Icepick, Motherfucker

For those of you who aren't up on your hardcore history, here's a crash course: hardcore evolved from punk rock in the very early 80s. Much of its roots are located here on the East coast. In D.C., bands like Black Flag, Bad Brains, and Minor Threat were crystallizing a scene that had outspoken social/political lyrics. Meanwhile, up towards our neck of the woods, NYC bands were taking a slightly different tack. Groups like Agnostic Front and Sick of it All (both of whom are amazingly still active) were a bit less political and a lot more thuggish. These bands and their crowds had much more of a "street tough" appeal -- they were more working class and less intellectual.

It's that influence that carried through to a lot of CT hardcore. If you've ever heard of Hatebreed, then you probably know that CT has a reputation for cranking out thugged-out NYC-style hardcore (especially southern CT -- Hatebreed calls New Haven home).

Well, Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta has a CT/NYC-based side project known as Icepick that recently released an album, Violent Epiphany. While many hardcore and metal fans wring their hands over Hatebreed (and there's admittedly a lot to dislike: the band's willingness to "sell" hardcore to MTV and Hot Topic; their enviable success; their repetitive songwriting; their major-label backing; the constant violence at their shows; their appearances on Hollywood film soundtracks and other "sellout" areas), Icepick is much easier to like. A good part of it may just be that it's a different band with a different reputation. But a cursory listen shows that Icepick has something that Hatebreed doesn't. Icepick's songs are inexplicably simple, unapologetically dumb, and undeniably HARD.

This shit is unbelievable. Put on "Real Recognizes Real." That's ICE-T talking all that trash at the beginning. Ice Motherfucking T. Foul-mouthed doesn't even begin to describe it. I have been known to play the intro to this song over and over just because it's so incredibly in-your-face-offensive and badass.

Violent Epiphany is available on Jasta's label, Stillborn Records.

http://myspace.com/icepick