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
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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.
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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.”
- Trapped Under Ice vs. No Warning:
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
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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.”
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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.”
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Bitter End vs. Hope Conspiracy
- Bo (08:33): "Very surprising to me... Bitter End broke out, dude."
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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.”
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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.”
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“Better than the Rolling Stones”
- Colin (27:17): “Piece by Piece is better than the Rolling Stones to me.”
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Mental vs. Tragedy
- Bob Wilson (82:49): “I obviously love Tragedy... but you gotta go Mental, I’m sorry.”
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On the Impact of TUI
- Colin (09:49): “Trapped Under Ice changed the world.”
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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.
