To celebrate the release of Sick of it All’s awesome new album, Based on a True Story, we asked SOIA vocalist Lou Koller to compile the definitive list of quintessential hardcore albums. Luckily for us and all of you, he agreed! So we’ll be running one entry a day from Lou’s list of the top-ten (+1) hardcore records of all time for the next couple of weeks. You can read his first installment here; the second one is after the jump…

Black Flag, Damaged

Talk about a lasting influence! This album is in almost everyone’s collection, and its impact can still be heard today in the music of bands like Every Time I Die, The Gallows, Amen, The Bronx, and many more. Their sound was unique at the time – the wild guitars of Greg Ginn, Henry Rollins’ hollers. and that hyper rhythm section became the blue print for decades of hardcore to come. I think it was the overall ferociousness that made this stand out from the pack. Just listen to the one-two punch openers of “Rise Above” and the thirty-three second explosion of “Spray Paint The Walls!” They also had a sense of humor with songs like” Six Pack and “T.V. Party!” Defiantly inventive, and you knew they would always keep moving forward – but this is them at their rawest.

Later,

Lou

Based on a True Story is out now on Century Media. Visit Sick of it All on MySpace for tour dates and all the latest news from the band.