by Flavio Collions, Customer Service Manager at Bookmans Ina
When it comes to art, film, literature and music, I tend to seek darker, harder works. My journey to find weirder music that fits my interests includes hours on the Internet delving into the bowels of YouTube and music forums. I compiled a list of hardcore music recommendations for others who are bored with the generic and looking for something other than what the mainstream offers.
Flavio's Music Perspective: Hardcore Music Subgenres

Power Electronics
Let’s start this off with lots of static and hate. Power Electronics is a subgenre of Industrial and Noise music. Power Electronics primarily consists of an enormous amount of feedback and static, sub-bass pulses, and tends to have lots of screaming. The lyrical aspect tends to be offensive and hateful. In a way, Power Electronics reflects society. It unveils the atrocities of existence and human consciousness. Power Electronics is an acquired taste and it’s not for the faint of heart. Expect to lose your hearing. To understand this intense genre of music, I suggest you try:
⦿ Total Sex by Whitehouse
⦿ G.R. by Deathpile
⦿ Anenzephalia by Anenzephaila
⦿ Factory by SPK
⦿ Someone Is Watching by Grunt
Deathrock
Deathrock is one of my favorite subgenres of Punk Rock. Deathrock started to rear its grotesque head in the early 1980s. The Deathrock sound consists of a driving rhythm section and lyrics that vary from introspective and macabre to campy. Deathrock is Punk Rock’s horror/surrealist fanatic cousin. It’s a more accessible genre of music than the booming sounds of Power Electronics. Some albums that highlight the appeal of Deathrock are:
⦿ Cemetery by Cemetery
⦿ Only Theatre of Pain by Christian Death
⦿ Death Church by Rudimentary Peni
⦿ A Cool Dark Place to Die by Theatre of Ice
⦿ Black Cross by 45 Grave
Power Violence
I’ve loved Power Violence since high school. Power Violence, or PV, is a derivative of Hardcore Punk. Imagine the intensity and speed of Hardcore Punk and increase it by 10-fold. This blistering fast music will get your blood pumping. Just like Hardcore Punk, lyrics can vary from politics to introspection to absolute nonsense. Check out these albums and see for yourself.
⦿ Crush, Kill, Destroy by Spazz
⦿ Thoughtless by Man Is the Bastard
⦿ White Glove Test by Iron Lung
⦿ Downsided by No Comment
⦿ Crossed Out EP by Crossed Out
These hardcore music subgenres aren’t for everyone, but each of these genres is worth trying. Some people will become enthralled with these genres and some people may prefer other genres outside of the mainstream. We’d love to hear from you. What are your favorite lesser known genres of music.
* Bookmans is your store to explore and with a staff of individuals as unique as the items on our shelves you’ll never be bored. We encourage you to try one of these albums or any new-to-you music. Give us a call and we’ll check our orange shelves for a specific title. Otherwise we encourage you to come browse.