Earlier this month SIEGE vocalist Kevin Mahoney died at the age of 46. And although his tenure in this legendary US fast hardcore band was short, their Drop Dead demo pretty much started grindcore and powerviolience. Hellbound’s Jay H. Gorania has collected the thoughts of some of the leaders in grindcore and sludge, including members of NAPALM DEATH, EYEHATEGOD, EXIT-13, KILL THE CLIENT, SOILENT GREEN and more to get their reactions on the sudden passing of Kevin and the impact that his created art has had on their scene.

The Oracle is a solid, if occasionally jarring album and a terrific next step for All Else Fails.

Make no mistake, this is not a metal album, this is early, dirty underground hardcore for folks who loved it and miss it, and a lesson for those who have no idea what hardcore is but are open minded enough to check it out. Start here then, go find the bands that influenced Arson Anthem you won’t be disappointed.

This upcoming weekend marks the return of the biggest underground metal festival in North America, the Maryland Deathfest. Quite a few Hellbound contributors are making the pilgrimage down to Baltimore for the four day festival, which starts this Thursday and carries on through Sunday, so we have picked some of our most anticipated bands to see each day and will be running daily previews this week.

Here are some bands that Sean and Adam are excited to see on Friday night.

“As Darkest Hour vocalist John Henry pointed out: “Some of you have been supporting us all along, and some of you here tonight weren’t even born when we started out! That’s crazy!” While they definitely seemed more interested in hosting a celebration (with as many circle pits as possible) than performing a perfectly programmed and orchestrated set, their performance was definitely entertaining and their musicianship tight.”

Natalie Zed reviews the November 17th appearance by Darkest Hour, Veil of Maya, Periphery and Revocation at Toronto’s Mod Club.

Most of our lyrics are a reflection of the times and the country we’re living in. I think that the main lyrical concept of the record is the loss of faith in pretty much everything. Politics, religion, media. Playing is a very cathartic experience, so it’s something we’re doing mostly for ourselves. The band is pretty much an outlet for our negative sides.”

Keith Carman interviews Michael Bertoldini of THE SECRET about their new album Solve Et Coagula, the band’s debut album for Southern Lord.

Mercy is a brave step forward for Sweet Cobra; it’s the sound of a band evolving from the damn-and-blast hardcore of its origins, and progressing into something more powerful in the dynamism that this newfound maturity brings with it. An incredible album.

There’s nothing easy about the album; no chant-along moments that incite crowds and establish instant followers. Everything with this affair is begrudging and hard-won on both sides of the band/listener relationship. Yet those who stick around long enough will realize that sometimes it’s those things we fight hardest for which wind up being the most enduring. To that extent, You Are Beneath Me is case in point.