New Earth Crisis video

Hey I put up a blog called Forged in the flames, which is designed to support my efforts to write an Earth Crisis biography. So That is where you should go if you want to keep following Earth Crisis news. I might do updates on the book here but Earth Crisis news will be there.

www.xforgedintheflamesx.blogspot.com

Video Teaser for the new Earth Crisis

EARTH CRISIS - Ashes (Video Teaser)


Not my favorite song on the album but it is still amazing.

Earth Crisis To the Death pre-release listening party in Portland!

Sunday April 26th at Chaos Café (26th and powell) 5 PM

All Proceeds benefit Try Vegan PDX – A vegan outreach and local mentoring program.

XXX Buy one dollar raffle tickets to win CD’s (To The Death before it hits streets, Heaven Shall Burn, Maroon and many more.) Free posters, stickers and other give-aways.
XXX Great vegan food at Chaos Café
XXX Vegan Milkshakes by Sip
XXX DJ spinning 90’s hardcore
XXX Exclusive preview of Burning fight (a book about 90’s hardcore)
XXX Classic Earth Crisis karaoke

Best news story about vegan straight edge

For those of you who read my blog, who have no idea who Earth Crisis is, or what straight edge is, this video is a great introduction. Enjoy.

New Earth Crisis track up!

The first song to be released off of the Earth Crisis Reunion album "To the death" is up on their myspace. www.myspace.com/earthcrisis

Here is what Scott had to say...

"That's right, come over to the page and check out the new song To Ashes! In case you aren't aware the new record is called To The Death, and will be released in Europe on 4/20/09 and in North America on 5/5/2009. Also we have a new page design, a few new youtube videos, and some banners.
Thanks to FXV Digital for the myspace layout!

Here's some updates on what's been going on lately. We shot a video for To Ashes with David Brodsky. It's in the editing stages right now and hopefully we'll have something to show everyone soon. Paul Romano is working diligently on the layout for our new record and you can see some of the images in the new myspace design. We've been doing a bunch of interviews. Terrorizer has 2 features on us this month and keep an eye out for a feature in Decibel. That's it for now, we hope you like the new tune.
Leave some comments, show us some love!

Check out our friends below, they've work really hard for us lately!

www. myspace. com/fxvdigital
www. myspace. com/mgenyc
www. myspace. com/workhardened"

Karl Earth Crisis has a new side project

http://www.myspace.com/vehementserenade

The first song is pretty good and has a killer breakdown. The second song I'm not to into until Karl starts doing his thing. This band also features members of Sworn Enemy who Earth crisis toured with last year.

Well I'm talking Karl and Sworn Enemy Those of you reading Europe make sure to check Freya while they are in your part of the world, they are doing a crazy long tour that lasts through April I think.

Stayed tuned EXC fans, new album is coming in April so we should check new tracks soon I hope. Also I have been asked to write some pieces about Earth Crisis for a blog called XstuckinthepastX which if you care about Straight Edge hardcore you should read. I know a good number of the peeps who read my blog don't care about that stuff, so stay tuned for some cool book reviews coming up too.

Just about to finish John Shirley's Black Glass and it's a killer novel.

The actual EXC interview

From 1992 Click on the pictures to read the whole thing. See the last post for my comments.

Older than dirt EXC interview

Looking through old flyers and zines and I found Luther’s(formally of the 90’s vegan edge band Warcry, currently of Portland)old zine Reveal. Best part is it has this super amazing old school Earth Crisis interview done through the mail. This interview is post “all out war” 7-inch but before victory deal that led to the firestorm ep.

Some of Karl’s answers are super awesome and funny. Others are really great. He gives a great explanation for why Earth Crisis does NOT agree with hardline on sexuality. Great answers about straight edge and veganism.

“First Straight edge is meaningless without veganism. Veganism is love for the earth, it’s creatures and all innocent life. SxE is about respect for my body, my mind. My body has never been poisoned by the disease of drugs, smoking or alcohol. Since I have never partaken in promiscuous sex my mind is free from the insane urges that lead the weak into despair and disease. Total abstinence, total freedom.”

Awesome. Perhaps the funniest moment is this…

Reveal: What changes do you foresee, if any in the next four years?
Karl: The world is going to get crazy and I’m going to get really violent.

Oh man that made me laugh when I re-read that. I’ll scan the whole thing before too long and post it here.

1992…best part is while I write this January 9 2009 he is playing a show in Santigo Chile still spreading Vegan Straight Edge. Amazing.

Earth Crisis signs to century media!

Karl promised us a few things when they played the northwest last year, were off to good start because the first promise of no victory has been fulfilled. Can't wait. This is gonna rule.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=104442

One of the most anticipated and talked about reunions was without a doubt the reformation of EARTH CRISIS, which was followed by a massive North American tour as well as a number of European shows mounting in a truly triumphant return. The pioneers of the hardcore, straightedge movement have now officially made the decision to carry on with the band fulltime and have announced a new worldwide deal with Century Media Records.

EARTH CRISIS has crafted the most angst-ridden and unrelenting offering of its career and this effort is going to serve as a much-needed wake-up call to the masses. The group will self-produce the album and is set to begin tracking next month. Acclaimed producer Tue Madsen (SICK OF IT ALL, DARK TRANQUILLITY, THE HAUNTED) will handle mixing and mastering duties.

Guitarist Scott Crouse comments: "We are very excited to begin tracking our new record and even more excited that it will be released by Century Media. We have been working hard over the last year preparing new material and are scheduled to enter the studio in October. We will be producing this one ourselves and are extremely excited to have Tue Madsen mixing! The new songs are brutal and Century Media is the perfect label to handle them."

EARTH CRISIS' chugging riffs and barked declarations served as the mouthpiece of the militant vegan, straight-edge movement throughout the '90s, detailing the ideas of animal and human liberation, drug-free living, and personal empowerment through hardcore song. This movement spawned activists who took the law into their own hands, burning down fur farms and freeing animals directly. Their vicious debut EP, "Firestorm", was a landmark release for the hardcore scene that combined staccato, solo-free metal with barking, political, and militant vocals. The lyrics centered around the dangers of drug abuse and bringing "violence against violence" to drug dealers and those who would abuse animals: "a firestorm to purify."

Major media outlets such as CNN, CBS and MTV soon started covering EARTH CRISIS and vegan, straight-edge in general. In 1996, the band released its second full-length album, "Gomorrah's Season Ends", a polished and decidedly more metallic affair that produced even more anthems that became singalong worthy staples of their live performances. This exposed the band to a whole new mainstream audience.

Earth Crisis Firestorm fest Review

Seattle XXX Portland XXX
March 9-10 2008

It is Crazy to think that the first time I saw Earth Crisis was January 1993. A lot has changed in the world but this band still lives and promotes Vegan Straight Edge That in it’s self is amazing and unequaled event in the history of hardcore music. When the band broke up in 2001 it was wasn’t the bands best moment.

Unlike the end of other straight edge bands they were going out with their ethics intact but on the heels of two releases that left fans worried. Slither was a bold attempt expanding their horizon musically it was not well received. As huge an Earth Crisis fan as I am I can only get behind about half the album and of course it doesn’t compare to the power of early efforts. The cover album calmed my fears some producing one new original (Panic Floods) that I thought rocked, but the band was tired and they called it quits.

This has been a good year for reunions. Look at Stallone! Rocky V was a bad movie, and lets it face Rambo III was a blatant desecration of a sacred vow. After two nights of watching Earth Crisis on this recent tour and talking to Karl about Rambo IV it is clear that EXC and Stallone had the same realization.

Go back to your roots, and your roots are hardcore.

The two shows I saw were slightly different, both were well attended with perhaps a few more people in Seattle as to be expected since they have a bigger and more active hardcore scene. Some people have complained that more kids were there to see Terror. I don’t think that was a bad thing for Earth crisis or unexpected. Terror has spent the last 7 years building a fan base while Earth crisis has become a legend.

I think the Terror fans of the world need to hear Earth Crisis and certainly Terror front man Scott Vogel made this clear. The members of Terror were going off singing along both nights and that was nice to see.

Some non-Earth crisis fans complained early in the tour that EXC played to long but they had cut four songs off there set list by Seattle. They cut songs Randall and I wanted see including ‘Cease to exist’, ‘Eden’s demise’ and most painfully ‘the order’. This also points an unspoken fact that the type of hardcore that Terror plays is perfect for hardcore kids with short attention spans. Short songs, mosh parts and simple lyrical topics. Earth Crisis on the other hand plays a style of music that is heavier, more complex and lyrics challenge the listener to think and act on what they learn.

It has been a long time since a hardcore band with this kind of audience has been on tour speaking the truth like this.

The set opened with a sample of the gears fromk between the tracks on the Destroy the machines album. As it faded out and the lights went the voice of Travis Bickle(from the movie Taxi Driver) was heard over the appaulse. Karl and the boys took the stage. The gears stopped “Some day a real rain will come and wash all the filth off the streets.”

The lights came on and Earth crisis exploded into the DTM track ‘Born from Pain’ Both nights the crowd went crazy. In Seattle It became clear I had not drank enough water and was killing my self by the time the started the second song ‘Stand by’. That song was always a favorite mine but the fact that it was in the set list was great sign remember they didn’t play that song from ’94 until the last show in 2001.

In Seattle they played ¾ of firestorm, ¾ of all out war, 4 songs off of destroy the machines and one song off breed, Gamarroh’s, slither. Portland missed out on Unseen holocaust and End begins. True scholars of all things earth crisis would notice a few surprises for one was the return of Scott playing the clean guitar intro to All out war( not heard since ’94 at least) which sounded great with Eric doing feedback into the heavy part that never sounded so brutal.

Seattle had no fights, Portland only came close once. Karl pointed to the guy starting the fight and said this:

“I don’t care if your in a hardcore costume, a metal costume or a eastern bunny costume, were all here together and were all one tribe.”

Over all I was happy with the reaction both nights, I’m glad I got the chance to see them again and think it is wonderful thing they are back. They live in three states, across thousands of miles they are working hard to make the band still happen. It’s not hobby, their certainly are easier ways to do a band, so what feels great to me is just how committed they are to making the legends continue.

New Earth Crisis Album!

Crack open the sparkling apple cider time to celebrate! (Live pic is Path)



MTV.com's "Metal File" recently spoke with EARTH CRISIS frontman Karl Buechner on the band's upcoming reunion tour with SWORN ENEMY, SHAI HULUD, TERROR, DOWN TO NOTHING and RECON, and he said the straightedge metalcore outfit will be recording new material. "We do plan on putting out a record," he confirmed. "We've got six songs so far, and hopefully, we'll record them this year. Hopefully, we'll be playing some of these news songs we've written [on the upcoming tour]." So how does the new stuff sound? "The best way to describe it is it's a mixture between [1995's] 'Destroying the Machines' and [1998's] 'Breed the Killers'," he said. "Stylistically, it's most like songs from those albums."

The new EARTH CRISIS effort will be in stores early next year, he added.

EARTH CRISIS is a straight-edge, vegan hardcore band from Syracuse, New York that recorded and performed from 1992 until 2001. EARTH CRISIS is famous for supporting animal rights (and the Animal Liberation Front) and promoting a healthy lifestyle, including a strict vegan diet and abstinence from alcohol and other stimulant substances. Their lyrics are full of strong statements of conviction against animal abuse and political issues. The band's message was to show an alternative way of life for a younger generation.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=90827

Earth Crisis Trivia

E-mail me or post answers. The winner gets a prize in the mail from Food Fight!

When Karl started this Incarnation* of EXC in 1991 He asked the members of Syracuse's first vegan straight edge band if they would play on demo for him. What was the name of this band?

Who did Earth Crisis open for on the american leg of the GSE and Breed the killers tours? (2 points each)

Who sang the "fuck you" in the song all out war? (5 points)

Karl did guest on three albums for oter artists that I know of name the artists?
(2 point each)


Who was the first singer of Earth Crisis? (20 points)
The above question is not as hard as people might think. however the challenge is that Karl and the boys acknowledge that era exists but never talk about it.

What did Karl play in the first incarnation of Earth Crisis? (10 points)

Karl wrote all the music and lyrics for one song before the line-up was formed. Which song?
(10 points)

In What state was the show where a man stage diving in a fur coat dragged out of the club? ( 10 points) This information is online.

Name three EXC side projects or joke bands? (1 point each)

Name of the studio where all out war, G Season ends, Green rage and Day of suffering recorded at in Syracuse? (5 points)

What food was Scott Crouse arrested for shoplifting on the all out war tour? (5 points) I'm pretty sure this information is on the DVD.

Bulldog was too young and his parents wouldn't let him do the first tour. Who played bass on the all out war tour? Hint he is in a still operating vegan straight edge band. (10 points)

Which song on GSE was written in the studio? (EASY point)

Who painted the cover of Destroy the machines? (1 point)

Which member of the band wrote the essays inside the GSE and BTK albums? (5 points)

How many verisons of Ecocide did EXC record? (5 points live counts)

Which EXC record had a song recorded for it that they left off at the last minute(for political reasons) and the name of the song? (1 point for the name of the record 10 for the title of the song)

Favorite Earth Crisis moments!

Earth Crisis was and I hope I can revise that to IS an amazing band. They have written some of my favorite songs ever recorded and the effect they have had on me is hard to measure. Here are some of my favorite moments from the songs and the live shows.

Favorite Live moments

1. playing Stand by - 1993 Dayton Ohio more than music fest singing along getting crushed. Never forget it. So many people were on the stage everything went out except the drums. Only fifty of us(outside of Syracuse) in the world knew the lyrics and when we were all singing the lyrics with out music it was powerful as hell. It made me love that song. Syracuse kids were in ski masks in the pit…no one had ever done that before. It looked awesome.

Scarred PC kids were screaming at them. It was too late hardcore changed forever that night.

2. The last official show at hellfest 2001 The last song the “I am straight edge” sing along. I’ve never heard so many voices screaming like that. I get chills everytime I hear it on the DVD. I didn’t have the money to go, so a roommate and I made greyhound bus passes at kinkos and somehow made it from Indiana to Syracuse. Punk fucking rock.

3. CNN show at the lost in Syracuse 1996. CNN was filming a special about straight edge and they played an ADL benefit show. The night before the ALF blew the shit out of six sausage trucks at a near by slaughterplant. The ATF was swirling outside the show and Karl was on fire. The best set I ever saw. First time they played the order in forever.

4. Oath that keeps me free show. Somehow during the live set firestorm recording got messed up. Everyone had left and they had about 15 of us come back inside and they played firestorm again to re-record it. Also that night the show was around the corner from a MacDonald’s. Hundreds of kids were there.

Adam Weisman from NY ADL was in town for a court date. He didn’t understand hardcore, when we told many of the hundreds of kids at the show were vegan he decided to harness the rage that EXc had whipped up into a silly but scary looking protest outside the random unsuspecting MacDonald’s. As kids left sweaty and angry from the EXC set Adman was standing alone yelling at the golden arches.

I admit I told him it was stupid, pointless protest but he insisted that it might teach them the power of protest. Next thing you know Adam has sixty kids sitting down blocking the doors to the restaurant. V.O.D. one of the other bands pulled up their van and their bass player stared in wonder. “Dude I think the vegan revolution just started.” I heard him say as they drove away. I didn’t see the end as I went to sing along for firestorm part deux.

The songs:

Eden’s Demise: This song from the firestorm EP had my favorite lyric "Don't let your outrage at injustice end where your selfishness begins." This is perhaps the most brilliant lyric written expressing a political message I have ever heard. It can also be applied way beyond just animal rights. I once talked about with Karl about his lyrics. He used work on every song for hours and hours. (Which doesn't explain the title of and super corny sing along of ultra-militance - an otherwise brilliant song).

Eden’s demise also has the sing along “A peaceful world can evolve after animal liberation.” This lyric contains an important distinction. A peaceful world will never happen, until Animal Liberation happens first. I agree.

Ultra-militance. From the Breed the Killers Album. Ok it’s a terrible title and the chorus is corny but the break down with the sing along… "Now this war has two sides," it gave me chills the first time I heard it. Amazing.

No allegiance from the All Out War E.P. "Fuck all who cheap what I am in others eyes" When ever some one sells out veganism or edge I think of this line. Because I've been edge for 20 years and that surprises people Why? Because of all the chumps who cheapen what I am by making it look like a dumb trend. Love this song.

Title track for Slither LP. I might get shit for this but one of my favorite EXC parts is on Slither. In the title track w/ the Ozzy style vocals “Ten thousand eyes that follow from above and from below…” leading in to the sing along scream of "stand up or die." Brillian,. I hate the chorus to that song but that part rocks.

Situation degenerates from Gomorrah’s season ends. Mosh Part in this song is underrated, Pete of beta minus mechanic claims he wrote this riff for his old militant vegan band gatekeeper. Kris who went on to be in EXC was in gatekeeper and "Wrote that riff," None the less it is a killer break down. Listen to it again. Do it.

Cease to exist from Gomorrah’s season ends. So underrated. Artistically speaking this is their most dynamic and powerful song. After they recorded the demo for GSE, mike Riccardi(the drummer for the first path album and all out war) and I were hanging out listening to it. He said something that made me love that song. The song is about nuclear war right. There is a chorus with no lyrics just a dirgy guitar part. He said when he heard it he saw a picture in his mind of being in a helicopter looking at a nuclear devastated earth. every time now I see that. it's a powerful thing for a song to do.

Karl's vocals on this are his most insane matching the insanity of the topic. Listen to him screaming "Awakened by sirens - the fifteen minute warning" or "All creation is in the hands of these madmen"

So see you at firestorm fest Earth crisis on tour soon!

Earth Crisis returns! A three part tribute!

Part 1 of 3

2008 marks the return of the most important band to my life. I’ve been straight edge since 1989 and vegan since 1993. Being vegan is incredibly important to me. Perhaps the biggest influence for vegan for me was the music and lyrics of Earth Crisis. I was already on my way to being vegan when I heard them, but they inspired me to take the struggle for Earth and Animal Liberation seriously. They taught me about the strength that sobriety gave me for fighting injustice. On top of that they were just an amazing band.

Musically they crushed and brought the mosh every time. In 1993 I first met the EXC guys when there fan base could fit on a school bus. I watched them play the More than Music Fest(the first ever three day hardcore fest). They changed hardcore forever that night. I have that set on video and love watching yearly. Back when the core was good. I liked EXC back then but it was moving to Syracuse in 1995 that made them my favorite band.

Earth crisis shared practice space with a band named Beta minus Mechanic (Eric now in EXC/path played guitar) Pete Speilman the Beta Minus bass player grew up with them and was one of my best friends when I lived there.

It was through Pete and Red Ranger(singer of Syracuse band Attitude) that I learned alot of Earth crisis history, it was through Pete that I got to the practice space (in a insurance office building in north Syracuse) to hear them writing songs through the walls. I had a blessed view. That being said I like EXC more because of my experience.

Most hardcore bands when you get to know them better they are not what you expect, you end up hating them. Outside of Kris Weichman(who they kicked out) they were awesome people.

We had an ADL protest once where it was my girlfriend (at the time) and myself alone for ten minutes and all five members of EXC showed up and held signs. That meant alot to me. When Nicole Rogers helped to open a struggling collective veg restaurant called mister A's in YMCA (Pete, Jonathan of Another Victim and Derick of vegan radio worked there too) they could not get customers.

Dennis and Pete brought their whole bands one day. Dennis talked to Nicole(she was also an ADL founder) for a while and promised her customers. He got the word and in couple days we had tons of kids there. It was rad.

I also got to know Karl the human being, (Who for three months a year was home not being Karl Crisis) I saw him dressed as strawberry for Halloween, I talked to him about comic books and movies, I saw him skating with his best friend.

Am I sick? Do I ike this band too much. Sure. Earth crisis means something to deeply as well politically. I weeped like a baby at the last show (hellfest) because I didn't think they would do a reunion. I should've know they would come back. they are to powerful a force to ever die.

You want proof of what this band means to our struggle. My friend in San diego has a video of shows from the Destroy the machines tour. It has shows in Germany,New jersey, Chicago, and California. I watched that tape and knew they played cities every else in between and looked the same. I saw kids in all those cities pile and sing along to songs about animal liberation,straight edge and direct action. Around the world. Don't forget they are big in Asia and south america too.

How many people you think at each show 200 or 300 how many were exposed to veganism? I think it's fair to say 10,000 or more went vegan and stayed vegan because of their influence. EXC inspired many of us to go vegan and in the end every person we inspire is still apart of EXC's influence. More direct action happened for the animals during that period than any other time in history. The animals had a voice that did not waiver and the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act can't go after lyrics.

For the record Karl did get harassed by the government in Syracuse, he never went public about it. His car was sabotaged once and the mechanic asked his wife if they had enemies. There had been several meat packing places that had been attacked in Syracuse, one went under, another moved. Karl believed it was someone connected to them. I believe it was the ATF who had threatened Karl telling not to promote Direct action. No one knows for sure

Despite the threats to his family, Karl went on America's most wanted and called the ALF heroes. That is part of what makes Karl a hero himself.

Go see Earth Crisis on tour

http://www.myspace.com/firestormfest

Part two: Favorite EXC moments.
Part Three: EXC Trivia