Horsewhip

Horsewhip are a four-piece hardcore band from  Saint Petersburg, Florida that started in 2017. Though the band's formation was recent, its members have been heavily active in the Florida extreme music scene for decades now. Horsewhip features alumni from incredible bands including Reversal Of Man, Combatwoundedveteran, Order Of Importance, Early Grace, and more. They fuse their road-worn expertise into dark, heavy and discordant hardcore that also pulls influence from crust punk and elements of prog metal (a la Mastadon). Both their self-titled and 2020 LP Laid to Waste are fantastic starting points, with neither one wasting anytime pulling their punches. They also put out an incredible split with Yashira back in January, with both bands contributing a single track each that collectively conjures up one of the most hellish landscapes crafted this year. Highly recommended, enjoy!

Horsewhip (2018)

1. Aver

2. Funeral Circus

3. Dropping Out

4. Dirtbag

5. Spill

6. The Road

7. Fires

Laid to Waste (2020)

1. Stillborn

2. Feast

3. Inertia Walls

4. Ruin

5. Pray For The Dead

6. Charnel House

7. Closure

8. Remission

9. Holy Lies

10. Lowlands

11. When It Comes

Yashira/Horsewhip (2023)

1. Yashira - Burial Mound

2. Horsewhip - Circadian Rhythm

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USA

Buried (2023)

1. Buried

Consume and Burn (2023)

1. Cutting Through

2. Dissolve

3. Buried

4. Dark Matter

5. Pain

6. Plague Machine

7. Full Of Fury

8. Circadian Rhythm

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Planes Mistaken For Stars

As we bring another year to a close, I've got to give some recognition to a long-awaited band to be featured here (which seems to mostly be this month's theme). Thanks again for a great year, we actually did over 100 posts this year, which hasn't happened in a long time. Admittedly my passion for keeping up with blog does wane from time to time, but I would never abandon it completely. It's been such an integral part of my life for over a decade now that I could never part ways with it, and do still love doing this when the mood strikes. I don't think I'd revisit as many bands I used to listen to or be on the prowl for new projects quite as much if it weren't for this blog, which I ultimately have to give it credit for. It's kept me active in something for a longer period of time than I ever imagined it doing (as one commentator pointed out, it's rare for anyone to stick to something for over 10 years of their life, which still baffles me that it's been this long). It means a lot to me to stay connected to this, so I do have to thank the people who continue to come back here after all these years for that. I'd still be doing this regardless, but to continue reaching an audience to share this with is a major factor in the desire to keep it going. So thank you again, and I will wrap up this long-winded self-import ramble by saying Happy New Year, and enjoy! 

Planes Mistaken For Stars were a four-piece post-hardcore band that formed in Peoria, Illinois in 1997. Shortly after, they relocated to Denver, Colorado in 1999. The band self-released their debut in 1998, which was reissued by Deep Elm Records the next year. This was followed up by an incredible split with The Appleseed Cast and Race Car Riot, also released by Deep Elm, and two EPs put out by Dim Mak Records (Steve Aoki's label, another cool reminder of his involvement in the hardcore scene early on in his career). They released three more albums during their initial run, which ended in early 2008. They quickly reunited, and were back by 2010, which their first new album in 10 years being released in 2016 by Deathwish. Tragically, founding member and vocalist/guitarist Gared O'Donnell passed away in 2021. Prior to his passing, the band did complete another album, which is set to be released at some point in the future, and would also mark the finality of this incredible project.

This band has evolved a ton over the years, managing to exist somewhere in an intersectional sweet spot between hardcore, emo, rock and metal. You'd be hard-pressed to find a band that singularly encompasses such a wide sonic palette with the same level of vigor and finesse as Planes Mistaken For Stars. Just to give you a quick surface-level rundown, their earlier work is rooted in a punk-emo hybrid, sort of akin to bands like Hot Water Music and Small Brown Bike. There's a raw, driving energy to it, but with a vulnerable and often melodic backdrop in play. Though never a band I would describe as "simplistic", their technical prowess did become more prominent as the years went on, with their varied influences piling on alongside of it. They kind of went in the opposite direction that most bands do, become increasingly heavier and more experimental. Having said that, they still weren't shy about bringing in slower, acoustic elements well into their later years, and always wore their love for straight up rock n roll on their sleeve. If you're new to this band, I honestly think the best way to delve into their discography is to go from the start and work your way forward (Planes Mistaken For Stars > Fuck With Fire > Up In Them Guts > Mercy > Prey), though you could easily inverse that order and work your way back as well. My personal favourite album is probably Mercy, though that's a fairly interchangeable stance. Definitely give this band a shot if you haven't heard them before, I think they're right up the alley for people interested in the general niche of music that this blog covers. Again, enjoy!

Planes Mistaken For Stars (1998)

1. Copper And Stars

2. Division

3. The Time It Took

4. The Past Two

5. Somewhere In September

6. Standing Still Fast

7. Knuckle Hungry

8. Where The Arrow Went Out

Planes Mistaken For Stars/The Appleseed Cast/Race Car Riot (1999)

1. Planes Mistaken For Stars - Staggerswallowswell

2. Race Car Riot - Broken

3. Race Car Riot - Raincheck

4. Race Car Riot - Racing California

5. The Appleseed Cast - Tale Of The Aftermath

6. The Appleseed Cast - Remedios The Beautiful

Fucking Fight (1999)

1. Fucking Fight

2. The Part You Left Out

Knife In The Marathon (2000)

1. Scratching Rounds

2. Leaning The Room

3. Pillbox

4. Anthem

5. 66 Crush

Fuck With Fire (2001)

1. Leveless

2. End Me In Richmond

3. Funeral For A Friend

4. Hollowpoint And Whiskey

5. Bloody But Unbowed

6. Fuck With Fire

7. Rhythm Dies

8. Sicilian Smile

9. I'll See You In Hell

10. Get Burned

Black On Black: A Tribtue To Black Flag (2002)

14. Police Story/Wasted

Spearheading The Sin Movement (2002)

1. Thunder In The Night Forever! (We Ride To Fight)

2. Earning Ire

3. Bastards

Up In Them Guts (2004)

1. To All Mothers

2. Belly Full Of Hell

3. Glassing

4. Dying By Degrees

5. Pigs

6. Dancing On The Face Of The Panther

7. Say Not A Word

8. No Prize Fighter

9. Spring Divorce

10. A Six Inch Valley

11. Bastards

12. The Last Winter Dance Party

Mercy (2006)

1. One Fucked Pony

2. Crooked Mile

3. Widow: A Love Song

4. Keep Your Teeth

5. To Spit A Sparrow

6. Never Felt Prettier

7. Killed By Killers Who Kill Each Other

8. Little Death

9. Church Date

10. Mercy

11. Penitience

We Ride To Fight! (The First Four Years) (2007)

1. Copper And Stars

2. Divison

3. The Time It Took

4. The Past Two

5. Somewhere In September

6. Standing Still Fast

7. Knuckle Hungry

8. Where The Arrow Went Out

9. Staggerswallowswell

10. Fucking Fight

11. The Part You Left Out

12. Scratching Rounds

13. Leaning The Room

14. Pillbox

15. Anthem

16. 66 Crush

17. Fall On Proverb

18. Wasted

19. Police Story

20. Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie

21. Depression

22. Thunder In The Night (We Ride To Fight!)

23. Earning Ire

24. Bastards

Prey (2016)

1. Dementia Americana

2. Til' It Clicks

3. Riot Season

4. Fucking Tenderness

5. She Who Steps

6. Clean Up Mean

7. Black Rabbit

8. Pan In Flames

9. Enemy Blinds

10. Alabaster Cello

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Deathwish

SSD

SSD were a five-piece hardcore band Boston, Massachusetts that were active from 1981 to 1985. They began as a four-piece under the Society System Decontrol, but went by SS Decontrol. They were foundational in establishing the Boston hardcore scene, and are also regarded as one of the first straight bands to crop up. Their debut LP The Kids Will Have Their Say came out in 1982, with a follow-up EP Get It Away coming out the following year. Both of these are staples of early hardcore punk, and should not be missed. The EP in particular is absolutely incredible. They were a four-piece prior to its recording, so the addition of a second guitarist brings the material to a new frenzied level.

By 1984 they officially had shortened their name to its abbreviation, subequently going by SSD. Their sound changed a fair bit too. They began moving away from their punk origins and venturing into more metal-inspired territory, with the pace slowing down and the inclusion of actual guitar riffs and solos. 1984's How We Rock is still a fairly straight-forward hardcore record, but they had mostly shed that skin by the time of 1985's Break It Up. They called it quits after that, and haven't had any kind of official reunion since. A compilation was released in 1992 containing unreleased session tracks and a handful of live songs. Enjoy.

The Kids Will Have Their Say (1982)

1. Boiling Point

2. Fight Them

3. Do You Even Care

4. Not Normal

5. Wasted Youth

6. Jock Itch

7. Fun To You

8. V.A.

9. How Much Art

10. The Kids Will Have Their Say

11. Headed Straight

12. War Threat

13. Teach Me Violence

14. Screw

15. Who's To Judge

16. Police Beat

17. Untitled

18. The End

Get It Away (1983)

1. Glue

2. Forced Down Your Throat

3. Get It Away

4. Under The Influence

5. Nothing Done

6. X-Claim

7. No Reply

A Boston Rock Christmas (1983)

1.SSD - Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

2. Jeff & Jane - Jingle Bells

3. Christmas - O Holy Night

4. Sonny Columbus & His Del Fuegos - That Punchbowl Full Of Joy

5. Native Tongue - Do You Hear What I Hear? 

How We Rock (1984)

1. How We Rock Intro

2. How We Rock

3. Words That Kill

4. The Choice

5. On The Road

6. What It Takes

7. What If I

Break It Up (1985)

1. Break It Up

2. Children Will Rock

3. Heart Failure

4. Hit The Bottom

5. Blood Flood

6. No Solution

7. Baby Black

8. Calendar

9. Screams Of The Night

10. Feel The Flame

Power (1992)

1. Glue

2. Control

3. Boston Crew

4. Words That Kill

5. Nothing Done

6. Break It Up

7. Remember

8. X Claim

9. Boiling Point

10. Fight Them

11. Forced Down

12. What If I

13. Screams Of The Night

14. Drug Fools

15. How Much Art

16. Wasted Youth

17. Jolly Old Saint Nick

18. Headed Straight

19. On The Road

20. Under The Influence

21. Police Beat

22. Baby Black

23. Typical

24. Get It Away

25. Star Wars

26. No Reply

27. Francois' Journey

28. Eighteen

29. Infinity

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Mindforce

Mindforce are a four-piece hardcore band from Poughkeepsie, New York that have been around since 2016. Following up their absolutely fantastic debut full-length Excalibur in 2018, Mindforce are back baby, with their sophomore release New Lords. It was put out by Triple B Records, as has most of their records. Once again this label proves why they are one of the finest tastemakers in hardcore, as Mindforce are easily one of the best crossover bands currently kicking, and their newest album is a dropkick testament to that. Heavy, chugging guitars, squealing lead breaks and a ton of gang chants are all omnipresent here, and though it may not be reinventing the wheel, it sure as shit is fine tuning it. Enjoy.

2016 Demo (2016)

1. Moments That Define

2. Chroniker

3. Untitled

4. The Fulcrum

5. Gauntlet

The Future Of... (2017)

1. The Future Of...

2. They Just Want War

3. Storm About To Burst

4. Golden Age

5. Run And Tell Them

Mindforce/Dead Heat (2018)

1. Mindforce - Firestarter

2. Mindforce - Another Lost Piece

3. Mindforce - Civilization's Lie

4. Dead Heat - Pay The Toll

5. Dead Heat - True Blue

6. Dead Heat - World So Cold

Excalibur (2018)

1. Destroyer

2. Senseless Act

3. Nightmare

4. Fangs Of Time

5. Excalibur

6. Put You Down

7. Won't Be Denied

8. Smother My Foes

9. Bestseller

10. Fades Away

Live On Axe To Grind (2019)

1. Slay An Intruder (Live On Axe To Grind)

2. My Rage (Live On Axe To Grind)

3. Smother My Foes (Live On Axe To Grind)

4. Fangs Of Time (Live On Axe To Grind)

5. Destroyer (Live On Axe To Grind)

6. Senseless Act (Live On Axe To Grind)

7. Excalibur (Live On Axe To Grind)

Swingin' Swords, Choppin' Lords (2020)

1. Swingin' Swords, Choppin' Lords

2. Fratello

3. Hope Dies In The City

4. Hellscape

Reign Of Terror (2020)

1. Reign Of Terror

New Lords (2022)

1. New Lords

2. Survival Is Vengeance

3. Worlds Fail

4. All Facts

5. Thirteen & Mean

6. Oucasts Of The Empire

7. When Instant Karma Lasts

8. Goliath & The Runt

9. Street Slayer

10. Rotten

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This Is Hell

This Is Hell are a five-piece hardcore band from Long Island, New York that began in 2004. Since then, they've released five full-length albums, on top of a slew of other releases and some extensive touring. They've made a name for themselves with their distinct blend of crossover thrash and melodic hardcore elements, with chugging guitars that snap between thick and heavy to open and fully-realized. Topped by vocalist Travis Reilly's distinct delivery, the band has managed to make some of hardcore's most passionate music in the past two decades or so. If you're new to this band, there is a fair amount of material to sink your teeth into, though I think their debut full-length Sundowning is probably their best material and most effective entry point. Black Mass is also fantastic, but their first-album is their most reverred for good reason. To make a comparison to similar bands of this era, it's like Modern Life Is War's Witness or Verse's Aggression. I mean that in the sense that all these bands were incredibly consistent with fantastic material, but one album usually sticks out as the benchmark for the rest of their career, or even for hardcore in its era. And without a doubt, Sundowning deserves to be heralded as a benchmark of its era. Enjoy.

Demo (2004)

1. Wreck Your Life

2. Heaven Sent, Hellbound

3. Double Grave

4. Dearest Midge

This Is Hell (2005)

1. Dead Salutes

2. Heaven Sent, Hellbound

3. Diamond Lanterns

4. Moving Targets

5. Ad Infinitum

6. When Death Closes Your Eyes

Sundowning (2006)

1. Retrospect

2. Prelude (Again)

3. Here Comes The Rains

4. Permanence

5. 4.8.05

6. The Polygraph Cheaters

7. Deliver Me

8. The Absentee Ballot

9. Broken Teeth

10. 8.27.05

11. Procession Commence

12. Nobody Leaves Without Singing The Blues

13. Epilogue

This Is Hell/Cancer Bats (2007)

1. This Is Hell - Another Facade

2. This Is Hell - Shillelagh (Cancer Bats cover)

3. Cancer Bats - Let It Pour

4. Cancer Bats - Diamond Lanterns (This Is Hell cover)

Cripplers (2007)

1. Infected

2. Do Something

3. Fight For Your Right

4. Another Facade

5. Double Grave

6. I Hope You Die Soon

Misfortunes (2008)

1. Reckless

2. Infected

3. Disciples

4. In Shambles

5. Realization; Remorse

6. Without Closure

7. Remnants

8. Resuscitate

9. Fearless Vampires

10. You Are The Antithesis

11. End Of An Era

12. Memoirs

13. Last Days Campaign

This Is Hell/Nightmare Of You (2008)

1. This Is Hell - Built Upon Grief

2. This Is Hell - Cement Shoes

3. Nightmare Of You - You Don't Have To Tell Me I Was Terrible Man 

4. Nighmare Of You - Dopesick Couples

Warbirds (2009)

1. The Search

2. Warbirds

3. Worship Syndrome

4. Crazy But Not Insane (Warzone cover)

5. Never Tear Us Apart (INXS cover)

Weight Of The World (2010)

1. No One Leaves Unscathed

2. The Night The Line Was Crossed

3. Out Come The Bastards

4. Bloodlines

5. Eagle Of Justice

6. Death Of World Class

7. The Search

8. Forever Discontent

9. Shadows

10. Destroyer

11. Worship Syndrome

12. Fall And Rise

13. Snake Eyes

Rat Race (2010)

1. Rat Race

Black Mass (2011)

1. Acid Rain

2. Black History

3. Salt The Earth

4. Black Mass

5. The Wars: Pt. I

6. Mi Nombre

7. The Last Outlaw

8. Demons

9. The Reckoning

10. The Wars: Pt. II

The Enforcer (2013)

1. The Enforcer

2. Walking Abominations

3. Flag Of The Serpent

4. Whiplash

Bastards Still Remain (2016)

1. Bastards Still Remain

2. Excuses Pile Up

3. Space Mountain

4. You Think I Don't Know

5. In The Name Of...

6. Anarchy On Atlantic

7. Among Us All

8. Never Will It Stop

9. Absolute Power Corrupts

10. This Is Hell

11. Retaliate

12. No Martyr

Compilation/Cover Songs

Show You No Mercy (Cro-Mags cover) [2008]

Troy's Bucket (Kid Dynamite cover) [2009]

Rise (Pantera cover) [2009]

Dawn Patrol (Megadeth cover) [2011]

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