Catharsis (hardcore punk band)
Encyclopedia
Catharsis was an influential American
hardcore punk band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina
that was active from 1994 to 2002. They were associated with "Holy Terror", a phenomenon commonly regarded as a form of apocalyptic metallic hardcore that was breeding during the mid-'90s. Catharsis were also known for writing extremely lengthy songs (sometimes broken into multiple parts) with complex title names and unusual time signatures.
, North Carolina
.
After a couple of releases, vocalist and studio guitarist Brian D began releasing the band's albums through the anarchist decentralized collective Crimethinc.
, with which he was heavily involved. Several members of the band went on to join or form other notable bands such as Zegota
, Paint It Black
, Requiem, 3 Inches Of Blood
, Trial
, Neptune
, Undying, Walls of Jericho and Cathode.
, Neurosis
, His Hero Is Gone
, Breakdown
, Starkweather
, Amebix
, Godspeed You! Black Emperor
, Diamanda Galás
, GISM
, Refused
and the early demo recordings of Belgian hardcore band, Negate. The dark, reggae
-styled song, 'Deserts Without Mirages' on the album, Passion, is perhaps a reflection of the singer's appreciation for Peter Tosh
. The song's lyrics also heavily borrow from the spoken word passages in the Godspeed You! Black Emperor
song 'The Dead Flag Blues'. Passion album also samples from Jim Jarmusch
's Dead Man
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hardcore punk band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
that was active from 1994 to 2002. They were associated with "Holy Terror", a phenomenon commonly regarded as a form of apocalyptic metallic hardcore that was breeding during the mid-'90s. Catharsis were also known for writing extremely lengthy songs (sometimes broken into multiple parts) with complex title names and unusual time signatures.
History
Catharsis was formed in 1994 in Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
After a couple of releases, vocalist and studio guitarist Brian D began releasing the band's albums through the anarchist decentralized collective Crimethinc.
CrimethInc.
CrimethInc., also known as CWC , is a decentralized anarchist collective of autonomous cells. CrimethInc. emerged in the mid-1990s, initially as the hardcore zine Inside Front, and began operating as a collective in 1996...
, with which he was heavily involved. Several members of the band went on to join or form other notable bands such as Zegota
Zegota (band)
Zegota is an American hardcore punk and post-hardcore band originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, formed in 1997.-History:Zegota formed in Greensboro around brothers Jon and Will Ridenour, respectively the group's guitarist and drummer, bassist Brian and singer Eric Moe...
, Paint It Black
Paint It Black (band)
Paint It Black is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based modern hardcore punk band. Their music is often described as melodic hardcore, characterized by fast tempos, catchy melodies and emotionally charged vocals delivered via shouting and singing...
, Requiem, 3 Inches Of Blood
3 Inches of Blood
3 Inches of Blood is a Canadian heavy metal band formed in 2000 in Vancouver, British Columbia, currently consisting of Cam Pipes, Justin Hagberg, Shane Clark, and Ash Pearson...
, Trial
Trial (band)
Trial is an American political straight edge hardcore punk band based in Seattle, Washington. The band was active from 1995 until 2000. They reunited for three reunion shows in Seattle, London, and Budapest in the fall of 2005, and recently were part of the Burning Fight Book Release show in...
, Neptune
Neptune (band)
Neptune is a noise music band from Boston, noted for having built their custom-made guitars and basses out of scrap metal. The band also plays custom-made percussion instruments and electric lamellophones.-Band history:...
, Undying, Walls of Jericho and Cathode.
Influences
Catharsis took appreciable influence from IntegrityIntegrity (band)
Integrity is a metallic hardcore band formed in 1988. Their lyrical themes include religion, the supernatural, mental illness, individualism, and the occult.- Discography :*Harder They Fall - Demo cassette - 1989...
, Neurosis
Neurosis (band)
Neurosis is a post-metal band, based in Oakland, California. They formed in 1985 as a hardcore punk band, and their sound progressed towards a doom metal style that also included influences from dark ambient and industrial music as well as incorporating elements of folk music...
, His Hero Is Gone
His Hero is Gone
His Hero Is Gone was an influential crust punk and sludge metal band from Memphis, Tennessee. Formed in 1995 from members of Copout, Man With Gun Lives Here, and FaceDown, they disbanded in 1999, playing their last show in Memphis. They toured the U.S. extensively several times, as well as Europe...
, Breakdown
Breakdown (band)
Breakdown was started in 1986, during the resurgence of the hardcore scene. Despite being a NYHC band, being based in Yonkers Breakdown didn't have the Lower East Side Crew-mentality of Warzone and Agnostic Front. By a similar token, unlike some of their other contemporaries like Gorilla Biscuits...
, Starkweather
Starkweather (band)
Starkweather is a metal band from Philadelphia, United States that formed in 1989. Starkweather helped pioneer the hardcore/heavy metal crossover sound that would later be known as "metalcore"...
, Amebix
Amebix
Amebix are an English crust punk/heavy metal band. Formed as "The Band with No Name," Amebix's original run was from 1978 to 1987, during which time they released three EPs and two full-length LPs...
, Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band which originated from Montreal, Quebec in 1994...
, Diamanda Galás
Diamanda Galás
Diamanda Galás is an American avant-garde composer, vocalist, pianist, organist, performance artist and painter.Galás has been described as "capable of the most unnerving vocal terror", with her three and a half octave vocal range. She often screams, hisses and growls...
, GISM
GISM
was a Japanese hardcore punk band formed in Tokyo, Japan in 1980. Even though the guitar style resembled heavy metal style riffs and solos, GISM were one of the first Japanese hardcore bands, while at the same time drawing influence from the early industrial/avant-garde music scene; something...
, Refused
Refused
Refused was a Swedish hardcore punk band originating from Umeå, Sweden, formed in 1991. In total the band released five EPs and three albums, before splitting up in 1998...
and the early demo recordings of Belgian hardcore band, Negate. The dark, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
-styled song, 'Deserts Without Mirages' on the album, Passion, is perhaps a reflection of the singer's appreciation for Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh , was a Jamaican reggae musician who was a core member of the band The Wailers , and who afterward had a successful solo career as well as being a promoter of Rastafari.Peter Tosh was born in Grange Hill, Jamaica, an illegitimate child to a mother too young...
. The song's lyrics also heavily borrow from the spoken word passages in the Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band which originated from Montreal, Quebec in 1994...
song 'The Dead Flag Blues'. Passion album also samples from Jim Jarmusch
Jim Jarmusch
James R. "Jim" Jarmusch is an American independent film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, editor and composer. Jarmusch has been a major proponent of independent cinema, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s.-Early life:...
's Dead Man
Dead Man
Dead Man is a 1995 American Western film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. It stars Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Billy Bob Thornton, Iggy Pop, Crispin Glover, John Hurt, Michael Wincott, Lance Henriksen, and Robert Mitchum . The film, dubbed an "Acid Western" by its director, includes twisted...
.
Members
- Brian D - vocals, in-studio guitar (1994–2002)
- Alexei Rodriguez - drums (1994–2002)
- Rob - bass (2001–2002)
- Stef - guitar (2000–2002)
- Christopher Huggins - guitar (1994)
- Mark Dixon - bass (1994)
- Jimmy Chang - guitar (1995–96)
- Jonathan Raine - bass (1995–96)
- Dan Young - guitar (1996–97)
- Matt Miller - guitar, bass (1996–2001)
- Ernie Hayes - bass (1998–2001)
- Josh Mosh - bass (2001)
Discography
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Fall demo cassette | Self Released |
| 1995 | We Were Sweating While They Slept 7" | Endless Fight Records |
| 1997 | Samsara CD/LP | CrimethInc./Goodlife Recordings (first vinyl press) |
| 1997 | Live in the Land of the Dead (split LP with Gehenna) | Wicked Witch |
| 1999 | Passion CD/LP | CrimethInc./Scorched Earth Policy [Germany] |
| 1999 | Live in the Land of the Dead (split CD with Newspeak) | Liberation/CrimethInc. |
| 2001 | Arsonist's Prayer (split CD/LP with Newborn Newborn (band) Newborn was a Hungarian hardcore punk band with progressive metal influences, formed in Budapest, Hungary. The band was active from 1998 to 2002.- History :... ) |
CrimethInc./Scorched Earth Policy [Germany] |
| 2004 | Crimethinc. Bootleg Series 1 (live split CD with Zegota Zegota (band) Zegota is an American hardcore punk and post-hardcore band originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, formed in 1997.-History:Zegota formed in Greensboro around brothers Jon and Will Ridenour, respectively the group's guitarist and drummer, bassist Brian and singer Eric Moe... and Gehenna) |
Self Released |