Pain Begins - Tired Of Being Alive

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Another local band for me with a new release, you love to see it. Pain Begins out of Cincinnati, Ohio play heavy metallic hardcore with beatdown brutality. Tired Of Being Alive dropped February 27, 2026 with five tracks of crushing aggression. Slow, punishing breakdowns meet ferocious riffs and furious vocals - this is hardcore at its most nihilistic and punishing. Album art by Tommy Wilson captures the bleakness perfectly. The band's third release continues their descent into darker, heavier territory.

FFO: Sunami, GEL, Simulakra, Jesus Piece 

Sealer - Self Titled

Instagram - Bandcamp - Spotify

Sealer is a new band from Cincinnati, OH that play hardcore-adjacent noise punk with an experimental edge. Their self-titled debut dropped January 30, 2026 via The Ghost Is Clear Records, and has six songs pairing the queasy unease of noise rock with blasting hardcore. The members met as teenagers playing in different bands, then spent 20 years in projects like White Walls, RIVE, Fourth Wife, and Hissing Tiles before finally working together on this.

FFO:  Chat Pile, KEN Mode, Couch Slut

And if you're around Cincy, their record release show is April 18th 

Emanating Peace - S/T EP

Sometimes, just sometimes, good things DO happen here. Emanating Peace is a Cincinnati/Northern KY based sludge/hardcore band that is relatively new with a lot of members that are literally a stone's throw from me. This simultaneously makes me so happy, because I fucking love it, but I'm also a little pissed at myself because I didn't put together a band like this myself. Still time I guess. This Self Titled EP has got pretty much everything I look for in bands these days: Generally mid-tempo to fast hardcore drumming, not a billion fucking blast beats constantly. As a bass player in most of my previous bands, I really appreciate actually being able to hear the thud of the bass here. Guitars are nasty with what sounds like some Boss HM-2 pedals in the mix, and the vocals are super aggressive without being a screaming mess of noise. All of this combines to make a near-perfect, groove-laden, heavy as fuck, angry 6-song, 6-minute release. I only wish there were more tracks, but hopefully more are on the way. I still cant believe these dudes are in my backyard, can't wait to see them live, which I'll be doing soon in March. Check this out for sure.

FFO: Cursed, Nails, Cult Leader, Sect, The Swarm

YOUTUBE & GRAB THE PHYSICAL CD AT GOLD DUST RECORDS

VA - Pay No Attention: Cincinnati Punk Rock Vol: 1 The 90's

This is slightly off topic but wanted to drop this here because it recently came out and is very nostalgic for me. This was my scene in the mid-90's and I was actually in 3 of the bands on this double LP. Overall, some of it is good, some of it is bad. The sound quality isn't great, but at least it's a free download. 

This was born out of the Cincinnati 90’s Punk Documentary group on Facebook, if you want to check that out. And if you want to grab the vinyl (limited to 500), it's here. Enjoy

(U.S.) Lung-Come Clean Right Now LP (2021)

Country: USA
Genre: Post Punk, Art Rock, Grunge, Indie Rock, Noise Rock
Label: SofaBurn Records
Tracks: 12
Length: 30.10'

Lung is a two piece band from Cincinnati, who formed in 2016.  Lung play a dark and moody style of cello driven post punk, art rock, grunge, indie rock, and noise rock.  Since forming in 2016, Lung have released a ten song LP titled Bottom Of The Barrel in March of 2017, a fourteen song LP titled All The King's Horses in September of 2018, and a split LP with SKRT in April of 2021.  Come Clean Right Now is the band's latest full-length LP, which was released via SofaBurn records on August 20th, 2021.  On COme Clean Right Now, Lung offer up twelve tracks of dark and moody cello driven post punk, art rock, grunge, indie rock, and noise rock.  Overall, Come Clean Right Now makes for an amazing listen and definitely should not be missed.  Highly recommended!  Enjoy!

 Lung on Bandcamp

SofaBurn Records on Bandcamp

Purchase

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My Condolences-The Pressure Builds LP (2020)

Country: USA
Genre: Post Hardcore, Punk, Screamo
Label: The Ghost Is Clear
Tracks: 8
Length: 20.40'

My Condolences is a two piece band from Cincinnati, Ohio who formed in 2018, from the looks of things.  My Condolences play a killer style of music that incorporates elements of post hardcore, punk, and screamo within their sound.  Musically, My Condolences can be loosely compared to bands such as Empty Vessels, Itto, Vampyre, Gillian Carter, Ostraca, and other like-minded bands.  The Pressure Builds is the band's debut LP, which was released via The Ghost Is Clear records on July 31st, 2020.  On The Pressure Builds, My Condolences offer up eight tracks of tense, volatile and chaotic sounding post hardcore, punk, and screamo.  Overall, The Pressure Builds makes for an awesome listen and definitely should not be missed.  Highly recommended!  Enjoy!

(Label Submission)

My Condolences on Bandcamp
The Ghost Is Clear Records on Bandcamp
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Suffering Brings Wisdom-Self Abuse EP (2019)

Country: USA
Genre: Noise, Electronic, Experimental
Label: Self-Released
Tracks: 4
Length: 9.45'

Suffering Brings Wisdom is a one person experimental noise project from Cincinnati, Ohio who formed in 2019.  Since forming in 2019, Suffering Brings Wisdom have released a three song EP titled Watching The Life Leave Your Eyes in December of 2019.  Self Abuse is Suffering Brings Wisdom's latest EP, which was released on December 29th, 2019.  On Self Abuse, Suffering Brings Wisdom offers up four tracks of harsh/electronic experimental noise.  Overall, Self Abuse makes for a solid listen and is definitely worth checking out.  Enjoy!

Suffering Brings Wisdom on Bandcamp
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(U.S.) Brianna Kelly / Sympathy Pain Cassette (2018)

Country: USA
Genre: Post Rock, Drone, Shoegaze, Slowcore
Label: Whited Sepulchre
Tracks: 6
Length: 47.20'

Birthed from the same SLC creative community that brought forth artists like Stag Hare, braeyden jae and Seven Feathers Rainwater, Skyler Hitchcox has been crafting trembling guitar-based drone compositions since the early-aughts under the name Silver Antlers. Sympathy Pain represents the truest and most distilled version of Skyler’s emotional heft. Striking a balance between death-to-crescendocore post-rock, static-filled droning and skyward guitar lines, Skyler is joined on keys by Cult Leader drummer Casey Hansen, imbuing these two compositions with living shadows and dead reflections.

Cincinnati based Brianna Kelly crafts songs that attach themselves to a fleeting connection with the unseen world while rooting itself in a very real topography and landscape. A submission to a force that continues on with or without our attention/devotion In her liturgical drone-pop songs Brianna weaves hypnotic drones and swells through “When You See It” and “Sanctus” while recalling Julianna Barwick and Grouper in their sedated push and pull. “To Behold You” is held sway under the plodding gloom of Planning for Burial’s linear heaviness.

Brianna also plays guitar and sings in the band Soften.  

(Press Note)

*Wow, this is an amazing collaboration between Brianna Kelly and SLC's Sympathy Pain.  On their collaboration together, Brianna Kelly and Sympathy Pain offer up six tracks of killer post rock, drone, shoegaze, and slowcore.  Overall, this is an amazing collaboration cassette and definitely should not be missed.  Highly recommended!  Enjoy! This amazing collaboration was released via Whited Sepulchre records on February 27th, 2018.  

Sympathy Pain On Bandcamp
Brianna Kelly on Bandcamp
Whited Sepulchre on Bandcamp
Purchase
Listen Here

  

Hissing Tiles-Boychoir LP (2019)

Country: USA
Genre: Post Hardcore, Post Punk, Punk, Noise Rock
Label: Whited Sepulchre Records
Tracks: 12
Length: 38.30'

Hissing Tiles is a  three piece and from Cincinnati, Ohio who formed in 2012, from the looks of things.  Hissing Tiles play a killer style of music that incorporates elements of post hardcore, post punk, punk, and noise rock within their sound.  Musically, Hissing Tiles can be loosely compared to bands such as Cherubs, The Jesus Lizard, Dazzling Killmen, Cows, and other like-minded bands.  Since forming in 2012, Hissing Tiles have released a four song EP titled Phone Commercial in October of 2013, a four song EP titled Fake Bulbs in December of 2014, a split 7" with Frustrations in May of 2015, a ten song LP titled Aces Read Me To Sleep in August of 2016, and a five song live EP titled Seminar: Live At MOTR in July of 2018.  Boyhoir is the band's latest LP, which was released via Whited Sepulchre records on August 30th, 2019.  On Boychoir, Hissing Tiles
 offer up twelve tracks of tense, moody, and unsettling post hardcore, post punk, punk, and noise rock.  Overall, Boychoir makes for an awesome listen and definitely should not be missed.  Highly recommended!  Enjoy!

Hissing Tiles on Bandcamp 
Purchase 
Listen Here 
Hissing Tiles-Seminar: Live At MOTR (2018) 
Hissing Tiles-Aces Read Me To Sleep LP (2016)