It’s beginning to get a tad bit cooler in North Texas. Although the fall season is approaching, its a bit different down south. By the time October hits, it will be equivalent to a regular summer weather ( Texas fall season doesn’t start until November). Speaking of, there are some cool things going on in October besides Halloween. A couple of awesome core fests are happening in the Lone Star State alongside some music releases around that time. It’s safe to say the 10th month of the year is something to look forward to.

Monster Mash 2023

Third String Entertainment has released the flyer and the lineup for this year’s Monster Mosh. Scheduled to take place October 14th & 15th, this two day fest of alternative music features an eccentric mix of bands for all types of heavy music fans. Essentially, Third String does a good job putting Texas bands on the lineup including deepincision, One In Tha Chamber, Renatus, Omerta, Turfburner and more. The blend of hardcore, metalcore and deathcore presents the opportunity for a concert goer to get a taste of each respective genres, if they haven’t already. I can almost guarantee Impending Doom and Peeling Flesh on stage is going to be an amazing site to see (along with the multi- colored stage lights ). I may be showing my age when I say this but I was a bit surprised to see Boston Hardcore legend Death Before Dishonor and Houston’s street punk OG’s Liberty and Justice on the line up. Last and certainly not least, look at this heavy lineup; Memphis May Fire, Suicide Silence, Chelsea Grin, See Stars, Attila and Carnifex. Regardless of my lack of knowledge of those bands, it is a no brainer on how huge the headliners are. From the looks of it, this is going to an insane weekend to be apart of and I would hate if you missed out. Before moving with the article, make sure you tap the image below to purchase your ticket!

Juicebox from Houston, TX

Photo taken by Marcus Gonzales (shootnpointphotos)

My introduction into hardcore was started from early hardcore punk. Yep, you guessed it: Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Circle Jerk, SSD, etc. Afterwards, I found myself gravitating towards bands like Blood for Blood, Gorilla Biscuits ,early Madball, early Agnostic Front and Street Dogs. 2010’s and onward, my ears perked up for bands like Trash Talk, Rival Mob, Ceremony, Gallows (Frank Carter era), Restraining Order, Scowl, Gagging Order, you get the picture. Much like everyone else, I favor the sound that marked my beginning into the rapidly growing culture. Consciously, I look for bands possessing the early hardcore punk spirit with contemporary elements in relevant times. When it comes to live performances, I tend to favor the particular sound mainly when it induces the hyper active two step dance part and the unruly side to side pit movement. I am not discrediting the heavy, beatdown parts catering to the violence and crowdkilling embedded into the culture by no means, but its causes a horseshoe in the pit, leaving a huge hole in the middle and testing the toughness of the attendees. Personally, I am in favor of a ton of action in the horseshoe, giving no room to move and all the room to dance and causing disorder.

Enter Juicebox

I discovered Juice Box about a few months ago when they played at Growl Records. Before I headed over to their Spotify, I couldn’t tell you what made me decide to check them out. In retrospect, it was intuition telling me “ Hey, checkout Juicebox, you are going to become a fan”. Instinctively, I headed over to check out their music and BOOM, trusting my gut served me well. The Houston band has a 2 song demo that was enough to grab and put a chokehold on me. The demo contains the complementary blend of raw, lo-fi hardcore punk ,modern aggression and distortion of chain punk accompanied by a breakdown. The wonderful addition of femme fury accentuating the vocal shouts and shrieks is the cherry on top of the sundae. Furthermore, from what I see, their live performances are what I expect; a ton of vitality with no one person standing still or cowering away towards the back. It is more than safe to say that I am huge fan and a supporter of Juicebox. To check them out, tap the image below and enjoy!

Left To Rot leftover merch

Austin’s metalheads Left to Rot have hit the ground running in 2023. Sonically, their style of death metal crushing the bones of the weak. Those big boys riffs are monstrous and the blast beats compliment the roar behind their Texas sized growl in the vocals. In their recent releases, they have not only improved in quality and sound, but in musicianship and tone as well. Left to Rot is as hardworking as their riffs, non stop touring all over the nation and opening up some killer fests.

Speaking of tours, the band had announced their leftover tour inventory to their fans. I know the word “leftover” seems a bit lackluster so let’s use the word “ remaining'“. Their remaining merch is offered at a discounted price, featuring some of their older designs and is limited on their sizes. Don’t be shy and go support them by buying their merch, to make room for more merch in the future. With limited quantity comes limited time to snag some apparel so don’t get caught lacking. By tapping the image above, you will be able to access their merch AND be able to preorder the album Breath of the Tomb, available October 6th. The two singles Come to Me and Already Dead set the tone for the album, creating anticipation for what’s to come of the release. Tap the image below, buy a shirt and check out their tunes if you haven’t already.