Ripcord
| Ripcord | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Hardcore punk , grindcore |
| founding | 1984 |
| resolution | 1988 |
| Founding members | |
| Steve "Baz" Ballam | |
| Jimmy Briffitt | |
guitar |
Malcolm Phelps |
| John Millier | |
| Last occupation | |
singing |
Steve Hazzard |
guitar |
Steve Ballam |
bass |
Jim Whiteley |
Drums |
John Millier |
| former members | |
singing |
Brian "Buzby" Birchell |
Ripcord was an English hardcore and grindcore band from Weston-super-Mare . Their music was among the fastest that the UK hardcore scene had to offer, and Ripcord was among the first to introduce grindcore in the UK alongside Napalm Death , Unseen Terror , Carcass and Heresy .
Band history
Ripcord was founded in 1984 by Steve Ballam ( guitar ) and John Millier ( drums ). A little later came singer Jimmy Briffitt and guitarist Malcolm Phelps and Ballam switched to bass . This line-up recorded the first demo In Search of a Future in a Bristol recording studio in June 1985 . Musically they were influenced by The Damned , Black Flag and DRI . In autumn 1985, after a few live appearances, singer Briffitt and guitarist Phelps left the band. The remaining founding members found replacement in Steve Hazzard on bass and singer Brian "Buzby" Birchell, bassist Ballam switched back to guitar. In this line-up, the nine tracks on the first record The Damage is Done were recorded. Out of financial difficulties, the group decided to have a Flexidisc pressed instead of a single because they received 2,500 instead of 1,000 copies for the same price, Ballam borrowed the money from his father. The record was released in mid-1986, followed by another demo, Fast and Furious, in November 1986.
After touring England and Europe with Extreme Noise Terror , Chaos UK and Heresy, Ripcord was signed by Manic Ears Records . In the summer of 1987 the debut album Defiance of Power was released and a European tour with Napalm Death followed. Shortly thereafter, bassist Hazzard left the band and was replaced by Jim Whiteley. After a tour with Heresy, singer Birchell left Ripcord due to personal differences and ex-bassist Hazzard took his position as singer. This line-up recorded the single Harvest Hardcore in early 1988 and played their first peel session on July 12, 1988 . The second album Poetic Justice was released in mid-1988 , after which singer Hazzard informed the band that he would go to the USA with his wife . He still took part in a tour through Germany, after which Ripcord decided to break up. One reason was that the musicians saw no further development opportunities in Grindcore. The group played their last show on November 23, 1988 in their hometown of Weston-super-Mare. A live recording from September 9, 1988 in Germany was released as a live album as part of the Your Choice Live Series after the band broke up .
Discography
- The Damage is Done ( Flexidisc , Raging Records, 1986)
- Defiance of Power (Manic Ears, 1987)
- Harvest Hardcore ( single , Raging Records, 1988)
- Poetic Justice (Raging Records, 1988)
- Your Choice Live Series, Volume Two (Your Choice Records, 1988)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Natalie J. Purcell: Death Metal Music: The Passion and Politics of a Subculture . McFarland, 2003, pp. 56 .
literature
- Ian Glasper: Trapped in a Scene - UK Hardcore 1985-1989 . Cherry Red Books, 2009, ISBN 978-1-901447-61-3 , pp. 403-411 .