Lionheart is celebrating the release of their new album, Welcome To The West Coast II, today and to celebrate we asked Lionheart vocalist Rob Watson to tell us the five hardcore albums that changed his life. See his picks below.
You can listen to Welcome To The West Coast II on Spotify and iTunes.
1. Blood For Blood –Â Spit My Last Breath
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkpkcMmShw4[/youtube]
This album changed my life. This was the first HC album I heard where the LYRICS really connected with me. I still remember the first time I heard the title track and thought "Holy shit, I'm not the only one this fucked up- I'm not the only one who feels like this." In my opinion, White Trash Rob is the best songwriter in HC history and their entire catalogue is unreal.
2. Strife –Â In This Defiance
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIx0fwYs0bI[/youtube]
I think I was 11 when I first heard this right when it came out. This was the first HC album I'd ever heard and my mind was blown. The riffs were metallic and heavy and the drums had a ton of groove. If this album came out today it would sound just as current as anything- Strife was 100% ahead of their time.
3. Hatebreed –Â Rise of Brutality
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wg56TJVGjg[/youtube]
Of course I love the earlier stuff, but I always thought this was their hardest album. Such a perfect mix between the older hatebreed and the direction they were going with the new stuff. This album is pure Hatebreed mosh- it's heavy, predictable (in a good way), and straight up pissed.
4. Madball –Â Hold it Down
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3CfJsoe4DY[/youtube]
"Show No Fear" is easily a top 3 song for me and definitely my favorite Madball song. This album hits hard front to back and is a perfect example of what a hardcore album should be- honest, heavy, and pissed.
5. Hoods –Â The King Is Dead
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWPGwRTcBJk[/youtube]
In my opinion, this was a defining moment for Northern California's brand of modern day hardcore. Hoods, along with First Blood, carried the torch for the mid 2000's heavy hardcore in NorCal. No question about it. Those shows were absolute mayhem. Pray for death was an insane album but the production and song writing on The King Is Dead make that one my favorite. This album was a huge influence on Lionheart in our early years.
Honorable 6th mention: Lionheart-Â Welcome To The West Coast II
[youtube]https://youtu.be/gSojGEFM22c[/youtube]
People always act like it's weird when I say my favorite band is Lionheart, but if I'm writing music why would I not be writing my favorite music? I write exactly what I want to hear, and that's what's fun about this. You have full control over what you create, so if you're in a band and it's not your favorite band you're definitely doing this shit wrong.
