I saw these guys live and I left the moshpit with a limp.

Crown of Steel is a local Pennsylvanian hardcore band who have been active since 2023, and they mainly performing live shows. After a demo tape and some effort, Crown of Steel released “Unvanquished Blood” as their first official EP. 

Short and punchy, this EP embodies the hardcore ethos to a T. Groovy, with strong riffs and breakdowns accompanied by a rhythm that keep your hands up and your feet moving. This 717 HXC band is everything you would want and more out of hardcore.

Opening with a killer first song, “Heroes Shed No Tears” is easily my favorite off of the EP. The intro guitar riff perfectly sets the scene for the entire EP, with aggression and bounce that primes you to dance.

I asked the band about the origin of their sound and their inspirations after a live performance in Harrisburg. Matt, the band’s vocalist, said, “Earth Crisis, Hatebreed, Integrity, that’s Crown of Steel. We’re mainly inspired by the classics, but there is definitely some modern influence… some Incendiary, Jesus Piece inspiration in there.” 

I really enjoy their sound; it feels like the best of the old hardcore sound with enough modern twist to keep it interesting.

One of my favorite aspects of this project is the bleed through between some of the songs. “Heroes Shed No Tears” falls almost seamlessly into “Counter Attack.” The themes of every song permeate the whole run, making listening feel like one complete story. This came as a bit of a surprise to me because smaller releases like these are sometimes disjointed and varied when it comes to tone and theme.  

You can tell that these guys live for the scene, and you can really feel that in their music. 

“Go to shows, stay off the internet. The internet is fake, and only the hardcore scene in person is real,” Matt said when asked to give advice for newcomers to the scene. “It happens in real meet-space, where there’s real human bodies.”

Throughout the show, people were fraternizing; I saw my friends make new friends, talk about bands they like and, in general, have a wonderful time in between sets. 

These guys are still out playing live. If you see their name on a poster, don’t be afraid to indulge in some PA hardcore. 

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