I think I'm slowly running out of stuff to post, because I'm trying not to post stuff I've already seen on other blogs. I might have to throw that rule out the door though, or else this blog is going to die an early death. Not that I'm complaining... I'm glad that so many people are making it easy to re-acquire so much of this awesome music.
Anyway, today I bring you XDisciple ADX's Lantern demo from 1996. This band was from Erie, PA which had a pretty ridiculous scene for being in the middle of nowhere. And this is a hard-hitter - great vocals and some serious mosh parts. This sound is one they would continue to refine over the course of their existence. But the songs on this demo are so raw, they were always my favorites.
I saw this band once in Philadelphia and it was late in their career, unfortunately. Not unfortunate because they sucked or anything (they were still great live), but they didn't really hit any of these old songs. Oh well.
dl
Two more things quickly before I end this post...
1. My good friends, and a great band (if you're into great death metal mixed with hardcore), Despised Icon, put out a new album this weekend called Day Of Mourning. It's great. Pick it up.
I know this is a hotly contested style of music these days, especially by the older 90s hardcore crowd. It's a fine line between having bastardized the sound the 90s invented and refining it. Most bands these days combining metal with hardcore, I can't stand. But this band does it well. They don't dress like girls, or force anything into their music. They're just pure adrenaline and musicianship.
2. I have a request. I saw that Rorschach is reuniting for a few shows, one of which is in my old hometown (Philly). They're playing with the 1.6 Band, which I somehow passed up back in the day. A friend of mine swears I'd love them. So if you know where to download some 1.6 Band, please post a link in the comments or something. I want to check these guys out.
Thanks.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Old Shirts Renewed!
I used to have a ton of awesome shirts of mid-90s bands. Unfortunately, I sold a lot of them, mostly because, as you'll remember if you were around in the 90s, it was cool to wear shirts that were like 2-3 sizes larger than you were. So in my case, I was a 160lb. dude wearing an XL shirt. Cool at the time, but not so cool now. So I got rid of a bunch.
But there were a few shirts that were always dear to me that I couldn't bear to part with. But I also couldn't wear them, as they looked like dresses on me. So I drug them from apartment to apartment, stuffed away in closets, one day hoping to be able to wear them again, even if it meant going on an eating binge to put on another 50lbs.
Lucky, I didn't have to do that. I recently found a punk rock shop in Chicago called D.I.Y. Hards (check their Myspace) that offered to re-size my shirts down to a size that actually fits. They did it quickly and with high quality - even tightening up the sleeves for me. And the price was incredibly reasonable.
I had found directions to do this online about a year ago, but I tried it on a tester shirt and the results were less than desirable. I learned very quickly than sewing is not in my genes (yea, I could've went for the cheesy pun there, but I didn't). So thanks a lot, D.I.Y. Hards!
So yea... after 10+ years, I finally have the shirts back and I'm wearing them around to show off how old and outdated my music tastes are. And it feels great. So I figured I'd share a few of my favorites with you to get you reminiscing about the statements you used to make via your clothing when you were young. (For full size pictures, click on the image)
Earth Crisis - The New Ethic:
I honestly think I had pretty much every shirt Earth Crisis put at one point or another. I'll never forget getting made fun of in high school for wearing so many Earth Crisis shirts that I decided to be an ass and wear every ExC shirt I had in a row and I think I went for about a week and a half with nothing but (different) ExC shirts.
I won't lie - a few of their shirts were in my beloved collection, but since I broke edge, I felt obligated to sell them. This one, however, I couldn't get rid of. And since it's more of a vegan leaning shirt, I feel legit wearing it since I'm vegan (for the 2nd time in my life).
Integrity - In Contrast Of Sin
I always tell people that Integrity are my favorite hardcore band of all-time and I mean it. I love this band. And I had a few of their other shirts, but this one was always my favorite. The rest were mostly just album cover art or whatever, but this one had great artwork.
Mushmouth - PA Hardcore
One of my favorite PA hardcore bands ever. Their Out To Win album is one of the hardest hitters ever. Sooooo good.
The awesome blog, Path To Misery, just did a great post about this band, including links to all their albums. Go check them out if you haven't.
Path Of Resistance - Who Dares Wins:
I was always in love with the Victory bands in the 90s and this record by Path Of Resistance got TONS of play when it came out (and gets a fair amount to this day). Anyway, like I mentioned above, I broke edge so I feel a little guilty keeping this one, but I'm sorry - this is one of my all-time favorite records and since the entire point of the band is straightedge, there's really no other memorabilia that I could justifiably own. So this is the one.
Vision Of Disorder - s/t:
I think everyone had this shirt. I used to love it because it was one of the few shirts I had that wasn't black... and also because of the lyrics on the back... and also because V.O.D. was one of my favorite bands of the era (I've still seen them live more than any other band in my life). But I remember I used to NOT wear the shirt to shows because of how many other people started wearing it (yes, I was a dumb kid haha). But now no one wears it again, so I will proudly wear this bright red thing.
Lifetime - Knives, Bats, New Tats:
This is my pride and joy. I've never seen this shirt on another living soul. I got it when Lifetime opened for Weston at the Troc right after Hello Bastards came out. They were always one of my favorite bands and this was the first time I saw them live and I was beyond excited. This shirt looks like it has gone through a war and if it wasn't so dear to me, I probably wouldn't even have paid money to get it re-sized because it's falling apart.... literally. It's shredded around the sleeves and collar and it doesn't have much time left. But while it's still a functioning shirt, I will wear it proudly!
Now that I find a place to re-size these and make them wearable again, I feel a bit sad that I got rid of so many other shirts that were so awesome. But oh well - I feel that I kept the cream of the crop. Maybe not the most obscure shirts or anything like that, but as far as the bands, they were all amongst my personal favorites, so it's nice to be able to wear this gear again. I got a few other shirts done too, but they were death metal or other genres, so I didn't feel like anyone reading this would care.
Got any awesome shirts? Share them in the comments!
But there were a few shirts that were always dear to me that I couldn't bear to part with. But I also couldn't wear them, as they looked like dresses on me. So I drug them from apartment to apartment, stuffed away in closets, one day hoping to be able to wear them again, even if it meant going on an eating binge to put on another 50lbs.
Lucky, I didn't have to do that. I recently found a punk rock shop in Chicago called D.I.Y. Hards (check their Myspace) that offered to re-size my shirts down to a size that actually fits. They did it quickly and with high quality - even tightening up the sleeves for me. And the price was incredibly reasonable.
I had found directions to do this online about a year ago, but I tried it on a tester shirt and the results were less than desirable. I learned very quickly than sewing is not in my genes (yea, I could've went for the cheesy pun there, but I didn't). So thanks a lot, D.I.Y. Hards!
So yea... after 10+ years, I finally have the shirts back and I'm wearing them around to show off how old and outdated my music tastes are. And it feels great. So I figured I'd share a few of my favorites with you to get you reminiscing about the statements you used to make via your clothing when you were young. (For full size pictures, click on the image)
Earth Crisis - The New Ethic:
I honestly think I had pretty much every shirt Earth Crisis put at one point or another. I'll never forget getting made fun of in high school for wearing so many Earth Crisis shirts that I decided to be an ass and wear every ExC shirt I had in a row and I think I went for about a week and a half with nothing but (different) ExC shirts.
I won't lie - a few of their shirts were in my beloved collection, but since I broke edge, I felt obligated to sell them. This one, however, I couldn't get rid of. And since it's more of a vegan leaning shirt, I feel legit wearing it since I'm vegan (for the 2nd time in my life).
Integrity - In Contrast Of Sin
I always tell people that Integrity are my favorite hardcore band of all-time and I mean it. I love this band. And I had a few of their other shirts, but this one was always my favorite. The rest were mostly just album cover art or whatever, but this one had great artwork.
Mushmouth - PA Hardcore
One of my favorite PA hardcore bands ever. Their Out To Win album is one of the hardest hitters ever. Sooooo good.
The awesome blog, Path To Misery, just did a great post about this band, including links to all their albums. Go check them out if you haven't.
Path Of Resistance - Who Dares Wins:
I was always in love with the Victory bands in the 90s and this record by Path Of Resistance got TONS of play when it came out (and gets a fair amount to this day). Anyway, like I mentioned above, I broke edge so I feel a little guilty keeping this one, but I'm sorry - this is one of my all-time favorite records and since the entire point of the band is straightedge, there's really no other memorabilia that I could justifiably own. So this is the one.
Vision Of Disorder - s/t:
I think everyone had this shirt. I used to love it because it was one of the few shirts I had that wasn't black... and also because of the lyrics on the back... and also because V.O.D. was one of my favorite bands of the era (I've still seen them live more than any other band in my life). But I remember I used to NOT wear the shirt to shows because of how many other people started wearing it (yes, I was a dumb kid haha). But now no one wears it again, so I will proudly wear this bright red thing.
Lifetime - Knives, Bats, New Tats:
This is my pride and joy. I've never seen this shirt on another living soul. I got it when Lifetime opened for Weston at the Troc right after Hello Bastards came out. They were always one of my favorite bands and this was the first time I saw them live and I was beyond excited. This shirt looks like it has gone through a war and if it wasn't so dear to me, I probably wouldn't even have paid money to get it re-sized because it's falling apart.... literally. It's shredded around the sleeves and collar and it doesn't have much time left. But while it's still a functioning shirt, I will wear it proudly!
Now that I find a place to re-size these and make them wearable again, I feel a bit sad that I got rid of so many other shirts that were so awesome. But oh well - I feel that I kept the cream of the crop. Maybe not the most obscure shirts or anything like that, but as far as the bands, they were all amongst my personal favorites, so it's nice to be able to wear this gear again. I got a few other shirts done too, but they were death metal or other genres, so I didn't feel like anyone reading this would care.
Got any awesome shirts? Share them in the comments!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Overcast - Begging For Indifference
I suck at keeping this thing up-to-date lately.
Anyhow, I finished the Burning Fight book. I gotta say... after reading it, I look back at the time period in a bit of a different light. So many people were yelling about so many things and the whole thing was rather elitist. I'm sure I'll get crucified by a few people who may read this and still feel strongly about what they were preaching then (and now). But really... I guess when I was younger, I didn't realize how much of a club it really was, masquerading as a scene that encourage free thought, it was pretty easy to get kicked out if your thoughts weren't in line. And disagreements really turned into fights, rather than discussions.
An anonymous commenter on another post on this blog actually summed it up pretty well:
I agree with what he says, except for the part about the music. The music, I think, was pretty innovative, as far as pushing the limits of what hardcore was known to be prior to that decade.
And speaking of bands who were experimental and pushed the boundaries, I give you Overcast. I feel like this band never really got their fair shake in the 90s. Their singer moved on to Shadows Fall, a rather successful metal band, and then when Overcast reunited a few years ago, everyone cared. But I don't remember that many people name dropping them in the 90s.
They were a bit of an outcast act, playing a distinct style of hardcore that was heavily influenced by metal and the clean vocals mixed in with the screams were certainly unique for the time.
I bought this album, along with Starkweather's Into The Wire on the same day on the recommendation of a complete metalhead. As a semi-metalhead myself, both albums were right in my wheelhouse. Maybe I'll post that Starkweather EP in the near future.
But first, enjoy Overcast's Begging For Indifference
dl
Artwork:
Anyhow, I finished the Burning Fight book. I gotta say... after reading it, I look back at the time period in a bit of a different light. So many people were yelling about so many things and the whole thing was rather elitist. I'm sure I'll get crucified by a few people who may read this and still feel strongly about what they were preaching then (and now). But really... I guess when I was younger, I didn't realize how much of a club it really was, masquerading as a scene that encourage free thought, it was pretty easy to get kicked out if your thoughts weren't in line. And disagreements really turned into fights, rather than discussions.
An anonymous commenter on another post on this blog actually summed it up pretty well:
I haven't read Burning Fight, but when I look back at 90s hardcore, I feel that it was a product of the culture of its time - a pretty narrow, puritanical vision of what the world should be. The political playbook of hardcore around that time reads like the syllabi of liberal arts colleges. The music too reflects a certain lack of experimentation and innovation.
I agree with what he says, except for the part about the music. The music, I think, was pretty innovative, as far as pushing the limits of what hardcore was known to be prior to that decade.
And speaking of bands who were experimental and pushed the boundaries, I give you Overcast. I feel like this band never really got their fair shake in the 90s. Their singer moved on to Shadows Fall, a rather successful metal band, and then when Overcast reunited a few years ago, everyone cared. But I don't remember that many people name dropping them in the 90s.
They were a bit of an outcast act, playing a distinct style of hardcore that was heavily influenced by metal and the clean vocals mixed in with the screams were certainly unique for the time.
I bought this album, along with Starkweather's Into The Wire on the same day on the recommendation of a complete metalhead. As a semi-metalhead myself, both albums were right in my wheelhouse. Maybe I'll post that Starkweather EP in the near future.
But first, enjoy Overcast's Begging For Indifference
dl
Artwork:
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Adamantium - From The Depths Of Depression
Adamantium was a great band that came out at the tail end of the nineties from California. Their sound was a perfect example of the great metalcore of the 1990s, even though you could begin to hear where the music was headed as the new century approached - into something where moshing was almost too much of a focus and the sounds of mainstream were just ever so slightly infringing. But it's still a great listen.
From The Depths Of Depression was their first full length, released on Indecision Records in 1998. It was a great full-length filled with a ton of beefy guitar riffing and enough breakdowns and groove to really get a mosh pit going. Their two follow-up efforts were good as well, but didn't touch the intensity of this record in my opinion. Members of this band went on to join or start Death By Stereo, Throwdown and Eighteen Visions.
The song, Goodbye, was always a favorite on this album. And the record is still available from Indecision Records, so if you like what you hear, do yourself a favor and pick up a physical copy.
dl
By the way, I've gotten back to reading Burning Fight - the book about 90s hardcore. And I have to say - I'm having mixed feelings. The book is well-written and covers a lot, but for every time it makes me feel nostalgic, it also reminds me why I'm sometimes glad the 90s are over. I wonder what others out there think. If you've read it, or are reading it, let me know how the content strikes you - as far as your own feelings looking back.
And one last thing... this is like 3 months old at this point, but I just found out there's a new Integrity song as part of this free, online Deathwish Inc. sampler:
MMIX Sampler
Integrity is one of my favorite bands and this track does not disappoint, so I was super excited to hear it. There are also a fairly good amount of other great bands on here including The Hope Conspiracy, Lewd Acts (never heard them before this comp - gonna have to check them out) and others. Definitely worth the price of free.
From The Depths Of Depression was their first full length, released on Indecision Records in 1998. It was a great full-length filled with a ton of beefy guitar riffing and enough breakdowns and groove to really get a mosh pit going. Their two follow-up efforts were good as well, but didn't touch the intensity of this record in my opinion. Members of this band went on to join or start Death By Stereo, Throwdown and Eighteen Visions.
The song, Goodbye, was always a favorite on this album. And the record is still available from Indecision Records, so if you like what you hear, do yourself a favor and pick up a physical copy.
dl
By the way, I've gotten back to reading Burning Fight - the book about 90s hardcore. And I have to say - I'm having mixed feelings. The book is well-written and covers a lot, but for every time it makes me feel nostalgic, it also reminds me why I'm sometimes glad the 90s are over. I wonder what others out there think. If you've read it, or are reading it, let me know how the content strikes you - as far as your own feelings looking back.
And one last thing... this is like 3 months old at this point, but I just found out there's a new Integrity song as part of this free, online Deathwish Inc. sampler:
MMIX Sampler
Integrity is one of my favorite bands and this track does not disappoint, so I was super excited to hear it. There are also a fairly good amount of other great bands on here including The Hope Conspiracy, Lewd Acts (never heard them before this comp - gonna have to check them out) and others. Definitely worth the price of free.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
All Else Failed - A Most Bitter Season
All Else Failed were an oddball act. Tempered by bands like Deadguy and Vision Of Disorder, they had a cult-like following in their hometown of Philadelphia, but for some reason could never really break out of that area. They did do a few US tours, including one with the Dillinger Escape Plan and they put out a few records on Abacus Recordings - a subsidiary of Century Media.
I really never understood why this band wasn't loved by a larger audience. Their music was incredible if you are a fan of that off-kilter, spastic style of hardcore by bands like Rorschach, Deadguy and the Dillinger Escape Plan. And man - they had one fierce stage show. Not only was their singer Luke an absolute animal onstage, beating himself up with the mic until bloody and hitting anyone and anything else that got in front of him (and he was the type of guy who I wouldn't advise hitting back), but the rest of the band had an incredible tightness to go along with it.
Maybe my favorite thing about this band was that they always had their own sound and they never really caved on that. You couldn't say that they sounded like any other screamo band, hardcore band, metal band, etc. They were just heartfelt and played for themselves.
A Most Bitter Season was an early EP, released in 1997, by the band when they had two singers. Later, they would go down to one vocalist and their sound would get even more pointed, in my opinion. But this record has such a dark feeling to it - it's always stood as a favorite amongst the band's fans.
dl
I really never understood why this band wasn't loved by a larger audience. Their music was incredible if you are a fan of that off-kilter, spastic style of hardcore by bands like Rorschach, Deadguy and the Dillinger Escape Plan. And man - they had one fierce stage show. Not only was their singer Luke an absolute animal onstage, beating himself up with the mic until bloody and hitting anyone and anything else that got in front of him (and he was the type of guy who I wouldn't advise hitting back), but the rest of the band had an incredible tightness to go along with it.
Maybe my favorite thing about this band was that they always had their own sound and they never really caved on that. You couldn't say that they sounded like any other screamo band, hardcore band, metal band, etc. They were just heartfelt and played for themselves.
A Most Bitter Season was an early EP, released in 1997, by the band when they had two singers. Later, they would go down to one vocalist and their sound would get even more pointed, in my opinion. But this record has such a dark feeling to it - it's always stood as a favorite amongst the band's fans.
dl
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Ascension - Two Full Lengths
A few months ago, I made a post requesting material by Ascension. Besides a few people offering links to their record, Abomination, Chris Wood, the vocalist from Ascension, found the post and left this update:
Thanks Chris!
In the meantime, in my quest to find more material, I actually picked up Abomination used on Amazon for pretty cheap.
I emailed Chris and he let me know that he'll look into transferring the demos and compilation tracks he has into a digital format. And in the meantime, he gave me the go ahead to post the two full lengths here. So enjoy and check back for the harder-to-find Ascension stuff.
If you're new to Ascension, just think of Clevo metalcore at it's finest - maybe even a little more metal than most of the other Clevo acts at the time.
The Years Of Fire
Abomination
I was looking for the Bleed "bully complex" CD and came across your blog. I was the vocalist for Ascension/Years of Fire from Cleveland. We released 2 CDs for Toybox, "years of fire" and "abomination". We were also on a few comps. Jason hager was the original bass player he left ascension and formed Chimaira playing 2nd guitar. He was replaced by Dave "big metal" Johnson who now plays for soulless and death crawl. After the end of Ascension Matt Devries formed Descension and then replaced Jason Hagar in Chimaira. Lastly, after Ascension Craig Ramsey has been in a number of bands such as Ace and the Ragers and the Bears. Hopefully, that will help clear things up. I still have the old recordings
Thanks Chris!
In the meantime, in my quest to find more material, I actually picked up Abomination used on Amazon for pretty cheap.
I emailed Chris and he let me know that he'll look into transferring the demos and compilation tracks he has into a digital format. And in the meantime, he gave me the go ahead to post the two full lengths here. So enjoy and check back for the harder-to-find Ascension stuff.
If you're new to Ascension, just think of Clevo metalcore at it's finest - maybe even a little more metal than most of the other Clevo acts at the time.
The Years Of Fire
Abomination
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Damnation A.D. - No More Dreams Of Happy Endings
Another band that played the Burning Fight fest. I don't think they reunited really because they've been sort of on and off for years now, even releasing a new record a little while ago. But they were always a fun band to see - especially when they'd bring their own blue lights and incense and really create quite the atmosphere. It was amusing because that was so irregular for hardcore, but they didn't give a shit. And I loved that.
Anyway, this record is probably their most famous. And with good reason - it really has some great tracks. A lot of interludes and whatnot on there too, but the tracks on here are classics that people went nuts for at Burning Fight and back in the day.
dl
P.S. - Sorry I haven't been posting album covers, but Photobucket has been acting really strange and crashing my browser every time I browse to it.
Anyway, this record is probably their most famous. And with good reason - it really has some great tracks. A lot of interludes and whatnot on there too, but the tracks on here are classics that people went nuts for at Burning Fight and back in the day.
dl
P.S. - Sorry I haven't been posting album covers, but Photobucket has been acting really strange and crashing my browser every time I browse to it.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Indecision - Release The Cure
Indecision did not play the Burning Fight Book Release show in Chicago, but they did play the pre-show on Friday night with Converge and Wait In Vain (by the way, check out Wait In Vain... members of Trial and sound pretty similar - highly recommended).
Release The Cure was the band's final full-length and featured Artie Philie on vocals. He was previously in Milhouse (great band - maybe I'll post about them another time).
Tom Sheehan was the band's vocalist when they reunited and also on most of their recorded material. I like his vocals and the music they wrote with him, but Release The Cure was always my favorite release by the band. It was partially because I love Artie's voice and partially because I feel that it was Indecision's most mature record, musically. The title track is one of my all-time favorite hardcore songs - the breakdown at the end is sooooo good.
dl
Release The Cure was the band's final full-length and featured Artie Philie on vocals. He was previously in Milhouse (great band - maybe I'll post about them another time).
Tom Sheehan was the band's vocalist when they reunited and also on most of their recorded material. I like his vocals and the music they wrote with him, but Release The Cure was always my favorite release by the band. It was partially because I love Artie's voice and partially because I feel that it was Indecision's most mature record, musically. The title track is one of my all-time favorite hardcore songs - the breakdown at the end is sooooo good.
dl
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Guilt - Synthesia
So as I mentioned in my last post, I moved to Chicago. And as a stroke of luck, a friend of mine from Philadelphia had ordered an extra ticket to the Burning Fight fest (while I still lived in Philly, mind you) and didn't know where he was going to stay while he was here. Well - what luck... I happened to have a place for him to lay his head and he happened to have an unspoken for ticket. So I got to go. Not bad, especially considering I live less than 10 blocks from the venue where it was held.
I'm not going to do a full show review, but suffice it to say that the bands I was excited to see did NOT disappoint and I haven't been as excited about 90s hardcore since, well... the 90s. I picked up the book, but haven't had a chance to start reading it yet. Hopefully I'll get there soon.
But I left the show, as a geeky computer guy, thinking that it was the perfect opportunity to start posting on my blog again. So to start, I've decided to post about Guilt.
Unfortunately, I think they were one of the least appreciated reuniting bands at the show, based on the fact that the venue was at about half capacity when they played. But they were always a favorite of mine, even if they were a little strange for the genre back then. And I thought they played a great set regardless.
The first time I saw Guilt was pretty amusing. It was in a really terrible neighborhood in Philadelphia and I was about 16. I remember specifically my dad asking me to please not go to the show because of where it was - which should've set off a trigger because I was going to shows in the city all the time back then and he never seemed to care.
But I made the trek via public transportation and as soon as I got off, I realized why my dad was so concerned. But I made it to the show OK.
The lineup was: Catharsis, Enkindle, Damnation A.D. and Guilt. The show was incredible. I wasn't a big Enkindle fan, but the other three bands all blew me away.
At the end of the night, I realized I was going to have to walk back to the train and was getting a little uncomfortable. So I ended up starting a conversation with Colin McGinnis (sp?), whose played in Paint It Black and None More Black amongst others, and I told him how I had to get home and he goes "oh hell no, my girlfriend and I will give you a ride to the train station". And I am forever eternally grateful.
Anyway, enough reminiscing. Here is Guilt's Synthesia album. It came out on Initial Records and is at least a little more hard-hitting than their Victory Records albums, although I think their whole discography is great.
dl
And by the way, I actually spoke to Duncan Barlow at the Burning Fight fest and all I said was "I saw you guys in Philly years ago" and he said "oh yea, that show in the ghetto?" so my story is not exaggerated :)
I hope to do a few more posts about bands who reunited for the fest and then I should have some other good stuff to post up here as well after that. But we'll see - life seems to get in the way of good plans all the time.
I'm not going to do a full show review, but suffice it to say that the bands I was excited to see did NOT disappoint and I haven't been as excited about 90s hardcore since, well... the 90s. I picked up the book, but haven't had a chance to start reading it yet. Hopefully I'll get there soon.
But I left the show, as a geeky computer guy, thinking that it was the perfect opportunity to start posting on my blog again. So to start, I've decided to post about Guilt.
Unfortunately, I think they were one of the least appreciated reuniting bands at the show, based on the fact that the venue was at about half capacity when they played. But they were always a favorite of mine, even if they were a little strange for the genre back then. And I thought they played a great set regardless.
The first time I saw Guilt was pretty amusing. It was in a really terrible neighborhood in Philadelphia and I was about 16. I remember specifically my dad asking me to please not go to the show because of where it was - which should've set off a trigger because I was going to shows in the city all the time back then and he never seemed to care.
But I made the trek via public transportation and as soon as I got off, I realized why my dad was so concerned. But I made it to the show OK.
The lineup was: Catharsis, Enkindle, Damnation A.D. and Guilt. The show was incredible. I wasn't a big Enkindle fan, but the other three bands all blew me away.
At the end of the night, I realized I was going to have to walk back to the train and was getting a little uncomfortable. So I ended up starting a conversation with Colin McGinnis (sp?), whose played in Paint It Black and None More Black amongst others, and I told him how I had to get home and he goes "oh hell no, my girlfriend and I will give you a ride to the train station". And I am forever eternally grateful.
Anyway, enough reminiscing. Here is Guilt's Synthesia album. It came out on Initial Records and is at least a little more hard-hitting than their Victory Records albums, although I think their whole discography is great.
dl
And by the way, I actually spoke to Duncan Barlow at the Burning Fight fest and all I said was "I saw you guys in Philly years ago" and he said "oh yea, that show in the ghetto?" so my story is not exaggerated :)
I hope to do a few more posts about bands who reunited for the fest and then I should have some other good stuff to post up here as well after that. But we'll see - life seems to get in the way of good plans all the time.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Smoking Popes - Get Fired + Born To Quit
If you pay any attention to my blog other than the Mediafire links, you may have noticed I mentioned moving to Chicago a few posts ago. Then my posts stopped altogether.
Well, I moved and I'm back up and running. So far, I absolutely love it here. Blows away Philadelphia by miles, in my humble opinion.
Anyway, enough about me... as a tribute to my move, my first post back is two out-of-print records from one of Chicago's best bands - not hardcore (sorry) - THE SMOKING POPES!!!! This band has been playing for years and they are still great. Amazing songwriters, one of the most unique voices in their genre and just generally awesome lyrics.
Both albums are in the same zip file and I apologize for no artwork, but Photobucket kept freezing my browser when I tried getting on to it, so maybe I'll try later and add the artwork to this post.
dl
I HOPE to be posting with more regularity again now that I'm settled, but I also have a big city to explore and get familiar with, so we'll see. Either way, thanks for paying attention (to whomever is, if anyone is).
Well, I moved and I'm back up and running. So far, I absolutely love it here. Blows away Philadelphia by miles, in my humble opinion.
Anyway, enough about me... as a tribute to my move, my first post back is two out-of-print records from one of Chicago's best bands - not hardcore (sorry) - THE SMOKING POPES!!!! This band has been playing for years and they are still great. Amazing songwriters, one of the most unique voices in their genre and just generally awesome lyrics.
Both albums are in the same zip file and I apologize for no artwork, but Photobucket kept freezing my browser when I tried getting on to it, so maybe I'll try later and add the artwork to this post.
dl
I HOPE to be posting with more regularity again now that I'm settled, but I also have a big city to explore and get familiar with, so we'll see. Either way, thanks for paying attention (to whomever is, if anyone is).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
