After 15 years plus of the hardcore scene across the globe being essentially dead, the genre that took the world by storm through the 80’s and 90’s is finally returning to the status it once held. Why is this happening? Who is causing it? and where is it going? are all questions that are going to be answered in this reading.
Why is this happening? Hardcore was dead and no one really thought it would make it back and especially not as rapidly as it did. In my mind, history does not repeat itself rather it echoes. Older music in the past two or three years has made its’ way back into playlists everywhere. Now, not everyone is going to be listening to Bad Brains and DOA every day, we still crave those better recordings and better production. What do we do? We find modern music that has the same tone and ideas of older releases. Hardcore is a class example of this.
So, who is helping hardcore making such an impactful comeback after so many years of dormancy? I chalk it up to a couple different things, popular artists not being shy about their love for heavier music or their releases of rock and metal inspired music. Artists like Post Malone, Lil Uzi Vert, and Halsey are just a few who are very open about their rock and metal influences. The second reason I believe it is making a comeback is due to the creativity and drive of the current artists in hardcore today. The two biggest names at the moment are of course Knocked Loose and Turnstile. Though on complete opposite ends of the hardcore spectrum, no one will call them anything different. Knocked Loose holds to the specific more beatdown style of hardcore that a ton of other bands are gravitating towards today like Orthodox, Kublai Khan TX, and Jesus Piece. Turnstile for the most part has held to a very traditional hardcore sound which you can best hear on their song Drop. Bands that lean more towards the classic or traditional sound currently would be bands like Never Ending Game, Mindforce, and Sunami. They all make heavy hitting hardcore tracks that new and old hardcore kids can get into. The same people that listened to Gorilla Biscuits back in the day could go see Mindforce and have a blast.
Where is this return to the spotlight taking us? Festivals is the answer. Apparently, the only appropriate thing to do with these bands gaining such popularity is to wrangle all of them up at different places during different seasons across the U.S. and throw them all on a stage. Have these festivals take place in old warehouses, YMCA’s or JCC’s, or any plot of land that a stage-dive worthy platform can fit. Festivals like FYA, Tied Down, Sound and Fury, and LDB. Respectively taking place all across the country, Florida, Michigan, California, and Kentucky all can call these shows their home. Depending on the festival, hundreds or thousands of people will be there to watch these acts entertain them.
Now, what do we do with this information? My piece of advice, give it a try if you haven’t, go all in if you’re just starting out, and if you are already in it, show others the things you love, mosh, two step, and stage dive.
Live From The Pit 