Earth Crisis' chugging riffs and barked declarations served as the mouthpiece of America's militant vegan straight-edge movement throughout the '90s, detailing the ideas of animal and human liberation, drug-free living, and personal empowerment through hardcore song. The vegan straight-edge movement spawned activists who took the law into their... [+] Read More

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Fear Factory was one of the first bands to fuse the loud, crushing intensity of death metal with the cold harshness of industrial electronics and samples, producing a more varied sonic palette with which to express their bleak, pessimistic view of modern, technology-driven society. The group was formed in Los Angeles in 1990 by vocalist Burton... [+] Read More

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The New Haven, CT-based Hatebreed got together in 1993 for the purpose of creating a "back to basics" hardcore band with heavy, metallic guitars, screaming vocals, and 30-second songs. Consisting of Jamey Jasta (vocals), Lou "Boulder" Richards (guitar), Chris Beattie (bass), Sean Martin (guitar), and Rigg Ross (drums), Hatebreed had the chance... [+] Read More

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Influential West Coast heavy metal quartet Machine Head formed in 1992 around the talents of ex-Vio-lence guitar players Robert Flynn and Phil Demmel, bass player Adam Duce, and drummer Chris Kontos. The band's D.I.Y. work ethic, aggressive playing, and relentless self-promotion eventually landed them a deal with Roadrunner Records, a... [+] Read More

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The alternative metal band Quicksand emerged from the New York City hardcore scene of the late '80s; before coming together in 1990, singer/guitarist Walter Schreifels, guitarist Tom Capone, bassist Sergio Vega, and drummer Alan Cage all honed their chops in a series of local acts, including Youth of Today, the Gorilla Biscuits, and Bold and... [+] Read More

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California has birthed countless hardcore bands -- it appears as though every few years, there's a band that leads a new charge. And during the early to mid ‘90s, that band was Strife. Comprised of members Rick Rodney (vocals), Andrew Kline (guitar), Chad Peterson (bass), and Aaron Rosi (drums), the quartet originally formed during 1991, in... [+] Read More

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Tool's greatest breakthrough was to introduce dark, vaguely underground metal to the preening pretentiousness of art rock. Or maybe it was introducing the self-absorbed pretension of art rock to the wearing grind of post-thrash metal -- the order really doesn't matter. Though Metallica wrote their multi-sectioned, layered songs as if they were... [+] Read More

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