Firestorm (EP)

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Firestorm
EP by
Earth Crisis
Released1993
RecordedJune 14–16, 1993
StudioMars Recording Studio in Cleveland, Ohio
GenreMetalcore,[1] hardcore punk[2]
Length15:16
LabelVictory
ProducerEarth Crisis, Bill Korecky
Earth Crisis chronology
All Out War
(1992) 		Firestorm
(1993) 		Destroy the Machines
(1995)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

Firestorm is the second EP by American metallic hardcore band Earth Crisis. It was released in 1993 and marked the band's first release through Victory Records. Firestorm has been described as a landmark release in hardcore punk for its metal influences and political, militant lyrics, along with helping "pioneer what would become both a signature sound for the band, as well as metalcore as a whole – right alongside the likes of Integrity."[3] The title track is considered Earth Crisis' best-known song.

Background and recording[edit]

After recording Earth Crisis' debut EP, All Out War (1992), drummer Mike Riccardi was unable to commit himself to touring and was replaced by Dennis Merrick.[4] In 1993, the band recorded a demo of Firestorm and sent it to several labels, some of which praised it but were afraid of a possible backlash due to its lyrics.[5] After Victory Records head Tony Brummel had dismissed it, there were plans to release it on the newly formed Incision Records but following a very successful show at More Than Music Fest in Dayton, Ohio, Brummel changed his mind and approached Earth Crisis for a multiple-record contract.[6] Vocalist Karl Buechner had, by the time of the deal, been two years in college with the intention of becoming a history teacher, but ultimately left it to focus on his music career.[7] Likewise, guitarists Scott Crouse and Benjamin Read, who were around fifteen years old, dropped out of high school at the time for the same reason.[8]

In the summer of 1993, at the beginning of the national All Out War tour, Earth Crisis recorded Firestorm with music engineer Bill Korecky in his Mars Studios (Cleveland, Ohio).[9] Bassist Ian Edwards could not travel because he was attending his senior year in high school. The band recruited a temporary bassist with the requirement that he has to be vegan straight edge, but after realizing that the player was not as good as they expected, Crouse and Read recorded the instrument.[8] Buechner affirms that the band had better chemistry than on their previous EP, which was made when they were only around five months together.[9] During the recording of Firestorm, Crouse said that Buechner "lost" his voice.[5]

Some songs from the Firestorm demo have been re-released: "The Order That Shall Be" ended up on the 1995's benefit compilation album Stones to Mark a Fire for an Animal Liberation Front prisoner;[9] "Forced To Kill" and "Behind the Mask" on the 2009 vinyl Forced to Kill (Seventh Dagger Records);[9][10] and "Behind the Mask" and "Time of Strife" on the 2015 EP The Discipline (Bullet Tooth Records).[11]

Music and lyrics[edit]

Firestorm is characterized by palm muted, staccato guitar riffs without solos, screaming vocals and militant, political lyrics.[2][12] Although their previous EP already exhibited metallic influences, these were considerably more prominent on Firestorm and the production improved.[13] This metallic hardcore sound would be the basis for their next albums which further developed it.[13][2]

"Firestorm", the first track, starts with E open chords and "a focused, unrelenting tone" which anticipates the arrangements of "extended mosh parts" during the EP.[2] Its lyrics call for a purging of drug gangs and cartels as well as corrupt politicians and law enforcement in a neighborhood submerged in drug addiction and crime, declaring "violence against violence".[14][15][16] Other authors state that its militancy is also directed at animal abusers.[12] Vocalist Karl Buechner said that he composed it following the drug-fueled crimes and violence that escalated through the first half of the 1990s in northern Syracuse, where his nephew, girlfriend and previously himself had lived.[17] He put the song in line with books by the original Black Panther Party, such as Seize the Time or Will You Die with Me?,[6] and in further interviews revealed that "Firestorm" was also inspired by Scott Cody, a Black Panther from South Los Angeles who ended up in jail after fighting drug dealers.[18][19]

"Forged in the Flames" (which is connected to "Firestorm" on the same track) concerns personal and spiritual strength achieved through straight edge.[20] "Unseen Holocaust" addresses the colonization and genocide of indigenous cultures by European Christian conquerors, a topic that "horrifies" the band.[18][21] The last track, "Eden's Demise", describes an ecological collapse caused by humanity, anthropomorphizing the Earth as being tortured and stating that veganism is the solution.[22] Throughout the EP, Earth Crisis likens drug dealers and powerful people who damage the ecosystem to "demons".[22] Live High Five described the screamed lyrics as "idealistic, passionate, and incredibly pissed off".[9]

Reception and impact[edit]

The song "Firestorm" drew controversy for its extremist lyrics.[23][24] As stated by Greg Bennick, "Maximum Rocknroll and other people on the scene got upset. [...] Was Earth Crisis saying they were going to round up drug dealers, block by block? You would imagine them walking down the streets in jackboots [which are often associated with totalitarianism]. But in no way is that what they were suggesting. To me, they were on the path of righteousness and compassion, and that appealed to me."[6] Some people criticized its simple structure as well; according to guitarist Scott Crouse they "alluded to us not being able to play or write anything with substance," which "subconscious[ly]" led the band to write more complex music on the next album.[5] By the same token, others acclaimed its straightforwardness, including MetalSucks who regarded it as "a Mondrian/Rothko-like masterpiece of restraint" and Brian Cook stating that its "mosh-tastic songwriting" was "genius".[25][26] The track has since been called a straight edge anthem[14][26][27] and become Earth Crisis' best-known song.[28]

Several authors describe Firestorm as a landmark release in hardcore punk for its introduction of metal elements and militant eco-political lyrics, which in turn inspired numerous bands.[4][12][24][29] In 2000, it was chosen as one of the "Best Hardcore Punk Singles of the 90s" by Maximumrocknroll, with columnist Max Ward proclaiming: "I think that record changed everything in hardcore. Good recording, confrontational."[30] According to MetalSucks, the title song "defined 90s hardcore" and has one of the best breakdowns of all time.[25] Reba Meyers of Code Orange called Firestorm the record that changed her life.[31] The ring name of late professional wrestler Adam Firestorm was based on the song.[32]

"Firestorm" has been covered by Refused,[33] and Maroon.[34] Maroon quotes it in their animal liberation song "24HourHate" of 2006.[35]

Other bands parodied the over-the-top militance of "Firestorm", including the songs "Firestorm, My Ass" by Propagandhi (which compares it to Kristallnacht),[36] "In Defense of All Life" by Good Clean Fun[37] and "Get the Kid with the Sideburns" by Reversal of Man.[38] In retrospective interviews, Propagandhi vocalist Chris Hannah expressed admiration for the uncompromising animal liberation message of Earth Crisis and the vegan straight edge scene.[36]

Track listing[edit]

All lyrics are written by Karl Buechner

No.TitleLength
1."Firestorm"/"Forged in the Flames" (latter starts at 3:52 into the track)6:38
2."Unseen Holocaust"4:56
3."Eden's Demise"3:42

Personnel[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sacher, Andrew (August 26, 2019). "15 '90s metalcore albums that still resonate today". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Kantor, Matt. "Earth Crisis | Firestorm". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  3. ^ "A Firestorm To Purify: Revisiting Earth Crisis' highly influential metalcore album, "Destroy The Machines"". AllMusic. 23 August 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Downey, Ryan. "Earth Crisis". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 8, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Ramirez, Carlos (January 2, 2018). "Scott Crouse (Earth Crisis, SECT, Path of Resistance)". Noecho.net. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c Rettman, Tony (23 November 2017). Bellino, Vince (ed.). "Earth Crisis: A Firestorm to Purify (Straight Edge Book Excerpt)". Decibel (published November 23, 2017). Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  7. ^ Harkins, Ray (June 24, 2015). "Karl Buechner from Earth Crisis". 100wordspodcast.com (Podcast). Event occurs at 11:38-11:46 and 13:56-14:22. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Trudell, Danny (September 6, 2019). "2: SCOTT CROUSE / EARTH CRISIS INTERVIEW: PART TWO". Listennotes (Podcast). Holy Mountain Printing. Event occurs at 5:39-6:16 and 8:20-9:13. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d e GG Allis (July 13, 2013). "Interview with Karl Buechner from @EarthCrisis; Playing #Syracuse TONIGHT 7/13 @victoryrecords". Livehighfive.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  10. ^ "EARTH CRISIS | Forced To Kill". REVHQ.com. Revelation Records. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  11. ^ Adams, Gregory (March 4, 2015). "Earth Crisis Revisit Tracks for 'The Discipline' EP". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  12. ^ a b c "EARTH CRISIS: 'To The Death' Pushed Back To May". Blabbermouth.net (published February 12, 2009). 12 February 2009. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  13. ^ a b Granholm 2012, p. 33.
  14. ^ a b Haenfler, Ross (11 June 2015). "Sober Revolution: The story of straight edge hardcore in 10 records". The Vinyl Factory (published June 11, 2015). Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  15. ^ Wood, Robert T. (2006). Straightedge Youth: Complexity and Contradictions of a Subculture. Syracuse University Press. p. 106. ISBN 0815631278. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  16. ^ "Earth Crisis". Punknews.org. 16 May 2000. Archived from the original on October 6, 2010. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  17. ^ Burgess, Aaron (July 1996). "EARTH CRISIS - par Aaron Burgess - juillet 1996". Alternative Press. No. 101. Hardcore-punk.net. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  18. ^ a b "EARTH CRISIS - par Lexi de Broken Silence zine - juin 2000". Broken Silence. Hardcore-punk.net. June 2000. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  19. ^ Heiduk, Felix (July 28, 2000). "Earth Crisis". Music-scan.de. Berlin, Germany. Archived from the original on May 14, 2002. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  20. ^ Granholm 2012, p. 36.
  21. ^ Granholm 2012, p. 35.
  22. ^ a b Granholm 2012, pp. 34–35.
  23. ^ Dinitto, Jay (May 6, 2009). "Earth Crisis Take Vigilante Action". Noisecreep. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  24. ^ a b Kamiński, Karol (June 4, 2014). "EARTH CRISIS' Firestorm 7" record release gig (1993) now showing!". Idioteq.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  25. ^ a b Sergeant D (13 April 2011). "WHAT IS THE BEST BREAKDOWN OF ALL TIME???". MetalSucks (published April 13, 2011). Archived from the original on April 16, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  26. ^ a b Cook, Brian (February 29, 2008). "Guilty Pleasure March 9th at Studio7!!! Firestorm!!!". The Stranger. Archived from the original on October 6, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  27. ^ Deneau, Max (May 28, 2009). "Earth Crisis / Walls Of Jericho / Reign Supreme / Unholy". Exclaim!. Toronto, Canada (published June 1, 2009). Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  28. ^ Tsitsos, William (November 17, 2015). "20 - An International Comparison of the Politics of Straight Edge". In Horsfall, Sara Towe; Meij, Jan-Martijn; Probstfield, Meghan D. (eds.). Music Sociology: Examining the Role of Music in Social Life. Routledge. p. 205. ISBN 978-1317255840. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  29. ^ Deneau, Max (April 15, 2009). "Scott Crouse of Earth Crisis". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  30. ^ Ward, Max; Sanderson, Ken; Nordstrom, Neil; Hopkins, Tom (February 2000). "Best Hardcore Punk Singles of the 90s". Maximumrocknroll. No. 201. Internet Archive. p. 100. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  31. ^ Murillo, Iván (November 27, 2018). "Members of Vein, Hatebreed, Code Orange + More on the Records That Changed Their Lives". Noecho.net. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  32. ^ Goldstein, Marty (November 14, 2009). "A personal reflection on the suicide of Adam Firestorm". SLAM! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  33. ^ Sciarretto, Amy (April 24, 2012). "Refused Get Their Earth Crisis On, Shadows Fall Stream New Track + More". Noisecreep. Archived from the original on September 28, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  34. ^ "29.04.2006: Path Of Resistance, Maroon, The Setup, XBreed ApartX, To Kill - Klubhaus - Saalfeld". Allschools.de. April 29, 2006. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  35. ^ Peter, Thomas (29 January 2008). "Rock Harz bestätigt Neaera, Maroon, One Bullet Left, Lacrimas Profundere und Ohrenfeindt". Festivalisten.de (in German) (published January 29, 2008). Archived from the original on December 9, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  36. ^ a b Renz, Thomas (April–May 2009). "Light the fuze". FUZE Magazine (in German). No. 15. Germany (published March 17, 2009). p. 9. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  37. ^ Andrew Aversionline (January 31, 2003). "Review: Good Clean Fun "Positively Positive 1997 - 2000" CD". Aversionline.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  38. ^ Baron, Zach (13 August 2009). "In Honor of Matador's Gerard Cosloy, A Fuck Victory Records Playlist". The Village Voice (published August 13, 2009). Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2019.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Granholm, Kennet (May 2012). "3 - Metal, The End of the World, and Radical Environmentalism: Ecological Apocalypse in the Lyrics of Earth Crisis". In Partridge, Christopher (ed.). Anthems of Apocalypse: Popular Music and Apocalyptic Thought. Sheffield Phoenix Press. pp. 27–44. doi:10.4000/volume.3350. ISBN 9781907534348.
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