I have a secret...which isn't really a secret, because I already had some "confessions" about it here while making a small review on their latest album...and this is that...I love this band...but didn't always realize completely that I love them, all this time...
anyhow, since the first album "Pozdrav Dabru" from 2000, they were always hidden somewhere behind all those noisy crust bands from Požega (with all of them they shared members, btw) and behind the walls of noise of all other crust and anarcho-punk stuff I'm listening since when I was kid, but they were always somewhere there and I often was returning to their records (most of the time to the first one, because the last two are, kind of, still fresh [nah, they really aren't but last 10-12 years flew by like fast train to me, damn...] ) and with smile on my face remembered all the hits and those specific and good lyrics, also was watching them live more than few times and as I remember all was great gigs and good parties..
they are something more active lately, have new bassist and are playing gigs again.. here is video of the latest from a week ago in Šibenik and as it seems it was pretty good, although it is obvious they are getting old, heheheh, they still got it, and it was one hour gig, which is always nice, respect..
in short they are, both musically and lyrically perfect rest and therapy for my mind from all this other noise with which I'm destroying my braincells last circa 25 years..
small hint, from 12:30 - 15:45 is the best part ;)
and yes, there was a bandcamp page with their latest album "Slikovnica" (which was compound like true little masterpiece, btw) which mysteriously disappeared over the night, and that's just shame, so if anyone responsible is reading this please bring it back!..
and same as that, it's a crime that their two last albums aren't released on some proper medium, tape or vinyl.. I know some was in plan but obviously it got stuck somewhere.. well, if you ask me, and you don't, a full length LP with both albums would be just perfect.. and would sell quickly, I'm sure..
-update 03.02.: I find the bandcamp page somehow after all, don't know why link wasn't working then, anyhow you can listen it here: https://losprimjer.bandcamp.com/releases
Mankind?, similar to recently mentioned A//Political are one of my favorite American bands, they were great anarcho-punk group from New Heaven, Connecticut (US), and also one of those which maybe are underrated, at least out of US and don't/didn't get all the attention which they deserved (this is from my point of view, like from someone who live in Europe, but according to this nice review in the US they were very noticeable and influential).. was it because they were active only two years or because they didn't "reinvent the wheel" with their style and sound of anarcho-punk, I don't know but I do know that they are one of my favorites in this particular genre and perfect example of how 90s political hc punk band sounded or should sound like..
below is live footage of their gig in New York from 1995 and text published in booklet for their Discography LP released in 2021 on Ryvvolte Records and Fight For Your Mind and repressed one year later on the same labels.. enjoy!..
this interesting split with new songs by both bands will be out in June 2023 on Sanctus Propaganda in Europe and Armageddon Label in US.. well known bands from 90s quite active again in last few years.. for now one song for each band is available for streaming and download on bandcamp so check them out..
while you're there check also the one of legendary Homomilitia from upcoming reissue of their first album "Twoje Ciało - Twój Wybór" on LP which will be out these days and is already ready for pre-order..
I told myself already a thousand times not to buy a new records through mail any more because of insane prices of postage cost, actually not just postage but new vinyl itself but sometimes it's just stronger then me.. I do understand that costs of producing vinyl in pressing plants are growing every day and that we are living in fcked up time when prices of everything are insane, for few years just surviving will become luxury and that's frightening..
interesting, there was this song from AK47 (anarcho crust band from Zagreb) named "Panks not dead" from early 00s with lyrics which goes something like this: "I believe in anarchy/told the Exploited/then they sold their LP for 100 kn" (100 kn was like around 13 euros) referring to high prices of the records on major labels of that time, and today you can't find new LP of a diy band on small label for a less than that and that's also tragedy..
this time I decided for Ruin Nation Records from Germany, which btw celebrate 30 years of activity this year, two releases which I waited impatiently for a long long time because already well known and infamous waiting time and delays from pressing plants (unfortunately vinyl becomes popular again, not just in diy underground circles), and those were new album by almighty Crutches and split by Luger and Stalinstad, I was checking few labels which might have them first on their distros and when I saw that Ruin Nation still has Mankind? - Discography LP (repress from 2022) for fair price, the choice was easy.. Wartorn and Los Dolares split is here as alternative, at 1st there was old La Casa Fantom/Sonderknust split ep on sight but as it seems it's sold out.. all in all, this is some hell of a beautiful noise!.. and the last one I buy with expensive international shipping, I promise (hahah, who am I kidding?..)
finally, a test press for Matrak Attakk split LP with hc punk bomb of a band, Persona Non Data which now seems like it's in preparation for ages, is now done and hopefully record itself will be out soon.. for now one song from M. Attakk is available for stream on bandcamp and Persona Non Data side you can check for already some time on theirs..
they didn't even settle down from enormous amount of last years touring and they are already preparing new ones.. of course there will be some Europe, for beginning a weekend trip in Lille, Brussel and Tournai during February, but they are also in setting Philippines tour in April/May and knowing them probably we can expect some more surprises by the end of the year..
State Of Fear are maybe the best ever crust appearance, one of the most furious and energetic bands out there, even active in relatively short but turbulent few years they become wide known, become inspiration and influence to the whole bunch of bands and will stay in crust history books forever.. also will be one of my personal favorites and often screaming from the speakers here at crucified freedom headquarter, that's for sure..
I apologize for the possible minor mistakes because I literally rewrite/typed all that from a photo of inlay from the internet..
1994 was a big year for me. I was 20 years old and after 5
years of being involved in DIY punk in Connecticut with my fanzine Adversity
and my bands Deformed Conscience and Sasquatch, I was on the road doing tours.
In the spring of that year, I helped organize a US tour for Dirt and
Hellkrusher from the UK and in the early summer Deformed Conscience toured all
of the US and recorded our split LP with Excrement Of War. I was planning a
three month trip to Europe that fall and had plans to move to thriving punk
metropolis of Minneapolis in early ’95. But a project I worked on in the late
summer of that year would grow into the most active and turbulent parts of my
life for the next several years.
Jay Stiles and I become penpals around 1990. I was a big fan
of Disrupt and when my first band Deformed Conscience started gigging soon
after, Jay was always supportive. We got to play many gigs together over the
next few years. We often talked about doing a project together and after
Disrupt broke up and Deformed Conscience became less active (two of our members
were living away from Connecticut after the US tour). The idea was for Jay to
come stay with me for a month or two in Connecticut before I went to Europe so
we could write some songs and record a record. Once we got to work, we started
looking around for a drummer before realizing the most obvious and willing guy
was Pete Fratta who I’d be playing with for years already. He was busy with
Hail Of Rage at the time, but it all worked out in the end. We recorded our EP
at the Lanes Studio in Boston with the infamous Bill T. Miller in October. Jay
went back to Massachusetts and I went to Europe. A friend from the UK had
offered to release ep, but the plan fell through, so we had to find another
label to release it. After shopping it around to the everyone we knew, no one
shoved any incentive to release it, so Pete started his own DIY label Reiterate
Records and SOF ep was his first release.
1995 was equally busy year for me, after returning from Europe I stuck to the plan and moved to Minneapolis. I was eager to start new band but still had those SOF songs rolling around in my head and got thinking that would be the best thing I could do to make SOF a real band and go on the road. After not much convincing, Jay packed up and headed up to Minneapolis. It was amazing timing that the same day Jay arrived in Minneapolis, one of my best friends from Connecticut (who had been living in Arizona for a brief time) also arrived at my door. Bracken Lejeune and I had known each other since our school days and were like brothers, so it was natural to get him involved in State Of Fear as our second guitarist. I have been jamming with Shane from Code 13 since I got to Minneapolis on drums , so the line up was complete.
While in Europe the previous year, plans had been made with Hiatus
guys to organize a second US tour for them. When booking started for June of
1995 we figured why not add SOF to the tour? We had to work our asses off to
write enough songs and covers for the tour (I don’t remember exactly what
covers we learned for that first tour, but over the years they included songs
by Crudity, Mob47, Discharge, Varukers, Amebix and Instigators). That tour was
huge success in terms of making friends and playing in new places. Hiatus started
their tour in Montreal, Quebec and through an interested turn of events got
Frederic Arbour from the band Human Greed to be their roadie for the rest of
the tour. Jay and I had known Fred from our previous bands playing in Montreal
, and we bonded further on this tour with Hiatus. When things turned volatile
with Shane we started asking Fred to move to Minneapolis and join us as our
drummer.
Once Fred joined us, we kept this line up for the next year
and half until we split up. The first thing we did with this line up was record
our second ep “Wallow in Squalor” on Profane Existence and had the vinyl
released two weeks after recording (thanks to Dan at PE) in time for our second
tour with Fleas and Lice (which also brought us back to eastern US and Montreal
). In the winter 1996 we left the frigid tundra of Minnesota to do a tour of
Mexico. That tour was difficult in many
ways (financial, mechanical, language barriers etc.) but the guys from
Regeneracion took good care of us and it is an experience I will never forget.
In the summer of 1996 we did another eastern US/Canada tour, this time as three
piece without Jay (tensions were already starting to bubble up). Jay met us out
in Boston though so we could record again with our old and trusted engineer Bill
T. Miller. This would be our LP “The Tables Will Turn”. Unfortunately we could
not finish the recording and mix with Bill because I had blown out my voice
after doing both mine and Jay’s parts for the whole tour (I’m sure the copious
amounts of tobacco and alcohol didn’t help either). That sounds hard to
conceive, considering the style of vocals I was doing, but trust me, there was
nothing there, ha ha. A few months later we found a studio in Minneapolis where
we finished the recording and mixed the record.
After the LP was released in early 1997 (also on Profane
Existence), we headed over to Europe for massive three months tour. We did
the tour in logs with some small breaks between. The first part was in central Europe
with Hiatus, then a log with PCP in central Europe and Scandinavia, then to the
UK and Ireland with Sawn Off. The final part of the tour we did by train in
eastern Europe with the help of some good friends from Poland. Overall, the
Europe tour was about 50 gigs, most of them brilliant, but some of them were
bad because the tensions in the band were mounting further at this point. After
this tour, Fred did not return to Minneapolis and this line up of State Of Fear
would never play together again. Remaining members tried to rekindle it, but
the friction was too great and we decided to focus on new projects.
They say that time heals or maybe we just missed the madness
of State Of Fear but in early 2001 we decided to do a reunion. Jon Hurt become
our drummer for this tour and his enthusiasm breathed a new life into the band.
Another reason for the tour was that we had never toured the western US before
and felt it was something we wanted to do. We were joined by our Seattle
friends Shitlist (led by another childhood friend of Brocken and I, Joe Rizzi).
We has some amazing gigs on that tour and some great experiences with old and
new friends on the road.
The last gigs SOF did was a one of reunion in Minneapolis in
2004 and the Pointless Fest in Philadelphia in 2005. Since then we’ve turned
down several “reunion” gigs. While tempting, is hasn’t felt right living in the
past and overall we would rather focus on what we’re currently inspired to do.
SOF was one of the best experiences in my life. I got to met many good friends,
travel to amazing places and be part of something much bigger than ourselves.
Thanks to all who supported us back then and to those who remember us today.
This is just my version and recollections. There are so many more stories from
those days.
I decided to bring back up to life my youtube channel.. here are some fresh uploads, all the stuff are full albums, which I didn't find already uploaded anywhere else and I like them very much.. if anyone is interested in mp3 files of the same albums let me know, I can put them on mediafire as well..
more of them is in the making and I will upload them soon, when I will catch some time or when I feel like it..
do you remember this interesting benefit compilation tape mentioned here two months or so ago?.. they went sold out pretty fast so now there is 2nd press, limited to 100 pieces, available by Egoton Records, this time in silver/white and black color.. go grab it..
"2nd press of V/A “Groblje Iluzija” tape is up for preorder from today! Shipping starts on 9 of January. This time cover is printed with silver and white color on 300 grams black paper and tapes are in grey color. Limited to 100 copies. We will not do another repress of this one, so get it while you can! V/A “Groblje Iluzija” (Graveyard of Illusions) is a compilation tape containing 8 actual hardcore punk bands from Serbia (one of the bands sharing members located in Serbia and Croatia). Each band is presented with two songs. Physical release is packed in carton box made of 300g paper, screen printed in two colors and cut by us. Package design, cut and dubbing by @eiko_ar . Illustration, layout and print by Doomsday Graphics Get it from Egoton Record bandcamp page."
