Earth Crisis
Earth Crisis is an American metallic hardcore band from Syracuse, New York, active from 1989 until 2001, reuniting in 2007. Since 1993, the band's longest-tenured members include vocalist Karl Buechner, lead guitarist Scott Crouse, bassist Ian Edwards, and drummer Dennis Merrick. Their third and current rhythm guitarist Erick Edwards joined the band in 1998.
The band has released eight full-length studio albums and four studio EPs, among other releases. The band is known for supporting animal rights, promoting a straight edge and vegan lifestyle, and addressing further social and political issues. Earth Crisis is considered a crucial developer and influence for both the metalcore genre and vegan straight edge movement. Tom Connick of NME conferred the title of "the ultimate in vegan-straight edge hardcore" on Earth Crisis.
History
Initial career (1989–1995)
The band originally formed in 1989, after bassist Karl Buechner proposed the idea to his friend DJ Rose, whom he knew because both skateboarded together. Rose became the vocalist and they were joined by Jesse Buckley on drums and John Moseman on guitar. Established in the latter part of the youth crew heyday, where many groups disbanded and their members stopped being straight edge, they wanted to "keep that torch burning", as Buechner said. "The feeling of disappointment we had in those bands lead us to promote straight edge as being a lifetime commitment to never touch a drop of poison. We wanted people to know they can believe in us." Rose named the band after the 1984 album of the same name from the British reggae band Steel Pulse, because its cover portrayed many of the things they "would stand against", such as the starving African children, the two blocs of the Cold War and Klansmen.Its initial lineup was short-lived; they had two or three practices and played a show in Utica, New York. After that performance, Rose decided to quit the group to spend more time booking shows. Buechner continued composing and formed a new lineup of the band in 1991, after attending a skateboard demonstration where he met members of the vegan straight edge band Framework. He switched to lead vocals in the process and was joined by four of the five members of Framework: guitarist Scott Crouse, bassist Ian "Bulldog" Edwards, guitarist Ben Read and drummer Michael Riccardi, all of who participated in Earth Crisis as a side project. Both Earth Crisis and Framework appeared on the 1992 various artists tape compilation Structure Hardcore Compilation, released by the members of Chokehold. Earth Crisis' four-song EP All Out War marked their debut release later in 1992, and shortly afterwards the band became a first priority.
In the summer of 1993, at the start of the All Out War tour, Earth Crisis recorded the Firestorm EP in the studio of Bill Korecky in Cleveland and released it through Victory Records. For this album, Riccardi was replaced by Dennis Merrick. Later on, Ben Read was replaced by Kris Wiechmann.
Destroy the Machines, their first full-length record, was released in 1995 and would eventually become the best-selling album in the history of Victory Records. Later this year, the band's touring van was involved in an accident that injured all band members, most severely Merrick. During his recovery time, the other band members began the group Path of Resistance with Riccardi, Rose and another friend to remain occupied.
Subsequent years and breakup: (1996–2001)
1996's Gomorrah's Season Ends brought a more complex and developed form of metalcore and, shortly thereafter, they were asked to take part in the inaugural Ozzfest, including one song for its live album. Their popularity grew, resulting in a deal with Roadrunner Records, and the band released Breed the Killers in 1998, the first with guitarist Erick Edwards replacing Wiechmann. The album was produced by Andy Sneap and featured a guest appearance by Machine Head vocalist and guitarist Robb Flynn.The band later returned to Victory Records, releasing 2000's Slither soon after. With more emphasis on production and a change of style steered towards nu metal, it drew mixed reactions from critics and fans but had a wider exposure in mainstream music. Their final album before their breakup was 2001's Last of the Sane, which included cover versions of songs by The Rolling Stones, Slayer, Led Zeppelin, Cream and Dead Kennedys.
In 2001, Earth Crisis disbanded on good terms because some members could no longer engage in a full-time touring band due to their personal lives. They played the final show of their initial career at Hellfest in Syracuse, New York. After the band's breakup in 2001, Buechner, Bulldog and Erick Edwards went on to form Freya, a band named for the Norse goddess of fertility. Meanwhile, Crouse and Dennis Merrick moved to California and formed the group Isolated.
Reformation (2007–2009)
On January 27, 2007, the reunited Earth Crisis played the Maryland Metal and Hardcore Festival. Although it was originally planned as a one-off concert, numerous American and European dates followed thereafter. Earth Crisis headlined the Firestorm Fest in early 2008, in the midst of a US tour.On September 10, 2008 it was announced that they had signed a worldwide deal with Century Media. They entered the studio on October 16, 2008 to record a new record, and Tue Madsen was hired to mix the project. The finished album, To the Death, was released in Europe on April 20, 2009 and in North America on May 5, 2009.
In August and September 2009, Earth Crisis played America and Europe on the Hell on Earth Tour, alongside Sworn Enemy, Neaera, Waking the Cadaver, War of Ages, Thy Will Be Done and War from a Harlots Mouth.
Latest releases: (2010–present)
In March 2010, they announced that drummer Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy and formerly Racetraitor would serve as a touring musician for a portion of the band's upcoming tour, as Merrick would only be available for certain dates.In July 2011, Earth Crisis released their seventh studio album, Neutralize the Threat. The album was mixed and mastered by Zeuss. The tracks "Raise" and "Total War" were released online as an album teaser.
Earth Crisis released their eighth studio album Salvation of Innocents on March 4, 2014. A comic book of the Liberator series published by Black Mask Studios was made in collaboration with the band and released simultaneously with the album, sharing similar conceptual ideas and artwork.
Musical style and influences
Although ideologically tied to the straight edge movement, the initial musical influences of Earth Crisis were mainly from New York hardcore bands such as Agnostic Front, Cro-Mags and Sick of It All. After the All Out War EP, they developed an increasingly technical and heavier style, citing death metal bands Napalm Death, Bolt Thrower and Obituary as prime inspirations. Buechner's vocals became rougher with each release as well, culminating in the completely gutturally screamed Gomorrah's Season Ends. Terrorizer magazine referred to this album as "heavy hardcore taken to a new level, all the blackness that was hinted at on Firestorm realized in all its formidable glory." In this period, many of their songs were built on Merrick's drum beats.When asked what ten bands inspired Earth Crisis over the years in a 2016 interview, guitarist Scott Crouse named DYS, Judge, Corrosion of Conformity, Agnostic Front, Slayer, Sepultura, Metallica, Conviction, Zero Tolerance and Iron Maiden.
Their third studio album, Breed the Killers, maintained the previous aggressiveness and its growled vocals were "taken about as far as possible", but it followed a structure more akin to the "post-Judge hardcore of the Path of Resistance record Who Dares Wins", according to Shawn Macomber of Decibel. Dennis Merrick said: "On Breed the Killers I think we achieved the most honest representation of our sound without sounding too raw or too slick". Its follow-up, Slither, had a change of style that steered towards nu metal. Buechner declared that, rather than being influenced by other styles, they "resurrected" the sound of All Out War in a proper way, which also had melodic choruses and spoken word verses.
Their first post-reunion album, To the Death, was described by Buechner as "a mixture between Destroying the Machines and Breed the Killers." According to Stereo Killer, it was "arguably the band's heaviest offering" but with "more traditional verse/chorus/verse" material. Neutralize the Threat followed a similar path, but "with a Gomorrah's Season Ends vibe thrown in", the band stated. Scott Crouse said that he always tried "to get the perfect blend of heaviness, imagery and listenability" and that these two albums were the first to "hit that mark". Salvation of Innocents included, in addition, some clean vocals that were compared by one reviewer to the sludge metal band Crowbar, as well as "some elements of melodic metalcore" and faster songs.
Earth Crisis is often tied with hardcore punk and the metalcore sub-genre. Crouse has denied this association stating, "e get credited often for creating 'metalcore,' but I’m not sure that’s fair. We were not very influenced by hardcore at all. We were drawing influence from bands like Corrosion of Conformity’s Blind album. Believer, Carcass and Slayer. It was really just us injecting those more metal elements into a scene that wasn’t very familiar with them, so I think it seemed like we created something." In an interview with Metal Assault, however, Crouse maintained that the band was still influenced by hardcore, though "we tend to lean more towards the metal side than the hardcore side, specially in the later years. I think we fit in more with a band like Carcass than we do with bands like Youth of Today or Gorilla Biscuits or something."