Review: DJ Narotic & Nevermind – United States Of Terror (Industrial Strength Records) (2011 / 2025)

Industrial Strength Records was exactly there, right at the beginning of Hardcore Techno. Or maybe they were even there *before* the advent of Hardcore, and helped to shape, create, and nurture it.
And they are still around and kicking it. Which, I guess, makes it the longest running Hardcore label in (music) history.

Personally, some of the recent outings were more or less "outside my radar"; because I don't dwell much in the "contemporary gabber" scenes anymore. From what I heard, they were definitely part of the upper cream in recent Techno and Hardcore genres, though!

So it's nice (for me) to see this one pop up on online. Seems like a re-release of a previous digital release, but that one was in 2011, so it's part of the new phase of Industrial Strength and the Hardcore scene.

Still the roots to the earliest, 90s Speedcore and "Terror" scenes are definitely there.
The tracks play well on the New York Hardcore theme.
"New York Hardcore" is a term that might refer to new york based hardcore punk, new york based hardcore techno, or to new york city in general, because, from what i heard, the people and subcultures there are way more hardcore than in europe...

Thus the tracks feel like a fusion of hardcore punk/metal and techno of the hardest core variety.
And they execute this fusion much better than most artists, who rather give the impression that they loaded guitar riffs from their parents vinyl collection into a sampler, and then think they may be "hardcore".

But, yes, this release definitely is!

https://industrialstrengthrecords.bandcamp.com/album/united-states-of-terror