1. Starkweather – Bitterfrost – Croatoan (2006)
I didn’t want to waste any time getting into it and “Bitterfrost” is balls to the wall from the opening seconds. Starkweather were a hugely influential band on what became the 90s metalcore scene that probably don’t get the recognition that they deserve for it. Vocalist Rennie Resmini’s vocals are legitimately terrifying - both his hellfire screams and his ghoulish croon – and he makes good use of both here. The song was originally released on a split 7” in 1997, and that earlier version can be found packaged neatly on a double disc reissue of their early material Crossbearer/Into The Wire, but the Croatoan version benefits from a better production. Along with Resmini’s merciless vocals, the pounding double kick drum and ultra heavy down-tuned guitars come through crystal clear, making this version of “Bitterfrost” pretty much complete mayhem.
2. Understudy – Shortround – Demo (2006)
Understudy were a short-lived band from Albany, NY that formed out of the ashes of a band called Kenshiro. Featuring the same main songwriter/guitarist as well as the same vocalist and drummer (who was also the same drummer from Seven Ways Out that we heard back on Plaguelist #2), the sole demo recordings from each of the bands are more or less related stylistically. The Understudy demo more or less picks up where the Kenshiro demo left off, albeit perhaps a little bit more focused. Most of their material draws from the more chaotic side of late 90s hardcore -think Drowningman and Botch, with a little early 108 thrown in. But “Shortround,” the demos opening track, slows things down a bit, leaving the band wading through a sludgy base. It starts and stops, speeds up and slows down all along a stoner groove that isn’t too far removed from an EyeHateGod riff. The double tracked vocals are a nice touch and check out that killer guitar solo at the end.
3. Break Of Dawn – Remaining Attentive To Maintaining The Silence – Figure Studies In Arsenic And Tears (2000)
Break Of Dawn were part of an unsung lineup on One Day Savior Recordings that featured great bands (Undying, Bird Of Ill Omen, BlueSkiesBurning, and Jude The Obscure to name a few) that never got their proper due in the hardcore scene. After a couple demos and a 4 song 7” EP, the band really cemented their sound on Figure Studies In Arsenic And Tears…and then just disappeared. But while they were around, Break Of Dawn were somewhat of anomaly, never quite fitting an easy description. Here we find the group at their best, pounding through technical, complex riffs, challenging rhythmic changes and noisy chaos. One of the weirder things B.O.D. tended to do was to break into strange off-kilter clean guitar sections, but not anything gentle or ethereal sounding like other bands were doing at the time. Instead, it just sounded like the guitar player cut his distortion and the rest of the band played on like nothing happened. Notice the section right after the long intro.
4. Arkangel – Behold The Face Of Death – Dead Man Walking (1999)
Arkangel is a band that is followed by a lot of controversy. From the rumors of them walking around festivals with baseball bats looking to bash anyone partaking in alcohol or drugs, to members appearing on stage inebriated, or being seen eating meat, all while still militantly preaching a vegan straight edge lifestyle – who knows at this point what’s true and what isn’t? I guess it doesn’t matter because the music has held up incredibly well. Arkangel were one of the heaviest to come out of the metallic hardcore mish mash that happened in the 90s. With thrashy guitar riffs, blistering drumming and throat seering vocals, all of their records were as brutal, if not even moreso, than anything by Integrity or Ringworm. Rumors also suggest that shows in their hometown of Brussels were incredibly violent, which would make sense listening to them. People in the hardcore scene took themselves way too seriously back then.
5. Radiation 4 – Magnolia Act I & Magnolia Act II – Wonderland (2003)
There’s a person visiting a carnival. They consume super-human amounts of corn dogs, cotton candy, fried pickles and funnel cake before taking a ride or two on the Tilt-A-Wirl and finishing the night off with a bag of kettle corn. As they walk down the lane towards the exit, there’s suddenly a rumble from deep within; the stomach starts bubbling up until they can’t hold it anymore. They stop, pause, and abruptly projectile vomit a mixture of dubious consistencies and color all over the oddities exhibit. Radiation 4 is that puke – in a good way, though. Their experimental brand of metal and hardcore takes a little bit of everything, throws it together and comes out like some twisted carnival clowns soundtrack. The obvious point of reference is Mr. Bungle with their anything goes approach; really anything Mike Patton related is an influence here. Vocalist Chris Negrete manipulates his guttural growls, piercing screams and haunting operatic singing with various effects, while the band jumps through technical riffs, serene clean passages and crushing blast beats. Throw a little sad clown dance in and Wonderland is a classic.
6. Planes Mistaken For Stars – End Me In Richmond – Fuck With Fire (2001)
It’s very rare for a band to actually get heavier as they go, but PMFS did just that on their second full-length album. Though it leaned heavily to the weirder side, their self-titled debut had been a masterpiece of the emo-indie-rock movement of the late 90s, one of the cornerstones for Deep Elm Records. The vocals were gruff and the band wasn’t afraid to release random bouts of screaming and heavily distorted guitars, but I don’t think anyone saw Fuck With Fire coming. Benefitting from a rough, gritty production, the force of the band began to match those rotted out vocals. Screeching feedback collided with overdriven bass tones and hollow percussion. Fuck With Fire is a slimy, disgusting sounding record, and it’s great.
7. Intronaut – Fragments Of Character – Null (2005)
Intronaut really hit their stride on their 2008 full-length Prehistoricisms, but I really like the Null EP. The group was still in the process of developing their sound and hadn’t quite fully realized how to harness all of the talent they possessed, but the songs are really well written and lean more towards a sludgier side that was abandoned for a more progressive style as they went along. “Fragments Of Character” is essentially the base that Intronaut built everything off on later records. The off-balance Meshuggah-esque riffs are meatier here, carried by a doomier atmosphere. Danny Walker’s percussion is outstanding and although Joe Lester’s bass isn’t as prominent as it would be on later releases, the combination of the two create a fantastic rhythm section. Vocalist/Guitarist Sacha Dunable sticks to a screamed/grunted attack ala Aaron Turner, something else that would change down the road. For as far as Intronaut has come over the years, I still believe their early recordings were outstanding.
8. Backstabbers Inc. – **** – Kamikaze Missions (2004)
New Hampshire’s Backstabbers Inc. were an intense group. It can be heard right there on the record. Kamikaze Missions is as raw and unrelenting a hardcore record as any. Kurt Ballou’s production on the album is so filthy, it damn near sounds like they just set up and let the tape roll. It was a lot more deliberate than that, though. When Kamikaze Missions first hit, I thought it was too dirty, that you couldn’t hear the band members skillful performances through the thick layer of grime. Over time, though, I came to realize its production was actually what defined it. When a band comes up laying waste to VFW halls and church basements with pure heart and grit, it’s terribly difficult to get them in the studio and capture that vibe. Somehow, Ballou achieved this. “****” is one of the most ferocious songs on the album, grinding ahead at a breakneck speed before dropping out into an incredible build up that lasts about half the songs run time. The last 2 minutes of “****” is one of the most intense moments ever laid to tape. I saw them play it live one time in a tiny teen center and it was total pandemonium.
9. Knut – H/Armless – Challenger (2002)
Back around the time of the early 2000s, Hydrahead Records had a “sound” that ran through their roster. Not that the bands all sounded the same, but it was similar to Dischord’s association with Post-Hardcore, Victory’s to Metalcore and AmRep’s to Noise Rock. You just knew you were getting something quality from them, in Hydraheads case typically insanely heavy and experimentally complex. Switzerland’s Knut had released a couple albums in Europe when they attracted the ear of Aaron Turner, founder of the aforementioned record label, who brought them stateside. Challenger reminds me of Botch in its artistic reach. It has a complicated mathrock approach and a sludgy Post-Metal underlying sound with dissonant, turbulent and sophisticated arrangements. “H/Armless” is one of the best songs you will ever hear that consists primarily of the same chord played over and over again.
10. Conjurer – The Mire – Mire (2018)
Conjurer are one of the best of the more recent metal bands that I have come across. The UK group defies classification, tastefully blending a variety of sounds from Death Metal to Sludge/Doom with a little Black Metal influence and everything in between. What makes it even better is that they have the chops to get it all done at a high level. Their debut full length Mire has a special quality about it too – it’s super clean sounding but not overly polished. Contrary to the way a lot of heavier records are getting recorded in this digital age, nothing sounds mechanical or processed, and the pure intensity of the band shines through. Want to know how passionate they are about what they play? Check out their Audiotree live set (and note the guitar players cool Björk long sleeve-T).
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