2009 dropped back down to around 150 posts—still plenty of which were old classics—so it's certainly getting tougher to meaningfully drill down to 25 noteworthy selections per year here. Thus, a fair number of the bands below have already been cited in prior rewinds, but... I was writing about so little at this point, so... it is what it is. Even more so than before, I also came across quite a few excellent 2009 releases that I should've written about, but for whatever reason didn't. Go figure. Here's a semi-synopsis of Aversionline v3.0 circa 2009.
Some of What I Loved the Most...
Bolt, Behind Obstacles Lies Truth (Full House Records)
"I haven't kept up with the Finnish scene as much as I probably should have in the last few years, but there's simply no doubt that Bolt remains among the best of the best, and this album is everything I'd hoped for. Expect plenty of the band's traditionally-based metallic hardcore rhythms and pounding grooves with gruff, bitter vocals... However, branching out just a touch, this time around you'll also encounter subtly technical and/or dissonant metal influences as well as some really slick little melodic characteristics... They've achieved the perfect balance between a number of different styles of hardcore in a manner that gels perfectly, and this is exactly the kind of sheer force that made me fall in love with this niche of the Finnish scene in the first place."
Damn, if I was already feeling behind on the Finnish hardcore scene in 2009, imagine how pathetically out-of-the-loop I am 16 years later!? Bolt still rules, though!
Dead City, Goddamn the 21st Century (Thrashed! Records)
"There are a lot of bands out there getting a lot of hype for unloading merely decent tracks that are heavily influenced by the classic '90s style of metallic hardcore, so I simply can't fathom why Dead City is still flying under the radar... Rather than falling back on all of the NY staples that everyone knows and loves, Dead City's dirtying things up with more interesting and atypical influences along the lines of what bands like Bloodlet and Cutthroat were doing, alongside some 1993-styled Entombed and Crowbar to add texture and dimension. So, the songwriting is far darker, more pissed, and more powerful than the vast majority of the aforementioned bands that are reaping serious benefits from the hype factor right now."
Grossly underrated forever, it seems. If you've failed to act upon my zealous support for Dead City over the years, Goddamn the 21st Century would be a superb starting point. It's never too late!
Explode and Make Up, Explode and Make Up (Underground Communiqué)
"Apparently the lineup features current and former members of 88 Fingers Louie, The Methadones, The Bomb, The Story So Far, and Tomorrow's Gone... With that out of the way, this killer EP cranks out six tracks in 16-and-a-half minutes in a style that's one of the most literal fusions of melodic hardcore and rugged pop-punk that I've ever heard... Expect lots of fast-paced power chords and zippy picking patterns, pounding basslines, plenty of those cool melodic arpeggios that always get me psyched, and some slightly slower/darker rhythms to provide a little more variety... I'd be all about a full-length from these dudes based on the strengths of these songs (which are super catchy at their best), so hopefully that'll happen at some point!"
Man, this EP really kicks ass. I was hoping I'd look up Explode and Make Up on Discogs and discover that they had a handful of other releases that I'm missing, but it was just this and two songs on a split 7". Gone too soon, damnit.
Half Hearted Hero, Defining. Refining. (Set Sail/Farewell Party Records)
"Honestly, I sort of thought I was losing interest in this form of super polished pop-punk, but I guess I just hadn't heard it done very well in a while now... They've got a good balance happening between the slick production and overtly poppy catchiness of bands like Blink-182 and those badass little zippy pseudo metal riffs of bands like NOFX and Lagwagon. Combine that with lots of ripping drum fills, solid basslines, and sparse vocal harmonies and I'm pretty well sold. They seem like a young band and have only been around for about four years, but I could see this band being pretty 'huge' or whatever considering the strengths of their songwriting and the potentially 'palatable' nature of their approach..."
I seem to recall Half Hearted Hero eventually "maturing" in a direction that lost me a bit, but this album holds up great. (Their cover of Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" is absolute gold, too!) That being said, I think I should probably revisit those later albums at some point...
The Joy Formidable, Cradle (Try Harder Records)
"I placed The Joy Formidable among my 10 favorite releases of 2008, and the two new tracks here just continue to strengthen that decision, as every single song I've heard from the band to date is just fucking awesome. Sure, the vast majority of my listening realm is some form of metal or hardcore, whereas The Joy Formidable deliver a sort of peculiarly new wave-sounding indie pop with punk-ish little tinges, but what can I say? A good song is a good song, and this band seems incapable of writing a lackluster tune. Literally everything they've been kind enough to send me to date has immediately gotten stuck in my head, and I'm always super excited to hear more..."
As stated above—and in last month's rewind—for those first few years, you absolutely could not go wrong with The Joy Formidable. Every song was a keeper. Their later work is very much worthy of investigation, too, though.
Make Do and Mend, Bodies of Water (Panic Records)
"I'd probably rank Make Do and Mend as my favorite new band of the past several years. Period. I've completely fallen in love with their totally heartfelt and sincere blend of emo, indie, and pop-punk influences, and there's absolutely no fucking argument whatsoever that these guys are among the finest songwriters out there right now when it comes to this particular niche. Unlike many such bands there's no shred of cheesiness here at all, nor do they flirt with any potentially irritating 'emotional' posturing that comes across as trying too hard. No, everything about Make Do and Mend's music feels completely open and natural, from the driving chord progressions and layered melodies, to the gruff, honest vocals (and lyrics, for that matter)..."
Make Do and Mend also started to lose me just a touch toward the end of their run, but damn, they were a really special band, and I miss 'em.
Maximum Penalty, Life & Times (Reaper Records)
"Though it comes some 20+ years after the band's formation, there's absolutely no reason to fear some lackluster reunion... [Here we have]15 tracks that completely recapture the harder edge of their original vision. This is easily their most diverse (and probably best-sounding) effort to date, and while there's a clear metallic hardcore base, Maximum Penalty's simply incapable of sounding the least bit like generic NYHC—maintaining a unique blend of crunchy rhythms, melodic post-hardcore characteristics, and some of that catchy, rockin' punch they've always played with... And of course you've got the soulful feeling of vocalist Jim Williams' immediately recognizable, one-of-a-kind delivery..."
Seriously, how insane is it when a band releases some of their finest work 20 years in!? Almost unheard of!
One Hidden Frame, Giant Steps (Thug Free Records)
"Unlike most of the Finnish bands that I cover, One Hidden Frame has a pop-punk/melodic hardcore sound with singing vocals over loads of mid-paced rhythms, octave chords, and some of that more technical, '90s era Fat Wreck approach—such as dissonant chord phrasings, hammer-on/pull-off riffs, and zippy picking patterns. I reviewed their debut album about four years ago and thought it had some potential, but they've improved greatly over the years, and this is easily their best release to date. The production values alone make a huge difference here, with a crisp mix that provides just the right amount of breathing room for each instrument, but the songwriting is also light years ahead of what they were doing back then..."
If I'm being totally honest, I had largely forgotten about this band until I noticed how many songs from this album I had highlighted in my iTunes library. I've heard very little of their other work, and still own none of it, as it's frustratingly hard to come by in the U.S. Shit, there are only two copies of any of their releases on sale through Discogs right now! Fuck...
Propagandhi, Supporting Caste (G7 Welcoming Committee/Smallman)
"Much like 2005's Potemkin City Limits, this is a 'grower' that takes a few listens for the complete mastery to fully sink in, as the group's riffing/songwriting continues to grow more technically complex and diverse. From the surprisingly heavy, staccato metal rhythms that kick off opener 'Night Letters' to the fucked up slides and discordant phrasings of 'Incalculable Effects', there are a number of new surprises amidst the incredible musicianship and catchy-yet-stunningly-intricate songwriting that's come to be expected of the band from day one... For the most part, this is just another logical progression in/outstanding contribution to the Propagandhi discography..."
One of the best to ever do it. And these later albums are still "growers" after all these years. "Night Letters" started kicking my ass more than ever back in early-2024, a whopping 15 years after the fact!?
Pulling Teeth, Paranoid Delusions/Paradise Illusions (Deathwish Inc.)
"This time around you'll find the explosive, Integrity-inspired lead bursts, forceful breakdowns, and fast-paced chord progressions of the band's take on metallic hardcore fused with a range of even faster riffing that has an odd sort of 'grinding thrash' fusion happening; slower, darker, sludgier rhythms that flirt with both Sabbath-esque vibes and subtly more rocked out, southern-tinged fare; and segments where layered instrumentation stacks up with more prominent basslines, eerie clean guitars, swirling effects, or even faintly whispered vocals and experimental noise textures. It's a curious growth toward a similar but obviously expanded palette that largely plays out more like one complete piece as opposed to five individual tracks..."
The start of Pulling Teeth's journey toward a more experimental and wide-ranging take on their ferociously fiery metallic hardcore...
Rot in Hell, Hallways of the Always. (Grot Records)
"As I've discussed here a few times in the past (and am sure to do again in the future), expect nothing but top-notch metallic hardcore heavily influenced by the classic 'holy terror' sound pioneered by Integrity, as well as flourishes reminiscent of Ringworm and Gehenna, alongside their own wickedly raw and explosive aesthetic. You'll find short, explosive bursts of power chords with loads of tactfully chaotic leads straight out of the early Integrity handbook, maniacally screamed/shouted vocals as well as a few cryptic whispers, slower mid-paced rhythms that flirt with darker atmospheres, and searing little bits of feedback galore... This is an absolutely outstanding collection that's sure to be among the best releases of 2009..."
A little bit of cheating since this release compiled a good chunk of previously issued material, but the recordings were only a couple of years old at the time, so... I'm including it. Mandatory "holy terror" nastiness.
Trapped Under Ice, Secrets of the World (Reaper Records)
"This material easily maintains the band's position as one of the finest contemporary metallic hardcore bands out there right now, if not the best. For the most part everything remains rooted in the NYHC-styled tradition of nonstop vicious grooves accented by some mid-'90s-esque experimentation with subtly more metallic sounds and loose hints of melodic attributes tucked away beneath the surface—not to mention some badass vocal patterns... There's just something about Trapped Under Ice and the way they're able to truly capture a certain vibe and a level of songwriting quality that so few hardcore bands can even hope to shoot for in this day and age—and they're actually managing to do it without sounding overly similar to any of their predecessors/influences..."
Already unique and crucially mark-making, even despite the best being yet to come!
Other Stuff That Got Me Hyped...
City of Ships, Look What God Did to Us (Translation Loss Records)
"[Their] curiously unique and impossible to pigeonhole approach remains firmly intact. And that aspect of this band's music is so interesting to me, because even though 'metal' is such a broad term these days, this doesn't really sound like 'metal'. And there's sort of a 'prog rock' kinda thing going on in there as well, but then again there are almost no stereotypical elements of that style present either! And sure, of course it's 'experimental' in many respects, but it doesn't sound completely off the wall, it's really quite tangible.. I don't know, it's really hard to effectively describe what they're doing. There's a lot going on, but it's all very cool and certainly worth investigating..."
Is it me, or was City of Ships ahead of their time? I feel like a lot of these nuanced "metal" influences have become more prominent than ever during the decade since the band's last album.
Hex Machine, Omen Mas (Minimum Underdrive)
"...running wild with the band's patented take on what seems (rightfully) oft-tagged math metal puréed with that classic AmRep vibe, there's simply no denying the intriguing might of this outfit. On the songwriting front, you'll find everything from taut, crisply performed math metal crunch ('Lunatic Sun') to surprisingly catchy, bass-driven, grunge-encrusted breaks ('Blueprint to Madness', 'Vivisection') to forcefully sludgy rhythms and bizarrely noisy textures—all the while with vocals that saunter back and forth from uniquely strained screams with hints of singing to unhinged howls 'n' wails aplenty... What more can I say? Huge fan!"
Hex Machine-related projects are still getting love here on the site, as recently as two weeks ago!
None Would Remain, Wake the Living (Thug Free Records)
"...whereas a lot of the Finnish hardcore that I get exposed to is of the brutal and metallic persuasion, None Would Remain's style is much more melodic—focusing on songs that run about about two minutes apiece (or less) and are based around traditional hardcore power chords with little bits and pieces of added texture and dimension through dissonant chord phrasings or layered riffs that can resemble the sound of a less technical Propagandhi or something like that. It's nothing overtly innovative or anything, but they write strong songs that possess a great sense of energy and emotion, and there are some incredibly cool little riffs here and there that really add to the feeling and impact of the material, which absolutely hooks me in every time..."
Like labelmates One Hidden Frame above, a band that I've too often forgotten about. And I still need this CD, too. Damn.
The Platoon, Like Hyenas in the Desert (Filled With Hate Records)
"The Platoon features former Drift vocalist Marcel Ströter, and as I might have guessed, this shit is absolutely crushing metallic hardcore at the high-quality level I've come to expect from Filled With Hate over the years, dropping six tracks in about 20 minutes and honestly making for one of the finest releases I've ever heard from the label. Like many European bands of this nature expect burly vocals and loads of viciously chugging mid-paced breakdowns, accentuated by just the right amount of catchy groove, occasional hints of melody, and subtly more metal-based leanings here and there. They're not really rewriting the book on this style of hardcore, but the songwriting's extremely forceful and the the recording's fuckin' outstanding..."
If Marcel Ströter fronts the band, I'm listening. As should be expected, high-level vicious metallic hardcore. Underrated, for sure.
Reign Supreme, Testing the Limits of Infinite (Deathwish Inc.)
"...pretty much picks up right where American Violence left off with 13 tracks of straightforward, no bullshit metallic hardcore in about 36 minutes, loaded with pounding mid-paced rhythms, chunky breakdowns, and fierce shouts/screams... There's arguably a smidge more carefully approached melody buried in there from time to time, but overall I'd say the band's definitely getting heavier, and they're actually doing it without adding more of a metal-influenced riffing style to their writing. That thick, '90s-styled chug is definitely still the dominant attack throughout the album, it's just the production values and the overall aesthetic that are packing more sonic punch..."
It's more or less the tried and true formula, but Reign Supreme's Malfunction/Deathwish years were delivering the goods in perfectly fine form.
Robots and Empire, Color Touches (Trip Machine Laboratories)
"...more of their extremely awesome yet wildly peculiar blend of thick, sludgy, occasionally rocked-out rhythms and winding, melodic post-hardcore textures—not to mention great vocals that really lend a different, more memorable feel to the material. The songwriting's perhaps a little crisper this time out, too—taking less than 15 minutes to get the job done and bouncing around between the varied influences with even more ease. Initially it starts to come across like it's a little catchier and more balatantly melodic, but then you're greeted with plenty of those unexpectedly dense dirges laced with little fits of feedback—reminding you that, yes, there's a hell of a balancing act going on here. And it's fucking cool!"
Robots and Empire deserves sooo many more listeners. I realize that the band name and visual aesthetic are a little wacky and might not draw the most curiosity, but... the tunes hit the mark. Fans of quirky/sludgy heaviness will be pleasantly surprised should the plunge be taken.
Setting the Woods on Fire, Setting the Woods on Fire (Promise! Promise!)
"They're working with a really classic approach to the type of emo/screamo that I'm accustomed to from back in the early- to-mid-'90s. Listing amongst their influences everything from The Appleseed Cast and Superchunk to Helmet and Dinosaur Jr., there are a lot of soft/loud dynamics happening—be it shifts between dry, jangly clean guitars with pulsing bass runs and thick, grittily fuzzed out chords or change-ups between raw, from-the-heart singing and intense screams... This is a great little release that should really be heard by anyone with fond memories of this style of emo/indie/whatever you care to call it. Very cool."
Another very cool and rather overlooked gem. If you enjoy this niche of music, I think you'll be quite pleased with the offerings on Setting the Woods on Fire's Bandcamp page.
Show of Force, Show of Force (Real Recognizes Real Records)
"Show of Force contains the former vocalist and bassist of killer Dutch act Stone Cold, but history aside, this is an absolutely raging EP that cranks out about 17 minutes of no bullshit metallic hardcore at the level of quality (and viciousness) that I've definitely become more accustomed to hearing from Europe than the U.S. in recent years. Expect thick, chugging rhythms, thrashy bursts of speed as well as fast-paced power chords with a little old school hardcore flavor, tactfully slammin' breakdown grooves, and powerfully burly vocals. They don't fuck with the formula at all, and that's exactly how it should be done with this style of hardcore. The fact that they write killer tunes and have an exceptionally forceful recording certainly doesn't hurt, either..."
I feel like no one remembers Stone Cold and thus no one remembers Show of Force either. Both great. Do some digging, folks.
Sofy Major, Sofy Major (Communication is Not Words/Emergence Records)
"...it's also the band's most diverse and aggressive work to date, having expanded their approach with much darker atmospheric undercurrents... The songwriting continues to demonstrate a lot of growth here, as the band continues to refine their tactics and achieve a greater sense of focus at the same time as tossing in the aforementioned new textures, while briefly flirting with other outside influences... Some of this material is actually starting to remind me of what Isis was doing on their first two EPs, but Sofy Major's not really coming from a metal-based background, so the end result has a little more going on beneath the surface. This is another great release from a curious group that's getting better and better..."
I should perhaps have looked back on Sofy Major's debut in the 2007 rewind, but by this point they were hitting a stride that would've likely seen them becoming more recognizable had they been on a label like Hydra Head or Deathwish. Didn't realize they had continued on for so long post-2010. I've got catching up to do!
Solid Ground, This World Keeps Spinning Without You (Let it Burn Records)
"I was actually sadly disappointed by the band's last full-length, Can't Stop Now, as there were certain elements of the recording/mix that I just couldn't get past (as well as the fact that the songwriting just lacked the immediacy of their earlier work), but somehow these four tracks totally recapture the overall warmth and energy of the band's earliest material, which is definitely the right way to bring things to a close: a little over 12 minutes of crunchy guitars, tactful grooves with just the right bounce to the tempos, quick little solos, and the band's utterly awesome vocal approach. The fact that this material was getting the band back on track makes it that much harder to face their breakup, but this is great shit nonetheless..."
A return to form from these Swiss hardcore greats. If you've continually ignored my pleas to check out their debut, Get Used To It, cut the shit and get to it. One of the finest hardcore releases of its era, I don't care what anyone says.
Tournament, Years Old (Forcefield Records)
"This material is perhaps coming from a little more of a 'noise rock' base, loaded with absolutely awesome, hammering basslines and bursts of quirky riffing, while the shouting/yelling vocals fall a little farther back in the mix and fight their way forth through the instrumentation. They're really able to transition effortlessly from caustic, noisy textures and surging feedback to energetic rhythms alongside more restrained riffing that flirts with darker atmospheres and a little subtle melody here and there. And then there are the again unexpected little 'stoner rock' runs to add yet another dimension to the band's rather diverse approach. Combine all of this with oddly catchy songwriting and it makes for an extremely well-focused 10 tracks in 32 minutes..."
As mentioned last month, Years Old was the last material I heard from Tournament. I still need to find time to go back and investigate what I missed afterward!
Ulcerate, Everything is Fire (Willowtip)
"Expect eight generally lengthy compositions that are jam-packed with tactfully technical musicianship consisting of hectic flurries of colorful percussive flare and loads of dissonantly mangled riffs with an overall sense of thick, churning energy that really creates an intriguing atmosphere... Yes, there's something chaotic and over-the-top about the band's songwriting style that doesn't always create that immediate impact, but there's also a completely relentless sense of darkness and feeling amidst everything they put forth, and I really admire the absolutely furious intensity that they balance with just enough breaks of slower, slightly more tangible rhythm segments..."
One of the only bands of this nature that I still follow. I suppose that makes them amongst the best at their brand of gnarled death metal dissonance...
Unreal City, Masks (Self-Released)
"The overall approach is very similar to that of their Ephemeral Subsistence full-length, which is to say that the songwriting is heavily influenced by Integrity and Cleveland hardcore in general, with lots of chugging mid-paced power chords and quick little explosive solos. However, the recording is much rawer and more stripped down here, with a distant feeling to the vocal placement and a little bit of a muffled thump to the percussion, etc. But that's not a bad thing—it actually really works to lend a "classic" aesthetic to the material, and doesn't detract from the force of the songs or the listening experience at all..."
What'd I say last month? "I'll forever have a soft spot for Clevo-worship done right, and I think we all know by now that Unreal City is 100% dead-on Clevo-worship done right." Yep. That's it. Precisely.
