Latest Posts

Spaced – No Escape

November 13, 2025

If ToeJam and Earl started a hardcore band, it would be Spaced.   Fueled by trippy instrumentals, old-school gang choruses, and effortlessly-cool swagger, the Buffalo “far out hardcore” crew rip banger after banger after banger on their radical new EP, No Escape.   Formed in 2021 with the shared ethos of channeling pain and anger into something fun and positive, vocalist Lexi Reyngoudt, guitarists Joe Morganti and Donny Arthur, bassist John Vaughan, and drummer Dan McCormick have put in work this year. They’ve recently wrapped up impressive domestic tours opening for super-heavyweight acts including Terror, Bane and Hot Water Music and now they’ve got the scene buzzing with their latest 5-track collection of bruising, psychedelic hardcore.   Opening No Escape is the title track; a gnarly rager that perfectly encapsulates the band’s infectious and in-your-face spirit. Give it a spin for a stoner jam intro filled with crash-and-burn dive bombs[...]

Old Ghosts – Still Sinking

October 30, 2025

Veteran Buffalo hardcore haunts Old Ghosts are back from the dead with Still Sinking, their latest EP that’s loaded with heart and louder than hell.   Old Ghosts have been kicking around the scene for over a decade, dating back to the release of their 2011 debut, Caskets. Over the years, the band has seen members come and go, but has since settled into a lineup featuring vocalist Derek Dole, guitarists Tom Mayer and Nick Racino, bassist Brian Kaczamarczyk and drummer Josh Heatley. Most of the members share a history having collaborated on projects including Dead Hearts, Rust Belt Lights, and Wreckage. On Still Sinking, the five-piece compile a mix of previously-released singles and new material into a melodic 13-minute hardcore punk rollercoaster.   “False North” opens the pit, and the EP, with a pile-on of cymbal crashes, guitar spikes and drum rolls. From there, Old Ghosts remind you what[...]

Many Eyes – Combust

October 16, 2025

Buffalo hard rockers Many Eyes return with Combust, their new explosive, yet all-too-familiar sounding EP that will leave you seeing and hearing double.   Behind the band is the legendary Buffalo vocalist, Keith Buckley, who formed Many Eyes after the very ugly and very public breakup of veteran hardcore favorites Every Time I Die back in 2022. As ETID went their separate ways, Buckley stepped out of the shadows and surrounded himself with the talents of guitarist Alan Hague, bassist Sean Vallie and drummer Nick Bellmore. The four-piece debuted with a series of singles leading up to their 2024 freshman full-length, The Light Age. On Combust, Buckley and crew lay down four new tracks that build upon their wayward metallic hard rock repertoire. With a volatile fury of hardcore and metal influences, strap yourself in for grungy rhythmic changes intertwined with down-tuned riffs, chunky basslines, wrecking ball drums, and earsplitting[...]

Besta Quadrada – S/T

September 25, 2025

Buffalo’s Besta Quadrada are back to break some balls with their brand new bratty and in-your-face self-titled debut LP.   Founded just two years ago by bassist Carol Mags (Outrage Factor) and guitarist John Toohill  (Science Man, Alpha Hopper), the two set out to form a band with an abrasive sound akin to Black Flag and the Jesus Lizard. After recruiting drummer Steve Kerfian (Science Man), the final and pivotal piece of the puzzle fell into place with the addition of vocalist Bailey Arena, who surprisingly had no prior experience as a singer nor performer. With their line-up set, the band fast-tracked their first EP, 2023’s The First Four Weeks and Besta Quadrada was born.   On their full-length follow-up, the band serves up ten new unapologetic garage and egg punk tracks that reek of apathy and attitude. The songs are short, but fierce with Arena’s distinct and snobby vocals[...]

Sweet Talker – Summer 2025

August 1, 2025

Grab some sunscreen and soak up Sweet Talker’s scorching new two songer, Summer 2025. The Buffalo hard rock and rollers consists of members of local Buffalo punk and hardcore acts Buried Alive, Exhibition, and Big. Following up last year’s Not Your Daddy’s Rock and Roll, this brief, one-two punch continues to see the band mix hardcore punk with old school heavy metal.   The opening song, “Someone Like You,” hits like a nut shot with a frenzy of galloping drums, buzzy basslines and barking vocals. The track permeates big circle pit energy and will rough you up before downshifting into a shreddy, halftime bridge. Spin this at your Gallagher Beach party bash and watch things get a little crazy.   Rounding out the release is “Tough Tunes,” a time capsule of the days of VHS, corded telephones and Judas Priest. Sweet Talker energizes this melodic, throwback track with NWOBHM power[...]

Science Man – Monarch Joy

June 12, 2025

Stage dive for cover because Buffalo’s diabolical Science Man returns with his latest hardcore punk abomination, Monarch Joy.   After a 5-year banishment touring the Rust Belt countryside, local scenester heavyweight John Toohill’s project has evolved from the lone multi-hyphenate and a drum machine to a full-blown and fully-realized ensemble. Recorded and mixed by Toohill and John Angelo, and mastered by the latter, the LP marks Science Man’s latest experiment as his most cohesive and focused work to date.   Monarch Joy is sutured together with chunks of hardcore punk, garage and noise rock and injected with expressionistic themes of moral decay, sacrifice and religion’s influence on society. Toohill breathes life into his bastard creation with barking vocals that rage with the ferocity of a feral, caged animal.   The record opens with the unsettling instrumental track, “S.C.I.M.N.” Featuring a grotesque cacophony of screeching horns, droning guitars and tumbling drums,[...]

Torture Agenda – Another Fine Day

March 24, 2025

Irreverent Buffalo grindcore favorites, Torture Agenda, have unleashed their bruising debut full-length, Another Fine Day. For the uninitiated, band members Bryan, Adria and V tangle sludge, grind, and hardcore influences together into a blood knot of raw, sonic physicality. Their brutal sound, dubbed “Rust Belt Wrath,” is confrontational and chaotic and not for the weak of heart nor hearing. Listen for Bryan’s overdrive guitar riffs quaking under Adria’s frenzied blast beats while V screams socio-conscious verses with the intensity of a rabid pitbull.   Standing at 13-tracks, 38-minutes, Another Fine Day includes abrasive new material as well as fresh recordings of oldies such as “Occupational Hazard” and “Skull Magnet.” The record opens with “Ravenous,” a foreboding ambient noise track from featured Arizona artist ScreamingLake that sets an ominous tone before kicking into high gear with the raging “Marlboro Man Smokes Turkish Royals.”   Throughout the album, Torture Agenda skillfully balances[...]

Overgrowth – Rat Shovel

March 10, 2025

Buffalo metal punks, Overgrowth, drop the sledgehammer with their pulverizing debut EP, Rat Shovel.   Comprised of vocalist Anthony Muroff, guitarists Timothy Domes and Paul Mietlicki, bassist Jake Whitefield and drummer Roy Draves, this quintet makes a great first impression with this suffocatingly-heavy five-track tour de force.   Overgrowth fuses hardcore, sludge metal, and grindcore for a punishing listen that showcases lightning-fast tempos devolving into brooding, slow-motion breakdowns. Both Domes and Mietlicki lay down cinderblock riffs over Draves riotous drums and Whitehead’s thunderous basslines. Gluing these nefarious elements together is Muroff’s commanding and impressive mixture of guttural bellows and high-pitched shrieks.   Lighting the EP’s fuse with a burst of mayhem is the opening track, “End of Time.” The song is a great scene-setter and fully encapsulates Overgrowth’s sound as it slams between grindcore noise and melodic hardcore punk before culminating in a heavy breakdown that oozes out of your[...]

Rotten UK – Age of Chaos

February 27, 2025

Grab your leather jackets and bullet belts because Rochester metal punk veterans Rotten UK are back with a vengeance on their sophomore full-length album, Age of Chaos.   Bandmates James von Sinn, Matt Sexxx, Anarchy Jake, and Fran Damage violate your speakers with their distinct style of 80’s UK crust punk forged with gothic undertones, thrashy power chords, and dominating drums. von Sinn’s vocals are straight from the depths of a London dungeon as he shouts and howls songs of revolution, horror and the occult. Their snobbish, drawling delivery adds a thick layer of anarchistic attitude that rounds out Rotten UK’s throwback speed metal sound.   Age of Chaos doesn’t waste any time melting your face off with the opening track, “Annihilation Desecration.” It’s a hyper shot of pure adrenaline that will get your heart pounding. Like a runaway rollercoaster, Damage’s frenetic kick-snare drums propel the track at warp speed[...]

Jerry Big’s World Famous Band – “Birds Got Beaks”

February 21, 2025

Strap in, or at least grab a hold of something for “Birds Got Beaks,” the breakneck new single from Rochester newcomers Jerry Big’s World Famous Band. Hot off a sold-out release show, this record is a white-knuckle thrill ride that doesn’t let up from the moment it crashes in. Expect punk-fucking-rock in the vein of Minor Threat with boisterous vocals, bullying guitar riffs, and pounding kick/snare drums. These combustible sounds crowd-surf over each other before building to a detonation of melody and chaos.   With only a minute run time, “Birds Got Beaks” is a pure, raw power rush that will make you want to beat your head against a wall. Keep your eyes and ears on JBWFB and give this whiplash track a listen.   Jerry Big’s World Famous Band’s “Bird Got Beaks” is available now on bandcamp, Spotify and all major streaming platforms.   Birds Got Beaks by[...]

Razorface – Razorface

February 17, 2025

There’s a new face in the Buffalo hardcore punk scene and it’s one only a mother could love. Meet Razorface, an enigmatic six-piece who have unleashed an unrelenting audio assault with their debut self-titled LP.   Born out of the demented psyche of Lucas Kaleta (K-Hole, Muddle, Lowest Form), Razorface has been stalking stages and terrorizing venues for the better part of a year with their killer brand of in-your-face, take-no-prisoners punk.   The band captures their special kind of mayhem on this ferocious eight-track rush that will make your head bang and your ears bleed. With help from Biff of Pallet Town who recorded, mixed and mastered the project, each crusty and spastic song feels like an all-out brawl. An example of the band’s sonic physicality is the single, “Self-Inflicted.” The song puts its boot firmly on your neck with wild outbursts of frenzied riffs and trashy drums that[...]

Harmonica Lewinski – “Rat Race”

January 10, 2025

Grab your boogie board and catch a psych-rock wave with Harmonica Lewinski’s beachin’ new single, “Rat Race.” If your new year’s resolution is to listen to more groovy music, this is the perfect place to start as these veteran Rochester scenesters and buffaBLOG mainstays kick off 2025 with a helluva luau. This instrumental track is a punchbowl of surfy guitar riffs and jungle drumbeats spiked with the band’s signature weirdness. Drink it in below and let this fun-loving five-piece bewitch you with the sounds of a party on the wrong side of the beach; the side where you might find skeletons clinking piña coladas or Uncle Fester sunbathing.   Harmonica Lewinski’s “Rat Race” is streaming now on Bandcamp, Apple Music and Spotify.   Rat Race by Harmonica Lewinski

Ashford – Pictures of Places I’ve Been

December 16, 2024

Buffalo pop punk/emo rockers, Ashford, close out the year on a high note with their dynamo debut LP, Pictures of Places I’ve Been.   The record is a nine-track patchwork of new material and singles released earlier this year including the tracks “Temperance,” “Gorilla Glue” and “The Painter & the Patient.” Expect a variety of clean yet rough-around-the-edges vocals; powerful, overdrive guitars; and hefty, punctuative drums for a listen that will make your hair stand up.   Variety is what Ashford does best on this album. Like a pop punk buffet, the band cooks up a deeply satisfying mix of tones, textures and tempos that keeps Pictures of Places I’ve Been fresh and engaging. You’ve got your choice of softer, more poignant songs like “Bliss,” or heavier, crunchier songs like “Crown.” No two songs sound the same with each having their own distinct flavors to chew on for hours.  [...]

Gatto Black – (Not) Ready to Die

December 13, 2024

The cat’s out of the bag with (Not) Ready to Die, the bombastic new sophomore EP from feline-friendly Buffalo post-hardcore project, Gatto Black.   Featuring singer-songwriter, Sal Mastrocola (EXNATIONS, No Net), this 7-song collection is a powder keg of emotions triggered by screamo vocals, chaotic drum beats, and third-rail riffs that will shock your system.   “But the thing about cats… they’re never afraid of their shadows,” and neither is Mastrocola, as he wails introspectively on the opening track, “Bitch I’m a Cat.” The singer-songwriter wears his heart on his sleeve and spills his guts via snotty emo-punk vocals that shake with anger and sadness. Each song is impressively unique, robust and layered, and runs a gamut of feelings that wallow in angst and insecurities.   You can feel these difficult, dizzying emotions on tracks like “No One Can Ruin Me.” This absolute tornado of a tune lashes out with[...]

JEWELTONE – Visions of Heaven

December 9, 2024

Buffalo hardcore trio, JEWELTONE, bring the pain with their new EP, Visions of Heaven. Following up their demo release last year, this bruising EP features four new tracks of stripped-down, no-frills hardcore punk that will have you two-stepping and stagediving.   With an endearing band statement of unity and inclusivity, JEWELTONE have spent the last year building a name for themselves in the city’s hardcore scene. At their shows you’ll find a melting pot of all ages and backgrounds pinballing off heavy riffs, punishing drums, and howling vocals.   Consisting of Christian Adams on bass/guitar, Jordan Walker on drums and Neftali on vocals, each member brings their own unique perspective and influences to the project. These influences, acting as their north star, are wide-ranging and far-reaching, especially Nef’s whose roots are firmly planted in Buffalo’s hip-hop community.   Their spotlighted single “IDFWY,” puts all these influences in a blender for[...]