During Carcass’s initial decade together, the Liverpool outfit staked a claim as one of the most influential extreme metal bands of all time. In the late 1980s, their first two albums defined the sound of goregrind—a subgenre still so closely associated with them that it’s often referred to as “Carcass worship.” Next, they created one […]
Author Archives: David Anthony
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Alkaline Trio play an intimate Metro gig before their Riot Fest set
The past decade has been an odd one for Alkaline Trio. Following the release of the Chicago punk band’s eighth studio album, 2013’s My Shame Is True, all three members took time off to focus on solo material and side projects. But when vocalist and guitarist Matt Skiba joined Blink-182 in 2015, the band he’d […]
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Jawbreaker play a series of long-delayed anniversary shows in celebration of 1995’s Dear You
It’s been five years since iconic New York punk band Jawbreaker reunited—though two of those were inactive pandemic years—so that now the band’s second run has nearly matched the length of time they spent releasing records together in the early 90s. Their current tour, originally planned for 2020, is a belated 25th-anniversary celebration of their […]
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Turnstile lean into their hardcore roots for their most progressive record yet
Traditionally, when people say hardcore bands have “progressed” it means they’ve begun the slow process of abandoning the genre for something more accessible. Plenty of hardcore bands have started slipping into 90s alt-rock territory, but Baltimore’s Turnstile use their new album, Glow On, to draw out the fact that heavy radio-friendly rock was built on […]
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Joan of Arc say goodbye with the touchingly esoteric Tim Melina Theo Bobby
For 25 years, Tim Kinsella has led his band Joan of Arc through a multitude of changes: members have come and gone, and the group’s sound has evolved and (occasionally) purposely devolved. Now, with the release of Tim Melina Theo Bobby, Kinsella is bringing the project to an end. Named for the musicians who comprise […]
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Hardcore band Candy are hard to pinpoint, and that’s just fine
Candy formed in 2016, and given their relatively quick ascent among the ranks of hardcore bands, it’d be easy to use the cliche that they came out of nowhere. But in reality, Candy came from everywhere. They’re often pegged as a group from Richmond, Virginia, the hometown of guitarist Michael “Cheddar” Quick, but the five […]
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Portrayal of Guilt and Stay Asleep find new directions in screamo
On last year’s Let Pain Be Your Guide, Austin screamo band Portrayal of Guilt pull off a rare feat, wearing their influences on their sleeves while forging a distinct identity of their own. Over the past decade, screamo has largely comprised bands recycling the same ideas, so it’s noteworthy that Portrayal of Guilt are able […]
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Drug Church and Gouge Away prove hardcore’s greatest asset is its malleability
Hardcore has always had a tenuous relationship with the mainstream. In the 90s, a number of hardcore bands signed to major labels seemed to be at the brink of crossing over to wider audiences, but the results were varied. For every Sick of It All who wound up dropping a classic record on a major […]
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Can Riot Fest turn nostalgia into a renewable resource?
Maybe Riot Fest can book amazing reunions forever—but only by building current bands into tomorrow’s back-from-the-dead headliners.