Allegiance "Desperation"

I was really fuckin' anticipating this record, the second from San Francisco's Allegiance. Their first full length, Overlooked, delivered pounding, ultra enthusiastic hardcore with a clean polish and metallic edge that I ate -- and still eat -- like it's candy and I'm six years old. Thankfully, Desperation delivers, too -- and it delivers more than just another Overlooked.

Allegiance took a grittier, more metallic approach on Desperation, drawing some ties to classic metallic hardcore bands like Cro-Mags. It's dirty and thick, with a few rocked-out and lots of straight-up metallic riffs giving the straightforward chord progressions a decidedly beefy sound. John Eightclip's high-pitched sneer is once again in absolute command and, while it's a distinct voice that some might not particularly feel, it's one of Allegiance's many selling points. It's also a damn near perfect match for the frustrated lyrics.

Only one of the 11 tracks, "The Desperation," tops three minutes (and even then, it's only by three seconds), so Allegiance clearly favors concise, efficient blasts of metallic hardcore energy and crunch. Desperation may be short, but it's so sweet; at this point, it's one of the -- if not the -- best hardcore records to drop in 2007. And I don't say that sort of thing much.

Seriously, listen to a killer band that cares about hardcore:

Allegiance - Taking It Back
Allegiance - The Desperation

Pick it up from Rivalry Records.

Total Fucking Destruction "Zen and the Art of Total Fucking Destruction"

Since we're already on the subject of frenzied grind-metal (to be fair, 7000 Dying Rats is about 10 times weirder), Total Fucking Destruction's Zen and the Art of Total Fucking Destruction at least deserves a mention. This 14-songer is a little bit curious and never completely serious, unleashing 10 songs of blast beat-ridden metal with unintelligible screams, howls and growls, and lots of fast, menacing guitar riffs. Total Fucking Destruction crams the tempo shifts and riffs into a relatively short time -- only one song passes the three-minute marker -- so the songs are decidedly concise, all the while showing some technical skill.

Thanks to the recording quality, garbled vocals and busy, all-over-the-place songwriting on Zen and the Art, I'm often reminded of Between the Buried and Me -- if Between the Buried and Me stripped down to the barest, grinding metal of their self-titled album and altogether quit writing melodies. It's just an intense listen with some unique production qualities. (Unique, however, isn't necessarily preferable; this record would probably benefit from less "click-y" drums and meatier guitars.)

In a really, really strange move, Total Fucking Destruction tacked four acoustic "jams" onto the end of the record. They're slow, lo-fi and layered with sloppy singing -- the kind of thing that makes me think the band got drunk and randomly decided to record four awkward songs about such things as a boxcutter and bio-satanic terrorist attacks.

When Zen and the Art is done I usually wind up with a half-smile and a gaze of confusion. I mean, there's something odd about it. Maybe I should let the music speak for itself:

Total Fucking Destruction - Warfinger
Total Fucking Destruction - Kill the Jocks and Eat Their Brains

You can pick this album (which also features some enhanced video content) up from the Relapse store or Translation Loss Records.

7000 Dying Rats "Season in Hell"

Goodness grindcore! Seasons in Hell is the seismic marriage of grisly murder, pornography, and atomic warfare, '80's horror cheesiness and, of course, blessed, good-natured Satanism. Brutal and psychotic like a smiling, chainsaw-wielding serial killer in a ward full of bedridden victims, 7000 Dying Rats (7KDR) cherishes the music of blades to bone with a chorus of screams.

Seasons in Hell is appropriately titled, lurching between depraved and discordant fits of noisy, metallic bile and eerie, crawling synth-seques, hilarious breakouts of country music, southern rock and hip-hop, bells and piano, and voiceovers that make Hannibal Lector and Henry (see Portrait of a Serial Killer) sound timider than Tinkerbell. The album is a nightmarish hallucination, a Mardi Gras of sound stomping all over haunted burial grounds.

7KDR defines don't-give-a-fuck punk ethos. Twenty-eight ridiculously-titled songs shock and awe from 5-seconds to 4-minutes each, corpse-core treats rife with extreme metallic ferocity, but a satano-slapstick sensibility, too. Seasons in Hell is a polarizing and questionable work of art, the kind that makes me pray death is a one-way ticket into the inferno deepest south -- where 7KDR soundtracks an eternity of horned beasts and earthly offenders frolicking in flame.

Listen to (and worship, if you must): 7000 Dying Rats - "Altar of Goat Skulls"

Seek infestation at Interpunk.

Set Your Goals "Mutiny"

In the annals of short, explosive bursts, Set Your Goals now year-old masterpiece, Mutiny!, deserves recognition and respect second to diarrhea only. Bursting with more positive enthusiasm than a bomb filled with LSD-loaded Teletubbies, Set Your Goals 2006 release burrows further into my skull with each and every listen -- a number that, one year post-release, exceeds 100.

Mutiny! is the type of album that makes it acceptable for burly badasses to proclaim a love for heavily pop-punk influenced tuneage. Set Your Goals lollipop-hardcore is a sweet but meaty treat, an improved reincarnation of Nothing Gold Can Stay-era New Found Glory. Mutiny!'s huge but clear production lends itself to thumping percussion, including a few earthquaking bass hits, and a wonderfully full sound. Seamless transitions bleed together a number of shorter tracks, and the album elapses seemingly more quickly than its actual 30-minute length.

And, because the lyrics don't pander heartbroken, downtrodden preteens, one needn't be ashamed to play this album around their friends! There's a sensible backbone to the lyrics, promoting self-reliance and individualism, open-mindedness and perspective. "An Old Book Misread", a thoughtful challenge to organized religion, is fantastic; though it's less hilarious than the usual satanic metal schtick -- and less likely to inspire any animal sacrifices or goth-dressup -- it's liable to encourage actual thought amongst the teenage crowd.

So put the top down (so you don't fist-pump-punch holes in the roof) and blast this blessing up and down the block. Mutiny! is a perennial winner, and it might be the summer album.

Now, don't go burning down any churches: Set Your Goals - "An Old Book Misread"

Impress your friends. Hit the Eulogy Recordings store and rock this album.

To The Lions "Baptism of Fire"

I'm a full month late on writing anything about To The Lions' debut full length, Baptism of Fire, but it's better late than never -- especially for metallic hardcore that's, for all practical purposes, pretty killer. This Canadian act features former members of Confine, Grade and SeventyEightDays (of those, I'm only familiar with Grade, but they have nothing in common with To The Lions), and plays heavy, forceful metallic hardcore that's skillfully pieced together and rather interesting. While there's a formidable amount of chugging to the group's particularly mosh-worthy parts, there's a notable 90s thing happening. And by that I mean it's chunky and intense, but not terribly fast (in a good way) and not overtly metal.

The bitter, shouted vocals hardly ever relent; the only melody you're going to find within Baptism of Fire comes from the guitars. It's still pretty subtle but, in combination with the moderate tempos, it can be pretty catchy. I think you can hear it in my song of choice, "Born to Die," so get downloading.

... Here: To The Lions - Born to Die.mp3

Pick it up from Goodfellow Records.
Goodfellow Records

Wisdom In Chains "Class War"

Street-hardened, tastefully humorous and a bit raw, Wisdom In Chains' sound, to these ears, lends itself better to dingy clubs and alcohol-scented, hole-in-the-wall bars than anywhere else. The band's second full length, Class War, is far from militant hardcore, instead telling entertaining stories and unleashing pure cynicism to the backdrop of metallic breaks and oi-inspired sing-alongs.

Class War has a number of amateur songwriting moments, but Wisdom In Chains brings such character to the record's 16 songs that the simple songwriting isn't much of a fault. It's catchy as hell, too, whether the band's firing on all cylinders, showing off their flashy chops or getting crowds involved with massive, mid-paced group sing-alongs. It's just friggin' fun all around. And "Cap City?" Well, it's the story of the band's van getting jacked while they were sleeping in it. Priceless.

I can't get enough of this gruff stuff.

Have some fun with hardcore: Wisdom In Chains - Early Grave

Pick it up from Eulogy.

The Killing Tree "The Romance of Helen Trent"

Sweet grinding garbage disposal, the guitar tone! The Killing Tree's 2002 debut, and only full-length, is notable for being one of the crunchiest, most satisfying, and overlooked albums this millennium. The album cover's color scheme is as accurate a reflection of the music contained within as the cover of Modern Life is War's exceptional Witness. Lucky ears but unlucky necks, The Romance of Helen Trent, too, imparts nothing but headbanging bliss, veering betwixt simmering tension and full-bore war.

Known to many (of the few who actually recognize The Killing Tree) as the "other band" of Rise Against's gravelly-voiced melodic-hardcore heartthrob, Tim McIlrath, The Killing Tree should be known as his "better band" instead -- Rise Against's extra-guttural hardcore enemy. The barrage of screams, yells, and breakdowns imbue The Killing Tree with a ferocity and anger uneclipsed, while pinpoint guitar-slaying and pummeling percussion elevate The Killing Tree to, as Phil Anselmo might as well be screaming about this album, "A WHOLE NEW LEVEL!".

The Romance of Helen Trent isn't an overlooked gem, but a block of cement. (A rare nimble, tempo-shifting block of cement, that is). It's backalley punk rock. Bloody knuckles wrapped in chain links. Flailing fists clenching rolls of quarters. It's the album sending you scrambling toward the local independent record store.

For a sore neck and a smile, listen here (to the most Rise Against sounding song on the album): The Killing Tree - Them's Fightin' Words

Buy it now from One Day Savior. Thank me later.

Darkest Hour "Deliver Us"

Darkest Hour is one of a few bands whose releases always get me excited, and always fulfill my expectations. (Yes, even So Sedated, So Secure.) While there's a certain consistency to the band's material, the last three records have been laced with enough improvement and progression to cement Darkest Hour as a group that's come a long way since their modest beginnings.

Continuing to slowly drift away from the straight-up melodic death metal of Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation, Deliver Us follows the path of 2005's Undoing Ruin by tastefully melding thrashing metal with pronounced melodies, subtle electronics and a bigger selection of tempos (in other words, it's not 100 percent blazing, 100 percent of the time). The record showcases even more texture and polish, thanks to the throaty, but clean singing, smokin' solos, melodic leads, dramatic keyboard parts and pristine guitar harmonies. "A Paradox with Flies" is a superb case study; not only are its choruses catchy and its guitars flashy, the blazing verses are draped with a calm and somber layer of keys, which achieves a new effect for the band. Still, in total Darkest Hour fashion, Deliver Us is completely efficient, never falling into cliché traps or over-the-top indulgence.

I can't fault Darkest Hour for much here. This is a rock-solid and memorable metal record with some borderline epic moments. And I have to hand it to these guys at this point; when a band sticks together as long as Darkest Hour has -- and manages to do so without tons of lineup changes and drastic shifts in sound -- one has to believe that they're having fun and have real passion. Not surprisingly, both come through on Deliver Us.

Check out a track: Darkest Hour - A Paradox with Flies

Buy it from Victory Records, if for no other reason than the badass cover art.

The Swellers "My Everest"

I'm going to kick this beast off with a record that I've been wanting to talk about for weeks: The Swellers' debut full length, My Everest. Channeling blazing, modern-day punk rock a la A Wilhelm Scream and 90s heroes No Use for a Name, the record delivers a glorious heap of satisfaction -- especially for those who continue to dig skate-influenced punk rock with a contemporary technical proficiency.

That youthful skate-punk energy is one of The Swellers' selling points, but it doesn't keep My Everest from sounding refined. Each member contributes a tight, precise performance, and the guitars really shine. There's plenty of intricate interactions and detailed melodies, which sit comfortably next to the confident, melodic vocals and occasional shouts.

Considering I had never heard of The Swellers before My Everest showed up, this record is far more than a pleasant surprise. It's already got a spot on my budding "favorites of the year" list.

Listen for yourself: The Swellers - The Flood

If you like it, check it out at Search and Rescue Records.