The influential, long-lived punk metal band G.B.H. rose to prominence in England during the early '80s when hardcore punk began inching toward heavy metal. Originally formed in 1979 in Birmingham, England, G.B.H. initially called itself Charged G.B.H. to differentiate itself from another band called G.B.H. The leather-clad, hair-spiked foursome... [+] Read More

The influential, long-lived punk metal band G.B.H. rose to prominence in England during the early '80s when hardcore punk began inching toward heavy metal. Originally formed in 1979 in Birmingham, England, G.B.H. initially called itself Charged G.B.H. to differentiate itself from another band called G.B.H. The leather-clad, hair-spiked foursome began recording for the Clay label in the early '80s, releasing some singles before unleashing their influential debut album, City Baby Attacked by Rats, in 1982. City Baby's Revenge followed two years later in 1984, by which time the band had become one of the leading punk metal bands of the era. G.B.H. continued recording and releasing albums throughout the '80s, though their influence progressively waned as a new wave of bands such as Slayer emerged and pushed punk metal toward what became known as speed metal and, in turn, thrash. Despite its waning influence, G.B.H. soldiered on, recording new albums throughout the '90s and into the next millennium. By this point the band was often cited by both metal and punk bands as a huge influence, and a renewed interest in G.B.H.'s early recordings resulted. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide [-] Hide

New York hardcore/speed metal band formed in the '80s. Ludichrist's music was quite competent but generic, distinguished by the occasional clever lyric line. After their second proper album, lead singer Tommy Christ and guitarists Glenn Cummings and Paul Nieder broke up the band and reformed with a new rhythm section as the more humor-oriented,...

New York hardcore/speed metal band formed in the '80s. Ludichrist's music was quite competent but generic, distinguished by the occasional clever lyric line. After their second proper album, lead singer Tommy Christ and guitarists Glenn Cummings and Paul Nieder broke up the band and reformed with a new rhythm section as the more humor-oriented, style-jumping Scatterbrain. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Fusing hardcore punk and heavy metal into a furiously thrashing hybrid, Seattle's the Accused invariably described to their style as "splattercore," a reference to their chief lyrical inspirations -- horror films and comic-book violence. It was a far cry from the political leanings of vocalist/bandleader Blaine Cook's previous band, the Fartz,... [+] Read More

Fusing hardcore punk and heavy metal into a furiously thrashing hybrid, Seattle's the Accused invariably described to their style as "splattercore," a reference to their chief lyrical inspirations -- horror films and comic-book violence. It was a far cry from the political leanings of vocalist/bandleader Blaine Cook's previous band, the Fartz, but it gave them a definite crossover appeal among both punk and metal audiences. With their roots in hardcore, the Accused presaged the rise of the Seattle scene, but never fit into the grunge movement that sprang up around them. Some of their key personnel went on to join the grunge-metal band Gruntruck, but in their own lifespan, the Accused were a different enough beast that they weren't able to capitalize on all the attention afforded the Northwest underground.

The Accused were formed in Seattle in 1981, originally consisting of vocalist John Dahlin, guitarist Tom Niemeyer, bassist Chibon "Chewy" Batterman, and drummer Dana Collins. Their first release was a split LP with the Rejectors, at which point they were playing straight-ahead hardcore. However, the other members' taste for metal pushed Dahlin out of the band in 1984, and his place was taken by ex-Fartz vocalist Blaine Cook (reverting to his real name after billing himself as Blaine Fart). Powered by Cook's demented vocals, the band issued its limited-edition debut EP, Martha Splatterhead (named after their monstrous new mascot), on the small Condor Records label.

Continuing to hone their sound through touring, the Accused finally completed their first full-length LP in 1986; issued on Subcore Records, The Return of Martha Splatterhead established their hyperspeed approach and earned them a deal with the thrash label Combat. During the supporting tour, bassist Batterman was asked to leave, and the group brought in Alex "Maggot Brain" Sibbald as his replacement. Sibbald made his debut on 1987's More Fun Than an Open Casket Funeral, which significantly expanded the group's cult following. The 1988 follow-up, Martha Splatterhead's Maddest Stories Ever Told, featured a guest appearance by Metal Church guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof.

Combat subsequently dropped the Accused, who signed with a Seattle-area label called Nastymix, which was primarily associated with rap (specifically, launching the career of Sir Mix-a-Lot). There was also a change on the drumming front: Dana Collins departed in 1988, and was replaced by Steve Nelson for the half-studio, half-live Hymns for the Deranged mini-album. Following his exit, the powerhouse Josh Sinder came onboard in 1989, and appeared on the group's Nastymix debut, Grinning Like an Undertaker, the following year. 1991 brought the Straight Razor EP, and also the departure of Sinder, who joined Tad; he was replaced by Devin for the final Accused album, 1992's Splatter Rock. Niemeyer joined Skin Yard vocalist Ben McMillan in the grunge-metal band Gruntruck, a later version of which included Sibbald and Sinder as well; Sibbald and Sinder would later move on to a new project, the Hot Rod Lunatics. Cook sang for a time with a new band called the Black Nasty, whose lone album was released only locally. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Before the Cro-Mags, the idea of combining heavy metal and hardcore together was unheard of. But with the release of their classic debut, The Age of Quarrel, hardcore-metal was born, and in its wake came a legion of similarly styled offspring (Biohazard, Vision of Disorder, etc.). Although the group endured an endless amount of lineup shifts... [+] Read More

Before the Cro-Mags, the idea of combining heavy metal and hardcore together was unheard of. But with the release of their classic debut, The Age of Quarrel, hardcore-metal was born, and in its wake came a legion of similarly styled offspring (Biohazard, Vision of Disorder, etc.). Although the group endured an endless amount of lineup shifts (which is probably the main reason they never became as well known as they should have), the Cro-Mags continued to record and tour in one form or another. Through it all, the New York City-based group's leader has been bassist Harley Flanagan who, in 1977 at the ripe old age of ten (!), started his first punk band during a European trip. Upon returning to NYC, Flanagan supplied drums for the Stimulators, a band that performed quite a bit locally and in Washington, D.C., alongside Bad Brains. The early '80s saw the initial Cro-Mags lineups formed with a variety of members playing alongside the only constant: Flanagan. By the middle of the decade, the best-known Cro-Mags lineup was in place -- Flanagan on bass, former Bad Brains roadie John Joseph on vocals, Parris Mayhew on guitar, and Mackie Jayson on drums -- and soon built a rabid following via shows at CBGB's. The quartet recorded a 13-track demo that made the rounds throughout the underground -- eventually officially released in 2000, as Before the Quarrel -- and landing the Cro-Mags a record deal with Profile's Rock Hotel label (with second guitarist Doug Holland joining, as well). Similar to how Bad Brains aligned themselves with Rastafarianism, it was around this time that members of the band became closely associated with the Hare Krishna faith. With a loud buzz forming, the Cro-Mags issued their aforementioned debut, The Age of Quarrel, in 1986. With such bands as Slayer and Metallica becoming increasingly popular, it seemed like the musical tides were changing in favor of groups like the Cro-Mags, as nationwide tours with such groups as Motörhead and Megadeth expanded their audience. But it wasn't meant to be, as both Joseph and Jayson exited the group after its supporting tour (the latter of which would later turn up in the Bad Brains and the Fun Lovin' Criminals). Instead of following up their debut right away, it wasn't until 1989 that Best Wishes was released, which saw Flanagan double as lead vocalist. With increasing troubles with their label, Mayhew left the group, but by the early '90s, the Cro-Mags were up and running once more, as Flanagan and Joseph resuscitated the band with a pair of albums for the Century Media label -- 1992's Alpha-Omega and 1993's Near Death Experience. However, after the release of a double-live album, Hard Times in an Age of Quarrel, the Cro-Mags split up. Since then, various versions of the Cro-Mags have recorded and toured (including a brief reunion of Flanagan and Mayhew which resulted in 2000s Revenge). Flanagan eventually returned with a new band, Harley's War (which included ex-Suicidal Tendencies guitarist Rocky George); who issued their debut in 2003, titled Cro-Mag. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide [-] Hide

At the dawn of the '80s, New York City was mired in debt and crime, grappling with one of the most trying periods in its history, yet ironically (or perhaps fittingly), its underground music scene was seething with activity like never before. Still reeling from the violent inception and subsequent implosion of punk rock, hundreds of... [+] Read More

At the dawn of the '80s, New York City was mired in debt and crime, grappling with one of the most trying periods in its history, yet ironically (or perhaps fittingly), its underground music scene was seething with activity like never before. Still reeling from the violent inception and subsequent implosion of punk rock, hundreds of underprivileged kids living in Manhattan and its outlying boroughs began forming rock groups to rail against the everyday trials, dangers, and prejudices of urban existence. As had been happening in other urban centers (most notably L.A. and Washington, D.C.) equally affected by the lean, recession-laced early years of Reaganomics, New York became a melting pot/hub for a flourishing hardcore scene -- a cultural phenomenon that used punk rock as a platform for politically charged, inherently regional musical catharsis.


And though it would eventually splinter into countless subgenres, at least initially NYHC (New York Hard Core) far superseded the original punk movement's ragged collective (known as much for art rockers like Talking Heads and Television as it was for "true" punks like the Ramones and Dictators) in terms of a cohesive creative vision. Among the bands at the forefront of this united, seemingly unstoppable army were Agnostic Front, whose frantic, minimalist assault and sociopolitical rants came to epitomize the essence of hardcore, New York f*ckin' City style.


Guitarist Vinnie Stigma was a first-generation punk rocker and an early-'80s skinhead who finally got around to forming his own band, Zoo Crew, in mid-1982, with vocalist John Watson. But Watson only lasted a few months before being replaced by Cuban-born Union City, NJ, native Roger Miret, a product of refugee parents with firsthand experience in social injustice and opinionated views about politics coursing through his veins. When combined with Stigma's primal rhythm guitar ferocity, Miret's charisma as a decadent urban messiah would come to personify AF's sound. Bassist Adam Moochie and drummer Ray Beez joined soon after and, after adopting the new name Agnostic Front (at Stigma's insistence because he thought it sounded like a movement), they recorded their first independent release, the United Blood EP, the following year. This was followed by 1984's career-defining Victim in Pain album, which contained a 15-minute blast of pure New York hardcore and saw the arrival of new members Rob Kabula (bass) and Jimmy Colletti (drums). It also confirmed Agnostic Front's brief status as leaders (along with precursors the Cro-Mags and Murphy's Law) of the already cresting movement, which found its weekly showcase via the now legendary Sunday matinees at favorite Lower East side haunts A7 and CBGB's.


But Agnostic Front were always on the verge of collapse due to Miret and Stigma's mercurial relationship and, like most of their hardcore brethren, were already tampering with their sound. Inevitably, as their musicianship continued to improve, the bandmembers (now including drummer Louie Beatto and additional guitarist Alex Kinon) began losing some of their raw hardcore spontaneity, and with heavy metal growing in popularity day by day, it was no surprise when they started experimenting with the tightly controlled velocity of thrash metal (i.e., buzzsaw riffing and double kick drums). Coincidentally picked up by the speed metal-friendly Combat Records, they struggled through the sessions for what would become 1986's Cause for Alarm album, today acknowledged as a crossover landmark alongside efforts by D.R.I. and Corrosion of Conformity. It was also considered a betrayal and a travesty by many of the band's early supporters, who couldn't have cared less that Cause for Alarm was teaching thousands of metal heads to appreciate hardcore.


Some saw 1987's subsequent Liberty & Justice For..., which featured an entirely revised cast of backup musicians in guitarist Steve Martin (no relation), bassist Alan Peters, and drummer Will Shepler and did away with the metal-style drumming to pursue a looser, less disciplined direction, as an act of compromise. Not that it mattered: the original hardcore scene had pretty much disintegrated by this time anyway, with growing dissension among the movement's many factions (straight-edge, skinheads, etc.) transforming most concerts into armed combat, and leading to many clubs being shut down. Released in 1989, Live at CBGB's (with new bassist Craig Setari) collected Agnostic Front's best-loved material as heard in the band's natural element and, in a way, symbolized the NYHC's official wake. As if to punctuate that fact, Roger Miret was arrested soon thereafter on serious drug charges and sentenced to nearly two years in prison.


In the interim, Vinnie Stigma and Agnostic Front carried on as best they could, undertaking their first European tour with new guitarist Matt Henderson and substitute singer Alan Peters, while Miret found solace writing lyrics about his predicament. These would comprise the bulk of 1992's comeback album, the overtly metallic One Voice, which was pretty much dead on arrival, since much of Agnostic Front's following had moved on to other things during the band's extended absence. A greatest-hits set entitled To Be Continued was also issued at this time, prompting Agnostic Front to call it a day following a farewell concert at (where else?) CBGB's. The final show was recorded for 1993's Last Warning, after which Stigma and Henderson formed Madball with Miret's younger brother Freddy Cricien.


Come 1997, however, Stigma and Miret began discussing a possible comeback for Agnostic Front. And when top punk label Epitaph Records showed interest, the band's long-rumored resurrection became fact, with former members Rob Kabula and Jimmy Colletti completing the lineup that recorded both 1998's Something's Gotta Give and 1999's Riot, Riot, Upstart in quick succession. The latter boasted an especially strong set of retro-hardcore, and featured guest appearances from M.O.D.'s Billy Milano and Rancid's Lars Frederiksen, among others. With the hardcore scene that they'd helped build effectively dead in the dirt, few listeners outside the band's New York stomping grounds seemed to care about their return, but Agnostic Front continue to perform and record occasional albums like 2001's Dead Yuppies (with new bassist Mike Gallo), 2003's Working Class Heroes, 2005's Another Voice and 2006's CD/DVD Live at CBGB's. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The band gets diverse by taking on different styles while still holding on to their "trashcore" edge. It features guest appearances by Metal Church'sKurdt Vanderhoof and rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot. ~ John Book, All Music Guide

The band gets diverse by taking on different styles while still holding on to their "trashcore" edge. It features guest appearances by Metal Church'sKurdt Vanderhoof and rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot. ~ John Book, All Music Guide [-] Hide

This two-fer combines Murphy's Law's self-titled debut -- probably their loudest, snottiest effort -- with their 1989 follow-up, Back with a Bong! The latter isn't any heavier on political content -- song titles like "Panty Raid," "Cavity Creeps" and "Attack of the Killer Beers" underscore the fact that wild, irreverent fun is the primarily goal... [+] Read More

This two-fer combines Murphy's Law's self-titled debut -- probably their loudest, snottiest effort -- with their 1989 follow-up, Back with a Bong! The latter isn't any heavier on political content -- song titles like "Panty Raid," "Cavity Creeps" and "Attack of the Killer Beers" underscore the fact that wild, irreverent fun is the primarily goal of these Astoria, Queens residents. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide [-] Hide

After recording some definite gems in the late '80s, Suicidal Tendencies triumphantly entered the '90s with one of its best albums ever, the commanding Lights...Camera...Revolution! Not since the mid-'80s had the L.A. band sounded this confident, focused and inspired. "You Can't Bring Me Down" and the Motörhead-ish "Get Whacked" demonstrate just... [+] Read More

After recording some definite gems in the late '80s, Suicidal Tendencies triumphantly entered the '90s with one of its best albums ever, the commanding Lights...Camera...Revolution! Not since the mid-'80s had the L.A. band sounded this confident, focused and inspired. "You Can't Bring Me Down" and the Motörhead-ish "Get Whacked" demonstrate just how much fun Suicidal can be, but most of all, the metal-oriented album is dark, angry, and troubling. The Angelenos already commanded an incredibly devoted following, and powerful offerings like "Send Me Money" (a gut-level, brutally honest attack on television evangelists), "Give It Revolution," and the dark-humored "Disco's Out, Murder's In" brought even more listeners aboard. This is a disc that no Suicidal fan should be without. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Starting with the awesome "I Don't Need Society" and ending with the anthemic "Explorer," D.R.I.'s debut album was an important stepping stone in the evolution of both metal and hardcore. D.R.I. drew a line in the sand between the American hardcore bands who wanted to stick close to the original punk sound and bands who wanted to branch out into... [+] Read More

Starting with the awesome "I Don't Need Society" and ending with the anthemic "Explorer," D.R.I.'s debut album was an important stepping stone in the evolution of both metal and hardcore. D.R.I. drew a line in the sand between the American hardcore bands who wanted to stick close to the original punk sound and bands who wanted to branch out into heavy metal territory. D.R.I.'s use of thunderous heavy metal drumming and California hardcore songwriting made Dirty Rotten LP something special, putting them in a category with Corrosion of Conformity and Suicidal Tendencies as the forefront of a new movement. Their angry lyrics revolved around the usual political and social ills, but their approach was a staggering blend of pre-grindcore blastbeats (that particular drumming style may have even had its first recorded instance here), blunt and simplistic guitar riffs, and an acidic vocal workout from the young Kurt Brecht. His charismatic shout was the tone-deaf glue that kept the band together, especially in the face of abbreviated songs and sloppy playing. With some humorous lyrics, endless enthusiasm, and a penchant for short song times (only one song makes it past the two-minute mark), D.R.I.'s debut was a landmark album that paved the way for exciting new hardcore bands to spring up in its wake. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide [-] Hide

In 1994, Another Planet released Age of Quarrel/Best Wishes, which contained two complete albums -- Age of Quarrel, originally released on Profile, and Best Wishes, originally released on Profile in 1989 -- by hardcore legends Cro-Mags on one compact disc. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide

In 1994, Another Planet released Age of Quarrel/Best Wishes, which contained two complete albums -- Age of Quarrel, originally released on Profile, and Best Wishes, originally released on Profile in 1989 -- by hardcore legends Cro-Mags on one compact disc. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide [-] Hide