Going Metal: The Crossover Debate

I've always loved metallic hardcore.  Nowadays, metal infused hardcore (or sometimes it's the other way around...) has become the norm, and although there are critics of this heavier approach to hardcore punk, metallic riffing and chugging are commonplace.  But this merging of styles is nothing new -- the fusion of metal and hardcore goes back three decades, with pivotal releases from bands all across the US, from Suicidal Tendencies in California, DRI from Texas, and NYC's Cro-Mags and Agnostic Front.  And even though metal crept into hardcore almost from the beginning, there were as many people repulsed by it as there were people who dug it, if not more.  Why would we want metalheads taking over our scene....

This post is dedicated to 80s hardcore bands who went metal  -- some who did it the right way, taking their hardcore roots to the next level with new sounds, and bands that failed miserably, either by abandoning their hardcore roots entirely, or simply releasing uninspired (and uninspiring) albums that people wish they could forget.  There are records that alienated segments of their punk audience but later became classics, and there are records that people simply hated, records that left a lasting impression that has not changed over time.  The bands who succeeded helped define crossover.

So here is my take on this phenomenon.  In the spirit of keeping the post from going on forever, I'm only focusing on a handful of bands.  There are plenty others.  I also haven't included critical crossover bands Leeway, SOD and Carnivore, because they didn't "go metal" the way the other bands I'm talking about did.

THOSE WHO NAILED IT!

DRI - Crossover (1987)

Your time will come when you least expect it

Expect it

Hardcore history made easy -- one of the first and best crossover releases is in fact called Crossover.  This record shows DRI fleshing out their songs with heavier riffing and slower tempos.  But the music is no less furious, and DRI's snotty hardcore vocals are intact (and would remain so for the rest of the bands prolific career).  The records got more metal as time went on, but they have a punk energy too, although sometimes it gets obscured by slicker production.  This record is genre-defining, as are these next two releases from, where else, NYC.

Agnostic Front - Cause For Alarm (1986)

These lyrics made it onto fucking DONAHUE This record was double trouble -- the thrash riffs and guitar solos made punks mad, but the lyrics made them madder.  Agnostic Front didn't seem too concerned about people's feelings when they released this record. This record is the product of both the time and the band's environment.  Metal was started to break out and get people's attention, including  punks who had long rejected and ridiculed metalheads. On top of that, AF shared a rehearsal space with Carnivore, whose 1987 LP "Retaliation" is another crossover masterpiece, which no doubt shaped their sound. They also benefitted from having Carnivore's drummer Louie behind the kit. The drumming is just insane on this record.  It gives the songs such intensity that I consider this one of the fastest records ever.  There are obviously faster records, but they don't all feel like a jackhammer.  Roger's vocals are weird, but his vocals on basically every album are weird in a different way.  This record rules.

Cro-Mags - Best Wishes (1989)

In these days of confusion much illusions try to get ya

Try to trick you every single day-yay

Best Wishes signified a new era for the Cro-Mags: in the three years since 1986's Age of Quarrel, metal infilitrated the hardcore scene.  On top of that, the Cro-Mags were a different band following the departure of singer John Joseph and drummer Mackie.  Bassist Harley covered vocal duties, while Petey Hines from Murphy's Law was brought in on drums.  How is the result?  Pretty god damn good.  Cro-Mags mixed metal and punk influences (as well as audiences)  from the beginning, but the thrash influence on this record is a completely different animal. This record sounds huge, classic Normandy Sound production here with booming drums, razor sharp guitar, and an overall clarity that turned off many listeners with its gloss.  People either love or hate Harley's vocals, but in my opinion he nails it.  Harley is a talented musician, which I think enabled him to approach his vocals like a musician as opposed to just a singer -- his vocal phrasing is incredible.  Just listen to Days of Confusion above.  Is Best Wishes as influential and significant as Age of Quarrel?  In a word, no.  But viewed on its own, it is a crossover classic and absolutely essential.  And now that many bands are on the crossover tip, I think this record only gains more significance and relevance as it ages. 

Review from MRR #73, June 1989

Suicidal Tendencies - How Will I Laugh Tomorrow... (1988)

Are you kidding me with these insane riffs?

Suicidal Tendencies are one of the greatest hardcore punk bands of all time.  Their s/t LP from 1983 is an almost-flawless masterpiece, with smart lyrics and a sense of humor.  I don't think it would be unfair to consider that record the West Coast Age of Quarrel -- both records combined elements of punk and metal and established a framework for their respective coasts and future generations.  In 1987 Suicidal put out the transitional Join the Army, a poorly produced record that was stylistically somewhere between the first LP and How Will I Laugh Tomorrow, but lacked the magic of either.  How Will I Laugh Tomorrow... is on another level.  Is it crossover?  Is it speed metal?  Is there a difference?  The songwriting is very sophisticated, with lots of incredible lead guitar and furious riffs; there are as many melodic moments as there are downright nasty parts.  The lyrics are sophisticated as well, tending towards the personal and introspective with less outright political lyrics, although that anger remains.  Like Best Wishes, this is a record that pales only in comparison to their incredible debut.

THOSE WHO FAILED IT!

DYS - Fire & Ice (1985)

This isn't the worst song in the world, but it symbolizes something truly awful

Basically Boston as a whole failed the metal experiment.  I'm going to focus on the two major culprits, DYS and SSD.   With the Boston bands the influence for their new sound came less from thrash metal and more from straightforward hard rock, resulting in boring, slowed down songs instead of intense anthems.  Listen to this crap.  I hate to use the term sell-out, but Christ almighty, I don't know what else you can call this.  Listen to that near-falsetto around 2:40.  Fortunately for the scene, DYS hung up their boots after this and Smalley redeemed himself with Dag Nasty.  Fast forward 25 years and he un-redeemed himself by reforming DYS with a mostly scab lineup, rewriting DYS's history in the process and giving them credit for releasing one of the first "crossover thrash" records.  Unfortunately for Mr. Smalley, Fire & Ice is nothing close to Age of Quarrel, Cause For Alarm, or any true crossover worth listening to.  If you happen to see DYS in 2014, expect an Elvis Costello-looking Smalley shouting about straight edge and Boston even though he's had nothing to do with either for 25 years.  

SSD - How We Rock (1984) & Break It Up (1985)

SSD went a similar direction, although people now look back somewhat favorably on How We Rock.  That record combined some rock/metal elements with a hardcore foundation, and didn't sound like a completely different band (a la DYS).  But to quote a Youtube commenter, "it was all downhill from there."  Break It Up sounds like something you'd heard blasting from a pickup truck at a barbecue or tailgating party in the 80s.  I saw Springa get off the Provincetown ferry once, which makes me wonder if he is behind this jewelry I found in a shop there:

Man that final SSD album makes my earring 

Warzone - S/T (AKA Warzone III) (1989)

The first song is actually pretty good, considering.  NO REGRETS!  

Be sure to check out the blatant Sabbath rip off in "Judgement Day 2"

The dreaded third Warzone LP.  Some people call it the metal record, other people call it Warzone's rap record.  The riffs and solos are totally metal, and the drum machine basically follows the same beat the entire record.  Why is the snare so loud?  This record sounds like Run DMC with Raybeez singing.  When you listen, you can hear the gentle sobbing of skinheads everywhere.  The demos that were recorded for this LP are superior, and can be heard here (with a download link included). This is a truly bizarre record that captures the band in a time of total disarray, whether it was lineup changes, label issues, or whatever.  

Review from MRR #83, April 1990

Token Entry - The Weight of the World (1990)

This record sounds kind of like the Warzone LP, but a little faster, with some funk elements, and a real drummer.  A lot of people wrote off NYHC by 1990, and this record didn't help.  Bands like Supertouch and Burn did a great job of putting a fresh spin on NYHC, but this final Token Entry record was met with disappointment and didn't change the negative opinion some people had of NYHC's metal direction.  I'll be damned if this isn't a fun song though.

Discharge - Grave New World (1986)

Their A&R took their punk clothes and gave them a makeover

I end this section with the ultimate sellout.  Sure, DYS went rock, but it's not that surprising from a bunch of macho Boston kids.  But Discharge going glam metal...who saw that coming?  One of the seminal political hardcore bands, their influence can be heard in classic bands like Cro-Mags to any of the countless "d-beat" bands going today.  The lyrics, music and vocals alike betray Discharge's roots.  It is interesting to compare Discharge to Napalm Death -- both bands started around the same time, playing political hardcore punk, but while Discharge went the way of slick, mainstream metal, Napalm Death took the speed and brutality of extreme metal and created something original and amazing (namely, grindcore).  This record is an example of a band that could have, should have, broken up, and created new music under a new name.  Maybe then it might've just been another bad record.  Instead, it was every punk's nightmare, and 28 years later remains one of the most glaring examples of punk going metal...gone wrong.

THOSE WHO...WELL IT DEPENDS

Reagan Youth - Volume 2 (1990)

I've already posted about Reagan Youth and my love for them.  "Youth Anthems For the New Order" (AKA Volume 1) is phenomonal early New York hardcore punk.  I have mixed feelings about Volume 2.   The songs are pretty good and the lyrics are actually really good, way more punk than the music behind them.  Although this record is nowhere near as good as their 1984 EP, it is not without merit.  There is some incredible guitarwork on here, Paul Cripple really worked on his chops and it shows.  See the intro of the above song, and the dualing guitar tracks in "Jesus Was a Communist."  But this record depresses me -- it depicts the band at a low point, marred by drug abuse, which led to Dave Insurgent's downward spiral and eventual death.  This is a very passable, if a little sad, punk-gone-metal record.

Final words

My assessments of some of these records might have been very different if I had experienced them when they were first released.  If I was a young punk who was blown away by Victim in Pain in 1984, only to be utterly disappointed by the metal direction AF took only two years later, I would probably look at that record differently all these years later.  Context is everything, and I appreciate and understand that there are people from back then who probably disagree with some of the things I've written here.  Someone who went to the record store in 1989 and purchased Best Wishes will have their own perspective on what that record means, how it sounds, and ultimately, whether they like it.  I urge anyone to leave a comment sharing their feelings or experiences with any of the records/bands I've talked about, or about those I didn't mention here but very well could have.  Thanks for reading.  Until next time....