Rust Empire (Check them out)

LISTEN TO THE MUSIC DIRECTLY HERE!

To start with, this link is an advertisement to the band only. There is no download link. I have chosen to include Rust Empire in this blog due to the fact it contains Shane Durgee as one of the band members. Shane used to play in Framework (who later became Earth Crisis when Shane left and the band reformed with Karl taking over vocal duties from originally being the bassist), Gatekeeper and Uprising (who later became Green Rage), which were all early '90s, vegan straight-edge, chugging hardcore / metal bands. 

Information on Rust Empire, taken from their Facebook page, which can be seen HERE is: 

"Rust Empire began in the summer of 2010 with five old hats from pre/present/post-hardcore, punk, jazz, funk, rock and stoner doom bands. It’s an unlikely grouping of gents that surprises everyone who knows them, but they make loud music. What else really matters?"

A few days ago, in 2011, Shane Durgee and I had a conversation via Facebook (the thrills of the  ease of Internet based sociability), he linked me to this band with the words "We're kind of like Quicksand" (who features Walter Schreifels of Gorilla Biscuits, Project X, Youth Of Today and more recently Rival Schools). To me they sound more like "Far - Tin Cans With String To You" album, or Unsane, without all the effects on the vocals and guitar. It's garage alternative punk rock by older guys who want to show they can still have fun and play decent music.

I've chosen to add them to this blog due to the fact it's two decades later and although Shane Durgee and co are no longer hardline, vegan straight-edge guys... although Shane tells me he is still Vegan, good on him, they are still capable of rocking out.

If you like it, you like it, if you don't, you don't. 

Open Wide - Discography

Open Wide were a Japanese Youth Crew Hardcore band. The band featured members of former bands, such as Spitfast! and Anticipation. This discography contains 13 tracks, one of which is an introduction, 8 of which are written, originally by the band and 4 of which are covers of the following bands: Building, Rancor, Bold & Mainstrike, in a total running of just over 22 minutes. This discography CD-R was a split release by three labels: Kawaii Records (France), Legion Productions (USA) and World's Appreciated Kitsch Records (Greece), in 2008. The cover art was done by DJ Criminal Designs.




DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download also contains a scan of the full insert, including lyrics).

Trial - Live audio footage from the V-Club, St Petersburg, Russia [14-10-2011]

(I don't know how to make this image smaller).

Trial are an immensely passionate band from Seattle, Washington, USA. They formed in 1994 with the aim to spread messages of social change, awareness of world suffering and self-belief. Lyrics tackled ideas and dealt with concepts such as political and social issues, survival and suffering. The band could not be pinpointed, they were certainly a mid 90s hardcore band, however in the past they have been classed as a straight-edge band, a political band and others, you can't tie them to a certain sub-genre, or classification of a type of hardcore band. They have been extremely influential over the years and to my knowledge there are two bands with names directly linked to Trial, both of these bands are called Unrestrained, one is from Burlington, Vermont the other is from Portland, Oregon.

Trial recorded 3 main releases, Through The Darkest Days (1996), Foundation EP (1997) and Are These Our Lives? (1999), there are other releases which I'm not so sure about the release dates of, or information on, these include Turn Away LP, I'm Still Screaming! Live 7" and Trial - Self-Titled 10". After this time, they slowed as a band to concentrate on other areas of life and other bands.

Members of trial have accumulated a wealth of musical experience. Throughout the years they also played in, in the past or are currently playing in or have filled in for Wait In Vain, Between Earth And Sky, Champion, Sinking Ships, Love Is Red, Breag Naofa, Les Gants, Run With The Hunted, Three Inches Of Blood, Walls Of Jericho, Catharsis and (thanks to Greg) Prong, Otis Reem, Biodegradable Grandmother, Brutally Familiar and The Pist. Having these experiences over the past 20 years means that currently Trial are one of the most exciting hardcore bands to catch live these days.

I was lucky enough to catch them at one of a few rare shows they played, since around 1999, at Fluff Fest 2009, in Rokycany, Czech Republic, they blew everybody away, it was after this show that Brian Redman, the original bassist, tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident, which left the band not wanting to carry on playing. However, they later came to realise the brilliance of Trial, the influence the band has on people's lives and in memory of Brian, they decided to do a few tours, in 2011.

I was fortunate enough to make it to the show on 4th, October, 2011 in Le Pub, Newport, Wales where there was a capacity of 100 people only, due to the size of the venue. It went off, the show was nuts, I hopped around like I was on a space hopper on the moon as I can't do all those fashionable dances. Here are the full dates for that tour with Anchor and Run With The Hunted:

(I don't know how to make the image even smaller).

For this tour Drew, the vocalist of Run With The Hunted played 2nd guitar and Roger Killburn (of Sinking Ships, Wait In Vain and Love Is Red) is now the permanent bassist of Trial.

In their lives separate from the band Timm, runs Panic! Records and is also in Wait In Vain, Greg set up One Hundred For Haiti campaign and does Spoken Word performances and motivational speeches here and is in Between Earth And Sky, Roger plays in a new band called Breag Naofa and Alexei is in 100+ bands and I don't have so much information on him.

Anyway, enough of my rambling on, here is what you came to download, the live audio footage of the Trial set from V-Club, St Petersburg, Russia [10-14-2011].

DOWNLOAD HERE!

Brutally Familiar - Brutally Familiar [Extremely rare demo track]

Brutally Familiar was a fast hardcore/punk band including Greg Bennick, known mostly for his vocals in Trial (and plenty of other bands). As far as Greg and I are aware there is very little information on this band available online, Trial formed in 1994, this track was recorded in 1991, in Greg's own words:

"In 1991, I went home to Connecticut for two weeks to hang out with my friends. We formed two bands: Brutally Familiar and The Pist, and recorded a five song demo for Brutally Familiar and played the first Pist show around the same time. This song is from the Brutally Familiar self titled demo."

Here are the lyrics:

"Remember me?

Way back then some years ago

We'd see each other at the shows

Not afraid to talk and smile

Be ourselves - hang out awhile

Well you're still you and I'm still me

So ask yourself why this must be

That those days are just in the past

And now you're out to kick some ass

Ask yourself why

Ask yourself why

Ask yourself why

I don't know

I don't know

I don't know

Stop and ask yourself this question

Is this all your own aggression?

If its not from your own heart, think real hard:

When did it fucking start?

We are Brutally Familiar

We are Brutally Familiar

We are Brutally Familiar"

Greg only has this one song digitised and therefore I can only post this one song but for any Trial nerds it's probably interesting, there is no demo artwork available online, so here is a live photograph.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download contains one track).

Edit: I've linked the band's Myspace page to here also, as it turns out some of the songs are online already, however they still go somewhat unheard and unknown about, so enjoy them.

New Winds - Reunion Video, 10/12/2011

New Winds were a vegan straight-edge band from Lisbon, Portugal. They played melodic, sing-a-long hardcore punk, similar to a blend of 7 Seconds, Insted and Bold and had politically charged lyrics. They formed around 1997 and stopped being a band around 2007.

I was sifting through Facebook as people generally do these days and stumbled across Rafael Madeira's page (band member of Critical Point, Pressure and previously of Broken Distance), he had this video posted of a New Winds reunion show, which took place two days ago at Revolver Bar, Portugal (10-12-2011).

I don't know If I've been living under a rock, or if this show wasn't well publicised to people outside of Portugal but it made me happy to see and incase you like New Winds and haven't seen this reunion video, it may also make you happy, so here it is:

NEW WINDS Reunion Show @ Revolver Bar (10-12-2011) from JUICY TV on Vimeo.

(This video was shot by Fábio Gonçalves).

Pain Runs Deep - Pain Runs Deep

Pain Runs Deep were a drug free vegan band from Poland. They played metallic hardcore. This EP was released on Screams Of Salvation Records, New Ferry, UK in 1999. An interesting thing about this band is that although on this EP none of the lyrics are direct to Krishna Consciousness, they give thanks to the Bhagavatam (30 book volumes of which the Bhagavad Gita is derived). This EP contains 6 tracks, one of which is an introduction. The lyrics are based around environmental justice, animal liberation and a will to change the western world. The vocalist of Pain Runs Deep is now doing vocals in Inherit (previously mentioned in x The Break In x post), in 2011. Still vegan, still straight-edge, so you can tell this music is for real.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download also contains a scan of the full CD booklet, the words are deliberately unclear to read).

El Arma Es La Palabra - Esclavos Del Tiempo

My friend Abraham, or Gove is a vegan straight-edge guy from Monterry, Mexico. I've seen in several places online he has posted the free download of his current bands' new EP. El Arma Es La Palabra are a vegan straight-edge band and play mid '90s hardcore style jams, in the modern day. Mexico has a decent scene, other bands from the same scene include

Libérate

, xAlguna Ves Fui Ciegox, Locus De Control and many others which I am forgetting right now. All of which are great at what they do. I thought I'd take the chance to promote Southern American Vegan Straight-Edge when the chance arises. Here is that chance, enjoy the EP.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This was taken from a source other than my CD collection, I do not know what is included with the download, if anything).

xUltramilitancex Zine - Issues #1, 3, 4 + 5

xUltramilitancex was a vegan straight-edge zine based in the UK. It was a zine written and edited between 2003-2004. Here, I have uploaded for you, 4 issues, only missing issue #2 from the 5 zine collection. I was lucky enough to be sent this zine along with some others as a gift, it's pretty rare and too good to keep to myself, so here you go!

Included in the 4 zines are Direct Action reports, Direct Action tips (lots of them!), band interviews (with: New Winds, Purification, Maroon and Justice Department), the
history at the time of the

Russian ALF, numerous accounts of other world struggles, the proven links between child abuse and animal abuse and much, much more.

The Zine editor himself has been in prison for illegal animal liberation activity. Which in essence makes this zine all the more worthwhile to know the person who wrote it knew what he was talking about. Anyway, enough of me, happy reading. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download contains all 4 zines in one folder).

xRisenx - Playing The Victim

xRisenx are/were a vegan straight-edge metallic hardcore band from Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. The band was set about to spread the important message of animal liberation, earth liberation and liberation of the self. They play an early 90's style of hardcore, musically similar to Framework, even Raid and more recently Wait In Vain (sorry if these are cliche similarities, my head's in a daze today). The band features members of Birthright, Jackhammer (an old, lost xcatalystx band, check them out at Max's Blog) and at times Gather. Kurt XCatalystX does vocals. We may see them reunite in 2012, I hope so. This EP was released by XCatalystX Records, in 2007. In the words of the band themselves (probably Kurt, as he's good with words), taken from a quote on the back cover:

"As a band, xRisenx strongly supports and encourages a vegan lifestyle.

In a culture immersed in injustice it can seem difficult to find ways for the individual to make a concrete difference. Taking the simple step to re-evaluate the way each of us interacts with the world around us, especially through something as easy to change as our own dietary choices, can be a crucial step towards a more just way of living.

The best way to combat the injustice of this world is to begin with the injustice contained in our own lives: To make informed decisions that bring us one step closer to achieving true liberation for the self, those oppressed and the world we live in."

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download also contains a scan of the insert, with lyrics and lyric descriptions, the front cover shown above and the back cover with the quote above on it).

Broken Distance - Hourglass

This blog so far has been based around hardcore and metalcore of the militant variety. However in the header I stated I'd also be posting up Youth Crew. Here is the first of those bands. Broken Distance were a straight-edge youth crew hardcore band from Faro, Portugal. Members of the band were either formerly in, were in during this band, or are now in Pointing Finger, Critical Point, Pressure, and were also involved in Impact Booking, organising decent hardcore shows in faro and booking European tours for the mentioned bands, the city they're from is also where Wake Up And Live Fanzine was edited, by a member of other bands they're in and David the vocalist of Broken Distance currently runs Salad Days Records. Essentially what I'm saying is that for the last 15 or so years, these guys have been dedicated to the straight-edge, youth crew mindset. In this time they have noticeably managed to, in my eyes, perfect the sound of modernised youth crew. This CD is well produced, mixed and mastered. It contains 6 tracks of fast, modern youth crew hardcore and was put out by Take The Risk Records and Monument Records, in 2007. Unlike other youth crew and the positive vibes which the genre of music and their other bands are known to spread, broken distance's lyrics deal with depression and frustration of modern, every day life and how people shouldn't reflect on the past all the time and think about how good things used to be, it's an EP which screams for change. Also, the drumming is so good for this CD, the music is well composed, the guys really did this one well but hey, that could just be my view. You decide.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download also contains a full scan of the CD booklet).

Withdrawn - A Certain Innate Suffering

Withdrawn were a militant minded vegan straight-edge metal band, from Liverpool, UK. The band line-up on this EP contained Chris Meadows and "Foster" who, I've read in numerous areas of the internet, were a pair of guys who were heavily into Hardline Ideology, who openly supported a pro-life stance and the view that homosexuality was unnatural (a lot of other people who support hardline in places find this view preposterous, which it is), they were also known to get in many fights due to their views. This CD contains 4 tracks, which go on for close to 23 minutes. It was put out by Sure Hand Records, -run by Nick from the bands Unborn (metal), Cracked Cop Skulls (anarcho-punk), Unquiet Grave (hardcore crust) and probably more- in 1997. This band had another vocalist later on, who now does vocals in 2011 in a Straight-Edge Metallic Hardcore band full of old mid 90s scenesters called DeadXSett and never claimed to be hardline. I have no idea where the original members of this band are now, or what they're up to.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download also contains a full scan of the CD booklet).

Contempt - One Justice

There are two bands with the name Contempt, one is from England and plays punk. This however is the Contempt from Rochester, New York, USA. Contempt was a vegan straight-edge band. On the back cover the singer is wearing a pro-life shirt, so I'm not sure if that was a whole band mindset, or just the individuals' mindset. They played a blend of heavy hardcore, set for those silly dances in the pit and metal. This CD contains 8 tracks and was first released on March Through Records, Germany and then on XCatalystX Records, USA, in 1997.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download also contains a scan of the full booklet).

Absence - I'll Cast The First Stone

Absence were a vegan straight-edge metallic hardcore band from Italy, who later went on to become XDestroy BabylonX after a hiatus of a few years and a change in the line-up of the band. This EP has a militant vegan straight-edge message in the lyrics. Fabio, the vocalist also ran E-Blood Clothing which was supposedly very successful within the Hip-Hop community. Download this to check out the most awesome picture of a kid which has ever existed, probably.
This EP contains 5 tracks of angered chugging hardcore metal and this was released by XCatalystX Records in 2002. The guitars are kind of hitch pitched and typically old school metal, you'll know what I mean. I like it.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download also contains a full scan of the booklet).

Together - The Elephant

There are two bands with the name Together in recent times, one is from Germany. This, however is the Together from Torres Vedras, Portugal. I could sit and talk all day about how much I like this band, I have no idea what I'm about to type, so I apologise in advance for the babbling. They play melodic hardcore with singalong parts. Every member of the band is vegan straight-edge. A few of which are also involved in positive other projects, such as distribution (distro's) of merchanidise and music by other artists, they're well traveled and if you go to any shows in Europe (namely Fluff Fest), you're likely to see them stood behind stalls for Brave Distro and Path Distro. The band features members of New Winds (melodic vegan straight-edge hardcore punk), These Hands Are Fists and more recently the band has shared drummers with Critical Point (Faro vegetarian straight-edge youth crew). For what it may matter to you this band has raging, energetic female fronted vocals (genders don't matter but people seem to like to know these things) and there are singing parts, for hardcore sing alongs, for a decent example, check out the introduction to "No Water Enough". This band, I love. Was lucky enough to see them at Fluff Fest 2009. This CD was self-released in 2009 and contains 8 tracks, including one intro and one spoken word outro over background music. The lyrical topic range from scene unity, to third world labour for your clothes, to a new green natural world on top of the decaying modern industrialism after the collapse, veganism, straight-edge. It's all good.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download also contains a scan of the insert, which includes the lyrics and their explanations and back cover which includes a nice short bit of writing on why the band is called Together, in relation to the name of the CD being The Elephant).

Umbrage - Promo' CD 2007

Umbrage were a Japanese hardcore band, influenced by American mid 90s hardcore such as Birthright and Culture. This promotional release contains 3 tracks and was self-released in 2007. I don't know much about them other than they toured with Risen (90s vegan straight-edge metalcore featuring members of Birthright, from the USA) in Japan, and 4 members of the band out of five have x's either side of their names on the back cover. So, I'm not sure if they're fully edge or not. They're decent anyway. Lyrics are about thought deception from the state, how they manipulate our thought process and how everything we believe in is fake. For a demo this is pretty decent.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download also contains a scan of the lyrics sheet).

Raiden - The Killing Fist

Raiden were from the UK and this release was put out by Retribute Records who were based in New Ferry, UK. They play a blend of crushing metalcore and death metal. The vocals go from high pitched shrieks to brown noise grunts. If you're into Mid 90s bands, such as Sunrise, listed in the first post on this blog, then you may very well enjoy this. Truthfully, I don't know anything about this band, the CD was sent as an extra gift among a package of CD's which I asked for. I have asked around and the band appears to be neither (fully) vegan or straight-edge, if at all. However, the music they play fits the bands on this blog. If it was just straight-up metal, I wouldn't be into it as it doesn't interest me but this has something familiar in the sound. The first person in the thanks list is Chris Meadows who was an old school Hardliner in the UK back in the 90s, he used to play in Slavearc and ran a label which only released Pro-Life Vegan Straight-Edge bands, so I really don't know the deal with these guys and their politics and mindsets. Read the lyrics and make up your own mind.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download also contains a full scan of the booklet).

Stand In Defense - When The World Flips! - Demo 2007

Stand In Defense were a vegan straight-edge band out of New Haven, Connecticut, USA. They played a brand of aggressive fast hardcore punk along the lines of Gather, but with not as good sound quality. The band has 2 guys and 2 girls in it (not that genders matter), the vocals are female fronted and she screams much like Eva from Gather. Much like xThe Battlex, the sound mixing quality on this demo isn't up to much. This was released on Vedge Records, USA in 2007. The CD's were handed out for free, I got about 20 copies sent to me, who knows where the majority of those are now. The fold over paper case, it is worth noting, is made of 100% tree free paper and all the ink used is from soya ink. One up for the environment there.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download contains a scan of the full fold out casing of the demo, including lyrics and lyric descriptions).

x The Break In x - Demo Y2X3

xThe Break Inx were a straight-edge band from Kent, UK. They played in your face heavy hardcore central to the ideas and messages of a straight-edge lifestyle. A few members of the band are currently playing in Inherit, (along with members of Pain Runs Deep, Never X Again and several other bands) and Unholy Majesty. As for the name of this demo, it obviously means Demo 2003, however a thousand would be indicated by "K" not, "X", that means ten. However, they're a straight-edge band, so I'm guessing it's deliberate. They also brought out some later releases, of a much more musically advanced and better produced and mixed sound, including "Unbowed" which can be downloaded here (I found this link online, it's not my upload) and another EP.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download also includes the lyric sheet).

xThe Battlex - All Shall Perish

xThe Battlex was a solo project by an original member of XDestroy BabylonX and XRage Of A ProphetX, from Switzerland. The CD contains 9 tracks, 6 of which are original, one of which is a clean guitar interlude, there is an intro track of samples taken from films and a cover version of "Declaration Of War" by Green Rage, the original of which can be heard here. The lyrical content is of a militant mindset, aiming to bring about world change by any means necessary. The lyrics advocate a strong stance in defense of animal liberation and straight-edge. The thanks list gives thanks to "the hardline" and XRage Of A ProphetX mentioned previously stated themselves as a PRO-LIFE. VEGAN. STRAIGHT-EDGE band. xThe Battlex is a portrayal of the mindset of this individual wolvh. It is however, a DIY recording, in a living room, on a laptop with a headset as the microphone. Don't expect any hi-tech' music here. As I've stated this was a project. this was released by xSTORM OF JUSTICEx Records, in Switzerland, in 2007. Artwork done by Simon Erl, a straight-edge tattoo artist based in the UK.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

(This download contains the booklet information, including lyrics, the track list and thanks list).

Sunrise - Child Of Eternty

Sunrise were a vegan straight-edge band from Poland. They played a mix of death metal and hardcore with vocals leaning towards the stereotypical black metal sound. This release contains 7 tracks. This was released by Sober Mind Records, Belgium in 1999. Band members went on to form bands such as Daymares and Iron To Gold, who are still playing in 2011.

DOWNLOAD HERE

(This download also contains a full scan of the booklet).

The Purpose.

The idea came about when I started buying full collections of stuff I've not seen online off older vegan straight-edge guys who no longer feel the need to hold their spare bedrooms up with wall racks full of mid 90s hardcore. On here I'll strive to do the hard job of sifting through what I have that xSTUCK IN THE PASTx, OneXPath, xONE TRUTHx, xStrictly Straight-Edgex etc blogs haven't, which really doesn't leave me with very much stuff.

I feel a lot of the information and messages given through these bands' music is really important. I'm only 23 years old and Hardcore has shaped my world view immensely, so has activism in other aspects of life but combined they're amazing forces at showing you what you are really capable of analysing, becoming passionate about, acting to change on and creating.

Anyway, if you feel the same or if you think I'm rambling on. Enjoy the blog. Updates might be quick or they could be slow, depending on when I buy stuff, upload it and post it. If there are duplicates of stuff on other blogs, my posts will have the cover art and inserts scanned to, where the others do not.

Enjoy.