TRIALS

So before Strongarm's Advent of a Miracle record, their most memorable and heaviest recording was the version of the song "Trials" on the Trials 7". Former drummer, and later vocalist, Chris Carbonell, hits this china-cymbal constantly throughout the recording and it is heavy as fuck! (Excuse my language, but that's how heavy it is!) The heavy chug parts of the song are played so much slower on this recording and you pretty much have always wanted to break something everytime you've listened to it over the years.

It's awesome to finally have a digital copy of this record, since I've never had access to the ripping-vinyl-to-a-computer process. Anway, here's the record...

Trials 7" (Tooth & Nail Records - 1995)

I also think that this has been, or will be, re-released, along with their Advent of a Miracle, Division, and Atonement records. Check them out as well here!

Some amazing old Christian hardcore shirts on a Photobucket

So...I was recently notified via email regarding someone's Photobucket page that is loaded with some amazing old Christian, and non-Christian, hardcore (and other) merch. Shirts from bands like Fed by Ravens, Morning Again, Anguish Unsaid, Overcome, Through and Through, Sleeping by the Riverside, Innermeans, and many more. Check them out here!

Thanks Stephen for the heads up.

For those of you who were ever into Spitfire

I was never too into Spitfire, but I know a lot of people were, and I've gotten a request or two to post some of their stuff. Thanks to Michael, I've got some rips of Spitfire to share with everyone. One thing I DO like about Spitfire is some members went on to form Mae, and I LOVE Mae.

Straining Towards What's to Come (1997 - 2Jake Records)

The Dead Next Door (1999 - Solid State Records)



The Slideshow Whiplash (2001 - Goodfellow Records)



Thanks again to Michael for the rips!

more Selfmindead

Check out my previous post on Selfmindead.

Self Titled (1998 - Sally Forth Records)



Thank you Tom Bates for the rip!

Blindside [SWEDEN]

Not to be confused with the PA's Blindside who members of went on to form Terra Firma. If anyone has a copy/rip of Blindside's Empty Box EP, please contact me!

Self Titled (1999 - Day-Glo Records)


Thanks to Tyler Ross for the rip!

A Thought Crushed My Mind (2000 - Solid State Records)

Stretch Arm Strong

For info on the band, check out their MySpace. Their Rituals of Life record is SO PERFECT in so many ways, still gets played quite frequently by me. One of my favorite records for sure. I only posted these 3 records because: A. Compassion Fills the Void is the earlier of their records that I own, and B. everything I have heard after A Revolution Transmission isn't very good, and the only reason I even posted that record is because a few songs on it are decent at best. If anyone has any rips of their Not Without Resistance and It Burns Clean eps that they can send my way, contact me!

Compassion Fills the Void (1998 - Uprising Records)



Rituals of Life (1999 - Tooth & Nail Records)



A Revolution Transmission (2001 - Solid State Records)

No Innocent Victim

San Diego, California's No Innocent Victim began playing in 1992. So much more than just a "Christian hardcore band", they have released records with several different record labels; including Rescue Records, Victory Records, Solid State Records, and Facedown Records; and have toured all over the U.S., Japan, and Europe, playing big hardcore acts of many sorts, both Christian and not, such as; Hatebreed, Madball, Agnostic Front, xDisciplex, P.O.D., and so many more. The first of their records that I ever heard was their Flesh and Blood record and was blown away, especially by the song "My Beliefs". The couple times I have seen them, it was always an experience. I'm pretty certain the biggest circle pit I have EVER seen was during a No Innocent Victim set when I was a freshman in high school. They were one of the few bands that I heard back then that played a Christian version of straight up hardcore style that I was used to secular bands playing like Madball, Agnostic Front, Sick of it All, and Hatebreed. What I have always found great about No Innocent Victim was how big of a deal they have always been, in both the Christian and non-Christian hardcore scenes. They are one of the few bands that don't keep their Christian values under wraps, but are adored by both Christians and non-believers. THAT is a true achievement of a Christian hardcore band, not playing in front of Christian kids all of the time, preaching to the choir. No Innocent Victim has released several records in their time, on a few different record labels, and all of which are AMAZING. As many bands, they've been through TONS of members, but always stuck to the hardcore sound that has made them great. They haven't released anything since their 2005 To Burn Again record, but have toured as recently as last year. I haven't seen them since a few years ago an hour north of where I live, but would LOVE to get to see them again. What sucks is I'm still trying to get my hands on their more rare records, such as their '93 demo, their split with Phanatik from '98, their '98 self titled record, and their first Victory Records release titled The Crazy Engler Brothers from '99. If anyone has copies of these that they can rip and send my way, please let me know! Anyway, here's a few of their records that I do have.

"I would die tonight for my beliefs"

Strength (1995 - Rescue Records)



No Compromise (1997 - Rescue Records)



- Thank you Matt M. for the rip of this record!

Flesh and Blood (1999 - Victory Records)



Tipping the Scales (2001 - Victory Records / Solid State Records)



To Burn Again (2005 - Facedown Records)

Figure Four

Winnipeg, Canada's Figure Four has been around for about 14 years now. After over a decade of playing music, they have only released three full length records. Their first record, No Weapon Formed Against Us, was released on Southern California's Facedown Records in 1999, being one of the label's earlier releases. This record blew them up, offering the Christian hardcore scene it's own version of Buried Alive. They continued their aggressive, heavy hardcore sound in their 2001 follow up, When It's All Said and Done, which probably became the record that would define the band. The first time I ever saw them was just before this record was released at a small show here in Cincinnati, OH. I loved it, but I definitely could notice that they were appreciated, yet. Figure Four made a big move from Facedown Records to the infamous Solid State Records, famous for branching from Tooth & Nail Records, who had released some the greatest Christian hardcore records of the 90s. Solid State Records has become a haven for lame Christian hardcore bands, but some still use the incredible promotional value of the label to keep their drive in the hardcore scene alive. On Solid State Records, Figure Four released their third, and final record as of now, titled Suffering the Loss. Since then, the band has been on a major hiatus, with members being involved in other major projects, including: Comeback Kid, Gravemaker, and Cancer Bats. Suffering the Loss was a great record to leave kids with for now, having a much more aggressive sound, and having a production that really shows how heavy Figure Four can really be. Being a big fan of them from the beginning, I look forward to seeing what they may have to offer in the future, if anything. Be sure to check out Comeback Kid and Grave Maker online.

No Weapon Formed Against Us (1999 - Facedown Records)



When It's All Said and Done (2001 - Facedown Records)



Suffering the Loss (2003 - Solid State Records)

Selfmindead

Sweden's Selfmindead was a band that got pretty overlooked by the hardcore scene in my opinion, seeming to only make a name for themselves in the Christian scene. They were around for quite some time too, like 1994 until 2003. They only released a few records; a 7" with Soulscape Records in 1997, a self titled record in 1998 with Sally Forth Records and Solid State Records, a full length record titled At the Barricades We Fall in 2000 with Solid State Records and Sally Forth Records, and a split with The Spirit that Guides Us titled The Oslo Compact in 2001 with Sally Forth Records, and several compilations. I saw them once at Cornerstone Festival when I was real young, but that's it. They do have a MySpace page now, from which I have posted a pretty detailed bio:

"selfmindead started as a 4-piece band in the winter of 1994-1995 in Eskilstuna Sweden, drums-marko, guitar-timo, vocals-ilkka and bass-tapani.........mainly influenced by the hardcore scene in Sweden at the time, bands as Refused, Abhinanda, Mindjive to name a few............... in early 1995 the band entered a band contest called cult-95 in the hometown of eskilstuna, and they went and won it.. that was the start and the confidence the band needed to aim higher, more gigs where played around the country of sweden and new contacts where made, in late 1996 the band got in contact with the newly started record company called soulscape records and they got signed for 1 record, early 1997 the band got into a studio and recorded a 7" vinyl consisting of 2 original songs and 1 coversong, and a cover of "hazel would" by starflyer 59...........................in the early summer of 1997 the band hit the studio in husqvarna/småland/sweden to record their debut selftitled cd.............the cd was released in scandinavia by soulscape records, in benelux and europe by sally forth records and in the united states by solid state records............the record release was followed by a member change... the bassplayer tapani left the band and was replaced by emil (silver, royal, and later serena maneesh)...... the band toured all around scandinavia for a year or two........ until new song-ideas started to burst out of the band, the band hit the studio again in the late summer of 1999, that was the recording of the second fullenght album "at the barricades we fall". the record was released in scandinavia by soulscape records and europe by sally fort records and usa by solid state...............in the time of the writing process of the second record emil left the band and pursued other projects. instead marko left the drumstool and was replaced by tommy (silver) marko took the role of guitarist and the bassguitar was picked up by even (silver) the band toured as a five peace for a year or so, then tommy and even left the band to work more on their silver project. hard work gives results!! :) the band started to look for new permanent members and found håkon from a band called "mold" on bass and michal from a broken-up band called "amphibro" from sweden. the band rehearsed monthly due to michal living in sweden 700km away, but they got good progress in the live performances and got booked to tour the united states the summer of 2000.......the band warmed up with a tour of germany and sweden before heading west to the USA. the tour was planned to go on over 2 months..........all of the bandmembers couldn't make it to the usa though... so a reserve-solution was made and the band continued the tour through-out almost all the states.......the band got back and started writing their third album, they released a split ep with the dutch band called "the spirit that guides us" it got released on sally forth records and distributed by sony music. several festivals and shows were played throught out scandinavia and they toured netherlands a couple of times.......selfmindead did their last show at the club named "blå" in eskilstuna sweden in august of 2002. the band went into writing modus to write their third album in early 2003 the band got split up, due to differencies................out of the ashes came benea reach (marco, ilkka, håkon, etc's metal project) and tiikeri (timos elektronika project) ....check them out.... www.myspace.com/tiikeriweb Click here to buy TIIKERIs NEW CD. www.myspace.com/beneareach"

Now, out of the four records I know they put out, including a split, I only have ONE. I have it posted below. It is a great album, sounds A LOT like your Swedish 90's hardcore bands like Refused or Abhinanda. If anyone has their split from 2001 or their early 1997 7" or their self titled record, please hook me up!

At the Barricades We Fall (2000 - Solid State Records/Sally Forth Records)

Zao

Zao is a band with A LOT of history. They have been around since 1993, and still play today, but their music has changed quite a bit over the years. I really only give a shit about Zao before 2000 came along when their sound went really weird, in my opinion. Originally from Parkersburg, West Virginia, Zao formed with only four guys playing what they considered to be "Christ-centered hardcore" for all the kids who felt like outcasts in their church. They released some demos; a full length record titled All Else Failed in 1995 (rereleased with different artwork in 1999 and 2000), The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation in 1997, Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest in 1998; along with splits with Through and Through, Outcast (split rereleased in 1999), and Training for Utopia. Zao went from releasing records on Steadfast Records, to Tooth & Nail Records, to now on Ferret Records. Zao is notorious for going through tons of band lineups, as well as sounds. They began, and continued through the mid 90s, with a more straight up 90s hardcore sound, which was a pretty generic sound mixed with very emotional sounding parts and some rad heavy stuff. With new members came a more metal sound, becoming probably the definitive sound of Zao. Super sludgy, evil sounding metalcore with crazy vocals and the essential metaphorical, deep lyrics. When 2000 came along, with new members and a new sound, they changed a lot. Their brand of metalcore became more verse-chorus-verse structured, losing what I believe to be the spirituality of Zao's music. Anyway, for more info, check their MySpace or their Wikipedia page. Below I have posted all of their stuff, I've gotten my hands on over the years, including early demos, old splits, and all the old (good) full length records. In my opinion, their best stuff in on the Splinter Shards... record.

[sorry for the shitty pictures, no time to scan mine and can't find many online]

Conflict Demo (1994)

The Tie That Binds: Zao / Outcast Split (1995 - Steadfast Records)


(original 1995 pressing)


(artwork for 1999 rerelease)

All Else Failed (1995 - Steadfast Records)
Part One
Part Two


(artwork for original, 1995 release)


(artwork for 1999 re-release)


(artwork for final, 2000 re-release)

Treadwater: Zao / Through and Through Split (1996 - Steadfast Records)



The Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation (1997 - Tooth & Nail Records)
Part One
Part Two



Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest (1998 - Solid State Records)



Zao / Training for Utopia Split (1998 - Solid State Records)

Embodyment

Arlington, Texas' Embodyment is band that changed SO MUCH, and not for the good in my opinion. Starting as a group of young teenagers in 1993, Embodyment played really technical death metal under the name Supplication. When being signed to Solid State Records in 1997, under whom they released their first full length record, Embrace the Eternal, they continued the technical hardcore/metal style, but shifted from the death metal sound. This album consisted of mostly new stuff, but did include some old material that they revamped for the new sound. I have all of their old demos and their first full length posted below, but that is all because after their first full length they became an entirely different band. They may as well have changed their name while they were at it. They changed to a more emo styled hardcore sound after the departure of their vocalist Kris McCaddon, who went on to be in not-so-good bands such as The Famine, Demon Hunter (which included a member from Focal Point), and Society's Finest. A couple other members of Embodyment too went on to join Demon Hunter, while majority of the guys went on to form The Famine after the breakup, playing music more metal-influenced. Embodyment lasted from 1993 until sometime in 2004, but real Embodyment lasted only through their Embrace the Eternal record. Thankfully, Tooth & Nail Records released a collection of Embodyment's demos from 1993-1996. Also, the only version of their song "Halo of Winter" was released on the This is Solid State: Volume One comp in 1998.

Demo Tape (1996)



Embrace the Eternal (1998 - Solid State Records)



1993-1996 (1999 - Tooth & Nail Records)

Born Blind

Born Blind was one of the first Christian hardcore bands I had ever heard. I was really young and always considered them and Sick of it All as the same kind of hardcore, because I really was into the more 90s metalcore sounding stuff like Morning Again, Culture, Disembodied, Chokehold, Converge, etc. Never knew too much about them but that they were one of the early Facedown Records bands in the late 90s, that they all used to play in No Innocent Victim, they were around from about 1998 until 2001, and that they played more punk styled hardcore. Anyway, here's a short bio of Born Blind from their Wikipedia page:

"The Christian punk rock four-piece Born Blind was originally from San Diego, California, playing shows in the western part of the United States. All four members of the group- Judd Morgan, Chris Beckett, Kurt Love, and Nate Jarrell- were former members of No Innocent Victim before forming Born Blind. They released their debut album, Pressing On, on Facedown Records in late 1998. Their riveting old-school punk sound continued on their last album One For All in mid-2000 on Solid State Records. They only did one U.S. tour in late 2000 before calling it quits in January 2001."

Check out below for their second, and last, full length record. I will have up their debut full length record, Pressing On, in a later post when I finally get to it.

One for All (2000 - Solid State Records)