#10)
Little Ugly Girls–Little Ugly Girls
Despite landing opening spots for legendary punk acts in the early ’90s such as Fugazi and Bikini Kill, the Australian “riot grrl” act known as Little Ugly Girls waited until 2018 to release their debut full length album. This record is both emotionally and instrumentally explosive and if it was released during the era in which the band was most active, it would undoubtedly be considered a classic release. Better late than never I suppose.
#09)
Soft Kill–Savior
Portland collective Soft Kill return with another solid LP to add to their already impressive catalog. Savior embraces the darker sides of the post punk movement with gothic inspired tracks of dread and despair.
#08)
Gouge Away–Burnt Sugar
Florida-based hardcore punk outfit Gouge Away quite possibly deliver the most fiery, passionate, and angry punk rock I have heard in a long time. With their sophomore LP Burnt Sugar, the quartet maintains the same unrivaled, emotionally explosive bursts but channel their overall sound to a more layered, grungy, nostalgic punk sound with strengthened, less predictable songwriting.
#07)
Vein–Errorzone
Local metalcore act Vein unveils the debut LP everyone was waiting for. Errorzone maintains polished production with unhinged instrumental insanity channeling even the likes of Iowa-era Slipknot or early Mudvayne with just enough modern flavor to win over fans of acts such as Code Orange, Knocked Loose, and so on. I have followed this band since they first stormed the scene with their demo about five years ago, and since then the Massachusetts hardcore scene has waited with great anticipation to see what this young act would evolve into.
#06)
Fucked Up–Dose Your Dreams
Ambitious. Bizarre. Massive.
Those three words encompass nearly everything the Canadian six piece known as Fucked Up has released throughout their nearly twenty year career.
Dose Your Dreams is unsurprisingly a concept record and continues the tale of 2011’s David Comes to Life. However, what may be surprising is frontman Damian Abraham’s decision to take a backseat for a good portion of the record to allow the five remaining members to shine.
This record is guaranteed to take the listener for a wild ride with many twists and turns experimenting with psychedelia and electronics to fit the record’s narrative.
#05)
Svalbard–It’s Hard to Have Hope
UK-based hardcore act Svalbard unleash an emotional, politically charged sophomore LP that you should drop what you’re currently doing and listen to. Ignore the goofy song titles. This band has a serious message and their passion is clearly evident by the intensity of the music and the execution of the lyricism. Stylistically, Svalbard causes two vastly different yet clearly complimentary genres together in perfect harmony: melodic hardcore and atmospheric black metal.
#04)
Sectioned–Annihilated
Scottish hardcore act Sectioned unsheathe a mighty debut LP that successfully encompasses pure chaos. Annihilated is a bludgeoning listening experience with a lightning-fast pace featuring frequent yet effective uses of feedback, blastbeats, crushing riffage, drum and bass sections, and many more. This band is the whole package and this record will make your jaw drop.
#03)
KEN Mode–Loved
The Canadian sludgepunk trio self-dubbed as “Kill Everyone Now” Mode reclaims the throne of noisy, dirty sludge. Loved is a beautiful return to form for the three-piece and features a vast array of complimentary genre combinations. It has its punk moments, crushingly heavy moments, and even dabbles in jazz when necessary.
#02)
American Nightmare–American Nightmare
I’m a little biased here because American Nightmare has always been my favorite band in the realm of hardcore music, but I have witnessed a vast array of polarizing views on this record throughout the year. I personally think fans tend to forget that We’re Down ‘Til We’re Underground was not well received upon its released and now is now ranked as a classic alongside its predecessor.
Comeback albums are always a risk (I’ll admit my first play through was interrupted by revisiting Background Music), but the Boston-based quartet keep their legacy alive sticking tight to their established formula while subtly branching into darker territory. The newfound Christian Death and Bauhaus influences come as a very small surprise considering the more goth-like soundscapes and aesthetic frontman Wes Eisold (Cold Cave) has explored since AN’s disbandment in 2004, but these influences remain subdued. This is still a hardcore record through and through. American Nightmare experiments and makes logical steps forward without missing a beat despite the 15 year gap.
#01)
Daughters–You Won’t Get What You Want
After a triumphant bow out with their self title eight years ago, Rhode Island’s Daughters seemed to manage to seem to keep their chaotic spark alive despite maturing and distancing themselves from their math metal/screamo roots. You Won’t Get What You Want picks up where that self-titled left off in the best way possible.
From the moment “City Song” kicks in, it becomes apparent the Providence-based quartet dives head first in the subtle post punk nuances hinted at in their final pre-breakup releases. The instrumentation summons heavy usage of eerie, uncomfortable synthesizers giving Daughters‘ revived sound a very industrialized, drony feel.