Boss Buckle EP is the first recording released by the Alaskan metal

Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 band 36 Crazyfists

36 Crazyfists

36 Crazyfists is a four-piece metal band originating from Anchorage, Alaska. They are now based in Portland, Oregon. The band's name comes from a Jackie Chan movie, Jackie Chan And The 36 Crazy Fists...

. At the time of its release in 1995, the band were not widely known, and therefore this EP

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 is very rare. This is one of the three albums that the band released prior to being signed to Roadrunner Records

Roadrunner Records

Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...

.

This EP features a much more raw sound than that found on later 36 Crazyfists releases. The songs are heavier and rapcore

Rapcore

Rapcore is a subgenre of rap rock fusing vocal and sometimes instrumental elements of hip hop with punk rock .-History:...

 influenced vocals are evident.

Recording

Boss Buckle was recorded between June 22 and 26, 1995, at The Mirror studio in Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...

. The band had several songs at that point, but only 5 were chosen for the record. They were perfectly rehearsed, having been played at many concerts. The final production quality is comparable to commercial metal releases of the era.

This is the band's only album featuring original bassist JD Stuart, who was killed in a car collision in 1996.

Release

Boss Buckle was released on cassettes, with music on only one side (the other was blank). Cassettes were transparent with pre-printed labels on one side, labeled "side 36". At the time the band's name was written with separate words: "36 Crazy Fists". An insert contained the track listing and a cover photo. Considering the band's quick rise in popularity in Anchorage, this release became an instant rarity. The band gave out many copies to the audience during their live performances, particularly at Gigs Music Theater and Chilkoot Charlie's. The song KneeHigh was used as a show opener several times.

After bassist JD Stuart was killed in a car crash in June 1996, the band performed a short farewell set at Gigs Music Theater composed mostly of Boss Buckle -era songs. Ryan Brownell played guitar and Steve Holt played bass.

Dedication

The inner page of the cassette insert stated that this album is dedicated to the memory of Duane Monsen. Duane Monsen was a drummer who played with Steve Holt in their previous project "Broke". Monsen was killed in a fight at the Underground bar in Anchorage on 28 January 1994.

Track listing

Personnel

Brock Lindow – Vocals

Ryan Brownell – Guitar

Steve Holt - Guitar

JD Stuart – Bass

Thomas Noonan – Drums