I wasn’t sure what to make of this band the first time I heard them. It was heavy, metallic hardcore, created in the era just before full-blown metalcore had become a thing. And the vocals were unlike anything I’d ever heard in hardcore before.
The band hailed from Riverside, CA and were only active for a couple of years in the late 90s. They released a pair of demos, before releasing a devastating 4-song EP for fledgling Solid State Records, then-brand new sub-label of Tooth & Nail focusing exclusively on hardcore and metal. In fact, the self-titled EP was one of the first 10 releases on the label in its first year of existence.
Sadly, the release was the last we ever heard of the band. However, all of the members turned up in loads of other bands in the Christian indie/punk/hardcore scene including Rainy Days, Bloodshed, Project 86, Stairwell, Crash Rickshaw, Starflyer 59, White Lighter, Focused, Rock Kills Kid, Red Strat, and The Dingees.
“Casualty of Me” is probably their most well-known song, due to its inclusion on the very first Songs from the Penalty Box compilation, in addition to appearing on the Innermeans EP.
Just a few corrections.. the band was from Orange County, not Riverside. Also, it’s “Bloodshed”, not “Bloodside”.
My apologies, the “Bloodside” would be an autocorrect error that I didn’t catch.