You won't find any heavy-metal mutations on this list, either; musically, these acts stay close to the classic sound of the '80s. And, yes, most of them are based out east: the number of universities and the close proximity of cities helps keep this scene of American punk bands churning out records.
5. Coke Bust If you like your hardcore with a heavy layer of thrash smothering the riffs and shouted vocals, this is your style. This D.C. straight-edge band has risen to prominence in the past few years, touring the states and, most recently, Europe. 4. No Tolerance With prolific musician DFJ on vocals, this straight-edge hardcore band is anything but accepting. Angry and raw, the group's music clears a huge hole in the middle of any room it plays. 3. Vaccine On a list of angry bands, western Massachusetts's Vaccine may win the title as the angriest. After releasing a demo, the band has put out a ten-song EP, Human Hatred, and the first track, "Your Life's a Joke," gives you notice right away that the forthcoming songs are going to be hate-filled punk rock. Vaccine blasts through those ten songs in a little more than four minutes. We're going to avoid the "ex-members" notes here, because in hardcore, everyone is an ex-member of some other band. But it should be noted that Joe Shumsky of Think I Care is on drums with Vaccine, a clear indication of the latter's pedigree in rage. 2. Nazi Dust The current star on the Youth Attack roster, Tampa, Florida-based Nazi Dust released an incredible self-titled EP in 2009, which received a lot of jaw-moving hype among zine writers and bloggers. Listen to "Bad Blood," the best song on that EP, below: 1. Waste Management The fact that this band hails from the Boston area should make you think of SSD, especially the vocals, although on their newer cassette, there's a slight Japanese hardcore influence, probably due to the members' affinity for the style.Honorable mentions: Boston Strangler, Sick Fix, Poison Planet, Urban Blight, Black SS, Mindset, Down to Nothing.
