MURPHY'S LAW @ KINGSLAND, BROOKLYN, NY OCTOBER 31, 2018. PHOTO BY: TIM DALEY

Each year since 2012 I  have written a summary of what I experienced within the hardcore punk world in that particular year and here we go with a 7th edition. As probably stated in most of the previous entries this is what I saw from an In Effect Hardcore perspective. Overall I saw some great things in 2018 that helped solidify my faith in a music that I have been listening to for well over 30 years. From great new releases by veteran bands to up and comers putting out their first music. We were lucky enough to catch Japan’s SEPPUJU PISTOLS at the Punk Island Fest in June, saw SICK OF IT ALL on a fucking boat cruising around Lower Manhattan, saw a scene unite to help one of our own as Jimmy G from MURPHY’S LAW got laid up in a hospital for a while and then later attended a huge benefit show that was held in Tompkins Square Park in September to help him with his finances. Many of us got to see the original MISFITS at a 19,000 seat arena in New Jersey… and oh by the way… Harley Flanagan, Murphy’s Law and Suicidal Tendencies opened that one up! We also saw a full length film telling the stories of AGNOSTIC FRONT's Roger Miret and Vinnie Stigma make its debut on the Showtime Network which reaches approximately 30 million homes within the USA. Long running festivals and annual events that cater to the hardcore punk scene helped keep the scene’s momentum flowing. THIS IS HARDCORE, IEPER FEST, UNITED BLOOD, THE SOUND OF REVOLUTION, BLACK ‘N BLUE BOWL, FYA FEST, SOUND & FURY, PUNK ISLAND NYC and the many others out there… we respect and appreciate your hard work!  In 2018 we saw the mighty 7 SECONDS call it a career and we unfortunately saw the way too early passings of the highly influential Steve Soto from the Adolescents, Kenny Ahrens from the OG edition of Urban Waste and NYHC icon Todd “Youth” Schofield. REST IN PEACE!

 

There is no off-season for hardcore as 2019 is already shaping up as bands like NO REDEEMING SOCIAL VALUE, POINT BREAK, ACTIVATE, TORSO, TOUCH, ANTAGONIZE, BRICK BY BRICK , THIS MEANS WAR, AMERICAN WAR MACHINE, DON’T SLEEP, RYKERS, and SLASHERS gear up for new releases in early 2019.

 

As we sign off on another year I would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who helps make this website what it is. Every writer, photographer, graphics person, people who put me in touch with bands I can’t reach, people who regularly visit this site without being prodded by a social media update, those who hit like buttons and share posts on our social media pages, people who put up our stickers, people who send in pictures of our stickers, and anyone who supports us in any way. I do this site with love for this music scene, make zero dollars from doing it, have probably logged thousands of hours doing it and have lost thousands of dollars along the way promoting its existence. I try my best to be as respectful and humble about the whole thing as possible and really appreciate those “Hey man, thanks for doing what you do” comments I get when I meet people at a show or on the street or wherever.  Till next time, see ‘ya in 2019!  –CW December, 2018 

GRAPHICS BY: BAS SPIERINGS & JOHN FRANKO 

 

HARDCORE 2018 COLLAGE BY JOHN FRANKO WITH PHOTOS BY:

RICH ZOELLER, DANIELLE DOMBROWSKI, JC PHOTO MEDIA, KEN BUGLIONE, STEVEN J. MESSINA, TIM DALEY, KUCKUCK ARTWORKS, GRAY MUNCY, MICHELLE MENONA, & MICHELLE OLYA ORTEGA  

 

SICK OF IT ALL @ MELKWEG, AMSTERDAMN, NL AUGUST 26, 2018. PHOTO BY: SILVY MAATMAN

2018 saw SICK OF IT ALL add on to their already legendary status with the release of their 12th full length album titled "Wake The Sleeping Dragon". Released on November 2nd on Fat Wreck-Chords the 17 song effort got immediate praise from all corners of the hardcore scene and beyond. Bassist Craig Setari went as far as to say "I think it's the best full length we have ever done" when asked if he thought if this new record was better than 2014's "The Last Act Of Defiance". True to the Sick Of It All way they were out on the road a little over a week after the albums release by doing a 5 date run in France. The fact that the video for "That Crazy White Boy Shit" is already over 100k views a little over a month after being released is proof of this bands global reach. Despite spending a chunk of 2018 writing and recording the new album SOIA were able to get out on the road hitting festivals in the US, Canada and Europe like Mighty Sounds, Camp Punk In Drublic, Resurrection Fest, Neuborn Open Air, 77 Montreal, Summer Breeze, Reload Fest, Rock Maraton, Port Fest, Darkness Day and Ruhrpott Rodeo in Berlin. They did a 2 week West Coast US run with Murphy's Law in early June, Canada in July with Suicidal Tendencies, and European runs in both July and August. They also played on a boat that went around the New York City Harbor on September 22nd. And there is no let up with 2019 dates already announced starting with the headlining spot on the 2019 Persistence Tour in Europe starting January 17th and a Spain run with Good Riddance in April. With 32 plus years already in the books Sick Of It All show time and time again that they are the iron men of their chosen sport with no end in sight. 

 

AGNOSTIC FRONT @ BLACK 'N BLUE BOWL, BROOKLYN, NY  MAY 21, 2018. PHOTO BY: RICH ZOELLER

MADBALL @WARSAW, BROOKLYN, NY NOVEMBER 2, 2018. PHOTO BY: RICH ZOELLER

The biggest news for MADBALL in the year 2018 was the release of their 9th album "For The Cause" which came out on June 15th on Nuclear Blast Records. Shortly before they started recording for their new album they parted ways with their long time guitarist Brian "Mitts" Daniels. Matt Henderson who played guitar for Madball for most of the 1990's was asked to rejoin the band for the studio recording of this new album. Teaming up with Rancid's Tim Armstrong in Los Angeles for production duties proved to be a good move as Tim's knowledge of Madball's previous catalog helped capture the sound they were known for. In addition Tim proved to be more than a producer appearing on the track "The Fog" which pushes the boundaries of Madball's core sound. Madball took some chances on this album, broadening their sound while still delivering what their fans have come to expect since the release of their debut album "Set It Off" in 1994. Rap icon and star of television and movies Ice-T makes a guest appearance on the track "Evil Ways". Multiple lyric videos, interviews and trailers were pushed out on social media leading up to the album’s release, and full blown videos for "The Fog", "Rev Up" and "Freight Train" were released close to and after the album’s release. In short; Madball and their label believed in this album and the work put in paid dividends for the band and their fans across the globe. In a June interview with Madball's Freddy Cricien he told us "We're in a good spot and we're having good forward momentum, especially considering it's our 9th record. Things are looking up but we can't be too complacent or comfortable- even when you've earned a lot of people's respect, you have to keep it. Then you have to go earn more people's respect". To no ones surprise  Madball toured their asses off in 2018 zig zagging around the US and Europe pre-album release and after with Richmond VA's United Blood Fest, NYC's Black 'N Blue Bowl, opening for Cypress Hill in Brooklyn and the Persistence Tour with Hatebreed, Terror and Power Trip being just a couple of the standouts in a very busy year.

 

FIREBURN: TODD YOUTH (RIP) WITH JIMMY G @ BROOKLYN BAZAAR. PHOTO BY: PETE GREGORY

TERROR @ CONNE ISLAND LEIPZIG, GERMANY NOVEMBER 30, 2018. PHOTO BY: KUCKUCK ARTWORKS

As noted by In Effect's Mike Scondotto TERROR stand alongside Agnostic Front, Sick Of It All and Madball as arguably one of the biggest names in American hardcore. They got there through consistent touring and releasing albums on an average of about once every 2 years. 2018 saw their 7th album "Total Retaliation" come out in September with 13 new songs to go off to. Videos for "In Spite Of These Times/One More Enemy",  "This World Never Wanted Me" and "Spirit Of Sacrifice" help spread the word to those looking for real deal hardcore. Their touring schedule within the USA is unmatched for a band of their popularity. They set out with Kentucky's Knocked Loose on February 28th for a tour that ran all over the US through April 1st and then went out again on the US leg of their "Total Retaliation Invasion" tour from September 28th through October 16th with Harms Way, Backtrack, Year Of The Knife, and Candy. The summer months saw them return to Europe and as this is being written they are back in Europe on the European run of the "Total Retaliation Invasion" with Deez Nuts, Backtrack and Risk It! Going back to January we can't forget their 11 date run with Hatebreed, Madball and Power Trip as part of the 2018 Persistence Tour in Europe. With all this going on their singer Scott Vogel still found time to help put out a DIY fanzine called Pressure Drop as well. Terror has been at this now since 2002 and nothing seems to slow them down, whether it’s a lineup change or the disc problems Scott had in his back in 2015 that made him miss a tour. They are simply machine like. 2019 plans are well underway in camp Terror with an appearance at the FYA Fest in Florida in January, followed by an Australian tour with Stick To Your Guns (also in January), April East Coast dates with Hatebreed, Obituary and Cro-Mags and then South America in May.

 

PHOTO BY: GRAY MUNCY @ RBC, DALLAS, TEXAS MARCH 8, 2018  DURING TERROR'S SET

TURNSTILE @ JZ RIOT LICHTENSTEIN, GERMANY JUNE 26, 2018. PHOTO BY: KUCKUCK ARTWORKS

TURNSTILE's second full length album... "Time & Space" was their major label debut coming out on Roadrunner Records on February 23rd. In their 8 years as a band they have had only 1 lineup change and their cohesiveness as a band shows as they have gotten bolder and more creative with their songwriting over that time. They stretch the boundaries of what hardcore music should sound like doing things their way and essentially becoming the leaders of a younger generation of a new school of hardcore. For those who may tune them out cause everything they do is not straight up traditional hardcore... you are cheating yourselves out of some great music. They have songs with keyboards, synchronized clapping, an interlude that my kid calls "the alien song", and others like "Moon" that could possibly make a nice radio hit. With all that said Turnstile still have a hardcore feel to them while injecting these new ideas. The 4 videos they released for this new album "Real Thing", "Moon", "Bomb/ I Don't Wanna Be Blind", and "Disco/Time & Space"  have well over 1 million combined views this year. Now think about that reach in a hardcore punk context. Simply amazing. They toured all over the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia in 2018 and their reach just keeps growing. A hyped band that lives up to the billing and hopefully one that will be around with these fresh ideas for years to come.

 

KILLING TIME @ TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK, NYC SEPTEMBER 29, 2018. PHOTO BY: JC PHOTO MEDIA

WISDOM IN CHAINS HAMMELBURG, GERMANY IN LATE 2017.  PHOTO BY: KUCKUCK ARTWORKS

On July 20th Pennsylvania's WISDOM IN CHAINS released their 7th full length album which is titled "Nothing In Nature Respects Weakness". The album contains 13 songs and clocks in at 40 minutes in length which is considerably long compared to many of the releases that came in for review this year. "Nothing In Nature..." continues on with WIC's heavy groove laden style with thought provoking lyrics and in our opinion is their best work to date. A nicely done video shot on the streets of Philadelphia for "Already Dead" was released to coincide with the albums release. East Coast US dates were sporadic in 2018 with their annual appearance at Philadelphia's This Is Hardcore Fest being the most notable of the bunch. A 2 plus week tour of Europe in early August saw them play Tells Bells as well as Belgium's renowned Ieper Fest. In a June interview we did with their guitarist Richie Mancuso he hinted at the end of the band being close saying "The rewards just aren't there for the amount of work put in" and "I think the end is very near". Fortunately for fans of Wisdom In Chains nothing has materialized from these statements as the band carries on towards 2019.

 

PHOTO BY: KUCKUCK ARTWORKS @ CONNE ISLAND, LEIPZIG, GERMANY DURING TERROR'S SET

REGULATE @ AMITYVILLE MUSIC HALL, AMITYVILLE, NY. NOVEMBER 24, 2018.  PHOTO BY: RICH ZOELLER

In addition to the more established bands that we just touched on 2018 definitely had its share of younger bands coming into their own as well with some having been around a while and some just releasing their first music. Two bands that particularly stood out were REGULATE with their "In The Promise Of Another Tomorrow" 11 song full length that came out in July and MINDFORCE with "Excalibur" which has 10 songs and came out in November. Both bands have been around a few years now and from these two great releases it's apparent that their time is now. HANGMAN and COMBUST are two more NY area bands that are right there as well. Hangman having released their "A Vile Decree" EP in November of 2017 continued to play out a ton to support it while Combust had a coming out of sorts by opening a huge benefit show for Jimmy G of Murphy's Law in NYC's Tompkins Square Park on September 29th. More names on the rise in 2018 included FENCE CUTTER (NJ), THE FIGHT (NY), SCARBORO (NY), WORLD DEMISE (NJ), POINT BREAK (AZ), DYING FOR IT (CA), KIND! CREW (MA), ANTAGONIZE (MA), PUMMEL (MA), GLOVES OFF, (PA) FIXATION (PA), RAW BRIGADE (COLOMBIA), RESTRAINING ORDER (MA), GOOD TOUCH (WA) and NYC's CRAZY EDDIE.

 

COMBUST @ TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK, NYC SEPTEMBER 29, 2018. PHOTO BY: RICH ZOELLER

OUTBURST @ BROOKLYN BAZAAR, NYC OCTOBER 28, 2018. PHOTO BY: DANIELLE DOMBROWSKI

2018 ALBUM/EP COVERS

AGNOSTIC FRONT'S VINNIE STIGMA!. 63 YEARS YOUNG AND STILL AT IT WITH AF! 

PHOTO BY: STEVEN J. MESSINA ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2018 IN QUEENS, NY

A good hardcore punk video usually captures the band in a high energy live performance with fans going batshit crazy to the song. Over the years bands have gotten creative with taking that simple idea and expanding on it while sticking to a DIY budget. To me 2018 was a great year for music videos... the best that I can remember. Here are our favorites from 2018 that we came across in no particular order. 

 

WISDOM IN CHAINS "ALREADY DEAD"

IRON REAGAN "PATRONIZER"
TURNSTILE "DISCO/TIME & SPACE"
THIS MEANS WAR "USE IT UP"
GLOVES OFF "ROANOKE" 
MADBALL "REV UP"
MADBALL "THE FOG"
SICK OF IT ALL "THAT CRAZY WHITE BOY SHIT"
EGO DESTROYS "GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS"
NIGHT BIRDS "MY DAD IS THE BTK"
LUICIDAL "
INSTITUCIONALIZADO"
TERROR "THIS WORLD NEVER WANTED ME"
TERROR "SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE"
BYSTANDER "BYSTANDER"

SUPERHERO STATUS "FAST LIFE"
GOOD TOUCH "ONE HUNDRED YEARS"
POINT BREAK "POINT BREAK"
BERTHOLD CITY "MOMENT OF TRUTH"
STAND "SILENCE"

SILENCE EQUALS DEATH “PLAGUE”

BORN FROM PAIN “ANTITOWN”

2018 FLYERS

 

CROWD @ NYC'S TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2018 DURING BENEFIT SHOW

FOR JIMMY G OF MURPHY'S LAW. PHOTO BY: RICH ZOELLER

The fictitious In Effect  Mixtape is back featuring 35 bands and is listed with no rhyme or reason to it's order. 

KING NINE "PARADISE"
SHEER TERROR "THE MOONS GONE OUT"
OUT LIVE DEATH "WE AIN'T DEAD YET"
BERTHOLD CITY "MOMENT OF TRUTH"
BY THE GRACE OF GOD "(DROWNING IN) WHITE TIDES"
NATIONS AFIRE "I'M A BRICK IN THE OCEAN"
FIREBURN "SHINE"
TURNSTILE "GENERATOR"
ANTAGONIZE "LAND OF DREAMS" 
DYING FOR IT "SIMCHA" 
SUPERHERO STATUS "THOSE DAYS"
CRAZY EDDIE "RUNNIN"
MINDFORCE "EXCALIBUR"
SICK OF IT ALL "ALWAYS WITH US"
LUICIDAL "TEARS OF A PSYCHO CLOWN"
POINT BREAK "POINT BREAK"
PUMMEL "26"
SCARBORO "FIGHT TO LIVE" 
BETTER DAYS "INTRO/RED SCORPION"
NIGHT BIRDS " THE DAY I BEAT MY BRAIN"
GLOVES OFF "ROANOKE" 
REGULATE "MINDCRIME"
RAW BRIGADE "STOMP/KICKING YOUR FACE" 
FIXATION "PLAY ALONG"
THE F/A "LAST MAN STANDING" 
TIME & PRESSURE "THIS IS NOT AN EXIT" 
RESTRAINING ORDER "POINTING AT THE MIRROR" 
WISDOM IN CHAINS "ALREADY DEAD"
FENCE CUTTER "TRACKSIDE" 
OLDE TIGERS "CODO YOPA"
SLAPSHOT "HYPOCRITE" 
BLIND JUSTICE "CAST YOU OUT" 
RAZOR BLADE HAND GRENADE "NOT FEELING TIME"
MADBALL "OLD FASHIONED"
TERROR "THIS WORLD NEVER WANTED ME"

 

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT A SPOTIFY VERSION OF THIS MIXTAPE BY DREW MAXEY 

 

STAGEDIVE AT THE RIDGLEA ROOM, FORT WORTH, TX  DURING TERROR'S SET OCTOBER 4, 2018

PHOTO BY: GRAY MUNCY

THIS IS HARDCORE FESTIVAL 2018 JULY 27TH, 28TH, 29TH AT THE ELECTRIC FACTORY, PHILADELPHIA, PA

ALL PHOTOS BY ANNE SPINA. USE TOOL BAR ON RIGHT TO VIEW FULL SCREEN 

THE SOUND OF REVOLITION FESTIVAL 2018 NOVEMBER 2ND & 3RD, EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS 

ALL PHOTOS BY DANIELLE DOMBROWSKI. USE TOOL BAR ON RIGHT TO VIEW FULL SCREEN

      2018 IN EFFECT INTERVIEWS & FEATURES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED