Catharsis (us), Glower, Anarkuss

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Taking up arms against a wave of authoritarianism and despair, North Carolina's premier hardcore band, Catharsis, has recorded a new full-length album, "Hope Against Hope." This record picks up where their last material left off, continuing to push the envelope for what hardcore can do. Catharsis don't retread the ground they broke on their previous albums, but press forward into ever more abrasive and dynamic territory. Politically, they remain uncompromisingly radical in their lives as well as lyrics. This is not a band that has slowed down, toned down, or mellowed out.

Glower from Hamburg: Armed with knowledge of and influenced by sounds from classic and contemporary Hardcore & Melodic HC, Metal, and the German Punk scene, the Hanseatic quintet has distilled a stirring and inciting brew of seething musical frenzy and ferocity as an outlet to address and process inevitable Weltschmerz and irritation.

ANARKUSS is a Berlin-based band composed of AL (who’s played in bands like MILEMARKER, HELLBENDER and CHALLENGER) and ANNEEE (who’s played in bands like BIG EATER and CAREBENDER).