Editor’s Note: This article reflects on United Blood’s return back in April 2025 and is a preview of what is in store for 2026.
Words and photos by Cristian Espinoza
The sleeping giant walks the earth again. After a five-year hiatus, United Blood returned to Richmond, Virginia with a heavy barrage of cutthroat sonics. The once-annual festival was forced to pause at the height of COVID and went quiet until the end of 2024, catching many by surprise. United Blood has long added a richness to Richmond’s already deep hardcore and DIY scene. Hardcore faithfuls sold out tickets online within minutes, with in-store purchases moving just as fast at Vinyl Conflict.
United Blood took place during a rainy weekend, April 11–12 2025 at Canal Club in Shockoe Bottom. The festival featured a stacked lineup of 35 bands across two days. It was a full-on hardcore marathon with something for everyone. Bands traveled from all over the country, along with international acts like the UK’s Dynamite and Toronto’s No Warning. Veteran bands and newer acts shared the stage with a single goal: to fuck shit up. As The Mongoloids’ Gregory Falchetto put it, “No more fucking around.” The crowd responded accordingly, with backfists, head stomping, spinning back kicks, and bodies launching off the pillars near the stage into a sea of hard moshers.
Every band on the bill felt important, both to the organizers and to each other. Some were inactive bands who reunited to bless the stage for the weekend. The atmosphere was all family and mutual respect. As Justice Tripp, vocalist of Trapped Under Ice and Angel Du$t, said, “Nobody gave a fuck about Trapped Under Ice before Terror took us on tour, brought us out of Baltimore. I love this shit. Hard music. Rock and roll.”
Trapped Under Ice holds an iconic status in the hardcore scene and is more often seen on massive festival lineups. Seeing them share the stage with Richmond bands like Wasted Space, Naysayer, Bracewar, Dead & Dreaming, and Division of Mind felt especially meaningful. Trapped Under Ice headlined day two of United Blood. Brendan Yates was back on drums, and Franz Lyons and Paris Roberts joined Justice on stage for “Street Lights” during their set.
The headliner for day one was Cold World, a tried-and-true band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. They opened their set with an explosive version of “Dedicated to Babies Who Came Feet First,” sending the crowd into a frenzy of flying bodies. Dan Mills, Cold World’s vocalist, spent much of the set stomping across the stage and pacing its edge, feeding directly off the crowd’s energy. There should be a Hardcore Olympics for the athleticism these crowds consistently display. Ned Russin of Title Fight and Glitterer made cameo vocal appearances during Cold World’s set, and it was great to see members of other bands moshing just as hard as anyone on the floor.
There were so many standout performances over the weekend that listing them all would be impossible, but a few deserve special mention. Combust and Mindforce represented New York hardcore with bone-crunching riffs and unapologetic swagger. Blind Justice was wild and completely unhinged. At one point, a giant dildo made its way onstage, with the band and crowd tossing it back and forth until vocalist Mike Botti attempted to put it in his mouth.
Boston’s Haywire brought pure chaos. Vocalist Austin Sparkman opened the set with a brief rendition of “Sweet Caroline,” then immediately tore it apart as the band launched into their set. Haywire is set to embarked on an ambitious tour in 2025, playing all 50 states.
Richmond’s own Division of Mind, Bracewar, and Naysayer ripped through their sets, shredding their hometown with relentless sonic assaults. Naysayer had just released their latest album, Rage Dreams, earlier in April and even had a billboard up in town proudly displaying the new release.
“No Idols,” a new project led by Paris Roberts, formerly of Truth Cult, alongside Collateral, Gridiron, New World Man, Angel Du$t, Never Ending Game, and Scarab, brought a level of gravitas and larger-than-life presence that never misses. I’ve yet to see any of these bands play a bad set.
Akil Godsey, vocalist for End It, continues to become one of my favorite performers. He blends sharp humor, brief stand-up moments, and a cappella sections seamlessly into his sets. This time was no different. End It opened with a rendition of Rare Essence’s “Pieces of Me” before detonating the room with “New Wage Slavery.” The band would soon follow the weekend by releasing their LP, Wrong Side of Heaven, delivering 22 minutes of fast, punishing Baltimore City hardcore.
Terror, a true hardcore hall-of-fame band, closed their set with “Keepers of the Faith.” During the performance, vocalist Scott Vogel summed up the moment perfectly: “There’s no place I’d rather be than right here with everybody in this room, sweating it out.”
Thanks to David Foster, Canal Club, and the United Blood team for an incredible weekend that drew people from across the country to experience Richmond’s deep and enduring hardcore scene. United Blood 2026 has already been announced for April 10–11, revealed at the recent Cold World and Gorilla Biscuits shows in Richmond. Flyers were handed out at those shows, with more details expected in January. Hardcore is having a renaissance, and you really do have to be there to feel it.
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