HOUNDS OF HATE - Braddock Straight Edge

Location: Braddock / Brooklyn, USA

Release: Braddock Hit Factory, 2011 - 2014

Age Of Quarantine, day # 352 - THE HOUNDS have been honing their sound since 2011, I feel they were going for an American-Oi! inspired NYHC type of hardcore -- THE ABUSED meets Y.D.L. -- and in 2012 they achieved right that to perfection with their sick Cassette EP. To top that EP they signed with Painkiller Records to drop their Debut LP in 2013, needless to say that album fit like a glove in the label's hoster.

Meanwhile all this and before recording their final album Hate Springs Eternal some of the bandmembers already had other things going on like HARD STRIPES (with dudes in Fire & Ice) and BLOOD RED. Then, in 2015 they recorded a live performance for KEPX that's very worth checking out, 5 songs under 13 minutes! The band quit not long after it but some of them didn't waste time and started CONCEALED BLADE, right in the alley of Painkiller and Beach Impediment Records killer stuff.

DOWNLOAD [Hounds Of Hate discography]:

2011 - Demo (BHF)

2011 - No Redemption 7" (Katorga Works)

2012 - Cassette EP (BHF)

2012 - Live @ WFMU

2013 - LP (Painkiller / Assault)

2014 - Hate Springs Eternal (BHF / Assault)

DOWNLOAD [Hard Stripes / Concealed Blade]:

 

ALL FOR ONE - Discography (1988-1989)

Location: New York City

Release: Vitality Records, 1989

Age of Quarantine, day # 341 - Straight from the vault, ALL FOR ONE hailing from Brooklyn, NY and their discography "1988-1989", consisting of one cassette demo and one 7" EP.

For those who weren't around at that time will probably know them from the NEW BREED TAPE Compilation, as they were later added in the 2011 vinyl re-edition featuring 2 tracks Rise Up and Return, both taken from their '89 EP A New Way Of Expression.

Guitar player Richie D. (aka SHOE) was a local graffiti artist and his work can be seen in many flyers, cover arts (e.g. X-Marks The Spot 7") and tags spread through NYC walls, including on the cover photo of the New Breed Tape. Freddy Alva also picked him to be featured on his iconic book Urban Styles.

I honestly don't know who came up with this discography (including the artwork) otherwise it would be nearly impossible to get hold of the 8-song demo, if you know please get in touch to give proper credit!

Fun note: Vitality Records is somewhat of a mystery to me but in recent years Powered Records from Belgium did one of those famous "homage/rip-offs" (a common practice in the hardcore community) using the same label art.

DOWNLOAD [+ photos]

THE DIVIDING LINE - Edge Day 2020

Location: New Jersey, USA

Release: Self-Released, 2020

Age of Quarantine, day # 334 - New Age Records has quite a few exciting releases to be out in 2021, one of them is most definetely the Owe You Nothing 12" by THE DIVING LINE.

Their 2017 demo already left one hell of a good impression and in the following year the EP Turn My Back On The World just confirmed they are the real deal, Jersadelphiaware Youth Crew represented! Last year they dropped a 3-song Promo (with 2 great covers) and as you can hear in the track Glory Hound they are even faster and tight as a unit, bands like Floorpunch, Focused Minds and Rated X came to mind.

DOWNLOAD [Promo+]

For the Youth Crew maniacs out there, today's bonus are about 2 other great projects that THE DIVING LINE members are/were involved with: 

Outlast - Demo (2009, Life To Live Records)

Outlast - Take Control (2010, Bottled Up Records)

Outlast - Outlast EP (2011, Harvcore Records)

New Heart - Time Is Runnig Out (2015, Blood & Ink Records)

New Heart - Feel The Change (2018, Blood & Ink Records)

DOWNLOAD [Outlast/New Heart]

TERROR ZONE - Lord Of Wrath

Location: New York, USA

Release: Eyeball Records, 1995

Age of Quarantine, day # 328 - TERROR ZONE, a very short lived project started by KevOne right after they called it quits with BULLDOZE, the beatdown originators.

The biggest difference between the 2 bands is probably the lyrics, from a tough guy/violent stance to a more introspective and Krishna-oriented view, most likely due to Kev's incarceration, which definitely can add other perspectives in someone's life.

Lord Of Wrath was first released as a 2-song EP in '95 by a label that later sellout to mainstream music, then in '96 the German label Gain Ground released the full output of TERROR ZONE, including those 2 songs, under the name Self Realization: A True Lesson In Hard Core which kicks off with a powerful mean intro. Too bad they only pulled off 5 songs before breaking up.

These bands are probably not new to many folks out there as they have a certain following, for download I got my hands on the best rips available. The Bulldoze 7" tracks sounds way different from the discography CD version, it's faster and more raw. 

 

DOWNLOAD these:

Terror Zone - Self Realization.. CD (Gain Ground, 1996)

Bulldoze - Remember Who's Strong 7" (Hardway, 1994)

FACE FIRST - Demo II

Location: Boston, USA

Release: Self-Released, 2021

Age of Quarantine, day # 320 - First real post of 2021, starting the year with ya FACE FIRST! Whatever this year brings us, give 'em thrash, at least is what these dudes are doing, barely the year began and they've dropped this nuke, their second demo with 6 face-ripping tracks.

First demo came out 4 years ago so they got room to grow and this is what they did, the sound now is undeniably more tight with plenty of neck-breaking riffs and mosh parts to step in, time to face the blade! 

DOWNLOAD

ALL THINGS OLD SCHOOL AWARDS - The Best of 2020

Later than usual The 2020 All Things Old School Awards is here (despite what was said in 2019) highlighting the best in hardcore, punk and thrash. I will skip the part where I'd comment what a lousy this year was for a lot of people (me included) and go straight to music productions, which surprisingly didn't slow down and helped us cope through 2020.

First I'd like point out the increased (and needed) partake of women in the underground/DIY scene, they can be seeing not just holding the mic speaking their minds but also picking any instrument and hammering it down in any given style, after all this is not just boys fun.

In 2020, besides the usual newcomers arriving each year, a great deal of veteran bands put out something this year, both in metal and hardcore punk. The problem is most of them lack the excitement and criativity it once had, more suitable for diehard fans, these are some of the big names that didn't make the list: Terror, Subzero, Cro-Mags, D.I., No Redeeming Social Value, Stalag 13, Adolescents, The Spits, Cruel Hand, Testament, Buried Alive, Field Day... There was also these slick throwback compilations, featuring new tracks by a bunch of first-wave Oi!/Street-Punk bands released by Pirate Press.

The full list of some of the finest releases from Youth Crew to Crossover Thrash to Street Punk can be listened on another damn streaming playlist, tons of tracks were heard and filtered down to a minimun, even so it passed the 100th mark, check it to see if you slept on something:

All Things Old School is a webzine about the pioneers of raw, fast and aggro music and those who carry on this sonic force through the decades. A new decade just started and somehow this blog survived an entire one, inevitably it will cease to get updates eventually, thanks to the few (and proud) dozens who stood along all these years, stay safe!

RATED X - UNITED FRONT (Painkiller Records)

It goes without saying "I told you so" but T.Pimlott did it again and United Front was the album with the most rotations here this year and most likely in other boomboxes out there. It's as old school as you could possibly get, mosh for days in a brute and vibrant soundtrack back to back! Shouts to Heavy Discipline and their obliterating new LP also on Painkiller Records.

INSIGHT - REFLECTION (Mission Two Entertainment)

Technically a reissue but it also features 4 glorious new songs plus a few extras. Reflection was one of the biggest (positive) surprises of 2020, bringing back such a crucial band that was INSIGHT.

CHANGE - CLOSER STILL (React! Records)

LegitimateBros are 4ever! This supergroup brings the best from the 00's Youth Crew revival era while managing to keep Closer Still with a contemporary feel rather than just another copycat, the same goes for the Swedish in Speedway and their killer debut EP.

FUSE - THIS SEGREGATION WILL END (Quality Control HQ)

These girls (and guy) bust hard and they are here to stay! More and more asian countries like Singapore are offering new hardcore acts that are reaching ears all over the planet, now with FUSE they've put Lion City Hardcore on the map for good. The impressive "classic" sound of This Segregation Will End comes from their conjunct work with both Howard (Obstruct, Insist) and Killingsworth behind the soundboard, the result brings you back to the late 80's dirty streets of NY boosted with stomps of modern era hardcore and defiant lyrics.

CONQUEST FOR DEATH - A MAELSTROM OF RESENTMENT & REMORSE (Refuse Records)

Another welcome surprise from 2020, the multinational group CONQUEST FOR DEATH, led by Devon from What Happens Next? brings their trademarked infectious thrashcore back to the studio after a long hiatus with over a dozen new slabs of self-described "sporadic bursts of intense activity". On a close tie, the Hungarian in Crippled Fox represented the thrashcore nation at the highest level with their new LP In The Name Of Trash.

EXPOSURE - ATONEMENT (Street Survival Records)

Mannheim was the birthplace of one of the illest crossover albums out in 2020, EXPOSURE stepped up the ugly game by blending UK82 with Thrash/Death Metal, more than 2 years on the making, the Atonement!

THRASHWALL - THRASHWALL (Firecum Records)

Boombastic Thrash Metal heading your way straight outta Portugal, courtesy of THRASHWALL debuting at maximum outpout, I'm still trying to figure out how they got to this level right out of the gate, this album is the autobahn of Thrash, no speed limit!! For more Portuguese assault check Mindtaker.

ETERNAL CHAMPION - RAVENING IRON (No Remorse Records)

The moment the album starts you realize the 4 year wait was damn worth it, the prodigal son of Irong Age and Power Trip returns fully charged in Ravening Iron with 8 epic tracks of NWOTHM finest.

CUERO - CABEZABOTA (Mendeku Diskak)

Black Metal Skinheads baby, CUERO proved that more bands other than Battle Ruins can mix Metal and Oi! and come out with amazing results. This is a band you should pay a closer attention to in 2021!

*               SPECIAL MENTIONS             *

Big Laugh - Maniac Revision (11PM)

Honey - Nightmare Come To Life (Self-Released)

Peace Test - Uniform Repression (To Live A Lie)

Weight - Weight EP (The Essence)

Pillars Of Ivory - Genesis Demo Twenty-Twenty (Streets Of Hate)

Sanity Control - War On Life (Seeing Red)

Big Cheese - Punishment Park (Quality Control HQ)

Decimator - Alienist (Thrash Or Death)

Dregs - Built To Rot (Refuse)

Sand And Salt - Thrive! (Drone Attack)

  

BABYLON BREAKDOWN - A Decade Of All Things Old School Compilation

Age of Quarantine, day # 285 - Originally this was going to be out in march this year, marking the blog's 10th anniversary but honestly I didn't feel it was appropriate to celebrate anything, specially with the very sad and disturbing Floyd episode that followed... yet it seems we're gonna keep livin' with the virus for a while, for better or for worse.

We have here a non-profit digital compilation of worldwide Hardcore Punk bands playing original Reggae/Dub songs, no covers! Either they are full reggae tunes from start to finish, or they mutate during the course of the song(*). I've been collecting these since 2017 and with the help of a few collaborators the result exceeded my expection in quantity but not in quality, for that reason I made 2 compilations so-to-speak:

I - The one on SPOTIFY has nearly all the songs that matched that criteria(*) but I felt some of those are more messing around rather than paying tribute or simply because it may sound out of context if heard outside the album, for example the Warzone and Minor Threat's tracks (asshole dub? com'on).

II - For DOWNLOAD we have what I believe are the best ones, some bands doing really cool "outro" Dub songs others incorporating partially the Jamaican rhythm in their compositions, during breakdowns or intros. Note: some of these are not available on spotify.

Tracklist:

A Side "Rasta-Core"

1. BAD BRAINS - Coming In Numbers

2. UNDERDOG - No Matter What

3. VIGILANTE - Society Dub

4. CHANGE - Beyond

5. REAL REGGAE - Real Jamaique

6. REAL REGGAE - Slam Rastaman

7. DON'T SLEEP - The Wreckage

8. HOGAN'S HEROES - Dread or Alive

9. COLD WORLD - Whagwan (feat Warrior Queen)

10. FIREBURN - Jah Jah Children

11. NAUSEA - Sacrifice

12. CATHARSIS - Deserts Without Mirages

13. ACID REFLUX - Not Another Day

14. CHUCK TREECE & MCRAD - Roar Pon Dem (feat M. Mills, Kam Houff & Darryl Jenifer)

B Side "Skunkin' Mosh"

15. AGATHOCLES - God Save The Real Green

16. AGRESSIVO PAU PODI - Eu Sei Que Você Vai Querer

17. OUTFACE - Petals

18. PLAID RETINA - One Step Back

19. MON DRAGON - Benedicte Douglas

20. MURPHY'S LAW - Blazing Chalice

21. ROGER MIRET & DISASTERS - We're Gonna Find a Way (Dub Remix)

22. BAD REACTION - Murder In Jamaica

23. SOUL DISCHARGE - Karma/Failure Is Steppin' Stone

24. SUBHUMANS - Fade Away

25. FALSE JUSTICE - Fight The Fight

26. SECRET HATE - The Ballad Of Johnny Butt

27. SUBLIME with H.R. - Shame In Dem Game (Live)

28. LAWNMOWER DETH - Seventh Church of the Apocalyptic Lawnmower (Skank Mix)

Bonus Jam: BAD BRAINS - What Remains (Darryl Jenifer Dub Mix)

  I made this purely out of fun, trying to show that with an open mind we can enjoy other cultures and beliefs focusing on what they have the best to offer, of course there is the cultural appropriation to consider (like it was mentioned in this great NO ECHO article) but in any mean I was trying to show disrespect to the rastafarian devotees by making this compilation, quite the opposite.

DOWNLOAD

(excert from White Riot: Punk Rock and The Politics Of Race)

Like it was said earlier not every single Hardcore/Punk "influenced reggae" song is here, not to mention all Bad Brains skunky jams. For a more comprehensive list visit this page. A big shout out to TwinPowerForce (discogs user) and Soul Discharge for sending their track for this!! Don't see your favorite punk reggae tune here? Drop me a line and I will add it on that playlist, peace!

FORCED NEGLECT - Double EP Tape

Location: Alabama, USA

Release: Self-Released, 2020

Age of Quarantine, day # 281 - Narrowing down to the last posts of the year. For now we have FORCED NEGLECT and their double feature cassete tape comprised of two excellent EPs The Poison Of The Fang, released earlier this year and the 2019's Need To Feed. Expect merciless crossover metallic hardcore, back to back.

The cassette was very limited and put out for a good cause but this sure could get a vinyl treatment.

DOWNLOAD

EXPOSURE - Atonement

Location: Mannheim, Deutschland

Release: Street Survival Records, 2020

Age Of Quarantine, day # 272 - A highly antecipated record here at the AllThingsOldSchool's HQ, German EXPOSURE finally presents their debut full-length, exceeding all expectations I must say.

Is it thrash metal tinged stenchcore or the other way around? Sodom meets Discharge and Clevo HC? Truth being said they got a bunch of ugly influences and created a gnarly monster hungry for mosh that is the Atonement LP with a production quality not unlike of those found on Earache Records or Relapse releases. Better than that they kept it legit and chose Street Survival as the label to go, real recognize real!

PRE-ORDER 12"

DOWNLOAD

GET A GRIP - United Fight

Location: Arizona, US

Release: Criminal Records, 2020

Artwork: Gera Vega

Age of Quarantine, day # 259  - In fucked up times like this one, mankind reveals their raw nature, their best and their worst. GET A GRIP use all of that to spit venom and call-to-action in their new EP UNITED FIGHT!

Their inciting formula of thrashy skatepunk has reached its finest moment here, fierce music to match provoking lyrics! A few months prior to this they also put out a Promo Tape with 3 new exclusive songs that were left out of the 12".

DOWNLOAD [EP + Promo]