On any given evening, I’m sitting upright in my leather beige seats in my Chevy Silverado, gliding on I-35 in no rush at all. The cushion behind the leather is extraordinary; never have I felt so relaxed in a ride. Usually, I melt in my seat after 10 minutes of occupying it. Memories became the tidal waves crashing against the walls of my brain to alert me that nostalgia is near. Past scenes of adolescence, bad decisions, gutter conversations, and never-ending nights are provoked by those memories. The city lights at night resemble the stars that occupy and dwell within the city limits, plentiful to say the least. Enough stars to ignite the metroplex with distinctive passion and radiance.

On this particular night, it was imperative to surf the concrete. Memories weren’t able to cloud my goals or my ambitious spirit. Curiosity was at the forefront of my thoughts followed by positive spirits. As usual, I was as curious as I was eager to spend time out of my life to get to know someone else or other groups of people. This time, I was on my way to meet with DFW’s latest hardcore punk band, GAGGING ORDER.

A considerable amount of time has past before I wondered about that current state of hardcore punk as a genre and as a lifestyle in the DFW. It’s been over a year since the last hardcore show I have attended, Vibesfest to be exact. I wasn’t questioning when the next show was, the kids are itching to play and craving the pit. What was in question was the sound of modern hardcore in the metroplex. In recent years, there has been an overbearing presence of metalcore that made its way to every scene and grabbed a hold of its roots. Texas is known for its undeniably barbaric riffs and extremely talented drummers. That fact alone concludes hardcore in the Lone Star State has a metallic foundation. For years I wondered to myself if the metroplex would ever spit out a definitive hardcore punk band that doesn’t incite a huge crowd killing pit at every breakdown but instead a riotous dogpile of energetic youth that would result in property damage, a band that could cause kids to jump off things they are forbidden to climb and create wild memories and perform gymnastic routines on stage. A band that was afraid to bring back the original punk rock influence with a natural sense of rebellion that leaves no room for corny-ness. My attempts in forming a band with that particular sound have failed me. Although my motivation took a hard blow, my faith was restored in others, in hopes that another group of individuals would unknowingly fulfill my desire to bring the sound back. When Gagging Order showed up on my radar, I came to the conclusion that Gagging Order is the result of what I have been looking for. In my most humble opinion, they have curated the sound that I felt was necessary for the DFW metroplex: an organic hardcore band that didn’t bring with it the traditional Texas metallic heaviness to the field. Gagging Order is the first few gulps from a cold can of Sprite in the middle of July at your friend’s barbecue.

As I pulled into the parking lot of the address that Elliott, the guitarist of Gagging Order, sent to me via text message, a recurring observation became apparent once again; tall office buildings are affordable studio spaces. Over that past year, unbeknownst to me, office spaces that I thought were only used for certain business practices are normally used for creative purposes. Ideas began oozing out of my ears and began pilling on my shoulders as my eyes began scaling my environment. All five senses were heightened, similar to a canine in unknown territory. Minutes later after sending confirmation to Elliott that I finally arrived, the band members spilled out of a glass door to my left, facing east of 635. The fluorescent light exposed the characteristics of each band member’s features and the imperfections of the parking lot; a skater’s haven for a nighttime session. Familiar faces on top of familiar faces continued their pace towards my vehicle before they stopped to greet me with a formal introduction. The majority of the members I have seen in the past years getting busy in many volatile mosh pits. Chance, the drummer of Gagging Order, has a level of intensity in the pit that brings to light the energy I had at one time. The combined energies of like-minded creatives together in one space result in a harmonic structure; some, depending on their bias, would conclude that it is dangerous to have an enormous amount of creativity in one setting but I disagree. It’s the necessary force that brings imagination into reality and births inspiration and awe.

We ascended to the third floor using the elevator inside the building. There was nothing worth noting about this location, although the number of different codes that had to be entered at every door we went through was a bit annoying ( painfully annoying if you had to use the restroom with a sense of urgency and you FORGET the passcode). An overcast of pink, purple, cyan, and orange blanketed my vision as I walked into the practice space. The shadows were the overbearing antagonist to the vibrant highlights that created a vibe that carried a similar effect of an indica. The dim lighting gently exposed the surrounding band equipment and a variety of posters that occupied the wall. The size of the practice room is just enough for the band. At that same moment, Elliott brought to my attention that Jonathan, the other guitarist, will not be able to attend practice. I retracted my previous thought. “Maybe this is a tight squeeze, maybe it’s not. Either way, they are making it work”.

It was apparent to me that the studio light that was located in the back seat of my truck was essential. Initially, I planned on bringing it inside when I entered the building the first time but it slipped my mind. It wasn’t a bother to the band members. The communal herb session was among us and it was imperative for us to stand outside of the building. During the session, we are all getting acquainted and engaging in reminiscent conversations about past shows and events. It came to my realization that Zach and I have mutual friends from when I graduated from high school in 2007. The thought of age took a jab at what youthfulness I have left. Instantaneously, wisdom appeared to lighten my spirit a bit.

The good ole American beer, Budweiser, was the drink of choice during their practice jam session. It seemed uniform in an indirect way. Throughout my years of being a loyal participant of punk and hardcore shows, beer was the elixir for the rowdy and the disorderly, the perfect beverage I happily indulged in. As I was setting up my studio light to introduce a warm, dim light into the room, Chance adamantly hands me a pair of bright orange earplugs to jam into my ear canal, without them I was in grave danger of damaging my hearing. The sounds of conversations and instruments lightly scraping against each other became muffled after inserting the earplugs. It gave me a strange sense of security I wasn’t aware of until a single note was played and the volume was extremely unpleasant. After installing the softbox onto the strobe light, I noticed the determination that Robert wore on his face and the readiness that Zach wore as Chance began to beat the drums, inciting the true sounds of tribal warriors ready for battle. The session began and the intensity came charging out of the gate with energy and precision. Each band member was in sync with each other as I watched them crank out their ep. It became apparent that the band shared unspoken energy; the boys were ready to perform. Like many others, time and patience are growing extremely thin and one isn't able to maintain control over this amount of energy for much longer. The intruding thoughts of prescience began to form. Foresight began to move into clarity. Images of Gagging Order tearing the stage apart with punks and hardcore kids exorcizing their transgressions in the pit. Dog piles, trampled cell phones and a cracked glasses sliding across the dance floor put a smile on my face as they reached the end of their jam session. What I witnessed seemed to be the beginning of the current generation DFW hardcore, eager to get back to the roots and organic unity. Upon consideration, my spirit and intellect believe that Gagging Order is next up, the next ones to carry the torch that has yet to be ignited.

My return to normalcy after the pandemic reintroduced itself at the beginning of the conversation after the practice session. Zach goes down memory lane, bringing back the recent past of stories of mishaps at various shows including the J&Js show of December 2019. From there, the topic of discussion was how the perspective of hardcore is diluted with the sheer heaviness of metalcore. Shortly after Elliott states where the sound of hardcore is going, Robert counters that statement and expresses his gratitude that Gagging Order decided to stick to their roots to create music that pays homage to the originality in their own way. I wasn’t able to find myself disagreeing with Elliott’s statement; similar to my thoughts from earlier; in DFW there is a lack of hardcore bands that carry the true hardcore punk sound and the ethos that comes with it. In recent years, there was been an influx of bands with extreme metalcore influences. I always had a mild worry that eventually, hardcore would be unabashedly over-saturated with metalcore bands that have the ability to label themselves hardcore without its original influences, depending on which scene birthed the bands. Blurred lines in between genres aren’t much of a problem but the lack of distinction is a catalyst of the misconception that leads to the diminishment of values and tradition. Through observation, many cultures and communities are built upon the foundation of tradition to maintain longevity and perseverance. Without it is the result of a failed society but not totally. In the same thought, Gagging Order expressed a small amount of worry as we examined what local band(s) we would perfect to fit on the bill with Gagging Order. After mentioning a few local bands, the list ended abruptly. “ Our lineups for a show are going to be weird as fuck”, Robert states, “ as long as the lineups aren’t too bad, I don’t care, I just want the exposure. I’m not going to play with some straight-up deathcore band”. Elliott praises John from Parade of Flesh for his involvement in the current scene and mentions John’s ear for good music. “ At every Parade of Flesh show, bands were getting paid and I always admired that. It’s about keeping the roots where it is,” Elliott says. We all agreed that bands that hold a similar mindset within the culture would result in an amazing showcase.

Each band member’s introduction into hardcore was different from each other but what remained relatively the same was their perspective on the mysticism of the late Riley Gale and about how Power Trip is viewed as gods on earth. I found myself absorbed into the words of Elliott and Zach as they expressed what Power Trip means to them and how Riley’s charisma molded their mindset to what it is today. Although either one of them actually met Riley, both Elliott and Zach were a lot closer to his presence than many, close enough for it to be considered a shame that they didn’t get a chance to meet him. Both of their stories accentuated the legendary status that Riley held, even if he was unaware of it. The lives that he touched, direct or indirect, created a considerable amount of motivation and momentum for local hardcore kids to feed off and it is currently inspiring the youth in a way that may not be visible now but will be at the forefront of our future

Gagging Order has the full potential to fill the shoes their predecessors have walked in, on a different scale in the same environment. The energy and the power they possess, unbeknownst to them, is oozing from their pores. Witnessing this in its infancy welcomes premature elation but I’ve learned to control that flow of it. In a way, the band is what I would consider a paradox, and I used this term loosely. Essentially, Gagging Order is making a name for themselves by setting themselves apart from the ones before them while maintaining that culture’s tradition and spirit. It’s a necessary move for the metroplex in our eyes. The concept of their goal is simple but the journey may not be but with the right amount of promotion and reaching different cities, different coasts, the goal has a clear shot of being achieved.

The ride home from Dallas to the far north edge of Denton is longer when it reaches midnight. Keeping track of time is non-existent when good times are available. I plugged the auxiliary into my phone to listen to a country playlist I put together months ago. Instead N.Y.S.S began seeping from my speakers and a bit of a chuckle escaped from my lips and gently brushed the steering wheel. Another episode of my imagination set me behind Chance beating the cymbals as he facing a large crowd of rambunctious participants trying to grab the mic from Robert as he sings from the diaphragm. “Gagging Order have to be the next ones up, I whispered to myself, I’ll be damned if they aren’t.”