Top 5 Thursday #8: Top 5 00’s HC Records

 

By Ryan Germ
Scotty D’s List

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Lifetime - S/T: New Jersey’s undisputed champions of melodic hardcore came back in 2007 to FINALLY follow up their masterpiece “Jersey’s Best Dancers” with a self titled record that proved to us all these dudes DO NOT miss. Its twice as catchy, just as if not more fun, and STILL holds up all these years later. They went a little poppier on this one but it isn’t quite “pop punk” as much as it is a natural evolution from JBD. There are so few bands that I can say haven’t released a bad record and Lifetime is at the top of that list.
4. Gallows – Orchestra of Wolves: Another band that changed frontmen and, in my humble opinion, lost what made me love them. Gallows made a pure straight forward hardcore punk classic with this one, for a record from 2006 to still sound so damn fresh is so rare but if a band dropped this today I’d still be beyond impressed. Every punk band out there should throw this one on and take fucking notes.
5. American Nightmare - Background Music: A bonafide banger that is undeniable as one of the best hardcore records of the 00’s. Its hard, loud, fast, and aggressive to a point that all these years later and listening to it brings me back to my teenage years and I can feel that same angst I had and how I felt over 20 years ago. Hardcore punk perfection at its finest.

Ryan Germ’s List:

Kickback - Les 150 Passions Meurtrières: It’s been a minute since I heard this record but I went back to see if it made the cut. I forgot how much more evil it was compared to Forever War. This makes Forever War look like it’s The Ramones or some shit like that. It’s hard, the lyrics are really disturbing, and it’s probably their crown jewel. 

Eighteen Visions - Vanity: Fashioncore at its best. Melodic, heavy, fun. God do I love this record. It brings the best of their previous work whilst also making it melodic without getting into “sellout” territory. The riffs are very rhythmic, the drumming is super tight, the vocals are melodic AND harsh at the same exact time, and all together this feels like their most complete record. Easy highlight of the era for me.

Mother Of Mercy - III: Bob sounds insane on this record. The intensity in his vocal style is unmatched, The riffs are some of the best in late 00’s crossover (only band that comes close is Municipal Waste), the drum parts are creative and groovy as fuck, and the mosh parts are some of the best. Easily one of the best PAHC releases of all time only rivaled by the likes of Kid Dynamite, Blacklisted, and Ink & Dagger.

Kids Like Us - Outta Control: If You’ve seen my Spotlight on this record you’d know I have a soft spot for it. The closer Gator Smash brought me into hardcore and it keeps me coming back. The rest of the record is short, fast, angry, loud, and riffy as shit. Just as punk was meant to be. The metallic elements are minimal but prevalent enough to make the breakdowns work in a heavy way. This record was obviously a shoe in for this list.

Pig Destroyer - PITY: Yes, it’s grind. But the mosh parts are undoubtedly influenced by hardcore and they’ve played multiple HC shows. The record has a great variety of moshy sludge for throwing down and fast grind with 2 step parts. JR’s voice is fucking crazy on this record as he screams like the goddamn Devil himself, the riffs are amazing (if you haven’t listened to that Trojan Whore riff do it now), and the drumming is raw and unpolished. The way this is produced is so bad that it feels like you’re inside a slaughterhouse which adds to the unease it brings. It’s an easy favorite.