For this top 5 of 2022 list I decided to keep it all local. We are very lucky in Buffalo to have such a plethora of amazing bands spanning aloe genres. I kept this list more hardcore and hardcore adjacent. All of these releases are streaming everywhere. Some of the physical releases sold out quickly and others are still floating around. So do yourself a favor and check out these amazing bands. All putting in a lot of work and it shows.
Violent Way – Bow To None
After gracing is with one ep & a split in 2021 we finally got a full length in 2022. This band has been hard at work since they started. If you follow them on social media you can see they seem to be on the road constantly. It should be no surprise what a great full length this is. I feel like there have never been many Oi bands in Buffalo at one time but fortunately they always seem to be high quality. Violent Way might be the best one yet. Looking forward to what the future holds for them.
https://violentwayoi.bandcamp.com/album/bow-to-none
Spaced – Spaced Jams
Easily one of my favorite Buffalo bands. They do hardcore the way I like it. Based in a traditional fast hardcore sound and then getting a bit weird with it. This album is full of catchy hc/songs that you will be dancing and singing along to in no time. Most of these songs were slowly released online over time culminating in this album. One thing I can say for certain about is Spaced sounds better on vinyl so pick this up.
https://newmoralityzine.bandcamp.com/album/spaced-jams
Hourglass – Atomic Clock
An old favorite has returned. I wouldn’t expect a band I liked so much in the 90s to reform today & release the best stuff they’ve done but Hourglass managed to do that. More to the noisy side of hardcore this album rips. Their vocalist Michael even doing clean vocals in parts which he did not do in the past. It adds a new dimension to their sound. This was long delayed but thankfully it is finally out.
https://council-records.bandcamp.com/album/atomic-clock
Final Declaration – Fight 2 Survive
This band took a unique path to start. No demo, no ep, they just unleashed a full length on us. If you’re older like I am and listened to it you were probably pleasantly surprised at how good it was considering that. So it makes sense that their second album would be even better. The songs are catchier and written to make you mosh.
The lyrics cover the social ills of today. Their are also some nice beat breaks between some song which is a nice touch and gives the album a nice flow. The vinyl of this was pretty limited so if you come across one you should grab it.
https://finaldeclaration.bandcamp.com/album/fight-2-survive
p.s.you’redead – Sugar Rot
Now this is an album that really blew my mind. It’s like combination of Botch, Blood Brothers, and video game music/sounds. It all adds up and they created an awesome piece of work here. This album does not let up for a moment and delivers the brand of noisy hardcore I’ve always been a fan of. Many bands influenced by that style today are a bit too clean and polished. Not p.s.you’redead. They keep it dirty sounding which is what truly helps make this a great album.
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