REVERSAL OF MAN

Reversal of Man were an incredible thrash/emo-violence band from Florida. They existed from 1994 until 2000 when they broke up after a tour of Europe. They played blindly fast, fairly technical hardcore with overtly political or social lyrics. They seemed at times to be an exercise in organized chaos; the time changes are lightning fast and the songs are needlessly complex when played at the speeds they are. One thing that sets Reversal of Man apart from other thrashy bands is their intelligence. They obviously knew what they were talking about when they wrote songs about the Middle East conflicts and the US's interests in the area. They were obviously writing from experience when they talked about discrimination, closed-mindedness and the ultimate disintegration of all friendships.

Revolution Summer

HOUR OF THE STAR

Hour of the Star formed out of the ashes of the vegan, straight edge band Her Grey Earth. But unlike Her Grey Earth, Hour of the Star was built on the emo icons that came before them. Influenced by bands such as Indian Summer, Moss Icon, Current, Navio Forge, Native Nod and many others, the boys of Hour of the Star took that sound and feel and added their own spin to it. The screamo feel with a pop edge put Hour of the Star on the maps, a small dot only, but on the maps none the less. The band was short lived as Steve and Jaime opted to head off for greener pastures. Bryan, Jeff and Josh decided to call it quits with Bryan and Jeff going off to form a band with members of You and I/Instill and Unaswered. The Sebastian Coe never recaptured the same emotion and friendship that Hour of the Star did…

D/L

SCHOLASTIC DETH

Scholastic Deth was a straight-edge thrashcore/powerviolence band from the San Francisco Bay area. They released 3 EPs (Shackle Me Not!, Revenge of the Nerds and Killed by School, all on the 625 Thrashcore label) and a tape before disbanding in 2002. They had a sound which differed from many of their peers, which seemed to take a lot of qualities from old-school hardcore, creating fast, fun and positive music with a message. This message dealt with everything from skateboarding, the love of coffee and life as a nerd, to the lack of substance and political awareness in hardcore today, problems and calling people on their shit within DIY subculture and the hypocrisy surrounding punks bidding on a 2oz piece of vinyl on a corporate auction site.

Revenge Of The Nerds

THE KOSSABONE RED

The Kossabone Red were an Atlanta, Georgia band that existed from 1996 to 1998. Sonically, The Kossabone Red were a good mixture of Cap’n Jazz-inspired emo and catchy spastic hardcore. Members went on or have been in bands such bands as Portrait, Some Soviet Station, The Paper Lions, Electrosleep International, and Airoes.

D/L

JENNY PICCOLO

Jenny Piccolo were a 3 piece band from Santa Cruz, CA, active in the late 90s.It featured members of Mohinder and Makara, who later went on to form The Anasazi and Yaphet Kotto.JP’s music is a bit different in each record, it goes from old school powerviolence to raging screamo, always with the full distortion and speed madness that JP is.

D/L

CRANEO

I wish I learnt Spanish at school instead of smoking fags behind the bike sheds, because I would have been able to translate their history from their myspace page into English for you all to read. This Spanish screamo hardcore band are amazing! I'd love for them to come over to the U.K. someday (Hint Hint).

Their amazing demo

MARA'AKATE

Mara’akate was a screamo hardcore band from Indiana. During thier existence between 1999-2002 they released several vinyl records, two CDs and a DVD.After the band broke up, guitarist Colin May and bassist Derek Black formed Phoenix Bodies (with Black on on vocals).

S/T MCD

ACME

Acme (from Bremen, Germany) were among the most influential Hardcore bands of the 1990’s. Edison released their CD “to reduce the choir to one soloist” in 1996, but the recordings date back to 1993/1994, these nine tracks comprise the entirety of Acme’s recorded career (one 7”, three compilation tracks, one demo). Presumably the band take their musical cues from early 90’s Hardcore bands such as Born Against and ‘Protestant’-era Rorschach, but this is occluded so thoroughly by a dense (funeral) fog of extreme metal, sludge and grind that their original Hardcore influences are difficult to pinpoint. The result is one of Acme successfully straddling all of their influences without ripping them off, and unlike some of their imitators, they don’t resort to blast-beat extremity by excess. The influence and importance of these recordings has become impossible to ignore in the wake of the metallic hardcore and ‘screamo’ explosions that followed. Converge, Orchid, Morser, Caliban, Shikari, Breach…the list is expansive and far transcends the infamous ‘Bremen scene’. Do not let these names fool you though. The originators were the masters, and for people who like genuinely intense, dark, challenging, extreme music of any form - this record is impossible to fault.

To Recuce The Choir To One Soloist

URANUS

(Union of) Uranus were around in the early to mid 1990’s and released a demo tape (called the “Backhand Demo”, which was later to become their side of the elusive split lp with His Hero is Gone), a split ep (with Quebec crusty band Immoral Squad) and the double ep (which was later re-released as a 12’’ on Farewell Records from Germany). Uranus’ was more or less based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and sort of self-perpetuated the DIY scene at the time, which was loosely organized around a venue/house known as 5 Arlington. Member(s ?) of Uranus lived at the house, which was the hub of activity in Ottawa through it’s existence. Many touring bands were brought in, who otherwise might have taken the well-worn route from Toronto straight to Montreal and avoided the smaller city of Ottawa. With an insular scene such as Ottawa had at the time (largely due to the city being relatively small), and it’s connection to Montreal, many bands such as Shotmaker, Uranus, Drift, One Eyed God Prophecy, et al. shared resources. Yannick’s record label, the Great American Steak Religion, was also responsible for releasing many of these bands, and internationally, the home scene of these bands was probably seen as being larger than it actually was. These years in Ottawa were probably the most active for “crusty” type bands (although there was always an emo aspect to the bands and activities) which, with the demise of Uranus and 5 Arlington slowly vanished. Members of Uranus went to play in bands like Speedy Huffler Kings (drummer), Dead Man’s Right Hand (singer), and of course His Hero Is Gone and Tragedy (Yannick).

To This Bearer Of Truth

TWELVE HOUR TURN

Twelve Hour Turn was a hardcore/emo band from Jacksonville Florida, formed in 1996 and eventually breaking up in the summer of 2002. Highly regarded among aficionados of the Gainesville punk scene and No Idea Records, the band progressed from a thrashy sound in their earlier days, to a slower and more measured approach, continually improving their collaborative songwriting all the while. The band’s last two releases, the ‘Bend Break Spill’ EP and ‘Perfect Progress, Perfect Destruction’ in particular, showed a band really coming into its own, capable of penning weighty, life-changing material. Members of the band can be heard playing in contemporary Florida/Oregon bands such as True North, Tubers, Solid Pony, Old Growth and Civilization.

The Victory Of Flight

OUCH!

CHRISTIE FRONT DRIVE

Christie Front Drive was an indie-rock/emo outfit formed in Denver in October, 1993, part of a Colorado post-hardcore scene. Citing as influences Superchunk, Sunny Day Real Estate, Buffalo Tom and Drive Like Jehu. The lineup consisted of Ron Marschall (drums), Jason Begin (guitar), Kerry McDonald (bass) and Eric Richter (guitar and vocals).The band first released their highly sought after, self-titled, 6-song 12” on Freewill Records in 1994 , followed by a s/t 7” on freewill and 2 split 7” records with various bands (Sineater, Jimmy Eat World, plus a 7-inch compilation on Germany’s X-Miss label called For Want Of, named after the Rites Of Spring song). The band later released a split 10”/CD with Kansas City’s Boy's Life on LA’s Crank! Records, and then their self-titled swan song, the “Stereo” album, which was released on the Lincoln, Nebraska label, Caulfield Records. The band called it quits in May, 1996, but played two separate unannounced/word of mouth house shows later in the year (one at thanksgiving and the final show on new year’s eve). Later, Caulfield released an anthology CD of Christie Front Drive’s earliest recordings. Most recently, Christie Front Drive re-united for a one-off show in September of 2007 as a part of the third annual Denver Music Fest.Members of the band have resurfaced in: Antarctica and subsequentlyOva Loovan(Richter), The Mighty Rime (McDonald), The Blue Ontario(Marschall and Begin), the Prole Art 3 (Marschall), The Reports (McDonald), the November Trio (McDonald), and Guppies eat their young (Marschall) and The 101 (Richter).

I can't figure out why I like this band. They were too wimpy compared to what I was listening to at the time but for some unknown reason I loved this band. I hear the same thing from hardcore kids on message boards - there is something quite special about this band.

stereo

HELEN OF TROY

Desperation ep

THIS SCARES ME

This Scares Me was a “thrashish/punk” band from Athens, GA. They broke up in 2004.

7"

RICE

Rice was a mock-political hardcore band from San Diego, active in the mid 1990s, who played songs about rice. They featured members of Rocket From The Crypt, The Peechees, Physics, and Beehive And The Barracudas.

Rice were the first h/c band I ever saw in The States. They blew me away! Don't be put off by the bands they later joined - please d/l. They are so f**king good.

D/L

SPY VERSUS SPY

Spy Versus Spy were a post-hardcore band from Stoke-on-Trent in the United Kingdom. Formed in 1998, Spy Versus Spy toured extensively in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe until their split in 2001. Members went on to play in the bands Future Adventures, The Wow, The Leif Ericsson, Radio Alice and Sequing and Panachio.

For fans of Braid. (I like Braid - no piss-taking!)

first cd

FORMER MEMBERS OF ALFONSIN

Former Members of Alfonsin let loose some straight edge emotional hardcore with a torrent of anti-fascism rhetoric. Think Rites of Spring with a serious left wing slant.

12"

ST. ALBANS KIDS

St. Alban’s Kids were an Australian screamo band. They played a brand of chaotic punk that was contextually left of centre. As a result they influenced several later bands hailing from Australia, My Disco and Love Like… Electrocution among them. Their brief catalogue is rare, as is much information about the band. Their music contained strong politcal and intellectual overtones and carried an overall DIY aesthetic. For fans of Orchid.

Tales of Late Night Excursions Into Urban Wastelands

ASSCHAPEL

Asschapel is a four piece band from Tennessee that plays heavy and fast hardcore/thrash that’s tough as hell and evil as sin.

Total Worship

ANTISCHISM

Antischism was an anarchist hardcore punk band from Columbia, South Carolina. For most of their existence, the band consisted of: Scott Cooper (drums, vocals, lyrics), Lyz (vocals), Kevin Byrd (guitar), Matt (bass). An additional male vocalist named Brent sang on the 'Still Life' LP. Antischism broke up and then reformed in Austin, TX, as Initial State. After Initial State, Kevin went on to play in .fuckingcom (with Lyz) and Guyana Punch Line, he currently performs in Thank God. Scott moved to Savannah, GA, and played in Damad and Karst, and now plays in Chronicle A/D.

STILL LIFE

AN ARROW IN FLIGHT

An Arrow In Flight was born in june of 2001 and played its first show in november that year. it was started with jeremy and josh and mike. there have been lots of lineup changes. aaif made their own cd in 2002 and gave it away for free. in 2004, they recorded a new CD (on coldbringer recordings) and booked a tour. however, their greasel van had starter problems, so the tour was cancelled. yep. then matt was too busy. then dan didn’t want to play anymore. then tara didn’t want to play without dan. then josh came back and con came on board. then they played some shows. then the band died. aaif, june 21, 2001 - june 17, 2005. the band is survived by business lady, last priest, end on end, and the plot to blow up the eiffel tower (bands containing former members of aaif).

Various Methods And Movements

A DAYS REFRAIN

A Days Refrain was a hardcore band from New Brunswick, New Jersey. The band consisted of 3 members, one of whom plays in Burial Year.They were active from 1999 - 2002.

Holding Onto Silence

FOUR HUNDRED YEARS

Four Hundred Years were not merely a band, but a phenomenon. A force of emo/hardcore intensity that began in Tucson, Arizona, following the end of Groundwork, they eventually migrated to Richmond, Virginia. Four Hundred Years amassed a large, frenzied, and rabid audience. Intelligent and intricate with a perfect blend of melody and dissonance in all the right places, Four Hundred Years had unparalleled abilities to captivate their listeners and turn them loose on an unsuspecting music world. Alternative Press noted, “Combined with the weight of their political views, the tension of Four Hundred Years’ music is simultaneously a catharsis and a call to arms.”Four Hundred Years toured Europe, Japan, and America numerous times and played with such notables as Fugazi, Frodus, Sleepytime Trio, and many more. Upon the completion of recording The New Imperialism, their third full-length, they played four final shows on the east coast and disbanded. Four Hundred Years was originally Ash (drums), Dave (guitar), Erin (bass), and Daron (guitar). Their second and final line-up was Ash (drums) Dave (guitar), Bull (bass, formerly of Policy of Three and Montag), and Daron (guitar). Currently, Daron and Ash are working together in a project named Delegate.

suture

BRIGHT CALM BLUE

A 4-piece from Lincoln, Nebraska. The simplest way to catagorize would be as screamo and post-hardcore, Bright Calm Blue is pure punk buzzsaw highlighted by gnawing, pulsing, syncopated guitars and howling cynical observationsabout life, relationships, politics, the usual stuff. The most interesting dynamic is where the attention is centered after having ousted former lead vocalist Ian Whitmore. The dueling vocals of bassist Austin Skiles and drummer Javid Dabestani put the spotlight on the rhythym section as sparring frontmen from behind their instruments.

ASSYMETRY SET

R.A.M.B.O.

R.A.M.B.O, which stands for “Revolution Anarchy Mosh Bike Overthrow,” was a straight edge vegan anarchist thrashcore band from Philadelphia. R.A.M.B.O. had two full lengths, on the labels 625 Thrashcore and Havoc Records, and two 7 inch splits with Caustic Christ and Crucial Unit. They were known for their live shows, which normally included costumes, props, and general mania. R.A.M.B.O. played their last show in May 2007 at the Starlight Ballroom in Philadelphia.

BRING IT

KURT - LA GUARD

Kurt takes the musical principles of melody and harmony and rips them to shreds. This is noise and this is rock – driving bass beats, crisp and loud guitars, pounding drums and powerful vocals. The opening track "Tricks on Dancing" is suited for a high-speed car chase – blistering straight-aways accompanied by fast paced bass and soaring guitars and taking the turns like no other with breakdowns and shifts that make you pull the top down and drive faster. This track is blazing and relentless. The third track, "The Ambush" is just that, a sonic ambush of pure power bass and guitars backed up by commanding drums and vocals.This record slows down only long enough to gain momentum again, slowing it down only for a few seconds and a few breakdowns before it brings in more noise. There are no “oohs” and there are no “aahs”, most importantly it does not rely on any overused formula associated with many of today’s talent. For those who are unfamiliar with this noise-rock sound, think of At the Drive In mixing it up with Rye Coalition loaded on a gallon of Red Bull. You may find some traces of emo in here as well, and no, we’re not talking about Vagrant emo – think Rites of Spring or Embrace. Talk about hitting the bulls eye, you can’t get any closer than this.

LA GUARD

THE NOW

The Now was a tech-metallic band from NJ/PA. The band had one sole release, which was a self-titled EP comprised of 6 songs spanning 11 minutes. It was originally released on Robotic Empire. It was released both as a CD EP (twice, the second having bonus material on the flipside of the disc), as well as a one-sided screen printed picture disc LP (out of 333). It was later repressed by Ohnono! as a one-sided LP. The band was comprised of ex, and current members of Hot Cross, A Life Once Lost, Welcome The Plague Year, Neil Perry, Joshua Fit For Battle, etc. So, if you know those bands, you’ll know what to expect from them.Though they only had one release, they have somewhat of a cult following, even within the underground scene.

CDEP

THE POST OFFICE GALS

"This is what happens when you throw 70s prog rock and grindcore in a blender and smash puree. The Post Office Gals have been on a path of destruction for the past year and a half with three self-released recordings, and countless shows in both NJ and NYC. Upon completing their first tour, The Post Office Gals have played with such bands as Das Oath, Transistor Transistor, The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower, An Albatross, Daughters, and Misery Index."

D/L

DEATH WISH KIDS

The Death Wish Kids spanned from 1994-1996 Releasing only one 7'' entitled There's Nothing in School They Can't Teach you on the Street, then later releasing a demo 7''. Their amazing power and ferocity were off the map, truly one of the most aggressive bands of all time. They will be missed.
Members went on to Pretty Girls Make Graves and Golden Ticket.

dwk

MY LAI

My Lai are the crown jewels of punk rock mayhem. Many bands in this same vein have come and gone but this Chicago group is very easily the best ever. Imagine Mohinder, Born Against, and the Swing Kids mixed together and they practiced six hours every day. There are so many vicious guitars it will leave blisters on your fingers. There are so many obtuse and brutal drum parts that will leave even more blisters on your fingers. The vocals and their blend of a shriek and a growl will definitely make you want to punch a couple of holes in the wall. Now we caution you because this will probably cause you to break a few bones in the hand, but hey it will make you forget those blisters.

Learn..Forget..Re-learn (lp) Pony Soldier (ep)

BROKEN HEARTS ARE BLUE

Indie/emo featuring members of Ottawa, Current, Gregor, and Ordination Of Aaron.

Truth About Love

NATIVE NOD

Native Nod was one of those pioneering bands from the early '90s which helped define the anxious, inordinately sincere roaring hardcore sound soon known as "emo," before that word fell into disrepute. Fronted by Chris Leo, who would later go on to form The Van Pelt and The Lapse, Native Nod featured many of the raw elements which would distinguish Leo's later bands: manic, skewed, spoken word and screamed vocals, nervous live-wire guitar playing, steady high-speed percussion, and a feeling of unbridled energy mixed with supreme angst, like these musicians wanted nothing more than to be able to jump out of their skins. Native Nod's legacy consists of only nine songs, which appeared on three early '90s seven-inches, "Bread," "Answers," and "Lower GI Bleed," and a Vermiform compilation called Fear of Smell. They're all collected on the Gern Blandsten album Today Puberty, Tomorrow the World. It's a definitive recording from the formative days of the emo scene, along the lines of Rites of Spring's End on End and Cap'n Jazz's Analphabetapolothology.

Today Puberty, Tomorrow The World

ANOMIE

This French band began in 1994 with ex-members of Escape. Just after Escape broke up members went looking for musicians in their town to form a new band. They found a guitarist, John, who told them that he had a friend from school that was a great drummer who happened to be only thirteen at the time.Anomie was: Kathleen on vocals, Gilles on bass, Rémi on drum, John on guitar. Later members would go on to form such bands as : An Attâ, Leka Tchipa, Anna O, Anitza, Cromwell O.

Discography Part 1

Discography Part 2

THE HUGUENOTS

Boston's The Huguenots are a quintessential example of a "band before the bands." Comprised of future members of The Explosion, Piebald, and Converge, The Huguenots operated in that grey area where post-hardcore and metal meet. Comparable to other '90s standouts Shotmaker and Frodus, the Huguenots also incorporated doses of math-y guitar work into the mix.
And therein lies what makes Discography overcome the notion that it is nothing more than an evolutionary document. Discography can stand on its own as a record that deserves widespread distribution, no matter who the band was made up of.

Discography

INSIDIOUS

Can't find anything about this emo band anywhere. Well worth checking out.

Noon In June

THE CRIMSON CURSE

As Crimson Curse frontman Justin Pearson said in an interview with Skatepunk.net, “Jimmy LaValle and myself wanted to start a shitty band with no seriousness, no real message, just rock ‘n’ roll. Just to be shitty, start shit with stupid kids, try to play with bands that were assholes, jocks, straight edge, whatever, just as long as we didn’t fit in. Make punk threatening. Push people’s buttons. Get beat up. I think that whole seriousness in punk that we experienced from bands like Struggle or Downcast started this whole thing. At first it was important. People were saying interesting stuff, being informative, and so on. Then it went in some weird direction where it was so white-middle-upper-class, so safe and contrived. It was boring and nothing real was happening. I guess we just wanted to see something cool, something with fire and anger. But at the same time, test people. I think we set out to do something like the Dead Boys, or something along those lines. We got all these fucked-up kids together, made some punk music. That was it.” The Crimson Curse had the sort of dark, swirling lava people that like Chuck Berry and Little Richard had in their veins. That edgy, wide-eyed angst, and that quaking, uneasy suspicion that all is not right in the world and maybe, just maybe, you (as that outta-step boy/girl with guitar/piano/voice) are the one to change things. (note: we’re talkin’ about rock ‘n’ roll in its purest form .

Greatest Hits & Blood Thirsty Lust (Remixes)

ANGSTZUSTAND

North-German, socially-aware, aggressive hardcore with both screaming and spokenword, along the lines of Acme and Uranus. The band broke up in mid 2004. Members went to form crust/hardcore punk band Bombenalarm.

Malen Nach Zahlen