Black Army Jacket
| Black Army Jacket | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United States |
| Genres |
Powerviolence Grindcore |
| Years active | 1996-1999 |
| Associated acts |
Deny the Cross Human Remains Discordance Axis Municipal Waste Matt Pond PA Burnt by the Sun Hope Collapse Lakota |
| Website | Official Facebook Page |
Black Army Jacket was an American powerviolence band. They released one full-length album and many 7" EPs, splits and compilation appearances. Their members have gone on to play in such bands as Municipal Waste, Deny the Cross, Matt Pond PA, Burnt by the Sun and Hope Collapse.
The band was started by Andrew Orlando (ex-guitarist of Milhouse and owner of Reservoir Records) and Carlos Ramirez after they met at a Fugazi show on Long Island, NY. They were both fans of bands like Terrorizer, Assück and Napalm Death and wanted to create a band in those styles. Halfman drummer Dan Crowell and Those of Us bassist Chris Russo were quickly recruited. They were both in high school at the time. The band rehearsed original material for a few weeks until scene veteran Rob Lawi joined in on lead vocals. BAJ entered NYC's LoHo Studios a few months later and recorded what would become their 1996 demo. The tape caused a small buzz in the hardcore and metal zine world and made many tape trader lists.
Queens, NY-based Chainsaw Safety Records would go on to release the band's The Path of Two Swords As One 7" and the band started to tour regionally shortly after. During the sessions for the aforementioned release, they recorded several more songs for future releases at NJ's Sweetwood Sound with current Dalek member Alap Momin behind the boards. Around this time both Crowell and Russo left the band and continued to play in Prom King with Mike Delorenzo of C.R. and Serpico, Brian Meehan of Milhouse and Loyal to None, and Ben Knight. Not long after they quit, Dave Witte joined the band on drums. Now a four-piece, they toured with California's Benumb and Noothgrush. This period proved to be fruitful for the group with many releases hitting stores and awareness growing.
In 1998, BAJ was invited to play the annual Milwaukee Metalfest along with bands including Destruction, Mercyful Fate, Death and Brutal Truth. They also went on to perform at that year's Fiesta Grande festival at Berkley, CA's Gilman St. club, organized by Spazz bassist/vocalist and Slap A Ham Records founder, Chris Dodge. The band wrote throughout the year and entered the studio with Dean Rispler (Killing Time, 25 Ta Life) in the producer chair. The resulting album, 222, saw the musicians incorporating hints of death and black metal along with some more traditional elements of hardcore to their sound. They toured extensively to support their debut.
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Wikipedia