Around the tender age of 15 is when I found hardcore punk, the sub genre of punk rock that contains harder, faster and more aggressive chords than its predecessor. The first few bands that I was introduced to were mainly older bands from the East Coast/ New England side of the nation: Warzone, Agnostic Front, Minor Threat, SSD, Bad Brains, Slapshot and so on. A little later is when I was introduced to bands like Blood for Blood, Death Before Dishonor, Murphy’s Law, Colin of Arabia, Have Heart, the list goes on. Those were the bands that stood out to me and I grasped onto because of the energy, the hardcore spirit, the lyrics and the camaraderie that came with it. Hardcore was there to replace my father, who I considered as a person that wasn’t really apart of my life. Like many other across the world, hardcore literally saved my life. What attracted me the most about this life-changing culture was the early youth crew sound, e.g., Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, Chain of Strength , etc. The youth crew subculture, from the lyrics to the sound, portrayed a level of optimism, a good sense of morality and strength through adversity, traits that were necessary for me to survive through troubled times. Regardless of the fact the mainly youth crew bands were straight edge, it was this subculture that heightened my love for hardcore.

15 years later, I’m still the same hardcore kid from my adolescence but this time around I’m a dad, a boyfriend and so much more. Being apart of the DFW hardcore scene for well over a decades and I’m loving every moment. So many new faces, so many different influences into the hardcore sound, different venues that came and went, etc. I guess to some, I’m considered “an old head”. What I noticed through my time in the local scene is the lack of the sound I hold dear to my heart: the youth crew sound that brought me here in the first place ( not to say it was non- existent, I was just unaware). To my knowledge, DFW didn’t possess definitive youth crew band(s) that I’ve was hoping to find when I first stepped foot into the culture ( for those who have more knowledge than I do in the history of the DFW hardcore scene, feel free to comment). It was strange realization to me because I expected the metroplex to be flooded with youth crew bands but that was because of my assumption stemming from what I was introduced to in the past. As years went by, I figure DFW will never possess a youth crew subculture like New York or Boston. Around early 2010’s, the straight edge band Truth made its way through the scene that I assumed was a youth crew band but it was short lived and it kind of left me thinking there will never be another band like it here. What Dallas- Ft Worth is known for, in regards to hardcore, is its heavy, crossover, metalcore/ death metal influence. Being a DFW native, it’s second nature to indulge in the heaviness for local bands like early Hands of the Few, Power Trip and younger bands like Creeping Death, Fist of Fury, One in tha Chamber and Ballista. Not all bands possess the same heaviness, as we have more punk influenced hardcore bands like Urn, Monument of Fear and the groovy hardcore band Facing Worlds.

It wasn’t until this past weekend that I discovered what I’ve been looking for: Life Force (forgive me, they’ve been out for a while. I don’t know why I haven’t heard of them before). This Dallas, Texas/ OKC band is the straight edge youth crew band that’s reminiscent of the early bands mentioned above. From the straight forward and passionate lyricism to the thrashy, fast tempo parts, Life Force gave me the feel that I have when I listen to old school bands like Judge or Bold. I hate that I’ve missed their recent live performances due to my ignorance but luckily enough, they will be performing at this year’s PromCore festival in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 8th and 9th.

To listen to Life Force, click buttons below and enjoy!

Photo Cred: Gray Muncy

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