HARDCORE COMES CLAWING BACK (THOUGHTS OF IONESCO, LESS ART, ILLUSTRATIONS, MIRACLE DRUG, COUCH SLUT)
Thoughts of Ionesco, 1999, in Pontiac, Michigan (photo by CJ Benninger)
(Todd Manning is back, and brings with him a group of recommended releases from a collection of killer bands whose names you see in the title of this post.)
Roughly a year ago, I wrote an article here discussing several hardcore releases and I mentioned how if Black Metal held sway in the winter, I felt Hardcore lay claim to the sweltering summer. But now I am also willing to consider that there are cycles within cycles, and am reflecting a bit on the genre in its longer trajectory.
While nothing really ever goes completely out of style in these postmodern times, I can say with some conviction that Metal in all its forms kind of steamrolled over Hardcore in the first decade of the new century, at least in terms of overall popularity. Sure, D-Beat has certainly thrived in recent times, but those bands are pretty much settled into the same aesthetic as their Metal brethren, and Death Metal and Black Metal bands alike borrow quite liberally from the genre.
But now, I’m starting to feel that other forms of Hardcore are beginning to claw their way back into the conversation, and I wanted to touch on some recent releases that those who care should definitely make an effort to seek out.
THOUGHTS OF IONESCO
Like many on this list, Thoughts of Ionesco are directly linked to the Nineties, when Hardcore was thriving, and in this trio’s case, they were right there in the thick of things. Now they are back, with a brand new EP titled Skar Cymbals.
I’m pretty sure I own an old split seven-inch or something from these guys from back in the day but, honestly, I don’t remember them. However, this release blew my mind and I immediately started digging through their back catalog. It’s all weird as shit, but amazing, and I can only say they have always been ahead of their time.
You can view a video from the new EP below (previously discussed here, and I posted a more in-depth review at Burning Ambulance. If you like intense, Jazz-damaged Hardcore, this is the band you’ve been waiting your whole life for.
Pre-order:
https://corpseflowerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/thoughts-of-ionesco-skar-cymbals
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/thoughtsofionesco/
LESS ART
Also with their roots in the past, Hardcore supergroup Less Art are set to release their debut, Strangled Light, on July 28th. The band includes Riley and Ed Breckenridge of Thrice, Ian Miller and Jon Howell of Kowloon Walled City, and Mike Minnick of Curl Up and Die.
The songs are complex and dynamic, with serpentine guitar lines reminiscent of Botch. This release is heavy without really trying. The rhythms snap back and forth and the band can pivot on a dime, always one step ahead of the listener. Perhaps most noticeable, though, is an earnest but thoroughly depressive lyrical approach. This will attract some and repel others, depending on one’s ability to connect, but either way, Less Art have crafted a complete and compelling package.
Bandcamp:
https://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/strangled-light
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/LESSARTBAND/
ILLUSTRATIONS
Most Hardcore bands strive for the immediacy of short releases, oftentimes their whole discography taking up fewer minutes than a single Funeral Doom album. But San Antonio’s Illustrations take a path less traveled.
Their latest full-length,Acts of God, which clocks in at around an hour, is nothing short of epic. While they certainly touch on groups like Botch and Converge, there are also healthy doses of Neurosis, Isis, and Yakuza here as well. The brutal onslaught is often supplemented by all sorts of flourishes, from piano and a couple of saxophone solos (courtesy of Yakuza’s Bruce Lamont) to synths and field recordings.
Acts of God is certainly a lot to digest, but is well worth the time and effort.
Bandcamp:
https://illustrations.bandcamp.com/album/acts-of-god-3
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/illustrationshc
MIRACLE DRUG
Coming with a more traditional sound is Louisville, Kentucky’s Miracle Drug with their new EP How Much is Enough. These guys hit all the right notes, transporting one back to the sort of pure mid-’90s Hardcore that defined an era. One minute they’re stirring up mosh pits and rousing finger-pointing sing-alongs, and the next things take a momentary melodic turn. There’s not much here one could complain about for the purist, and at least for me, this sound never really gets old.
Bandcamp:
https://miracledrughc.bandcamp.com/album/how-much-is-enough
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/miracledrugband/
COUCH SLUT
Then, there’s the unhinged, feral juggernaut in the corner no one is trying to make eye contact with.
Brooklyn’s Couch Slut is nothing short of terrifying on their sophomore release Contempt. Their sound is simultaneously a vicious stab in the face and yet layered and unpredictable at the same time. They combine their brand of Punk and Hardcore with heaping slabs of Noise Rock and pure confrontation.
Somewhere in the mix, one can hear Free Jazz Sax-skree, tuba, and trumpet, and of all things…concert bells? Yet, what jumps out is the fierce vocal performance of Megan Osztrosits.
This is the sound of pure unnerving catharsis, a sound more likely to tear you limb from limb than provide even a moment of comfort. Those familiar with the their transgressive debut My Life as a Woman will not be disappointed.
Bandcamp:
https://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/contempt
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/couchslut/
******
Many would indeed argue that we do live in a “post-trend” time, with every style of music enjoying popularity among a niche fanbase. But there is still an ebb and flow of things, and while looking at Hardcore within the totality of extreme music, the tide certainly seems to be rising.
Some of these bands, like Miracle Drug and Less Art, will not match up if compared in their ability to generate extremity for its own sake, but nonetheless have much to offer. Meanwhile, Thoughts of Ionesco and Couch Slut could probably go toe-to-toe with most Metal acts in terms of vitriol and brutality, and come out just fine.
Either way, while I’ve always been a Metalhead, Hardcore has been something near and dear to me for a couple of decades as well, and this latest crop of releases gives me much hope for the genre going forward.