Formerly known as Stab Back (whose sole EP, "Breaking Out", I never got the chance to hear), this Dutch outfit is now operating as Said and Done, and I had been looking forward to hearing their debut "full-length" (12 tracks, 25 minutes, good enough), "Everyday" (on Shield Recordings), for awhile now. And sure enough, it delivers in full, with loads of diverse yet still relatively straightforward hardcore – complete with token power chords, plodding bass runs, punchy midpaced rhythms, and even some nice little lead breaks. Inspired by the likes of the Cro-Mags and Bad Brains (among others), oddly enough they sound not so similar to either of those bands, but rather a number of other worldwide hardcore acts in recent years who are also inspired by said legends. They're rockin' a relatively dry recording that gives the bass just enough room to roam around, opting for a natural sense of depth and texture as opposed to overly crunchy "heaviness" or anything like that. This is especially beneficial for the vocals, which have a pretty unique vibe happening in terms of shouting/yelling in key or however you want to describe it. I don't know, for whatever reason I just love the vocals, and they really help to additionally build upon the band's own identity, which is great. It's cool, because for the most part this is fairly traditionally-based stuff, but it doesn't sound like some retro old school throwback at all, nor is it particularly "metallic", so… hey, fuck it, listen for yourselves. I'm way into it.

Said and Done "Reflections"
Said and Done "Use Your Head"

Unfortunately I don't think this one's available from any US distributors at the moment (if I'm wrong, please correct me), so contact the band and/or the label for ordering information. Hopefully they'll start garnering some more attention soon, though, 'cause this is definitely one of the best European hardcore records I've encountered as of late. Great work.

Also from The Netherlands and on Shield Recordings is Heartfelt, whose latest outing, "Take It or Leave It", cranks out 14 tracks of energetic melodic hardcore in just 24 minutes. They definitely keep things short but sweet (no song hits three minutes), so expect plenty of fast, old school-influenced hardcore breaks accented by occasional forays into octave chords or subtly more "technical" melodic riffing – flirting with a scarce amount of post-hardcore dissonance here and there. The vocals are basically straight up yelling, but there's a faint tinge of melody tucked away in there that goes right along with the music. As a four-piece they keep things a little more stripped down than some of their contemporaries, which could work either way depending on how you look at it. I'm certainly not complaining, but I will admit that I could envision the band hitting on a little more creativity and melodic force with two guitar players – especially if they started layering some of their more involved riffing over the standard rhythms. Regardless, it may not be particularly original, but fuck if I care. They leave no time for getting bored, simply tearing right through and keeping the momentum going, so this is a very solid offering that bodes well for Heartfelt's future output. Good stuff.

Heartfelt "Architect"
Heartfelt "Deceased"

As above, I'm not seeing this one around at distros here in the US yet, so contact the band or the label to see about getting your hands on the disc.