Archives: Wartime Manner

Troy, New York based Wartime Manner isn’t your typical tough guy hardcore band, but they deliver spectacular variety of styles under hardcore in their music. First off you’ll hear some downright heavy, metallic hardcore, but it’s backed with lots of tempo changes, solos, chugging old school beatdown riffs, hip-hop influences and “clean” vocals too, so this is definitely NOT your average metallic hardcore band. When i first listened this “Demo 1987”, that i got from my awesome Danish friend, Henrik of Those Who Fear Tomorrow (a.ka. Bring Honor Or Walk Away), i was blown away right at the first listen. You can think of Neglect, Stigmata,Fahrenheit 451, Elements DEC, E-Town Concrete, Two By Four, Second To None and similarity also to early Hatebreed, but with more groove and sense of amazingly creative songwriting, thing that’s not very usually present at least nowdays, in hardcore music. There’s very Krutch -like vocal arrangements too to be heard, but it might be also that Wartime Manner’s vocalist sounds a little bit like Karl Krutch time to time. Even it’s crazy that if this demo was released already back in 1987, most of the bands i’m comparing WTM, weren’t even started, still there’s very little information to be found on this band and that’s why it’s kinda unclear if these tracks that are presented here as Demo 1987, really are appearing only on this release, because the only official release, i know of, they have done is that Split 7″ with Two By Four and i’m pretty sure they were featured on couple compilations like; Capital Punishment Comp and We The People Compilation, but i haven’t had luck on finding either of those comps anywehere earlier.

So with some serious information digging and random links at Bridge 9 board, i actually found out quite a bit more about Wartime Manner and many other Troy-core related bands, including information that this release i’ve spoke about as; Demo 1987, is not really their demo, but Wartime Manner’s full-length called, Scorched Earth Policy. I have no idea when the record came out or who release it, but this being really a cd, kinda explains the many number of tracks on “the demo” and quite good quality of sounds too. I hadn’t heard about this full-length ever before, i was just listening to the tracks i had thinking it as one hell of demo. It’s still partly shrouded in mystery what WTM all in all released during their existence, but i’m sure that majority of tracks from Two By Four -Split 7″ and compilation tracks, are also found in Demo 1987 a.k.a. Scorched Earth Policy Cd. Members of this band later played in many Troy area bands such as previously mentioned Stigmata, Dying Breed,Wasteform, Dead And Dying and many others. I can’t adress it enough how really good stuff this is, so if you haven’t heard of this band ever before, listen this album and be ready to be blown away.

I’m sure there’s peopel who have better idea if this band did anything else and that’s why i’d love to hear from any of you who possibly were involved with the band or knew them back in the days when Wartime Manner was active.

Wartime Manner -Myspace

UPDATE 13/11/2011:

Due having no information or permissions on anyone relating the band, i’ve deleted the link. You can check out many W2M tracks in their Myspace, that’s still working.

Archives: Bloodoath – Demo

Pori has always been a fertile ground on finnish hardcore, producing excellent bands, which of most cover very different styles of hardcore. This time we’re going deep back into golden ’90’s, mid to late specifically, when Rauma (smaller town near Pori) and Pori brought the scene a metallic hardcore band in form of Bloodoath. I remember this band’s name on some finnish record’s thanks lists and such, but had never heard anything they had recorded and while visiting Mr. Linden a while back, i found out that the band did record a demo tape, which was the only “official” release they ever did. Bloodoath’s sound comes together from direct influence of bands around that time, in 1998, such as: Carpe Diem, Breamgod, Equity, Shed and Down My Throat. So except some heavy, metal-ridden, chugging hardcore, that is very straight forward and tough guy sounding. Recording from tape to pc isn’t again top notch quality, but little bit better than on my couple last tape transfers (Endstand and Equity).

Bloodoath Demo ’98 delivers intro plus four tracks and Intro / Left Behind starts off the tape. What particulary like on this demo, vocals are hard and evil sounding and the songs are not that technical or fancy, it’s all pure forward pushing heavy hardcore. There some influence from heavy metal influenced belgium bands such as Length Of Time and maybe some Congress, but not much of melodic riffing that or anything that LOT did a lot. Second song Gone is just plain heavy track, there’s nothing special, but vocals come to sound little bit time to time on chorus of Death From Above’s vocalist Sasu, who is without a doubt,my all-time favourite of finnish hardcore vocalists. Rest two tracks are Die Away and Disguise, both good solid stuff as well and with a promising demo like this, these guys should have done more music, it would have been even harder and heavier for sure. Bloodoath remains as a curiosity for the enthuastics like me, who are interested on their scene’s history. Here’s yet another great, forgotten band from the late ’90’s. For fans of heavy hardcore in general and old Hatebreed, Congress, Breamgod etc. If you have any info, stories, anything about this band, please let me know!
UPDATE 13/11/2011:

Link full download link deleted, i’ll add sample tracks & cover art later.