Hardcore Punk
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the hardcore punk music genre.
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Minutemen – “The Punch Line” (1981)
I was already prepared to say “too much hardcore, not enough post-hardcore” after listening to What Makes a Man Start Fires?, which is significant because I’m a big fan of one and care little for the other. No points for guessing which. I don’t hate The Punch Line. I just don’t care about (almost) any… (read more)
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Mission of Burma – “Forget” (1987)
Forget is a collection of pre-Vs. Mission of Burma demos. Raw and unrefined, yet appropriately so, making further evident Mission of Burma’s roots in punk, specifically of the hardcore variety. The average song tempo here is much faster than most anything on Vs. (think “How I Escaped My Certain Fate”), and vocals adopt the common hardcore… (read more)
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Refused – “Operation Headfirst” (1992)
Operation Headfirst, the second EP from Refused, sees them increasingly branch away from traditional hardcore punk. Dynamic tempos are introduced where the band deigns to slow down, and the influence of metalcore can clearly be heard on the shredding solo of “Who Died?” In general, this is better than their first, self-titled EP, but there’s… (read more)
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Refused – “Refused” (1992)
Refused’s debut, self-titled EP shows little of their experimentation that would lead the band to widespread recognition. Refused is structurally traditional hardcore punk, but the catchiness of every single song shows that Refused probably spent a lot of time developing them. The guitar, as always, straddles the line between hardcore and metalcore, and the bass… (read more)
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Refused – “Everlasting” (1995)
The Everlasting EP shows Refused progressing into metalcore. Vocalist Dennis Lyxzén sounds as classic punk as ever, but the guitar work is thicker and heavier. Refused become almost entirely metalcore here, yet mixed with recognizable post-hardcore flair. Ultimately, however, these song structures are some of Refused’s most straightforward and make Everlasting fairly repetitive. Just listen… (read more)
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John Zorn – “Naked City” (1990)
A general issue I have with genre-blending experiments is that they usually don’t deliver on their premise. John Zorn’s Naked City rarely does either, usually alternating between its jazz and grindcore instead of truly melding them into a uniform sound. Without that, this is just two separate genres on one album; a novel collaboration, but… (read more)
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Black Flag – “Damaged”
On Damaged, Greg Ginn is one of the best punk guitarists I’ve ever heard. His semi-droning buzzsaw riffs are sharp enough to probably grind through metal if played at a high enough volume. Sadly, their edge is dulled by Henry Rollins’ dumb meathead lisp. He’s like the Rocky Balboa of vocalists, but at least Rocky… (read more)