Warlord – Warlord EP (1997)

It is a shame when good bands end before their potential is reached. Seattle area band Warlord is one such band. Warlord released two albums on fledgling label Solid State Records. Their first album was a 4-song self-titled EP released in 1997. The Warlord EP is one heavy piece of sludgy, doom metal influenced hardcore. The guitars are tuned extremely low, giving the album that distinct doom-y, low-end sound that is synonymous with the strangely named genre of “stoner metal”. I know what you are thinking, and the answer is no, I did not just make up that genre identifier. Musically, the album leans more toward the hardcore side of things with the shouted vocals and noisy, sludgy instrumentation, however the song structures coupled with the low-tuned guitars add an experimental, doom metal edge to the album. While their labelmates were all going toward a sound that would eventually become metalcore, Warlord were doing something quite different, and dare I say unique. It is no surprise when considering that Warlord and Tooth & Nail Records band Roadside Monument shared a member or two. That fact would also help explain the more complex, math-core style that would take over on the bands’ next and final release, 1999’s Rock the Foe Hammer. The Warlord EP was a glimpse into the potential of this possibly great band, a potential that sadly was never reached. Thankfully we will always have this great little 4-song EP.

Overcome – When Beauty Dies (1997)

1997 was a great year for fans of christian based hardcore music. Not only did we get groundbreaking releases from the likes of metal kingpins turned metalcore poster boys Living Sacrifice and hardcore legends in the making Strongarm, but we were also treated to great releases from upstart bands such as Zao, Training For Utopia, Innermeans, Warlord, and veterans such as Overcome; all with a very distinct take on hardcore and metalcore. Arizona’s Overcome, who had previously released a solid hardcore album on Tooth and Nail Records with 1995’s Blessed Are The Persecuted, provided a massively under-appreciated metallic hardcore masterpiece with their 1997 Solid State Records follow-up When Beauty Dies. Where their previous work was heavy, paint-by-numbers hardcore, When Beauty Dies was an exercise in blurring the lines between hardcore and metal. While not quite a “metalcore” album, When Beauty Dies was definitely a harbinger of the genre; marking the beginning of a transition from “spirit-filled” hardcore to metalcore as the genre of choice for young christian hardcore kids. Not only was the album heavy as an anvil, it featured great lead guitar work, something in contrast with the simple, chugging riffs that were a staple in hardcore. The guitar work was in fact where you see the biggest metal influence on the album, and was the biggest difference from Overcome’s previous albums. The only knock on the album in my opinion is the production, or lack there of. I love my metal and hardcore sludgy and dirty sounding, but this is even thin when compared to similar albums of the time. That complaint aside, When Beauty Dies is one heavy slab of metallic hardcore. A vital piece of christian hardcore and metal history.