This band was from the Bay Area and was originally called Apocalyptic Judgement (I liked that name better, so brutal). The band featured a buddy and ex band mate of mine named Zoran Theodorovic. Zoran Played guitar with me in the Romper Room Rejects, and then did this band (singing) after we broke up. Turmoil also featured Ken Sovari who was the second Autopsy bass player. Ken played on the 1988 "critical mass" demo. Turmoil existed from between 1988-91 and played loads of local metal shows. Zoran is still active today in underground/extreme music. Dudes been a bay area staple since 1985. Enjoy!
Love this stuff. Its so dark & heavy, and is the perfect mixture of metal and hardcore.
I've been friends with some members from the Original lineup for years (thanks to Chris Pellow for this demo). I also have a live set on tape that I got from Chris as well that I'll hopefully upload someday. Great Clevo hardcore with tons of Mosh, and some Slayer influence as well. Albany mosh metal kids went crazy for this band back in the 90's. They'd react by doing those windmills, and stupid karate kicks in the pit. I could only stand there and wonder who the idiot was that invented that "dance move"... At any rate enjoy the tunes.
1.Beyond Hope Beyond Life 2.When Enough Is Too Much 3.Xenophobia 4.God Offal 5.Choice? 6.Clones 7.Childhood's End 8.Face Facts 9.To Yourself 10.No Better 11.A God Of Substance
Brutal Canadian thrashcore that has scores of UK 1980's thrash and Japanese core written all over it. Harsh stuff indeed. You know its gonna be good when there are 11 songs on the demo.
My old bands Monster X and Devoid Of Faith Shared the stage with Blowhard in Toronto. Straight ahead-non stop simple thrash with no frills. Great dudes, great band. Old friends Simon Harvey and Naomi turned me onto these gents, and they helped to set up the shows we played with them as well. Re-listening to this brings back some keen memories of doing weekend gigs in Canada back in the early 90s... having to sneak our equipment and merch across the border was always a hassle, as we always ended up paying some fines or being detained or something. I can't imagine how hard it is these days. Enjoy the tunes!
1.downflame
2.psychonaut
3.earth children
4.book of shadows
This is a demo tape I played drums on along with fellow Maplewood New Jersey friends Zack, and Jenn. I met Zack at the local jiffy Lube...dude was wearing a Sleep shirt so I had to have a conversation. We realized we'd had many friends, and the love for similar music in common. We both liked the idea of playing instruments that we hadn't normally played in bands, and we both wanted to jam on some heavy or harder pysch influenced riffs. Jenn I'd known for years, and I told Zack that I thought she'd be the perfect bass player for what we were doing. The band is a really slow work in progress, but we love what we are doing and we have a 7" coming out in April. Enjoy these four tunes.
1.psychomania
2.quiet
3.circle of death
4.rabid fire
5.apocalypse warrior
More NJ thrash metal that is some how connected to No Refund. These guys were from Bloomfield NJ I believe. The song "Circle Of Death" is the winner on this tape. It totally reminds me of early Exodus. Most the other songs don't have that same feel, but are still above average neck snapping thrash. The stuff is def influenced by the Bay Area thrash metal scene. This is the bands 2nd demo tape.. they released 6 of them. Pretty sure someone released a Dbl LP with all the demo's on it? Enjoy...
1.Birth of ignorance
2.Stench of profit
3.Anti-homophobe
4.Consumer Mentality
Oh man I found some tapes in the basement tonight. I havent listened to this one since the mid 90's… Its so great, it really had me excited relisening to it again after all these years. This demo is when the band was just a three piece (guitarist and drummer did the grunts, and growls). B.T. along with Terrorizer and Napalm Death are what got me motivated to play in Monster X and write grind riffs in the early 90's. Obviously nothing we did could ever compare to any of these legends, but they def are the reason we did what we did.
I bought this demo at Erl records in Albany shortly after it came out. Dave and Jack went on and on about how cool these guys were, and how I needed this demo. I bought it and was floored by the four songs. A few years later I ended up meeting members of the band at Erl as Jack and Dave set up a show for them at Bogies. One of the band members got busted prior to the show shoplifting breakfast sausages at the price chopper in Albany. A fond memory I have of seeing them live is when they played Saratoga Winners with some Capital District mosh metal band called Cutthroat. Cuthhroat played… like 150 kids were going nuts to them. They get done, and everyone leaves the gig except for me, and like three other friends. We went to the very front of this huge stage (came up to my chin), and Brutal Truth played to us like they were playing to a million folks. It was life changing, and impacted me tremendously. Total heroes. There are only four songs on this tape but they are crucial for grind/crust fiends.
This was recorded in 2002 or 2003. Five songs in all were recorded by Will at Dead Air Studios in Western MA. For a demo tape we sold. Four of these demo songs we later put out on a 7". The fifth song "Attack And Retreat" we later re-recorded for the Youth Attack Records 7" that McCoy put out. I've included the demo version of that song with this file. Its the last song on here. I think initially it was recorded for the Mein Comp 7" but McCoy decided against using it. I think the song was to long to be on a 7" compilation with 9 other bands. This was a fun band to do with my good friends Mark Telfian, Barker, and Eric. More info and thoughts about the band if you look and read an older post I did upping the Youth Attack ep. We had an entire LPs worth of material written and practiced. Just never recorded the stuff. Total bummer, and a huge regret for me. Enjoy the tunes
What happens when you get a bunch of heshers from the 'burbs of New Jersey, who most likely live and die by Anthrax, Exodus, and Slayer…Then you turn them onto S.O.D. and Adrenalin OD? I'd say you get something like this. Silly injokes played by dudes that can actually play their instruments, but just wanna piss people off and have some fun. I'm not sure if they released much else, but there are 22 songs on this tape. Funny to think these guys came out of Glen Ridge NJ (around 7 miles from my house). Enjoy this obscure rarity.
Blistering fast NYC political hardcore/punk that is fronted by a female in 1982!!! Almost unheard of back then. This will forever be a classic. I still sorta wish I'd been involved in releasing this as an ep... its so far ahead of its time, and lyrically still is relevant today.
I was contacted by vocalist Donna Damage years back, and she was currently living in Berkley California, and planning a reunion tour with remaining members of No Thanks. Seth(the drummer) died of cancer a bit over a year ago. A year after communicating with her Donna and I had a falling out over the art that she wanted to use for the release. I wanted the release to look older, she was using photo shop, and different logos, etc. I've pictured one of the versions below.
No Thanks released a 7" ep that has been forever out of print, and valuable amongst record collectors world wide. After the bands demise Donna fronted a metal band called Navigator (No Thanks guitarist played as well). In a time when NYC punk/hardcore was macho & didn't have much going on politically, these guys did something completey different.
What can be said about either of these bands? Both bands started in 1980(I didn't even know what punk was at this point in my life, I was just discovering AC/DC). MT invented a movement /genre, and It blows my mind how much they got done in three years. YB existed for less then a year and influenced the D.C. scene with their wicked brand of punk hardcore. I was so happy to see this come out on vinyl some years ago after hearing so many 5th generation tapes from traders through out many decades. Def recall hearing the YB demos for the first time at inner ear when I took my friends Glee Club down there to record a 7" in 1989.
Essential bands…essential demos. If you don't like either of these bands you suck at listening to music.
1. an island of sanity in a sea of madness
2. a foot in the mouth
3. el toro
4. it made you sick
5. for what its worth
One can't think about Albany Hardcore and not think about Mark Telfian. Dude stuck around the scene forever. I met him in 1990 at a random show. He usually played guitar and wrote riffs(Limp Wrist, DOF, Conniption, Amongst Ourselves, By The Throat, Death Squad)... not in this band though, this is his first time fronting a band and singing. He had actually asked me to jam with him playing bass along with the the og guitarist and drummer. I did it twice, and Mark smartened up and booted me because I was poisoning the others by telling them it was a Born Against clone. The Og guitarist Jim Kopta passed away around a decade ago in a freak accident. Really sad. This band had way to many line up changes...over 25 in all its years. At any rate here is the demo. Enjoy it!
1.Skate or die
2.Abortion
3.Reagan lies
4.Use your brain
5.Trial & Error
6.Drunken State
7.Judgement Day
8.Body pile
9.Challenger
10.No fun after curfew
I thought this recording was lost forever, but it was actually saved recently. The Romper Room Rejects was a band I was in that started in 1986 in SF CA. My best bud Zoran(the mightyZee) played guitar, I sang, Kenny Donovan pounded the drums, and Michael Roi played Bass. I'd heard Michael passed away within the last couple years. He was a French immigrant who at that time had no papers to be here. Totally a sweet guy.
We practiced at my apt on Fell street in the Hayes district of the city. At that time it was a really rough neighborhood. We'd eat at soup kitchens with our punk peers. Bomb hills on our skateboards, Party like everyday was our last,, and go to every show in the city. It was the funnest time of my life.
The demo was recorded by this guy Brian in 1987 at the Gilman Street warehouse. When the club first opened they decided to try recording bands on days, and mornings(or whenever there wasn't a gig or meeting). We set up one morning like we were playing live on the stage, Brian got our sounds and mix, and then had us roll through our songs while he'd capture the recording through whatever weird set up they had there. No over dubs.. totally live. Our heros were RKL, Corrupted Morals, Attitude Adjustment, Poison Idea, Agnostic Front and a good heap of bay area metal bands(Sacrilege BC, Possessed, Death Angel, Exodus, etc.). At any rate there are 10 songs here. Thanks to Anthony for helping to save this recording.
Anyone not familiar with this is in for a real treat. I was lucky enough to see these guys in the Bay Area in around 1987. The band featured ex Exodus front man Paul Baloff who formed this band after he'd been replaced by Legacy's vocalist and was booted from Exodus.
This line up only lasted maybe a year before Paul left Piranha to front Heathen. At some point he left Heathen and tried to reform Piranha with a new line up. Paul was a real character. He loved his drink, drugs, and thrash metal. I became friends with him when he started managing and booking bands at the rock on broadway. Its rumored that this was Produced by James Hetfield. Pretty sure thats not true.
1. reach out
2. it won't happen that way
3.meaningless
4. stupid fools
5. dirt
6. identity
7. alone
8. so what
I haven't posted on here in a while. Been busy raising my daughter and doing other stuff. Recently found this tape and wanted to get it up here so maybe it wouldn't get lost forever.
This demo tape came out in 1989, and was recorded at Cotton hill studios live. It is missing two songs from the original tape due to the quality of the tape being to fucked up. The band was from Albany NY and featured Steve Watts on vox, Dave Stevenson on guitar, Kevin O on drums, and myself on bass. Both Kevin and myself went on to play in Devoid Of Faith. Intent played a shit ton of shows, and existed for maybe 3 years with a few different line ups and crappy 7"s. This is my favorite recorded material by the band, as its raw and we were listening to the likes of Infest, Fear Of God, Heresy, Black Flag, Void, etc. We were one of the few non Straightedge bands from the area to be playing hardcore in a sea of way to much of that NYC HC tough guy shit.
Thanks to my old Friend Marc for finding the original artwork for this in his tape collection.
PT was a band that I did with an ex roomate Jason Krak, and his brother Jared who plays drums. Also involved was Sean Doody who played bass, and has been in the band End Of A Year for a good amount of time now. Musically I think we were influenced by the likes of Neurosis, Citizens Arrest, Bastard & Weed. We used a lot of the wah wah pedal to stoner things up a bit, and to try an do something a little different. I don't think it worked as well on here as it did the ep. This was recorded by Will Dandy at Dead Air Studios in Western Mass. We played some really fun shows, and recorded a 7" for my buddy Dan Barkers record label. I ended up leaving the band because I moved from Albany NY to Brooklyn NY. The band replaced me, and recorded another demo. I'll up the 7" sometime in the near future. Good times...
Studio:
1.Brainburn
2.Successor Of Death
Live:
3.Killers
4.Diamonds & Rust
5.Successor Of Death
Ok, this is the first recording I ever played on(sang on it actually). I recently recovered this while I was preparing for NJ flooding. The Flood had me delving into my old tape boxes which was pretty fun. I can't recall where this one was recorded. There are only two songs on the actual studio part of the demo, but one is 6 mins, and the other is a fucking 8 minute long epic. I have no idea what we were thinking in writing songs that long, but here they are. The other three songs on the tape are live at the Shaker high school battle of the bands. The sound quality is pretty good. I think we won.. I forget, I got kicked out of the school before we were done playing.
The band was influenced by the likes of Iron Maiden, Trouble, Priest, Cirith Ungol, Armored Saint, etc. Pat Janidlo the bass player and I were pretty much best friends, and fellow mall rats. I'm sure the band would have done some other stuff if I hadn't moved to San Francisco. I recall lots of line up changes on guitar, and drums. The main guitarist was Mike Campese who went on to play instrumental prog-metal. He put out a number of solo albums, and is still doing his own thing today. Listening to this makes me happy and really takes me back to being 18 years old. Metal!!!
1.first glance
2.last time
3.just how it goes
4.push back
5.know yourself
6.abuser
7.have a say
8.no outlet
9.thanks
Its been a while, I know. I've been slammed with work and some family stuff(having a baby soon). I'll try to get some stuff up on here this summer for sure.
No Outlet were a Straightedge HC band from the Albany NY area(actually a really nice suburb of Albany called Guilderland). They Played many Local shows. My friends and I once even traveled to the Anthrax in Connecticut to catch them with Our Gang.
What I recall most about them live was the singer Marty pacing back and forth on the stage, always looking pretty intense & excited. Dude was huge, but always was smiling. I think the last show I saw No Outlet play was with Token Entry in 1990(or maybe it was Verbal Assault?), after that they sorta just faded away. No last show or nothing that I recall. The band was supposed to release a 7" on Combined Effort(Life's Blood, Absolution). Dave Stein who ran C.E. was living in Albany, and booking these guys on many local shows back then. Not really sure what happened to the plans of the ep, my guess is that it just didn't happen after Dave moved back to NYC, and members went away to college. The last time I saw vocalist Marty was in 1991 at larkfest wearing a Paula Abdul T shirt.
Its really a shame these guys never released a record. Vinnie over at Blogged and Quartered is talking about cleaning up the demo, adding the two tracks from the Albany HC comp 7", and even throwing in a live set. Vin always does a bang up job, so expect it to sound much better then this rip.
I took this photo at the Eagles Lodge
in Schenectady NY in either 1989 or 1990
Its a real shame that these guys lyrics are so ridiculously stupid, because the music is really fucking great. Its spot on NJ hardcore that has me by the balls. I understand that this stuff is a joke, and not meant to be taken seriously, but its hard to back with song titles and lyrics that I'm not really comfortable repeating. I'd say these guys were heavily influenced lyrically by the Mentors. Musically they loved stuff like Agnostic Front, and DRI. I'm Pretty sure these guys put out another demo tape before breaking up. The band was from Manville NJ(all I know of this suburb is that one of my bands played here years ago). The 6th song is really awesome sounding because the vox sound like they were recorded in a cavern. Enjoy this stuff.
1.get rowdy
2.life of misery
3.at what compromise
4.we are not friends
5.down the hatch
Not a lot to say about this one, as I've already talked much about Cut The Shit catalog and my relationship with these heroic thrashers. read the post below for more info. This is the first thing I'd ever heard by them, and it lead me to ask them to do a record. Use the Search function to find the "harmed and dangerous" LP on this blog. Enjoy
1.suppressed
2.in touch
3.breaking through
4.pressure point
5.over the top
6.draw the line
7.build up
Substance were originally called Hard Times and were from the Albany NY area(Troy, Clifton Park and Albany). They of course were heavily influenced by the Cro-mags, and used to play Cro-mags covers. Unfortunately Substance never did a record. Members went on to play in All Fall Down, Cutthroat, and Stigmata. Buddy the guitarist was/is a swell dude who sort of transcended between the "hard" mosh scene, and the dorky, more "elitist" hardcore kids. Things were pretty divided back then, and in my opinion he helped to challenge that by just being a great guy and not giving a shit about what others thought or were into. Although at first many of my peers weren't so into Substance because of scene politics, and the heavy mosh factor these boys brought to shows, I think people eventually learned to love em for being good dudes and speaking up at shows when shit went wrong. My favorite track ever by them is "sea of fear" which was on a compilation. I had to upload this demo because listening to it had me thinking about home and the holidays. Enjoy.
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