The Best 1990's Hardcore Band (Tournament Bracket)

Summary

HardLore Podcast – "The Best 1990's Hardcore Band (Tournament Bracket)"

Hosts: Colin Young & Bo Lueders
Date: October 9, 2025
Episode Theme:
A passionate, deep-dive tournament bracket to finally crown the single best hardcore band of the 1990s. Colin and Bo hash out matchups, discuss scene lore and band history, enlist expert tiebreakers, and reveal the band that defines 90s hardcore.

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Episode Overview

The episode's main purpose is to determine—through an NCAA-style bracket—the absolute best hardcore band of the 1990s. Having already crowned the hardest, heaviest, and best 80s band in previous episodes, the hosts aim to settle years of debate and listener kvetching around which 90s band reigns supreme.

Colin and Bo’s approach:

• Bands are eligible if their definitive work was released in the '90s, even if they technically began in the late '80s or finished their most important records in the early 2000s.
• Listener input determined some of the bracket and there’s a special slot for an "honorable mention" write-in.
• The show’s real goal: celebrate the era, discuss the scene’s evolution, and appreciate as many bands as possible—not just the winner.

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Key Discussion Points & Tournament Structure

1. Setting the Rules (01:01 – 02:45)

• Hosts clarify eligibility: bands whose most influential output was in the '90s, not necessarily those who started or ended there.
• Acknowledge inevitable omissions and listener complaints:

  “We’re so sick of your whining...this time we found a way to include more bands and avoid the comments that drive me insane.” (01:34, Gian)

• 32-band bracket, with seeding to make sure top-tier bands don’t eliminate each other too early.

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2. Early Bracket Rounds: Left Side (02:49 – 17:37)

Notable Matchups & Commentaries

• All Out War vs. Buried Alive
  Winner: All Out War

  “Thanks to the sheer depth of the All Out War discography, they are still making great records. That’s hard to say about any of these bands.” (03:14, Gian)

• Biohazard vs. Damnation AD
  Winner: Biohazard

  “First three alone...genre, multi-genre bending, changing classics.” (05:07, Gian)

• Blood for Blood vs. Stigmata
  Winner: Blood for Blood

  “Blood for Blood was OK ingrained into my DNA.” (07:00, Gian)

• Integrity vs. Fury of Five
  Winner: Integrity

  “Integrity spawned a genre of people replicating them...in terms of impact, we have to give it to Integrity.” (09:21, Gian)

• Life of Agony vs. Ten Yard Fight
  Winner: Life of Agony

  “River Runs Red is one of the greatest albums musically ever in existence... Ever.” (11:43, Gian)

• Death Threat vs. Disembodied
  Winner: Death Threat
• Marauder vs. Crown of Thorns
  Winner: Marauder

  “Crown of Thorns got hosed in this matchup...anybody up against Marauder was a tough matchup.” (15:29, Gian)

• Hatebreed vs. Snapcase
  Winner: Hatebreed

  “Hatebreed wins here. Historic blowout.” (16:21, Gian)

Early Observations:
Hosts repeatedly stress the impact, depth, and longevity of bands as deciding factors. Unapologetic personal biases occasionally surface, balanced by attempts at objectivity or well-reasoned defense.

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3. Right Side Bracket – International & Diverse (17:46–37:48)

Notable Matchups

• Earth Crisis vs. Turmoil
  Winner: Earth Crisis

  “There’s tens of thousands of people still vegan straight edge today because of Earth Crisis.” (19:05, Gian)

• Ringworm vs. Deadguy
  Winner: Ringworm

  “Most of their definitive records in the 2000s, but Promise is so early and so good, they have to be 90s.” (20:09, Gian)

• Cold as Life vs. Kickback
  First call-in tiebreak required—Taylor Young sides with Cold as Life
• AFI vs. Bastard
  Winner: AFI

  “90s AFI— that’s a hardcore band, 100%.” (25:07, Bo)

• Strife vs. Trial
  Winner: Strife
• Floorpunch vs. Unbroken
  Winner: Floorpunch

  “Floorpunch is for the fucking rascals.” (28:13, Gian)

• Madball vs. Only Living Witness
  Winner: Madball

  “Madball is such a perfect hardcore band.” (30:14, Bo)

• Vision of Disorder vs. 25 ta Life (Honorable Mention Write-In)
  Winner: VOD

  “In terms of just like a better band, it’s VOD.” (36:40, Gian)

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4. Second Rounds – The Big Names Clash (38:02 – 53:37)

• All Out War vs. Biohazard: Winner: All Out War

• Integrity vs. Blood for Blood: Winner: Integrity (via tiebreak call to Gian from King Nine)

  “Blood for Blood, but I love Integrity more.” (40:31, Gian, King Nine)

• Life of Agony vs. Death Threat: Winner: Death Threat

  “If the word is hardcore, then the word is Death Threat.” (42:47, Gian)

• Marauder vs. Hatebreed: Winner: Hatebreed

  “I don’t think you can say Marauder is a better hardcore band than Hatebreed.” (45:47, Bo)

• Earth Crisis vs. Ringworm: Winner: Earth Crisis

• Cold as Life vs. AFI: Winner: Cold As Life

• Floorpunch vs. Strife: Winner: Floorpunch

• Madball vs. VOD: Winner: Madball

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5. Quarterfinals & Semi-finals – Tension and Heartbreak (53:37–71:30)

Quarterfinal Debates:

• All Out War vs. Integrity:
  Winner: All Out War (via Emma from Dying Wish, guest tiebreaker)

  “[All Out War] literally don’t think they’ve ever put out anything bad ever.” (56:49, Emma)

• Death Threat vs. Hatebreed:
  Winner: Hatebreed
• Earth Crisis vs. Cold as Life:
  Winner: Earth Crisis
• Floorpunch vs. Madball:
  Winner: Madball

  “What is hardcore without Madball?” (63:04, Gian)

Semi-finals:

• All Out War vs. Hatebreed:
  Winner: Hatebreed
• Earth Crisis vs. Madball:
  Winner: Madball

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6. The Grand Final: Hatebreed vs. Madball (71:32–82:49)

Deliberation and Tiebreakers:

• Hosts wrestle with the legacy, influence, and catalog of both bands.

  “Did Hatebreed make a better record than Set It Off?” (75:00, Todd) “Hatebreed is probably the band that is most influential across the board when it comes to hardcore.” (78:10, James)

Guest Tiebreakers:

• Todd (TXJ): “I’m going with Madball. There’s just something about those songs, man.” (75:42)
• James: “Hatebreed is probably the band that is most influential across the board when it comes to hardcore. I would probably have to pick Hatebreed.” (78:10)
• Brian Garris: “I have to go Hatebreed. Satisfaction hits in a new way every time I listen to it.” (79:44 & 79:48)

Hosts accept the tally:

“My heart says Madball. But I do think Hatebreed is probably the answer.” (81:18, Gian)

Winner: Hatebreed

“There you go. Hatebreed is our winner.” (82:03, Gian) “That makes sense.” (82:03, Bo)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the Difficulty of the Bracket:

  “This fucking sucks immediately. It sucks.” (02:49, Bo)

• On What Defines a 90s Band:

  “You look at the end of the day, one is a hardcore band now, one is not.” (50:49, Gian, on Cold as Life vs. AFI)

• Paying Respect to Scene Staples:

  “If you don’t like Madball, you’re misguided and stupid, you know?” (30:41, Gian)

• On 90s Hardcore Impact:

  “Earth Crisis, Zeitgeist...the levels they reached, statement dude made.” (18:57, Gian)

• Choosing Hatebreed Over Marauder

  “I don’t think you can say Marauder is a better hardcore band than Hatebreed.” (45:47, Bo)

• Guest Decider Logic

  “Did Hatebreed make a better record than Set It Off?... That's what it comes down to.” (75:00, Todd)

• Final Reflection

  “This bracket is...one of the greatest playlists in history. At the end of the day, that's what it's about–discovery and sharing what we wish we had shared with us when we were 14, 15.” (82:15, Gian)

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Final Four & Winner

Mount Rushmore of 90s Hardcore (Final Four):

• All Out War
• Hatebreed
• Earth Crisis
• Madball

Winner:
Hatebreed is crowned the definitive 1990s hardcore band, recognized for their massive impact, consistency, scene-changing records, and ability to bridge worlds.

“Hatebreed is the winner and we'll see you next week.” (82:49, Gian)

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Listen-Worthy Segments with Timestamps

• [01:01] – Rules of the Bracket; Defining "90s Hardcore"
• [03:14] – All Out War vs. Buried Alive, and philosophy on "depth of discography"
• [09:21] – Integrity’s impact and genre-spawning status
• [18:35] – Earth Crisis’s cultural and scene influence
• [22:24, 56:49] – Guest/Caller tiebreakers for the most contentious matchups
• [45:47] – Marauder vs. Hatebreed heartbreak and debate
• [75:03] – Finals deliberation, guest rationales on Hatebreed vs. Madball
• [81:18] – Closure and crowning of Hatebreed as winner

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Tone and Style

• Casual, direct, and packed with personal and scene-specific references
• Unfiltered passion for the genre and bands
• Willingly self-critical and transparent about personal preference
• Heavy use of guest opinions and community input to resolve stalemates
• Plenty of humor, slang, and good-natured ribbing

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Summary Wrap-up:
This episode of HardLore is a must-listen for both nostalgists and the uninitiated, offering a living playlist of 90s hardcore essentials, spirited debate, and expert scene analysis. The crowning of Hatebreed is both a tribute to their indelible footprint and a celebration of how rich, diverse, international, and immortal 90s hardcore truly was.

Transcript

[Gian Farahani]

Oh, no. Yeah, man, this is fucked.

[Bo]

This might be where we disagree. I think we got Cold as Life going against France's own kickback.

[Gian Farahani]

This is an insane first round matchup.

[Bo]

Who do we call? Think your brother would be good for this?

[Gian Farahani]

This is our first sn. You're our first call.

[Bo]

Yep.

[Gian Farahani]

Of course, the matchup is, unfortunately for you, Cold as Life versus kickback.

[Bo]

Yes. Hello.

[Gian Farahani]

Welcome. It's Harlor time. How you doing, Beau?

[Bo]

I'm doing so good.

[Gian Farahani]

Excellent. This is a big day, so I hope so. Yeah.

[Bo]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Gian Farahani]

We've been tasked by ourselves with crowning. Finally, we've crowned the hardest hardcore band of all time. We've crowned the heaviest band of all time. We've crowned the best 80s hardcore band of all time. Sure did. And now it is finally time for Hard Lore to formally Crown the best 90s hardcore band of all time.

[Bo]

Let's be. Let's explain exactly what we mean, because it's. It's not just bands from 1990-99. You know what I mean? No.

[Gian Farahani]

I mean, there's a few bands who, you'll see who started in like 88, 89, but their definitive work was done in the 90s. And there's a few bands who started in the 90s whose definitive bands whose definitive work was in the 2000s. Therefore, we excluded them from this for now to be included later. But. So if you're looking at this list, thinking, why is this on here? Why isn't this on here? A, it could be because we didn't want it on here. B, it could be because we found they had different qualifications. And you'll see that this. This time around, we did something different. We're so sick of your whining and complaining that we found a way to include more bands on here and avoid the. The comments that drive me insane that are. No blank. No this. Where's this? We left that up to you. Now there is one blank spot on the bottom of this bracket. And we. There's a list of honorable mentions to choose from. Any of those honorable mentions could have been one of these. 31. But you got there. You can only have 32, so you got to cut something somewhere. Give us a break. Let's fucking do this.

[Bo]

Yeah. Where do we begin?

[Gian Farahani]

Let's start from the very first matchup.

[Bo]

This fucking sucks immediately. It sucks.

[Gian Farahani]

Here we are again. All right, the first matchup. And our starting with our left side bracket is All Out War versus Buried Alive. And listen, all due respect to Buried Alive, the choice is Clear here. And in large part thanks to the sheer depth of the all at War discography, they are still making great records. And that's hard to say about any of these bands.

[Bo]

And I think Vogel would definitely say all at War.

[Gian Farahani]

He'd be the first to say in his episode he expressed disappointment with Last Rites. We all know Death of your perfect world is all timer 90s classic, but all at war is definitive 90s hardcore music.

[Bo]

You're gonna.

[Gian Farahani]

Oh.

[Bo]

One of my favorite things to do is to look, predict where it's gonna go and then plan for the Olympic game. Mental gymnastics. I'm gonna have to watch you do for like the next round.

[Gian Farahani]

Bring it on, motherfucker. The next matchup. And you'll notice this time I seated this properly. Carrie and I, who designs these and helps me set the brackets up, I properly seated them. I made seed and a B seed of like obvious top tier, very successful bands and bands we love who are still definitive 90s, but maybe not as big.

[Bo]

Didn't get the shine quite as much. Okay.

[Gian Farahani]

Exactly. So here. Here we are seeded A versus B. Biohazard versus Damnation AD.

[Bo]

Once again, all due respect to Damnation.

[Gian Farahani]

AD oh, they're on here.

[Bo]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Gian Farahani]

They're top 31 all time 90s.

[Bo]

No more dreams. The Hanged Man. I love Damnation 80. Very popular band in Chicago, especially when I was coming up.

[Gian Farahani]

It's underrated.

[Bo]

Underrated as probably the. The least rated.

[Gian Farahani]

And again, cheat. Here's a little. Here's a little inside baseball. That's why we do this. It ain't really about the winner. It's about. It's about talking about 32 or 39 bands. We like.

[Bo]

Yes.

[Gian Farahani]

Biohazard wins.

[Bo]

It's Biohazard. Biohazard.

[Gian Farahani]

What can you do?

[Bo]

You.

[Gian Farahani]

What can you do? First three alone, you know.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Are like genre, multi genre bending. Changing classics. Death metal bands started incorporating groove because Biohazard was tearing up the charts.

[Bo]

Hey, man, this shirt. You wanna know what's on the back? This shirt. You know, I mean, again, same thing front and back. Wow. Only one, only one band could pull that.

[Gian Farahani]

That's right. And only one guy could have gotten you that shirt. Luke Madden. We love you. Blood for Blood versus Stigmata is the next matchup.

[Bo]

This is interesting because I know you have a particular love for Stigmata and in. In like a sentimental sense. I know that about you.

[Gian Farahani]

My heart, a part of my heart is from Troy, New York.

[Bo]

Right. You know, but I also know.

[Gian Farahani]

But I also love Blood for Blood.

[Bo]

You love them outlaw anthems and I. I can't.

[Gian Farahani]

This is tough because I'm 818518. It's one thing, you know, and. And it's hard. But Blood for Blood is Blood for Blood. How many it like what they've done? I. I pick up a guitar, I play a revenge on society.

[Bo]

So that I think that's kind of the thing about this bracket that I'm starting to see unfold is like it's going to come down to quantity a little bit. Because we like all these games.

[Gian Farahani]

Dude. Sigma's got quantity and people don't. People don't know. Calling it the Just Heart Grows Harder. They don't know.

[Bo]

Yeah. How many records do they have? I don't know.

[Gian Farahani]

I guess they have like five or six.

[Bo]

I only know. Wow. I only know the one. And then the, you know, Marauder split, you know.

[Gian Farahani]

Wow. Yeah. They got way more than that and I love it all. I got to. I. Unfortunately for Troy. Troy New York as they know I love them. I have to go. Blood for Blood. But Blood for Blood is. Was like a Day One band for me.

[Bo]

It's for.

[Gian Farahani]

I discovered Stigmata. Blood for Blood was okay. Ingrained into my DNA.

[Bo]

I definitely did. An interesting thought is the. The Wasted Youth, like the skull, that's a logo that is pretty iconic for. Let's. Let's call them a modern band too.

[Gian Farahani]

Like they fully crossed over. I know weirdo cross punks that love Blood for Blood. I know mall metal freaks that love Blood for Blood.

[Bo]

Interesting.

[Gian Farahani]

They don't know shit about Stigmata and that's on them, you know. But Blood for Blood, if we're talking. I mean we're talking best here. So it's complicated.

[Bo]

It is.

[Gian Farahani]

But my God, what. Blood for Blood is Bad religion esque in the. The evolution is. Is. Isn't, you know, monumental record by record. Intentionally they get very slowly, intentionally more melodic and. And accessible. But you never question it as something that feels wrong or too different.

[Bo]

Well said.

[Gian Farahani]

I gotta go. Blood for Blood.

[Bo]

I think that works. It's also funny like when I was growing up, something being called a 90s band had a certain sound and we've already broken that mold like a 90s.

[Gian Farahani]

And I think a lot of the 90s sound is like what. What is Metal core today or 99. It's like old metal core.

[Bo]

Yes.

[Gian Farahani]

Real metal core.

[Bo]

Totally.

[Gian Farahani]

Whereas that was a new thing at the time and it was like a bastardization of metallic hardcore.

[Bo]

Right. Right. Interesting.

[Gian Farahani]

Things change. Crazy matchup. Up next.

[Bo]

Sucks.

[Gian Farahani]

Integrity versus Fury of Five.

[Bo]

This Might be our first real. Because this is best, right? So this is not hardest, not which we know hardest.

[Gian Farahani]

Fury wins all day.

[Bo]

It's not heaviest, right? It's best.

[Gian Farahani]

Fury wins all day.

[Bo]

And, and you know, listen, Integrity was an actual needle mover. We know this.

[Gian Farahani]

Integrity changed.

[Bo]

Changed.

[Gian Farahani]

They killed Youth Crew. Killed Youth, which they loved Youth Crew. So that, I mean, I think that was devastating news to break to dwid. Fury of five did their own thing, dude. Nobody could come close or compare to what they've done ever. And I would say just on a. On a needle moving level, I would go Integrity here.

[Bo]

Yeah, Yeah, I think so.

[Gian Farahani]

And like the amount of. And this is. This is a Testament to Fury 5. I would say. Incomparable in sound. Definitely impossible to replicate. Integrity spawned a genre of people replicating them dark. So in terms of impact, I think we have to give it to Integrity.

[Bo]

Yeah, I think so too.

[Gian Farahani]

But Fury won't be disgraced, you know, So I don't want them to think that they're on here, you know, they deserve their place on here. They are not an honorable mention. No reason to smile. At War with the World this Time it's personal. Monumental classics for old cycle. I think about the artistic brilliance of in At War with the World. People overlook them as like geniuses and it's not right. I've said this on the show many times. In the insert for At War with the World, on the bottom it says next Time It's Personal. And the next record years later was called this Time It's Personal, it's genius.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Galaxy Brain, you love shit like that.

[Bo]

I love.

[Gian Farahani]

I love intention and attention to detail.

[Bo]

That's the musical. That's the 90s physical media musical equivalent of a post credit scene.

[Gian Farahani]

Yes. You know, you already let me know then. James Bond will be back.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

You know.

[Bo]

Yeah, it's cool.

[Gian Farahani]

Fury 5 will be back. I gotta go. Integrity.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

All. All due respect, Fully agree. All right, we're coming. We're moving along now. The A seed is dominating and I think they may just dominate again in this next matchup.

[Bo]

Listen, Life of Agony versus Tenured Fight is not fair.

[Gian Farahani]

It's not fair.

[Bo]

Tenured Fight are almost as niche as it gets.

[Gian Farahani]

But had to be on here. Had to be in terms of, dude, sheer straight edge impact for the. The decade of the 1990s.

[Bo]

And then following too, you know.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. Straight up.

[Bo]

Yeah. I love 10 yard fight. It's one of my favorite bands.

[Gian Farahani]

But the source of their breaking up was so monumental that it created the concept Of Edge Day. Yeah. As discussed in the Skinhead episode.

[Bo]

Fantastic, you know, but going against Life of Agony, which is like.

[Gian Farahani]

Going against Life of Agony. River Runs Red is one of the greatest albums musically ever in existence. Ever. Even call it hardcore or not.

[Bo]

True.

[Gian Farahani]

We know it is. Maybe, maybe by Ugly, they weren't, but this certainly was. It had the spirit, it had the intensity, it had the lyrics, the mosh, the song structures. One of the best records ever. All Due respect to 10 yard fight, the life. Life of Agony wins this one landslide.

[Bo]

Yeah, I think so. I think. I think.

[Gian Farahani]

Okay.

[Bo]

I can't. As much as I would love to. I don't think I. You know, it would be a little. Lose a little, like, musicianship credibility or something, you know what I mean? Where it's like writing the. The prettiest chord progressions or melodies or whatever doesn't necessarily make you a better band.

[Gian Farahani]

Sure.

[Bo]

However, what they did and how they did it is so crazy and so amazing.

[Gian Farahani]

They. I mean, they couldn't do it again.

[Bo]

Right? Right. Who could?

[Gian Farahani]

Next matchup, Death Threat versus Disembodied. This is. This is interesting because this is perhaps one of the best metalcore bands of all time in Disembodied versus one of the best hardcore bands of all time in Death Threat.

[Bo]

I think Disembodied, if we're going to call disembodied metalcore. And I like that. I think that is what they are. That's like one of the only one of those bands that I do like. It's like them and Martyr, you know, I love them.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. But this is Death Threat to me all day.

[Bo]

It's not even close, dude.

[Gian Farahani]

And I know, you know, you could argue Death Threat's definitive work was in the 2000s with peace and security, but last days was 98. Death threat is 98. And so much is already done on that record that it's like this is who they are. They've established who they are. Okay. Immediately.

[Bo]

That's fair.

[Gian Farahani]

And this is. This is one of my favorite brands ever.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

And well, listen, seven stitches, heroin fingers, top two, Twoist. Two. Twoist. Two of the hardest pit parts in history.

[Bo]

God. I'm just going to. When we get back to this side of the bracket, I'm just going to sit back and watch you. Watch you melt.

[Gian Farahani]

Implode.

[Bo]

Yeah. Because I'm just seeing all these matchups. It's crazy.

[Gian Farahani]

We got to implode together. Death Threat. Death Threat takes it here.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Okay.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

I'm glad we're in agreement. There. We have not disagreed yet. We haven't had to make any calls.

[Bo]

No. Well, I think this next one might be.

[Gian Farahani]

What a wild matchup we got next. We got two definitive 90s classics here. We've got Marauder versus Crown of Thorns. We. It's well documented.

[Bo]

Yeah, yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Truly, we love Marauder. Obviously. We love Crown of Thorns. Train Yard Blues. Mentally Vexed is one of the greatest one, two punch combos in the history of our sport here. And Crown of Thorns showed me that the hardest thing a man can do is cry and sing about his feelings. You know, feel and share. Master Kill is probably my favorite album ever written.

[Bo]

I know I said we're gonna have to go quantity, but yeah, the quality of that record, from second one to what I'm.

[Gian Farahani]

Dude. And that's not to diminish the quality of Mentally Vexed here. They probably all. Both bands have the similar. Have this exact same amount of, like, incredible songs.

[Bo]

I see.

[Gian Farahani]

But we're talking defining 90s. We're the. We're the Marauder, guys. You know.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

It is what it is here. Crown of Thorns got hosed in this matchup. I'm sorry, guys. They got. It was a bad. It was. It was a tough matchup. Anybody up against Marauder was a tough matchup. We're sorry. It had to be Crown of Thorns. Crown of Thorns. In another bracket here, you could have gone all the way.

[Bo]

You could put Metallica against Marauder, and I would have to think. You know what I mean?

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. You could put Metallica against Crown of Thorns, and I would pick crown of thorns.

[Bo]

90S metallica versus 90s crown of thorns. You go see that, Mike. There you go.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

So, Mike and Isaac, I love you. Marauder has to win here. We got a. We got a blowout here in this next matchup, folks. Hate for your versus Snap Case.

[Bo]

Take a fucking guess.

[Gian Farahani]

Don't let the door snap you on the ass on the way. On the chaos on the way out. Hate Breed wins here.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Historic blowout, but again.

[Bo]

So the following matchup between the last winner and this winner is what's going to be the difficult thing. Anybody up against Hate Breed? Anybody up against Marauder? Those are just our two favorite things.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Bo]

So it's just. It is what it is.

[Gian Farahani]

Snap Case is on here.

[Bo]

You know, of course, they are a definitive.

[Gian Farahani]

Definitive 90s man. Could not be excluded, no matter what.

[Bo]

No way.

[Gian Farahani]

So your top 32, no disrespect intended, but you're up against Goliath himself, the.

[Bo]

Probable winner of this.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah, they're David and Goliath and they're up against Snap Case. Yeah, you remember that from the Bible. David and Goliath beat the out of Snap Case. Hey, pre work.

[Bo]

Yeah. Okay. I like that. I think, I think that whole side.

[Gian Farahani]

You and I fully, fully agree, that was the most painless this has ever been our left side winners here. The AC dominant. We've got all out War, Biohazard, Blood for Blood Integrity, Life of Agony, Death Threat, Marauder and Hate Brief taking our left side bracket here.

[Bo]

Hell of a fest.

[Gian Farahani]

Hell of a fest. My God, this could be Madison Square Garden. We've got our right side here. This is when things are getting tricky. Now. First matchup.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Earth Crisis, the greatest vegan strategy ban in history. Turmoil, the second best metalcore ban in history after Cavan.

[Bo]

Okay, come on. Why aren't they on this list?

[Gian Farahani]

Caven, I would say, is defining the definitive 2000.

[Bo]

Okay, understood. Got it. Forgot to me. Gotcha.

[Gian Farahani]

And then, you know, once we finally do the Metal Core bracket, that's going to be a blast.

[Bo]

I'm going to be lost.

[Gian Farahani]

I'm going to be like, no, you'll be fine. There's 32 you like. When you really rationalize, you'll think about it. The prices versus turmoil here. I love Turmoil. One of the. One of the hardest bands, period. Welcome back. Can't wait to see him in fya. Yeah, we got to have him on the show. We're looking forward to that at some point. Answer is Earth Crisis. Of.

[Bo]

Of course. Because not just for music stuff too. Yeah, like there's all the other cuz again, this is best 90s hardcore band.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah.

[Bo]

Not parts or records or what. This is their whole thing.

[Gian Farahani]

The whole thing. And Earth Crisis, Zeitgeist, as we spoke about with integrity, as we. As we spoke about with hate. Breed changed everything.

[Bo]

Zeitgeist, the. The touring merch. Yeah. The. The levels they reach statement dude made.

[Gian Farahani]

There's tens of thousands of people are still vegan straight edge today because of Earth Crisis. Or at least vegan, you know.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Ringworm versus Dead Guy up next. Again, this is a matchup between one of our favorite bands ever and one of the most groundbreaking metal core bands to ever exist. This is. That guy's getting hosed here because they're up against a. Of the worm, baby.

[Bo]

Dude, nobody rings the worm. You know what I mean?

[Gian Farahani]

And welcome back to Dead Guy. This is, dude, a rare case of picking up exactly where you left off. New record rips recorded once again by Steve Evitz. So it's the same person who did fixation on a coworker. Classic record 30 years later, coming back to make more music. It fucking rocks. It sounds incredible. The songs are great. Ringworm wins. Yeah.

[Bo]

Ringworm wins. I'm Frank. Three.

[Gian Farahani]

Listen, check. Dude, check this out. Most of their definitive records in the 2000s promise is so early and so good that they have to be 90s.

[Bo]

Is it 91?

[Gian Farahani]

It's like 91.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

What are you going to do, dude?

[Bo]

Florida. Frank. Just coming from all four quadrants on this crush.

[Gian Farahani]

I mean, he's. Dude, he's on our list of like.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

In terms of pedigrees.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Full discographies. Ringworm hate, breed terror, integrity.

[Bo]

And he played in Demons.

[Gian Farahani]

And he played in 100 demons. So what are you gonna do? So Ringworm takes it here. God. Got a hell of a fight coming up in the. In the quarterfinals. All right, up next we've got Colt. This is fucked.

[Bo]

Yeah, man. This might be where we disagree. I think we got Coldest Life going against Europe's own, France's own Kickback.

[Gian Farahani]

This is the best Detroit hardcore band in history.

[Bo]

The best European right up there with.

[Gian Farahani]

Negative approach versus the best European hardcore man in history.

[Bo]

Agreed. For what I'm looking for in this discussion, I go with Cold as Life. Now, what's cool is both bands have, like, the lore. They have the scariness.

[Gian Farahani]

This is an insane first round.

[Bo]

It actually is a crazy matchup, the more that I think about it. Kickback has how many records? 3, 4, 5.

[Gian Farahani]

They got cornered, forever war, 150, passion, CP, no surrender, and then the one after no Surrender with the skull.

[Bo]

So four LPs.

[Gian Farahani]

Four LPs and an EP that is so dense that it's basically an LP.

[Bo]

Totally. Okay. And Cold Is Life.

[Gian Farahani]

And Cold as life has two fucking wall to wall classic LPs and various demos and.

[Bo]

Right.

[Gian Farahani]

Oh, no.

[Bo]

Who do we call? Think your brother would be good for this?

[Gian Farahani]

He's. I think he's. You know what? He loves Kickback is just as much as me. But he also remixed, Right. Declination.

[Bo]

Anthony would pick Kickback.

[Gian Farahani]

Anthony would pay. He's in Kickback now.

[Bo]

Right? So he's picking kickback.

[Gian Farahani]

He's picking kickback. This sucks.

[Bo]

James would pick Hold His Life. I want to. I want to find somebody who's, like, truly objective about it.

[Gian Farahani]

Taylor's probably most objective.

[Bo]

I think so.

[Gian Farahani]

Okay. He's got strong ties to both. He had a Kickback chess piece and he remixed. Remixed Declination. So here we go. Hello. Taylor Young. Here live on the air, We. We've unfortunately got an assignment for you, a task for you. We are, we're at a stalemate here in our best 90s hardcore bands of all time bracket. All right, so we're. This is our first stalemates. You're our first call.

[Bo]

Yep.

[Gian Farahani]

Of course, the matchup is, unfortunately for you, cold is life versus kickback. Cold as left.

[Bo]

Yes. Interesting.

[Gian Farahani]

I think, I think that's, that's, that's what I got. You got the best. You best European hardcore band of all time versus one of the hardest bands of all time. Taylor went cold. His life. I'm going gold. His life.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Reasoning that comes to mind. Yeah, it's. It's a knee jerk reaction. So I think it's just. That's, that's what I'm going with.

[Todd]

All right.

[Bo]

Okay.

[Gian Farahani]

Well, thank you. Not much thought or reason. Yeah, agreed. I feel, I mean. Understood. Thank you. We may be calling you again. All right, bye.

[Bo]

Well, there you have it. There you have it.

[Gian Farahani]

Can't argue that the AC dominates again. This is, this was, this was tough.

[Bo]

That's a, that's a, A very difficult one.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah, my heart is splintered after that one.

[Bo]

You left. Half in Detroit, half in Paris.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah, I don't, I don't, I don't necessarily feel good, but I don't feel bad because I had cold as life in the AC to begin with, you know?

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

So it's like a little bit of me knew this could be the case. Kickback, best European hardcore band of all time. Unfortunately for them, they were up against fear itself, who. You could also describe kickback as that. All right, we've got a weird matchup next.

[Bo]

Yeah, I.

[Gian Farahani]

It's afi, East Bay Legends, Friends of the Show. You just saw two weeks of them in two of the great and the greatest maybe collective four hours in the history of our show.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Up against Bastard, one of the greatest Japanese hardcore bands ever.

[Bo]

I mean, look, I'm picking afi. I mean, you know, but what's funny is AFI are such a outlier for the rest of this bracket that it does seem odd to pick them.

[Gian Farahani]

But they, they, I mean, 90s AFI.

[Bo]

That'S a Harcourt 100%, and that's one.

[Gian Farahani]

Of the best hardcore bands.

[Bo]

Yeah. So for me, it's a really easy decision. I don't know.

[Gian Farahani]

I would say for universal impact alone, AFI wins. But listen, if you have not listened to Wind of Pain start to finish, I recommend you pause this or come back to it later. Throw that shit on once you. Once you get over that language barrier. There's a whole beautiful world of hardcore in the east for. For all of you to enjoy. Bastard. Judgment, Gauze Gizm. Death side Frantid Cruelty. You know, there's so much dive in AFI wins here.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

But I want. I needed to make sure Bastard got their flowers here. I respect it for sheer impact in the 90s alone. God. The second round is insane.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

We've got. This is an awesome matchup.

[Bo]

Yeah. These are Titans.

[Gian Farahani]

These are.

[Bo]

Dude. Kronos and the. The fast Cyclops guy from Hercules. Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. We've got Strife and Trial. Up next is Yin. Dude. Yin and Yang.

[Bo]

Yeah. Kind of. Huh. They seem like counterparts or Yin and Yin.

[Gian Farahani]

Really.

[Bo]

I think Strife is harder. His voice is heavier and like heer or harsher. More intense. And I just like. For what I'm looking for. Strife takes it.

[Gian Farahani]

I'm with you.

[Bo]

However the. That trial appeal is it. These are our lives.

[Gian Farahani]

What is it that a quintessential 90s trial. It. Trial ran in the night.

[Bo]

Dude. That intro with the. The violins and it's so into the song.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah.

[Bo]

Like really blew me away when I first heard it.

[Gian Farahani]

It's an incredible album opener.

[Bo]

But Strife.

[Gian Farahani]

Strife is. Strife is like for California. This is game changing. This is like one of those bands that defined the California sound I put on.

[Bo]

We were coming home from. From the Full of Hell tour earlier in the year and I was. I was driving, finishing the tour and I just put on in this defiance and just let it rip.

[Gian Farahani]

Come on, dude.

[Bo]

Tones rock. The. The parts rock. They go production insane. They go mosh six in mustard. Come on.

[Gian Farahani]

A few like. Like. They go mosh pit to pit. Many times.

[Bo]

Many times. Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

It's insanely hard and it's beautifully straight edge.

[Bo]

Yep.

[Gian Farahani]

Or was.

[Bo]

It's whatever.

[Gian Farahani]

Tragic. But the winner is Strife here.

[Bo]

Agreed. Love that.

[Gian Farahani]

We got an easy matchup. Up next. Floor punch versus unbroken. It's floor punch by. By 3,000 miles.

[Bo]

Yeah, it's. It's unbroken, to be honest with you. Unbroken versus four Punch is the dichotomy of music. As I was getting into hardcore, it was literally like. Because all the old heads older than me and now I'm an old head.

[Gian Farahani]

They'd all say unbroken.

[Bo]

They'd all say unbroken. They all have unbroken tattoos. They all.

[Gian Farahani]

We were rascals, dude.

[Bo]

Yeah. I was a little wily bastard.

[Gian Farahani]

Floor Punch is for the fucking rascals.

[Bo]

And that's for the.

[Gian Farahani]

For the. And guess what? Most of those old guys ain't around anymore for Me, they were at Oasis this weekend.

[Bo]

But I would know what. What, like Jay and Jim Grimes and like some of the older guys, Steve Kane. I would love to know what they would pick. Floor Punch versus Unbroken. Because you know what's interesting? Has to be Unbroken, I think at the time.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah.

[Bo]

But I wonder now as time goes on, because there's something about the. With all due respect, the simplicity of Floor Punch.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah.

[Bo]

That is timeless.

[Gian Farahani]

Timeless.

[Bo]

Do you know what I mean?

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. And by dude, life, love, regret is like Jane Doe level.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Impact to many people that I know they. And again, that wasn't that. This is another band where, like, they had to be on here.

[Bo]

100%. Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

100%. Unbroken is fucking 90s definitive 90s hardcore music, as is Floor Punch, the winners of this. Yeah. This particular matchup.

[Bo]

Agreed.

[Gian Farahani]

So respect Unbroken. You're on here. We wanted you on here.

[Bo]

Yeah. You know, they played that burning fight fest that I talk about a lot, as did Trial, actually. That was like their first big comeback. And I didn't know a lick of Unbroken, but I just kind of watched the Room lose their collective minds because it was their first time playing in however long. It was crazy. Crazy. But if it was Floor Punch, it may have been Grazer.

[Gian Farahani]

We got Mad Ball versus Only Living Witness here.

[Bo]

It's tough, man. Because listen, I mean, it's not, you know. Okay, good.

[Gian Farahani]

It's not good. Obviously, I love Only Living Witness. They're probably not to. To many people a top 32 90s hardcore band ever.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

But to me, they are. So they're on here.

[Bo]

Sure.

[Gian Farahani]

But they're going up against fucking. Well, we've already made. This is Godzilla.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

This is Godzilla versus David.

[Bo]

Yeah. Mad Ball is such a perfect hardcore band.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah.

[Bo]

Like, it's just kind of the only way I could put it.

[Gian Farahani]

And their. Their work in the 90s is what, right up to 2000 and hold it down really is what makes that. So it don't get much better than that in terms of straight up hardcore. What we're looking for in straight up hardcore music. If you don't like Mad Ball, you're misguided and stupid, you know?

[Bo]

Yeah. You. You haven't listened to Mad Ball.

[Gian Farahani]

You're not. You're. This, this. You're. This isn't really for you. At the end of the day, if you don't like Only the Witness, I wouldn't be like, oh, that guy doesn't like hardcore.

[Bo]

Great point. That's a really good point because there's.

[Gian Farahani]

So much more to it. One of my favorite bands changed my life. But. But for changing hardcore overall, it's mad ball.

[Bo]

100% fully agree. This is easy.

[Gian Farahani]

Next up, this is. This is the big wild card because we have to decide on an honorable mensch. This is tough. So we've got vod Vision of Disorder as the A seed here versus the B side, B seed, which is the write in. So if you're doing this at home, I want you to write in whoever you want. I want to know who if your writing's making it all the way. But we got to pick from Starkweather, one of the greatest metalcore bands ever. Overcast, one of the greatest metalcore bands ever. Archangel, second best European hardcore band ever. Probably Judgment. My favorite Japanese hardcore band. Zero Tolerance. Buffalo, New York. Groundbreaking life changing Grimlock. The the first hardcore band I ever heard. One life crew that's a complete dishonorable mention. E Town Concrete. The urban legends themselves. 25 to life. Say what you will. Wrote two classics. Lifetime New Jersey. Easy core.

[Bo]

Yeah yeah yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Quicksand. Redefined what post hardcore means.

[Bo]

Yep.

[Gian Farahani]

Fucking tool. You know they sound. It's like a perfect circle. But yeah, it's crazy with Walter, with the goat. One of the goats singing Sandblack Church. Another band that changed my life here into another.

[Bo]

The Beatles.

[Gian Farahani]

Best band of all time. Botch, one of the best metalcore bands of all time. And108, this is. This is fucking vegan straight edge royalty here. Some of the best, the coolest, weirdest riffs ever. And let me tell you my reasoning here, Bo. I didn't put into another on the bracket at first on its own because I to me, I look at that and I go they're going all the way.

[Bo]

See?

[Gian Farahani]

And like they're not a horrible man. I see the spirit is there. The ethics are there. They didn't want people moshing.

[Bo]

Right.

[Gian Farahani]

If people pitted too hard, they went into two snowflakes, you know. But they had to be represented in the mentions here some way or another because they are the best band to maybe ever exist. Respect respectfully. So I'm. That's my knee jerk is don't pick into another for the honorable mentions because it blurs the line of what 90s hardcore band means. So much so that I don't want to deal with whatever people are saying.

[Bo]

Okay?

[Gian Farahani]

But just. Just so you all know, if into another is is the pick here they're beating almost every band then I think.

[Bo]

It'S between 25 to life 108. And honestly, quicksand, I really like the idea of quicksand, because quicksand did have stage diving and did have some aggression and stuff, but I could see it falling into the same pitfall as into another.

[Gian Farahani]

So my. My knee jerks here are Grimlock, E Town, 25 to Life.

[Bo]

So let's say 25 to Life. As a not huge 25 to Life fan, I can. I can understand why they are an honorable mention and then a pick for a bracket. Fully.

[Gian Farahani]

This is tough. Yeah, our self imposed rules are so tough.

[Bo]

I. And also I asked Colin the same thing just for anyone wondering. Converge is not mentioned on this list because we're saving them for another bracket.

[Gian Farahani]

That's. That's 2000's royalty. So just like, like, yes. Petitioning.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

What's the other one with the W? When Forever Comes crashing.

[Bo]

Forever comes crashing.

[Gian Farahani]

90S classics. Their definitive work was in the 2000s. So let's be real. Yeah, they will be big, big favorites on the 2000s.

[Bo]

For those of you who have been screaming Converge to yourselves walking around, that.

[Gian Farahani]

Is why this is tough. Because like me putting 25 to life here is deleting the band that made that put me in this chair right now, you know, in Grimlock. But was Grimlock's impact anywhere near as big as 25 to life? Of course not.

[Bo]

I see.

[Gian Farahani]

One life crew. I'm not putting them on, but my God, sure. Classic E Town. So many records that I love impact as big as 25 to life. Probably bigger, but 25 to life in the 90s, right? Damn, this is tough. 108 is a sick pick.

[Bo]

I. Dude, I actually love 108.

[Gian Farahani]

I love 108.

[Bo]

And you know what else would have been a band that could have been on here that should be an in. Honorable mention is Shelter for sure.

[Gian Farahani]

Oh, man. Yeah. Big time.

[Bo]

Shelters and omission that we just didn't.

[Gian Farahani]

Didn't think that's a glaring omission, but that.

[Bo]

That is another one that like had got a cult following.

[Gian Farahani]

Oh yeah, they're still. They could still just pulling crazy.

[Bo]

So there's that.

[Gian Farahani]

That was a big omission, I guess. Let's go 25 to life.

[Bo]

I think so. I think that that's fair. Are there any other bands that we're forgetting? I feel like for some reason there's some obvious pick we're just like forgetting.

[Gian Farahani]

I mean, maybe that's. We're human beings.

[Bo]

Yeah, great point.

[Gian Farahani]

You know.

[Bo]

All right, 25 to life. I like that. So now, so it's VOD versus 25 to life, which is funny because I know what you're picking. I don't know what I would pick.

[Gian Farahani]

I think, I think in terms of just like a better band, it's Vod.

[Bo]

Okay. Oh, never mind. I, I, that is what I would pick.

[Gian Farahani]

Like objectively, if they had done a few things differently or been at a different time, could have been like a radio biggest arena rock.

[Bo]

Yeah, totally.

[Gian Farahani]

You know.

[Bo]

Totally. And giving a little love to Long Island. That's cool. We got a lot of New York. Yes.

[Gian Farahani]

I mean, I, I agree. What's interesting is we picked 25 to life, but like 108, I would have had beat Vodka, Grimlock would have beat Vod. 0 Thomas.

[Bo]

That is interesting.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. To another would have beat everybody.

[Bo]

Yeah, you're right.

[Gian Farahani]

But let's go Vod here. It's, it's all, it's all. I think it's, let's go with our guts.

[Bo]

So if you picked your, your write in you now, it's on you.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah.

[Bo]

From here on out. Because we're not gonna be able to.

[Gian Farahani]

Keep track and that's fine. Listen, that's why this is all subjective and it's all just to talk about all this shit that we love.

[Bo]

All right, so who are our winners? For the right side.

[Gian Farahani]

For the right side winners, we've got Earth Crisis, Ringworm, Cold As Life, afi, Strife, Floor Punch, Mad Ball, Vod.

[Bo]

Hell of a fest.

[Gian Farahani]

Hell of a fest, this. How would you ever schedule this thing? Impossible. All right, left side, round two, all out. War versus biohazard.

[Bo]

Wow.

[Gian Farahani]

I'm going all I see now. I'm going all I think I am too.

[Bo]

Okay, great.

[Gian Farahani]

And listen, I'm like, you're, you're in a biohazard shirt.

[Bo]

You are.

[Gian Farahani]

I've, I've stolen every drum fill that Danny Schuler has.

[Bo]

You are a champion of biohazard big time.

[Gian Farahani]

One of the, one of the biggest.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

All out war. I think they're. Dude, the, just as I said earlier, the sheer depth of their discography and I don't know, maybe nine, ten LPs now.

[Bo]

Still playing hardcore shows.

[Gian Farahani]

Still playing shows. You can fly them out to fucking Banger Maine tomorrow.

[Bo]

They played, they played the Common Suffering record release show because we asked them to. That's it.

[Gian Farahani]

That's hardcore.

[Bo]

Yeah. So great. Love it. Now we're up.

[Gian Farahani]

We're off to a non contentious start here. Only 40 minutes in blood for blood versus integrity.

[Bo]

I think we're torn here.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah.

[Bo]

Because I'm a, I do appreciate Blood for blood. I like Blood for Blood. I love integrity.

[Gian Farahani]

I'm a blood for blood guy. I mean, I'm obviously, I'm integrity guy, too, but. But in this matchup, if it's like if I have a. A record player in front of me and I got humanity or spit my last breath, I'm putting on spit my last breath.

[Bo]

Huh?

[Gian Farahani]

So we gotta call somebody not from Cleveland, Boston, or New England or Chicago, because I think they're all going integrity.

[Bo]

We're all going integrity, like de facto, that is. I know James would pick integrity. What do you think Vogel would pick?

[Gian Farahani]

I don't know. Probably integrity.

[Bo]

Yeah. Okay.

[Gian Farahani]

I think he's. He's close to it.

[Bo]

He was close to it. Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah.

[Bo]

Call.

[Gian Farahani]

Mahalo, my brother. All right, welcome to Hard Lore. This is gian Farahani from King 9, live on the show. Gian, we've got a very important question for you. Let's go. We're doing the best 90s hardcore band of all time bracket right now. We've got a very tough matchup. We need you to settle for us, all right? All right, you ready? I'm ready. Blood for Blood versus integrity. Integrity. There you have it. Yes, there you have it.

[Bo]

Yep.

[Gian Farahani]

You want to share a few thoughts on your knee jerk reaction there? I love Blood for Blood, but I love integrity more.

[Todd]

That's all I gotta say.

[Gian Farahani]

There it is. Systems 1. One of my favorite records, so. Me too. Unbelievable record. But what do you. What. What would you. Would you play first or would you go? All right, well, there you go. Come on. What are you going to do? Thank you, Gian. Take care. Have a good one. You too. Talk to you soon. There you go.

[Bo]

All right.

[Gian Farahani]

Hey, that's an objective pick, you know.

[Bo]

I think so. I think that's a student of both.

[Gian Farahani]

Student of the game. And listen, I'm not mad about that.

[Bo]

No.

[Gian Farahani]

Because both are incredible, but my God, Blood for Blood. What I would give to see them again, you know? Integrity wins.

[Bo]

Yep.

[Gian Farahani]

That's. Okay. So this big matchup. All right, here we go. Next matchup is Life of Agony versus Death Threat.

[Bo]

I'm just gonna sit back and watch, actually. No, I know what you're picking. Cause it's hardcore.

[Gian Farahani]

It is.

[Bo]

It's just.

[Gian Farahani]

But this is 90s, so it's basically Last Days versus Riverhunt's Red.

[Bo]

If that's how you're going to do it.

[Gian Farahani]

Eastern Security is out.

[Bo]

That was not the consideration when we were talking about Death Threat versus Disembodied, though.

[Gian Farahani]

Yes. Last days. It was Last Days versus the Disembodied discog. I'm going Last Days.

[Bo]

You. You mentioned both records.

[Gian Farahani]

The implication was, I don't think I did Stephen Rewind. And I know, you know, you could argue death threats. Definitive work was in the 2000s with peace and security. But last days was 98. Death threat is 98. The answer is no, I didn't.

[Bo]

Ah, listen.

[Gian Farahani]

Death threat versus life of agony.

[Bo]

After. How about this? After Last Days, they're still a hardcore band. After River Runs Red, they're doing something else.

[Gian Farahani]

That's rock music. And I will even say, I mean, if the word is hardcore, right? Then the word is death threat.

[Bo]

Yeah, right. Yeah, right.

[Gian Farahani]

Like, if I think about. If I describe hardcore somebody to somebody, like, musically, Yeah. I would probably describe dead at birth.

[Bo]

Yeah, you would not describe.

[Gian Farahani]

I would not be like bow. No, I would not. So the winner is Death Threat.

[Bo]

I fully agree.

[Gian Farahani]

Pardon this interruption. This is so important, this interruption. We've got to talk to you about AG1.

[Bo]

We really do. We love AG1. We use it all the time. But they have exciting news.

[Gian Farahani]

More specifically, Today is about Ag Z. From 1 to Z. The Alphabet, the numbers. They've got it all covered. Are you ready? Are you ready to ditch the stress and focus on the rest? You gotta try agz. Listen, they've had our morning rituals down for years now. This is year three of Hard Lore and AG1. Now they've got our nighttime rituals locked down with this beautiful chocolate. Chocolate melatonin. Free dietary supplemental beverage. You can use it with milk, you can use it with water. And if you go to drinkag1.com hardlore right now and you try AGZ, they're gonna give you a little frother for free.

[Bo]

For free. You can make your fun little nighttime drink. I despise melatonin. I'm so excited that this is melatonin free. Won't give you the jimmy legs. Won't give you crazy nightmares, nothing. It's perfect.

[Gian Farahani]

Better rest is. Is now possible thanks to the guys who have made better mornings possible for us for so long. And listen, chocolate milk is the ultimate bodybuilder's cheat code.

[Bo]

It's true.

[Gian Farahani]

Downing chocolate milk all day is what these guys are doing after pumping iron. And so now you get to do it with a thing that's gonna put you right to sleep. It's beautiful. Doesn't that sound nice? Give it a shot right now. Drinkag1.com Hardlore all right, this science reason.

[Bo]

Next one. Jesus Christ is going to make me jump off my balcony in our.

[Gian Farahani]

Is this Quarterfinals. No, I think we've learned how to do this.

[Bo]

I have no idea what it is.

[Gian Farahani]

In our second round matchup, far from the finals, far from the semifinals, we've got Marauder versus Hate Breed. Listen, this ain't right.

[Bo]

It ain't right. We. If you and I were to pick our favorite hardcore band. It's Marauder. We were to pick our second favorite hardcore band. It's Hate Breed. You know what I mean? Like, generally speaking, depending on what day it is. So you gotta break it down to quantity, to output, to touring, to all the other factors.

[Gian Farahani]

All those factors took place after the year 2000. So are we just saying.

[Bo]

I know, but you're flip flopping on what you're.

[Gian Farahani]

I'm just saying. I. Maybe I am, but reason is reason, you know?

[Bo]

I don't think you can say Marauder is a better hardcore band than Hate Breed. Looking through the barrel of a shot.

[Gian Farahani]

In total. Yeah, in totality, yes, I would agree.

[Bo]

As of 2025, but as of 1999, you're still probably saying, hey, Breed. Dude, think about.

[Gian Farahani]

No, cuz you got Five Deadly Venoms then too.

[Bo]

But they're touring their asses off Hate Breeders. Marauder is playing. They're playing big ass metal things. Hate Breed are like the crazy band.

[Gian Farahani]

Small ass metal things, honestly.

[Bo]

Well, trying. You know what I mean? But Hate Breed's playing. They're on Oz Fest. They're doing the. But they're like. Though, like. Whoa.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah.

[Bo]

I can't believe.

[Gian Farahani]

Listen, I. Listen, I'm. I'm. I'm with you. And I would say I agree, this is just a big one.

[Bo]

Should I try to call James? He's gonna.

[Gian Farahani]

I think he's going Marauder.

[Bo]

I think he would too.

[Gian Farahani]

I think maybe we. I think we just come to a conclusion ourselves. You and me.

[Bo]

Okay. Overall, it has to be hate.

[Gian Farahani]

It has to be hate.

[Bo]

Yes. Okay, good. Thank God. Just because like, you got. I've read comments that you and I suck off Marauder so much that it's like old. I get that.

[Gian Farahani]

So I totally get it.

[Bo]

So I want you. You guys, that's not for the.

[Gian Farahani]

That has nothing to do with us having a show though, you know?

[Bo]

Yeah, no, no.

[Gian Farahani]

I've been doing that my whole life.

[Bo]

Yeah, right, right.

[Gian Farahani]

Many people in Southern California knew me as life. As Pain Guy.

[Bo]

Yeah. So I.

[Gian Farahani]

How often I wore the shirt.

[Bo]

I want you guys to just realize that even though we love Marauder and Love Master Killer and Five Deadly Venoms, that much and a little bit of brutality, a couple Tracks. Couple tracks we hate. Breed are the Goats. They. They're. They're Mount Rushmore. You know, we'll.

[Gian Farahani]

We'll see. Yeah.

[Bo]

Yeah, I think that's. I think that's fair.

[Gian Farahani]

But that. That, that. That concludes our second round. Second round in the left side. And that leaves the winners all out. War versus Integrity in the next round. And Death Threat versus Hate.

[Bo]

Brief. See, now we're getting into the.

[Gian Farahani]

This is Spice World.

[Bo]

Itty gritty, huh?

[Gian Farahani]

All right, right side, round two. Are we ready?

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Earth Crisis versus Ringworm.

[Bo]

This sucks because, like, my gut is ringworm, but I know the answer is Earth Crisis.

[Gian Farahani]

Personally, I think you just said it.

[Bo]

My, like, third tattoo is a ringworm tattoo. I love Ringworm. They've been a favorite of mine forever.

[Gian Farahani]

And they're still making.

[Bo]

And they're still making music and they're still touring and they're still playing.

[Gian Farahani]

And they will play your record release on the drop of a hat. Crisis might too.

[Bo]

Earth Crisis might too. Yeah, good point.

[Gian Farahani]

And. But dude, you think about Firestorm. Destroy Machines Gamora. Back to back. Back to back to back. Path of Resistance right after. That's an extension of it.

[Bo]

Yeah, but then. But then it's like Demo Promise Birth is Pain. Justice Replaced by Revenge is the comeback record with Frank. Good Lord.

[Gian Farahani]

I still think.

[Bo]

Yeah, no, my gut.

[Gian Farahani]

My gut here is Earthquake.

[Bo]

Because let's remember when it was Earth Crisis and turmoil. I. I brought up, like, the impact. The zeitgeist, the. The social crisis is. They are the.

[Gian Farahani]

Is that.

[Bo]

Is that. They are the 90s.

[Gian Farahani]

I agree.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Okay. Weird one up.

[Bo]

That. That hurt. That sucked.

[Gian Farahani]

I hated this. This is polar opposites here.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

This is a battery.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Cold as Life versus afi.

[Bo]

It's ridiculous.

[Gian Farahani]

I can't believe we have a weekly television program where we get to talk about Cold as Life versus AFI in any circumstance. We're very fortunate here. Thank you. Mad Vintage.

[Bo]

I'm going, listen. Going. Cold is Life for one reason. Just an arbitrary reason. I'm picking for this. This part. Borderland Hard. It has double bass. Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

I mean, listen, I hear you and I love that you said that.

[Bo]

Way more Paul Muting on Borderland Hard.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. But. Oh, I mean, I guess if we're talking 90s hardcore.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

And what that means.

[Bo]

Yes.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah, that's a factor. But like, hardcore punk is hardcore. That's hardcore. That's hardcore. And AFI is. Shut your mouth. Very proud of you. Even Black Sails.

[Bo]

Even Black Sails, sure.

[Gian Farahani]

Hardcore music from a different perspective.

[Bo]

Yes.

[Gian Farahani]

Cold is life.

[Bo]

It's the Winner. Yeah. Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

It's just 90s hardcore, you know?

[Bo]

Like, do you think anybody was throwing a spin kick to shut your mouth?

[Gian Farahani]

No.

[Bo]

You know what I mean?

[Gian Farahani]

But does that matter?

[Bo]

I think everything matters when we're talking about something.

[Gian Farahani]

Kick guy. Does that matter?

[Bo]

I think everything does when we're talking about something as ridiculous, as Cold as Life versus afi. I think all things considered are fair.

[Gian Farahani]

And I also, I mean, you look at the end of the day, one is a hardcore band now, one is not.

[Bo]

True. Yep.

[Gian Farahani]

Old as life. Okay, up next, Straight Edge versus Straight Edge. One broke, one didn't. Strife versus Floor Punch.

[Bo]

What do you my.

[Gian Farahani]

I mean, gut balls and ass all say? Floor Punch Horse.

[Bo]

Of course. All due respect to Strife, I put Strike respect in in the first round. I put Strife over. But I'm going Floor Punch, floor punches, everything. They have a book, dude, look.

[Gian Farahani]

That was very Michael Scott. I would say. Look at this whole bracket process it. So much of it has many key similarities in sound. Floor punch and like 10 yard fight. And AFI and bastard are the big outliers here.

[Bo]

You're right.

[Gian Farahani]

But. But Floor Punch is in a league of their own by just going back to basics.

[Bo]

There's also just like. I don't know, dude.

[Gian Farahani]

You look at what was popular in the 90s. This. It's this. And Floor Punch said that. Yeah, we're playing hardcore music. We're doing third traditional as it gets.

[Bo]

Yeah, I very good point with, like, here's what's popular in this genre. They're gonna do what they want to do now.

[Gian Farahani]

Here's us.

[Bo]

Here's us. And there's just something inherently cool, similar to youth today. Kind of a thing where it's like, it wasn't just a band. It was like a group of people. Yeah, it was a community.

[Gian Farahani]

It was a Floor Punch was a community. And Four Punch is cool now.

[Bo]

Right.

[Gian Farahani]

You know, the Floor Punch ethos carries on today. Floor Punch, Straight Edge. I don't hear anybody saying stripe Straight Edge. Nobody's describing as an adjective people as Strife Straight Edge.

[Bo]

Right, right.

[Gian Farahani]

So the winner is Four Punch here.

[Bo]

Yes. Agreed.

[Gian Farahani]

Country Mile, imo, crazy matchup next. But a landslide regardless, for sure. Mad Ball versus Vision Disorder, which I.

[Bo]

Think is like, fair. Like you want to talk 90s hardcore.

[Gian Farahani]

Bands in terms of 90s impact and what was going on? This is like an incredible yin and yang here. Mad Ball versus Vodka. But it's Mad Ball.

[Bo]

It's Mad Ball. It's everything we want.

[Gian Farahani]

There we go. There we have it. Our right side, second Round is complete. We've got Earth Crisis versus Cold as Life in the next round and Floor Punch versus Mad Ball.

[Bo]

So now we're at the quarterfinals, right?

[Gian Farahani]

I think this is quarterfinals. Yes.

[Bo]

We have what is our first quarterfinal here? All at War versus Integrity. Yeah, that sucks.

[Gian Farahani]

This is complicated now because you look at what it means to be 90s hardcore, and integrity is at the forefront of every list. If you look at the music I intend to listen to the soonest, the most and most frequently. I listen to All At War all the time. I listen to Integrity all the time. But all at War is musically, has had a bigger impact on me personally.

[Bo]

I.

[Gian Farahani]

About us.

[Bo]

I would say integrity, for me would be the biggest impact because they. They. Oh, it's so funny because one, like, they're both dark. They both have the, like, kind of scary shit. When I was really getting into stuff, Integrity just had the youth crew kind of cross over, that kind of thing. All At War was a little more metal core to me, you know? Yeah. I think it's got to be in Integrity for me.

[Gian Farahani]

I'm. I'm going all at War. Okay, who do we got? Jay?

[Bo]

Mind Force.

[Gian Farahani]

Totally. Yeah, bro. War.

[Bo]

Who do we got? I feel like the furthest away from the Atlantic Ocean is the better.

[Gian Farahani]

People don't know a lot war, though, dude.

[Bo]

Yeah. I mean, you're 100, right?

[Gian Farahani]

And they don't. They don't. They got no idea.

[Bo]

Now is now. Does that not indicate. You know what I mean? I suppose your worms are earworms, you know.

[Gian Farahani]

All right, let's find somebody.

[Bo]

Hello.

[Gian Farahani]

Hi.

[Bo]

Do you.

[Gian Farahani]

Yes. Are you okay with that?

[Bo]

Yes. Hi.

[Gian Farahani]

Check this out. We've got a legend here. Emma from Dying Wish, Newlywed. Mazel. Congratulations. There's my husband. Hey, there's Big Jeremy. Congratulations.

[Bo]

Thanks.

[Gian Farahani]

Husband and wife. But more importantly, we need you to settle a horrific debate.

[Bo]

Oh, God.

[Gian Farahani]

I know it's not good. I'm telling you, it's bad. All right, I'm sweating now. We are. We are doing a bracket to Crown the greatest 90s hardcore band of all time, okay? And we're at an impasse here. It's a horrific impasse, okay? The matchup that you get to decide the winner of is Integrity versus All Out War. Why do you guys do this? Okay, my answer is all out War.

[Bo]

Because I literally don't think they've ever put out anything bad ever. There you go.

[Gian Farahani]

There you go.

[Bo]

Boom.

[Gian Farahani]

Emma with logic and reason right off the bat. The way. This is why. This is why we call her, you know, Yay. She's a genius. Congratulations again on the wedding. Thank you so much.

[Bo]

We love y'.

[Gian Farahani]

All. We love you, too. We wish you a lifetime of greatness and. And wealth and health and stuff. Thanks. Of course. Have a great day. Bye, guys. All right, good luck. Love y'. All. Thank you. Love you, too.

[Bo]

Well, how about that.

[Gian Farahani]

And that.

[Bo]

Honestly, this entire bracket was going completely my way until just then.

[Gian Farahani]

But, dude, like I'm saying, sheer depth of their discography counts when none of it is bad.

[Bo]

You're absolutely right.

[Gian Farahani]

And talking to dwid, he'll tell you he did a whole album because a guy gave him some. A garbage bag of mushrooms.

[Bo]

Right?

[Gian Farahani]

Priorities.

[Bo]

Yep.

[Gian Farahani]

Okay, all out warrities, words. Next up, my heart.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Is attacking a stink I've got torn in two. This is no good. This is the. This is the bat. This is the Connecticut battle here. This is the real all out war. We've got Death Threat versus Hate Breed. My eyes are tearing up. For real.

[Bo]

I. My opinion, while you mull this over, is the argument for Hate Breed does not change if Hate Breed's beating Marauder. You know what I mean? Like, it doesn't change now. The only thing I think you can say is that Death Threat played fya. Death Threats playing hardcore and have been playing hardcore shows when they've played FY this year. Great point. That's right. They are. So there you go. Hey. Replayed ldb, you know, like.

[Gian Farahani]

Like Jamie's on both quintessential records, you know?

[Bo]

Yeah. I still think it goes under the knife. Satisfaction, perseverance, brutality. You know what I mean? Like, you still got that.

[Gian Farahani]

I just feel. I mean. And then if you're gonna go, death right here is just killing a piece of me.

[Bo]

If you're gonna stick to what your reasoning was before, too, you can only go. Last days versus satisfaction is the death of desire.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Bo]

You know.

[Gian Farahani]

I think it. I think it's apron here.

[Bo]

I think it has to be. And listen, no one, I don't think anyone on earth wants to see Death Threat. Like the set that you and I both watched at FYA last year was poignantly biblical. They had an incredible set, one that they deserved.

[Gian Farahani]

One of the best I've ever seen.

[Bo]

So there's no one happier for them than us.

[Gian Farahani]

I'm not happy anymore. This just broke me. But I think it is the objective, harsh truth here.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

I can't type it.

[Bo]

The goddamn pen is blue.

[Gian Farahani]

It's Hate Breed.

[Bo]

All right, so that means it's Hate Breed versus All the, the final four in this are gonna exactly match up to what I was predicting. I think minus integrity. I thought they were going.

[Gian Farahani]

All right, well, right side bracket number one, Earth Crisis versus Cold Is Life. This is a nail biter, dude. I've been. I'm biting my nails.

[Bo]

You're always biting your nails. I think it's. I think it's Earth Crisis. I think you, you said it. The. The four records, the three records, whatever. Boom. Coming. Coming out of the gate with the all out war episode. Crazy. Having a message, having.

[Gian Farahani]

But, dude, Cold As Life, there's no Mad Ball without Coldest Life. Essentially, you know, they're writing Mad Balls, writing songs about how sick Cold is.

[Bo]

Like, that is such a good point.

[Gian Farahani]

That's insane. But Earth Crisis, I'm Straight Edge because of, you know, one of the first bands I can ever say I ever loved. Cold Is Life, one of the hardest bands in history. Earth Crisis would also say, Cold Is Life, one of the hardest bands in history. Fuck, this sucks.

[Bo]

This sucks.

[Gian Farahani]

Born to Land Hard, recorded live, one take.

[Bo]

Or he said, you said live, right? A couple takes.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah, many takes.

[Bo]

Fuck.

[Gian Farahani]

This is no good. This is no good.

[Bo]

My. My gut is still.

[Gian Farahani]

Earth Crisis, I think, minus two in this. In. In the lens of what is a 90s hardcore band.

[Bo]

Correct.

[Gian Farahani]

Cold as Life, I think is like so much more than that. And yeah, maybe Earth Crisis is too. And, but. And if you're talking 90s impact, Earth Crisis is one of the first bands I typed, you know?

[Bo]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. When, when we decided on this bracket, it was legitimately like all at War, Earth Crisis, Integrity, like, those were the bands that came to mind. Strife for sure. I think so.

[Gian Farahani]

I think Earth Crisis wins.

[Bo]

I think so. I think it's fair.

[Gian Farahani]

This, this, this is unfortunate, you know, because in another matchup on the. On another bracket, Floor Punch. Mad Ball, like Mad Ball has to win this. Yeah, I think, I think. I think Porter would.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Say, are you guys insane? Mad Ball has to win this.

[Bo]

Yeah. What's funny is, Earth Crisis, Cold as Life is somehow the same as Floor Punch, Mad Ball in a way. You know what I'm saying? But like the, the ying yang, like. Yeah, yeah, like Straight Edge versus Floor Punch. Straight Edge, right. Cold as Life versus Mad Ball.

[Gian Farahani]

Who wrote that?

[Bo]

Is very true about ctyc, I think.

[Gian Farahani]

I think Mad Ball takes it.

[Bo]

I think so too. And I'm okay with that.

[Gian Farahani]

I'm okay with that. I guarantee you Floor Punch is okay with that. What? What is hardcore without Mad Ball?

[Bo]

I. I truly think you know, there is probably every. Every decade, let's say, has two parts. Right. So it's like early 80s, late 80s, early 90s. Late. Mad Ball is one of like the four of the mid to late 90s who changed the trajectory of what this style of music was 100%.

[Gian Farahani]

Because without them it probably would have gotten way more metallic, way weirder.

[Bo]

Yes.

[Gian Farahani]

Out of control. Mad Ball was there to, like, maintain control. They are the light side of the force here. Maintaining balance.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Metichlorians and whatnot.

[Bo]

Yeah, I think so.

[Gian Farahani]

I think Mad Ball wins this.

[Bo]

The utmost respect to floor punch.

[Gian Farahani]

Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Come on. Kidding me. And here we have our Final Four. Final Four for this is the Mount Rushmore.

[Bo]

What do we got?

[Gian Farahani]

All Out War versus Hatebreed and Earth Crisis versus Mad Ball.

[Bo]

Wow. We did it.

[Gian Farahani]

We did great. You know, I think Integrity All At War was like the biggest. And Marauder Hatebreed are the biggest upsets so far.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

But I think this is very sound and logical.

[Bo]

If I was doing this fully on my own, the only difference would be Integrity would have won. That All At War debate for that's a personal, you know, my preference. But that's it. I think we, we. We found the 90s hardcore bands. Of course, there are the medical bands that people are going to be shouting about. That's why you got that bracket.

[Gian Farahani]

Exactly.

[Bo]

You can write that.

[Gian Farahani]

It's coming. That and the medical brackets coming soon. First matchup, semifinals. All Out. War versus Hyp.

[Bo]

All At War versus Hatebreed.

[Gian Farahani]

On one hand, you have metallic hardcore titans whose consistency is the topic of many conversations on this show. What All Out War has managed to still do to this day, I can only dream of.

[Bo]

Yeah. Straight up. It's impressive.

[Gian Farahani]

And on the other hand, you have Hate Breed who soared to unimaginable heights for hardcore music.

[Bo]

They set a new height.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah.

[Bo]

For their, for their era.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. And. And you know, in. In our episode with Vinny Stigma, he said Hate Breed was the only band that ever said, hey, when we get big, we're going to take you out on the road. And actually did it.

[Bo]

They did it.

[Gian Farahani]

They weren't. They were fearless. And they continue to have hardcore bands support them at their unimaginable heights.

[Bo]

Yep. Yeah, I. I gotta go. Hate Breed.

[Gian Farahani]

It's gotta be Hate.

[Bo]

Good. I'm so glad you agree on that. I know that was hard.

[Gian Farahani]

It was.

[Bo]

But I think it's. It is objectively fair.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah, I think so too. I think just in terms, in sheer impact. Sheer impact on its own.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

It's hard to sound like all at war. Many people don't try. They always fail. Hate Breed has spawned many clones.

[Bo]

Oh God.

[Gian Farahani]

They always fail. But they're succeeding in a way. Hate Breed wins. And. And, and it's off to the finals.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

It's law. Okay.

[Bo]

Yep.

[Gian Farahani]

Holy hell. Earth Crisis versus Mad Ball.

[Bo]

Syracuse versus New York City.

[Gian Farahani]

The age old debate.

[Bo]

Now this is.

[Gian Farahani]

Where would you rather live?

[Bo]

This is legitimately difficult because it makes my stomach turn. Yeah. One it. But living here, you gotta learn.

[Gian Farahani]

You gotta learn.

[Bo]

One is Overtly. Straight Edge. Overtly has a message. Overtly was trying to change like the way the country worked.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. In a way that like really rubbed a lot of people the wrong way in the 90s big time. And Mad Ball is. Are these intense, violent personal stories and, and, and songs about brotherhood and, and unity and standing up against the. The motherfuckers.

[Todd]

Yeah.

[Bo]

Anti cop.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. Fuck yeah.

[Bo]

Pro.

[Gian Farahani]

Like, it's also like the spiritual continuation of Agnostic Front, arguably the greatest hardcore.

[Bo]

Band ever, which is the coolest thing.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah.

[Bo]

At one point you had Stigma and Matt Henderson in one.

[Gian Farahani]

And like, who was Matt Henderson before Mad Ball?

[Bo]

Right.

[Gian Farahani]

They found this guy.

[Bo]

Was he playing in AF first?

[Gian Farahani]

I don't know.

[Bo]

I don't know either.

[Gian Farahani]

We'll have to ask Matt. On an inevitable episode, friend of the show, Matt Henderson. Legend.

[Bo]

Legend.

[Gian Farahani]

Dude, I think it's Mad Ball here.

[Bo]

Wow. I think I agree with you. I. I do. I do think I agree with you. Oh, but man, hold on, because the thing I said about like the. For the Rushmore bands who changed the trajectory, Earth Crisis was that first half of the 90s. Same thing. They're on that. Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

But Madball was rocking that whole time. When did running.

[Bo]

When did Ball of destruction come out?

[Gian Farahani]

89.

[Bo]

Really?

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah.

[Bo]

I didn't know it was that early.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. Many suckers. 92 set it off. 94.

[Bo]

94. I knew that.

[Gian Farahani]

That's what I'm saying. And like. Yes, it's. This is not this. Their definitive work was the 90s.

[Bo]

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

[Gian Farahani]

So they weren't in our 80s bracket, so they had to be here.

[Bo]

So then all at war was what the.

[Gian Farahani]

The EP 90, 92 or 93.

[Bo]

And then when did slither was late 90s.

[Gian Farahani]

2001.

[Bo]

2001. Okay. So.

[Gian Farahani]

And Matt, hold it down is 2000, you know.

[Bo]

NYHCEP.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. That's after Slither. So post Slither they're still like hc.

[Bo]

Okay. Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

It's gotta be Mad Ball.

[Bo]

Yeah. I think I agree. I And I'm trying to not be a hypocrite to my own shit, to what I was saying before. So I'm considering both impacts.

[Gian Farahani]

I think Earth Crisis impact is more ethical.

[Bo]

Yes.

[Gian Farahani]

Mad Ball influenced every hardcore band.

[Bo]

Crisis kind of did, too.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. But, like, a lot of them went a different way. And then purists will be like, that's not hardcore.

[Bo]

Sure, sure, sure, sure.

[Gian Farahani]

Which I don't agree with. Obviously. We don't sp hairs on this program.

[Bo]

We definitely not for two hours.

[Gian Farahani]

No, we don't split them. We keep them intact. But I think. I think if you're going. Best band.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Maybe even. Even Earth Crisis would be like, man, Mad Ball's so good.

[Bo]

Okay.

[Gian Farahani]

You know.

[Bo]

Yeah, I got it. All right.

[Gian Farahani]

I got to go. Mad Ball here. We can call in a judge, but I think maybe we save the judges for the finals here coming up. Yeah, but I think. I think this. This choice is this. This is Mad Ball.

[Bo]

They're a hardcore band.

[Gian Farahani]

Hardcore band, you know, through and through. Never changed, never. Never broke up.

[Bo]

Great point.

[Gian Farahani]

Never wanted to be anything else. Okay.

[Bo]

Except.

[Gian Farahani]

You with me.

[Bo]

I'm with you.

[Gian Farahani]

Do you agree or.

[Bo]

Yeah, no, I. I do agree. It's. It's conflicting. Because I guarantee you, people from here who are around during the 90s will say Earth Crisis all the way.

[Gian Farahani]

No, I mean, I, like, I know that. I'm. I'm sure they will. You know, Earth Crisis was the biggest band for a huge part of the 90s, but you listen, put Set it off on it and like that. That impact is still ringing today. More so than Destroy the Machines a lot. In large part because Destroy the Machine is hard to rip off. It's so unique.

[Bo]

It's very unique.

[Gian Farahani]

It's so original and groundbreaking and different, but Mad Ball is fucking hardcore.

[Bo]

Okay. Yeah, I'm with it.

[Gian Farahani]

Never have it.

[Bo]

Now we're fucked.

[Gian Farahani]

Our final matchup is decided. Hate Breed versus Mad Ball, a band that is inarguably 90s and hate breeding, you know, like, really defined so much of what would happen right. At Satisfaction and On the sea is different.

[Bo]

Yes.

[Gian Farahani]

Set it off and on. Everything's different.

[Bo]

How do we do this? I really don't. I'm really, truly, like. Because I also have the bias of, you know, having toured with them and befriending them. So I. Yeah, so I have a bit.

[Gian Farahani]

I did the Satisfaction anniversary tour. I did the Perseverance anniversary. I got Sean in my band. They're. They're. I'm from Connecticut. They're a huge part of me. And then I get. And I still think, damn, Mad Ball.

[Bo]

Is incredible because there's no, like. Yeah, I don't know, there's no hyperbole. You know what I mean? Like, it's all those lyrics are his lyrics. They're real, real, you know, and that's.

[Gian Farahani]

Demonstrate my style, look my Way, Hold It Down. Those are all bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.

[Bo]

I have said many times, I know hold it down is 2000, but can't stop, Won't Stop, I think is one of the most perfect hardcore songs ever written front to back.

[Gian Farahani]

And if we're talking. If we have to do the exclusion of the 2000s debate for this, yeah, it's Mad Ball in a landslide.

[Bo]

Right? Because Hate has like two things just.

[Gian Farahani]

In terms of sheer quality and quantity together. So we've got to factor in full discogs here.

[Bo]

But then we were also talking about impact and stuff. And Haybreed was on ozfest. They were 100%. They were. But then there's like the Mad Ball dynamo thing.

[Gian Farahani]

Like Dynamo, the coolest shit ever. You got one of the dream team lineups, dude with Stigma Hoya, Matt Henderson, all rocking at once.

[Bo]

There's the.

[Gian Farahani]

That's crazy.

[Bo]

Yeah. And. I don't know, then there's just like.

[Gian Farahani]

Wetlands video versus anything ever, you know?

[Bo]

Yeah, but then there's there's the Hate Breed lore and the Hate Breed videos and like the Hate Breed video where someone uses a mad ball, you know, like, there's all that shit too. I don't know.

[Gian Farahani]

Should we call in and get some. Some second opinions? Maybe. Maybe we get two or three second opinions here. All right. No one.

[Bo]

No one from New York or Connect or no one from New England.

[Gian Farahani]

No problem. We got motherfucking TXJ here, Legend. One of our. One of our all time goats. Todd, we've got. We've got a tough one here, okay? These are our finals. So we're gonna call. We're gonna call. Probably two or three people have them way on it, but you're our first call. The final two bands in our best 90s hardcore band category. And keep in mind here, the bands were included because one of. One of the bands was started in the 80s, but their 90s work is so definitive that it has to be considered 90s hardcore hate breed versus mad ball.

[Bo]

Yep.

[Gian Farahani]

I know. Yeah, it's.

[Bo]

What the.

[Gian Farahani]

It's tough.

[Todd]

I don't know, man.

[Gian Farahani]

I know.

[Todd]

Did Hate Breed make a better record than Set It Off?

[Bo]

What a question.

[Gian Farahani]

What a question.

[Todd]

I think that's what it Comes down to right. And did Hate Breed make a better record than Dropping Many Suckers.

[Gian Farahani]

And that's five years before Satisfaction, you know.

[Todd]

Yeah, but it's still the 90s.

[Gian Farahani]

And hey, no. And Hate Breed covered Set it off on their cover album.

[Bo]

Wow.

[Gian Farahani]

Diabolical question, but you know, it's a dirty job. We got to do it now.

[Todd]

Do we need to. Now we're judging these bands. Are we judging them by their influence, by their longevity, or by just by the strength of one record?

[Gian Farahani]

All things.

[Todd]

Their whole catalog. The whole catalog.

[Gian Farahani]

All factors here.

[Todd]

I'm going with Mad Ball.

[Bo]

Wow.

[Gian Farahani]

Utmost respect. And.

[Todd]

And, and there's no wrong answer. I don't think there's a. I don't know if there's a wrong or even a right answer to this one.

[Bo]

No, I'm.

[Gian Farahani]

I'm with you 100%.

[Bo]

We.

[Todd]

We are going with Mad Ball for Just Because Freddy's one of the best frontman in hardcore.

[Bo]

True.

[Gian Farahani]

In history. And. And like you look at Wetlands 96 video or whatever, that's the most locked in coolest looking lineup. The energy is untouchable, those songs.

[Todd]

Yeah, there's just something about those songs, man.

[Gian Farahani]

Like.

[Todd]

Like there's something that, like, there's like an energy about them. Like Hate Breed has a different energy. He breeds like darker and. And they're so good. It's, you know, just Mad Ball just. They had something special to them that like. I don't know. I. I don't think there's a wrong answer to this question, but my vote is for Matt Ball.

[Gian Farahani]

Okay, outstanding. Thank you so much, Todd. Thank you, fellas. Have a.

[Todd]

Have a. Have a good time with this one.

[Gian Farahani]

Thanks, man. We're trying. Talk to you soon. All right, See ya.

[Bo]

I got James. Ready.

[Gian Farahani]

Hit it.

[Bo]

He will, he will like this one. All right, James. Best 90s hardcore bands of all time. We're down to the finals. We need you to be a tiebreaker for this. All of our favorite bands are on this list. We boiled it down. Couple upsets, couple knots. We got on one side Mad Ball, on the other side, Hate Breed. Now consider this is 90s hardcore band. So we're considering all things like impact, discography, success, realness, whatever you want to consider. It's all part of it. Man.

[Gian Farahani]

That is. That is a really hard question.

[Bo]

It is something that Colin did bring up is that Madball put out almost up to hold it down was 2000. Hey, breed had under the Knife, the demo and Satisfaction. But what they did with that and the momentum of that is like.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah, I mean, obviously, Mad Ball, I think, is probably more influential to, you know, the wave of New York hardcore, like post 2000s.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

But I think Hate Breed is probably the band that is most influential across the board when it comes to hardcore. So I would probably have to pick Heat Break.

[Bo]

Interesting. Okay. All right. Perfect. Thank you.

[Gian Farahani]

So. All right. Thank you, James. You got it.

[Bo]

See you tomorrow.

[Gian Farahani]

Later.

[Bo]

Okay.

[Gian Farahani]

We're at an impasse.

[Todd]

We are at.

[Bo]

And we need a, we need a third. We need to find.

[Gian Farahani]

Honestly, talking to Todd, like, my, My gut was. Mad Ball.

[Bo]

My gut kind of was too. Not going to lie. I think we, we call a third just for due diligence sake.

[Gian Farahani]

Let's do some diligence. Let's do some. Do we need somebody not from the northeast United States, not from the eastern time zone? I'm sorry, dude, for what I'm about to ask you. Are you camera ready, you think? Yeah. Yeah. You look handsome. All right, everybody, here we are. We have Mr. Brian Garris here. Brian, we've got to ask you a very important question.

[Brian Garris]

Okay.

[Gian Farahani]

We are doing a bracket to determine the winner of the best 90s hardcore band of all time. Oh, we're on our finals and we're at an impasse.

[Brian Garris]

Okay.

[Gian Farahani]

And you are the ultimate tiebreaker.

[Bo]

It's true.

[Gian Farahani]

This is so much pressure, and it's about to get worse. The finals are Hate Breed versus Mad Ball.

[Brian Garris]

I have to go. Hate Breed.

[Bo]

See, look at that.

[Gian Farahani]

There you go. I have to go.

[Brian Garris]

Hate Breed. It's Satisfaction hits in a new way every time I listen to it.

[Bo]

Wow.

[Gian Farahani]

That's logic and reason and sound.

[Brian Garris]

And it doesn't end there. I mean, they just keep being dope.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah, that's true. I've ripped off Hate Breed more than I've ripped off many, many, many, maybe at any other band.

[Bo]

Yeah, yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

But hardcore as a whole, ripped off Mad Ball maybe more than any other band from 94.

[Brian Garris]

I love Mad Ball. I, I, I love Mad Ball. And that's, that's definitely tough. But Hate Breed for me is just very special. It is something that I find myself every time. Like, no joke, every time I listen to Satisfaction, like, a lyric will pop out that I've never really, like, paid attention to. And I'm like, why was he writing this?

[Gian Farahani]

I know.

[Brian Garris]

Or like a breakdown hits in a new way. Or it's just, it's like perfect, in my opinion.

[Gian Farahani]

And there you have it.

[Bo]

I accept it.

[Gian Farahani]

Thank you, Brian. I'm sorry. I'm sorry to put you through that. I hope you have a great day.

[Brian Garris]

Thanks, man.

[Gian Farahani]

All right, bye. Wow.

[Bo]

So.

[Gian Farahani]

What a non upset. Yeah.

[Bo]

There's really no wrong answer. I think Todd's correct. I do. I understand both sides of the argument.

[Gian Farahani]

Yeah. My heart says Mad Ball. But I do think Hate Breed is probably the answer.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

In terms of a band that started working in the 90s, put out a groundbreaking record in the 90s, carried that.

[Bo]

On, toured like a motherfucker.

[Gian Farahani]

Like a motherfucker. Like the mother is fuckerest.

[Bo]

Straight up. Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

Mad Ball made it to the finals.

[Bo]

You know, and every band is trying to do what they did.

[Gian Farahani]

Yes. Do you know what I mean?

[Bo]

Unsuccessful, Unsuccessfully. But I'm talking like, yeah, record sales and success wise, reach wise, you know, all that.

[Gian Farahani]

There you go. Hipert is our winner.

[Bo]

That makes sense.

[Gian Farahani]

This was brutal.

[Bo]

It was. I love Ringworm, I love Marauder. I love Mad ball, I love 10 yard fight.

[Gian Farahani]

You know, every this bracket is. This is one of the greatest playlists in history. And at the end of the day, that's what it's all about, is discovery and sharing. What we wish we had shared with us when we were 14, 15.

[Bo]

Yeah.

[Gian Farahani]

We found most of these things over time, but you're getting them here all together at once. You are so lucky to have us and we're so lucky to have you. We love you all. Hate Breed is the winner and we'll see you next week.

[Bo]

Bye.

[Gian Farahani]

This episode is brought to you by Mad Vintage.