Hardcore punk is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk scenes in San Francisco and Southern California which arose as a reaction against the still predominant hippie cultural climate of the time. It was also inspired by Washington D.C. and New York punk rock and early proto-punk. Hardcore punk generally disavows commercialism, the established music industry and "anything similar to the characteristics of mainstream rock" and often addresses social and political topics with "confrontational, politically-charged lyrics."
Black Flag is an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. Initially called Panic, the band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter, and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band. They are widely considered to be one of the first hardcore punk bands, as well as one of the pioneers of post-hardcore. After breaking up in 1986, Black Flag reunited in 2003 and again in 2013. The second reunion lasted well over a year, during which they released their first studio album in over two decades, What The... (2013). The band announced their third reunion in January 2019. Brandon Pertzborn was replaced by Isaias Gil on drums and Tyler Smith was replaced by Joseph Noval on bass.
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1986 in Queens, New York City. The band's lineup consists of brothers Lou and Pete Koller on lead vocals and guitars respectively, Armand Majidi on drums, and Craig Setari on bass. Sick of It All is considered a major part of the New York hardcore scene, and by 2020, the band had sold at least half a million records worldwide.
Inside Out was a hardcore punk band from Orange County, California. It was fronted by Zack de la Rocha, later of Rage Against the Machine.
Earth Crisis is an American hardcore punk band from Syracuse, New York, active from 1989 until 2001, reuniting in 2007. Since 1993 the band's longest serving members are vocalist Karl Buechner, lead guitarist Scott Crouse, bassist Ian Edwards and drummer Dennis Merrick. Their third and current rhythm guitarist Erick Edwards joined the band in 1998.
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been applied to a broad constellation of groups. Post-hardcore began in the 1980s with bands like Hüsker Dü and Minutemen. The genre expanded in the 1980s and 1990s with releases by bands from cities that had established hardcore scenes, such as Fugazi from Washington, D.C. as well as groups such as Big Black and Jawbox that stuck closer to post-hardcore's noise rock roots. In the 2000s, post-hardcore achieved mainstream success with the popularity of bands like My Chemical Romance, Dance Gavin Dance, AFI, Underoath, Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, The Used, At the Drive-In, Saosin, and Senses Fail. In the 2010s, bands like Sleeping with Sirens and Pierce the Veil, both of which being labeled as post-hardcore, achieved mainstream success. Meanwhile, bands like Title Fight and La Dispute experienced underground popularity.
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rooted in hardcore punk and melodic hardcore, Rise Against's music emphasizes melody, catchy hooks, an aggressive sound and playstyle, and rapid tempos. Lyrically, the band is known for their outspoken social commentary, covering a wide range of topics such as political injustice, animal rights, humanitarianism, and environmentalism.
Revolutions per Minute is the second studio album by American punk rock band Rise Against, released on April 8, 2003 by Fat Wreck Chords. After establishing a fanbase with their 2001 debut, The Unraveling, the band members wanted to record an album that distinguished them from other Fat Wreck Chords bands of the time. They chose Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore to produce the album, with whom they developed a strong rapport. Recording took place from November to December 2002 at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they were among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal and were associated with the birth of a tougher attitude within the hardcore scene in the late 1980s, related to the world of martial arts. Harley Flanagan and John Joseph are practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing, respectively.
Melodic hardcore is a broadly defined subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melody in its guitar work. It generally incorporates fast rhythms, melodic and often distorted guitar riffs, and vocal styles tending towards shouting and screaming. Nevertheless, the genre has been very diverse, with different bands showcasing very different styles. Many pioneering melodic hardcore bands, have proven influential across the spectrum of punk rock, as well as rock music more generally. The term "melodic punk" is often used to describe both melodic hardcore and skate punk bands.
Ignite is a melodic hardcore band from Orange County, California. Formed in 1993, their commercial breakthrough album, A Place Called Home, was released in 2000 on TVT Records. Prior to this release, they were well regarded among hardcore fans, thanks in part to constant touring and having visited over 40 countries.
Blind Myself is a Hungarian metalcore band that formed in 1995.
Our Darkest Days is the fourth studio album by American punk rock band Ignite. It was released on May 16, 2006 through Abacus Recordings. Following the release of their third studio album A Place Called Home (2000), the band left their label, went through line-up changes, and the members focused their time on the side project California United. Despite starting pre-production for a new album in early 2005, they did not start recording until November 2005, and eventually finishing in January 2006. Sessions were held at Maple Sound Studios in Santa Ana, California, and Paramount Studios, Hollywood, California with producer Cameron Webb.
A Place Called Home is a full-length album by Californian hardcore punk band Ignite. The record was first released on June 13, 2000, and released in Europe in February 2001 to coincide with the band participating in the Vans Club Tour that same month.
The Idoru is a post-hardcore band from, Budapest, Hungary. The group was formed in 2003 by ex-members of the Hungarian hard-core and metalcore band, Newborn. The original line-up consisted of Tibor Szalkai (guitars), Gábor Nagy (guitars), Mátyás Mohácsi (bass), Denis Valach (drums) and András Bödecs (vocals). However, three members of the original line-up left the band in 2009. The band noted for the success of the song Monochrome from their third album entitled Monologue.
Zoltán Téglás is an American singer, songwriter and producer. He was the frontman of Ignite from 1994 to 2020 and was also the lead vocalist of Pennywise for a short time, appearing on their tenth album All or Nothing. He has collaborated with other bands including The Misfits, Motörhead and Blind Myself. Téglás has another side project called Zoli Band.
Hungarian metal is the heavy metal music scene of Hungary. One of the most popular and well-known band is Attila Csihar's Tormentor. Other bands include Sear Bliss, Thy Catafalque, Ektomorf, FreshFabrik, Blind Myself, The Idoru and Subscribe.
Beatdown hardcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk with prominent elements of heavy metal. Beatdown hardcore features aggressive vocals, down-tuned electric guitars, gang vocals, heavy guitar riffs, and heavy breakdowns. The genre emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s with bands such as Killing Time, Madball, and Sheer Terror. In the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s, many other beatdown bands emerged, such as Hatebreed, Bulldoze, Shai Hulud, and Strife. Bands such as Terror and Death Before Dishonor gained cult followings in the mid–late 2000s. New York hardcore bands such as Agnostic Front, Warzone, Sick of It All, and Cro-Mags and the thrash metal subgenre crossover thrash paved the way for beatdown.
The Decline are an Australian skate punk band from Perth formed in 2005. They have been active since 2008 when they began releasing music and touring.
