's name the record was initially released), the outfit later decided to change their name to Chamberlain as their sound grew more melodic and mature. Chamberlain has been cited by the likes of Taking Back Sunday, New Found Glory and Dashboard Confessional as a major influence. This is an absolute essential album for any vinyl enthusiast or fan of 90s emo or melodic hardcore.You can pre-order the limited edition cream colored vinyl right now. It's safe to say you should probably put a move on it, because there are only 500 copies available of this edition. In celebration of the re-release, Split Lip/Chamberlain will be reuniting for a series of 3 Midwest performances."



For other Doghouse Records releases click here
Preorder the record here

Eighty-Eight - Demo

Eighty-Eight were a short lived side project from Seattle that featured Timm McIntosh (Trial, Wait In Vain) on vocals, and the majority of Seattle hardcore band Last Man Standing as the musicians. They started just doing covers of youth crew songs, but eventually started writing some originals, and that's how this demo came about. The tape has two original songs, and a cover of Positive Outlook by Youth of Today. Eighty-Eight sets were always a lot of fun, and I wish they had gone on to record the 7", but the band imploded one night when a few members of the band decided to quit after a particular incident at a show in Seattle.



Eighty-Eight - Demo 98
http://www.mediafire.com/?vdnxwljqwdm

Earth Crisis - To The Death review

This is one of the most highly anticipated reunion records of the last few years, and Earth Crisis definitely don't disappoint with To The Death. The people at Century Media were kind enough to send us a download of the album, and it's my humble opinion that this is probably the perfect comeback record.
The album opens up like a beast with the track "Against the Current." Leading into an album with a mosh part can be risky, but they pull it off nicely by transitioning into a fast part smoothly and following up with a riff that easily could have been on a Madball record in the mid 90s. As a nearly 30 years old straight edge nerd, it's nice to hear a combination of straight/straight edge a good ten times in the opening track.
Up next is the track that has been posted to the band's myspace page, "To Ashes." It's this song that gave me high hopes for the new record in general. The chorus chant of "every meth lab burned" is sure to become a new live staple for them.
Unfortunately, the download didn't include lyrics, but the third track sounds like the albums first foray into the topic of animal rights. Titled "So Others Live", it feels like a classic call for animal rights that would have been heard on any number of Earth Crisis records.
The middle chunk of this record is certainly no slouch. With tracks like "Security Threat #1", "Control Through Fear", and "Eye of Babylon", ExC are solidifying themselves as a legitimate contender amongst the current court of heavy hardcore bands.
The album ends itself with the title track, and it's a great ending to a great record. As the song plays out, it ends with "Vegan for life. Vegan to the death!" It's one of those moments in a song that combines a heavy piece of music with a potent enough chant that it makes you want to destroy whatever is sitting near you.Overall, I'd say that Earth Crisis have crafted a magnificent comeback record. A lot of the riffs sound like they could have been on Gomorrah's Season Ends, but they come through so much better because they don't have the mu-metal sounding production that Gomorrah's did. A number of riffs also sound like they could have found their way onto Destroy The Machines, but they take on a slightly different feel on To The Death, because the production of this record makes the chugs sound a bit more punchy than previous ExC records. As a whole, the production is very clean, but isn't so sterile that the songs seem stripped of all their raw power. This is the album that feels like what should have been their natural progression from Breed The Killers.
If Slither left a bad taste in your mouth, as it did with me, give this new record a shot. It comes out on April 20th in Europe, and May 5th in the US via Century Media, and I really don't think you'll be disappointed. If nothing else, maybe this record will at least get some of the lame scenester kids and flat brimmed hat douchebags into something more intelligent and passionate.
Bottom line: Earth Crisis sound pissed again!

Heaviest 90s Band poll ends. New Poll posted

Was this any surprise? Disembodied killed it. I mean it wasnt even close. Beyond excited to see them in May...we started a new poll, Best Frontman part 2. We said we werent finished when we did the last one because there were just too many amazing frontmen to pick from so heres part 2.

Krishnacore in the 90s

During the 90's, it wasnt uncommon to go to a show and see kids wearing Tulasi neck beads, usually wrapped around as few as once or covering the entire neck (come on, you know that one kid who did this). Hare Krishna's most vocal supporters came in the form of the two biggest Krishnacore bands in the 90s, Shelter and 108. While both of these bands could arguably be called the first Krishnacore bands, members of the NYHC scene in the 80s were preaching the ways of the Bhagavad-gita including Keith Burkhardt of Cause for Alarm, members of Antidote and John Joseph and Harley Flanagan of the Cro Mags. Eventually Ray Cappo discovered Hare Krishna and started the band Shelter which could be considered the first Krishnacore band. Vic DiCara also discovered spirituality and quit Inside Out to join Shelter. When he quit the band, he formed 108. Ray also started Equal Vision Records with Steve Reddy to release Shelter's record. The label would function as the only (to my knowledge) all Krishna label before releasing non-Krishna bands in the mid to late 90s. Shelter eventually signed to Roadrunner/Supersoul while 108 went to Equal Vision and Lost & Found before disbanding. The idea of Krishnacore spread throughout the scene domesitcally and globally. More and more bands began to spring up though many went undocumented. Equal Vision did release records for some of the bands including Prema, Refuse to Fall, and Project Kate but many bands usually just included a member who followed the beliefs so the band was not a full Krishnacore band. Shelter continued touring and are still somewhat active at the time of this writing. 108 is very much active having just recorded a new record and playing a US tour as well as a European tour. If you would like more info on Krishnacore check out the Krishnacore homepage:

Krishnacore on the internetz

108 on Myspace

Shelter on Myspace