8-16 Skull Fest 10, Mower, Parasytes, Negativ, Janitor Scum, BB Eye, Iron Wind, Khiss, Lupus, Kollision, Pittsburgh @The Shop 4PM

Skull Fest every year is an amazing time. The the experience of melting into the accumulation of punk zombies and freaks is unparalleled. I like going to Skull Fest right after This is Hardcore. It makes me appreciate punk more than metal. TiHC isn't much punk at all. Skull Fest is punk as fuck. Cestones Pizza on Mt Washington to start the day. Obvious choice.

Anyway this was the first Skull Fest show. A few precedents were set here. First is that you should be very leery of starting times and also of what bands may or may not be playing. This show started pretty late. At least an hour and some. Not mad about it, but it's a fact.

Kollission - I don't particularly care for this band. Fast punk, street punk ish. Pretty sloppy. From Pittsburgh I think. They had some merch that I didn't like much. The lateness of things has now been established, now we bring in the confusion over who is playing.

Janitor Scum - I really wanted to see this band because the band name is so awesome. As far as I can tell they didn't play at any point at Skull Fest. They're on the same label and tour as BB Eye.

BB Eye - Another band I wanted to see with an awesome name. As far as I can tell they also didn't play at any Skull Fest show. Their bandcamp said they were to play this show with Beta Boys, but Beta Boys were scheduled to play Sunday. Some mix up happened here.

Iron Wind - It took some Googling to determine what band was playing here. It's Iron Wind. I really liked the way they started the set, with the lead vocalist slurring and all kinds of shit. They pulled it together a bit. Kind of a Motorhead punk sound. I remember the chic bass player having large hair.

Lupus - This is the point that the lateness and confusion stopped mattering. This band is killer. From Bogota Colombia. We don't get a whole lot of Colombian punk and hardcore but it's bad ass that we just saw Raw Brigade at This is Hardcore, and they were good, then this band. Fuzzy punk rock, not especially heavy or fast, but very good.

Khiis - From Oakland CA. They were really good too. Lady singer, weed smokers. I liked their merch, somewhat of an Arabic influence in the look maybe. They're a fast echoing punk band. They had great energy and got the steady stream of beer cans flowing.

Negativ - From Oslo Norway. They absolutely killed it. Band of the day for certain. The singer has a great crazy face. As soon as they started playing he went into crazy face mode. It was perfect. The punks went off. One of the best sets of the weekend.

Parasytes - After the last three bands it was going to be hard to top the energy. Parasytes was good, but not great. The bass player had some really awesome hair. The balding curly mullet was heavy. Screamy lady fronted fast punk. Good songs.

Mower - By this time the show was running really late. We were super hungry. We didn't watch Mower and instead went to Belvederes for the late show under the impression that the kitchen would be open until 1AM.

At one point in this show a punk band that I won't mention was setting off fireworks at the Shop. Prompting someone to take the stage and say do not fucking do that because there are chemicals in there that could blow up. Punks.

Highs: The inebriation situation, all the bands
Lows: One bathroom, a hundred+ drunk punks. The piss was flowing in all available places.

7-29 This is Hardcore, E Town Concrete, Arkangel, District 9, Wisdom in Chains, Carnivore AD, Twitching Tongues, Jesus Piece, Agents of Man, Sworn Enemy, Queensway, Lionheart, Mindforce, Sanction, Three Knee Deep, Vamachara, Philly @Electric Factory

The obvious bummer of the day is that Sick of It All dropped because of a medical issue or something. I don't know. They didn't seem to miss any other days on their tour. Either way, this day had a killer lineup with or without Sick of It All. In the end, where they played in the lineup, I wouldn't have seen them anyway. More on that later. We wanted to get there in time for Sanction. Played it out pretty perfectly.

Vamachara - Missed them. But I like their style of heaviness.

Three Knee Deep - Wasn't into them on recordings at all. Didn't see.

Sanction - Killer band from Long Island. They were added last minute when Sick of It All dropped off. Younger guys playing fast and heavy shit. We saw them a few times earlier in the year and they were just as good this time.

Mindforce - I really like the singer's voice. Perfect voice for their style of thrash hardcore stuff. I'd like them to come to Pittsburgh.

Queensway - Didn't watch them. I was out at the merch superstore.

Sworn Enemy - Good set. What I really wanted to see was a ton of songs from As Real As It Gets. We got a little bit of that, a few songs off the first release Negative Outlook, and a handful of new and newer songs. I guess they're becoming obscure enough that most people don't know Negative Outlook anymore, which was once their forte. So the crowd response was better than I thought it might be all in all, but the newer songs suck. Especially the last song, it's called something like Your Music Sucks. It's awful. Though, the brand new song was pretty good.

Agents of Man - Wasn't much interested in this. It was real weak, as anticipated. Crowd response equally as weak. I don't hate the band, it's just not that good.

Lionheart - They were way better than I anticipated. I guess I don't listen to them too much because I get tired of how many songs are about LHHC being awesome. The live show was very good. Good to see, especially since they've been playing out for a long time.

Jesus Piece - Super good and heavy band. They brought the mosh more ignorant than anyone else pretty much. That's not necessarily a good thing, but it's a thing. I like the energy of the vocalist and the bang your head parts.

Twitching Tongues - Missed them. Not a fan. After this was dinner break.

Carnivore AD - We caught the back end of the set. They were very professional metal. Having a shtick on stage. I didn't hate it. Still not sure how I feel about them as a band. I don't know them well enough to say for sure, but I heard some people grumbling that they didn't play their best songs. I don't know. I'm glad I caught the last 4 songs.

Wisdom in Chains - They pretty much killed it, just like every time. They played a good assortment of songs from their full catalogue. Ending with Land of Kings of course. They got a very good response from the crowd. A good time every time. They had a fill in on guitar, but he was pretty good. They didn't play Someday. That was suprising. Best set of the day.

District 9 - This band was good. I don't love their music, but a couple songs are bangers. They played them all. They even fucked up one song. But that doesn't matter so much. All about the Bronx. They don't have any new music in 20 years or so I think. Maybe longer.

Arkangel - I was super excited to see this band. Arkangel never plays in the US. Belgium heavy hardcore. They didn't disappoint. The first 6 or 7 songs killed it. Then a random fist that I never saw hit me in the head and I don't remember anything for about an hour. Fuuuuck.

E Town Concrete - welp...

Best Bands of Sunday:
1. Wisdom in Chains
2. Arkangel
3. Mindforce
4. Sworn Enemy

Best Bands of This is Hardcore 2018:
1. Incendiary
2. Wisdom in Chains
3. Regulate
4. Arkangel
5. Ten Yard Fight

7-28 This is Hardcore, One King Down, 18 Visions, All Out War, Harvest, Merauder, Knocked Loose, For the Love Of, Shattered Realm, King Nine, Trail of Lies, Candy, Year of the Knife, Numb, Departed, Invoke, Safe and Sound, No Victory, Philly @Electric Factory

This was the day of the fest that I was least excited to see. The lineup is good and killer, but it's lacking bands that I really really like. Unfortunately this day started looking better when Sick of it All and Rotting Out dropped. But still, no real complaints. This was the heavy day of the fest. We took our time having breakfast at the diner and missed the first few bands.

No Victory - Missed them. Hadn't listened to them before.

Safe and Sound - Missed them too. Hadn't listened to but maybe one song.

Invoke - Missed them. I really like the band name though.

Departed - Missed them. I usually like to support the stoner bands, but we didn't get there in time.

Numb - I'm betting they were really good. From Japan. I had hoped to get there in time to see them.

Year of the Knife - Really good band. I'm pretty sure I've seen them before, but this time was much better than any past time. I'm pretty sure they are a straight edge band. The new songs from the new album were really good.

Candy - I had been listening to a band called Candy from Vancouver Canada. I was excited to see them because their sound is different. This Candy wasn't bad either. Heavier stuff. The singer has nice hair.

Trail of Lies - From New York. Every time I see them they've gotten better. The singer is good to watch, good energy, really good songs. I'm going to listen to this band more. It seems like there was a ton of New York on the fest this year. That's good news. If NYHC blows up, all east coast hardcore blows up.

King Nine - Was really excited to see them. They killed at the Code Orange show, so I knew they would here too. The crowd was into it. They brought the mosh and it was all good. They have the Long Island hardcore sound that is pretty much blowing up right now.

Shattered Realm - We didn't watch them. I know Joe Hardcore is in this band and I'd like to support him. I just don't really like the band. We went out to the car to put down some free beers. After Shattered Realm was the dinner break so everything was all set up.

For the Love Of - Got back inside during their last few songs. I was very suprised at how good they were. I listened to a bunch of their songs beforehand and had the set pegged as boring. I was wrong. People were into it too. Good band, good late 90s 2000s metalcore sound. I don't think they've played at all for a long time.

Knocked Loose - I was expecting mass chaos. The set was very well supported, but didn't get as hype as I had imagined. They played a very good set, all the songs you wanted to hear. Dead Ringer and Oblivions Peak are killer every time.

Merauder - Never been a big Merauder fan. I think that their songs on recording are very average. Yeah I want to see Master Killer sometime. But this was not that time.

Harvest - Surprisingly good and energetic. They're the suprise band of the day for me. I really liked the whole set. I don't know any of the songs, even though I downloaded and listened to everything beforehand, but I obviously missed some bangers.

All Out War - They pretty much kill it every time. I still prefer them on recordings, but their This is Hardcore sets are not to be missed. They play all the jams that you want them to.

18 Visions - 0% interest in seeing them live. I'd be willing to bet that the crowd went nuts though.

One King Down - By the time they played we were back at the hooker hotel boozing up in preparation for a late night treat at the diner. I wasn't a big One King Down fan back in the day, still not now either. And I credit Rob Fusco, the singer, with ruining Most Precious Blood so that kills my interest.

Best Bands:
1. King Nine
2. All Out War
3. Year of the Knife

7-27 This is Hardcore, Ten Yard Fight, Incendiary, Vein, Shark Attack, Shipwrecked, Regulate, True Love, Raw Brigade, Please Die, World Demise, No Option, Philly @Electric Factory

We didn't go to the show on Thursday night. Probably would have but TIHC originally announced the 3 main days, then a few weeks later added the Thursday show as a pre-show type of deal. They said a few times on Facebook that they'd be sending out an e-mail for people who already bought 3 day passes to get a deal on the 4 day pass. I never got the e-mail I don't think. Maybe I did. Either way, I don't love any of the bands on the Thursday show, so we didn't go.

The hooker hotel didn't disappoint. Equally as raunchy and whatnot as you'd like. The Springfield Diner served it's purpose with greatness.

Unfortunately, Rotting Out didn't play. Sounds like someone in the band got injured during another show. Something like that. Sucks because Rotting Out is a great band and we really wanted to see them.

The PBR deal was gone unfortunately. They were slinging Rolling Rock instead for $5 a can. That's ok, but much rather have PBR.

No Option - Missed them. They were a last minute addition to the show because Rotting Out wasn't playing. They opted to add a opener type band than a more established later in the day type band.

World Demise - Missed them on purpose. Every single time I would go to the This is Hardcore website there would be all the advertisements for this band. Made me hate them.

Please Die - I liked this band on recordings. They didn't play Pay Up or a few of the other sings I liked from their new CD. That's ok. More of a sing along oi hardcore band. Not too many opportunities for the mosh. Not the hardcore mosh at least. Crowd response was averagely disinterested. I liked the set though.

Raw Brigade - From Columbia. They had all the energy. Perfect band for the fest. Good fast straight edge hardcore. Not too much metal involved here.

True Love - I very much liked this band. They're good on recordings, better live. Middle of the road hardcore in terms of fast vs metal. Good energy, good response from the crowd.

Regulate - Blew the place up. This band is very good. I really enjoyed pretty much everything about the set. Great energy, good sound. The singer has a nice voice for mid pace hardcore. They played some songs off the new album that I haven't heard yet. They had one song that I thought wasn't any good, but the rest was killer.

Shipwrecked - The band lucked out pretty much because there was a serious lightning storm going on outside so they had to make everyone go inside. Pretty much everyone saw this band. But similarly to Please Die, they're a different style of hardcore than you can mosh hard and bang your head to. The crowd response was very mild. Though I thought they played their songs well. They played Destroy and Fast Violent Noise and some other bangers. I'm not sure why there was such a long time waiting for them to play once they appeared to be set up already. Like the band, wrong fest for them.

Shark Attack - They've been playing for a long time, but I think during the set they said it was their first time in Philly. I like the singer and how he looks like a wise guy pretty much all the time. This goofy smirk on his face. Not mosh hardcore, but fast hardcore. Faster than Please Die and Shipwrecked, less metal than anyone else as well. They're well known, the crowd response was good. They have some really good jams. Most likely played every song they have.

Vein - Dinner time. Though, based on everything everyone said I should have watched.

Incendiary - Killed it. Best band of the day. They have so many good songs, just absolutely kill it every time. The mosh was on. The singalong was on. Pretty much everything was good. Good song selection as well. The singer tried to say some meaningful words about hardcore and social activism I guess. Kind of missed the mark. But that didn't matter much.

Ten Yard Fight - I wasn't sure about this one honestly. They are a good band for sure. High intensity. High energy. Again the singer tried to get into some basic political stuff, kind of missed the mark in terms of being really engaging with it. Respect the effort. They played all the bangers that you would want to see. Good energy from old heads. Back in 89 when the cowboys were strong.

Best bands:
1. Incendiary
2. Regulate
3. Ten Yard Fight
4. Raw Brigade

6-22 Appalachian Terror Unit, Menstrual Parasite, Spontaneous Noize Combustion, Bitrot, Pittsburgh @Babyland

I had high hopes that a place called Babyland might go on to become a great drunk lawless punk rock venue. Somehow exactly that happened. The space is in the basement of a building. It's a sprawling space with at least one section of it being a woodworking facility. The show was there, it was awesome.

Bitrot - Good set, good energy. They're the only local band on the bill. Fast raw echo-chamber punk rock by 2 hot ladies and a dude. Energy was good. The set was good. The crowd was into it.

Spontaneous Noize Combustion - From VA. Self described scumbags trying to create noise. They succeeded. A song into the set the guitar player had to change a guitar string. They kind of lost momentum there. Ok set, loud and fast and noisy.

Menstrual Parasite - Great band name, good band. Hardcore punk crust metal thrash noise. I enjoyed the set. Probably the best band on the set not named ATU.

Appalachian Terror Unit - Really good set. Everyone was into it, it was a rager. Punk rock in the vein of Behind Enemy Lines. Best two vocalist punk band around. Good set.

High's - Babyland, all the bands
Low's - Nothing.

6-12 KRS-One, Abstract Theory, Pretty Krissy, Dude the Hawk, CPX3, Pittsburgh @Karma

I had high hopes for this show, but in the back of my mind I knew it could end up being whack too. My fears were that with KRS-One having like 20 albums and songs from the 80's to this year, there was no telling if he would even sniff some of my favorite songs. Now, turns out he didn't play a lot of my favorites, but in the end that didn't matter. A all time dope MC is an all time dope MC.

Karma was a pretty good place for the show. I liked everything about it except they need to make a second opening to the stage room if they're going to have big shows like this there. CPX3, Dude the Hawk, Pretty Krissy - So I know which one Pretty Krissy is. I'm pretty sure Dude the Hawk was the dude with no shirt pretty must hosting the first part of the night. And CPx3 may be the name of a crew of like 6 different rappers who really had no common traits between all of them. CPx3, if I'm right about them being a group, came out and did different songs of their own. Some compiling with other artists. Some were good, some were meh, none of them were good enough for me to want to know who they were. The one high point of the first part of the night was when Pretty Krissy and the guy I'm thinking is Dude the Hawk did their last song about 'give me your password ni**a' follow by 'bitch you can't have it.' Great song, good performance. Afterthought, Pretty Krissy looked tall on stage, but she's really a short lady. Good rapper too.

Abstract Theory - I thought they were by far the best rappers from the opening sets. Two dudes, probably both white, one definitely white, lol. Come on, he was wearing a vintage Star Trek shirt. I don't know the name of any of their songs, nor had I heard them before, but I'm going to check them out in the future.

KRS-One - It was probably about an hour, or close to that, after the last group before KRS took stage. It was well worth the wait. Dude rocks the mic like no rapper I've ever seen. The freestyles were on point. The songs were on point. The life lessons were great. Dude is inspiring. He played at least portions of some real bangers like Sound of the Police, P is Free, The MC, among others. We all had a great time, and KRS destroyed shit. Best hip hop artist ever.

I'm sure I've said it before, but I got to air out my rap show grievance. I hate how many rap groups have the lyrics playing over the speakers with the beat. Is it because they don't have recordings of just the beat and the music? Is it the case that removing the words from the recorded song is extremely difficult or expensive? I really have no idea why this happens. In my eyes it makes their live set cheap as fuck. But you can tell when real MCs are on stage like KRS. Aside from the chorus of a few songs (completely acceptable and understandable), he didn't have the lyrics coming out the speaker. Because... obviously... a real MC.

Hi's - KRS-One all fucking day the dopest MC in the galaxy until I see one better, cheap drinks at Karma.

Low's - Nothing.

6-1 Code Orange, Harms Way, King Nine, Too Pure to Die, Eternal Sleep, Pittsburgh @Mr. Smalls

This show will probably go down as the best pure hardcore show in Pittsburgh this year. Killer lineup. For Pittsburgh Hardcore, this was a must go.

Eternal Sleep - We were walking in as they started playing. Killer set. They played Keep Moving and Dead Like Me and all the bangers. Heavy hardcore, Pittsburgh proud, and a great live set. Eternal Sleep is boss as fuck.

Too Pure to Die - Well, I know and really like some of their songs like X The Fuck Up and Calloused. They played the good songs. The new songs are ok. Most of the old songs are ok. I don't particularly like it when frontmen start calling the crowd weak and pussies, but that's obviously his thing. When it's your second show back after a decade hiatus, and you were never really more than a regional band in the first place, you pretty must have to take what you can get. Especially if you get to play on a bill this epic.

King Nine - Their first time in Pittsburgh, but we'd seen them before in Philly. I enjoyed the set. Nothing amazing in my opinion. They have some particularly good songs and good stage presence. I'll see them again at TIHC.

Harms Way - They killed it. On most nights they are easily the best band of the night. The songs off the new album were rippers, and they played the songs from the old that you really wanted to hear. Loved it. Humans have no value.

Code Orange - Well they pretty much pulled out all the stops on this one. The lighting was top notch, though soooo bright it burned out your retinas. I seriously had to look at the floor sometimes. But the live show was on point, the song selection was there even though I'm not a huge fan of the slow songs. But that's my opinion of many slow songs. Great set, great energy. At the end of the set they let the drone sounds play out for like 5 minutes. It was pretty much a tease of an encore. But the whole time I was thinking, what songs would they play? They already played the bangers. No dice for the encore.

Hi's - All the bands
Low's - It was all dope as fuck.