Remember when H.R. hadn't lost his mind yet, Dischord's best releases weren't reissues, Cro-Mags didn’t hate each other and CBGB's wasn't fucking dead? Maybe you do, maybe you don't. I wasn't there, but if you were that must've been awesome. My generation has to settle for Gorilla Biscuits reunion shows, a documentary called American Hardcore, and Henry Rollins spoken word. Yeah, generation Y missed the boat, hardcore died in the '80s and things will never be the same again. Whatever. As long as we still hate the government, our parents and ourselves, and My War will never go out of print, hardcore is still fucking relevant.

Agree with me or not, but you’re reading my column and if I'm gonna be writing about anything, it might as well be something that's played a profound part of my life ever since my parents met at a B.G.K. show 25 years ago. Heavy riffs, stage dives, circle pits, all-ages shows, DIY labels, and a pissed off attitude is what I'm bringing to the SuicideGirls Newswire from now on. This is the first edition of What We Do Is Secret, and fuck you if you don’t like The Germs.

So now that Have Heart has kicked the bucket, 108 broke up again (or not) and Refused aren't reforming after all, what's left of the current underground hardcore scene? To make it a little bit easier weeding out the bullshit, here are 15 bands that I think are doing a pretty great job at playing what hardcore is circa 2010, be it dead or alive.

Alpha & Omega

If you've ever been to an Alpha & Omega show, it probably won't surprise you that the Los Angeles-based band has played with heavyweights such as Madball, H20 and Cro-Mags, despite having released just one demo and a 7". Drawing their influences from Leeway, Integrity and Crowbar, the four-piece has become one of the most promising new hardcore bands around over the past few years, and if The Devil's Bed is any indication of where this band his headed, expect a heavy as fuck LP coming out on 6131 Records later this year.



Backtrack

While many seem to miss the mark and end up sounding like a poor excuse for a Breakdown cover band, Backtrack plays New York hardcore the way it should be. After a successful first European tour and killing it at United Blood Fest this year, they are set to do full U.S. tour with Foundation, Harm's Way and Rotting Out next month. Their Deal With the Devil 7" came out not too long ago and I've had it on heavy rotation ever since picking it up in February. Get into it.



Black Breath

I didn't catch on to these dudes until earlier this year, but since then it hasn’t gone unnoticed that Black Breath is getting huge fast. The trash/metal/hardcore band from Seattle caught the attention of Southern Lord Records, who recently signed them and put out their first full-length. Embarking on a month-long tour with Converge and Coalesce in May, you'll definitely hear this name more often in the future. I'm dying to see them live but until that day I will have to bang my head to the recently released Heavy Breathing album. Seriously, don't sleep on this if you like the sound of Entombed meets Poison Idea.



Ceremony

It's been a little quiet (well, figuratively speaking) around Ceremony since the release of their ultra-violent 12" Still Nothing Moves You, but that will definitely change this year. With the highly-anticipated release of a third LP, Rhonert Park, raging through Asia alongside Bane, a full U.S. tour scheduled this Summer and playing the Unbroken reunion show in London this fall, Ceremony is louder and more aggressive than ever.



Cult Ritual

I’m not even sure how I heard about this band and whether they're ever putting out a last record or not, but either way their three spine-chilling, unnervingly distorted, fast as fuck 7"s shouldn't fade into obscurity. The fact that I can't seem to find out much more about Cult Ritual than their origins (Tampa, Florida) and that they're on Mark McCoy's (Charles Bronson, Das Oath) label Youth Attack only adds to their experimental enigma. On a side-note, those records (supposedly accompanied with human hair and teeth!) are sold the fuck out and probably won't ever be repressed so the MP3s are available to download for free on their blog. P.S. Front page graphic of Cult Ritual originally published on the cover of Maximum Rock'n'Roll #313.



Foundation

Watching them play one of the most impressive sets at The Great American Hardcore Fest last year, Atlanta's Foundation have since become one of my favorite new straight edge bands. Hang Your Head is heavy and straightforward, nothing more and nothing less than '90s-influenced hardcore at its best. They recently joined the Bridge Nine Records roster and are set to tour the U.S. with the aforementioned Backtrack this spring, so keep this band on your radar.



Iron Age

With a complete style and line-up overhaul, Iron Age is hardly the same band we were used to on Constant Struggle, but goddamn I like it. Growing out their hair and trading hardcore roots for metal to create a more complex, haunting and sometimes foreboding sound, this Austin, Texas five-piece doesn't need much else to hold their audience's attention. It's been out for a little while, but get your hands on a copy of The Sleeping Eye for one of the hardest records you'll hear this year.



Mother Of Mercy

Also just signed to Bridge Nine Records, Mother Of Mercy is young, loud, fast and pissed off; essentially everything I love about hardcore. Founded by members of Let Down (R.I.P.) in 2007, the Pennsylvania band's 2nd full-length will drop sometime later in 2010, and if III didn't make you want to pit in your room and break shit, this next LP should fix that.



Pressvre

It's a bummer that Pressvre (not to be confused with Pressure from Belgium) just announced to be calling it quits after 5 years, but you can still catch them at Rain Fest in Tacoma, WA before they officially split. Until the release of their final endeavor, a split cassette tape with friends Rotting Out, the L.A. hardcore band's split 7" with Colin Of Arabia is raw as fuck and worth taking for a spin.



Rise And Fall

Although Rise And Fall have been around for a minute, I still wanted to mention this band because they fucking shred and deserve credit for being the (in my opinion) most crucial European hardcore band around. Hailing from Ghent, Deathwish Inc. darlings Rise And Fall have toured extensively with the likes of Converge, Blacklisted and The Hope Conspiracy. Four years after the release of their first LP, the Belgians relentlessly delivered Our Circle Is Vicious to much critical acclaim.



Rotting Out

I have a weak spot for '80s thrashy hardcore, so why look any further than SoCal for it? L.A.'s Rotting Out have been making a name for themselves by touring the country incessantly over the past year (getting into trouble with Foundation and Backtrack next month, I’m sure) and putting out a solid new album on 6131 Records. I'm stoked to hear more from them in the future. Oh, and Suicidal Tendencies covers are always a plus!



Touché Amoré

Another L.A.-based and undeniably one of the most talked about bands in hardcore today, Touché Amoré has gained a substantial following since the release of their first full-length, ...To The Beat Of A Dead Horse. In the vein of bands like Modern Life Is War and American Nightmare, I've rarely heard so much honest misery on a single album. Europe has to wait a little longer to witness this with their own eyes, ears and hearts, but U.S. fans can catch them on tour with Strike Anywhere and Bane in June.



Trapped Under Ice

Rarely a new band emerges that can compete with household names in hardcore like Terror and Madball, but that doesn't mean shit when you're Trapped Under Ice and already have the whole world on its knees upon releasing your first 7". Never have I experienced such an overnight hype (albeit deserved) around a seemingly unknown band than with this Baltimore five-piece. So what's the big fucking deal? Get into the mosh pit and ask me again. Secrets Of The World is out now on Reaper Records.



Trap Them

Ranging from crust punk to death metal and back to hardcore, Trap Them have a way with perfecting their craft by effortlessly combining said genres. Raw vocals, thundering percussion and crushing riffs all blend together forming a signature sound that won't be ignored. After a couple of releases on Deathwish Inc., Trap Them has recorded Filth Rations, a one-sided etched 12" for Southern Lord Records, which will be available soon. Catch them at this year's Maryland Deathfest in May.



Trash Talk

In addition to fast as fuck 30-second songs and near-death experience stage diving, a Trash Talk show isn't complete without broken furniture, perpetual red eyes, suffering livers and bloody faces. If you haven't seen them yet you're really fucking up as the Bay Area's most loved/hated thrashers are constantly touring Europe, the U.S. and beyond. Having witnessed Trash Talk crush and destroy anything that comes in their way 30+ times, I am the least bit surprised that they've acquired such a steady cult following since they formed in 2005. Eyes & Nines will be released on the band's own label, Trash Talk Collective, on May 18 and they're on tour forever.



P.S. More free music! Deathwish/Malfunction and Six Feet Under Records have teamed up to create a digital sampler featuring tracks from Converge, Narrows, Integrity, Blacklisted, Doomriders, Bitter End, Lewd Acts, Killing The Dream, New Lows, Trap Them, Mother Of Mercy, United Nations, Ressurection, True Colors, Foundation, Ceremony, and a shitload of other bands you should probably know about. Download it.

Clio studies international music management in The Netherlands, used to work at Reflections Records, likes colored vinyl, and has toured with a bunch of bands. Feel free to hit her up with any recommendations you think she'd be into: clioariane [at] gmail [dot] com