The story of H8000 hardcore

by Hans Verbeke & Onno Hesselink

It all begins in 1978, when a near-legendary Sex Pistols/P.I.G.Z. show in Kortrijk gets cancelled. From that point on, the story rips by like a runaway train, up until the turn of the millennium. From the early '90s onwards, the H8000 hardcore scene became one of the most active and influential punk scenes on the European mainland. Its musical style and philosophy had and still has a major influence on bands and individuals all over the globe. The personalities presented and opinions expressed in this book are as varied as the music these people have created since.

This is your chance to hear the real story, straight from the mouth of key players in bands like Rise Above, Nations On Fire, Blindfold, Shortsight, Spirit Of Youth, Congress, Liar, Regression, Deformity, Spineless, as well as many record labels and zealous fans from the heydays of H8000. More than anything, this book will show you how crazy those times truly were.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

640 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Maxime Opsomer]

The ultimate book on H8000 history. A must read for every Hardcore fan. Reads fluently & filled with great anecdotes and pictures.

[AJ McGuire]

"New local H8000 bands Congress and Regression opened for the American band Sense Field and Four Walls Falling and blew them out of the water. Don't get me wrong, I loved those bands. But this was the first show that proved that the majority of the kids were much hungrier for the local bands than for the generally looked-up-to US bands."

Maybe lets not get *too* excited about blowing Sense Field out of the water.

[Mike Keirsbilck]

Very nice document on an important part of the Belgian musical history.

[FB]

A decir verdad, tanto el diseño como el material es inmejorable, y la edición en su conjunto hacen que este libro sea tremendamente atractivo, pero... ¿Por qué los autores no se han esforzado en escribir un libro? Porque esto no es más que una colección de testimonios dispersos aquí y allá, sin orden ni concierto alguno, que ciertamente dan una visión muy confusa acerca de la historia de esta escena. Eso por no comentar que algunos testimonios están tomados de páginas web como Vort'n Vis in the 90s (https://90svortnvis.wordpress.com) sin que se acredite en ningún momento (un detalle bastante feo). Por cierto, al final se habla poco de la carga política o del mensaje del HC, más allá de lo que es construir una escena. En fin, que en este libro sobra autocomplacencia y falta trabajo. Termina por ser una vacuidad de diseño.

[Benedetto M]

As someone that was only a child when the majority of these bands were touring and recording, I'm grateful for this book. As opposed to some books that focus on a localized music "scene" or genre, it actually focused on first-hand accounts and stories from the people involved. It was also exciting to have some unexpected aspects in the book such as the collected discography in the back. Whether you're interested in nostalgia or you're trying to get a broader perspective, I think it's a great reading experience.

[Jelle Victoor]

This is an awesome overview of what happend during the 90’s in our little province. Some of the stories felt a bit like a school book report sometimes but overall it gets the story told.

[Tijs Schelstraete]

Love this book. Tons of pictures, show/tour reports, it's a great read.

[Joe]

Alle reden über NYHC obwohl, wie in diesem Buch lebhaft nachzulesen, Europa eine lebendige und progressive Szene hatte. Alle wichtigen Vertreter/innen kommen zu Wort und anders als bei den Büchern von Tony Rettmann, was sogar der Autor Teil der Szene.

Die Seitenzahl sollte nicht abschrecken, da auf so gut wie jeder Seite Bilder sind und auch viel mit großgedruckten Zitaten gearbeitet wird. Also als eBook wären es vielleicht 300 Seiten. Aber das Editing ist liebevoll gemacht und die Fotos tragen immens zur Atmosphäre bei.

Wer Hardcorepunk und Metal mag oder sich für Straight Edge in Europa interessiert wird mit diesem Buch garantiert nichts falsch machen.