Final Warning | |
|---|---|
 Final Warning in 1984, left to right: Jeff Paul, Tim Paul, Dan Cunneen and Simon | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Portland, Oregon |
| Genres | Hardcore punk, heavy metal, crust punk [1] |
| Years active | 1982–1986 |
Final Warning was a Portland-based hardcore punk band active in the Pacific Northwest from 1982 to 1986. The band was notable for their anti-war political themes and as one of the early hardcore bands to incorporate heavy metal into their sound. [2] [3]
Final Warning initially formed in 1982 as Broken Trust by guitarist Jeff "Simon" Simoncini, drummer Dan Cunneen, vocalist Tim Paul and bassist Charlie Nims (Nims would later play bass for Poison Idea using the moniker Myrtle Tickner). In 1983, former Poison Idea bassist Glenn Estes replaced Nims.
In early 1984, after changing their name to Final Warning, Tim Paul switched to bass and Jeff Paul (no relation) joined the group on vocals. This would become the classic Final Warning line-up that would remain until the band disbanded in 1986. (Poison Idea drummer Steve "Thee Slayer Hippie" Hanford did play several shows with Final Warning on second guitar in 1986.)
Final Warning released one self-titled 7-inch E.P. on Poison Idea guitarist Tom "Pig Champion" Roberts' label, Fatal Erection Records in 1984. [4] The following year Final Warning had a song ("I Quit") on the Drinking is Great Portland punk compilation E.P. (also released by Fatal Erection). [5]
Final Warning would share the bill with many notable bands during their career. Among them: Dead Kennedys, The Exploited, Charged GBH, Hüsker Dü, Minutemen and Mercyful Fate, but they never played outside the Pacific Northwest. [6]
Members of Final Warning would go on to play in other Pacific Northwest bands, including: Napalm Beach, Poison Idea, The Obituaries, Big House, Gruntruck, Zipgun, Kill Sybil and the Seattle-based Nightcaps.
In June 2007, Southern Lord records released a 16-song compact disc that featured all the band's studio material and 11 songs recorded live in 1985 at the Starry Night in Portland, Oregon (where Final Warning opened for Danish black metal band Mercyful Fate at their first U.S. concert). [6]
In September 2008, Final Warning played two shows with the classic line-up. The first show was in Seattle, Washington on September 6, 2008, at the Funhouse, followed by a show in Portland, Oregon at Satyricon, on September 20, 2008.
On March 3, 2013, Jeff Paul died in a motorcycle crash in Portland, Oregon. [7] [8]
In February 2015 Portland, Oregon-based Black Water Records released Demonstration 1983, a 9-song E.P. of Final Warning's first demo recordings. [9]
Final Warning was primarily influenced by early 1980s U.S. West Coast hardcore (Germs, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Crucifix, Iconoclast, and Circle Jerks) and the second wave of English punk (Discharge, Charged GBH, Disorder and The Exploited). What set Final Warning apart from other hardcore bands of the period was the merging of heavy metal into their sound (bands like Metallica, Motörhead, Venom and early Mötley Crüe.) Final Warning would combine these influences to become one of the early bands to combine punk and metal.
The most common lyrical focus of Final Warning's music was their stand against violence and war. Final Warning picked up on many of the anti-war themes that the U.K. band Discharge used and expanded them to include their own take on the conformity, complacency and militarism in the United States during the Reagan era.
Mercyful Fate is a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen, formed in 1981 by vocalist King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann. Influenced by progressive rock and hard rock, and with lyrics dealing with Satan and the occult, Mercyful Fate were part of the first wave of black metal in the early to mid-1980s, along with Venom and Bathory. Many of the bands from this movement went on to influence later black metal musicians in the 1990s, particularly in Norway. Mercyful Fate has also been cited as a prominent influence on the subsequent heavy metal scene of 1980s and 1990s, including thrash metal bands like Metallica, Slayer, Testament, Exodus and Kreator, and death metal bands such as Death, Morbid Angel, Obituary and Cannibal Corpse.
The music of Oregon reflects the diverse array of styles present in the music of the United States, from Native American music to the contemporary genres of rock and roll, country, rhythm and blues, jazz, pop, electronic music, and hip hop. However, throughout most of its history, the state has been relatively isolated from the cultural forces shaping American music. Much of modern popular music traces its roots to the emergence in the late 19th century of African American blues and the growth of gospel music in the 1920s. African American musicians borrowed elements of European and Indigenous musics to create new American forms. As Oregon's population was more homogeneous and more white than the United States as a whole, the state did not play a significant role in this history.
MDC is an American punk rock band formed in 1979 in Austin, Texas, subsequently based in San Francisco, and currently Portland, Oregon. Among the first wave of bands to define the sound and style of American hardcore punk, MDC originally formed as The Stains; they have periodically changed the meaning of "MDC", the most frequent being Millions of Dead Cops. The band's lyrical content expresses radical left political views and has proven influential within the punk subculture.
Poison Idea was an American punk rock band formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1980.
GBH are an English punk rock band which was formed in 1978 by vocalist Colin Abrahall, guitarist Colin "Jock" Blyth, bassist Sean McCarthy and drummer Andy "Wilf" Williams.
Discharge are an English hardcore punk band formed in 1977 in Stoke-on-Trent, England. The band is known for influencing several sub-genres of extreme music and their songs have been covered by some of the biggest names in heavy metal and other genres. The musical sub-genre of D-beat is named after Discharge and the band's distinctive drumbeat.
Venomous Concept is an American hardcore punk band formed by Kevin Sharp of Brutal Truth and Shane Embury of Napalm Death in 2004. Sharp and Embury were joined by Danny Herrera and Buzz Osborne, who was later replaced by Danny Lilker. They have released three albums: Retroactive Abortion (2004), Poisoned Apple (2008), and Kick Me Silly VCIII (2016). They have also released two split albums: one with Japanese grindcore band 324 (2006), and the other with Australian extreme metal band Blood Duster (2008). The band's name is a play on Poison Idea, in the style of name-mangling Japanese hardcore acts.
Melissa is the debut studio album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate, released on 30 October 1983. It was the first album released by Roadrunner Records. This was also the first Mercyful Fate effort to get an official release in the United States through Megaforce Records, as the self-titled EP was a highly sought after import, and the BBC sessions were only available on bootleg tapes. Melissa has been identified as one of the earliest examples of extreme metal, and is often considered to be a major influence on the then-developing thrash metal, black metal and death metal genres.
The Fartz were a hardcore punk band that was founded in 1981 and were one of the first well-known bands in their genre from Seattle, Washington. They were signed to Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles Record label. They were notable not only for playing incredibly fast and heavy music, but also for their politically and socially conscious song lyrics that criticized government policies, religious hypocrisy, racism, sexism, and poverty. Throughout their musical career they championed a blue collar, working class perspective on life.
The Beginning is a compilation album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate released in 1987 consisting of the Nuns Have No Fun EP and different versions of 4 tracks from the album Melissa.
Sore Throat were a British crust punk band formed in Huddersfield, England, in 1987. They are known for being one of the earliest exponents of the grindcore subgenre known as "noisecore", as well as for launching the careers of several prominent members of the British heavy metal community.
Clay Records was an independent record label founded by Mike Stone in 1980 and based in a record shop in Stoke-on-Trent, England.
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is a 2005 documentary film directed by Sam Dunn with Scot McFadyen and Jessica Wise. The film follows 31-year-old Dunn, a Canadian anthropologist, who has been a heavy metal fan since the age of 12. Dunn sets out across the world to uncover the various opinions on heavy metal music, including its origins, culture, controversy, and the reasons it is loved by so many people. The film made its debut at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, and was released as a two-disc special edition DVD in the US on 19 September 2006.
Pick Your King is the title of American hardcore punk band Poison Idea's debut EP, released in 1983 via Fatal Erection Records. The album jacket featured a "choice" of kings, one side had an image of Jesus Christ, the other side an image of Elvis Presley, a.k.a. "The King". The EP was reissued in 2005 by Reflex/Wolfpack Records on a compilation 12" also containing the 'Learning To Scream' EP.
Record Collectors Are Pretentious Assholes is hardcore punk band Poison Idea's second EP. It was released in 1985 through Fatal Erection Records.
10 Minute Warning was a hardcore punk band from Seattle, Washington. They became famous locally as one of the first bands to adapt the popular punk sound to something slower and heavier, paving the way for grunge bands like Green River and Mother Love Bone before breaking up in 1984.
Dan Cunneen is an American musician, songwriter, disc jockey, screen printer and graphic designer originally from Portland, Oregon, United States. Cunneen is best known for his drum work with the 1980s Portland, Oregon bands Final Warning and The Obituaries as well as the 1990s Seattle, Washington-based bands Zipgun and Nightcaps. In 2020, Cunneen began recording under the moniker Dan Steely. Cunneen also occasionally plays drums with the Perkins Coie Band, the in house band for the Seattle, Washington-based law firm Perkins Coie.
Kill Your Idols is an American hardcore punk band from New York, active from 1995 through 2007 and again from 2013 to the present. They were signed to SideOneDummy Records. Their releases on SideOne were Funeral for a Feeling (2001), a split with 7 Seconds in 2004, and From Companionship to Competition (2005). Other notable releases by the band were No Gimmicks Needed and This Is Just The Beginning... which were released on Blackout! Records. The band released several 7-inch EPs, splits with other bands, multiple compilation tracks, and two full-length LPs in their 11-year run. Most of their records were released on vinyl as well as compact disc. Some were released on different colors of vinyl, different sleeve covers, hand numbered tour presses, and picture discs, making their records a favorite among collectors.
Rene Krolmark, better known by his stage name, Hank Shermann, is a Danish musician best known for his work with the heavy metal band Mercyful Fate.