Carol - Discography

If you can call five songs a discography, that is. Carol was a hardcore band from Bremen, land of great hardcore. They had a brief run in 1996-97; I'm not sure what other bands, if any, the members did. All Carol did was a 7" on Per Koro, a split 7" with Stack and one compilation song. The song on the split, "Pandemonium", is head and shoulders above the rest. It's a towering, swarming fucking MENACE of a song. Dare I say it's the best piece of hardcore to come out of Germany in the '90s? Oh, I think so. The rest of their material stands up to it just fine, but man. That song. Man.
http://www.mediafire.com/?08w83nfb5t9ipso

Archers of Loaf - Vee Vee

This is too good a record to not be on here. Especially Harnessed in Slums. There is a genuine eccentricity to Archers of Loaf that's never forced or contrived or "quirky" or "arty", and is tempered by a certain hookiness.
http://www.mediafire.com/?6bgs3b13s3zh4c7

Candle - S/T 7"

Candle was pre - Antioch Arrow and Clikitat Ikatowi. I think this 7" is a good example of the things that '90s emo bands did right. Two driving songs that remind me of Grain or Amber Inn or maybe even Breakwater at times. Lots of good energy and just the right amount of teenage incompetence.
http://www.mediafire.com/?r7pu628ra8sh77t

The Refreshments - The Bottle & Fresh Horses

This is one of my favorite records ever. Go ahead and make fun of me. If you came of age in the '90s, you might remember The Refreshments for their one hit. They also did the theme for King of the Hill, which has them (or whoever owns their publishing) set for life. The Bottle & Fresh Horses is their second album, and it was a total flop. Nobody cared. It didn't spawn another pop hit and they broke up soon afterward. But it rules! It's hooky, poppy '90s alternative rock with a big country twang. The lyrics have a keen sense of humor, but it always seems to serve a more wistful and jaded purpose.
Eh, you'll probably hate this. But since it came out on a major label you can download it guilt-free, so you might as well check it out.
http://www.mediafire.com/?10hc5l6dmvfj48q

Die My Will - ...And Still We Destroy

Criminally underrated and un-talked-about heavy hardcore from Connecticut in the late '90s. One of the angriest sounding bands ever. Most stuff comes and goes on the ol' Ipod, but this is a permanent fixture.
http://www.mediafire.com/?vcw1b0wb7wdnjvm

Channel - s/t 7"

Channel featured Nate Newton pre-Jesuit and pre-pre-Converge as well as Brian Benoit pre-Dillinger Escape Plan and played chunky, mid-paced hardcore in the vein of Groundwork and Chokehold. This is their first 7" from 1994. This is here more as a matter of historical curiosity than anything, but I wouldn't have posted it if it completely sucked. I think "Justice" in particular is a pretty solid jam.
WARNING: This record is '90s as hell.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zfjpb0k4ko65oi9

The Killjoys - Starry

If you were coming of age in Canada in the mid-'90s, you might be rolling your eyes right now. You are excused. But before CanCon became an avenue for regurgitating 3-year old American trends, some pretty decent bands actually did benefit from it, and The Killjoys were one. Their debut, Starry, is a half-hour of picture-perfect powerpop. Nothing more nothing less. Check it out! At the very least, you get one perfect pop song.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zoag5yfj2z2

Depravity - Silence of the Centuries

A nice '90s Death Metal nugget from Finland. Other than a bunch of demos, this 1993 EP is Depravity's only legacy, and it is worth it. The production is a step up on many of their contemporaries, the songs are engaging, and the atmosphere is really gloomy without doing anything convoluted to achieve it.. The guitar solos are a big highlight for me on this one; they get downright soulful at times.
http://www.mediafire.com/?wjdmiznj1jj

Hooton 3 Car - By Means of Maybe

Hooton 3 Car were around in the U.K from 1994-98 playing a really hooky Samiam / Pegboy / Small Brown Bike kind of deal. They seem to have been all but forgotten. By Means of Maybe is their 3rd and final LP and it's where they really hit their stride. I'm really really picky about this kind of stuff but this has been spinning constantly for a few days now.
http://www.mediafire.com/?jgjwmzj5yym

Sabeth - s/t 7"

By request. Another in a seemingly infinite string 0f Uranus-worshiping hardcore bands that came from from Germany in the '90s. Like all the others, it rules. Also, the end of the first track rips off One Eyed God Prophecy almost note-for-note. That rules too.
http://www.mediafire.com/?omewz1fgmjm

Chune - Big Hat, No Cattle

Chune were a San Diego band from the mid '90s and it's tough to pin down their sound. There's bits of bands like Christie Front Drive and Texas is the Reason, and some '90s college rock that nobody remembers, but there's also odd chords and unusual song structures that tend to meander. My description falls short, but I assure you it's worth a shot if you're on the fence.
http://www.mediafire.com/?gn5tn4mymn1

Drift - Discography

Drift were a Québécois hardcore band in the same vein as Uranus or One Eyed God Prophecy, and they're in the same league in terms of quality. Their discography is a mere 7 songs, but it's easy to see the evolution from a band writing short, simple hardcore songs to something bigger and more ambitious. Incredible and underrated. It's weird to me that four fifths of Drift formed Born Dead Icons immediately afterward.
http://www.mediafire.com/?2yrjjmcm1zi

Assay - Pisschrist LP

I have a great love for '90s German hardcore, so you'll be seeing more as this goes on. Assay had members of Morser, Age and Rusty James and subscribed to the idea that Rites of Spring were a great a band and worth ripping off. So they did, and the result is a somewhat gruffer and heavier take on that sound.
http://www.mediafire.com/?3ya2zyw0tww