Reddit reviews American Hardcore (Second Edition): A Tribal History

American Hardcore is my personal favorite.

Really guys?

|Please upvote if it adds to intelligent discussion, downvote if it doesn't.

Even if I hold more respect for the genre than you do, you're adding to the discussion so I upvoted you.

As they explain in the doc, the music/movement was more about raw energy than technical skill. It was a counter-movement to the new wave/disco/pop that was flooding the clubs and venues. The focus is the passion/emotional content of the music, not the composition (although the tempos and note choices hold emotional content on their own, the live energy was more important.)

That isn't to say there aren't hardcore bands that require finesse. Sure some bands just picked up their instruments and wrote the songs within months, but bands like Bad Brains are masters of their craft as well as passion driven hardcore punk. Other bands from the hardcore scene like DRI, Minor Threat, TSOL, and others evolved their sound over time to become more complex. DRI went the crossover thrash route, Minor Threat front-man started Fugazi, and TSOL took a good dose of metal in the later releases. I'd at least recommend giving Fugazi a listen to hear what emotive hardcore punk sounds like with a more pre-indie/alt-rock/progressive twist.

If you're a music enthusiast, I'd recommend the book American Hardcore over the doc, as it is much more in depth, covers more subscenes across the US, and does a better job explaining the movement than the film. It will give you a much greater understanding of the evolution of punk rock in America, and why it was such a big part of many American youths lives. Not only was this scene important to the bands and fans involved, but it also changed the way a lot of bands that came after looked at, and played music. A great example (and maybe even the apex) of how hardcore has progressed comes from 90s Swedish punk rockers Refused. Check them out for an example of hardcore that takes a lot of skill to play, even if the vocalist is yelling into the mic for the most part.

Oh and I don't listen to much 80s hardcore on album anymore unless I'm feeling nostalgic for my middleschool/highschool years (when I discovered those bands), but when I did listen to them a lot, I fully digested the music, lyrics, and message like I would with a more textured, complex band. Most of it was a channel to express frustration, but sometimes I just wanted the high energy and high tempo of hardcore to get me pumped about whatever I was doing. Different strokes for different folks.

Our Band Could Be Your Life

American Hardcore

Choosing Death

Punk is whatever you want it to be, and the guy standing next to you will have a different opinion.


Watch the documentary film "American Hardcore." It is based on a rather half-assed book written by a guy named Steven Blush. His attempt was to underscore the tribal nature of 1980s hardcore punk in the US. The book has been criticized for being mostly a work of opinion, especially by actual scene makers with differing opinions, but his research (done in a pre-Internet era) is mostly solid and seems like it would dovetail nicely with what you're trying to do. If not, it could also be one more source for your works cited page.

Good luck.

Aight, thanks, αναρωτιόμουν εάν είναι στο πνεύμα και στυλ του American Hardcore.