2025

It’s the end of the year as we know it and I feel fine. Personally it’s been a pretty good year, musically it was an alright year I guess. I just listened to the year’s end episode of Axe To Grind and their top picks of the year, but I had a really hard time coming up with an actual top 10. The records (and demos) shown in the picture below pretty represent all the 2025 releases I picked up this year, minus a handful. A lot of releases discussed on A2G didn’t really click with me or I didn’t bother to check out because I wasn’t really into the previous releases by the bands mentioned, so overall 2025 has been a real down year for me as far as new hardcore music is concerned. 

There are some more releases from this year that I’m really interested in, but buying current records has become a real hassle. Many mailorders have switched to pre-orders for current releases and those are often ‘sold out’ super fast and if you’re lucky to get a copy, a lot of time passes before you actually get them. So there’s a bunch of 2025 releases I haven’t listened to and don’t own a copy of, so they don’t count for this list. 

I realise this sounds pretty negative, but a) not every year can be a great year, and b) the releases from this year I did buy I really enjoyed, and c) it gave me the chance to dig into some old bands. So, I’ll just chalk this up as ‘quality over quantity’. My favorite album this year is Never Enough by Turnstile. I listened to this record a ton in my office and my Spotify 2025 Wrapped List also tells me that I listened to this album a lot while not at home. 

Prison Of Hope - Question Your Privileges
Spiritual Cramp - Rude
Meantime - Living In The Meantime
Speedway - A Life’s Refrain
Turnstile - Never Enough
Between Owls - Vacation
Lead Spirit - s.t.
Drink Deep - Burning House
Start Today - s.t. 
Glow - Demo
True Fraud - Demo
Combat X Rock - Demo

I didn’t pick up any real heavy hitters this year, but I’m really happy with the collectibles I got. The reasons why I picked those records range from finishing collections to starting new ones, from rather cheap records to rather expensive ones, from buys to trades and even gifts. Sometimes it’s not about the record itself, but what it represents. That’s the fun of buying and collecting records. It’s very personal and a great haptic chronicle of your life. Special thanks to Marcus for hooking me up with an insert for the YOT 7”. 

Bad Brains - I Against I on Clear
Bad Brains - Rock For Light on Clear Gold
Bane - Boston, 6.58pm - Tour Press
Big Kids - Hoop Dreams on Pink and Red Marble
Bane - Don’t Wait Up - Purple Confetti w/ Lights
The Beatles - Blue Album on Clear Blue 
The Beatles - Beatles For Sale on Red - Japanese Pressing
Have Heart - What Counts - Bonds of Bro-Ship Sleeve
Youth Of Today - Can’t Close My Eyes - 4th Pressing on Positive Force
Bane - Dublin, 11.58pm - Test Press
FC Five - Memories (CD)

The records shown below are the records I played the most in 2025, besides the ones shown in the two previous pictures. There are some records I missed in 2024 for the reasons mentioned above, there are some records I did discover in 2024 and I just continued listening to them this year because they rule. There are some older bands in the mix I just discovered for myself, there are some old bands I already enjoyed in the past and simply got more of their records, and there are bands I used to listen to a lot, yet somehow they’d fallen out of the rotation, but in 2025 I suddenly couldn’t get enough of them again. 

Chopping Block - Seattle’s Hardcore
Broken Head - The Morning Ends
Prim - Move Too Slow
Reach The Sky - So Far From Home
Fugazi - Repeater
Less Than Jake - Borders and Boundaries
Diana Ross & The Supremes - Best of
Iron Chic - Not Like This
Walter Schreifels - An Open Letter To The Scene
Wugazi - 13 Chambers

To end this post, here are some fun facts from my Spotify Wrapped. Taylor Swift made two lists of mine: most listened to artists and top 5 songs. Kids by MGMT is number 5 on my top 5 songs. Who The Hell Is Wild Side? by Wild Side is number 2 on my list of most listened to albums, and I completely forgot how much I enjoyed this album at one point this year. And last but not least, my musical age, according to Spotify, is 76. 

Thanks everyone for checking out my blog. 2025 is done, here’s to 2026.

XXX

Ralf

Limitierte Sonderauflage

When I was about to pay for the records I wrote about in my two previous posts, I caught a glimpse of a Beatles record I still have on my want list behind the guy at the check out counter. It was the Beatles’ Blue Album, which is their greatest hits from 1967-1970. That compilation, together with the red one, which sums up their early years, was my introduction to the Beatles when I was a kid. My parents only had the 2xCD, but once I listened to them, they more or less moved to my room. I was really happy when I picked up the Red Album earlier this year, so getting the blue one in the same record store was pretty cool. 

What I hadn’t seen was the sticker on the cover which says “NEU - Limitierte Sonderauflage: blaue LP’s [sic]”, which translates to “NEW - Limited Edition Blue LPs”. I would have been perfectly happy with regular black copies, matching the Red Album I picked up earlier this year. But I’m definitely not saying no to colored vinyl perfectly matching the artwork. The only issue that needs solving now is that the Red Album I own is not on colored vinyl, which means I really want to pick up a red vinyl copy as soon as possible to have the two albums match. 

1978 Pressing on Blue on Apple /???

Armagideon Times

The Clash might be the purest punk band there ever was, just because they did whatever they wanted to musically and didn’t really care about sticking to a certain template. So if you subscribe to the idea that punk means absolute freedom, then The Clash might be the ultimate punk band. If you associate a certain sound with punk, then The Clash might not be for you. In my book London Calling is easily one of the greatest punk records of all time. 

The follow up LP, Sandinista, released in 1980, is a really hard listen though. Not that the songs aren’t good (ok, some of them really aren’t), there’s just too much music here. Dear bands, if you think about releasing a double LP, you might want to keep thinking. If you consider releasing a triple LP, please don’t. Just don’t. I’m sure there are people who appreciate so much material for one release, but others, like myself, are just overwhelmed. It doesn’t really flow as a release and at one point sooner than later, I just lose interest. The Armagideon Times No. 3 is not an actual zine, the first two ‘issues’ of which were published by a friend of the band and features contributions by band members, but it’s a pretty cool lyric sheet. 

De La Soul… Is Dead

For years I went to the local record store on a semi-regular basis and whenever I went there, I never really expected to find anything. I don’t know what happened, but for the last two years I pretty much always picked up some record or two and nowadays I always wonder what record I might find when I go there. It’s been a fun time. 

De La Soul put out a stone cold classic with 3 Feet High And Rising. They followed it up with De La Soul…Is Dead, which is also a good record but doesn’t reach the musical heights of their debut LP. Not to mention the cover art, which is just plain awful. 

Question Your Privileges

Prison Of Hope follow up their excellent 7” from last year with an equally good 12”. The band really itches my 90s hardcore itch without getting too hard and crossing over into tough guy territory. The six songs on Question Your Privileges are perfect for that. The Chokehold rip-off cover is a nice touch for the collectors and of course self-referential, seeing that the band took its name from a Chokehold album. I really hope they stick to their rhythm and release something new in 2026 again. 

1st Press on Orange/White Swirl on Drastic Actions /100 (Label Info) or /95 (Discogs)
1st Press on Blue w/ Chokehold Rip-Off Sleeve on Drastic Actions /45

Drink Deep

Drink Deep from Berlin are back with a new 7” after a demo and a 7” on Refuse Records, released in 2022 and 2023 respectively. I’ve been a big fan of their DC influenced sound since I first heard them and the don’t disappoint on this release either. The only disappointment is that there aren’t more songs on Burning House, but the four songs are so good.

1st Press on Black on Control /170

Rock For Gold

After completing the I Against I challenge I’d set for myself sometime earlier this year, I was looking for a new fun Bad Brains related collection. Rock For Light is the classic first full length by Bad Brains. Compared to I Against I, it probably has the better individual songs, but viewed as an album, it doesn’t flow as well in my opinion. Gun to my head, I’d pick I Against I 9/10 as the record I want to listen to. That’s not a knock at all to Rock For Light, it just speaks to the incredible level the Bad Brains reached as a hardcore band. 

This album was rereleased by Caroline Records in the early 90s. The color they chose was sort of obvious, but sometimes the easy solution is the best one. The thing that annoys me about the copy I picked up is that it doesn’t have neither of the stickers shown in the pictures of this variant on Discogs because it came without the shrink wrap and the stickers weren’t cut out and kept with the record. One is in Rastafari colors and says this record was remixed and remastered by Rick Ocasek and comes with three bonus songs compared to the original one. The other one is a hype sticker saying ‘Limited Edition Colored Vinyl’. I might need to upgrade this version at one point if I ever find a copy with one or even both stickers. 

1991 Repress on Caroline on Gold / Clear Yellow /???

CBGB Circa ‘77

Most hardcore kids I know dream of travelling back in time to attend of the famed Sunday matinees at CBGBs. And I am one of them. However, it would be equally as cool to travel back even further in time to see bands like Blondie or the Ramones play there in the mid to late 70s. Since neither scenario is going to happen, live recordings from those shows will have to do. Seeing The Ramones live at CBGBs in 1977 sure would have been cool, right?

I don’t really pay attention to Record Store Day anymore, just like Marcus, but when I see a record I like after the event, I’ll gladly pick it up. Is this a vital addition to the collection? Probably not. Is it a fun addition that makes you wonder what it would have been like to be at that particular show? Absolutely. 

RSD 2025 Press on Clear Red on Sire /???

Seattle‘s Hardcore

Another new band I’d been oblivious to but that itches my youth crew with a modern twist itch really well is Chopping Block from, well, Seattle. The songs on Seattle’s Hardcore, which was released in 2024, are a nice reminder of the music from 20 years ago. The promo text on the Rev website compares Chopping Block to Desperate Measures, Lights Out and The First Step. Not bad references at all in my book. I would definitely be onboard with a 2000s revival, even though it feels to talk about a revival of a time you lived through. Good thing for me, Chopping Block are about to release a new record in 2026. 

1st Press on Black on Brain Floss /250

Start Today

I’m sticking with the theme of classic hardcore that would be a ton of fun to see live. I mean, come on, the name of the band, the cover photo? You know what to expect and Start Today absolutely deliver. Four songs that are over in less than 6 minutes and leave you wanting more. The year is ending strong. 

1st Press on Red on Rebirth /400

Meantime

Just based on the number of posts this record was featured in recently, this might be a contender for Record Of The Year. Both Marcus and Mike posted about Living In The Meantime by Meantime and talked about it positively. References to Have Heart? Go It Alone? Champion? The mid 2000s? Count me in! I really like the vinyl color in combination with the cover as well. 

1st Press on Baby Blue on Indecision /350

Rude

The new Spiritual Cramp record was on my list of highly anticipated records for 2025. It took me a while, but now I’m fully onboard with Rude. The s.t. LP has more hits, but Rude is also an excellent record and flows really well as a whole. Listing all the different musical influences would take way too long, but the mix is really refreshing and works for me. Extra bonus special points for the Madness-esque intro to …Go Back Home. Very cool touch. Definitely one of my favorites this year. 

1st Press on Blue Marble on Blue Grape /???

Broken Head?

Brokenhead is one of my favorite new(er) bands I discovered this year and Sunday Drive Records keep putting out records I really, really enjoy. A Wishful Thing was originally released in 2022 (digitally) and vinyl came out the next year, so in my book it‘s a 2023 release. The songs are a very cool mix of shoegaze and 90s alternative music. Perfect for quiet evenings in the fall and winter. Sadly, there are only four songs on the 12“, which always seems like such a waste. You can‘t really go wrong with coke bottle clear records either. 

1st Press on Glacier Blue on Sunday Drive /200

 

Like I said, A Wishful Thing left me wanting more songs by Broken Head, so the strategy of only putting four songs on a 12“ worked. As much as I like the 12“ above, The Morning Ends, a proper full length, is a a step above. More songs, and better songs too in my opinion. I also really like the artwork and the vinyl color. 

1st Press on Blue/Black Galaxy on Sunday Drive /200

The one thing that irks me a little is the fact that the band name is spelled differently on the records and the label’s bandcamp/homepage. So much effort is put into the music, artwork, vinyl etc. but you can’t decide on whether the band name is one word or two? 

State Of The Union

All the way back in 2016, I posted about 3's Dark Days Coming LP and how much I loved the song Swann Street. Fellow collector massivewaste was kind enough to point out that an alternate version exists, which was released on the State Of The Union compilation. Well, I managed to finally pick up a copy of said comp before a full decade past, if only barely. I really like this comp because you can't go wrong with Dischord in the 80s. The other version of Swann Street is awesome as well, but I prefer the album version. 

Fugazi, Once, Fugazi, Twice

Why order only one record, well technically a box set, when you can order more? Two more records to cross off my want list. Who says you can’t buy happiness?

2023 Repress on Crystal Vellum on Dischord /???

2024 Repress on Blue Marble (‘Thor’) on Dischord /???

Swiz

I got to know about Swiz by proxy when I discovered Sweet Jesus, one of the myriad of bands featuring Pat Flynn on vocals. I remember reading reviews citing Swiz as a big influence. I’d only heard the name of the band but never listened to them until then. Since I really loved Sweet Jesus, it was kind of a given that I like Swiz as well. However, their full length records are a little hard to come by and as much as I like the band, shelling out 100 bucks for Hell Yes I Cheated was out of question for me. 

When one of my favorite record stores / mailorders in Germany announced they might get a Swiz box set, done by Dischord no less, I was all over this. I wrote one of the guys running Bis Aufs Messer and he said he couldn’t make any promises but he’d put me on the waiting list. Great guy that Robert is, he contacted me a couple of months later out of the blue and said the box sets would ship soon and asked if I was still interested. Hell, yes, I was still interested! As everything Dischord does, this is a high quality product. The box is well done, the records look and sound great and the booklet is incredible. The box set wasn’t cheap, but it cost still less on what I’d have paid on just the first Swiz LP, so it was money well spent. 

Box Set (All Records on Black Vinyl) on Dischord /???

Lost

The last record I picked up at the local store was Open Up and Bleed, an aptly titled record for an album by Iggy and the Stooges, given Mr Pop's usual stage antics. The sub heading is The Great Lost Stooges Album? The record itself, which was released in 1996 way after the disbandment of the band, is a collection of live recordings of songs performed by the Stooges regularly. The songs might have appeared on the fourth full-length, but the band split up before they were ever recorded properly. There are some good songs on here, but no actual tracks to my ear. Still, it's a fun listen. 

1st Press on Black on Bomp

X-Post

As much as I love early US hardcore, I’m not that well-versed in German hardcore from the 80s. I know a lot of bands by name, but I’ve only listened to a handful of them and to be honest, most of them were rather underwhelming. I took a gamble on this compilation because it was sitting there for less than 10€. The record was released in 1990, but all of those bands had been active throughout the 80s. I listened to the comp a few times but nothing really stuck out and grabbed my attention. It’s not like the songs on the compilation are bad, but they’re not outstanding either to me. If nothing else, it is a cool document of the time. 

X-Mist was an important label, and later on distribution, for hardcore in Germany and many German hardcore bands that are considered classics nowadays had releases on that label. It’s fair to say that without X-Mist hardcore in Germany wouldn’t be same, whether you like the bands on the label or not. The founder, Armin Hofmann, passed away a couple of years way before his time, and since the record store owner knew him personally, he had a bunch of memorial cards behind the counter and gave me one. The drawing was done by Tim Kerr of The Big Boys and other bands. RIP.