Various - Hardcore Soundz (Cover Artwork)
Staff Review

Various

Hardcore Soundz (2003)

HCS


Well the title is slightly misleading, but their hearts are in the right place. Hardcore Soundz is a compilation assembling 28 of the most outspoken and generally well-known punk bands of all walks of life. What the album lacks in previously unreleased material [only Where Fear And Weapons Meet and Yours Truly contribute unreleased tracks] it makes up for in it's overall purpose - to raise money for the Farm Sanctuary and the Toronto Animal Rights Society. 100% of the profits of this CD go to those organizations, which is always a good thing.

As for the bands on it, a majority of them live up to the comp's title, but there are definitely a few sore thumbs. Student Rick, Midtown, Junction 18, Limp, and more all feel ridiculously out of place on a comp with tracks from Propagandhi, Raised Fist, Kid Dynamite, Strike Anywhere, Anti-Flag, and hoardes more of more politically geared and heavier sounding punk bands.

Of course, punk is all about diversity and all that, so far be it for me to judge.

The compilation's booklet is defnitely a bit of heavy reading, with all sorts of facts promoting vegetarianism/veganism, denouncing animal cruelty, and more. It's a bit of a sensory overload - one has to wonder if they would have been better off picking one specific cause, instead of the "quantity over quality" idea.

Qualms aside, this compilation is rather diverse but still keeping it's fluidity [as you can only get pounded by some brutal hardcore for so long before you need to hear a MOOG {thanks, Saturday Supercade!}]. It's an excellent introduction CD that you might buy for a younger sibling or friend just getting into punk, as there's a bit of everything on here, and you also get to go to sleep at night knowing that your money went to a good cause.