Killer episode this week on the pod. Check it out here, here, here or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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The 2010s were a great decade for hardcore, maybe even better than the 2000s in the sheer amount of quality releases. Boston dominated the beginning of the decade with bands like The Rival Mob, No Tolerance, and Boston Strangler cranking out future classics. In the middle of the decade, the UK rose up and Violent Reaction, The Flex, and Arms Race were consistently putting out some of the best hardcore on the planet. By the end of the decade, the big tent of hardcore seemed to be completely dominated by heavy bands but some newer, interesting bands began to emerge like Never Ending Game, Mindforce, and Restraining Order, all fresh with their own styles. And through it all, timeless hardcore bands like Terror, Trapped Under Ice, Inmates, Framtid, Tragedy and others continued to put out banging records that stood tall next to anything that the newcomers were kicking out.
This list was put together by me with lots of help from Kevin Hare. On the podcast we went through a couple handful of records that he thought should be on here but I vetoed, so don’t get at him. If by chance you’re reading this blog for the first time, you’ll tell by the list that my taste in hardcore leans towards more 1980s inspired roots hardcore and all its various offspring. The faster side of things dominates the list because that’s what I personally think is the best style of hardcore. Some major records of the decade are omitted here, those slots were simply filled by better hardcore records, in my opinion of course.
In previous lists, we combined punk and hardcore. For the 2010s, the picks are 100% hardcore. It made it easier to whittle the list down to 100 but some of my favorite stuff from the decade like Masshysteri, Neon Piss or Dark Thoughts aren’t on here.
To get into the stats, the USA dominated the list with 72 records. The next most well represented were the UK and Sweden, both with six each and Japan with five. City wise, Boston totally dominated with 11 of the 100 records on the list. If you zoom out to Massachusetts as a whole, the state has 14 records on here. As for years, there was no super dominant year. 2013 had the most with 14, 2014 has 13, and 2010, 2015, and 2019 all had 12. The thinnest years were 2017 and 2018, both with just six.
The Pushead list is the gold standard of top 100 lists. Even with his, I probably only agree with half of it and I might only agree with like 20% of Prank’s top 100 of the 1990s. Still, these lists create a roadmap to check things out, see where our tastes lie and which paths we want to explore. I wrote about every record in this post so whether you agree with 80%, 50%, or 10% of the list, at least you’ll be able to see where I’m coming from.
Let’s get into it…
100. WETBRAIN S/T LP PAINKILLER RECORDS (2014)
A raucous record brought to you by the, well, raucous side of Clevo hardcore. With dudes from Gordon Solie, H-100s, Inmates, etc. you know it’s going to rip, but this one also dips sometimes into an unexpected snotty (and sassy?) tunefulness.
99. AJAX S/T 7” STATIC SHOCK RECORDS (2015)
Ajax put out two 7”s in back to back years. Both rule. I guess really either of them could’ve made it on here but I went with this one cuz there’s no intro. Some accents and we’re straight into some no frills, mean sounding hardcore. I hate the phrase but if we’re going to use it, coincidentally “Appeal to Heaven” is a God-tier track.
98. NAYSAYER DOWN BUT NOT OUT 7” REAPER (2011)
Naysayer bring the pain with their 2nd 7”. It’s tight, riffy, and most importantly they blend in good fast parts that make the breakdowns feel even bigger. That mosh on “Your Fate”…goddamn.
97. STIGMATISM S/T 7” STATIC SHOCK (2018)
Stigmatism’s 2023 LP is their best record but they were sick out the gate here on their first release. It’s obviously a love letter to 1983 NYHC, but there’s more to it than that—some of the fast parts sound more UK82 than USHC, giving it its own flavor.
96. RATED X DEMO ‘19 TAPE RAIN ON THE PARADE (2019)
The Abused meets Confront meets No Tolerance. Furious, no-frills hardcore that cranks out four songs in under five minutes.
95. INSTITUTION DOMEN ÄR SATT LP DE:NIHIL (2012)
Dudes from Totalitär and Herätys come together to create a ripping, powerful record that sounds a lot like the later era Totalitär. You know what to expect and it delivers with zero clunkers, pretension, or bullshit. Havoc Records rereleased this the following year.
94. DOWNFALL DEAD TO ME 12” EDGEWOOD RECORDS (2019)
Excellent meat and potatoes, ‘90s NYHC style hardcore from this Richmond, VA band. It starts with one of the best intros of the decade then smashes through five killer tracks.
93. LOW THREAT PROFILE PRODUCT NUMBER ONE 7” DEEP SIX/DRAW BLANK (2010)
Members of Crossed Out, Infest, and Lack of Interest come together to put out this ripping hardcore record. Yeah, with those dudes you’re going to get your fix of powerviolence parts, but half the record is just straight up short hardcore songs. In that way, it almost comes off as much like the Protes Bengt record than any of the members’ classics and I ain’t mad at it.
92. TRAGEDY DARKER DAYS AHEAD LP FERAL WARD (2012)
It’s kind of unfair when a band puts out a record so classic that the rest of their catalog gets graded on a curve against it. In Tragedy’s case, they put out two stone-cold classics to kick off the 2000s, their self-titled LP and Vengeance–the Mount Everest and Kangchenjunga of their catalog. People were let down by their 3rd LP, Nerve Damage, and I never really understood why. It sounded like a Tragedy record. Maybe most Tragedy fans were just posers of the genre like me and two LPs was enough stadium crust in their diet.
Their 2012 LP, Darker Days Ahead was widely considered a return to form and people seemed to enjoy it a lot. I don’t disagree…it sounds like a Tragedy record, and that means it’s worth spinning for the production alone. Maybe if I were a super fan it would make the top 10 for the decade but as a casual, I’m looking for a “Vengeance” or a “Confessions Of A Suicide Advocate” level hit and it just doesn’t come.
91. TRAIL OF LIES FEARLESS 7” TRIPLE-B (2019)
Two song banger 7” from this Syracuse hardcore band. Hatebreed meets Path of Resistance. “Fearless” is harder AND catchier but “Strong Willed” is fast. I can’t decide which I like more. Dude’s voice is so blown out and awesome. Oh, yeah…and it has one of the best album covers of the decade.
90. UNIFIED RIGHT S/T 7” TRIPLE-B (2015)
Seven rippers and a dragger that they mercifully put last on the record. Killer, Straight Ahead/Youth of Today inspired roots hardcore that brings the heat on 7 outta 8 songs.
89. DIVISION OF MIND DEMO CASSETTE SELF RELEASED (2017)
Division of Mind’s first recording is one of the best moshcore records of the decade. The production isn’t as big as their LP, but it still sounds savage and every second on this demo is vital unlike subsequent releases where the In This Defiance style vibe setting seems to be just as important as the tunes.
88. DEATH THREAT / RUDE AWAKENING SPLIT LP TRIPLE-B (2013)
Death Threat teams up with Rude Awakening for their final recorded output. “Only The Lawless Remain” is probably their heaviest song since Peace & Security. Nice Side by Side cover too. On the flip, Rude Awakening bring the pain with rugged Terror/Trapped Under Ice hardcore stylings.
87. ACUTE 殺人予告 CD-R SELF RELEASED (2012)
The follow up to their 2009 7”, 猟奇と幻想, and the only CD-R release in our list. It’s missing Chippe’s vocals that made the first record unique, but bass player Yuzo-C takes over and has his own great flavor. Musically, it’s raw but it still has the extra flourishes that you get in a post-Burning Spirits Japan, both in the leads and with some unique choruses. This was released as a 12” the following year on Sweden’s SMRT Records.
86. GOD’S HATE MASS MURDER LP CLOSED CASKET ACTIVITIES (2016)
A masterclass in brutality that pulls influence from the hardest records of the ‘90s. Truth in the Age of Lies? Yup. Master Killer? Yup. Hell On Earth? Yup. The soundtrack to Sasquatch eating a wild boar like an apple.
85. FREEDOM PAY THE PRICE 7” BACK TO BACK (2013)
Eight song, ten minute record on hardcore’s spiritual format, the 7”. It’s Droppin’ Many Suckers for a new era.
84. BLACKLISTED WHEN PEOPLE GROW, PEOPLE GO LP DEATHWISH (2015)
This is Blacklisted’s 4th and final LP, following six years after 2009’s No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me. When People Grow, People Go is a bit of a return to earlier form, although they don’t return all the way to being a Terror/American Nightmare hybrid by any means. In a world that made sense, this would be the 3rd LP and No One Deserves… would follow it, but have you read Blacklisted lyrics, dude? I don’t think the world makes sense to them. In a way this is the perfect long form stamp on their musical career but in a way it’s disappointing because who knows if this record got as many looks as it deserved?
83. PHYSIQUE PUNK LIFE IS SHIT 12” IRON LUNG (2018)
The first 12” from these Discharge-worshiping tone beasts. Oylmpia, WA’s answer to Disclose, Krömosom, and D-clone. Punishing.
82. DISTRICT 9 SOUTHBRONXMEMOIRS 7” DIGNIFIED BASTARD (2013)
The final District 9 record featured re-recordings of “Fool” and “Victim” from the NYHC documentary soundtrack and “Think About It” from the first 7”, along with a new track called “The Letter” which is good enough to get it on this list. That track is an all-time D9 song, on par with anything off the first 7”, and with lyrics that could only be delivered by Puerto Rican Myke—a true wordsmith and hardcore personality. RIP.
81. EYES OF THE LORD MISERY FEELS LIKE HOME LP (2019)
The 2nd and superior 12” from this band that combined the original 100 Demons singer, Bruce LePage, with the Young brothers from God’s Hate/Twitching Tongues. A heaping platter of riffs served up to one of the best voices in heavy music who knocks it out of the park. The star of the record is the track “Seventeen.”
80. NEEDLES DESEPERACIÓN 7” IRON LUNG (2012)
The third and final 7” from this Berkeley, CA hardcore band might be their best. Needles was a hardcore band fronted by Martin Crudo that he did with a couple dudes who were in Talk is Poison. It might be the most underrated band in his catalog cuz every piece of music goes hard and I never hear anyone mention this one. It’s all killer, no filler—just top shelf roots hardcore with one of the best voices in hardcore’s history over the top of it.
79. KIELTOLAKI VAPAUDEN ILLUUSIO LP FERAL WARD (2015)
Kieltolaki is carrying the weight for a nation here with the Kohti Tuhoa 7” from 2014 and the Kylmä Sota 12” from 2010 landing just outside of the top 100. The second LP from this band outta Turku, Finland follows in the footsteps of their Finnish hardcore forefathers like Kaaos, Riistetyt, and Rattus. It’s ripping, thick, and has a great, clean recording so you can hear everything and that makes the ARRGGGs and AHHHHs sound extra urgent. Excellent drumming, pummeling bass, and little guitar licks are littered all over this thing.
78. HÄVITTÄJÄT S/T 7” HARDCORE VICTIM (2014)
Pummeling raw punk outta Australia that’s sung in Finnish. It’s as much Olho Seco or Chaos UK as it is Tampere SS or Rattus, but that combo is what makes it stand out. They follow this up with an LP that’s also excellent.
77. FRAMTID THE HORRIFIC VISIONS 7” BRAIN SOLVENT PROPAGANDA / LA VIDA ES UN MUS (2016)
Most folks would probably pick for the best 2010s Framtid record would probably be Defeat of Civilization, but they’d be wrong. The Horrific Visions is leaner, tighter, sounds better and it’s the closest they get to Under The Ashes in their later catalog. Plus “By Any Reason” is just straight up diabolical.
76. ELECTRIC CHAIR PERFORMATIVE JUSTICE 7” IRON LUNG (2019)
At its core, yeah…it’s ‘80s style hardcore roots hardcore, but really it’s so much more than that. It’s rare to see a young band settle into a unique-to-them sound so early. They’re as unhinged as you can be while still staying mostly inside that first wave USHC lane. When it does step out it’s only briefly veering over to early ‘80s Austin to see what the Big Boys and Dicks were up to.
75. TØRSÖ SONO PRONTA A MORIRE LP SORRY STATE / AGIPUNK (2015)
Members of Punch and the Neo-Cons come together to make an album of full Totalitär style kängpunk worship blended with a healthy dose of modern USHC stomp. A relentless barrage of D-beat fury with a singer where you can feel the vocal chords shredding as the lyrics unfurl.
74. KNIFE FIGHT ISOLATED E.P. 7” PAINKILLER (2010)
Their final 7” capping a flawless catalog of mean, roots hardcore. On this one, I dunno if Knife Fight dropped their tuning a half step or someone got a new guitar pedal, but this record sounds heavier than the rest. Don’t get it twisted though, it’s still the same Knife Fight—fast and gnarly with Westbrook tucking in vocal hooks to make the songs stand out.
73. FIRMEZA 10 EL GRITO DE LA TIERRA LP SELF RELEASED (2010)
When it’s at its best, D-beat can work an abstract balance between being pummeling and hypnotic. El Grita De La Tierra took the Discharge blueprint and reduced it down to its rigid structure, very similar to how Spain’s D-beat forefathers MG-15 did on their 7” 25 years prior.
72. CHAIN RANK UP AGAINST THE WALL LP SELF RELEASED (2015)
Timeless, roots hardcore extending Boston’s epic run from the turn of the decade into the 2nd half. Toss it right in the mix with all the heavy hitters (Boston Strangler, Rival Mob, etc.) and it’s holding its own.
71. MURO ATAQUE HARDCORE PUNK BYLLEPEST DISTRO (2017)
Muro’s debut LP sounds like everything and nothing all at once. Their raw sound blends early ‘80s Finland, Brazil, Italy, and the UK seamlessly, making it feel like it’s something all their own while strangely feeling so familiar. You can tell they are true hardcore heads with massive collections, stitching together every influence they can to satisfy that insatiable urge to make memorable hardcore music. Respect.
70. CROW 眩暈 / 占領下日本 7” PRANK (2010)
This is a two song 7” by Japanese hardcore legends Crow, who put out their first record in 1985. In a total hardcore anomaly, I like this more than their debut 7”. It’s thick, pummeling and each song has a nice lead on it. I’d go as far to say that this might be my 3rd favorite Crow record behind 2006’s Bloody Tear and Last Chaos from 1987.
69. TALK IS POISON S/T 7” SELF RELEASED (2010)
The comeback Talk is Poison record, over a decade after their last 7”. I dunno if this is sacrilege to say or not but this might be my favorite one. It sounds like they came back with a purpose. Like maybe this dude was gonna go postal or some shit if he couldn’t get the band back together. Seriously, it sounds like he needed this.
68. HORRENDOUS WAR IS STILL HORRENDOUS 12” BRAIN SOLVENT PROPAGANDA (2015)
Another modern classic from Jonas Silverå (Herätys / Infernöh) but this one is straight Discharge worship…or perhaps Discharge worship-worship. It sounds more in line with England’s Disaster or fellow Swedes Dischange, Discard, or Meanwhile. Those bands are the best of their genre so that should be taken as high praise.
67. REGULATE YEARS OF RAGE 7” EDGEWOOD (2016)
District 9 is one of the most underrated hardcore bands ever and it’s mostly cuz of how funny they were in different ways on the NYHC documentary. Their big personalities kinda outshined their music to folks who were probably looking for an excuse to write them off as goons anyway. The thing is, D9 were able to tap into some tempo changes and rhythms that other bands didn’t—parts that make you go stinkface when they aren’t even tuned down to C or some shit. Think about “Fool” or “Behind Red Tape” or “The Letter”.
Look, that’s all a big windup to say that this Regulate record tapped into a lot of the best shit that D9 did better than any other band I can think of, especially on “Zero Toleranxe” and “On Sight.”
66. HARD STRIPES S/T 7” GRAVE MISTAKE (2014)
Hard Stripes’ 2nd 7” is late ‘80s NY meets Think I Care’s Mongrel LP with a healthy dose of 86 Mentality worship—the perfect soundtrack for a bald dude busting through a wall.
65. KATASTROF S/T 7” BEACH IMPEDIMENT (2017)
Another one-and-done record from this posse of Swedish all-stars, including our boy Jonas Silverå who seems to be on almost every Swedish record that I like from the decade. I’m leaving the Larma LP and the Stress SS 7” off this list just so it doesn’t seem like I’m his clandestine publicist. This rules.
64. GAS RAG HUMAN RIGHTS EP 7” BEACH IMPEDIMENT (2013)
Unhinged, raw hardcore punk that’s in and out and never overstays its welcome. Minimal distortion on the guitar makes you feel every strum, drum hit, and bass pluck. It doesn't necessarily sound like Die Kreuzen, but it reminds me of Cows and Beer in the way it pushes up against the boundaries of what first-wave USHC was, yet you could never accuse it of being anything else.
63. SAVAGEHEADS S/T 7” X-PLOIT / TWERP (2014)
Some of the best UK82 style hardcore punk ever played by dudes who spell “color,” “humor,” and “poser” the right way…and their 2022 LP is even better.
62. BOOTLICKER NUCLEAR FAMILY EP NEON TASTE (2019)
This hardcore band from Western Canada really carved out their niche piece of the D-beat sound. They dial down the six-string distortion while cranking it on the bass and record the cymbals in a way where they’re absolutely peaking. They take it to the brink on this EP but hone it in and perfect it for their 2021 LP.
61. CIVILIZED CHOPPING BLOCK LP YOUTH ATTACK (2017)
Ripping, straightforward hardcore that sounds more like Youth of Today or label mates The Repos than what you’d expect from a label known for “mysterious guy hardcore.” Relentless.
60. CAREER SUICIDE MACHINE RESPONSE LP STATIC SHOCK / DERANGED (2017)
With Machine Response, Career Suicide returned with their first LP in over a decade. It garnered press all over, including NPR featuring a song and Pitchfork giving it a 7.5! Well shit, I gotta say it’s pretty well deserved here. They’re way better musicians on this record than they were on the first LP but it doesn’t seem like they have lost any of the fire. It’s still well executed early ‘80s hardcore, now just diced with a bit more of what was percolating in ‘78/’79.
59. FREE SPIRIT FREE YOURSELF TRIPLE-B/LOCKIN’ OUT 7” (2010)
A serious contender for the best record with the worst art title. Even conceptually, I dunno how free I’d feel floating around 3000 feet up in a death basket. One time I went parasailing and that shit sucked so bad cuz it somehow managed to make me feel bored and scared at the same time. How does that even happen? I think it would’ve only been enjoyable if I was super stoned and had “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” on in my headphones or something. Trust me, if I ever have to go up in a hot air balloon for an anniversary or some shit, I’ll be prepared this time.
But about the tunes…dude, it’s Boston in 2010. You know it’s fire. This record is on the level with all the classic shit of the era (Boston Strangler, Rival Mob, etc.). Essential.
58. TOZCOS EXISTENCIA ATURDIDA 7” VERDUGO DISCOS (2015)
Santa Ana’s Tozcos blend UK82 with the more tuneful side of early ‘80s Scandi punk like Appendix, Svart Framtid, and Bannlyst. A lot of this sounds really similar to those first Rixe 7”s that came out at the same time, so maybe there was just something in the air whispering to chosen ones across the globe to lay down some chunky, bass-driven modern classics.
57. GLUE ENEMY 7” KATORGA WORKS / VIDEO DISEASE (2014)
The singer sounds like a rabid dog foaming at the mouth over these mostly mid-tempo hardcore punk jammers. This 7” is just memorable riff stacked on memorable riff—look no further than the first track, “Enemy.” There’s not a second of filler on here from the guitarist who always seems to be pushin’ it forward. On the flip, Side-B hits you with some speed for good measure.
56. CRAZY SPIRIT S/T LP TOXIC STATE (2012)
When I used to drink, my preference was three fingers of booze in a short glass with a regular beer back. Three fingers of Glenlevit with a Boddington back? Righteous. Tres dedos de Tradicional con un Dos Equis Ambar? Buenisimo. This is all a bad setup to say that my hardcore preferences are pretty much the same—nothing fancy. So when someone is coming with some Sangria ass shit—a blend of things that I don’t really want mixed together—sometimes I look at it sideways.
Crazy Spirit might be the ultimate Sangria ass band of the 2010s. Sometimes it feels like the first Minutemen 7” with more noodley guitars. Sometimes those noodley guitars stretch out into some more Wipers-eque madness. Then you have the vocals which are more Darby Crash than anything and everything is backed with production that The Mummies would say HELL YEAH to. I dunno how, but it’s just one of those weirdo records that works.
55. THE REPOS POSER LP YOUTH ATTACK (2016)
It’s nearly impossible for a hardcore punk band to put out multiple great LPs and the magic formula is almost never, “Let’s make the next one more rock ’n’ roll.” Well, rules don’t apply to The Repos and The Repos don’t seem like dudes who follow any rules anyway. They got a lot of that Youth of Today out of their system on the old records and are back with a Pick Your King meets Confront hybrid and a guitarist who plays like he’s probably in a cover band on the weekend.
54. PRAISE GROWING. CHANGING. HEALING. 7” REACT! (2010)
This is probably the only record that could be categorized “melodic hardcore” that I’d ride for since Faded Grey’s 2001 LP A Quiet Time of Desperation. Straight up, “Caught in a Cycle” and “I Believe” are the best two melodic hardcore songs of the decade and two of my favorite songs in that timespan, period. The whole record rules. It’s super sincere but not corny, kinda like Until The End by Battery but this record has better drumming.
53. INMATES S/T LP PAINKILLER (2014)
Full throttled, diabolical hardcore punk from Cleveland, OH’s bastard sons. The Inmates are a mashup of that ‘90s Clevo H-1000s/Gordon Solie Motherfuckers sound sliced and diced with ‘80s Japanese bands like G.I.S.M., The Swankys, and Lip Cream. A solid ass record right in the middle of their catalog and it kicks off with one of their most classic tunes.
52. SYNDROME 81 DÉSERT URBAIN 7” DESTRUCTURE RECORDS (2015)
Syndrome 81’s first proper 7” brilliantly juxtaposes street grit with beautiful flowing melodies. It's like a pair of worn out steel toe boots planted in the middle of a waterbed dressed in 1,500 thread count sheets. Underneath the duel between rugged and senti, there’s an unyielding rhythm section that pushes the whole thing forward. And then there’s “Traitre”—a bonus hardcore rager sitting right there in the middle of the record on a sick little misfit island.
51. LONG KNIFE MEDIATIONS OF SELF DESTRUCTION LP LONG KNIFE RECORDS (2014)
Raging hardcore punk for those who prefer to walk in the gutter instead of on the sidewalk. Is it lazy to compare this to their fellow Portlanders, Poison Idea? Probably, but let’s just say this: Poison Idea is one of the greatest hardcore bands of all time and one of the hardest to replicate cuz you have to knock every element out of the park. Your drumming is mid? Fuck off. You can’t solo? Get outta here. Your singer is a shy boi? C’mon, dawg. Even if you pass those requirements, you have to be able to write memorable songs that rip on a casual listen and pop off the page when analyzed on a deeper level. Long Knife delivers not only on this record but across their whole catalog.
50. TERROR KEEPERS OF THE FAITH LP REAPER RECORDS (2010)
This record was a phenomenon at the time. For a band that owned the 2000s, their 2008 LP seemed to be a big letdown to some fans and made folks question if Terror could return to past glory. It seemed like the band took that personally and made it a mission to remind everyone that they weren’t just one of the best hardcore bands in the mix, they were the best hardcore band, period. From the combination of HC classics they’ve written over the years combined with their live gig, that’s definitely an argument that can still be made.
And about those classics, this album, their 5th 12”, added to that treasure trove big time. “Stick Tight” might be a top five Terror song and the title track remains their biggest anthem over 15 years after this album was released.
49. BE ALL END ALL OBJECT TO PERSONA LP TRIPLE-B (2019)
Thick, fast, modern hardcore that switches up fast beats as much as mosh tempos. Spastic at times with memorable grooves in others. It’s a hardcore record where it evokes a strange desire: wanting to play it twice. At least one dude from this band went on to be in Collateral, which is one of the best bands of the 2020s.
48. PRISONER ABUSE S/T LP PAINKILLER RECORDS (2012)
Boston hardcore circa 2010 with four heavies handling business. If you thought this was the one that might miss, you were wrong.
47. GULCH 2019 PROMO CASSETTE CREATOR-DESTRUCTOR (2019)
Gulch had put out music before—both the 2017 demo and the 2018 7” were good. But both songs on this two song promo were a level beyond, blending what Hoax was doing while mixing in more blatant moshcore on one end and some almost-black metal riffery on the other. Backed with a big recording, their unique style was unstoppable. Both these songs were on their LP the following year which was one of the biggest records during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
46. HOAX S/T 7” DERANGED (2011)
Rough, raw, and stompy tunes with a purpose. You can’t have a song title like that first one and come with some bullshit, right? They didn’t and Hoax would end up being one of the most influential bands in the underground to this day.
45. PARANOID DESTROY FUTURE LESS SYSTEM 7” KONTON CRASHER (2014)
Yeah, it’s the best drawn album cover of the decade—that’s getting it on the list alone, but the tunes back it up big time. Destroy Future Less System is raw, blown out hardcore with some minor black metal flourishes. All that plus it has a killer recording, so this thing totally surges in your speakers.
44. BIG CHEESE AGGRAVATED MOPERY 7” QUALITY CONTROL (2018)
It seems like sometimes bands from over the pond just do that late ‘80s NYHC sound better than their US counterparts. In recent years, you have bands like Echo Chamber and Wits End but at the end of the 2010s, one band stood above the rest: Big Cheese. Aggravated Mopery is a brilliant distillation of a post-Age of Quarrel world where that pri-core-dial soup was cooking up classics like Brightside and Born to Expire.
43. NAILS UNSILENT DEATH LP SIX FEET UNDER / STREETCLEANER (2010)
You’re out having a nice day hiking by yourself when suddenly you feel something give on your right side. You look down in horror. Your foot is sliding away from you. You try to hurl yourself the other way to avoid following its downward trajectory. You fail. You’re sliding now on your side. You should’ve worn pants. Weeds and dead brush fucking hurt. You’re going too fast now…this is fucked. You begin tumbling and get banged over what you think are a couple smaller rocks. Is your arm broken? You feel everything and nothing all at once. Your vision is now only darkness and brilliant flashes of light. You’re only halfway through the title track…are you going to make it through the end or succumb to your injuries and give in to death’s warm embrace?
42. SEED OF PAIN CHAMPIONS OF CHAOS LP PLEASE YOUR CASE (2018)
Humanity is the Devil, In This Defiance, and Truth In The Age of Lies boiled together to create a ‘90s hardcore-inspired gruel. Non-posers line up to say, “Please, sir, I want some more.”
41. LINE OF SIGHT DISSENT 7” YOUNGBLOOD (2018)
There was a time in the 1990s where the youth crew revival was one of the most vital components of what made up the broader hardcore scene. Since it flamed out in the year 2000, there have been a few bands who have popped up to carry the torch here and there throughout the years but never a full on scene. Most notable of those bands would probably be The First Step in the early/mid 2000s, and Mindset in the early/mid 2010s. In a post-Mindset world, this Line of Sight 7” probably represents the best of the style—fast songs played with purpose and filled with the one element that third rate bands of the genre always lack: anger.
40. KING NINE SCARED TO DEATH LP MASS MOVEMENT (2013)
It can’t be a coincidence that the first bass notes lurking beneath the feedback that opens this record sound like a more ominous “It’s Clobberin’ Time.” You know, those notes that whenever you’ve heard them throughout your life, you knew that as a self respecting coreman that it was time to enter thy pit. This moment is no different given that Scared To Death is the premier moshcore record of the decade. The bat signal is up and it’s about to be a warzone for the next 28 minutes.
39. MINDSET LEAVE NO DOUBT LP REACT! (2012)
In a post-Youth of Today world, youth crew hardcore is generally always best on demo tapes or 7”s. So the fact that Mindset was able to pull off a great LP is a feat cuz in this style, you’re great or you’re ass. The tunes on Leave No Doubt are fast and aggressive, the playing is tight, and the lyrics are well crafted. Most importantly, the drumming is ripping and can stop on a dime. Oh, and it has a perfect album cover to match the vibe/style.
It seems like whenever I mention bad album art, I’m always served up the response: what, you just want a live photo of the singer yelling on the cover or something? Dude, yes…yes, I do. Exactly.
38. BLAZING EYE LONELY CORPSE 7” LA VIDA ES UN MUS (2016)
Blazing Eye have a flawless catalog but the final song on their final 7” is their masterpiece. Musically, “Lonely Corpse” is so grim, raw and chunky. It makes you feel like you’re stumbling home alone from the bar, bull-in-china-shopping anything in your way when something tells you to stop, so you do. You look down and are confronted by your own mortality staring back at you. Who’s this guy? Where did he come from? Why did this happen? Does anyone care? Who will bury this lonely corpse? You stumble on but can’t get him out of your mind. It’s now 10 years later and you’re still thinking about him.
37. DOWNPRESSER DON’T NEED A REASON LP 6131 (2013)
My personal favorite moshcore record of the decade. Riff stacked upon riff, stellar drumming and one of the best lyricists in the entire big tent of what we call hardcore styling on top of it all.
36. ARMS RACE NEW WAVE OF BRITISH HARDCORE LP LA VIDA ES UN MUS (2016)
Mean, gruff, over the plate hardcore punk. It’s a bold move to call your album something like The New Wave of British Hardcore. You’re setting yourself up for a The Shape of Punk to Come sad trombone ass failure if you whiff. Arms Race didn’t. If this is the one record that folks pick up to get an idea of the mid-2010s roots hardcore revival from Dan Sant's motherland, I think they'd get a pretty good understanding of what it was all about.
35. D-CLONE CREATION AND DESTROY LP AGIPUNK / 540 / MOUSE (2012)
By far the gnarliest sounding record on the list. Pummeling D-beat played at the most breakneck speeds while using the most savage tones in the toolbox. The soundtrack to being the first dude to face an MG 08 on the battlefield.
34. BLOOD PRESSURE NEED TO CONTROL LP BEACH IMPEDIMENT (2016)
An avatar of the blistering Pittsburgh scene from this era. Not unlike what was going on in England at the same time, it’s fast, over the plate hardcore with gruff vocals and a bit of boot mixed in. Combine that with a great recording and a killer album cover to top it all off. Hell yeah.
33. TAKE OFFENSE TABLES WILL TURN LP REAPER RECORDS (2011)
With their 2009 7”, Peace In Death, Take Offense had begun to carve out their own unique brand of crossover—part Venice, part NYC, but always waving the banner for their hometown of Chula Vista, CA. With Tables Will Turn, they dropped an LP to present their sound to the world. “Power In Our Hands,” “No Tomorrow,” and “Walks of Life” are unmatched crossover classics of the modern era.
32. VIOLENT REACTION CITY STREETS LP QUALITY CONTROL / PAINKILLER (2013)
This Violent Reaction record was the first full length released out of the scene dubbed “The New Wave of British Hardcore.” The history of hardcore tells us that the 7” to LP jump is a daunting task that is mastered by few. For Violent Reaction, it was a success. Their blended sound of old school hardcore mixed with boot sensibility worked in the longer format, and this LP gave a more heightened legitimacy not only to them but their scene as a whole.
31. SLANT VAIN ATTEMPT EP 7” IRON LUNG (2019)
Slant’s masterpiece is their 2021 LP but goddamn, this 7” goes too. How does a band from South Korea do the Boston 1982 meets Boston 2010 style hardcore better than almost anyone? Who fuckin’ knows, but it’s a helluva thing to witness.
30. ROTTING OUT STREET PROWL LP 6131 (2011)
Rotting Out had already been a good band for years by the time they released their first LP, but with Street Prowl they became a beast. The riffs were better; the drumming was tighter. The recording was perfect for the album with the bass sitting so nicely in the mix, shining in the small moments when it needed to. Musically Street Prowl blended modern roots hardcore with what the hardcore-friendly EpiFat bands like Good Riddance and AFI were doing in the mid ‘90s, but Walter’s lyrics and delivery made it 100% hardcore.
29. OUT COLD A HEATED DISPLAY LP PAINKILLER (2013)
Out Cold’s catalog in the 1990s and 2000s is one of the most consistent in the history of hardcore, putting them in the conversation for most underrated HC band ever. It’s a dartboard discography—choose one and put it on, it’ll be good. The band broke up in 2010 when vocalist Mark Sheehan died but at some point the rest of the band gathered old recordings they did in 2005. They began to add to them and eventually recorded vocals with their original singer, Kevin Mertens. This record came out in 2013 as A Heated Display. It rules.
28. WARCRY SAVAGE MACHINERY LP WARCRY RECORDS (2012)
These Portland lifers don’t skip a beat on their final 12” that came out 10 years after the first. Track after track of fresh sounding D-beat (how?) and mid-tempo bangers that all bring the heat. This team must own a riff bank in the Cayman Islands or some shit.
27. THE COMBAT ZONE S/T SIDE TWO LP
UK82 meets Detroit/Lansing ‘82 with a mean ass voice on top of it. Great riffs, tones, and militant drumming. One of the most underrated LPs of the 2010s. If someone has an extra, I need one.
26. PEACEBREAKERS EVERY DAY BATTLE 7” ROCK ‘N’ ROLL DISGRACE (2013)
A mash up of Choke’s 1982-1988 catalog. HELL YEAH.
25. OMEGAS BLASTS OF LUNACY LP PARTS UNKOWN / HARDWARE (2011)
Blasts of Lunacy builds off the resurgent sounds from the No Way era (Direct Control, Government Warning, etc.) while pushing the boundaries of a throwback style. There’s an unmistakable swag on this record too, like they knew during the writing process that they were in the middle of making something special and weren’t too bashful to strut it. So while musically Blasts of Lunacy may pull more musically from the Bad Brains, in terms of pure unadulterated confidence, maybe it has just as much Dead Boys or Richard Hell and the Voidoids in it.
24. THE FLEX WILD STABS IN THE DARK LP VIDEO DISEASE / MILK RUN (2014)
Your corneas burn; your prefrontal cortex is overloaded. It’s unadulterated, blistering hardcore that mixes white knuckle fast parts and mid-tempo waffle stomp. It’s probably the best British hardcore LP of the era.
23. PURE DIGUST S/T 7” FLOPHOUSE (2014)
Dude, just listen to the 2nd riff on “Denied.”
22. MINUS COMPULSION LP THE FERAL PLANET (2019)
One of, if not the most underrated hardcore LP of the decade. Minus merge savage, breakneck hardcore with stompy mosh creating this timeless slab-o-wax. It’s a nihilistic sounding record, but pull out that lyric sheet cuz Travis is one of the better lyricists in the game. “Action” an all-time MTB.
21. COKE BUST CONFINED LP GRAVE MISTAKE (2013)
Confined is noisy, tight and can blast off into hypersonic speeds in the blink of an eye. This record was too punk for the straightedge kids and too straightedge for the troo punx, but it’s perfect for those who know what’s up.
20. G.L.O.S.S. S/T 7” TOTAL NEGATIVITY / NERVOUS NELLY / SABOTAGE (2015)
While bathing in feedback, G.L.O.S.S. unleashed their mission statement in the first 20 seconds of this record before unloading into an eight minute barrage of rowdy, hardcore punk. Lyrically, the record tackled issues that the transgender community still faces while existing in an intolerant country. Sonically, it’s a mashup of the first two Los Crudos 7”s with the first couple Hoax 7”s. Crucial.
19. HERÄTYS S/T LP NOT ENOUGH (2010)
When I think about Swedish D-beat in the 1990s into the 2000s, I think of big, savage recordings from drop-tuned, heavy bands like Disfear, Wolfpack, and Skitsystem. This Herätys record flies in the face of all of that and falls more on the Totalitär side of things, but it’s kinda even more minimalist than that. There’s barely any distortion on the guitar which gives you a clean look at the left hand speed of the riffs. It’s like harDCore 1981 mashed up with unhinged mangel madness. Totally bitchin’.
Buuuuuut…visually, we gotta call this one out as another contender for the best album with the worst art championship. Even Rick Grimes thinks they could’ve come up with something better.
18. KRIEGSHÖG S/T LP HG FACT / LA VIDA ES UN MUS (2010)
The first Kriegshõg LP is a pummeling, blown out D-beat hardcore assault that pounds you out with an unstoppable auditory onslaught. That is, until you give into the madness and let it wash over you. Bathe in it, let it seep into your pores. Then it becomes a hypnotic beast. You start to notice how crucial the mix is with the bass driving everything. Riffs start to stand out. They lodge into your hippocampus. The recording stops sounding like an abrasive wall of noise and emerges as more purposeful. The tracks flow perfectly from one to the next, and then it’s over. Time to take another dose with a fresh needle drop.
17. WARTHOG S/T 7” BEACH IMPEDIMENT (2016)
Think about when Fear played SNL in ‘81 and you had Ian Mackaye, Harley Flanagan, and John Brannon all slamming together to “Beef Baloney.” How sick was that? Everyone loved Fear! Are there even any consensus bands that everyone loves anymore? Warthog might be one of the closest things we have, and their 3rd 7” from 2016 is one of the main reasons. It sounds like Poison Idea mixed with the meaner side of the Burning Spirits scene but the end result is a distinctive sound that’s totally singular to them.
16. VAASKA TODO CONTRA TODOS LP BEACH IMPEDIMENT (2015)
The 3rd Vaaska 12” is their best record—Discharge meets 1st wave Finnish hardcore. The recording is monotone as fuck in the best way that highlights the relentless D-beat riffing, while the vocals masterfully dance over the top. The guitarist can shred but tastefully hangs back unless it’s go time. The tunes are catchy even if you don’t know Spanish. It’s the best straight forward American D-beat LP of the decade.
15. FURY PARAMOUNT LP TRIPLE-B (2016)
Fury’s 1st LP is a beautifully sculpted record. It feels like they went over every inch of Paramount with an attention to detail that no other roots hardcore band has before. In that way, along with their subtle use of melody, it’s quite a feat that they can walk all the way up to the amazing-core cliff without ever having a toe slip over.
This LP feels like it’s born out of the spirit of “Too Deep Until Now.” It’s a powerful, masterfully constructed record with big hooks, great drumming and little guitar licks sprinkled throughout. But it’s exceptional cuz it never strays too far from their backbone which is, forgive me…the fury.
14. THE RIVAL MOB HARDCORE FOR HARDCORE 7” SIX FEET UNDER (2010)
“Hardcore for hardcore, what the fuck else?”
Thank you for saying what needed to be said. And no, Terry Funk, I will not take it easy, man.
13. RAT CAGE CAGED LIKE RATS 7” LA VIDA ES UN MUS (2017)
The first Rat Cage 7” was half NWOBH and half unbridled mangel along the lines of Totalitär or Krigshot. They can still UK82 (“Wasted Time”) and MTB (“Caged Like Rats”) with the best of them, but the different approach to the fast side of things made this record stand out from the pack to be the best UKHC record of the decade.
12. RIXE COUPS ET BLESSURES 7” LA VIDA ES UN MUS (2015)
Thundering, bass-forward tunes flush with memorable riffs and hooks that burrow into your temporal lobe on the very first listen. All three Rixe 7”s from the decade were classic but Coups Et Blessures is the one that knocked everyone on their ass first.
11. BLOODKROW BUTCHER ANTI-WAR 7” SIDE TWO (2012)
Lo-fi D-beat that pulls more from the GBG 1982 7” than anything else. The results are similar—a flawless hardcore 7” where every song is urgent and memorable without a single second of fluff.
10. TRAPPED UNDER ICE BIG KISS GOODNIGHT LP REAPER (2011)
Trapped Under Ice came out the gate with an unmatched swagger that I’d never seen before in my time in hardcore. Maybe if I was around for Leeway in its demo era or if I was at the first Crown of Thornz show that would’ve been different, but I wasn’t. Enough people say that the TUI demo changed hardcore completely that I’m not going to argue it, and I’ve seen tons of people over the years saying they peaked on the demo…I’d argue against that for sure. The first 7” was better than the demo, the first LP was better than both and Big Kiss Goodnight is neck and neck with that as the best record on the catalog.
If you’re a 2010s hardcore kid looking at the first four songs of Side-A, it probably looks like how the four songs on Side-A of Filler looked like to people from another generation.
Depending on who you are, you probably think this is righteous or totally ridiculous but it doesn’t really matter cuz it’s spot on. These songs are bonafide modern classics that transcend the stupid barriers which exist in the hardcore scene. They’re songs so loved that they turned TUI into a legacy band who can pick their spots while the members are still in their prime. They can sell out most rooms or headline any hardcore fest and it’s all cuz of timeless hardcore tracks like Side-A of Big Kiss Goodnight, tracks 1-4.
9. FORCED ORDER ETERNAL WAR 7”MASS MOVEMENT (2014)
The hardcore battlefield is littered with bands that tried their hand at Integrity/Ringworm-style Clevo-core, only to be cut down in a hail of shame bullets when they couldn't solo or came with some soulless, copycat bullshit. Eternal War might be the 2nd coming of In Cold Blood’s stone-cold classic, Hell On Earth, in the way that it can break out and shred at any time but the backbone is unchecked aggression and savage hardcore. This dude can shred, and does, but there’s no wanking, no dragging things out—every song is a honed bayonet, fixed to take out all survivors in the most brutal way possible.
8. NO TOLERANCE NO REMORSE, NO TOLERANCE 7” YOUNGBLOOD (2011)
Modern straightedge hardcore reduced to its best core elements. Rage. Slam. Rage. Slam. Plus a 6th song that harnesses that Get It Away-esque surging power.
7. CONCEALED BLADE DEMO 2015 7” BEACH IMPEDIMENT (2015)
1st wave Boston Hardcore meets Youth of Today meets Chris Smith with a whammy bar addiction. Every song rules—just untouchable.
6. THE IMPALERS CELLAR DWELLER LP STATIC SHOCK / 540 (2017)
The soundtrack for the descent of man from upstanding citizen to deranged berserker. In a style known and loved for repetitive bludgeoning, The Impalers pushed the whole D-beat sound forward a couple centuries and created a frenetic slab of wax where you never know what’s lurking around the corner. There are hits all over this thing but it’s best taken in as a sum of all parts to see what it truly is— a psychotic, surrealistic masterpiece.
5. INFERNÖH 7 SPÅR E.P. 12” D-TAKT & RÅPUNK / DISTORT REALITY (2013)
Mangel. Kängpunk. D-beat (D-takt?). Raw punk (råpunk?). Staffan and his uncle don’t make it easy to keep up with all the labels. It doesn’t really matter cuz this is straight up one of the best HARDCORE records of the decade. If The Impalers were forging new paths for the subgenre, Infernöh was taking a tried and true style and blasting it from the Northern Peak of Kebnekaise.
A lot of what makes this record great is the recording and tones. How can it sound so heavy without coming off metal at all? It’s the ultimate white whale. Those first tom hits sound massive and then when the fast beat kicks in, it’s a tidal wave of kängpunk history surging right at your ass. Headcleaners, check. Anti Cimex, check. Mob 47, check. Avskum, check. Totalitär, check. It’s the best combo of the raging fast D-beat with that super active left hand, all backed by a massive recording that captures every perfect piece of madness and buries nothing.
4. MINDFORCE EXCALIBUR LP TRIPLE-B (2018)
Crossover had a big moment in the hardcore scene in the 2010s, mostly kicked off by Take Offense and Power Trip at the turn of the decade. Power Trip’s swelling popularity leading up to their 2nd LP and the acclaim upon its release boosted their notoriety higher than many imagined possible. More bands formed trying to chase that glory, but the problem with the mid bands of crossover and/or thrash metal is that their songs often lack any direction or dynamic. It’s just riff on riff—a rudderless boat heading down the river. Sure, it can be a thrill when you hit some rapids but it’s mostly just the same old boring shit: looking at rocks, water, and trees. Yawn.
Punk started in part as a pushback to how bloated rock ‘n’ roll had become. It was as much a regression as it was the start of something new. In that way, Excalibur is one of the most punk records of the 2010s. Guitarist Mike Shaw is as much a sculptor as he is a shredder, and on this record he carves the often overextended crossover song into palatable bursts for even the most A.D.D.-riddled listener. That reduction highlighted the big moments littered throughout the LP, often through Shaw’s Chuck Schuldiner-esque guitar work or vocalist Jay Petagine’s generational howl that always seemed to land at just the right moment. Songs like “Destroyer,” “Nightmare,” and “Excalibur” are modern classics for a reason.
3. RESTRAINING ORDER THIS WORLD IS TOO MUCH LP TRIPLE B (2019)
By the end of the 2010s the dominant style of American hardcore was most definitely the heavy shit. Really it’s probably been that since the Firestorm 7” came out in 1993, but in 2018/2019 it really felt like everything popular was drop-tuned mosh music. However, at the very end of the decade in late October of its final year, a glimmer of hope was unleashed.
Sonically, This World Is Too Much wasn’t too far off from the British stuff from the middle of the decade—mean, over-the-plate fast songs mixed with a healthy dose of No Future-inspired boot music. But there was something about this record that made it a little different. Perhaps it was a bit cleaner than the British records and maybe that aspect made some of the hooks bigger. Maybe it was just the total package: the tunes, the perfect sequencing of the songs and the all-time album cover. As a sum of all parts, it has to be considered the gold standard for roots hardcore records of the era.
2. NEVER ENDING GAME JUST ANOTHER DAY LP TRIPLE-B (2019)
The first four songs of this record are the best hardcore record of the decade. It’s prime Madball meets Terror meets TUI, all shaped into a style all their own. The riffing is sharp and biting, the tones are thick, and the drumming is tight. But most importantly there’s a big chorus in every song, reminding everyone that even the hardest songs can have big hooks.
Really that’s something we gotta give credit to the three aforementioned bands for…they all had the balls to go for the big chorus in a hardcore song when most bands are too timid and just hide behind the mosh. NEG follows in those footsteps and knocks it out of the park in each one of these Mt. Rushmore tracks. That’s not to say the back half of the album doesn’t have moments too, it does…but those first four mostly carry the weight for how great this thing is.
1. BOSTON STRANGLER PRIMITIVE LP FUN WITH SMACK LP (2012)
If Restraining Order’s This World Is Too Much was the gold standard for roots hardcore records at the end of the decade, Primitive takes it for the first half. In the 1990s, the ‘80s style throwback bands were great because we couldn’t have that. They were good enough, especially compared to metalcore, but there wasn’t a single one as good as the original thing. At some point in the mid-to-late 2000s that changed, mostly because a handful of people figured out how to record hardcore music themselves and finally had access to the equipment to do so.
You had a choice to make in the ‘90s—you either went to a decent studio where the engineer either wouldn’t know how to record hardcore or would think it’s morally wrong to make an album sound like The Kids Will Have Their Say or Brotherhood. Your other option? Go to a dude who knows what’s up but didn’t have the equipment to pull it off. Sometime in the 2000s, people started getting it right. It’s the main reason why all those Boston albums circa 2010, the British records circa 2015, and the Pittsburgh records from the end of the decade all hold up.
The record that put it all together the best came out in 2012. The band was Boston Strangler. The album was Primitive. It had the tracks, the tones, the recording, the voice, the authentic swag, the album cover…shit, it had the best band name. It’s not just great cuz it’s the best there was in 2012—if it came out in 1982 or 1983, it would be standing tall, right there with the best of the era.
My band Subversive Intent released a our debut LP in May on Rebirth Records. Order it here and while you’re waiting for it to come in the mail, jam it here, here, here or wherever you stream music.
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