Mindforce

Photo: Todd

A staple in the New York hardcore scene is Mindforce, blending the chuggy riffs of beatdown hardcore with the speed and thrash of crossover thrash bands. As of 2020, the band was signed to Triple B Records which produced the band's newest album as well as the Swingin Swords, Chopin Lords EP, and the single Reign of Terror following up to the album's release. Mindforce's previous album Excalibur was released in 2018 followed by a shorter live version the year after that was recorded at Axe to Grind, a hardcore podcast. In 2021 Mindforce released a track on the One Scene Unity: A Hardcore Compilation Vol. 2 which is released every year by From Within Records. In Mindforce's early days, they released a split with Dead Heat a crossover thrash band from California. The band's lead singer Jason Petagine has been in over half a dozen other hardcore bands. Jason took on the role of lead singer in his first band called Living Laser. Jason also co-founded Out for Justice and Pillars of Ivory and he is one of the lead singers for both of them. Out for Justice/OFJ is a beatdown hardcore band from New York and in 2020 collaborated with Chicago beatdown hardcore band Sector to create This Thing of Ours... Pillars of Ivory/POI takes an interesting approach and mixes rap and hardcore into one giving them a very unique sound. Mindforce's album artwork typically consistents of medieval themes such as knights and swords. The messages that are put across in the band's lyrics are positive and I believe are best summed up by the singer himself in the band's song The Future Of... "You've got a mind. Use it."