Originally known as North Korea (you daredevils you!), this band recently changed their name to NK. Which is equally lame.

While Rise Records is definitely improving their roster after having signed a bunch of good bands over the last year or so, they still have the occasional stinker. Palisades is one of those bands.

Hardcore these days sure ain’t what it used to be with a ton of bands playing something that apparently passes as hardcore these days.

Exhumed is back with their second full-length since their resurrection in 2010. “Necrocracy” features nine more tunes of the old school death metal variety the band is known for.

While Epitaph strays ever further from their origins with a roster that features several bands so bad they should be on Victory, Fat Wreck has always stayed the course and kept on releasing albums

After Chimaira’s last album “The Age Of Hell”, there were a couple of personnel changes. Well, actually only frontman Mark Hunter remained.

I’ve always regarded Black Tusk as the ugly cousins of Baroness and Kylesa and on “Tend No Wounds”, the band’s new 6-song EP, they live up to that reputation.

Opener “Creeper” takes about 40 seconds to get you hooked.

Named after one of the leads in the Fast & Furious franchise, Drug Church’s album is indeed… wait for it… fast & furious. Well, furious at least. Fast not so much to be honest.

“Eyes All Around”, Midday Veil’s first full-length, got good reviews on a number of blogs. But it’s the band’s improvised cassette releases that got them more attention.