Mind Eraser continue to progress with this two song LP. Each song hits about 10 minutes in length, which some fast parts and then a lot of sludgey, ugly, slowdowns. Combined with their previous influences I am hearing a lot more of both Discharge and Eyehategod in their sound. Some elements of more metallic Japanese bands like Crow can also be heard. It looks like this record is out of print currently.

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Breathing Fire
Years of Lead LP
Painkiller Records

About seven years ago, Breathing Fire’s demo really blew me away. I remember listening to it every day in the fall of 2004 while studying before my evening classes. Brutal, heavy, and very dark hardcore in the vein of bands like Eyehategod and Rorschach. After years of delay, Breathing Fire returned with this LP. The influence of bands like the aforementioned is still very prevalent, but so is other bands like Saint Vitus and Napalm Death. Easily one of the best of the decade.

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1. 1.6 Band, Self Titled LP, USA, 1992
2. Acme, Self Titled 7″, Belgium, 1994
3. All Chrome, Flounders Flyers College & Canada LP, USA, 1999
4. Arms Reach, Self Titled 7″, Australia, 1998
5. Assuck, State To State 7″, USA, 1993
6. Aus-Rotten, Fuck Nazi Sympathy, USA, 1994
7. Bastard, Wind Of Pain LP, Japan, 1990
8. Bikini Kill, The Anti-Pleasure Dissertation 7″, USA, 1995
9. Born Against, Industrial Relations Department 7″, USA, 1990
10. Breakdown, Blacklisted LP, USA, 1997
11. Burn, Self Titled 7″, USA, 1990
12. By The Grace Of God, For The Love Of Indie Rock 7″, USA, 1996
13. Charles Bronson, Youth Attack LP, USA, 1997
14. Citizens Arrest, A Light In The Darkness 7″, USA, 1990
15. Chopping Block, Grizzly Fetish 7″, USA, 1991
16. Cop Out, Self Titled 7″, USA, 1993
17. Crossed Out, Self Titled 7″, USA, 1991
18. Crown Of Thornz, Train Yard Blues 12″, USA, 1995
19. Dead Nation, Face The Nation 7″, USA, 1998
20. Deadguy, Work Ethic 7″, USA, 1994
21. Death Side, Bet On The Possibility LP, Japan, 1991
22. Devoid Of Faith, Purpose: Lost 10″, USA, 1999
23. Disclose-Tragedy LP, Japan, 1994
24. Down But Not Out, Demo, USA, 1998
25. DropDead, Self Titled 7″, USA, 1992
26. Electric Wizard, Come My Fanatics LP, England, 1996
27. Endpoint, In A Time Of Hate LP, USA, 1990
28. Eyeball, More Days To Come LP, Germany, 1998
29. Eyehategod, In The Name Of Suffering LP, USA, 1992
30. Face Value, Coming Of Age 7″, USA, 1990
31. Fastbreak, Where It Lies 7″, USA, 1997
32. Fit For Abuse, Mindless Violence 7″, USA, 1995
33. Floor, Dove LP, USA, 1994
34. Floorpunch, Goal Line Stand Demo, USA, 1995
35. Four One One, This Isn’t Me LP, USA, 1991
36. Fu Manchu, The Action Is Go LP, USA, 1997
37. Full Speed Ahead, Demo, USA, 1998
38. Gauze, Kao O Aratte Denaoshite Koi LP, Japan, 1997
39. Get High, Demo, USA, 1996
40. Gordon Solie Mother Fuckers, Chairshot Politics 7″, USA, 1998
41. H-100′s, Distort Cleveland 7″, USA, 1995
42. Hatchetface, Volume Two LP, USA, 1995
43. Haywire, Private Hell LP, USA, 1990
44. Heroin, Paper Bag 7″, USA, 1992
45. His Hero Is Gone, Fifteen Counts Of Arson LP, USA, 1997
46. Huggy Bear, Don’t Die 7″, England, 1993
47. Human Remains, Using Sickness As A Hero CD, USA, 1996
48. The Icemen, Rest In Peace 7″, USA, 1991
49. In My Eyes, Demo, USA, 1997
50. Infest, Mankind 7″, USA, 1991
51. Inmates, Self Titled 7″, USA, 1995
52. Integrity, Humanity Is The Devil 10″, USA, 1996
53. Into Another, Ignaurus LP, USA, 1994
54. Jello Biafra With DOA, Last Screams Of The Missing Neighbors LP, USA/Canada, 1990
55. Judge, The Storm 7″, USA, 1991
56. Kiss It Goodbye, She Loves Me…She Loves Me Not LP, USA, 1997
57. Laughing Hyenas, Crawl 7″, USA, 1992
58. Leeway, Desperate Measures LP, USA, 1991
59. Los Crudos/Spitboy, Split LP, USA, 1994
60. Madball, Dropping Many Suckers 7″, USA, 1992
61. Mainstrike, Times Still Here 7″, Netherlands, 1995
62. Man Is The Bastard, Sum Of The Men 12″, USA, 1992
63. Man Lifting Banner, Ten Inches That Shock The World LP, Netherlands, 1992
64. Mouthpiece, What Was Said LP, USA, 1994
65. Mukilteo Fairies, Closet Check 7″, USA, 1993
66. Neanderthal, Fighting Music 7″, USA, 1990
67. Neurosis, The Word As Law LP, USA, 1990
68. No Comment, Downsided 7″, USA, 1992
69. No Escape, Demo, USA, 1990
70. Out Cold, Self Titled LP, USA, 1994
71. Paintbox, Screaming Shouting Crying LP, Japan, 1999
72. Poison Idea, Feel The Darkness LP, USA, 1990
73. Puncture Wound, Self Titled 7″, USA, 1999
74. Quicksand, Self Titled 7″, USA, 1990
75. Ringworm, Demo, USA, 1991
76. Ripping Corpse, Dreaming With The Dead LP, USA, 1991
77. Rollins Band, The End Of Silence LP, USA, 1992
78. Rorschach, Protestant LP, USA, 1992
79. Rupture, Righteous Fuck 7″, Australia, 1991
80. S.D.S., Scum System Kill 7″, Japan, 1996
81. S.O.D., Speak Swedish Or Die 7″, Sweden, 1990
82. Saint Vitus, Die Healing LP, USA, 1995
83. Septic Death, Theme From Ozobozo LP, USA, 1992
84. Skewbald/Grand Union, Self Titled 7″, USA, 1991
85. Sleater Kinney, Dig Me Out LP, USA, 1997
86. Sleep, Sleep’s Holy Mountain LP, USA, 1993
87. Spazz/Black Army Jacket, Split 7″, USA, 1997
88. Speak 714, The Scum Also Rises 7″, USA, 1999
89. Sportswear, It Runs Deep 7″, Norway, 1998
90. Supertouch, The Earth Is Flat LP, USA, 1990
91. Talk Is Poison, Straight To Hell 7″, USA, 1998
92. Team Dresch, Personal Best LP, USA, 1995
93. True Blue, Demo, Germany, 1998
94. Turning Point, It’s Always Darkest Before The Dawn LP, USA, 1991
95. Verbal Assault, On 12″, USA, 1990
96. Voorhees, Spilling Blood Without Reason LP, England, 1994
97. Warhead, Cry Of Truth LP, Japan, 1991
98. Bllleeeeaaauuurrrrgghhh! – The Record, Compilation 7″, International, 1991
99. Forever, Compilation 7″, USA, 1991
100. Rebuilding, Compilation 7″, USA, 1991

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Playlist
Infest-My World, My Way

Infest-Iran Scam
Calvary-It’s Sport
Fugazi-Cash Out
Mental-History 101

Deep Wound-In My Room
Black Flag-Three Nights
Endpoint-Black Skies
Citizens Arrest-In The Distance

Sleater Kinney-Jumpers

Far From Breaking-All The Difference
Midnight-Cold Sweat
Cold Sweat-Guilt Burns
Judgment-Kick Them Over

108-Killer Of The Soul
Eyehategod-30$ Bag
Signal Lost-Innocent

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I first heard My War the summer after my first year of college. My War was exactly what I needed at the time; the brutality, the dense often claustrophobic feeling of the record perfectly captured what I was, and still am, feeling at the time. I listened to this record so often that it became a joke amongst my friends whenever they came over I would have this on my turntable.

This is a rather influential record. Bands like Eyehategod, The Melvins, and Annihilation Time are greatly influenced by this record. A lot of people say that Rollins ruined Black Flag, but those people pose hard. Seriously if you don’t like My War, you don’t deserve to listen to Black Flag.

As far as I know, My War is still available from SST Records.

Here are mp3′s of My War & Three Nights.

These songs are posted for sample purposes. I post them so that people can be turned on to cool music and hopefully return the favor for someone else. Each mp3 will be up for one week and then will be taken down. please support the bands and labels by buying these records and checking them out when they play your town. DIY hardcore punk bands deserve your support as an alternative to Clear Channel/MTV/RIAA nonsense.

If you are the artist or copyright holder for this song and would like it removed please email me and it will be removed in a timely manner.

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#2

All I have to say is it’s good to be back! It has been a really long time between issues, shit happens, things just get in the way. In the future we will hopefully be doing this more often. Things have been hectic and priorities change. I can no longer spend 24/7 on hardcore even though I somehow get sucked into doing it sometimes. Hardcore is in my blood, this is the kind of thing which will keep me involved in the scene. I love doing a zine and hopefully I will be doing a lot more with this in the future. This fanzine is dedicated to the memory of Sean Patrick McCabe.

Bill XXX

Playlist-

Radiohead-OK Computer
Atlas Shrugged-LP
American Nightmare-7”
Fit For Abuse-7”
The Killing Flame-Another Breathe LP
The Abused-7”
Quicksand-Slip LP
The Verve-Urban Hymns
Suicidal Tendencies-LP
Negative Approach-All
Negative FX-LP
No For An Answer-All
Supertouch-WNYU
411-WFMU
Rorschach-Protestant
True Blue-Demo
Integrity-In Contrast of Sin
Bikini Kill-The Singles
Kristin Hersh-Strange Angels
Le Tigre-First CD

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We finished this up before the start of the next millennium, but I don’t think we’re gonna be able to get out another one until the summer of 3030. Seriously, this thing has sat on the backburner for quite a while now. Obviously, time is an issue. No one has enough of it, especially when you are an expert on procrastination like me. You may recognize that this issue is a lot shorter than the first one. Believe it or not, it’s not because we’re lazy. Bill thought it would be a good idea to cut out the filler and strengthen the content. I think it’s a change for the better and I hope you agree. Our good friend Justin made some contributions to this issue, which has made things a lot more interesting. He’s a character, to say the least, and an all around good guy. Enjoy.

John XXX

Playlist for Fall 2000

Black Sabbath-All
Cro Mags-Hard Times In An Age Of Quarrel
Straight Ahead-All
Sunny Day Real Estate-LP2
The Nerve Agents-Days Of The White Owl
KRS One-A Retrospective
Rorschach-Protestant
Krakdown-WNYU
The Who-All
Burn-EP
Mos Def-Black On Both Sides
Eyehategod-Dopesick
De La Soul-De La Soul Is Dead
U2-All That You Can Leave Behind
The Basis for this essay was a reply I made to a discussion on the Rev board about whether or not hardcore is real. It was an interesting topic and a fascinating discussion. I would say the majority of people who replied to this discussion said that hardcore isn’t real. Here’s my take on the subject-

Is hardcore real? I think that’s a silly question. EVERYTHING IS REAL. To me, whatever you experience is real. When I was in tenth grade, hardcore was the most important thing in my life. I was always a good student, but even that seemed fruitless. Sure, I might get into a nice college and get a decent job, but that seemed so remote and austere. What seemed more real was the picture of Side By Side on the inside of my The Way It Is tape that I listened to almost everyday on the bus ride to school. Thinking about the show all week was more important than wondering where I ranked on the high school popularity scale. Of course, everyone believes that their subculture is in the right and everyone else is crazy. I guess the majority of people I went to high school with thought the football game or the kegger was more important than going to Fieldsboro to see Floorpunch and Ignite. I obviously didn’t. Yes hardcore is an escape, but that doesn’t necessarily make it trivial.

I will agree that hardcore is very much outside the rules and regulations of society. Every kid reading this zine must admit that the way you conduct yourselves in conventional society and the scene are very different. There is no established government in the hardcore scene to which everyone is held accountable. We just make up things as we go along, but that’s the way it was in 1982, and that’s the way it is now. Sure, there are certain conventions and values that have emerged over time, but even these are not strictly obeyed. It’s hard not to notice the basic dichotomy that exists in hardcore. For every song about loyalty and friendship, there is one about backstabbing. If someone were to sit down and try to assemble a coherent picture of hardcore, they would end up tearing their hair out.

Still, no one can deny the impact of hardcore on his/her life. It’s impossible to keep one’s life in the outside world and one’s life in the hardcore world apart. Look at how many kids have become vegetarians because they found out about it through hardcore. I might have never become a vegetarian if I never heard No More or met the people I did. How about straight edge? Sure, it’s a “hardcore thing,” but eventually someone asks you why you don’t drink and what do you say? Your religion forbids you to do so? I certainly don’t mosh everywhere (well, almost everywhere) but I’m not ashamed to let people know what I’m about. And when you get down to it, one’s definition of reality is completely subjective. This is more a metaphysical argument than anything. Sure, walking down the street having someone attack you, and leaving them in a pool of blood might not be the life you lead, but does that make it any more or less real? Ask Harley or Bloodclot whether or not it’s real. I don’t think anyone can devote their lives to hardcore. Everyone grows out of it little by little. As sad as it is to say, I have. It’s hardly my sole identity nowadays, although it’s influence will always be felt. If you say it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, you’re kidding yourself. If it was part of your life, it’s undoubtedly real.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Welcome to my intro, how’s it going? I guess you’re wondering what this kid Ferret’s deal is right (probably not, but I do look good in a thong, was that your thought, wrong again? FUCK YOU!)? Here’s my background: I’m white, suburban, and have a constant smile on my face because my mom makes the best lemonade=the perfect mix for a prospective serial killer. However, my neighbors will never tell you how nice of a guy I was. I’m sort of jaded with the hardcore scene and love my Filipino girlfriend. When I talk about therapy don’t take me seriously because I’ve had plenty of talks about that with my therapist. I always wanted to do a zine, but never had the time. This will be my contribution, I guess, yes perhaps. Did I mention I have an obsession with green tea? Anyways, back to the zine, don’t laugh at the Rain On The Parade interview. It was my first interview and I was anxious. If you think that it is bad, you should check out my Fastbreak interview sessions. I think the reason why they suck so bad now is because I scared the hardcore out of them. If you read this, then I give you cred. If not, I give you the most respect (I don’t blame you!). I need a nap now-end communication.

Playlist-
Led Zeppelin
Converge
Eddie Brandon
Swing Kids
Buddy Holly
Jimmy Eat World
Deadguy
Rain On The Parade
Transmeggetti
Demon Speed
Ipekac
Don Ito
The Cars
Cave In
Rorschach
Coalesce
Napalm Death
Turning Point
Get Up Kids
Brutal Truth
Dillinger Escape Plan
Ink & Dagger
Rush
Canephora
Crucible
Token Entry
Bad Brains
Cro-Mags

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Was releasing the demo online a conscious choice the band made? In the age of $5 demo tapes and CDR demos that can hold 80 minutes of music but only have three songs on them, it was quite refreshing to see the Mind Eraser stuff online for everyone with a net connection to be able to check out.

Nah it wasn’t really any kind of statement. The band started as just me and Justin talking about doing a band that was a synthesis of our favorite brutal shit like Crossed Out, Citizens Arrest, Siege, and whatever, so we went to the practice space I had at the time and just banged out a bunch of songs. I had some of the riffs written at the time, but some of them we just wrote there as we recorded. Anyway when that was done I just mixed it and put it online for our friends to hear. There wasn’t a master plan behind it and we didn’t even have like a lineup to play shows yet. I just figured it didn’t cost anything to produce so why force people to pay for it; it’s just a four track recording. The people that wanted an actual tape with a printed cover and uncompressed audio bought it at shows or through the mail.

Is it true the cover to Cave is from the same book Void used for a lot of their imagery?

We have that book at Painkiller. It’s got a lot of good imagery in it. We’ve used it for all the Mind Eraser art (demo, LP, shirts). It’s a little tapped out at this point… Born In Hell used it too, we’ve used it for some flyers and stuff.

Why did you guys choose to cover Taste of Fear’s Pro Life=No Mind?

It’s a sick song. We’re not really a political band and we were going to write new lyrics for it because we figured no one would know anyway, but we never did so it just ended up being a straight cover. Justin is friends with Daryl and has played on a couple projects with him including the last Taste of Fear session. Some of their stuff is fucking punishing. We covered Think I Care’s Burn on the demo too. A lot of people thought it was meant disrespectfully because they sort of changed their sound at that time, but it was just because we thought it was a cool song and we could play it off the cuff.

What is going on in the Boston area right now? It seems you guys have a lot of people doing a lot of bands together (Stop + Think, Mental, Mind Eraser, Breathing Fire, Righteous Jams, etc) with a group of people who mix in and out sort of like what Portland has with Tragedy, Deathreat, HHIG, Midnight, etc

Hmmm… Well Mental and Righteous Jams have been around since 02 and 03 respectively. Even though we share members and are all friends we don’t play a lot of the same shows, a lot of the dudes in those bands only have limited interest in bands that sound like Mind Eraser… Stop and Think has not been a band for 3 years now, although we did play last weekend. I guess I tend to collaborate with the same people often, like when Righteous Jams started it was me, Justin, Cooch, and Joe. Now every one of those people but Joe is in Mind Eraser. I have not been in RJ’s for about a year and a half though Brendan our drummer is in Breathing Fire. We got him in Mind Eraser after our first few shows because the dude who played drums before didn’t really care. He also sang in xfilesx a couple years ago. Me, him, and Justin also started another band where he sings called Soul Swallower. We went on tour with Mind Eraser this summer and Say Goodbye as well. It is just really easy to collaborate with the same people because you are already used to their strengths and weaknesses and they are used to yours. Justin and I are extremely efficient together at this point actually pretty much everyone in Mind Eraser is that way for me.

I don’t really see it as being like the Portland scene or whatever though. For one thing, our more straight edge style bands and our more…uh, extreme type stuff are sort of separate from each other especially in the people that like them. Also there’s not really much of a scene here for either one, Boston is really weird right now. I dunno it doesn’t seem like the same thing to me. We played with Hellshock a few weeks ago, they have Celtic Frost tattoos so obviously they’re sick.

What is going on with Soul Swallower?

We should have a 7″ out by the end of the summer on Collapse Records. Josh is in Texas for another month so I don’t think we’re playing. Brendan and I were talking about new song ideas the other day but we’re not rushing yet, no one knows who we are and hardly anyone’s heard the record, just whoever I gave CDRS to. It’s really dirty and degraded sounding, the mix is rough, the playing is hardly precise, the vocals are really sick; Brendan has outdone himself I think. Some of the noises I got from the guitar amps are totally unholy, just weird feedback and interference, it sounds filthy. I really like the artwork I came up with too; I think the whole package has a really different feel from the Mind Eraser record; a lot more unhinged in certain ways.

What is next for Mind Eraser?
Two songs are coming out on the Generations compilation on Revelation. Almost every other band on there is like… Mental, Iron Boots, Lights Out. It’s cool, it should throw some people for a loop.

We’ve demoed 10 or 12 songs on 4 track over the last year, we’ll keep tightening those up. I’m not sure what they’re for right now, earlier in the year we were talking about having a split LP and a split 7″ with Breathing Fire and Soul Swallower respectively. Now I think we might just do a second album. The new stuff is a little different. Still a lot of Infest/Citizens Arrest/Crossed Out vibes, but also stuff like Napalm Death/Terrorizer/old Ringworm/Eyehategod/Extreme Noise Terror/Master/Repulsion… just trying to up the ante. It’s still hardcore though, we’ll always be a hardcore band. At least i hope.

By the way Breathing Fire’s not dead. That seems a common misconception. Right now music doesn’t deserve them I think. People should just take another year digesting that demo, and by that time, they should have a new recording to embarrass everyone with. The first time me and Justin heard Breathing Fire we almost broke up Mind Eraser, it’s pretty much like “what’s the point” but I realized that I had gotten pretty cocky after we recorded our LP and I needed something to reduce me back to zero; put me in my place. I’ve heard some rough versions of new Fire shit. Relapse should drop their whole roster and just sign em. Makes bullshit like Mastodon sound like the Crippled Youth 7″.

Oh… we might go out to the west coast in the fall, might tour this spring, I dunno.

Any other projects coming up?

Always. Keep your ear to the ground.

You are also an avid tape trader…any good scores lately?

Fuck I sort of retired. Well I’m really lazy, and really disorganized, and Cooch has less of a life than me, so he sort of trades tapes with everyone on earth, and then I just get copies of the shit I want. That dude totally usurped my position but its fine because I have more free time too sleep.

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