Jack's Love and Hate records.

So hardcore is subjective, some people absolutely adore some bands, others absolute detest them. Everyone has an opinion on every band that they’ve listened to, and that’s what makes this such a wonderful scene to be a part of because it’s not full of people spouting the exact same words. Everyone has different opinions and different tastes, especially when it comes to records. Here are some records I love and some I hate, these aren’t in any particular order and these are by no means a list of my favourite/least favourite records of all time.

Love:

1. Twitching Tongues: Gaining Purpose Through Passionate Hatred

Arguably already in my top 3 of 2018, this record is phenomenal from start to finish (my opinion, don’t like it, open discussion with me). It takes Twitching Tongues creative approach to writing an arranging music to a whole new level. With the addition of Sean Martin (ex Hatebreed), I feel that TT have really hit their target on this record. The ending riff on Gaining Purpose is possibly one of the hardest things I have ever heard, this contrasted with the doom-laden, emotional ballad of Kill For You makes for some diverse listening. The record is not without its flaws, nothing is ever perfect, some lyrical content is a little cheesy and some parts of songs are a complete miss for myself, but this is what makes Twitching Tongues. It’s a beautiful collection of 9 wonderful greebo metal songs. Whether you like Twitching Tongues or not, this record is something you should be checking out before this year is over. 2. Power Trip: Nightmare Logic

This was one of my favourite records of 2017. This breakdown is likely to be extremely biased because to be quite frank, I fucking love Power Trip. Very little needs to be said about this record, if you like 80’s production and Thrash you’re going to love this. Hailing from Texas (Home of things like Post Malone and Pantera) Power Trip have managed to cultivate an aesthetic and sound which would not seem out of place on tours with Metallica/Slayer/Megadeth in the late 80’s. The record itself is by far their best work, managing to top the equally as brilliant Manifest Decimation (2013). Soul Sacrifice is one of the best opening riffs I have ever heard, Executioner’s Tax (Swing Of The Axe) is one of the grooviest crossover/thrash songs that has ever been made and the following songs fly through at breakneck speed, with all the dark and aggressive tropes that have come to be associated with Power Trips brand of Thrash. I personally cannot find any flaws in this record, I absolutely adore it, on the other hand you reading this might absolutely hate it. 3. Trapped Under Ice: Big Kiss Goodnight

Let’s be totally honest, if you’ve never loved this record at some point, then you probably haven't listened to it. The amount of times I've been in a car with someone and Born To Die started playing, everyone in that car goes “2, 3, 4” before that iconic baseline kicks in. What do I really need to say about this record, that hasn’t been said before? Everyone knows this record, at some point everyone has loved this record. Reality Unfolds is one of the hardest tunes of all time. What else is there to say?

Hate:

1. Trapped Under Ice: Heatwave

How do you go from making one of the most iconic and well loved records in hardcore, to this? I can understand that some people absolutely love Heatwave, but I absolutely fucking hate it. I have a number of reasons for not liking this instalment into TUI’s musical catalogue, first one being it took 5/6 years to write 14 minutes worth of material that feels like Turnstile and Angel Du$t b-sides. I get that Turnstile and Angel Du$t are now the main focusses of Justice Tripp and Brendan Yates, these projects give them chance to flex their creative muscles in other directions. Turnstile has gone on to become one of the biggest bands on the planet, so more power to Brendan for putting in that work. But don't force out a record that has “Trapped Under Ice” slapped on it’s cover only for it to be a watered down version of of a band that everyone has come to love. I personally see this record as a throwaway attempt at trying to make a TUI project band, into Trapped Under Ice. 2. Code Orange: Forever

I understand that a portion of you who read this article are going to see this included and go “eh!?” or “fucking serious?”, but I really just don’t like Code Orange that much on this record. I think this record is self indulgent and tries to take the sounds of I Am King and put them on steroids. To liken this to an MMA analogy, if you’re a good fighter, why do you need to pump yourself full of steroids? If your ability and technique is good enough, why do you need that extra artificial push. Obviously hardcore music shares very little in common with MMA (apart from what happens when a mosh part comes on), but I think I make my point with that bizarre analogy. Forever is a try hard approach at trying to better I Am King, which in my opinion is a very good record, but falls short in my view. Also one of the tracks, Bleeding In The Blur, is basically just spooky Adventures (fight me). Long story short, I don’t like this record. 3. Incendiary: Thousand Mile Stare

Now I like Incendiary a lot, I absolutely adored Cost Of Living because it was interesting and different at the time when I had first heard it. But Thousand Mile Stare feels like a failed recreation of that record. I can see that Incendiary have tried to further their sound and evolve their music to the next level, like every band tries to do, but ultimately it seems to me that they’ve just fallen short. Songs like Front Towards Enemy and The Product Is You just feel like too polished versions of Incendiary, songs that are “okay-ish” but don’t feel like Incendiary. TO be quite brutally honest, when this record was announced I was super excited o get my hands onto it, I couldn’t wait to hear it. Yet when this record actually came out, I wasn’t blown away. None of this record is memorable to myself, despite that I haven't given it chance after chance to sink into my brain, I guess I just really don’t like this record.

I hope my opinions of these records don’t polarise readers too much, I also hope I don’t start getting bricks through my windows over my thoughts and opinions on Forever by Code Orange. As always with my work, I want to open discussion about the topic. If you agree or disagree with me let me know, drop a comment or share the article with what you think, lets talk about hardcore.

Jack Beale-Burchell