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!