Three weeks ago, I was listening to my «Ruins of Eden» CD and began lamenting the fact that regardless of format, Enemy Soil releases are a bitch to track down. I had already spent several years searching record stores, e-mailing every hole-in-the-wall distro I could find, and even exchanging letters with former guitarist and founding member Richard Johnson. For all my expended effort, I was still empty-handed, with only the «Ruins of Eden» 10-inch (pressed onto CD by Clean Plate Records) and the «Fractured Theology» 3-inch CD to satiate my needs.

Just when I had come to terms with the apparent fact that I would never hear the «War Parade» and «Live In Virginia» seven-inches (the latter of which featured current Pig Destroyer vocalist J.R. Hayes), or the myriad split releases Enemy Soil had done with such notable grind stalwarts as Agoraphobic Nosebleed and Wadge, a light appeared on the horizon…

From their headquarters in France, Bones Brigade Distribution released Enemy Soil’s entire discography on two CDs, and I don’t think I have ever parted with my money so willingly. Now that I have listened, loved, laughed, cried, and experienced blissful emotions that defy categorization, I will take on the task of describing the band’s monumental accomplishments over their seven-year career span.

The booklet that comes with this set is very extensive, with a detailed band history (written by Richard Johnson himself), release dates, production notes, and photos from various stages of the band’s legacy. I was particularly pleased that every personnel shift is clearly documented, as Enemy Soil members tended to come and go with alarming frequency. With «Smashes The State!», everything you could possibly want from these crazed Virginians is right at your fingertips. Of special note are the five tracks from their 1993 demo (where early versions of «Sanctioned Homicide» and «The Weathermen» can be heard), and several unreleased tracks which were originally intended for split projects that never saw the light of day. If that isn’t enough, you also get three rarities, which were previously available only on long-deleted compilation CDs. Then there’s a cover of the Cro-mags’ «Don’t Tread On Me», which was slated for inclusion on yet another aborted comp project.

These rare tracks alone would have sufficiently filled an entire CD, but the bulk of this set is centered around Enemy Soil’s «formal» releases. Each track is presented in chronological order, allowing the listener some insight on how Richard and his ever-evolving roster of comrades matured throughout the decade. For instance, the songs recorded from 1991 through part of 1996 are characterized by the use of a drum machine. While such a concept might have seemed «artificial» or «sterile» to elitists everywhere, many were enthralled by the sound of Johnson’s sandblasting guitar riffs over rapid, pseudo-mechanical rhythm patterns. Listeners will also enjoy the smorgasbord of vocal styles, be it the hardcore shouts of Tim Caicedo (who appeared only on the 1993 split 7″ with Wadge), the deep growls of Mark Lee (who has only a comp track to his credit), or the more familiar screams of Doshu Tokeshi, J.R. Hayes, and T.L. Smoot.

Later in 1996, Enemy Soil found themselves a semi-permanent drummer in Brian Harvey (another current Pig Destroyer member). While the music took an obvious turn from a rhythmic standpoint, the band maintained their unwavering integrity. I am a bit partial to the earlier material, but Enemy Soil’s output in the waning years of their existence is irreplaceable in its own right. Several older songs were re-recorded during this period, and the combination of a human drummer with any number of different vocal approaches put an interesting spin on things. In striving to cover all bases, Bones Brigade has included both the older and newer variations of these tracks. For example, «The Weathermen» appears three times: the first two versions employ drum machine percussion, but different singers. The third version has both a different singer, and Brian Harvey on drums. The result is three separate songs that are difficult to associate by anything other than their lyrics.

For me, Enemy Soil was the definitive grindcore act of the 90’s. When you think back on their peers and strip away the superficial crap, it becomes apparent that many didn’t have a leg to stand on. For Richard Johnson and his band mates, there was no superficial crap; they didn’t create an image for themselves because they didn’t need one. This ethic even showed in their lyrics, which never came across as typical spur-of-the moment rants against the «system». While Enemy Soil certainly didn’t have any qualms about criticizing everything from imperialist sentiment to social inequality, they also tackled non-traditional topics like discrimination and neglect of the elderly. Their sound was unbelievably raw and unyielding, but it was always obvious that there were true human beings behind that fearsome aura. Given that several former members are currently receiving a good amount of attention from the underground press, I can only hope that the younger breed develops enough of a curiosity to seek this out.

Оценить текст:

• Пока никто не оценил

 Loading ...