EP 271: November 2025
Killer episode this week on the pod. Check it out here, here, or here and check the playlist here.
Before we kick off, Kev’s band FALSE SALVATION put out a new EP on the mighty Rebirth Records. Get the tape here!
Did you know that “Gotta Go” by Agnostic Front was a cover song? This info popped up last week on the Total Supply board and straight up scrambled my brain. How did I not know the true origins of the national anthem of Europe? I mean, it’s partially because I’m a product of the Oxnard public school system and my reading comprehension is questionable at best. Roger Miret actually mentioned it in his excellent memoir, My Riot:
“We also had a song called “Gotta Go,” which Colletti wrote with his other band, Zombula 451. It was five or seven minutes long and it had three or four guitar leads. Billy Milano and I made it shorter and it sounded much better. It was tighter and there was only one lead. I came up with a “Gotta Go” intro chant for Raybeez: “From the East Coast to the West Coast / True sounds of a revolution!” It was a reference to lyrics Raybeez wrote for Warzone, and I felt like he was looking over my shoulder and guiding my hand when I wrote it. Colletti said I ruined the song with the intro and outro, but people loved it. It became a huge NYHC anthem and our first truly popular song. Epitaph Records liked it so much they put it on some of their CD samplers.”
“It was similar to what happened with “Gotta Go,” when Jimmy Colletti hated the intro and outro. If it hadn’t been for that intro and outro, I don’t think that song would have struck people the way it did. Our fans love to chant that part.”
Jimmy Colletti was the drummer for AF on the three Epitaph LPs that came out between 1998-2001. According to this site, Zombula 451 was a band comprised of a bunch of dudes from the town of Bellmore on Long Island who were in band called Justified Violence that was around from 1983 to 1985.
Zombula 451 was named after a slang word for PCP and the temperature that paper burned. They put out demos in 1994 and 1995, both which contained the song “Gotta Go.” The download links are dead on that blogspot so if anyone has rips of the demos, please share! Here’s a video of Zombula 451 playing what looks like a basement gig in 1995 where they play “Gotta Go”:
Like Roger said, AF basically just added those lyrics on the front end and cut out a solo or two. The AF version was obviously a smash. Here’s them playing it in 1998, the same year it came out on Something’s Gotta Give:
Zombula got back together for some reunions in 1999, probably partly in part to the new found worldwide popularity of “Gotta Go.” It was still a hit when they cranked it out at a gig on Christmas in 1999.
Shoutout Zombula 451…what a tune!
On the pod, Kev and I discussed a bunch of gigs we went to in October. Here’s a rundown of the ones I went to…
10/4/25 Clique/Hereditary/Bayonet/Grunt Work - Che Cafe - San Diego, CA
Clique is really having a moment right now. They did a couple free gigs that packed houses in San Diego and Oxnard in early October. I had something else going on this night unfortunately, but I popped in trying to catch the first two bands at least. Grunt Work is an excellent newer San Diego hardcore band that shares members with Axe Collector, Therapy, and All Beat Up. This show actually started on time so I missed them. Doh! Bayonet is probably my favorite HC band in San Diego and one of the better powerviolence bands going today so I try to go to all their shows. This was possibly the best time I’ve seen them. They were super tight, gnarly, and there was a thick crowd there to witness it. Hell yeah!
(Bayonet @ Che Cafe)
10/5/25 Cannibal Corpse/Municipal Waste - SOMA Mainstage - San Diego, CA
Cannibal Corpse isn’t my favorite death metal band but they’re the biggest and they always seem to sound the best. My girlfriend had never seen them so I took her so she could witness “Scourge of Iron” in person. Something about that stupid open note just crunching is so awesome. We caught the tail end of Municipal Waste too. Both bands sounded great.
(Municipal Waste, Cannibal Corpse @ SOMA)
10/10/25 Turnstile, Amyl and the Sniffers, Speed - Gallagher Square
I think the last time I saw Turnstile was at a taqueria in Lemon Grove over a decade ago. These dudes seem to have gotten more popular since then. They played Gallagher Square, the area behind Petco Park where the Padres play baseball and drew over 6000 people this time around. Some autotune-ass (emphasis on ass) musician opened and then Speed went on and killed it. The juxtaposition of Jem’s super posi attitude and speeches combined with their brutal mosh-core really won over a crowd who were mostly being exposed to them for the first time. Of course the Tik-Tok hardcore posse was out in full effect, demonstrating dance moves they’d been practicing in their room on normies. This of course lead to a pit being the size of a basketball court with like 10 needledicks flailing around in it. I wonder what their favorite Wesley Snipes movie is? Speed sounded great. Killer band that deserves their popularity.
Amyl and the Sniffers played next. Singer Amy hit the stage and immediately said something along the lines of “Fuck Bibi. Fuck Trump. Fuck ICE. Protect your immigrant and trans friends.” Hell yeah. Look, I get the push back on sloganeering but I think it’s critical these days to tell regular ass civilians where you stand when marginalized people are being dehumanized at a level in America that I’ve never seen in my lifetime. The band kicked ass and people really enjoyed the set.
Turnstile played a pretty epic 90 minute set. When you see it in this setting, it’s obvious why they’re huge. The songs work in that environment. It’s mostly the tried and true formula that’s been used since the early ‘90s with grunge and through the early 2000s with nu-metal: chill verse, buck chorus. Soft to loud. Mellow to aggressive. It gets the masses bouncing. The songs flowed seamlessly together and 90 minutes flew by. They’re a great live band no doubt.
When Turnstile put out their new record earlier this year, all the publicity around it seemed to revolve around a single question: are they still a hardcore band? Again I ask: there has to be a more interesting narrative about this band, isn’t there? After seeing them, maybe there isn’t. The crowd was mostly college age folks who were just there to have fun. They were the same people who would’ve been there for Green Day in 1994, Limp Bizkit in 2000, or whatever popular thing in whatever year. There were camera operators on the rail and in the pit to document everything for the big screens, mostly just people throwing up the devil horns or sticking out their tongues. So yea, the band was great and delivered for their fans but there was just zero element of anything against the grain, and the set was devoid of anything that might challenge a single person of the thousands in attendance. So what exactly is hardcore about Turnstile these days? The $100+ tickets? $45 tour shirts? The barrier? The complete absence of of any political stance? Does any of that even matter to mainline hardcore kids in 2025? Perhaps this IS peak hardcore and I’m a dusty unc who needs to get with the times.
Seinfeld was the biggest sitcom of the ‘90s, a show admittedly about nothing. Maybe Turnstile is just the same for hardcore.
(Speed, Amyl & the Sniffers, Turnstile @ Gallagher Square)
10/11/25 Cockring/All Beat Up/SMD/Subversive Intent - Print Shop - San Diego, CA
My band Subversive Intent played our 2nd gig at The Print Shop in San Diego, which is notable DIY spot right now in the city. It’s a literal t-shirt screening business where they move their equipment out of the room to create space for punk bands to play. As an ask-a-punk spot, it manages to be free of any of the elitist leanings that tagline might carry. The Print Shop guys play in a band called Se Vende, so check them out if you’re into Crimpshrine type stuff and want to support dudes who are living it. We played first and then I had to cut cuz my girlfriend and I had to haul ass out to Las Vegas to see the Raiders get a rare win the following day.
(Subversive Intent @ The Print Shop)
10/14/25 Major Pain/True Fight/Opposing Force/Gaining Ground - Che Cafe - San Diego, CA
10/14/25 GBH - House of Blues - San Diego, CA
This was a killer gig with a nice turnout at the legendary Che Cafe. New local powerhouse Gaining Ground opened the show to a great response, then Opposing Force from the Bay played a solid set after them. True Fight from Japan ripped through a bunch of originals and a Floorpunch cover, then OC’s Major Pain capped off the night with a tight set. This show ruled plus it was over by like 8:45PM so I swooped up my girlfriend and we headed over to see GBH at House of Blues.
My whole life I never cared to go see the old 1st or 2nd wave British punk bands who seemed to come to So Cal every year. Part of that was lack of resources in my teens and early 20’s. My money was spoken for and it was dedicated to modern hardcore. I also just assumed all those bands sucked since generally their post-1984 albums did. The thought of driving an hour to LA, paying for parking, and then paying over $20 for a gig seemed absurd to me.
Covid lockdowns hit just months after I turned 40 and I think the combination of those two things made me kind of reconsider my outlook and desire to see a lot of these bands while they’re still around. Since then, I’ve seen GBH, Cock Sparrer, The Exploited, Cockney Rejects, and The Adicts and to a band they were all still pretty awesome.
GBH is probably the best of all of them. Colin is so boss that he doesn’t even unzip his leather jacket until like eight songs in. Outside of two songs off their 2017 LP, they only played songs from their 1981-1984 era. 17 classics, 2 new ones, and a Motorhead cover. You can’t fuck with that.
(Gaining Ground, Opposing Force, True Fight, Major Pain @ Che)
(GBH @ House of Blues)
10/17/25 Judge/Integrity/Earth Crisis/Witness Chamber - Garden Amp - Garden Grove, CA
I spent like two hours at Radiation Records in Anaheim which was a total treat before heading over to the gig. The tickets said doors were at 7:00PM but apparently Witness Chamber went on right at 7 so we missed them. Apparently so did everyone else which is a bummer. It looked like it was going to be super grim for Earth Crisis too, but everyone seemed to pile into the ~1000 cap venue just as they were getting ready to go on. They played a super tight set going through a smattering of the hits and peppering in a handful of post-Destroy The Machines tunes. They ended with “Firestorm” into “Counter” by Path of Resistance.
Integrity was next. They played mostly songs from Those Who Fear Tomorrow and Humanity is the Devil. This version of the band is a four piece plus a hype man, who kinda just comes off as a kook. Can we teach this guy how to play an instrument so we can hear the songs with two guitarists again? What are we doing here? They ended with Porcell coming out to sing “Straight Edge Revenge” and then played “Hybrid Moments” by the Misfits.
Judge headlined playing all the hits plus “Forget This Time” off the final 7” which was a nice surprise. As I watched them, I found myself thinking the same thing I was thinking during Integrity: how can this rule so hard and suck so much shit at the same time?
I missed both these bands in their prime. Judge I missed by over half a decade. Integrity I barely missed. I have friends who went to see them at the Showcase Theater in 1996 but I was only 16, the gig was two hours away, and honestly I may not have even heard them until 1997. So while Judge and Integrity both kinda blow live as bands in 2025, the material is just undeniable. I assume that if I saw Bob Dylan tomorrow he’d probably kinda suck too, but hearing “Like a Rolling Stone” would be pretty sick (shoutout to the Siamese cat). Hearing the solo on “Micha” is still pretty mind-blowing even if there isn’t a backing guitar, and if the hairs on the back of your neck don’t stand up during opening snare fill on “Bringin’ It Down,” I honestly don’t want to hear your opinion on music.
(Earth Crisis, Integrity, Porcell with Integrity, Judge)
10/18/25 Abstain/Identity Shock/Set Free/Human Resources - Che Cafe - San Diego, CA
I love a matinee. In the morning I rode my bike down to the No Kings rally in downtown SD and then hauled ass to the Che, hoping to make it in time to see Human Resources. Turns out I showed up with plenty of time to kill. Apparently notorious try-hard JD Vance was at Camp Pendleton where they were filming a propaganda video shooting off ammunition over the I-5 freeway. CA governor Gavin Newsom shut down the freeway, and while I generally think he optimizes bourgeoisie scum, it seems he did it for a pretty good reason. The freeway being shut down stopped a lot of people from showing up on time, so the gig was delayed. It also may have dissuaded folks from showing up completely because the turnout was pretty paltry and a big disappointment after the healthy crowd just four nights earlier, on a Tuesday night to boot.
Locals Human Resources and Set Free both played good sets. I was pretty hyped to see Identity Shock coming off the release of their Identity EP, one of the best roots hardcore 7”s of the year. They ripped through an awesome set comprised of those songs, demo songs, and a Youth of Today cover. They had sold through all their big man black tees, and Kev told me that by the time the tour got to Philly they had sold through all their records, so hopefully it was a successful tour even if the SD stop was kind of bunk. Local heroes, Abstain, headlined. They just put out a new 12” so check that out. All those dudes are at every HC show and the drummer, Dylan, books most hardcore shows at the Che so they deserve your support.
(SD No Kings / Human Resources, Set Free, Identity Shock, Abstain @ Che)
10/19/25 12 Cent - Winston’s - San Diego, CA
Me and my buddy Mike tabled at SD Zine Fest during the day and then I shot over to Ocean Beach to see my old PB Pub drinking buddies play a reunion gig. They were tight and blasted through a nice set of tunes like it was 2009 and they were playing the 710 Beach Club once again.
(12 Cent @ Winston’s)
10/21/25 Sunami/Scowl/Whispers/Midrift/Hereditary - Soma Mainstage - San Diego, CA
Sunami drew ~1000 kids on a Tuesday night and totally crushed. Beatdown sucks, but Sunami rules. It is what it is.
(Sunami @ SOMA)
10/30/25 Subhumans/1876/Big Attitude - Corazon Del Barrio - San Diego, CA
Locals Big Attitude kicked off the night to an already packed house and blasted through a dozen or so Ramones meets OC ‘81 punk jammers. 1876 from Portland followed. They’re made up of dudes from Blackfeet, Northern Cheyenne, Comanche, and Yakama nations and play a unique and aggressive style of punk that also features a guy pounding away on a giant drum. Cool band and a good choice for Subhumans to bring on this run.
Subhumans always bring the heat and tonight was no different. They scorched through 20 or so songs sticking mostly to their 1981-1985 material. Dick doesn’t seem like he’s aged in 30 years…what a legend.
(Big Attitude, 1876, Subhumans @ Corazon Del Barrio)
Daniel Lupton from Scarecrow and Sorry State Records joined us to hammer out round two of the Best Euro HC 7” 1981-1985 tournament. This round was pretty easy for me outside of the Headcleaners vs. Mob 47 matchup. The quarters are facing up to be brutal, though. We’ll knock out the rest of the tourney and crown a winner on the December monthly episode.
Be sure to check out the monster substack post I did for round one where I dive into all of these records. Hardcore rules!
Lennon from Scarab joined us for a conversation about our top five hardcore/punk bands from Florida. He chose Point of Contact, Tension, Be All End All, Mehkago N.T., and Know The Score. Kev chose Seed of Pain, Failure Face, Poison the Well (boooo), Hot Water Music, and Ecostrike. Here were my picks in no particular order:
The U-Boats (Tampa)
This band put out 7”s in 1982 and 1983, and an LP in 1984. I’m mostly vouching for the 1st 7” cuz “Break-Out Tonite” can hold its own against any mid-tempo punk of the era. They sound like a mix between the tail end of the first wave UK bands and those in the second wave who would find a home on No Future records. Killer group.
The Eat (Miami)
Usually the first record by these early punk bands is the best, but in the case of The Eat, I think the 2nd 7” is their best record. The first one from 1979 almost slides into power pop territory, but with just two songs at 90 seconds a piece it’s pretty rad in its own right. On their 2nd 7” from 1980, they really come into their own both as players and songwriters. The guitar and drum chops are up and they’re really playing punk in a unique way that doesn’t seem derivative of anything while also not trying too hard to paint outside the lines either. It’s kind of how the Buzzcocks were 100% a first wave punk band, but their sound isn’t really what you think of when you think ‘77 punk. The Eat were on Killed By Death #2 & #3 but neither comp featured their best tune, “Silly Drug Songs.” Shameful.
Hated Youth (Tallahasse)
This band should’ve been cannon first wave USHC but while their 7” was recorded in ‘83, it didn’t come out until the year 2000. Fortunately, the first three songs came out on the 1983 compilation We Can’t Help It If We’re From Florida, putting them in the early ‘80s hardcore lexicon and sowing the seed for someone to dig up a couple generations later. You know the score, 12 songs in 12 minutes. Ripper after ripper with the most choice cut being “Ban the Bible,” a track that I’m sure went over great in the Bible Belt in the early ‘80s.
Powerhouse (Miami)
This is probably the most underrated hardcore 7” from the original youth crew era. The recording is perfectly raw, but you can hear everything in the mix. The songs are aggressive and the vocal performance is top notch. Big gangs, powerful fast parts, nice tempo changes - it’s got it all. All six songs go hard with "A First Time” probably being my favorite. Point out some modern core bands that are laying down fast vocal cadence like dude does on that track…I’ll wait. This 7” is so good that we should forgive the members for the two songs they put out on the Supersoul comp with their later band, Where Fear and Weapons Meet.
Collateral (Broward County)
Collateral put out one of the best hardcore demos of 2023 and the best hardcore 7” of 2024. They played the Che Cafe last year and it was one of the best sets I saw all year. They’re the only band other than Scarab who is batting .1000 with every release/track. Straight up modern hardcore heroes. Fuck yeah.
We’re working hard on end of the year stuff. Are there any releases you think we missed that you feel strongly about? If so, get at me. Thanks for reading!
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I play in a band called SUBVERSIVE INTENT. Jam the demo here, here, or here and buy the tape here. If you live Southern California, we are playing on November 8th at the Print Shop in San Diego.
- ZN
I missed Integ/Judge in Boston and at Gilman despite probably being able to catch them. Then I went to Toronto for ToHC where Final Agony opened with Incarnate 365 with Melnick on guitar and holy fuck man, it was everything that rules about legacy bands without the cringe.
Winston's has been around so long but I've never been there. It seems like they only book shows that people in OB wanna see. Very specific vibe. Also, Dylen has been booking shows for almost as long as Winston's has been open at this point. At least it seems like it. Lastly, didn't know Collateral was a 20+ year old band!