9-6 Agnostic Front, Freedom, Killer of Sheep, Weapons of Choice, Pittsburgh @Cattivo

I was excited for this show because of the small show space. Last few times I've seen Agnostic Front has been in bigger spots and there just weren't enough people there to fill in. I think about 100 people probable paid for this show. Well worth $12 for me.

Killer of Sheep - Looks like they revamped their lineup. New front man, and this time he's really good. I enjoyed his vocals more than the last guy. Just more fitting. Looked like a new bass player too. Fast and rowdy is good again.

Weapons of Choice - The vocals were really good, but overall they kinda sucked. Or maybe they just seem like they sucked next to all the other bands. The whole time I was trying to think of another band the vocals sounded like, maybe 86 Mentality or something similar. I'd give them another chance for sure.

Freedom - A real surprising band. They were super super good. Non-racist skinhead hardcore. They reminded me of Foreseen from Finland a little bit, but less thrashy. Fast hardcore with a few tougher parts, real angry vocals, I loved it.

Agnostic Front - We lucked out with their set. The bass player had to leave the tour because he's having a kid, and the fill in guy, some dude from Bostonish area, only knew old songs and a few new ones. So we got to see an awesome set. They did play three new songs and they were all short and super good. Old heads in AF still bringing the heat, it was good to see. Vinny Stigma is always fun to watch, he's such a goof.

High's - Freedom, AF, the venue
Low's - Nothing

8-30 Blackalicious, George Hollow, New Breed Brass Band, Fortified PhonetiX, Pittsburgh @Altar Bar

We were pretty stoked for this rap show. Blackalicious is the shit and I was hopeful about the other groups too. We got there a little bit late and we missed Fortified PhonetiX. We saw him before, I think at the Cannibal Ox show, and he was good. But we didn't see him on this night.

George Hollow - He was super good. One white dude with funny hair on the raps, and another white dude who can't rap on the turntables. I'm not sure if the rapper was George Hollow, or if that is the name for the two of them together. I liked his stage presence. He kind of roams around slinging raps. I enjoyed it, for sure.

New Breed Brass Band - This band was officially the shit. A 6 piece, two drummers, two trombone, a tuba, and a trumpet. Marching band style, had an awesome New Orleans feel to them, which makes sense because that's where they're from. They were more of a jazz band with some hip hop flavor. If they ever come back to Pittsburgh I will most definitely go see them again.

Blackalicious - Never could be disappointed with them. Gift of Gab is an amazing rapper. His flow is unparalleled. The DJ Chef Xcel is awesome too. The best surprise however was The Truth Speaker. Dude can sing and rap and he is awesome. They played for a long time, the new songs are dope, the old songs are dope, everything about Blackalicious is dope.

So I was, like at many rap shows, kind of surprised and maybe a little disappointed that the entire crowd was white. Out of probably 150 in attendance, maybe 6 black people were there. I guess I just don't understand. Why doesn't the black community actually support a lot of underground hip hop groups? For the life of me I can't understand why this is.

Highs - All the groups, everything.
Lows - Nothing.

7-26 The Exploited, H2O, Negative Approach, All Out War, Power Trip, Rival Mob, Slapshot, Twitching Tongues, Harms Way, Mindset, Foreseen, Fuck You Pay Me, Forced Order, Disengage, Blind Justice, Philly @The Electric Factory

The night before was a long ass night, but we were able to get up and moving in time to get there for Fuck You Pay Me, which was the goal in the first place.

Blind Justice - Missed them.

Disengage - Missed them.

Forced Order - Missed them.

Fuck You Pay Me - Awesome. They didn't get a whole lot of crowd support, but there was some circle pitting and shit going on. I really like the band and I like the singer's bullshit. Fast hardcore in the alley of Coke Bust.

Foreseen - I really liked this band. Never heard them before, probably since they're from Finland and this was their first time to the States. They were heavy and choppy and thrashy, then they would dive into some more melodic shit. Very very much enjoyed. Two bands in a row, voluntary circle pits happened. Things are getting weird.

Mindset - I don't think they're that great, but kids go nuts for them every year. We listened from outside and it was cool.

Harms Way - One of the only recent really heavy bands that I can get behind. They killed it the week before in Pittsburgh and they were very good here. Heavy shit all day with great energy.

Twitching Tongues - I can't get into this band. I think the vocals suck. I just can't like them. Didn't watch, but unfortunately I had to listen some.

Slapshot - They had a way better crowd response than last year. Hang Up Your Boots is a great song, I can't stop listening to it. I really like how TIHC put together this Sunday show. It had an old school feel to it all day. That brought the circle pit into relevance. It was going on for Slapshot too. Great set, great frontman, everything about them rules.

Rival Mob - This band kicks fucking ass. They don't have a lot of material out, but their songs are bangers and the energy is on point. Heavy and fast hardcore for the singalong, the stagedive, and the mosh. They got it all.

Power Trip - They killed it. I like the singer's vocal style, they're a good and new sound. Everyone likes Power Trip these days, and with good reason. More circle pits happened.

All Out War - No surprise, no circle pits happened here. But they were good as fuck. I like this band so much. New heavy bands with they could get half as heavy as All Out War. I stay a healthy distance away from their pit, but I loved the set.

Negative Approach - Years ago when I saw them last I thought they killed it. In the small space of Gooskis, it was awesome. On the big stage at TIHC I was a little bit disappointed. I like a bunch of their songs and the set was good but the singer is just boring. Sucks. Circle pits came back.

H2O - I don't know if circle pits happened or not because I was in front of such things singing along. I love the energy and I love pretty much every song they got. Perfect band to play before the Exploited.

The Exploited - I was very very surprised that they were very good. I wasn't expecting much, but they played way better than I had hoped. I like how the singer hits the mic off his head all the time, I feel like he should be a Cretin in an old Toxic Avenger movie. Played everything you would want them to play, but I love how live they're more metal. Great set and satisfying. I was stoked at how many people stayed around to see them. It wasn't as packed as the previous night for Bane and shit, but it was helthily attended.

Hi's - Circle pits, almost all the bands.
Low's - Nothing really. Not sleeping much the night before.

7-25 This is Hardcore, Misfits, Cro-Mags, Bane, Killing Time, Biohazard, Reach the Sky, Turnstile, Xibalba, Wisdom in Chains, Suburban Scum, Rock Bottom, Sand, Lifeless, Homewrecker, Timebomb, Sicker Than Most, Absolute Suffering, Philly @Electric Factory

Day 3 of This is Hardcore was what me and my friends were waiting for. The whole day was a complete banger. We didn't get there on time, of course. It was kind of on purpose, we were up late drinking and acting up the night before.

Absolute Suffering - Missed them.

Sicker Than Most - Missed them.

Timebomb - Missed them.

Homewrecker - Ended up not playing. At least they announced it beforehand so I didn't roll in early just to see them.

Lifeless - I hadn't liked this band in the past so I didn't get there in time to see them. But moving forward I think I got them all wrong and I'm going to give them a legitimate shot at Sincerity Fest.

Sand - All the way from Japan, they were the first band that we went to see. Heavy beatdown hardcore isn't my thing these days, but I enjoyed the set. The singer does this knife thing with his hands that I like. Slicing the air beatdowns to pieces. If they're on the right show I'll go see them again but I'm pretty sure that most Sand shows in Pittsburgh would bring out the douchebag beat everyone up crowd and I wouldn't enjoy myself.

Rock Bottom - I didn't watch them. There had to be a point in the day where I loaded up on merch and took it to the car. I knew I didn't want to watch Suburban Scum so unfortunately I missed Rock Bottom's last set ever.

Suburban Scum - I didn't watch them. Never do. Never will now since I think they're all of pretty questionable character I think maybe.

Wisdom in Chains - Hell yes. The old songs killed, the new songs killed, front to back it killed. I think they got more support at this set than ever before. Songs to My Killer is such a banger it makes me giggle. I'll see this band every chance I get. Hands down one of the top sets from the entire show.

Xibalba - Watched the first few songs. It's just the style of hardcore that I find it hard to get into, but I like the band.

Turnstile - Another one of the best sets of the entire fest. So much energy. The pit was on fire. Everything about this was bad ass and awesome. Pressure to Succeed is one of the best songs, I've been on that jam nonstop.

Reach the Sky - I was super stoked to see this band but I left with the feeling that the singer sucks and is washed up as fuck. I'm not sure if he thinks that singing one out of every five words is decent, but it made the set suck. Big disappointment.

Biohazard - Showing why Saturday was such a killer lineup. Again, another of the best sets of the weekend. These guys might be old heads in the scene, but their energy is top notch. I loved the whole set. The crowd participation was great as well.

Killing Time - I don't ever watch this band though I'm certain I probably should. On recordings I just can't get into them. And since they don't really tour much I just can't get into them. At this point I had to rest up for Bane anyway.

Bane - Slayed everything. They played for close to an hour and it wasn't enough. I'm beyond sad that they are not going to be playing another This is Hardcore ever. Calling Hours was awesome with the guest vocals. Final Backwards Glance, Give Blood, all the bangers. I was sad but super satisfied with the set, and the merch. That Bane zip up!

Cro-Mags - I don't love Cro-Mags, but they put on killer sets. Great energy, the perfect hardcore band to play before the Misfits.

Misfits - Right before they played they put the entire setlist up for everyone to see and it had no joke 60 songs on it. I was like what the fuck I can't believe they're playing that many songs. It proved to be way way too many. They should have played like 20-25 songs and thats it. They played Earth AD in it's entirety, which was cool since those songs are all ral raw and agressive. Jerry Only is a legend and is awesome, but the other two guys playing with him now are my age so that makes it a little bit shitty. But they played a ton of good songs and I enjoyed it. Other people thought the set was whack and washed up.

Hi's - Wisdom in Chains, Bane, Biohazard, Turnstile, food, drink, pretty much everything.
Low's - Suburban Scum existing, Reach the Sky, that's it.

7-24 This is Hardcore, American Nightmare, Suicide File, Nails, Defeater, Cruel Hand, True Love, The Geeks, Malice at the Palace, Build and Destroy, Philly @Electric Factory

The first night of this is hardcore was going to be tough to top because Code Orange and Chokehold were so bad ass. But as I found out American Nightmare and Suicide File were ready for the challenge.

We were a little bit late getting to the show, missing the first two bands, but we were feeling good and ready for the sing along.

Build and Destroy - We missed them. I'd have like to have been there, but didn't get to see them.

Malice at the Palace - I wanted to see them too because their band name is so killer. I'll at least get to see them at Sincerity Fest

The Geeks - We got there just before the Geeks went on. It was a super bad ass set. I knew I'd like their live show, but I didn't know it was going to be good like that. Super high energy and great vibe. They're like a Backtrack style band, but the Korean version. I'll make it out to their next show in the area.

True Love - I hadn't listened to them much, but the few songs I did listen to reminded me of American Nightmare a bit. I don't know if that's accurate, but it stuck me that way. We had dinner during this time.

Cruel Hand - I listened to them from outside. Members of Outbreak reportedly had a very good set. I wish I'd have checked them out.

Defeater - They were super good. I didn't know any of the songs but the showmanship was great and the songs were good. I'd certainly see them again. This is the second time I saw them, both at This is Hardcore. This was their better showing at TIH.

Nails - Super heavy band. I don't particularly like them. They're maybe like All Out War with a new twist to the sound.

Suicide File - Killed it. Completely annihilated it. They were the band of the night by a large margin. They played all the hits, and were great on stage. The crowd was going ballistic and they stole the show.

American Nightmare - I think they played everything from Background Music and it was awesome. Their sound was on point and the live show was pretty good too. Despite knowing pretty much all of the songs AN played, I still liked Suicide File best.

High's - AN, Suicide File, the Geeks, beer and shit

Low's - None

We were happy to find that they had a "hardcore" beer special, a $4 PBR. That's barely acceptable. It's certainly better than last years $6.00 for a PBR. WTF is up with drink prices in big venues? Criminal. But we sucked down $4 cans all night. Good times.

7-23 This is Hardcore, Eternal Sleep, Break Away, Blistered, Agitator, Foundation, Morning Again, Code Orange, Chokehold, Snapcase, Philly @Union Transfer

This is Hardcore is pretty the only thing I look forward to every summer. It's such a good time, every time. This year, as we've become accustomed to, we went out for all 4 days of the festival. How could you not? Every day is a complete ripper. The Thursday show wasn't at the Electric Factory as it had been in recent years, instead it was at the Union Transfer. Union Transfer is a decent venue just a few blocks from the Electric Factory.

Eternal Sleep - I had just seen them a few days earlier in Pittsburgh. This band is one of the best newer groups in hardcore. They're heavy enough to get the pit going and fast enough to keep it good. It was good to see two Pittsburgh bands represent well at TIH. Until Code Orange plays, this is the best set of the night.

Break Away - They are a youth crew style hardcore band. Plenty of mosh parts. I didn't like this group a whole lot. The varsity jackets and Nike socks thing is kind of whack. I didn't really like the singer, or the songs a whole lot, or much of anything about them. I can say for sure that the first few songs were much better than the last bunch. They lost a lot of steam.

Blistered - I liked this band well enough to watch all the songs. The lead singer had something weird about him. Like Break Away, they started out good but ended a little weak. They had good energy and I would like to see them again.

Agitator - This group got a great response. Last show ever in their hometown of Philly. I don't really know any Agitator songs, but they put on a good show. Crowd support was right where you would think it would be. Good set, good songs. Had some good banter about being straight edge and shit. It was good.

Foundation - I don't like this bands songs a whole lot, but I do think I like this band. I like the shit the singer was talking about. A few of their songs are good, Pray for Atlanta and shit, but no bangers in my opinion. Good band, but not one of my besties. Heavy get your mosh and headbang on type of shit.

Morning Again - I was pretty disappointed with this band. I didn't see anything special there. Of course now that they're all fat and out of practice doesn't help at all. I had been listening to their albums from the late 90's, and I just don't love it. They were ok. I probably wont go out of my way to see them ever.

Code Orange - Without any doubt the best band of the night. They killed it. I'm not sure why they don't play Violence live, but that's a little bit disappointing. Regardless, they put a killing on the set. The pit was going off. Everything was perfect for Code Orange. Their songs can get pretty choppy, but the heavyness takes over and makes it rule. Great presence and intensity on stage too. Loved it.

Chokehold - They were great. For not having played many shows in forever they completely killed it. There was all this controversy going on because a few nights before TIH the band got into a fight with someone who called them racist. It's all shit. They killed the set. Great energy and great songs. It was worth all the hype.

Snapcase - Speaking of a band not worth all the hype. The set wasn't very good. We only watched maybe 5 songs and then left. I like Caboose, but not much else.

All in all this was a very productive and awesome way to start out This is Hardcore weekend. On the foodie side of things I had some pork tacos from some food truck. They were the bomb.

Highs - Eternal Sleep, Code Orange, Chokehold, the venue, the food, good time.
Lows - Not a whole lot.

7-20 Harms Way, The Beautiful Ones, Eternal Sleep, Path to Misery, Killing Thing, Pittsburgh @Cattivo

Harms Way is one of the great current super heavy bands in hardcore. They have great energy and I always like seeing them. This was my first time to Cattivo, it's a good place for shows.

Killing Thing - My first time seeing this Pittsburgh band. They are fast and heavy. Good hardcore. I'll go see them again.

Path to Misery - Super heavy, political, Pittsburgh hardcore machine. I'd rather see this band than almost any. It still blows my mind how little I care for this band on recording, but I love the live show. AJ's a swell guy.

Eternal Sleep - Most certainly the fastest up and coming Pittsburgh band in the hardcore scene. This show for them and Harms Way is on the way to This is Hardcore, where they all play in a few days. Eternal Sleep was very good. Good beatdowns and great headbanging shit. I'm going to have to get into this group more.

The Beautiful Ones - They kind of sucked. I didn't love or hate anything about them. Very meh. If it's convenient for me I'll check them out again sometimes.

Harms Way - Pulverizing heavy hardcore. I love the singer. He's always jumping and punching. He's a physical monster so it looks especially intimidating when he does. I love the range of songs they play. I back this band completely. Great songs, great energy. Harms Way rules.

Highs - The bands, good venue
Lows - Not much at all.