Shadowtalkers

  By Ryan Germ Scotty D’s List Every Time I Die - Gutter Phenomenon: This has been on so many top 5’s of mine and always will take the cake. ETID is one of the best hardcore bands and this record is just pure perfection. Its a party record through and through from one of the most rock n roll hardcore bands. I’ll say it anytime they are brought up; no one blends southern rock riffs with punk and hardcore the way ETID does and no one ever will again. Comeback Kid - Turn it around: This is the one where I first heard of Comeback Kid and it really set the stage for what was to come on Wake The Dead. From the opener “All in a Year” to the closer “Lorelei” there isnt a second of this record that is boring or unexciting. The album art too is so eye catching you cannot help but pick it up to see what Comeback Kid is all about. The Scott Wade era is unmatched by the rest of their discography. Lifetime - S/T: New Jersey’s undisputed champions of melodic hardcore came back in 2007 to FINALLY ...

By Ryan Germ, Photo by Charlotte’s Sister This interview has been a long time coming and has been one of the ones I wanted to do since I started Shadowtalkers. You may know my guest for her quest to find her moms demo but she’s also a killer writer, photographer, and artist. None other than Charlotte of Through Our Eyes. So without any further ado let’s get into this interview Shadowtalkers: Why are you into hardcore?  Charlotte:   I’m gonna quote the back of this tee shirt I’m wearing right now. “Definitions miss the point. Hardcore will always be more than music”. Hardcore, and Straightedge subsequently, is it’s own self sufficient community outside of major record deal bullshit, Independent from corporate sound, and alienated from mall-advertisement delusion of what big business thinks kids ‘oughta be doing’ with their time. I got into hardcore because for once, the words meant something to me. I’ve listened to music my entire life, a lot of it good, some of it great, but a...

  By Ryan Germ Let me set the scene. I was chilling with my little brother on the couch just showing him a bunch of random HC tracks across all eras and subgenres. I turned to him and asked “wanna hear the song that got me into hardcore?” and he responded with a simple “sure”. I threw it on, and it was the song Gator Smash by Kids Like Us. He immediately took a liking to it just like I did when I was around his age… and at that moment inspiration for an album spotlight hit me like a train. So today I’m gonna spotlight the record that got me into heavier hardcore (and one of my favorite straight edge records of all time): Kids Like Us’ Eulogy Records debut, Outta Control. The title track kicks us off with heavy feedback, a Coke can cracking, heavy drumming on the toms over a thick breakdown, all topped off with a tasty ass riff. The first lyrics spoken on the record are a bold declaration. “We’re outta control, we’re outta our minds/breaking bottles busting glass hellbent and hog wi...

  By Ryan Germ Remember in the Tiefighter article when I briefly mentioned my love of Fight Fair? Well it’s time, it’s time, it’s   Vader time for an album spotlight of their classic debut full length, Settle The Score. I’m excited to talk about this record so without any further ado let’s hop right into this spotlight. Track 1, Game On kicks off the record with poppy, sunny melodies. It’s fast, overwhelmingly happy, and catchy as fuck. It blends hardcore instrumentals with vocals that you would find in a boy band more than anything. It switches gears in the final 30 seconds with the most 2008 breakdown. Granted it’s still super fun, and the breakdown adds a lot to the charm. I enjoy it quite a lot and it’s probably the best sampler for what’s to come in this record. The song Brain Freeze is also a summer anthem. The melodies are just as fun as the last, and the lyrics remind me of good times on the beach with the chorus confidently stating “We just wanna have some fun/We’re s...

  By Ryan Germ In Philadelphia Hardcore (and hardcore in general if we are being honest), there are few names as legendary as Bob Wilson. From being an absolute mad man on stage with Let Down and Mother Of Mercy, to booking countless shows in both PA and FL including the Rebirth Records Showcase and FYA respectively, and to putting out tons of records with Rebirth Records, there are few people who embody hardcore like he does. Recently I’ve had the pleasure of being able to interview him about everything I just mentioned and more. So without anymore stalling lets get right into it. Shadowtalkers: Let’s go way back, why are you into hardcore? Bob Wilson: I was a kid with a lot of anger and depression issues and didn't know where to direct it and it's the first thing I found that made sense. I had previously liked what I thought was heavy shit and when I first heard hardcore everything clicked and it made the other stuff look pathetic in comparison, which is why things like kids ...