Hardcore Triple Threat

Earlier this week has been full of pleasant surprises for hardcore kids. Depending on who you are, February 15th is the national side piece day but this year it was Hardcore Tuesday Triple Threat. Check out the some of the latest music. From the Midwest to the South, check out some the latest releases from Ballista, Inclination and Strangle You.

Inclination- A Glimpse Through the Lens Ep

For as often as I listen the 2019 ep When Fear Turns to Confidence, I was filled with the perfect amount of ecstatic when my awareness caught wind that Inclination released their latest 2 song flexi, A Glimpse Through the Lens on multiple streaming platforms. My expectations for thought-provoking messages and personal triumphs were nothing short of what was blessing my ears. The Louisville/Chicago straight-edge band stands and delivers with style. Sonically, Inclination continues their own colossal sound with distinctive, metallic licks stands out as a fitting characteristic to the bands overall sound. Inclination is a band I sit and marinate on before I begin to write my opinion rather than rushing to share my thoughts.

Thoughts and Prayers is relatable to the current times as Tyler expresses his disgust and disdain for the lack of humility embedded in the relevant political parties. The song is straight-forward as they come as it begins with “Politician, can’t you answer? We’re dying in the gutters you offer us a prayer”. From the first bar alone, it is easy to pick on the direction of Thoughts and Prayers. It’s second nature to grasp onto the message that compels you to thrust your anger towards the American government with their lack of empathy, negligence and cruelty towards the lower class, “Scum sucking motherfucker you offer nothing but thoughts and prayers.”

A Decision is what I perceive to be a powerful and personal oath to an individual resulting from traumatic experience. When I was younger, I was always told at some point, you have to find something to believe in, something that you can put your faith in, something you can look up to and to hold on to through the darkest of times. It wasn’t until I was in my late 20’s when I finally realized why it’s important to have faith in something. It helps maintain the balance in an individual through growth in the maturation process. For Tyler, A Decision is an oath of straight edge. What makes this a powerful song is the not only what is said but the conviction and commitment behind the message is amplified. With the help of One Step Closer’s Ryan Savitski and Magnitude’s Russell Bussey, A Decision is the reiteration of the lifestyle they hold dear.

Tap the button below to check out Inclination’s A Glimpse Through the Lens

Catch Inclination at this year’s LDB FEST March 11-12

Strangle You - The Only Solution

I had the pleasure of watching Strangle You at Promcore 2021. While standing from afar, I was able to get a wide shot of what was in front of me. The cool thing about watching and listening to a new band on your radar is you’re not listening to the band with the same ears as everyone else. You are listening to the band with the full intention on soaking it all in, song to song, lyric to lyric, etc. That was me, a new fan to this Atlanta, GA hardcore band, soaking in everything I could, as much as I could. As I watched the band perform, I grasped on to the similarities in style that resonated with me in my younger years. What was presented to me while watching Strangle You was a familiar gritty edge that brought my attention to hardcore in the first place, followed by the early hc punk influence.

Strangle You’s ep The Only Solution was released on Bandcamp and I must say, this ep is downright mean. The level of pessimism presented backed up the consistency of the upbeat, energetic tempo holds in resemblance to bands like early Blood for Blood and Sheer Terror. It caters to the more nihilistic behavior in hardcore punk, wrapped in cold hard lyrics that expresses its dislikes and harsh realities. From the sound of it, Strangle You in a non-sense band that is here to wipe the smile off of your pretty face and smacks you no care of repercussion. The Only Solution is hard as hell and its quite honest to the core, no matter how vicious and maniacal it is. This ep is the wolves only, sheep are not allowed.

To check out The Only Solution, tap the button below

Ballista - Ballista Territory

Let’s keep it a buck; Ballista is one of the current heavyweights in the Dallas- Fort Worth scene. 2021 showed us how hard of a work ethic Ballista has. In the past few months, I have witnessed Ballista popping up on the radars of new and old ears. From going on tour with hardcore legends to killing the stage at Promcore last year, Ballista is a roaring trailblazer that is blasting forward as they continue to grace the stage all over the nation.

As we all know, in current state of hardcore, there are a handful of different “core” subgenres within the subgenre. At this point, it seems as if as long a band maintains the “core” value, it is accepted. I have no problem with that whatsoever, I love it. For as long as I have known the band, I have always considered Ballista a metalcore band due to the several metallic components stylized in their sound. Furthermore, River’s intimidating low growl that can send a brown bear into fear is the cherry on top. The one thing that remains a constant is the beer guzzling heaviness that you can only get in the Lone Star State. Everything is bigger in Texas, including our riffs.

What I enjoy about Ballista’s latest album Ballista Territory is there is a little bit of everything in this album, it isn’t a definitively jam- packed album of one style. It almost like a critically acclaimed soundtrack album for block buster action/horror film. Ballista Territory will infiltrate your ear drums the heavier aspects of hardcore, metalcore, death metal and thrash while maintain the proper riffage. Right from the start, the average listener is able to tell that Ballista didn’t come here for play play. “THIS IS BALLISTA TERRITORY, YOU SON OF A BITCH!” is a clear indication of where you are and not where you’re from. Aside for the couple of singles in the beginning of this album, God’s Image was a stand- out for me; the lyrical structure, mid- late 2000’s metalcore influence and vocal changes. One can tell the God’s Image comes off as poetic. There are a couple features on this album that I didn’t quite expect but made a lot of sense to me. One of my favorite songs from Ballista is the mosh heavy song, Laws of the Jungle. On this album, they added Kat Moss from Scowl on to the track to add that RBS flavor on it. When Kat hopped in and said “ Forgive not an enemy, waste not time. I’ll show no mercy, won’t turn my back to your knife. Fear and abandonment by the likes of you. Mental mutilation for a clearer view”, I was in shock. The And 1 flip flops came off my feet and hit the window as I mosh to Laws of the Jungle in my office. As soon as Path of Deicide chimes in, your death metal radar is going to buzz off the meter, and what better feature than fellow Texan Reese Alavi from Creeping Death to chime in. Excuse my Texas bias but Ballista Territory is 10/10.

To check out the Ballista Territory, tap the button below to your preferred streaming platform