Recent Shows

[Shevy]

I've heard of Circle Takes The Square, but I doubt that's the same The End I'm familiar with.

[1:(]

I'm pretty sure The End I'm referring to is the one on Relapse. Or at least I hope it is.

[1:(]

Just saw the listing for the Hirax show in Providence...maybe since Strong Intention is playing, it'll be worth going to?

[1:(]

GWAR did this to me.

[OneEye]

They caused you to have enlarged forearms like Popeye's?

[1:(]

You're the second person to make a Popeye comment to that picture.

...

[unclemeat]

Backstabber played their last show tonight AND I HAD SCHOOL! And we didn't even have a mid-term.

If I had more balls I would have skipped school no matter what and gone. FUCK

[1:(]

You're not the only one who's mad he didn't get to go Meat. I had more than one opportunity to see them in the course of this year too. I am pissed off.

[1:(]

New England Metal and Hardcore Festival 2005

Which day would you go to?

Personally, I'd say Saturday. There's a fair share of shit in there, but Cryptopsy, A Life Once Lost, and The Red Chord in one day? Sounds great.

Then again, so does the Friday.

[Shevy]

I'd go Sunday for: Behemoth, Cephalic Carnage, Dark Tranquility, Nile, and Origin.

[sc00ts]

that festival sounds fucking terrible... where's the hardcore?

[1:(]

You and I have different definitions of hardcore, it seems.

[sc00ts]

if you consider stuff like hatebreed hardcore, yeah we have very different ideas

[1:(]

No, not Hatebreed. I don't know what to call them really. I just don't like them.

I think there's both a hardcore punk and a hardcore metal. I was referring to the metal stuff, and you were referring to the punk stuff. That could have caused some confusion.

[sc00ts]

hardcore is punk....period.

[OneEye]

Maybe I've mentioned this before here, but hardcore seems to have taken on a different definition, at least out west here, than I ever thought it to be. I always believed hardcore just to be a term to represent something that was over the top or extrememly aggressive in it's style or sound. Not wimpy.

Everything out here now that's tagged hardcore represents straight edge x'er type bullshit bands or kids that promote violence at shows or in their message or whatever, based on their beliefs vs. others'. Fuck that. I'm twice as old as these kids that go to shows now, and I don't want negative shit because I choose to drink beer, burn a joint, or eat a steak. Some may choose to fuck a black chick, smoke pole or whatever. I don't care. I'm there to enjoy music. Take your narrow minded shit to Utah. It seems to me that they have adopted this term, but it's not what I think it was originally meant to stand for. I tend to avoid "hardcore" bands or shows now, because I don't support negativity. And that's not to say that there aren't some good bands out there that have these ideals, that aren't being positive in their attitude, message. I met a band from Holland called Vitamin X, and they were totally cool, friendly people to be around. I think they are the exception. Americans tend to put too much into labels.

[1:(]

I definetely get what you mean about assholes at shows...I've seen so much dumb shit at hardcore shows it's insane. I do get a kick out of negativity in lyrics, but that should be your outlet. If you act like bastards like that to your fans, then you just suck. End of story. Stuff you described about different beliefs applies too. I may not drink or smoke, but I still refuse to call myself straight edge because of all the fucktards that have taken it out of its original context(to be an idea where you just kept a balance in your life) and turned it into some cult with strict rules. I remember going into AIM chats and I told people about this idea of straight edge being about balance and they were like "NO IN DA SONG OUT OF STEP THEY DUN SAY NUTTIN BOUT BALANCE IT CLEARLY SAYS NO DRINK SMOKE SEX LOL." It doesn't help that I'm not a big guy either. I'm maybe 5'6, 140 pounds. I'm a lot smaller than other people going into pits punching other people in the face. Some guys can take a hit, but I really can't. I broke one of my toes at a Burnt By The Sun show back in August 2003...I could tell it was broken by the way I limped severly for the rest of the night(and it still followed fora week) and how I couldn't crack it for about four and a half months(yes, some people crack their knuckles. I also do that to my toes too. Bad habits, I know.) All that gay ass ninja shit. Keep it away from me.

God damnit. I hate people. I'm going to dunk my head in barbecue sauce for world peace.

[sc00ts]

what people call hardcore nowadays is usually not something i want to associate with unless they qualify it somehow..." '82 style hardcore" or something like that. since the late 80s/early 90s with the rise of nyhc bands like madball, judge, etc hardcore for me went downhill. that's where the meatheads and kickboxing jock dudes came from. there are still some authentic hardcore bands today but i'm definitely not seeing it on that show listing, unless i just haven't heard of them before. hardcore to me is negative approach, ydi, necros, negative fx, government issue, dys, fu's, etc not this junk made by hip hop kids with bad tattoos and a facial piercing.

i'm definitely a snob when it comes to this stuff but all i can say is when you are into something as much as i am and research it as much as i have, your tastes narrow very quickly. i'm reading/listening to this shit basically 5 or 6 hours every day and i've been heavily into punk for more than a decade now so forgive me if i'm coming on strong.

[1:(]

Sc00ts said:

madball

Thus stems the confusion between where we were coming from.

What I call hardcore is what people tend to call metalcore. But I hate that word. I would still call bands like Into The Moat, The Red Chord, Psyopus, etc...tech hardcore. Some call it math metal. Whatever suits them. I have a weird way with my own words. I despise all this Madball, Hatebreed, Agnostic Front shit that's been polluting peoples ears.

Going back to negative lyrics though, looking through XfilesX lyrics gives me some good laughs. Like this passage:

Always looking around to make sure I'm not found
Always keeping an ear out for an unwanted shout
Familiar faces stop me dead in my tracks
Some dickhead from high school slaps me on the back

I don't know about you guys, maybe it's my age or something, but I think that's pretty fucking funny.

But then you have your shit like this, in the same lyrics sheet:

You broke your edge and lost my trust
You thought it all was a joke
But we don't think it's funny
You're rolling blunts with our test press money

Sometimes shit like that happens. But most bands can't write anyway. My problem is that a lot of these "metalcore" bands are trying too hard to sound like Shakespeare writing these annoying sonnets that seem deep at the surface but don't have any real meaning. Some of my favorite bands are guilty of this. Let's take a look at one of my Converge CDs for an example.

In retrospect I reflect but I am blind to see
I embrace my soul hoping it will show me all
Blind, I've lost it all, I've lost you
I'm so sorry for what I have put you through
I am so sorry for what I did to you
But look at me, look what I have put me through
Taken for a ride

UUURRRRNNNNHHH!!!! What the fuck does that MEAN!? I love Converge and everything, but I shouldn't be sitting here trying to analyze a lyric sheet like it's a fucking sonnet. Especially not in heavy music such as this. It's meant to sound like shit. You can't scream fancy lyrics like these and expect me to take them seriously.

Then we can move on to the downright incoherent. Unfortunately, the best example I can think of is a band I also love, As The Sun Sets.

I blocked out twenty four times today with ten minute intervals
This is my last "for the last time" and just guess
Which I used to type this

!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

While we're on the topic of incoherent, here's something by the Locust, a band way too focused on image and wrecking music to take themselves seriously.

Damnit Jim, I'm not a magician and actually not even a doctor
I'm not a fucking doctor
A cuckoo clock never gives the right time
We swim up stream for the cuckoo's dream
It's no surprise just how low some will go

First we start off with some filler in the form of a paraphrased Star Trek reference, followed by three more lines that have nothing to do with each other. God damnit.

And lastly for now, who can forget shock value. I present to you, some Cryptopsy lyrics.

Permit me to introduce you to "Tuesday"
I favor her, this pretty blade
So tall and fine
Hatred and violence are not our ways, but firm we are
Squirming is useless, so is this colon, cry for me

Wow. Useless colon. I guess I should shit all over the inside of myself.

I hate lyrics. I could go on forever about how much I hate lyrics. Because in the end...it's all about the music.

[sc00ts]

that's what's great about overseas music, you don't realize how stupid the lyrics (probably) are.