HardLore Episode Summary

Podcast: HardLore
Hosts: Colin Young & Bo Lueders
Episode: The Best 2000's Hardcore Band (Tournament Bracket)
Date: January 8, 2026

Episode Overview

Colin and Bo, with a few guest opinions, set out to crown the ultimate 2000s hardcore band. Using a seeded tournament bracket of 64 bands (2000–2010 era), the hosts pit legends of the scene against each other in head-to-head matchups, reflecting on personal experiences, the bands’ impact, creativity, and lasting legacy within hardcore. The process is highly conversational, full of inside stories, playful debate, and scene nostalgia.

Tone: Playful, passionate, self-aware, at times irreverent—hardcore fan energy throughout.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Scope, Rules, and Bracket Construction (01:15–02:42)

• Eligibility: Bands with central activity or defining output between 2000–2010, even if some started earlier.
• Selection: 64 bands, double the usual for such brackets, but still sparking “Where’s [X] band?” debates.
• Some key bands (e.g., Ramallah) almost forgotten and slotted in last-minute.
• Quote – Colin (01:51): “It was impossible to do an honorable mention section, because there were as many as on the regular mentions.”
• Purpose: Not strictly popularity—impact, innovation, influence, and “being there” as scene participants matter.

2. First Round Highlights & Matchups

Not comprehensive, just touches on the most animated or controversial discussions.

Converge vs. Rampage (03:34–05:07)

• Converge's creative dominance, peer respect, and scene influence make it the easy pick.
• Quote – James (04:32): “Converge was, in hindsight, like Turnstile. In a creative league of their own … just like, wow, you can do that.”

Bitter End vs. Hope Conspiracy (06:00–08:33)

• Immediate indecision leads to a comical guest tiebreaker (Dan/MJF)—who answers “Suicide,” jokingly picking Suicide File.
• Reminiscence about how both records (“Climate of Fear” and “Death Knows Your Name”) defined the decade but Bitter End edges ahead due to broader/larger impact.
• Memorable Moment (08:12): “Max, if you had to pick between Bitter End or Hope Conspiracy, who would you pick?” “Suicide.”

Trapped Under Ice vs. Violation (09:17–10:29)

• TUI hailed as transformative; credited with uniting hardcore factions (beatdown kids, posi kids, etc.) and shifting the genre’s fashion and musical direction.
• Quote – Colin (09:49): “[TUI] killed melodic hardcore once and for all. Got everybody in bigger jeans, bigger hats, bigger shirts. Changed the world.”

Other Standout Pairings

• Justice given to Shattered Realm vs. Born From Pain; Carry On vs. Justice (“Carry On changed my life,” says James, 15:46).
• Trash Talk vs. Pulling Teeth: Trash Talk more popular/explosive but Pulling Teeth gets the nod for personal replay value and writing “the most convincing vegan anthem.”
• Iron Age vs. The Promise: Recognition of shifting tastes—Iron Age’s impact appreciated “in hindsight.”
• No Warning vs. Bracewar: “No Warning was one of those game-changing bands. The best New York hardcore band from Canada.” (21:26)
• Ceremony vs. New Lows: Ceremony moves forward as a “legit meteor,” praised for their dynamic live energy and artistic risk-taking despite scene risks.
• Cold World vs. Donnybrook: Cold World chosen for lasting festival headliner status; “2000s bands still run shit” when active.
• Piece by Piece vs. Reach the Sky: Passionate defense of Piece by Piece’s unconventional but ultra-hard approach—“better than the Rolling Stones to me.” (27:17)
• Mental vs. Extortion: Mental declared a “decade-defining” band and “the Beatles” for this bracket.
• 86 Mentality, American Nightmare, Rise and Fall all get lavish praise in their matchups.

3. International/Genre Diversity

• Highlights:
  • Framtid lauded as Japanese crust legends.
  • Numb (Japan), Knuckle Dust (UK), Stout (Baltimore), Born From Pain (Germany), Extortion (Australia) all included.
• Recognition of how rare it was for international/genre-variant bands to break into the US hardcore consciousness.

4. Ties & Guest Tiebreakers

Throughout, when Colin and Bo are split, they “phone a friend”:

• Dan/MJF picks “Suicide File” (jokingly).
• Aldo from Human Garbage (for Comeback Kid vs. Ramallah).
• Bob Wilson (for Mental vs. Tragedy).
• Martin Stewart, Jamie Morgan, Chris Mills, and Justice Tripp—they all weigh in for pivotal later-round ties.

5. Meaning of “Best”—Impact, Influence, Endurance

• Recurrent discussion: Is “best” about legacy, personal preference, impact, or sheer catalog consistency?
• Quote – Colin (88:14): “Who’s doper? What would you rather put on right now? I think that means something.”
• Genre boundaries: How “hardcore” must a “hardcore band” be for this context? (e.g., Converge vs. TUI).

6. Advancing Bands: Notable Matchups & Eliminations

• Quarterfinals:

  • TUI vs Carry On: Longevity and breadth give TUI the edge.
  • No Warning vs. American Nightmare: Harder, punchier modern appeal to No Warning (103:11).
  • Have Heart vs. Terror: Terror’s nonstop output, peerless consistency, and omnipresence edge out the massive crowd draws and emotional weight of Have Heart.
  • 100 Demons vs. Blacklisted: 100 Demons’ “hardest band ever” weight wins, with three guests voting in agreement.

• Semifinals:

  • Trapped Under Ice vs. No Warning:
    • TUI's larger influence and continued presence (“spawned” Turnstile, Angel Dust).
  • Terror vs. 100 Demons:
    • Unanimous, including from guests—Terror’s sustained dominance and commitment make them “the standard.”

7. The Finals: Terror vs. Trapped Under Ice (114:31–126:52)

• Side-by-side breakdown of discography, influence, innovation, and objective scene impact.
• Both finalists (Scott Vogel for Terror, Justice Tripp for TUI) weigh in—each gives high praise to the other; both agree Terror is the most consistent, definitive band of the era.
• Quote – Justice Tripp (125:22): “There’s no conversation about what hardcore band is greater than Terror... There’s not a bad release, you’ve never seen a bad show. It’s, I don’t think it’s a competition.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Tournament Heresy and Death by Seeding

  • Colin (04:01): “Everybody complained about our first couple brackets because I didn’t seed them at all. It was just... massive band versus massive band. This is seeded pretty well now, which leads to the first round being pretty brutal.”

• On Converge’s Place in Scene History

  • James (04:47): “Converge was, in hindsight, like Turnstile... In a creative league of their own … ahead of their time, that damn Jane Doe face sold about, I know, 3 million.”

• Bitter End vs. Hope Conspiracy

  • Bo (08:33): "Very surprising to me... Bitter End broke out, dude."

• On the Mythology of Stout

  • Colin (44:46): “The mythology of Stout is backed up by this insanely unique, aggressive, and shockingly... high IQ hard music. Baltimore, dude.”

• On Making Brackets and the Purpose

  • Colin (12:25): “I want to remind you all, that’s what this is really about, is putting you onto this big list of things rather than actual... We don’t give a fuck about the winner. Everybody knows it’s between five of these bands.”

• “Better than the Rolling Stones”

  • Colin (27:17): “Piece by Piece is better than the Rolling Stones to me.”

• Mental vs. Tragedy

  • Bob Wilson (82:49): “I obviously love Tragedy... but you gotta go Mental, I’m sorry.”

• On the Impact of TUI

  • Colin (09:49): “Trapped Under Ice changed the world.”

• Finals Perspective from the Actual Bands

  • Scott Vogel (Terror) (121:11): “My thoughts on Trapped Under Ice, man, they should win. Give it to them. Perfect live band, so much personality, unique style, all the records are great."
  • Justice Tripp (TUI) (125:24): “There’s no conversation about what hardcore band is greater than Terror...Not a bad release, you've never seen a bad show."

Tournament Timeline & Notable Tiebreak Decisions

• 08:12, 53:07, 82:04, 91:39, 107:48, 108:48, 110:25, 118:28, 119:13
  • Various tiebreak calls and hot seat opinions from scene luminaries and friends; formatted like true “phone a friend” moments.

The Final Four & Outcome

| Semifinalists | Notable Reactions | |------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | Trapped Under Ice (TUI) | “God tier hardcore… spawned new era, changed everything.” | | No Warning | “Aggressive, hard, capital H/C, demo & LP unstoppable.” | | Terror | “Never stopped, 12th LP on the way, the band.” | | 100 Demons | “Hardest band ever. Certified. But... Terror has it.” |

Championship Match: Terror vs. Trapped Under Ice

• Both bands’ vocalists called for thoughts.
• Both agree: Terror is the most deserving, “the Michael Jordan” of hardcore.
• Quote – Colin (127:27): “Terror. The best 2000s hardcore band. Who can argue that?”
• All agree: if you’re new or old, (re)discover Terror’s discography—and all 64 bracketed bands.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & Bracket Setup: 00:00–03:30
• Notable First Round Matchups: 03:34–20:00
• International/Genre Diversity: 29:21, 67:35
• Mid-bracket Recap: 38:31–39:17
• Quarter/Semifinals: 101:53–114:31
• Finals & Winners’ Commentary: 114:44–127:10
• Signing Off: 127:27–128:20

Conclusion

HardLore’s "Best 2000’s Hardcore Band" bracket is more than a competitive tournament: it’s a love letter to the era’s bands, a showcase for their influence, a peek inside hardcore’s lived history, and a hilarious, earnest testament to scene camaraderie and friendly contradiction.
Final Result: TERROR — the “band of the decade,” crowned by consensus, competitors, and hosts alike.

“There’s no conversation about what hardcore band is greater than Terror.”
— Justice Tripp (125:22)

Recommended for: Hardcore fans, scene history heads, people who love deep-cut debates, anyone seeking the essence of the 2000s hardcore spirit.