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Burning Fight

My copy of Brian's book, Burning Fight, showed up in the mail yesterday. The amount of happiness in holding a copy was next to the experience of receiving my first physical copies of Post in the mail. Why? Because I'm all too well aware of all the hurdles that go into putting together a book and hoping that it comes out alright.

If you're curious about the book's topic, basically it encompasses hardcore as more than just a style of music compared to other books. While the focus is on many hardcore bands in the 90s (from Unbroken to Racetraitor to Coalesce to Texas is the Reason), the general message is large: hardcore did not die in 1985 or 1986. The first wave might have crashed and washed to the shore, but it didn't stop dead cold when seminal American hardcore bands either broke up or went metal.

Say what you will about Steven Blush's American Hardcore (I think it's great reference material for gaining insight on many of hardcore's seminal bands, but Blush's commentary can be incredibly grating), but I think Burning Fight should be read right after it to understand a bigger (and broader) picture. And no, I'm not saying that just because I know Brian, Post is referenced in the bibliography, or that I'm thanked in the end credits. This was a book I would have read this book anyway, and I'm happy to see it's out there for anyone who wants to read it.

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