Shadowtalkers

  By Ryan Germ Suicide Eyes is going to be this generations American Nightmare. There, I said it. If you know me I’ve been saying this since I first heard their demo but now that they released an LP I finally feel like I can say this and state my point clearly. I’ve seen Suicide Eyes more times than I’ve seen any band in 2025, probably more than I’ve seen my own dad’s band that year and spun this record a solid 10-15 times on its release week and let me tell you it’s for a damn good reason. Don’t believe me? That’s fine because we are about to dive into their debut record, The Love Is Gone. The first track Misery Loves Company opens with feedback before immediately slamming you with a groovy 2 step part on the toms which you know I’m a sucker for and emotional screams from vocalist Ben Stuckey. It then transitions into a standard fast part for a little while before switching onto the ride for the second half of the fast part before going half time on the crash giving a stompy feeli...

By Ryan Germ and Scott Danshaw   2025 is over! From Scotty and me we mean it from the bottom of our hearts when we say happy new year to all of you, and THANK YOU ALL for the support given to us in the past month and a half since we started Shadowtalkers, it means so much and there’s going to be more to come in 2026.   Anyways there was music that came out in 2025, and just like our personal experiences there was some good and some bad. But we could sit here and bitch and moan about the shit records or celebrate our favorites on this Thursday. We chose the latter. So without further ado let’s get into our picks for our 5 favorite albums of 2025. Scotty D’s List (Honorable mention; MEMBRAINS - stoner punks from hell ep)  Mickey Avalon - Postcards from Hell: Big return to form for Mickey Ave. This record is filled with what fans have come to expect from Mickey. It’s crude & crass rhymes over some insanely danceable beats who could hate that? It’s a fun listen so definit...

By Ryan Germ and Scott Danshaw   The 90’s. Definitely THE most diverse time period in hardcore. You had bands pioneering beatdown like Kickback and Bulldoze, bands in the youth crew revival like Ten Yard Fight and Floorpunch, bands laying the base for the melodic hardcore style that would become prevalent in the 00’s like Kid Dynamite and Bane, and bands doing whatever the fuck like Ink & Dagger and Refused. What records did we pick from this era? Well that’s what you’re here for so without further ado here’s our top 5 90’s HC records. Scotty D’s List: Refused - The Shape of Punk To Come: This is hands down the most important punk/hardcore record ever. Such a major step forward creatively for Refused and a major departure from the more straightforward hardcore on their earlier records. Incorporating techno samples and interludes they took what Ink & Dagger started exploring on their self titled record and expanded on it. No other record has done as much for pushing punk to ...

  Written by Ryan Germ and Scott Danshaw This week for Top 5 Thursday we’re answering the age old question of what our favorite metalcore records are. That’s all I have for a witty opening this week so let’s jump into our lists. Scotty D’s Top 5 metalcore records  Everytime I Die - Gutter Phenomenon: This record is front to back some of the most killer riffs in all of hardcore. Before Every Time I Die hit my radar I never thought hardcore could incorporate southern rock riffs and lyrics so “sleaze rock” it makes you wanna party on the sunset strip all night long, after hearing this record that’s all I wanted in hardcore.  Atreyu -    Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses: Before you criticize hear me out; this band brought metalcore to the mainstream with this album and their follow up, The Curse. Between the breakdowns, metal guitar riffs, thundering double bass, with both harsh and clean melodic vocals they changed metalcore & pioneered “screamo” for the earl...

Written by Ryan Germ Starting in late 2024 XBONGX is a band hailing from Providence, RI that I can’t really describe beyond being a very promising Mathcore/Metalcore outfit that’s blowing up quicker than Squidward in that one scene of SpongeBob. Their bio on streaming proclaims themselves as “401 METALLIC WEED MOSH” prior to this split they released a demo just days after their first show and a record entitled RESIN in June. Starting off with their side of the split is a song called Pharaoh, and within 10 seconds you get greeted with harsh vocals and panic chords, with drums that feel like they’re kneeing you in the face before they let up for a moment only to punch you even harder, to wrap up track one there’s a nasty breakdown before leading into track 2: Ignite. Now this one comes out of the gate swinging giving major Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza vibes before leading into a heavy breakdown with gang vocals and a brutal guttural that make it pop. Finally a semi melodic lead comes...