The Kevin Hardcore 100 (FINALE)

The last 10 records, a FINAL top 10 and my overall rankings.

Feb 24, 2025

I’ve done it! After 11 months, here we are. I have finally listened to the 100 (mostly short) releases my big homie Kevin sent me that he considers to be THE essential hardcore. I wrote about it in the last post - but this has been a ton of fun (despite how long it took me). Overall, as to be expected: the list was good. 51 of the releases I rated (in a very unscientific way) at 4 stars or better. That’s more than half! 21 of those are at 4.5 or better and this project showed me a handful of records that I find to be genuine, all-time classics (best of all time, any genre status).

Beyond the ratings, the rankings, etc - it was fun to see how things broke down as far as which region I liked best, what sound I liked best, where my taste was developing and where I want to go with the genre at large from here on out. New York area bands were definitely the most represented on this list, which also translated to being toward the top of my rankings - with 8 NY releases in the Top 20. Coming into the project, I told Kevin that I think my preferred region was Boston (I don’t have a reason why) and while some Boston did really well, some didn’t! Cleveland was a fun discovery, but the two albums from Tokyo on the list are nearly perfect so maybe they are the actual best (remains to be seen!)

All in all, it doesn’t matter. Thanks again to Kevin for this list, for the constant conversation when I drift in and out of the list, our buddy Drew for giving me some context on things alongside Kevin and the both of them for giving me some things to think about. I’m an outsider of the scene and will always be, but at least I’m a LITTLE educated now.

Thanks to those of you who followed along, who sent me comments when I would post, etc. What follows are the final 10 records to review for the list. In addition, I am re-listening to the records I have rated amongst the highest to come up with my own finalized TOP 10, followed by the overall list that has been going on. It’s been a year since I’ve heard some of these records so these rankings don’t really mean shit - but they’re here and they can always be changed. Enjoy!

Death Threat
Peace and Security (2000)

Before I started this round, Kevin told me to listen to this record “a few times” before judging it. It’s a good thing he did, because only 1 song in - I knew what he was talking about. After 1 listen, I was unsure if I wanted to listen to it again. Now that I’ve heard it like 8 times, it’s awesome. It’s the voice. This is totally different from any other release on this big ol’ project. Its lighter AND gruffer, the vocals are simplistic to the point of comedy and really seem like these are specifically meant to sing along to. Hardcore karaoke. Kevin sent me a couple of videos and they helped sell it, but they didn’t need to - I started to love this record after my initial shock and some chuckles. To me, it still sounds A LOT like Disturbed (ooh wa ah ah ah) in places, but hell, Disturbed is fun. Nu-Metal is “in” right now and thus, this sound doesn’t get on my nerves as much as it used to, but it still has an element of that. It sounds pretty ignorant and dumb, but in like the best way possible. Happy I gave this record some time, it was a grower.

Rating: 4/5
Fave Tracks: “Outcast” “Never Again” “Nowhere Fast”

Imaplers
Cellar Dweller (2017)

Newer record for the list and one that I had definitely heard before but didn’t have any record of listening to or rating - it’s cool, but man is it a lot. This is 17-minutes of relentless, heavy, ripping fast music with vocals destroying the mixing boards and while I can love the chaos of music like this, it can also get to a point where it’s TOO much. It’s not that this is the most extreme music ever, it just seems to go to that place in a way that overcompensates for anything great. The occasional super sick guitar solo notwithstanding this sounds like 17 minutes of a Queens of the Stone Age deathrock interlude (this isn’t a bad thing). This is a good record to crash your car to, but not an enjoyable headphone listen and winds up just sounding like a ton of a noise. Still kind of rocks though.

Rating: 3/5
Fave Tracks: “Nazi Burning Man” “It’s So Hard”

Bastard
Wind of Pain (1990)

This might be as perfect as a record can get without truly being perfect. I’ve listened to it like a dozen times and I loved it at first listen and YET I really can’t give it that full mark. I don’t know why. MAYBE it sort of starts to wear out its welcome at the end (even though its only 15 minutes), but man this is a HELLUVA record. Even writing this blurb, I’ve listened to it 2 more times to try and push it to that 5-star rating and just consider this the best of the best and it’s not quite there BUT this is such a statement and perhaps the most badass fuckin’ rock record around and sounds like Motorhead on even more speed than they already were on. Absolutely essential and a lock for a top 10. Tokyo rules.

Shattered Realm
Broken Ties…Spoken Lies (2002)

Sitting somewhere between metalcore and death metal and maybe even some 2000s alternative metal, this one veers into a lot of different directions but sounds dated in an ehhhh way and while well executed, just doesn’t hold up. Chalk this one up to another one of those records (maybe like DEP) that if you liked when it came out, you probably still love it now, but hearing it fresh now in 2025, it lacks. It’s not bad, there isn’t a single, major BAD aspect you can point to, it just operates in a sound I am not particularly fond of and doesn’t do enough within that lane to change my feelings much. It’s HEAVY though and if you want something more metallic (I mean these are straight up death metal vocals most of the time), you might want to check it out (though steer clear of the “Creeping Death” cover). Middle of the pack, for me.

Rating: 3/5
Fave Tracks: “This World Is Mine” “No Mercy”

Fucked Up
Epics In Minutes (2004)

The only compilation on the list, but it makes sense. The sound of early Fucked Up, as seen here is a bit different from their debut record Hidden World a couple of years later. I knew about Fucked Up around this time and I’d heard this compilation at some point but had no memory of it. Fucked Up has always been a band that I appreciate more than like and while this collection of songs is quite different from what I expect with the band (I mean, they’ve always just been a good as hell punk band), I still feel the same. This is just straight-up punk rock with hoarse vocals. Songwriting is great, the solos are great but it loses it’s shine and even when it IS shining, it’s rarely above “really good” for me. There are some choice tracks, but shoddy and inconsistent production don’t help them. I don’t know if I’m glad they have a record like this to show their straight ahead punk tracks or if I want them to go the directions they went, who knows. It’s good! It’s fun. I’m sure at this point they were one of the best live bands in the world!

Rating: 3.5/5
Fave Tracks: “Baiting The Public I” “Baiting The Public II” “Circling The Drain”

Poison The Well
The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation (1999)

One of the few bands I knew relatively well in this section of the list, this is nevertheless a release of theirs I had only heard (to my recollection) once before. I do tend to think of PTW more in terms of the Alt. Metal / Emo vein they explored from here, though I guess even thinking of later periods of the band there is still a thread of hardcore through it. Regardless, this is very much a blueprint of 2000s metalcore and is undoubtedly very influential to lots and lots of bands. It’s also a sound that I’m not SUPER fond of, though I do like this release. I was hoping to be blown away, and wasn’t - but it’s still good. I actually think the record would be better if it had MORE breakdowns and alternative metal passages rather than the constant screaming. That’s the appeal for a lot of people, but it’s not going to be for me. Musically, it’s interesting, there is a fair amount going on as far as changes in time signatures, guitar tones etc. It’s a cool record on the whole and easily something I would like more if I heard more as a youngin’.

Rating: 3.5/5
Fave Tracks: “Artist’s Rendering of Me” “Nerdy”

Youth of Today
Break Down The Walls (1986)

I first heard this record a few years ago when I was working as a medical courier during Covid closures and the day I listened to it, I thought it was pretty badass and a fun record to drive to in my shitty little Prius. It seemed unique compared to a lot of hardcore I had heard at that point in that it preached positivity and personal/social change in a way that was dumb but FELT authentic rather than just preachy. Looking at the history of the band, more modern reviews and what not - it seems like people are often split on this record. Fans of the 80s Straight Edge scene seem to love it and hail it as a masterpiece, fans of other hardcore scenes find it corny and perhaps not even that engaging. It’s somewhere in between for me. I understand both aspects but as an outsider, it’s a quick listen full of super catchy short songs with a vocalist that has charisma for days. I bumped my rating up on this listen and think it’s pretty great. Thrashy at parts, very 80s in sound, easy to sing along to, cool breakdowns, cool bass intros. It’s a nostalgic sound even if you don’t have nostalgia for the band themselves.

Rating: 4/5
Fave Tracks: “One Family” “Break Down the Wall” “Thinking Straight”

Hatebreed
Satisfaction is the Death of Desire (1997)

I knew to expect this to be good despite never having heard it and despite me thinking that Hatebreed was basically just a band logo the worst people alive wore on smelly black hoodies, but man - this is AWESOME. Very nearly a 5-star record, but not quite there. Regardless, it’s heavy as hell and not reminiscent of the latter WWE-ified metalcore sound that I know the band for. It’s still as much metal as it is hardcore but it just sounds mean and tough and angry and it’s pretty one-note but that note is aggressive as hell and kicks ass. Really great late addition to the tops of the list and JUST outside of the top 10 overall. Sick ass, essential record.

Rating: 4.5/5
Fave Tracks: All of em

Ignite
A Place Called Home (2000)

Following up the chaos and toughness of Youth of Today and Hatebreed with this record was serious whiplash. Let’s be clear: I really dislike this record. I don’t know if I HATE it because there are some aspects of things I like (mostly related to catchy choruses) but as it stands - this is at best, the third worst record on this entire list for me. The vocals are embarrassing, genuinely the worst on the whole list. They sound like Dexter from The Offspring without any of the music that made that band one of the better alt radio staples of the 90s. It’s just fuckin’ weak man, Idk. Some records I’m bound to dislike and this is one!

Rating: 2/5
Fave Tracks: I can’t decide, genuinely. Maybe “Veteran”

Turning Point
It’s Always Darkest… Before Dawn (1990)

Here we are, the 100th record out of 100 and an awesome way to go out. This record is only about 21 minutes and while it isn’t mind-blowing it does do something unique in the whole of this list by really focusing on the breakdown. Short verses and choruses that are catchy are broken up with all these sick as hell instrumental breakdowns and slap bass. I didn’t catch much of what the music was about on the first few listens because I was so focused on the music, the riffs, the bass and some of the better drumming of the era. Zero doubt in my mind that this band would’ve been killer to see in the day. Super cool record and a band whose entire discog I’m going to check out.

Rating: 4/5
Fave Tracks: “Before the Dawn” “Life Goes On” “Growing Stronger”

There you have it! I’ve completed the challenge. What a blast. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it. I know my reviews can get super repetitive (partially, that’s the nature of just working within a single genre and so many records per post), but hey - some of y’all keep encouraging me, so I appreciate the support.

In addition to these last 10, I’ve listened to the SIX records I scored at 5 stars (and an additional 2) to come up with my “Definitive” top 10. How do you rank perfection? Silly exercise but without further ado -

Andy’s Top 10 Hardcore Records (at this point, at least):