Coalition

Coalition was a straight edge hardcore band from Detroit, Michigan. Which is, of course, currently, very funny since everyone in that city is made of pure heroin.

Coalition was active in the early 2000's, releasing their second and final LP, The Sight and the Sound, in 2004. The band's music was characterized by a heavier approach to straightforward hardcore with above-average screamed vocals. Aside from The Sight and their debut full-length Breaking Point, the band released two EP's (The Ignition: From Friction To Fire as well as the only Coalition record I'm missing, a three-song, self-titled release), and a split with the almighty and sorely underrated Holding On.

Coalition's songs are short, pissed, and very moshable. They just don't make bands like this anymore. The edge was strong with this one.

Discography (mostly) by Coalition

Go! For the Throat

Philadelphia's Go! For the Throat is one of those bands that, unfortunately, may soon be lost to the passage of time. It seems that while they did tour (back in the very early 2000's and with Good Riddance, no less), their following was more of a regional one. Even though their brand of melodic, upbeat hardcore was skillfully and satisfyingly executed, they never reached the cult status of fellow Philadelphians Kid Dynamite. And it's a shame that so few people in my neck of the woods know this band ever existed. Then again, everyone here broke edge in like 2008, so I doubt they remember anything. Not me, though. I was always a degenerate.

Aside from The Curse (Dave Hause from The Loved Ones old hardcore band), Go! For the Throat ranks as one of my favorite groups that play this style. There's a hint of Kid Dynamite in their sound, but I'd mostly liken them to a more frenetic Gorilla Biscuits. Over the course of their existence, the band released a demo, a full-length (Here and Now), and contributed two exclusive tracks to Chunksaah's The Philadelphia Sound comp (which also featured The Curse, Knives Out, and Paint It Black).

Demo by Go! For the Throat

Here and Now by Go! For the Throat @ Spotify

The Philadelphia Sound by Various Artists @ Spotify

Society Sucker

Sorely underrated and overlooked outside of their home state of Virginia, Society Sucker played misanthropic and crushing hardcore in the style of Biohazard, Sheer Terror, and Breakdown. You know, music for intellectuals.

Typical for their area, the band featured several members of other Richmond and Virginia Beach bands like Iron Boots and Bracewar. The scene there was always really incestuous, which is a gross way of saying a lot of cool people were shared across a lot of cool bands. Bleh.

Anyway, Society Sucker called it quits in the mid-2000's, leaving behind only this five song demo, which is just a real assbeater. There are a few other bands with the name Society Sucker: a hardcore band from North Carolina and (I've been told) an Oi band from the UK, though I can't find any evidence of the latter.

You can download Society Sucker's 2005 demo at the link below. Make sure there's no old people or small children around when you hit play on your Zune. You might kill them with your mongrel idiot fist rage.

Demo 2005 by Society Sucker