Broken Bones
The sound of Broken Bones is the sound
of punk at its most primal, the crashing roar of wild, wild
youth taken to limits even the Sex Pistols never dreamed of.
When the band formed in 1983, punk may not have been dead, but
it was certainly dying. Then Broken Bones came along and the
reverberations are still being felt today, in the battle cries
of Bad Religion and the swagger of Rancid, in the white heat of
Slayer and the debauchery of Ministry. Some people have called
Broken Bones one of the biggest Hardcore bands of all time and
one of the most vital, various U.S. mega-bands such as Metallica
have acknowledged them as one of their influences.
Broken Bones was formed by
guitarist Bones in early 1983 a few months after he quit
Discharge, one of the most distinctive, and successful bands to
emerge from the punk movement in the early 80's. Bones
recruited his twin brother Tezz (also a former Discharge member)
on bass, vocalist Nobby and drummer Baz to the line up. Bones
unveiled his latest juggernaut with a solid year of gigging,
leading to the release in January 1984 of the screaming
"Decapitated"
Fired by the popularity which
Broken Bones had already inspired, the single promptly rocketed
into Britain's independent top ten. The follow up single
"Crucifix" was then released in May, inevitably it scored just
as highly as the predecessor, and proved that Broken Bones meant
serious business.
Retaining the services of Discharge
producer Mike Stone the band recorded there first album "Dem
Bones" with which the bands distinctive early sound would stand
head and shoulders over pretty much every punk album of the
time, and today is still regarded as a classic.
Live shows became increasingly
riotous celebrations, the established press was paying
attention. Not since punks heyday in the late 1970's had a band
seemed poised for great things. That chance was lost when over
a year elapsed before B/B third single. A year never the less
which saw the band consolidate its vinyl reputation with never
ending touring.
Broken Bones 1983 live album "Live
at the 100 Club" remains the acid test for anyone who claims to
be real punk today, a record which forges and unimagined middle
ground between hardcore, metal and the apocalypse.
The much anticipated third single
"Seeing Through My Eyes" was well worth the wait, with "Never
Say Die" following up, and then came the Bonecrusher album which
was released only in the U.S. and mini album "Trader in Death"
which immortalized some of B/B best loved songs.
Times were changing both in and
outside the group. By 1986 in Britain, punk was officially old
hat (if only briefly, as it turned out). In America where B/B
was readily adopted by the hardcore set, it was still a marginal
interest, big enough to keep a band on the road but that was
about it.
The groups line up was changing as
well, Tezz had left after "Crucifix", and replaced by Oddy, then
Nobby left and Oddy took over vocals as well. By 1986 Oddy went
on to join Conflict, and the returning Nobby and Tezz were
joined by a second guitarist Karl Morris (Exploited) for the
studio/live album "F.O.A.D". More followed in F.O.A.D's
footsteps, unheralded harbingers of the mayhem which passes for
metal today and in 1989 the band took a more thrash metal
direction and released the album "Losing Control", gone were
Nobby, Baz and Tezz, and Quiv appeared on vocals. Two more were
to follow with the 12 inch release "Religion is Responsible"
and another album "Stitched Up" that seemed to be it.
Until in 1998 Broken Bones
reformed, Bones on guitar as ever, Oddy back on bass, the now
veteran Quiv resuming vocals and new drummer Dave solely to
capture the intense uncompromising sound of their early
releases. They started to do a few live shows and a tour of
Europe, then April 2001 saw the release of their first full
length record for 8 years with searing metallic hardcore riffs,
thunderous bass over frenetic drums, all topped off by Quiv's
growling vocals, they leap out of the speakers and sucker-punch
you around the head with a glorious haze of hardcore mayhem,
Themes tackled include America's questionable gun laws,
relationship breakdown and mental illness, all assaulted with an
old-skool, UK/HC savagery that will put many US 'punk' bands to
shame, which make's Without Conscience on a par with the first
album "Dem Bones" |