On the momentous occasion of Code Orange Kids‘ recent signing to Deathwish, I became aware of their recently released Cycles (Mayfly). For a bunch of Pittsburgh teenagers, this is some weird shit, man. Running counter to their youth crew contemporaries, these Kids have more of a Botch/Converge thing going on, as evidenced by despair-laden cuts like “Walls (We Lose Each Other).” It’s swell to see the young people turn their palpable vexation into something far from formulaic.

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When compelling hardcore act Ceremony left Bridge Nine for mega-indie Matador, many people wondered if that move signaled further changes in the band’s sound. (Upon their signing to the label, I pondered right here on this blog if hardcore wasn’t on destined to be the indie trend of 2012.) After all, 2010′s critically-acclaimed Rohnert Park didn’t adhere to any rigid genre templates and introduced the Californians to a whole new listenership. Last year, Matador labelmates Fucked Up–the imprint’s other hardcore act–put out a record that was nothing short of a rock opera, so clearly Ceremony had an opportunity to take their sound someplace very different.

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New albums from Trivium, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Ceremony and thrash upstarts Diamond Plate get the Tuesday Treatment today. Let’s take a look at those and more after the jump:

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A year ago, this site published my review of Rohnert Park, the then-new album from San Francisco based hardcore act Ceremony. I cited the similarities of that record with those of comparatively more popular acts Fucked Up and Pissed Jeans, two groups that record for “indie” labels that are distinct from those owned by the hardcore subculture. It appears I was not alone in that observation, as Matador Records has announced Ceremony has signed with them, effectively leaving hardcore imprint Bridge Nine. Artists leave smaller labels for bigger ones all the time, but this instance potentially signals a nascent trend in indie music: “popular” hardcore.

Unlike pop punk, so peppy and easy-to-digest, the kind of hardcore I’m referring to here is often scowling and anti-social, taking cues from both the subgenre’s unglamorous seventies/eighties originators as well as that same period’s “no wave” artisans. King Of Jeans, Pissed Jeans’ exceptional 2009 album for Sub Pop–yes, that Sub Pop–, was a dark and furious romp showered with #whitepeopleproblems galore (Pitchfork ranking: 8.3). Ceremony’s Matador labelmates Fucked Up just unveiled a rock opera (8.6, with “best new music” status) that has been received by discerning listeners as positively as their breakthrough The Chemistry Of Common Life (8.8, “best new music”). Even oldtimers are getting a second chance, as Black Flag/Circle Jerks alum Keith Morris is experiencing with OFF!, an invigorating quartet that dropped the SST-referencing The First Four EPs compilation (, “best new music”) on snarlingly irreverent and hipster-centric Vice Records. The latest act that Pitchfork is fawning over? Scandinavian punk teens Iceage (8.4, best new music). Taking all that in account, Matador’s snapping up Ceremony makes logical business sense.

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Since Axl and I are very patriotic types (couldn’t you tell?) we’ve decide to close the Mansion a bit early this holiday weekend so we can get to the flag-waving festivities as soon as possible.

Kidding! We’re closing early so we can get hiiiiigh and then go see FAITH NO FUCKING MORE! Neither one of us having seen FNM before (although I had a chance to in 1997 and, for some reason, didn’t), we’ve literally been waiting for this moment for most of our lives. We will not be schmoozing with the industry types at a bar in the back, nor will we be politely bobbing our heads on the periphery somewhere… we’ll be right up fucking front, rocking the fuck out as hard as possible (old fashioned push-pit? I hope). To that end, I’m pretty sure we won’t even be drinking tonight; me because I want to remember this night perfectly, and Axl because he doesn’t wanna have to go pee-pee during the show. The man is smart, I tell you.

Here’s what happened this week in the world of metal:

• Van Halen announced plans for a DLR-fronted album in early 2011. Axl is — shockingly — skeptical.
• As part of “Be Nice Day” at the MS Mansion, we said nothing mean about new videos from Hellyeah and Papa Roach.
• We looked at new releases by Bonded by Blood (as part of “Be Nice Day”!), Ceremony and The Ghost Inside, Mastodon, Chambers, and Nattsol.
• We premiered a new track by NJ progressive post-hardcore mind-fuckers East of the Wall.
• We spoke with Warrel Dane of Nevermore and Sanctuary, and Jon Fine about Taco Riffs.
• We sat in on the meeting in which Disturbed brainstormed the artwork for their new album.
• Glenn Danzig is a crappy driver, but Vince Neil is an even crappier one.

Since July 4th falls on a Sunday this year, the gates of the Mansion will be shuttered on Monday, July 5th — like most U.S. businesses — so we can extend the partying by an extra day. See you Tuesday, Suckers.

-VN

Ceremony, “Rohnert Park”
After a brief introduction, Ceremony kick off their excellent, genre-defying new record with “Sick,” an aggrieved anthem that unapologetically sneers at the hardcore tradition. Exuding frustration and flecked with bile, the singsong lyrics are less anarchy than heresy. Perhaps the most memorable of these express scene fatigue over the endless worship of Black Flag and Cro Mags, a sentiment that surely will come to define the Bay Area band whether they like it or not. “Sick” hocks a bloody loogie at this tiresome trend and indeed at modern hardcore’s status quo. So how then does Ceremony combat the stagnancy? Not unlike their contemporaries–and dare I say, peers–in Fucked Up and Pissed Jeans, the band funnels its fury into an eclectic mix of seething punk blues fusion (“Open Head,” “M.C.D.F.”) and unconventional slower moments like “The Doldrums (Friendly City)” and the brooding, plodding “Into The Wayside” installments. A willfully subversive and profoundly inspires record, Rohnert Park manages to stay linked to hardcore while being anything but beholden to it.

(4 out of 5 horns)

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If you’re one of those people who read this site every day (God bless you, you fucking masochists!), you may have noticed a lack of premium content from yours truly these past couple of weeks. That’s because I’ve been in Japan soaking in neon, dining on fresh sushi, and recoiling in horror at the perverse underbelly of otaku. I did manage to hit up a few rock bars in Osaka (Rock Rock — check out who else has been there!) and Tokyo (Beat Cafe), but otherwise this was a pretty metal-free trip–and that’s okay with me.

So, shit, man. Quite a bit happened in the wonderful world of hardcore while I was away! Ruiner broke up. This Is Hardcore 2010 finally revealed its drool-inducing lineup and sold out in less than two days. (I wasn’t able to get my tickets in time, sadly.) Unsane announced a series of U.S. dates where they’ll play 1995′s awesome Scattered Smothered & Covered live in its entirety. Notable releases included Ceremony’s Rohnert Park, for which I’ll be posting a review later this week. Some pretty awesome tours were announced as well. Check out the dates for some of these below.

Looking forward to your “Welcome Back” sentiments in the Comments section!

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Thanks mainly to their inclusion on a number of live hardcore shows I’ve been excited about, Cruel Hand are a band that I catch myself mentioning in this column without actually talking about them. That ends now, because after seeing their aggressive, brisk live performance at this year’s New England Metal & Hardcore Festival I’m officially a fan. How could I not be? Their undeniably Madball-influenced metallic hardcore sound is just the kind of heavy shit I’m loving lately. Even if you’re the type of metalhead that’s apprehensive towards hardcore due to “Hatebreed fatigue,” rest assured that Cruel Hand have a distinct sound.

Their label, Bridge Nine, just announced that Lock & Key, the follow-up to 2008′s Prying Eyes, will drop July 27th. In the lead up to that, Cruel Hand have a number of shows lined up, including an appearance at the hardcore event of the year: the 2010 Black N Blue Bowl. After that, the band head over to Japan for a series of dates with Bane and labelmates Ceremony (who premiered their stunning new song “Sick” last week at the Bridge Nine MySpace page). Later this summer, Cruel Hand will support Lock & Key on a European excursion with The Carrier and Miles Away. All dates below.

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According to the website of Brooklyn’s Europa club, noisy hardcore heroes Converge will headline a show there on Friday March 27th with MetalSucks faves Genghis Tron. (Also on the bill: Ceremony, Rise and Fall, and Pulling Teeth.) Tickets are on sale right now, people!

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