Warzone (band)
| Warzone | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| origin | New York , United States |
| Genre (s) | Hardcore punk |
| founding | 1982 |
| resolution | 1997 |
| Founding members | |
singing |
Tommy Ratt (1982-1986) |
guitar |
Todd "Todd Youth" Schofield (1982–1987, 1996, † 2018) |
bass |
Walter Schreifels |
Drums |
Ray "Raybeez" Barbieri († 1997) |
| Last occupation | |
singing |
Ray Barbieri |
guitar |
J-Sin (1996-1997) |
bass |
Todd "The Kid" (1996-1997) |
Drums |
Vincent "Vinny Value" Verga (1996–1997, † 2019) |
| former members | |
guitar |
Paul Canade |
guitar |
Crazy Jay Skin |
bass |
John "Omen" Ullmann (1987–1989) |
Drums |
Luke "Lukie Luke" Abbey (1986–1988) |
Drums |
Erik "EK" Komst (1988–1991) |
Warzone was an American hardcore band, counted among the early New York Hardcore bands , and their music, appearance, and demeanor attracted both skinheads and punks .
history
Ray "Raybeez" Barbieri was a co-founder of the New York hardcore scene. After playing drums on Agnostic Front's debut EP United Blood , he decided in 1981 to form his own band, Skinhead Youth . In 1982 he finally founded Warzone with Todd Schofield (guitar, later Murphy's Law ), Tommy Ratt (vocals) and Walter Schreifels (bass, later with various bands such as Youth of Today , Quicksand and Gorilla Biscuits ). Influenced by Oi! -Bands like The Last Resort , The 4-Skins and the early Skrewdriver , a skinhead image was adopted. Between 1982 and 1987 there were always line-up problems. In 1986 Tommy Ratt left the group, Barbieri took over the vocals from then on.
It wasn't until 1987 that the debut EP Lower East Side Crew appeared , the first release on Ray Cappo's label Revelation Records . In the same year the debut album Don't Forget the Struggle, Don't Forget the Streets (Fist Records) was released. The second album Open Your Eyes was released in 1988 by Dr. Know ( Bad Brains ) was produced. In addition to Barbieri, the line-up now consisted of the two guitarists Paul Canade and Jay Vento ("Crazy Jay Skin"), the drummer Erik Komst ("EK") and John "Omen" Ullman on bass.
With the self-titled third album in 1989, Warzone took metal influences into their music. The album flopped, however, the changes in style were too serious for many fans. After a short break in the early 1990s, the band signed with Victory Records . In 1994 the album Old School to New School was released . The cover album brought together songs from companions like Cause for Alarm and Youth of Today. In 1995 a split CD with Cause for Alarm was released. The line-up now consisted of Barbieri, Todd Schofield (guitar), Brian Goss (guitar), Todd "The Kid" (bass) and Vinny Value (drums). This was followed by a new recording of the first EP with Lower East Side with J-Sin as sole guitarist.
In 1997 the album The Sound of Revolution , produced by Dr. Know. Ray "Raybeez" Barbieri, the only permanent member of the band, died on September 11, 1997 at the age of 35 from complications from pneumonia . This sealed the end of the band. The album Fight for Justice , which was completed before his death, was released posthumously .
style
The hardcore sound of Warzone is influenced by Oi !, traditional punk rock and, especially on the later albums, metal. Warzone is considered to be one of the most influential bands in New York Hardcore, embodying this style like no other. While Warzone was never a straight-edge band, it had some influence on this scene as well. Warzone performed with numerous straight-edge bands, Barbieri supported the CBGB scene and wrote some songs about the movement ( Throw Me a Line , Free at Last ).
Like the New York hardcore band Agnostic Front , Barbieri not only tried to keep the hardcore and skinhead scene together, but also encouraged women and girls to become active in the male-dominated hardcore punk scene (e.g. with "" Brother and Sisterhood ").
controversy
Despite clear texts like War Between Races , which is clearly directed against racist prejudice, Warzone was criticized by the left-wing scene because of some other texts ( The American Movement ) and symbols such as the Iron Cross . In Germany, the group was criticized mainly because of an interview given in 1988 in the ZAP. In the interview, Ray “Raybeez” Barbieri made negative comments about communists and SHARP and also expressed sympathy for the “ White Power ” movement. A concert that took place in 1995 at SO36 in Berlin was widely discussed in the anti-fascist scene at the time. Quotations out of context from the aforementioned ZAP interview were used. In this context, Barbieri referred in an interview to the band's collaboration with the Bad Brains, a hardcore and reggae band made up of black musicians .
"What happened was that certain people were spreading 'PC's' (sic) rumors that we were White Power Nazis, which is absolutely stupid. [...] Well, I can't be White Power and always with the Bad Brains hang out together. They made this poster for I Against I (note: Bad Brains 1986 album); I'm the only skinhead on this poster who works on stage. "
Discography
Albums
- 1988: Don't Forget the Struggle, Don't Forget the Streets
- 1989: Open Your Eyes
- 1990: Warzone
- 1994: Old School to New School ( Victory )
- 1996: The Sound of Revolution
- 1997: Fight for Justice
EPs and singles
- 1987: Lower East Side (EP)
- 1993: Live at CBGB's (Live EP)
Others
- 1995: Punk Rock, Oi !, Hardcore and You (Split-10 '' with Cause for Alarm )
- 1997: Skinhead Youth - Live in NY April 23, 1997 (Live-Bootleg)
- 1998: The Victory Years (compilation)
literature
- Matthias Mader: New York City Hardcore. The Way it was… 1st edition. IP Verlag Jeske / Mader, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-931624-10-2 , pp. 141-148.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Clrvynt.com: Racist Skins Weren't Welcome to Warzone's LES War Zone. Retrieved January 26, 2020 .
- ^ Matthias Mader: New York City Hardcore. The way it was…. IP Verlag Jeske / Mader, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-931624-10-2 , p. 141 .
- ↑ Beth Lahickey: All Ages. Reflections on Straight Edge . Revelation Books, Huntington Beach 1997, ISBN 1-889703-00-1 , pp. 137 .
- ↑ No Fascho concert on February 18th! In: Conne Island. Anti-Warzone leaflet, 1995, accessed May 11, 2010 .
- ↑ Warzone. Conne Island, accessed May 11, 2010 .
- ↑ quoted from Matthias Mader, p. 144