Straight Ahead | |
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 Craig Setari performing in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | N.Y.C. Mayhem (1985) |
| Origin | New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1984–1985, 1986–1987, 1988 |
| Labels |
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| Members |
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| Past members |
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Straight Ahead (known as N.Y.C. Mayhem in 1985) was an American straight edge hardcore punk band formed in Queens, New York City in 1984 [1] [2] [3] by drummer and vocalist Tommy Carroll, guitarist Gordon Ancis and bassist Tony Marc Shimkin.
Straight Ahead were formed by former-Assault guitarist and bassist Gordon Ancis and Tony Marc Shimkin along with drummer and vocalist Tommy Carroll, who had previously played in Corrupt, in 1984, [4] the band would then change their name to "N.Y.C. Mayhem" in 1985, release their debut demo tape "Mayhemic Destruction" and then replace Shimkin with Craig Setari. [5] Late-1985 saw the release of their debut EP "We Stand" and the band's first breakup, in which Carrol and Setari would join Youth of Today. [5]
N.Y.C. Mayhem reformed in 1986, back under their previous moniker "Straight Ahead", this time with Rob Echeverria on guitar, instead of Gordon Ancis. This lineup would record a 7-inch as a three-piece, before recruiting Armand Majidi on drums, having Carroll move over to only vocals. [6] [7]
They played their final gig on May 3, 1987, playing one reunion gig in 1988 at the "For Pete's Sake" benefit, after which Carroll was rarely seen, if ever. [8]
Straight Ahead are considered a hardcore punk band, [9] more specifically, their work as N.Y.C. Mayhem has been categorised as the subgenre thrashcore [10] [11] [12] and some of their songs as an early form of death metal. [13] whereas their post-1986 work is considered crossover thrash. [9] The band's earliest influences were Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica and Judas Priest [14] However, in the following years, they became one of the earliest bands to blur the lines between punk rock and heavy metal, [15] [9] [16] with their style being just as much indebted to extreme metal bands like Venom and Slayer as it was to Void, Necros and Negative Approach. [15] The band have also been cited as referring to their own music as "deathcore" as early as 1985. [4] Bernard Doe of Metal Forces magazine referred to them as "the fastest band around". [4]
Straight Ahead (specifically their output as N.Y.C. Mayhem) was a significant influence on Stormtroopers of Death, [17] [13] as well as the genres of death metal, grindcore and black metal [9] [18] due to early use of death growls and heavy riffing on tracks from 1985's "We Stand" such as "Necropolis (City Of The Dead)" and "Deathwish". [13] Jeffrey Walker of English band Carcass has cited N.Y.C. Mayhem as a major influence on the band's early grindcore sound, [19] Shane Embury (later of Napalm Death) and Mitch Dickinson (later of Heresy)'s band Warhammer were heavily influenced by N.Y.C. Mayhem's early demo tapes, [20] according to Matt Olivo of grindcore band Repulsion, N.Y.C. Mayhem were one of the bands that inspired them to play at the speed they did [21] and American grindcore band Brutal Truth covered Straight Ahead's song "White Clam Sauce" on their 2011 album "End Time". Charlie Benante of Anthrax has said that the first time that he ever heard blast beats was from one of N.Y.C. Mayhem's demo tapes, inspiring him to learn the technique himself. [10] Heavy metal band Prong played their first gig on November 23, 1986, in support of Straight Ahead and Nausea. [8] Tom Capone, guitarist of Quicksand, has cited N.Y.C. Mayhem as one of his favorite bands in the world. [16]
Original bass player Tony Marc Shimkin has worked with artists such as Madonna, on her 1992 album Erotica. [22] The band's vocalist, Tommy Carroll, went on to be the drummer in Youth of Today and vocalist of Irate. [23] Original guitarist Gordon Ancis went on to found pioneering death metal band Hellhouse in 1985, [24] as well as Zero Hour, which included ex-Whiplash guitarist Tony Scaglione, Massacre guitarist Rob Goodwin and Deathrash bassist Pat Burns. [2] Ancis also played in New York crossover thrash band Leeway and hardcore punk band Agnostic Front. [25] Bassist Craig Setari has played bass for New York hardcore punk band Sick of It All since 1992, [26] [27] along with drummer Armand Majidi. [28] Setari has also played with Youth of Today, Agnostic Front and Cro-Mags. [29] [30] [31] Guitarist Rob Echeverria joined Helmet and eventually Biohazard. [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] Echeverria, Majidi and Setari also all played in hardcore punk band Rest in Pieces. [37] [38] [39]
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 such as England's 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.
Hardcore punk is a punk rock subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk scenes in San Francisco and Southern California which arose as a reaction against the still predominant hippie cultural climate of the time. It was also inspired by Washington, D.C., and New York punk rock and early proto-punk. Hardcore punk generally disavows commercialism, the established music industry and "anything similar to the characteristics of mainstream rock" and often addresses social and political topics with "confrontational, politically charged lyrics".
Ludichrist is an American band formed in 1984 in Long Island, New York. Their musical style broke from the conventions of New York hardcore by adding aspects of rock, heavy metal and jazz, such as musical interludes and extended guitar solos. Ludichrist is one of the crossover movement's most prominent groups, alongside D.R.I. Drummer Dave Miranda saw Ludichrist as "crossing into both, punk and metal without firmly belonging into either camp." He observed that "the band was readily influenced by bands around them such as Crumbsuckers and Agnostic Front."
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1986 in Queens, New York City. The band's lineup consists of brothers Lou and Pete Koller on lead vocals and guitars respectively, Armand Majidi on drums, and Craig Setari on bass. Sick of It All is considered a major part of the New York hardcore scene, and by 2020, the band had sold at least half a million records worldwide.
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre.
Crust punk is a subgenre of punk rock influenced by the English punk scene as well as 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.
Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk band, initially active from 1985 to 1990 before reforming in 2010. The band played a major role in establishing the "Youth Crew" subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles.
Siege was 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 of reunion performances between 2016 and 2023.
The Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they were among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal.
New York hardcore is both the hardcore punk music created in New York City and the subculture and lifestyle associated with that music. The scene established many aspects that are fixtures of hardcore punk today, including its simplified name "hardcore", its hardcore skinhead and youth crew subcultures, the moshing style hardcore dancing, its association with street gangs and its prominent influence of heavy metal.
Crumbsuckers were an American crossover thrash band formed by bass player Gary Meskil in 1982 in Baldwin, Nassau County, New York.
Repulsion is an American grindcore band from Flint, Michigan, founded in 1984.
Scratch the Surface is the third studio album by American hardcore punk band Sick of It All, released on October 18, 1994, by East West Records. It was the band's first album with bassist Craig Setari, who joined the band in 1992; their lineup has remained unchanged since.
Leeway was an American crossover thrash band formed in Astoria, New York in 1984 by guitarist A.J. Novello and vocalist Eddie Sutton under the name The Unruled. To date, the band has released four studio albums – Born to Expire (1989), Desperate Measures (1991), Adult Crash (1994) and Open Mouth Kiss (1995) – and broken up and reformed several times over the years. Despite never achieving notable commercial success, Leeway is considered to be an integral part of the 1980s NYHC and crossover thrash scenes.
Yours Truly is an album by the American hardcore punk band Sick of It All. It was released in 2000 on Fat Wreck Chords.
Live in a Dive is a recording of live material from the New York City hardcore punk band, Sick of It All. It is part of a Fat Wreck Chords series of Live in a Dive albums, this one being released in August, 2002.
Outtakes for the Outcast is a compilation album by New York City hardcore punk band Sick of It All. It contains unreleased original songs, B-sides, and cover versions. It was the last album released by the band on Fat Wreck Chords before their move to Abacus Recordings.
Crossover thrash is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre emerged in the mid–1980s, when hardcore punk bands, such as Suicidal Tendencies, Cryptic Slaughter, Corrosion of Conformity and Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, began to incorporate the influence of thrash metal. At this time, the genre was particularly prominent in the New York hardcore scene, where groups including Agnostic Front, Leeway, Cro-Mags and Stormtroopers of Death were widely influential.
Scott Carlson is an American musician, who most notably worked as the lead vocalist and bassist of pioneering grindcore band Repulsion. Additionally, he was briefly the bassist and one of the vocalists of pioneering death metal band Death, as well as bassist of doom metal band Cathedral, bassist and vocalist of Swedish death metal band Death Breath, vocalist of Japanese doom metal band Church of Misery, bassist of hardcore punk band Septic Tank, guitarist of garage rock band The Superbees and guitarist of From Beyond.
Craig Setari is an American musician who is the bass player of the hardcore punk band Sick of It All. He has also worked with many other hardcore bands, including Youth of Today, Straight Ahead, Rest in Pieces, Agnostic Front and Cro-Mags. Alongside Dan Lilker, he recorded the Noise for Noise's Sake demo tape under the name Crab Society. This demo tape inspired Lilker's band S.O.D. to record their 1985 demo album titled Crab Society North.
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