In this piece, No Echo contributing writer Thomas Vanderpol highlights some of the year’s most overlooked straight edge hardcore records that deserve a closer listen.
Thomas plays drums in What It Meant, a sXe band that wound up on one of my lists this year.
-Carlos Ramirez (No Echo)
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Cannonball — Cannonball (Youngblood Records)
FFO: Mental, Righteous Jams, Minority Unit
UK hardcore unit Cannonball bring the perfect mix of fun, bouncy hardcore and pissed-off lyrics on their new self-titled 12" EP for Youngblood Records. Eight tracks of in-your-face intensity—equal parts fast, groovy, and catchy.
None of the songs hit the two-minute mark, so they waste zero time getting to the point. Fast hardcore is on the rise, and Cannonball is one of the most exciting bands doing it right now. BUST!
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Flip the Switch — Valley Crew! (Rebirth Records)
FFO: Youth of Today, Side By Side, Step Forward
Flip the Switch are playing true to form, OG Youth Crew. Their debut, Valley Crew!, packs seven songs into eight minutes—even covering Rancor, for those keeping score.
The cassette dropped on Rebirth Records this summer and already sold out. Lots of straight edge lyrical content here.
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Time X Heist — The Unforgiving Minute (Heroes & Martyrs / Set the Fire Records)
FFO: In My Eyes, Good Riddance, Betrayed
There's a lot of great things to say about Denver's Time X Heist. These guys have been tearing it up all over the world, having visited nine countries this year alone. At home and away, they've supported the likes of Shai Hulud, The Hope Conspiracy, Judge, Earth Crisis, played the Furnace Fest Edge Day Pre-Show, and the Indecision Records Northwest Showcase (to name a few of their accomplishments.
The Unforgiving Minute gives listeners a taste (three songs) of what they're all about and keeps things consistent for the band who have given us a handful of songs each year since their inception in 2022.
As always, the musicianship quality is very high within the ranks of Time X Heist. Check them out next year in Europe, on the 2026 Youth Crew Compilation, and on their new record coming out on Indecision Records and Refuse Records.
Buy The Unforgiving Minute here
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Eliminators — B.A.S.E. and S.F.H.C. (Convulse Records / Rebirth Records)
FFO: Slapshot, The Chisel, Warzone
When Eliminators hit my ears from jump, I was immediately like YUP. It’s so punk, so hardcore, so oi, and so straight edge—a mix you rarely hear, but Eliminators pull it off seamlessly.
The Bay Area band gave us not one, but two releases in 2025, and both leave nothing to be desired. This one is for the moshers and the slammers.
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See It Through — What's Behind Us Never Fades (New Age Records)
FFO: Have Heart, Count Me Out, Turning Point
When was the last time a straight-up hardcore band from Arizona made you go, “fuck yeah, dude!”? For me, it’s been a while—until See It Through. These guys channel that moment when Turning Point shifted from Youth Crew to a more mature, emotive sound, and they absolutely nail the post-posicore vibe.
Think pile-ups from those iconic early-2000s shows: contemplative, thoughtful, but still pure participation. That’s what you get with What’s Behind Us Never Fades. Teaming up with New Age Records, this straight edge outfit shows they’re playing for keeps with five tracks of classic, fist-raising hardcore.
Buy What's Behind Us Never Fades here
Read more about See It Through
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Tagged: cannonball, eliminators, flip the switch, see it through, time x heist
