CIRCLE STORM - SPIRIT 7"

Here is my Christmas gift to you: CIRCLE STORM'S "SPIRIT" 7". This is a GREAT 7", one of my all time favorites. This is an over-looked band that featured members of other famous Posi bands (if you don't know, then you have just been given a homework assignment). This band did an EP that really was terrible, but this 1st 7" was pure gold. 2 tracks of fast Posi Style sXe hardcore out of the 1980's. Hits hard and fast with extremely memorable sing along parts. I remember finding this 7" and being blown away by it when i was in high school and I have always wondered why this 7" is not talked about as much as many similar bands that were inferior. Download it. Love it. Live it. Happy holidays!

Download CIRCLE STORM "SPIRIT" by clicking HERE

1. No One To Blame
2. I Won't Turn Away

Mosh

More news/videos/etc

RACE RIOT will be doing a show for the holidays. it will be their 1st show since they played their one and only show back in November of last year. It will be a big one so keep your eyes peeled!

Good friends BLOOD IN BLOOD OUT will be playing in Pittsburgh on Friday the 12th of November w/ ICEBERG, GLADIATOR and more. The show is at THE SUBCULTURE. Check the  Some good bands that are worthy of your support! Check the following link for show info: THE SUBCULTURE

Lastly, CREEPOUT has posted a video commercial for their full length album "Tribe Called Hardcore" w/ some fun footage and DOMINATE has also posted a video from their "Just Chillin' At The Backyard" EP (which you can download free via the downloads tab at top). Check both the Creepout video posted below, the Dominate video had some issue w/ Youtube and it would not post properly, so check it out via the following link: DOMINATE "NO WAY OUT" VIDEO

Navigation tool bar!

    In case you haven't noticed, I have added a navigation toolbar to the site above. Just trying to make the site easier to navigate, now all you have to do is click on the RELEASES/DOWNLOADS link and you'll be taken to a page to download all the free Hard-Ass Digital releases on one page insted of having to search for them in the blog history. I will be compiling the interviews as well as the horror stuff and other categories very soon for more easy navigation links in the near future.

NEWS YOU CAN USE!

Things have been pretty inactive here, I haven't been updating the site or the radio player much but I see that there is always a steady amount of visitors to the blog so thanks! I started a new job and don't have access to a computer all day like I used to. We'll have some new stuff in the near future for you to download as well as some new interviews and such. For now, here's some news for you:

CROWD DETERRENT will have a new EP very soon. One more song needs to be finished and the new material will be released. This material sounds much more like their earlier material (Demo through Blood and Family era). I sent a message to Dave to try and get the original 1997 demo (which NO ONE seems to have) so I can hopefully post it here for download in the near future in a re-mastered form. Crowd Deterrent will be returning to Japan in Fall of 2011.

CREEPOUT will have some new releases: their split w/ Integrity will be released in the US on A389 RECORDS so keep a lookout for pre-orders on that. Their full length has been out in Japan, I think a US release is pending. The Lords Of West Tokyo may be back in the US again next summer.

RACE RIOT will have a new record hopefully by the holidays or early 2011. If you don't have the Race Riot demo, make sure to download it here: Race Riot "Crew Life" Demo

ULTIMO BEATDOWN posted some new songs on their Myspace, there is a new version of the classic FEELINGS ad well as a new jam called MENTAL PRISON (which is in rotation on the Hard Ass Radio player as well). Check it out here: Ultimo Beatdown My Space

In other non-band related stuff, Samoan Rob of Crowd Deterrent has opened a new location of his Tattoo shop DEFIANCE TATTOOS in Canfield, OH. Check out their facebook here: DEFIANCE TATTOOS

Keep on keepin on. More new stuff soon!

WHAT WOULD RAYBEEZ DO?

   Shouldn't we all be asking ourselves this question? I think the answers we'd get to this question would be much more profound than the answers we'd find if we asked the same question about Jesus. Besides,  who kept the faith harder than Raybeez? Remember, whenever you cannot find the answer you are seeking,  always ask yourself "WHAT WOULD RAYBEEZ DO?" and put on a Warzone album.The Hardcore Reality will show you the way!

In all seriousness... go listen to any of the live Warzone stuff that is out there. The LIVE @ CBGB 7" still sends chills down my spine and the track that is on the CREEPY CRAWL comp does as well. To this day, if I was going to try and show someone what definitive HC was, I'd show them those recordings. Some of the best stuff ever. I cannot find any links online to download the Creepy Crawl comp, if someone finds it send it my way. But I posted a link for the live @ CB's 7" below.

Here's a link to download the LIVE @ CBGB'S 7": WARZONE LIVE AT CBGB'S

 

"WE WON'T FORGET!"

"TOKYO'S BEAST OF MOSH"

    GET INTO THIS. ABSURD HARDSTYLE OUT OF TOKYO, JAPAN. FRIENDS OUT OF JAPAN SAY THIS BAND IS EXCELLENT AND I HEARD THEY RECENTLY CAME TO EUROPE AND WERE HIGHLY IMPRESSIVE. CHECK A VIDEO OF THEM LIVE BELOW. I HAVE SEEN VIDEOS OF THEM ALL DRESSED LIKE COPS AND OTHER ABRUD THINGS WHEN PLAYING LIVE... LOOKS LIKE A SUPER FUN BAND. MAYBE THEY WILL COME TO THE US IN THE NEAR FUTURE... 

Alien Rip-Offs/Future Horror in the 80's

(Before trying to watch the trailers be sure to pause the Hard Ass Radio player on the right!) After the success of ALIEN there was a flood of lower budget "Horror In Space/Future/Alien" movies. This is one of my favorite genres  since Alien was a super high-budget movie that had state of the art EVERYTHING... these imitations did not but they certainly gave it the old college try! I often use Alien as a measuring stick foor movies... like compare movies made 5, hell, even 10 years after Alien and Alien makes most of it look like it was made in the 60's in comparison. Making futuristic space ships and gadgets on a low budget generally makes for some good comedy (one movie has a corridor in a spaceship that looks like it is literally lined with Big mac boxes!). But some of these stand on their own as decent/watchable movies despite their meager budgets. Let's discuss!

First up we have my favorite of them all: GALAXY OF TERROR. This movie had an all star cast, featuring everyone from Freddy Kruger himself (Robert Englund) to Mr Hand (Fast Times At Ridgemont High), and Joannie from Happpy Days! How can you not  like this movie with that lineup of stars? This nonsense concerns a crew sent to a planet on some bogus mission by some oracle or something. Turns out this planet somehow has the ability to make your worst nightmares come true. There are some imaginitive deaths and some are quite gruesome... this movie certainly has plenty of gore and slime to go around. One of the women is even raped to death by a giant maggot! How could you possibly go wrong with THAT? Turns out whoever survives this journey through their worst nightmares gets to become the new Oracle or something of that like. The art used  for this movie is classic and the tag line is one of my favorites: "YOUR COUNTDOWN TO HELL IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!" This is the cream of the crop in regards to the early 80's Space horror movies and is highly watchable.

Next we have HORROR PLANET also known as Insemenoid. This movie features a woman astronaut who is raped by an alien in a cave on a distant planet who gains super strength and turns evil as a result of the alien baby she is impregnated with. Got all that? Seems like a reasonable plot line right? Some very funny scenes of the woman overpowering and man-handling her crew mates. Not as gruesome or shocking as you might think it would be... but it is a fun entry in this genre. The artwork used is some of my favorite as it features women being held by a reptilian claw in outerspace while floating eyes shoot lasers at them

Another solid entry in this genre is CREATURE. This one is very watchable and was a staple of the shelves at just about every video store ever. The Monster is very familiar looking (HR Geiger should have been paid royalties) but this time the alien creature is a very ancient one that has been let loose by a previous space crew when they stumbled upon an ancient "butterfly collection" of misc alien creatures. The Monster has the ability to control minds and can even reanimate dead corpses. This has some great gore scenes (including a great exploding head) and some more nice touches to make this one of the most watchable and entertaining movies of the genre since it throws in some other elements into the mix like Psychic Horror, Zombies, etc. The always great Klus Kinski is on hand too.This is a forgotten winner that everyone needs to see and a staple of many lost Saturday afternoons.






    A more seldom seen entry in this genre is FORBIDDEN WORLD also known as MUTANT. This movie is not to be confused with the later 80's MUTANT that is a really crummy zombie movie that features cover art of a monster that is never seen in the movie. This is a total Alien rip, the alien monster is a dead ringer too. This is extremely gory and is famous for it's scene where the monster is destroyed when it eats the canerous liver and vomits to death.it is for gore enthusiasts and people who want to see every movie in this Space Horror genre only since it is difficult to find and usually expensive when you do. For now you can buy a bootlegged DVD on IOffer or wait till it is eventually released on DVD.

    Lastly we have Italy's input with CONTAMINATION, sometimes called ALIEN CONTAMINATION. This splattery movie has very familiar looking alien eggs on earth, but watch out! If you touch these eggs you will explode! Literally! You can imagine there's some gore since it is Italian and it does involve people exploding. This movie follows the always wacky formula that many other Italian movies of this time period followed which is the movie begins in the city, but somehow they end up by the end in the jungle of some other country. Turns out there is a terrorist organization producing the eggs and using them for their agenda. The end is great as it features a random monster that produces the eggs which is straight out of a Nintendo game like Contra since it is just a giant monster face in a wall. Really silly... those of you who played video games like Contra and the like will really see the resemblance to this monster and a main boss you would see in one of those games. Also, this had lots of the same music that was  in ZOMBIE CREEPING FLESH/NIGHT OF THE ZOMBIES, and it is obvious some of those same ppl worked on this movie. Check the trailer below:





    In the 90's there were some other decent Space Horror movies worth noting like DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, DARK UNIVERSE (that was rated EM "Extremely Mature" instead of the standard R for no good reason since is it is pretty tame) and the big budget EVENT HORIZON. There are many more movies in this genre and I am sure I missed some, so please feel free to post about them yourself if you feel there are any I missed. Enjoy some trailers! Be sure to PAUSE THE HARD-ASS RADIO player 1st!

90's Scfi-Fi/Action

In the late 80's and early  90's there was a glut of Sci Fi/Action/Horror movies, most were direct to video. many of these were a result of the success of movies like Predator, Terminator 2, etc. Today I am going to focus on 2 great movies in this genre that are all but forgotten: "I COME IN PEACE" (1991) and "SPLIT SECOND" 1992).

I COME IN PEACE (aka Dark Angel) stars Ivan Draggo himself  DOLPH LUNDGREN as a tough/good cop on the streets of Houston who runs afoul of an evil alien drug dealer that if killing drug addicts to harvest their adrenaline the body produces when high on heroin (by taking it  from their brains) which is apperently a very rare drug on whatever planet he comes from. The alien is played by MATTHIAS HUES, who stands about 6' 6" and in the movie appears to be even taller than Lundgren (who towers over the rest of the cast) which makes the final showdown between these 2 pretty impressive. The alien does not speak any words other than a robotic "I COME IN PEACE". There is a good alien cop on hand that tells Lundgren that it is important to kill the bad alien because if he returns to his home planet w/ the drugs, then many other intergalactic drug dealers will come to earth to harvest more drugs and it will be "a slaughter". The movie is low on gore content and the basic idea is a poor man's Predator (esp  considering the Alien's weaponry) set in a big city, but this movie is more than watchable. It has a nice Government cover-up/asshole FBI agent subplot and enough tough cop/one liners to keep you chuckling as well as big explosions. Also, this was released/distributed by  one of my favorite 90's video companies: Media. They sure don't make movies  like this anymore!

Some of the best lines from I Come In Peace: 

FBI Agent: "The Difference between me and you is I am a team player"  LUNDGREN: "Yea?  Well your team sucks!"

ALIEN: "I Come in peace"    LUNDGREN: "And you go in pieces, asshole!"

Next we have SPLIT SECOND with everybody's favorite tough guy RUGER HAUER. This is set in the future in England where global warming has caused flooding problems and some kind of monster that looks like a nastier version of the liquid metal T-1000 from Terminator 2 is ripping people's hearts out. This one features Sex In The City's KIM KATRALL in a pre-menopausal role and yes, you get to see her boobies. Also it features a funny cameo by Motorhead's LEMMY where he gives a (biased) endorsement of his band's music. Hauer has to figure out who or WHAT is behind all these heart-rippings and it turns out that that silly liquid metal monster is the devil! (Whoops! Did I ruin that for you?). Plenty  of tough guy stuff here as well as horror elements. A fun movie to watch. I believe this one was actually released in theaters but did very poorly. The monster looks really cool but it is seldomly seen due to the movie's meager budget which was for sure wasted on paying washed-up Hauer.


Both are all but forgotten movies that you can easily find for $1 or so a pop on Amazon on VHS. Great movies to have in your collection or to waste a saturday afternoon watching esp if you are  looking for some macho dudes vs monsters movies! Check some video from both movies below! (Make sure to pause the Hard Ass Radio player 1st!)

KUNIHYDE "CLEVELANDER" of CREEPOUT Interview

Anyone who follows this blog knows I love Japanese hardcore. CREEPOUT is a band that me and Rob found years back and wanted to bring their music to the US. This June they are returning to do 2 US shows (June 17th in Indiana and June 19th @ Summer of Hate in Cleveland). I hit up Kunihyde (aka Japanese Clevelander), Creepout's vocalist to do an interview and he was more than happy to answer my questions about the band's recent activities, tour w/ integrity, and more! I am most impressed with his responses... his English has vastly improved since we 1st met years ago. Now if only I could get a handle on Japanese like that!

HA: Tell us about Creepout's history

KUNIHYDE: ok,We're formed in 2002 with me and Tak. And keepin'on playing many shows and released some comp, splits. On 2008, We made 1st our own stuff called "S.O.S.F" in Japan, and our 1st full length will comes up in Japan and U.S.so sooon!

HA: What are the main differences between shows in Japan and shows in the USA?

KUNIHYDE: Yeah, we have so many different points...We have to pay to play or booking any show at any clubs like $1500 per 1 show...so naturally, ticket's price will be expensive, and normally $18 to $25!
It sucks!! And we have soundcheck before a show. Japan is small country, but so many people is living, esp in big city like Tokyo, so we can't do house show and any small like that. The kids dances same like american's...Mosh is worldwide sports!!

HA: You seem to like American Baseball... how did you learn about it in Japan?

KUNIHYDE:  Baseball is like national sports over here too, so in basic, we love baseball since we were born! MLB is highest place about baseball in the world...so i love it.

HA: Japanese hardcore has a long history, which Japanese punk/hardcore bands were a major influence on you?

KUNIHYDE: Gastunk, G.I.S.M, The Willard

HA: How do most Japanese people view Americans?

KUNIHYDE: Most of Japanese can't speak or write in english, so they're afraid of all foreigners! haha, it's weird but true.

HA: What was the best food you ate when you came to the US?

KUNIHYDE: Food!? Oh, I like american BBQ, Hot dogs, Pizza, Grilled chicken, Hamburgers, Steaks, oh of course Mexicans! And i like american beverages...BRISK (Lipton Iced Tea) fuckin'rules!

HA: Which American bands have influenced you the most?

KUNIHYDE: You already know it!! It's pretty difficult to choice one, but...ok, i say Cleveland Hardcore!

HA: Tell us an odd fact about Japan

KUNIHYDE: hummm, it's depends on people, so you should come here to feel it.

HA: What 1st got you into hardcore? How old were you?

KUNIHYDE: Hardcore? Originally, i loved Dead Kennedys, Misfits, Ramones etc, and Cro-mags, SOIA etc, so it's Cro-mags. I think i was 16.

HA: You recently did a split with INTEGRITY and did a tour w/ them in Japan. Tell us about that record and the tour.

KUNIHYDE: You know i love them, so it was like one of my dreams came true! Jukeboxxx record is my friend and they said ok 3 seconds aftter i offered to release! The record is great i think, and Dwid also loves that.  was released in ep and cd, both are out of stock though, i will bring some to the Summer of hate next month. The tour was awesome!!! They are good guys than i expected, Jochum brothers are stupid but good, haha anyway it was good time.

HA: What can we expect from Creepout in the future?

KUNIHYDE: Our full length "Tribe called hardcore" will be available soon!! and you can get our shirts at Shop Shogun or NGS records.

HA: What are the best current Japanese HC bands?

KUNIHYDE: So many. NUMB, SAND, ROCKCRIMAZ, DOMINATE, FIGHT IT OUT, EDGE OF SPIRIT, FACECARZ, ETERNAL B... AND MORE AND MORE!!! We think we should spread Japanese bands among overseas.

HA: Any last words?

KUNIHYDE: Thanks Steve for take this interview!!! Support Hardass record everyone! And you should get our album and listen to it again and again, and SEE YA AT SUMMER OF HATE!!!!!

Here is a video of CREEPOUT live in Japan! Make sure to pause the HARD ASS RADIO player before trying to watch it!

RELEASES/DOWNLOADS

Below are all the official HARD-ASS RECORDS releases for you to download. Scroll down and download them all! Feel free to re-post these and share them as much as you'd like! Enjoy!

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ULTIMO BEATDOWN "WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST" EP - HA008

Ultimo Beatdown's follow-up to the "WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS" EP from years back.  4 tracks of angry style HC, similar to demos era COLD AS LIFE, BLOOD BLOOD and SHEER TERROR. Songs about Alien Gods, Toho Monster movies, and mental illness. Will the band ever play another show? Who knows. Who exactly is in the band? An eternal mystery. Will this EP change your life? Yes! Download it for free via the link provided below.

Click to download ULTIMO BEATDOWN'S "WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST" EP for free!

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DOMINATE "JUST CHILLIN AT THE BACKYARD" EP - HA007

As promised, here is DOMINATE's new EP for FREE DOWNLOAD straight outta Tokyo, Japan! Straight up Hard/Beatdown style that is not for the weak! Similar in styles to BULLDOZE, STOUT and BIOHAZARD as well as others in that vein. This is sure to get you to mosh your room to smithereens and your blood boiling. Brutal Tokyo hardcore.

Click to download DOMINATE'S "JUST CHILLIN AT THE BACKYARD" EP 

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RACE RIOT "CREW LIFE" DEMO - HA006

Race Riot is an angry, violent punk band from North East Ohio. This band is anti-racist. This band believes that punk and hardcore music should be violent and dangerous. 5 tracks of fast, angry punk-core. The demo is available for free download via the link below:

Click to Download RACE RIOT "CREW LIFE DEMO"

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THE STRUGGLE "18 SONG DISCOGRAPHY"- HA005

THE STRUGGLE was a band from the early 2000's form Youngstown that featured STEVE ASSAULT (Crowd Deterrent), JON BUTTERY, ZACK V (Shelter, Soul Cries, Inner Revolution), BOB DIRENZO, and ANGEL SULLIVAN (Puppet Government). The band played old-fashioned angry, negative hardcore straight out of the 80's, mixing WARZONEw/ BLACK SABBATH. Lyrically the songs were mainly negative in regards to personal struggles/short-comings, plus a few songs about horror movies. Included here are all the songs the band ever recorded. 18 tracks. The original demo has been re-engineered/re-mastered as well as some of the other songs. Download it for free via the link below:

  
Click here to download "THE STRUGGLE- DISCOGRAPHY"

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CROWD DETERRENT/NUMB "SOSF WORLDWIDE VOLUME 2"-  HA003

 Full length featuring Ohio's CROWD DETERRENT and Tokyo's kings of hardcore NUMB. Yet another release that bridges continents! NUMB's legendary style of Tokyo Hardcore hits the US at last! This is a release w/ something for fans of NYHC, to Oi and Beatdown. Angry traditional HC from opposite sides of the earth!

Click here to download CROWD DETERRENT/NUMB "SOSF WORLDWIDE VOL 2" 

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CROWD DETERRENT/CREEPOUT "SOSF WORLDWIDE VOLUME 1" - HA002

 Full length featuring Ohio's CROWD DETERRENT and Tokyo's CREEPOUT. Ohio hardcore meets Japan Clevo style! Includes the Crowd Deterrent's anthems LIVE FOR REVENGE and DOWN TO THROWDOWN. Holy Terror from the far east hits the mainland with this epic release.

Click here to download CROWD DETERRENT/CREEPOUT "SOSF WORLDWIDE VOL 1" 

CROWD DETERRENT RECORD RELEASE SHOW FEB 2002

Dave uploaded this full set of the 2002 CD release show for the album BLOOD AND FAMILY. This show was @ Nyabinghi and Run Devil Run played as well. Some fun stuff... one of the handful of shows in the bands history that featured a full line-up w/ members that practiced the songs. Many of these songs were never played at any other shows. A few fun covers too... Madball, AF, and Motorhead. It is fun to see many ghosts of the past stage diving, singing along, and running wild. This was one of the last really fun/highly attended shows in Youngstown before the scene began to really decline.

*Make sure you pause the Hard-Ass Radio player before you try to watch the videos!

THE END COMETH....

 

UNLEASHED SPRING 2010...

Volume problems?

I was alerted that some people were having problems w/ the Hard Ass Radio player being too loud. I have tried to adjust it, please let me know if the volume is too loud when the player starts or if you have any other issues by leaving a comment below. Thanks!

ASCENSION - CLEVELAND HARDCORE

In the 90's I went to the video store here in Youngstown and there was a skinny guy w/ glasses wearing a bow tie (all employees there wore them) who worked there. Form the looks of us, he figured me and my friends were into hardcore stuff. He told us about his band ASCENSION and told us they were playing soon w/ Ringworm (a reunion show I believe) and In Cold Blood. From his appearance, you'd never gather he was in such a band, but Chris Wood was a great front man who was known for his wacky stage antics. His band was a rather unique 90's Clevo band. They def had a Clevo sound/influence, but they were a little more metal then the rest and they had a sound all their own (check some of the bass work on the albums). This is a band I see discussed very little and I feel they were one of the better 90's bands out of Cleveland. For your enjoyment I have posted both of Ascension's releases below. Both were released by TOYBOX RECORDS and are way out of print. Please check out both the YEARS OF FIRE EP and the ABOMINATION LP! I especially liked ABOMINATION... that 1st song was a killer!

Click here to download ASCENSION "YEARS OF FIRE" EP free! 

Click here to download ASCENSION "ABOMINATION" LP for free!

ABOVE PIC: Chris Wood on vocals. I once saw Ascension play a show w/  Skarhead... kind of an odd lineup. Hopefully I will see this band again someday and hopefully many more people will be able to rediscover this band!

HARD-ASS RADIO UPDATE

The HARD-ASS RADIO was down for a few days. I had an issue w/ my file storage server and had to delete everything and start all over so there's some fresh new tracks on it but it's up and running again. There was before (probably about and hour and 1/2 of tunes on there now) but I will get more up on it again soon and will keep spreading the Hard-Ass Reality!

New stuff added recently to the playlist:

RINGWORM, VISION, INSULT TO INJURY, CIRCLE JERKS, COCKNEY REJECTS, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, CAUSE FOR ALARM, BACKFIRE, POWERHOUSE, SNUFF, TJ MAXX,  and much more!

STRONG STYLE

When some friends from Tokyo visited me a few years ago they gave me many CDs, one of which was this CD from a band called STRONG STYLE which was released opn the famed JUKEBOX RECORDS. This is Melodic Japanese Oi/Hardcore at it's best. All the lyrics are in Japanese, as are all the track listings, so I have no idea what the songs are called or what they are saying, but the music is great. They play a style similar to PRESSURE POINT, DISCIPLINE, etc. This CD is 10 tracks of melodic skin-core anthems. There are guest spots on the record by members of STILL YOU ALIVE, one off my favorite and little known Japanese HC bands.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD "STRONG STYLE'S" ALBUM FOR FREE!

Wish this was in English... but what can ya do? Still some solid tunes!