SUMMER OF HATE 2014 - ALL OUT WAR

New York heavy hitters ALL OUT WAR will finally be playing SUMMER OF HATE in Cleveland in 2014. SOH will go down @ the venues NOW THAT'S CLASS on FRIDAY, JUNE 27th and GROG SHOP on SATURDAY JUNE 28th with  AOW playing the Saturday show. Those who have attended the show in the past know what to expect: brutality. Year after year this fest claims to be the hardest/most dangerous show in America... AOW playing will only amplify this.

Rest of lineup, tickets, and more to be announced late winter 2014.

VHS CONQUEST

  

Being in my 30s I can remember, very fondly, when the Video Store was a magical place which only had VHS tapes. I spent countless hours watching movies rented from every video store in a 10 mile radius and what I watched more than anything else was HORROR MOVIES. Horror movies spoke to me since childhood when I fell in love with Godzilla and then whatever other movies I got to see on Cable or Network TV (mainly on Saturday afternoons, but USA's SATURDAY NIGHTMARES was where I got to see the most and best stuff every week) and then when I was finally lucky enough to get a VCR (a neighbor gave us their old VCR, it had a remote on a cable) I was able to finally watch the movies I loved uncut and without commercial interruption and was no longer limited to only what programmers gave me to watch. This began my life long love of Horror on VHS.

    I can remember the first movie I rented: RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART 2. It was my favorite and seeing all the stuff TV cut out was really great to a 3rd grader! There were certain movies I rented over and over... EVIL DEAD, EVIL DEAD 2, DAWN OF THE DEAD... those were rented more times than I can even begin to count. Later I began buying movies... which at that time was expensive! A lot of tapes were $30 or so new... bargain tapes were cheaper but had lower quality prints. Also, most movies were out of print... Evil Dead was out of print until I was in high school... and obtaining a copy of out of print movies was nearly impossible so if you were lucky you either found a bootlegged copy (usually a 2nd or 3rd generation print that looked awful... I can remember splitting buying a Cannibal Holocaust bootleg for $40 with my friend Rob and having to drive an hour and a half just to do so) or had to steal said tape from a video store (which we did often) because the convenience of Ebay didn't exist yet to be able to find virtually any tape within seconds.

    Every video store was different and had different movies. Some movies were the stuff of legend and if your local stores didn't have it seeing it was next to impossible. The covers jumped off the shelves with fantastic, often graphic artwork and pictures. As a kid, the more outrageous or graphic the cover, the more i wanted to watch, but my dad was a barrier to this until i was old enough to get my OWN video card and then it was on! I waited so long to finally be able to get my own video card and on that day I was finally able to rent the grossest, sickest looking movies that had previously been forbidden to me and what a sweet day that was! I never understood the Big Boxes until later... I didn't get why those old movies had bigger boxes and could have never fathomed that they would be so desirable today, but we had a saying about the Big Box.... and i was "if the movie has a big Box... you're in trouble!" because usually those movies were graphic or really stunk... either was desirable. The WIZARD VIDEO and PARAGON boxes to me were the most memorable.

Remote w cable from 1st VCR

    I cannot end the section on Video Store nostalgia without mentioning the greatest video store of all time: ANTHONY COCCA'S VIDEO LAND. In the Youngstown area no place could beat it. Their horror selection was top notch. They had every Wizard release and virtually every movie that now can be found on the "most desirable/most expensive" VHS lists. They had SPINE, SPLATTER FARM, LUNCHMEAT, DEMON QUEEN... they had 'em all and much, much more to boot! At the time when they went out of business I recall going there to buy tapes for $5 each... Spine and many other big $$$ tapes were movies I passed on (because it sucks as a film) and I kick myself everyday because now it is so highly desirable! But I woulda probably just sold it anyhow because I don't really see the value in movies I don't even care or enjoy to watch.

    VHS gave way to DVD. A lot of movies that were out of print were sold at rock bottom prices when video stores made the DVD transition. this was a golden time to get many of those rare movies you had rented countless times. We would fill the trunks of our cars going to such sales. This was the great, short lived era of VHS CONQUEST where anything and everything you ever wanted was FINALLY available to own. I recall going to a Hollywood Video once I caught wind that they were selling off all VHS and GALAXY OF TERROR was the gem I wanted... I knew they had it as I had rented it there numerous times. I got there and it was gone! I was so pissed! I wonder to this day who the hell bought that... it wasn't any of my friends so I have no idea who else in my town wanted that movie as badly as me. A few years after that great era most video stores went out of business all together with the rise of Netflix, Redbox, etc and here we are today with a new generation rediscovering VHS.

    Everyone has their favorite eras and genres of movies. Some people like early Universal stuff, some 70's, some Euro, slasher, monsters, vampires, sleaze, action, martial arts, etc. I personally like a large array of genres and have my own opinions as to what is the best and what was crap as does everyone out there. Personally I liked the mid to late 80s through early 90s as this was the period which was current and relevant to me. I liked Early 90's and still do and I consider the era of the 80s to have spilled into the 90s and consider it the final golden era until the horror industry kind of collapsed for quite a while until being revived with movies like SAW, HOSTEL, etc many years later. Companies like FULL MOON, NEW HORIZONS, VIDMARK, etc put out great releases like CARNOSAUR, BASKET CASE 2, and DEAD ALIVE (the movie which i use as the measuring stick as to the end of the great era of horror on VHS as I consider it to be the final truly great/important movie of the VHS era) as well as some awesome major studio releases like GRAVEYARD SHIFT, POPCORN, BODY PARTS that still hit theaters but were overlooked at the time. I remember anxiously waiting for these movies to come to my video store.

My #1 most rented tape

    I only recently became aware of the boom of VHS collecting. Many classic movies have even been re-released or bootlegged and some tapes sell for hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on Ebay... I don't really know much about this and have little interest in this aspect of collecting but to younger people and those who just enjoy it for just whatever reason I at the very least think its cool that in the year 2013 VHS is still alive. I have always had an interest in thrift stores, flea markets, garage sales, etc and this is where the majority of my movies have always been obtained. Do I buy movies on DVD? Yes, of course and I enjoy the movies just the same and the picture quality is of course superior. But VHS to me is still desirable for a few reasons: first and foremost, the nostalgia and the fact that I never gave up on VHS and always still watched my old tapes and obtained new ones via my love of and the second big reason is the prices. I am not rich by ANY means and see this as just a hobby so buying tapes for 25 cents to $1 each rules since I am unable to have an expensive hobby. My rule is pay no more than $5 for a tape. I know many people pay $50 a pop for bootlegged re-releases and even more for originals on Ebay and to me that's fine if you got the bread to spend on it but i find the actual hunt and effort that goes into finding gems at flea markets or 2nd hand outlets more satisfying personally. Finding a pile of tapes and digging through them all is one of my favorite things to do.... sometimes I find nothing and sometimes I find gems. The hunt is always fun regardless if I find treasure, trash, or nothing at all... the conquest continues!

   I have seen many gems come and go. When I fall upon hard times I have sold my entire collection multiple times over the years and have rebuilt it multiple times. Some tapes I will never obtain again but the memory of watching said movie to me is more valuable than the physical copy sitting on my shelf because I rented so many movies and was never able to own them back then so that knowledge or memory was all you had of that movie once you returned it to the video store. That still sticks with me today. I made many friends over the years who shared a love for horror and VHS. It was something that an alienated kid found and it allowed me to escape into another world. For all of these reasons I still love horror and VHS.

It's been a long time!

It's been a LONG time since I have posted/updated anything. I plan on doing some stuff w/ this blog again in the near future. Hard Ass Records no longer exists (as if it really ever did) and I won't be posting releases or anything anymore. I plan on doing some opinion type stuff, interviews, and (lots) more horror stuff. The title of the blog will probably change to HARD-ASS REALITY in re near future. I just haven't had the time like I used to.

More stuff coming soon!

SUMMER OF HATE 2012 TICKETS + INFO

SUMMER OF HATE 2012 "WORLDWIDE APOCALYPSE" Sat July 14th @ Peabody's
2045 East 21st St, Cleveland, OH 44115

THERE WILL BE WALK-UP TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR FOR SATURDAY!!!!

FEATURING:
SHATTERED REALM, DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR, RINGWORM. MERAUDER, NASTY (Europe), SUBURBAN SCUM, NUMB (Japan), CLENCHED FIST, WORLD OF PAIN, SAND (Japan), PALEHORSE, LIFELESS, 10 OF SWORDS, LIFE AFTER DEATH, COPYKILL (europe), CDC, COLD EXISTENCE, PSYCHO ENHANCER

Tickets: $26 adv/$30 at the door (there WILL be walk-up tickets at the door for the Saturday show!!!) Doors @ 2pm

OR buy tix for Summer Of Hate AND the July 13th SOH Kickoff show Tix for $35 (save $5!)

- SUMMER OF HATE KICKOFF SHOW -
!!!!! FRIDAY IS SOLD OUT !!!!!

Friday, July 13th @ Pirate's Cove (Small room in Peabody's)

CROWD DETERRENT, TASTE THE STEEL, STRENGTH FOR A REASON, ENEMYMIND, COLD REIGN, and ETERNAL SLEEP

Doors @ 7:30pm
PEABODY'S - 2045 East 21st St, Cleveland, OH 44115
_________________________________________

TICKET OPTIONS

Advance Tickets can  be purchased  online through TICKET WEB  via the link below. Tickets will be available in person up till the day before the show. You can get them starting the last week in April @ the PEABODY'S BOX OFFICE, at DEFIANCE TATTOOS in Kent, and more locations TBA soon. We will also announce via the SOH facebook which shows we will be attending in the region so you will know what upcoming shows tix will be available at.

CLICK HERE FOR SUMMER OF HATE TICKETS VIA TICKET WEB

GENERAL SHOW INFO

- The show is ALL AGES, and there is no charge for under 21 patrons like Peabody's usually has. 21+ patrons can drink w/ ID. There is re-entry for 21+ only

- There will be hot dogs and burgers and possibly other food on the patio for a reasonable price

- The ticket prices include SALES TAX (unless you buy via ticketweb, then the tax will be added) so there will be no surprises at the door.
- This show is extremely rowdy, if you cannot handle a violent environment, this show may not be for you.
- There are many reasonable hotels nearby. If you wnat to stay cheap, call the UNIVSERSITY HOTEL and say "PEABODY'S" to get a $65 room rate. Or put in the Peabody's address at Hotels.com or similar sites and you will find some decent hotels within walking distance.

- Doors @ 2pm, 1st band @ 2:40pm. get there on time/early so you can get inside and avoid the long line!

SEE YOU JULY 14th!Ticket Web

LIFE AFTER DEATH - 2011 DEMO

LIFE AFTER DEATH is a new band from Northwest Indiana. This is rough and rugged straight up hardcore. Angry, brash, and violent, this band impressed highly as the surprise guest at Summer of Hate 2011. Looking forward to seeing great things from this band in the future... if they come to your neck of the woods don't sleep, they won't disappoint live! Download this 4 track Digital MP3 release or free via the link below:

Download LIFE AFTER DEATH 2011 DEMO free by clicking here!

LIFE AFTER DEATH - 2011 DEMO
1. Intro
2. Respect Is Collected
3. Wasted Years
4. Street Mother

THE FINAL BEATDOWN?

    I was told via e-mail from Kevin of Bulldoze that "Summer of hate will be the last show ever for Bulldoze". While this is sad news, we are honored that this legendary band will be doing this at SOH. Over the years we have had many bands that play "beatdown"style hardcore play at SOH... in fact, that is mainly the style of music we have had play the show since it was started half a decade ago so we are thrilled to have the masters of Beatdown play the show! 

Now, the only question that remains is who will survive the set? And what will be left of them???

Buy your tickets at the Pay pal link at the top right of this page, or click here to buy them via TICKET WEB, or get them in person at any Defiance Tattoos location. FEEL THE HATE!!!!

SUMMER OF HATE - MOSH OLYMPICS EVENTS

Below are the OFFICIAL SUMMER OF HATE 2011 MOSH OLYMPICS EVENTS explained in detail. Some events will be judged throughout the entire show... other events will take place over the period of just one song of a selected band's set. All events will be governed by official SOH JUDGES and GOLD, SILVER, and BRONZE medals will be awarded to those who are chosen the winners. Also, the winners will also be given other prizes! What will the prizes be? Cash? Merch? Gift Certificates? You'll have to wait and see! There will be 7 EVENTS total:

EVENT#1: HARDEST MOSH

DURATION: 1 song during BULLDOZE'S set
What better event for one of the hardest  and most respected bands of all time? This one is pretty easy to figure out. The people who display the most barbaric and brutal acts of mosh will win medals. BE WARNED: those who take cheap-shots at people standing on the outside/sides of the mosh-zone will hurt their consideration for medals, so punching the 90lb girl w/ glasses standing near the pit won't get you anywhere. However, contact w/ other moshers is encouraged! Anyone who moshes during the selected song will be considered by the judges. Go hard and go for eternal glory!

EVENT #2: KING OF THE PUSH

DURATION: 1 song during CROWD DETERRENT'S set
The old-fashioned push-mosh will be the only form of mosh considered. Keep those legs on the ground, karate kicks won't win this one! Those who manage to push the most people on the ground will receive higher consideration from the judges.

EVENT #3: FREESTYLE STAGE DIVE

DURATION: 1 song during WISDOM IN CHAIN's set
(This event may or may require pre-registration) Only those who dive w/ reckless abandon/no regard for their personal safety will take home a medal! Arial acrobatics are a must. Use the trampoline for added points!

EVENT #4: FREESTYLE MOSH

DURATION: The entire show
This category will be judged in many different areas: Recklessness, Style, Innovation, Quantity, and Brutality or mosh. Only those who's mosh leaves a lasting impression will be considered for medals.

EVENT #5: THIRTY AND UP (THE MASTER'S DIVISION)

DURATION:  during COLD AS LIFE'S set

(proof of age will be required) Old Men aged 30 + will show their skills on the dancefloor and show all the youngsters a thing or 2!!!! Of course, everyone regardless of age can still mosh/participate, just those over the age of 30 can win a medal.  It is time for you youngsters to prove yourselves as well and hang with the big dogs!!u young

EVENT #6:  THE IRONMAN

DURATION: BITTER END'S entire set
(this event may require pre-registration) This one is for those with excellent cardio! The rules are as follows: participants begin moshing as soon as Bitter End strikes the 1st note of their 1st song and do not stop (not even in between songs!). Those who stop moshing at any time are eliminated. You must keep moving and engaging in acts of mosh (determinations will be made by the judges). Of course, those who do not wish to participate in the event are more than welcome to mosh, dive, and sing. You may hassle the participants in any way you wish! Just as long as they don't stop moshing, anything goes!!!

EVENT #7: KING OF THE HILL

DURATION: 1 song during TASTE THE STEEL'S Set
A square (made of duct tape, probably 8ft x 8ft) will be placed in the center of the dancefloor. Spend the most time occupying said space and you win! Judges will watch closely, and decide who they feel occupied the designated space for the longest amount of time. Any acts of mosh may be used to occupy the space or displace someone else. Please, do not participate in this event if you cannot handle being SEVERELY moshed repeatedly and not take it personally.

As for the medals, here is what they will look like:

A panel of judges will be selected and will govern the events. ALL of their decisions will be final. There will be an odd number of Judges to avoid ties and disagreements and they will do their very best to be unbiased in their choosing of Champions. A Ceremony will be held at the end of the show and medals will be given to the winners. The bands will pick which song they want to have the event during and said event will be announced prior to said song/period of duration by SOH Masters Of Ceremonies. 

WHO WILL ELEVATE THEMSELVES TO ETERNAL MOSH GLORY??? FIND OUT JULY 9th!!!!!

SUMMER OF HATE 2011 TICKETS & FINAL LINEUP!

    As of June 27th we are done selling tickets via the Pay Pal method, you may still buy tix via the TICKET WEB option (described below) or at the Door/Day of Show. If you bought tix via the Pay Pal/Snail mail method, alll tickets will be mailed out by Tuesday June 28th.

SUMMER OF HATE 2011

"THE MOSH OLYMPICS"

Saturday, July 9th @ Peabody's

2083 East 21st St, Cleveland OH

BULLDOZE, COLD AS LIFE, WISDOM IN CHAINS, STOUT, BITTER END, SUBURBAN SCUM, CROWD DETERRENT, COLIN OF ARABIA, HARM'S WAY, DEEP ROOTED HATE, PALEHORSE, TASTE THE STEEL, LIFELESS, 10 OF SWORDS, HOMEWRECKER, COLD EXISTENCE, LINE OF SCRIMMAGE, DOMESTIC WAR

TICKETS $22.00 in Advance, $26.00 Day Of Show, Doors & Opening Ceremony @ 3pm Sharp. All Ages.

THERE ARE MULTIPLE OPTIONS FOR TICKETS: 

 - There are online tickets you may buy from TICKET WEB at the link below (they charge a service fee and Sales Tax is included)

- Tickets will be available at the door for $26 (this price includes State Sales Tax of 8% and there is no service fee... venues in OH have been hassled by the State lately for Sales Tax money because they are scraping for $$$)

- You may also buy tickets @ PEABODY'S Box Office or from any DEFIANCE TATTOOS LOCATION with no extra service charges

CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE TICKETS VIA TICKET WEB

__________________________________________________________________
Here's some more general info that may answer any questions you may have:

- There will be 2 stages and no 2 bands will play at the same time 100%

- We do not have control over the ticket provider or the fact that Sales tax must be included in the ticket price. This is one of the only things we could not control in regards to the show since the venue has a contract that all shows go through the same ticket provider. Any service charges and fees the ticket provider charges for pre-sale tickets are out of our hands. The door/day of show price will not have a service charge, nor will tickets bought @ Peabody's Box office.

- There will be re-entry for 21+ only

- 21+ Drink w/ ID

- There will be food (burgers, dogs, etc) on the patio for a reasonable price

- There will NOT be an extra charge at the door for under-21 (Peabody's usually does this, but for this show there will not be any such extra charge for those under 21 years of age)

- The price of the show has increased this year but the promoters will STILL not make a dime off the show regardless of the turnout. ALL monies will be paid to the bands and venue and cover costs. If there is money in excess of the budget, bands will be paid more than what they were promised. Out ultimate goal is to pay the bands above and beyond what was promised... don't you want the bands you came to see get well taken care of? We do! Also, many of the bands this year are coming from places like Texas, Chicago, Boston, and other areas of the East Coast and gas is a major factor for the bands that have to travel to play for you.

We hope that everyone will have a great time this year! We tried our best to bring a good mix of the hardest legends and newer bands. Since we don't make one thin dime off doing the show, the only reason we do it every year is to provide the bands and people who attend with the most enjoyable show possible. Lots of people helped us to book the show this year... thanks to everyone who helped us get this far. FEEL THE HATE!!!!!!!

4/20/11 TEN TO MIDNIGHT

    Be here April 20th @ Ten To Midnight (11:50pm) for a final lineup announcement for SUMMER OF HATE 2011. At that time pre-sale tickets will be available for purchase as well.. This 4/20 even people who are straight edge will have reason to celebrate! See you then!

ULTIMO BEATDOWN "WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST" EP

4 Tracks of angry hardcore featuring themes of mental illness, alien Gods, and Toho monster movies. In the vein of early Blood For Blood, Cold As Life, Sheer Terror and misc hardcore. Much better quality than the War of The Gargantuas EP from years ago. Members of Crowd Deterrent.

Click here to Download ULTIMO BEATDOWN "WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST" free!

TRACK LISTING:

1. Hands Of The Creator
2. Personality Disorder
3. Mothra's Plea
4. Feelings

Enjoy!

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"