No Comment (band)

Last updated
No Comment
Origin North Hollywood, California
Genres Powerviolence
Years active1987-1993
LabelsDeep Six, Noise Patch, Slap-A-Ham, Snare Dance
Past membersBrent Jones
Andrew Beattie
Ralo Calzada
Vince Simpson

No Comment were an American powerviolence band from North Hollywood, California. The band was active from 1987 to 1993. [1]

Contents

History

Along with other powerviolence bands such as Crossed Out, Capitalist Casualties and Man Is the Bastard, No Comment were influential in what was known to become the "West Coast powerviolence" scene for their aggressive musical and conceptual take on the hardcore punk genre. The band's vocalist, Andrew Beattie, confessed to liking both the metal and hardcore genres while hating the direction crossover bands such as Dirty Rotten Imbeciles and Discharge took, which combined the two styles. Beattie stated his band "just wanted to show that 'Hardcore' was still alive yet there was no real 'scene in the late 80s'." [2]

Break up

No Comment disbanded in 1993 and Beattie went on to pursue other music projects such as Man is the Bastard, Low Threat Profile, (with members of Infest), Dead Language (with members of Iron Lung and Walls) and most recently Dead Man's Life (with members of Life In A Burn Clinic, The Grim, Dead Lazlo's Place, For Sale, FYP, Co-Ed, La Motta, It's Casual, Revolution Mother and Buford). [3] However some unreleased studio and live recordings were released after this time. [4]

Legacy and influence

Powerviolence, according to Spazz bassist/vocalist, Chris Dodge, (who was behind the scene's main label Slap-a-Ham Records) peaked in the mid-1990s, around the time No Comment released their celebrated EP Downsided on Slap-a-Ham. XLR8R described Downsided as "a definitive document of powerviolence's beyond-tantrum aggression". [2]

Discography

See also

Slap-a-Ham Records

Related Research Articles

Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. Grindcore is considered a more noise-filled style of hardcore punk while using hardcore's trademark characteristics such as heavily distorted, down-tuned guitars, grinding overdriven bass, high-speed tempo, blast beats, and vocals which consist of growls, shouts and high-pitched shrieks. Early groups like Napalm Death are credited with laying the groundwork for the style. It is most prevalent today in North America and Europe, with popular contributors such as Brutal Truth and Nasum. Lyrical themes range from a primary focus on social and political concerns, to gory subject matter and black humor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Locust</span> American band

The Locust was an American hardcore punk band from San Diego, California, known for their mix of grindcore aggression and new wave experimentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crust punk</span> Music genre

Crust punk is a form of music influenced by English punk rock and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the early 1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on political and social ills. The term "crust" was coined by Hellbastard on their 1986 Ripper Crust demo.

Born Against was an American hardcore punk band from New York active between 1989 and 1993. In addition to their radical leftist politics, the group espoused a DIY punk message and challenged what they perceived as being a problem within the punk subculture of their time. Though Born Against received little media exposure while still together, they have since been described as "legendary" by the Chicago Reader and the LA Weekly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege (band)</span> American hardcore punk band

Siege is an American hardcore punk band from Weymouth, Massachusetts. Formed in 1981, they were active in the Boston hardcore scene from 1984 to 1985, and reunited briefly in 1991. Drummer Rob Williams and guitarist Kurt habelt led a live ensemble for performances between 2016 and 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thrashcore</span> Fast-tempo subgenre of hardcore punk

Thrashcore is a fast-tempo subgenre of hardcore punk that emerged in the early 1980s. Thrashcore is essentially sped-up hardcore, often using blast beats. Songs can be very brief, and thrashcore is in many ways a less dissonant, less metallic forerunner of grindcore. The genre is sometimes associated with the skateboarder subculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D-beat</span> Genre of hardcore punk

D-beat is a style of hardcore punk, developed in the early 1980s by imitators of Discharge, after whom the genre is named, as well as a drum beat characteristic of this subgenre. D-beat is known for its "grinding, distorted and brutally political" sound. Discharge may have themselves inherited the beat from Motörhead and the Buzzcocks. D-beat is closely associated with crust punk, which is a heavier, more complex variation. The style was particularly popular in Sweden, and developed there by groups such as Crude SS, Anti Cimex, Mob 47, and Driller Killer. Other D-beat groups include Doom and the Varukers from the UK; Disclose from Japan; Crucifix and Final Conflict from the U.S.; Ratos de Porão from Brazil; and MG15 from Spain. While the style initially developed in the early 1980s, a number of new groups working within the subgenre emerged in the mid-1990s. These include the Swedish groups Wolfbrigade, Totalitär, Avskum, Skitsystem, and Disfear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fu Manchu (band)</span> American stoner rock band

Fu Manchu is an American stoner rock band, formed in Southern California in 1985, and long-associated with the Palm Desert Scene.

Hellnation was an hardcore punk band from Covington, Kentucky. The band was active from 1988 to 2010.

Man Is the Bastard was an American hardcore punk band based in Claremont, California. The band existed from 1990 to 1997, releasing mostly vinyl splits, extended plays, and albums on obscure labels from around the world. By 1997, the group ended and members all went on to do other projects, such as the noise group Bastard Noise, which originally started out as a Man Is the Bastard side project. They are typically seen as part of the 1990s powerviolence movement.

Crossed Out was a powerviolence band from Encinitas, California. The band was active from early 1990 until late 1993. The group is considered to be a very important band that helped define powerviolence with a style that incorporated political lyrics, blast beats, and quick tempos. They have been named as the "dark lords of powerviolence" by Beau Beasley of Insect Warfare.

Spazz was an American powerviolence band active between 1992 and 2000. The trio released numerous records within this time, many of which are now highly collectible due to their relative rarity. The band's releases often showcased their unusual sense of humour: absurdly long and nonsensical song titles, audio samples from B movies and kung fu films between songs and the occasional use of hip hop beats as well as saxophones, banjos and other instruments rarely associated with hardcore punk. All three of the members shared vocal duties, usually changing in sequence from line to line. The group would typically play at all ages venues. 2015 saw the release of a tribute LP to Spazz by Scottish record label Mind Ripper Collective titled "Spazzin' To The Oldies - A Tribute To Spazz". In 2016, it was announced that Tankcrimes will reissue the out-of-print Spazz albums Sweatin' To The Oldies and Sweatin' 3: Skatin', Satan & Katon.

Black Army Jacket was an American powerviolence band. They released one album and many 7-inch EPs, splits and compilation appearances. Their members have gone on to play in such bands as Municipal Waste, Deny the Cross, Matt Pond PA, Burnt by the Sun and Hope Collapse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powerviolence</span> Music genre; subgenre of hardcore punk

Powerviolence is an extremely dissonant and fast subgenre of hardcore punk which is closely related to thrashcore and grindcore. In contrast with grindcore, which is a "crossover" idiom containing musical aspects of heavy metal, powerviolence is just an augmentation of the most challenging qualities of hardcore punk. Like its predecessors, it is usually socio-politically charged and iconoclastic.

Charles Bronson was an American powerviolence band from DeKalb, Illinois, active from 1994 to 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Lung (band)</span>

Iron Lung are an American hardcore punk duo based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The band formed in 1999 in Reno, Nevada, and is currently in Seattle, after spending some time in Oakland, California. Live, the band has toured extensively across the U.S., Asia, Australia and Europe. They have released music on several labels including Prank Records, 625 Thrashcore, and their own label, Iron Lung Records. In recent years, the band has collaborated with other members of the hardcore punk and powerviolence scene, including Hatred Surge and Dave Bailey, formerly of Running for Cover. In 2009, an album titled Public Humiliation was released; a three-way collaboration between Iron Lung and Kortland and Ward's side projects, Pig Heart Transplant and Walls respectively. The recording is of a one-off live performance from Halloween 2008. Jon Kortland is also half of the art project Feeding, which has made artwork for several Iron Lung, Walls and PHT releases, as well as album covers for several other bands.

Extortion is an Australian hardcore punk band from Perth, Western Australia. Formed in 2005, they are active in the Australian hardcore scene. They are heavily influenced by powerviolence bands such as Siege, Negative FX, No Comment and Infest however the band considers themselves a Hardcore band with a Powerviolence influence.

<i>1990–1993</i> 1999 compilation album by Crossed Out

1990–1993 is the discography compilation consisting of the entire recorded output of American powerviolence band Crossed Out, which was released in 1999 through Slap-a-Ham Records on compact disc and vinyl formats. The compilation includes previously released EP material as well as rare demos and live recordings. A limited edition of white-colored LP copies were released through direct mail order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Despise You</span>

Despise You are an American powerviolence band from Inglewood, California, formed in 1994. The group is noted for helping influencing the powerviolence movement and for their bleak lyrics about topics such as gang violence, misanthropy, and self-hate. The band was known for being mysterious during their initial run; they often used pseudonyms in their liner notes and they never played live shows until their reformation in 2007. They have been described as "the angriest band in the world" by some.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capitalist Casualties</span> American musical band

Capitalist Casualties were an American powerviolence / hardcore band. They formed in Rohnert Park, CA around 1986 and had their first concert in 1987 in Santa Rosa, California They have released multiple records, including many splits with other powerviolence / hardcore bands, and have toured nationally and internationally.

References

  1. No Comment Rate Your Music. Retrieved: November 25, 2009.
  2. 1 2 What Is It? Powerviolence Archived 2008-09-26 at the Wayback Machine XLR8R, March 20, 2008. Retrieved: November 25, 2009.
  3. Beattie Discogs. Retrieved: November 25, 2009.
  4. No Comment Discogs. Retrieved: November 25, 2009.