Six...No Skips #1
Hardcore / punk records from 1976-2026 that aren't bunk.
Here’s the first edition of Six…No Skips. I’ll tread through the 50 years of punk and hardcore history to pluck out some records that I think are good enough to merit you giving them a spin. ‘70s punk singles to ripping modern metal punk—I got you.
These selections don’t mean you won’t skip any tracks, not every record can be Victim In Pain. Shit, most albums can’t even be Age of Quarrel (one skipper), but in my opinion these are all records warrant a listen from you. Let’s get into it…
1. FILTH – DON’T HIDE YOUR HATE 7” (1978)
Here’s a killer first wave punk single that mixes the brevity of something like The Dils mixed with the sound of some of the Belgian bands of the same era (The Kids/Chainsaw). There was once a time where I was pretty obsessed with the first four Killed By Death compilations. This song along with “No Productivity” by The Subhumans were probably my two favorites across all of those. It’s short, catchy, and harnesses the attitude of early punk. The b-sides are pretty good too, but that a-side is an all-timer.
Jam these tracks: “Don’t Hide Your Hate”
2. CAMERA SILENS – RÉALITÉ LP (1985)
Rixe and Syndrome 81 are two of the best bands of the last decade, so at some point you may have asked yourself what were they pulling from? What is the roots of that sad boot sound that these bands can tap into better than anyone else and what makes FrOi! so special? I’d suggest you check out the 1983 compilation Chaos En France where flourishes of that sound are all over it. The best two songs in my opinion are Komintern Sect’s “Unis Par Le Vin” that opens Side B and Camera Silens, whose song “Pour La Gloire” kicks off the whole schebang.
Réalité starts with the title track that sets the mood for the record. It’s full on boot for sure, but it’s more somber than raucous. Maybe the tunes are just as much for a Sunday alone as they are for a Saturday night with the mates. Is it more strolling threw a dewy meadow than kicking in a skull? I dunno if I’d go that far.
The record dips a bit after the opener but really comes alive with the the last song on the A Side, “Classe Criminelle 1 Et 2.” If you haven’t heard it, you’ll probably think what I’m going to say next is a lie or that I’m just fucking with you but au contraire, or whatever. It starts with a dark bass line with some guitar ringouts over the top. Bring in the kick drum, then a tom build and boom—we’re in with maybe the most heartfelt lead in the history of punk…on a fucking saxophone. Am I supposed to slam, cry, or both? Of course there’s no question with the 2nd half of the song.
Side B is solid throughout, capping with a re-recording of “Pour La Gloire” which outshines the original.
Jam these tracks: “Réalité” / “Classe Criminelle 1 Et 2” / “Pour La Gloire”
INFO / LISTEN (starts at 7:40)
3. WARZONE – SPLIT W/ CAUSE FOR ALARM 10” (1995)
There’s a lot working against this record being great. They gave Warzone the B Side so there’s a fucking barcode on their side of the cover, and the bulldog for that matter. For some reason the record says “Punk Rock - Oi! - Hardcore and You" [Black and Blue and Still True] Volume 1” on it, whatever that means. There was never a volume 2. Raybeez, who some folks have based their whole style off of in years past, and the rest of the guys are wearing bowling shirts. Oh yeah, and Side A is not good. I’ve had this record for about 30 years. I’ve jammed the Warzone side at least a hundred times and the CFA side maybe five, one of those being about 20 minutes ago.
All that said, these four Warzone songs represent the best Warzone album other than their first LP, Don’t Forget The Struggle, Don’t Forget The Streets. All four songs are perfect. Yes, even “Skinhead Warrior Girl.”
Jam these tracks: “Bullshit Authority” / “Free At Last”
4. TOTAL FURY – COMMITTED TO THE CORE 7” (2003)
Agnostic Front’s first 7” United Blood has four of the greatest hardcore songs of all time on it, but that’s only half of what makes it great. The other key component is that they surrounded those four tentpole songs with raging sub-30 second blazers. Those tunes give the album an untouchable vibe and highlight the best songs instead of dragging them down.
It sounds like for Committed to the Core, Total Fury locked themselves in a basement and only listened to the non-big four United Blood songs. Maybe they were going more for early Outo or Systematic Death but my anglophile brain can’t decode that as clearly. Regardless, what you end up with here is seven songs, all under 30 seconds, all which sound like they have a purpose—to pummel. There’s nothing goofy or throwaway, it’s all just over-the-plate 1st wave style roots hardcore. It rules.
Jam these tracks: “Lost Cause” / “Attitude” / “Committed to the Core”
5. OMEGAS – BLASTS OF LUNACY LP(2011)
If Blasts of Lunacy came out in the mid-2000s, would it bump one of these monsters off the Mt. Rushmore of Mid 2000s Roots Hardcore LPs? There’s a chance. The record seems like a logical conclusion of that resurgent sound from the era—pushing the boundaries of a throwback style without becoming something different. There’s an unmistakable swag on this record too, like they knew during the writing process that they were in the middle of making something special and weren’t too bashful to strut it. So while musically Blasts of Lunacy may pull more from the Bad Brains, in terms of pure unadulterated confidence, maybe it has just as much Dead Boys or Richard Hell and the Voidoids in it.
Jam these tracks: “Modern Glory” / “Blasts of Lunacy” / “Absurd Visions”
6. TOWER 7 – PEACE ON EARTH LP (2021)
This is probably the best imaginable band name in a post 9/11 world, so respect. You’ll never know how mad I am at myself for naming a band of mine Somali Pirates when fuckin’ Tower 7 was on the table. We even had a line that mentioned Tower 7…goddamnit.
At least it went to a band that delivered. Peace on Earth is a full throttled statement on how good metal punk can be at its modern peak. It’s aggressive, but loose and raging. It reminds me more of early Pestilence than any crossover record, and the vocal delivery is more a less guttural John Tardy than anything thrash-centric. It’s obvious these dudes can shred (see the solo in “Green Piece”), but they know how to balance it and hang back for the sake of songwriting. And that mosh in “Black Site”—c’mon.
Jam these tracks: “Black Site” / “Delusion of Enlightenment” / “Green Piece”
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