Written by Ellis
Hopefully you already know what to expect if you read the last one of these (or just the title of this one lol): ten killer hardcore demos from the second quarter of the year. Before we get cracking there is a straight edge elephant in the room here but most people will probably have already heard the new XweaponX demo, what with all the star talent involved, so Iโve skipped that one in the interest of fitting one more smaller band on here. Also, the Beautiful Child of God demo is gloriously obscene but it’s basically just brutal death metal and as weโre doing this alphabetically it wouldโve been a strange one to start with so consider that an honourable mention or something.
Dead Stare – Demo
Terror are the greatest hardcore band of all time. No citation needed. Dead Stare sound a lot like themโspecifically their flawless early/mid 00s materialโas well as a few Bridge Nine classics from around the same era. Say less. Shout-out Conviction Records & North East UKHC.
Headstone – Demo 2025
Beast. Music. Hard af metallic hardcore from London that hits like a steamroller with a nitro engine and Satisfaction is the Death of Desire stuck in the CD player.
Launch Code – Demo
Full credit where credit is due: thereโs a couple that made it on here thanks to Axe to Grind podcastโs awesome “Friday Nightโs Alright” series which you should absolutely listen to every week. This oneโs a prime recent example: proper proper HC from Chicagoโs Launch Code, out on the prolific and already highly dependable Total Supply.
Lifeโs Forbidden Sin – Demo ’25
The fact that this one kicks off with a sample from Se7en should tell you a fair bit about the darkness contained within. Scorching, gnarly metalcore from Sheffield, UK that the band themselves describe as being FFO โscythes, dark caves and evil.โ
Right on Target – Demo 2025
Obligatory edge metal pick: Right on Target are from present day Surabaya, Indonesia but you could easily mistake them for a band or two from West Flanders from about 25-30 years ago. Just two tracks on this one but both are absolute treats for anyone who thinks metalcore sounds best on pointy guitars.
Runnin Hot – Demo 2025
New York New York New York New York. Runnin Hot are from New York and they sure do sound like it, mainly the legendary 1987 Breakdown demo to which basically this whole “democore” thing owes its entire existence. Eight tracks here too so plenty to get your teeth into.
Sin Against Sin – Demo
Real limb-flinging music. Riff city metallic hardcore from the Hudson Valley/Massachusetts that sounds like it should have come out sometime between Master Killer by Merauder and Truth in the Age of Lies by All Out War. Band dropped this as a YouTube exclusive first, which, as user @tinfoilxdrip remarked ever so aptly, “is a crazy power move.”
Stolen Gun – DEMO 2025
There are secret weapons and then there are not-so-secret weapons, like having Vincent Bennett of The Acacia Strain on vocals. To be fair, the rest of Stolen Gun boast some considerable credentials of their own in the likes of No Cure, Pure Bliss, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra and together they have produced a work of twisted grinding violence. Bit of a risky Google though.
True Threat – DEMO
Pissed af metallic hardcore from Lexington, Kentucky. Vocalistโs a savage and the guitarists are absolutely obsessed with divebombs (though fortunately they do cook up plenty of tasty jagged riffs too).
Wits End – Demo
New York New York New York New York. Wits End are not from New York but they also sure do sound like it, mainly the legendary 1987 Breakdown demo to which basically this whole “democore” thing owesโฆ see!? Thatโs two in this piece alone. These guys are from Liverpool, UK and this demo is rad, obviously. Look at that artwork.
As before, you can listen to all these demos in a single playlist here (and the January-March playlist here).