EP 247: 2024 Year End Awards
Killer pod this week. Check out the episode here, here, or here and check the playlist here or here.
Another year gone by…
Once again, for the awards this year we sent ballots out to a shadowy cabal of elite Hardcore luminaries. I’m talking about a conglomeration of true Hardcore historians, shit eating wildmen, and idiot savants who perfected the art of the stagedive by age 16. Oh yea, and Bedge. This motley crew (plus maybe a pos-top edgeman and styled out byrd or two) have come together to give shine to the best Hardcore Punk of 2024. LFG…
Best Album Art
Like I said last year, this is a critical category for the genre and one that we’re lucky hasn’t fallen to the wayside in the digital era.
Burning Lord took this category with Alienator right behind them. I voted for Woodstock ‘99 but the more time I spend with them, I maybe should’ve gone SOH which reminds me of one of my favorite video games as a kid, Urban Champion. All the contenders in this category were great this year.
Nominees:
Alienator Time To Die
Burning Lord Arcane Demolition
Lasso Parte
Nails Every Bridge Burning
SOH Cost To Live
Woodstock ‘99 99 Ta Life
Best Album Production
Speed won this category with their 2024 LP Only One Mode. It sounds huge and was one of the biggest Hardcore records of the year for a reason. I voted Collateral because it’s the best sounding roots Hardcore record I can think of in the last handful of years. It does the rare job of somehow maintaining it’s energy while being so bright.
Nominees:
Bayway Bayway Takes Manhattan
Collateral We Still Know
Echo Chamber S/T
Kriegshög Love & Revenge
Speed Only One Mode
The Massacred Death March EP
Best Demo
When this demo dropped this year, the contest was basically over. It’s roots Hardcore written at an LP level in demo form. All killer, no filler, and why wouldn’t it be? It started as a solo project by Robin Zeijlon, one of the dudes who brought us one of the best 12”s of 2016. No Idols has now filled out into a full band poised to carry the flag for the best style, kinda like the dude on their demo cover.
Nominees:
Best Riff
Nails took this category edging out Kriegshög. It’s a memorable riff that works as an attention grabber and a hook throughout the song.
Nominees:
Crush Your Soul “UNCLEJR” verse riff @ ~ 0:16
Kriegshög “冷たい人間” (last song on LP) opening riff
Nails “Give Me The Painkiller” opening riff
Rat Cage “Bow To None” verse riff @ ~ 0:12
Split System “The Wheel” opening riff
The Massacred “Death March” opening riff
Best Breakdown
The riff’s ugly cousin.
Kriegshög took this category in what I’d consider an upset, since this category is generally dominated by hard bands with some metal influence. Kriegshög are known for their bass-driven raw Punk style but Love & Revenge is such a thick sounding LP, I think it transcends genres. Is it a stepping stone to get your friend into D-Clone? Maybe, maybe not…but this record is undeniable regardless of what style you’re into, and this breakdown is a straight up ass beater. Ninjas, floorpunchers, and dudes who just want to blast fools can all get down to this one. It’s an all-timer which comes off an excellent fast part and a great buildup into a perfect mid-tempo blessed by the mosh gods. I voted Torena, cuz NARDCORE 4 LIFE, but Kriegshög deserves it.
Nominees:
Collateral “Mind Control” @ ~ 0:21 to end
Fatal Realm “The Gift” @ ~ 0:50 to end
Kriegshög “虚空” @ ~ 2:00 to 2:40
Missing Link “New York Minute” @ ~ 1:40 to end
Scarab “Tetanus” @ ~ 1:10 to end
Torena “No Control” @ ~ 0:50 to end
Best Senti Track
One of the two new categories this year. This is for the most sentimental track that gets you right in the feels. It’s no surprise that High Vis won this category since we, and apparently the shadowy cabal of elites, are High Vis homers.
Nominees:
Chubby & The Gang “The Bonnie Banks”
Haywire “Love Song”
High Vis “Gone Forever”
Lost Legion “Gone”
Split System “The Blues”
The Chisel “Living For Myself”
The 2024 Dan Sant Invitational: MTB of the Year
The mid-tempo banger is a critical piece of Hardcore and we’re here to give it shine. Norway’s Problems took this category with their tune “Beg For Release.” Shit, it’s so good they named their EP after it. This was a brutal category to pick a winner and honestly, I can’t even remember how I voted (ha ha), but I think I went Thought Control.
Nominees:
Armor “Freedom”
Direct Threat “Forever Fighting”
No Idols “Play Yourself”
Problems “Beg For Release”
The Massacred “Brain Warfare”
Thought Control “Sick and Tired of the Talking Heads”
Best Track
Missing Link took this category with their insta-classic “New York Minute.” Rarely can bands this hard write shit this catchy, but Missing Link laid down a document for bands to chase in the years to come with this song.
Nominees:
Haywire “Feeling Depressed"?”
Kriegshög “冷たい人間”
Missing Link “New York Minute”
Simulakra “Dead On The Cross”
Split System “Underground”
Best EP
I agree that this is the best Hardcore EP of the year. Play it loud.
Nominees:
Collateral We Still Know Fortress Records
Best LP
The LP of the year pool was super diverse and I think really represented what 185 Miles South is all about. Invertebrates took the category this year which is sick cuz they are the most roots sounding record on the list. I voted Public Acid but would’ve been happy with any of these winning and love them all.
Nominees:
Invertebrates Sick To Survive Beach Impediment
We will be back in two weeks with the 2024 Super 7 on the main feed and next week with our Festivus airing of grievances on Patreon.
- ZN