Extreme Noise Terror
Encyclopedia
Extreme Noise Terror are a British
crust punk
/ grindcore
band originally formed in Ipswich
, England
in 1985
. The band are widely considered one of the earliest and most influential European grindcore bands, and particularly the forefathers of the crustgrind subgenre.
Notable for one of the earliest uses of dual vocalists in hardcore punk
, and for recording a number of sessions for BBC Radio 1
DJ John Peel
, Extreme Noise Terror started as a crust punk band and helped characterise the early, archetypal grindcore sound with fiercely political lyrics, grinding guitars, extremely fast tempo and often very short songs.
, England
, originally consisting of dual vocalists Dean Jones and Phil Vane, guitarist Pete Hurley, bassist Jerry Clay and drummer Pig Killer. Prior to ENT, Vane and Hurley had played with Discharge
-influenced acts Freestate and Victims of War, whilst Jones had been singing with Raw Noise. Hurley claims that the band name came from an insert for an album by the Dutch band Lärm
: "It featured a bandanna-ed hardcore kid with 'Extreme Noise Terror' surrounding him. Those three words summed up exactly what we were aiming at." Aside from Discharge, the band cite as early influences Anti Cimex, Rattus and Antisect
, another early proponent of the "one high, one low" vocal approach. ENT signed to the small UK-based indie label Manic Ears after a solitary gig supporting fellow UK punks Chaos UK
. Their first release for the label was a split LP with Chaos UK in 1986, entitled Radioactive Earslaughter. Although there were still musical similarities between the two bands, ENT were already beginning to twist hardcore into what would later become known as "grindcore". ENT have however expressed misgivings about the use of the term:
In 1987, ENT came to the attention of John Peel
, on the recommendation of fellow Ipswich group The Stupids
. After seeing them live at the Caribbean Centre in Ipswich with his wife and son, Peel offered them their first (of four) Peel Session for BBC Radio 1
, which was released through Strange Fruit
. A second Peel Session was recorded the following May. During this period, the drum stool was filled by former Napalm Death
drummer Mick Harris
, although he left soon afterward to form Scorn
and was replaced by Tony "Stick" Dickens (of crust band Doom). Bassist Clay was replaced by Mark Gardener, and this line-up recorded ENT's debut album, A Holocaust in Your Head, which was later voted number 3 in Terrorizer
s essential European grindcore albums, who described it as "marrying a thick crust-punk crunch and vitriolic lyrical assault with the newborn, clattering fury of grindcore, 'Holocaust...' followed Napalm's heroic uppercuts and haymakers with a Doc Martin in the goolies." The band undertook a headline tour of both Europe and Japan in support of the album. In 1990, Jones and future ENT guitarist Ali Firouzbakht guested on Raw Noise's "Sound of Destruction" single release, and bassist Gardener was replaced by Peter Nash from the band Doom.
of The KLF
; the two acts got in touch and Drummond asked ENT to re-record a version of KLF's hit single "3 a.m. Eternal
", with the intention of the band performing live on Top of the Pops
at Christmas
. The BBC, however, felt that the song was inappropriate for broadcast on daytime television and thus refused to air the track, leading to the KLF boycotting the show. The single eventually saw limited edition release through KLF Communications
and won Single of the Week from both the NME
and Melody Maker
. ENT also worked on the abandoned KLF album The Black Room
(the KLF had previously released an ambient
album called The White Room
), but when Drummond and KLF co-member Jimmy Cauty
announced the band's retirement, they also deleted the recordings. When asked how the collaboration came about, Jones said: "What actually happened was that Bill heard us on Peel when he was in the bath and got in touch. They had wanted to do rock versions of their songs with Motörhead but something fell through, so he rang us... The message said it's Bill from The KLF, but I thought they said 'the ALF
' so I didn't take much notice... Later, we got another message saying it was definitely Bill from The KLF and I said 'f--- off! What does he want with us?' But it all got explained eventually." The two bands were later asked to appear at the 1992 BRIT Awards
, at which they caused controversy by firing blanks from machine guns into the audience, a performance that the NME listed at number 4 in their "top 100 rock moments".
and also member of Disgust) took over on bass, and Ali Firouzbakht joined on lead guitar
. At the request of Digby Pearson
, this line-up signed to Earache
in June 1994 and recorded Retro-bution, essentially a compilation of re-recorded material from the band's earlier days, which was released in January 1995. The motivation behind this release was due to the band's dissatisfaction with their earlier recordings and saw ENT take a slightly more metal direction, including the addition of some guitar solos. A short UK tour followed, followed by touring in Europe and the US and a further line-up change occurred with Pig Killer being replaced by former Cradle of Filth
drummer William A. "Was" Sarginson. The line-up changes continued with the departure of founder member Phil Vane, who left to join Napalm Death
in late 1996. In an example of trading places, Napalm Death frontman Mark "Barney" Greenway
agreed to join ENT during the recording of their next album, Damage 381. The album, whose title comes from the BPM recorded on the title track, saw ENT moving further into death metal
territory, reincorporating some of the blast beat
s and screamed vocals that had been missing from their previous two releases. The album also benefited from a production from noted metal producer Colin Richardson
. At the same time Napalm Death were having a hard time getting the vocals that they wanted from Vane and asked Greenway to return, which he agreed to do, leaving ENT once again lacking a second vocalist. Vane subsequently returned to the band in 1997.
Further line-up changes occurred in 1999, with Vane once again departing to be replaced by Adam Catchpole, Sarginson being replaced by Zac O'Neil, and former Cradle of Filth member Gian Pyres
joining on lead guitar. In 2001, the band signed to Candlelight and released their fourth full-length album, Being and Nothing
. The band also played a fourth session for BBC Radio 1 in February 2001 and continued to tour round Europe, including a slot on the main stage at Wacken Open Air
in 2003.
) and Desecration
's Ollie Jones was added to the line-up as permanent second guitarist. In early 2006, Phil Vane once again returned to the band after living in Switzerland
for six and a half years. Zac O'Neil also leftd the band, to be replaced by Mic Hourihan (of Tigertailz
). In 2007, ENT toured the US with grind merchants Phobia
and released a split recording with Driller Killer
through French label Osmose
. The following year the band released a split 7" with Trap Them
(released on Deathwish Inc.
) to coincide with their joint US West Coast Distortion tour, which culminated at the 2008 Los Angeles Murderfest. In amongst playing shows worldwide, including Indonesia, Russia, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Finland, Germany, Estonia and at the Obscene Extreme
Festival in the Czech Republic, ENT recorded their next album, Law of Retaliation which was released in early 2009 by Osmose in Europe, MCR Company in Japan, and Deep Six Records in the US. Terrorizer described it as "a rabid, intense and gleeful return to explosive, hyper-speed hardcore punk insanity". The band continued to tour with shows throughout 2009 in Europe and a third Japanese tour, this time with Slang
. Though still fiercely political, in recent years the band has become more open-minded regarding some of their beliefs, especially concerning vegetarianism, and the use of drugs and alcohol. Jones commented:
In later years, Vane was the only vegetarian member of the band, and ENT no longer played pro-vegetarian songs like "Murder", although songs like "Think About It" (which questions the meat industry) remained in their set-list.
On February 17, 2011, Phil Vane died due to a cerebrovascular accident in his sleep at the age of 46.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
crust punk
Crust punk
Crust punk is a form of music influenced by anarcho-punk, hardcore punk and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the mid-1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on political and social ills...
/ grindcore
Grindcore
Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....
band originally formed in Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1985
1985 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985.-January–March:*January 1 - The newest music video channel, VH-1, debuts on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV...
. The band are widely considered one of the earliest and most influential European grindcore bands, and particularly the forefathers of the crustgrind subgenre.
Notable for one of the earliest uses of dual vocalists in hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
, and for recording a number of sessions for BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
DJ John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, Extreme Noise Terror started as a crust punk band and helped characterise the early, archetypal grindcore sound with fiercely political lyrics, grinding guitars, extremely fast tempo and often very short songs.
Early years
Extreme Noise Terror were formed in early 1985 in IpswichIpswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, originally consisting of dual vocalists Dean Jones and Phil Vane, guitarist Pete Hurley, bassist Jerry Clay and drummer Pig Killer. Prior to ENT, Vane and Hurley had played with Discharge
Discharge (band)
Discharge is a British hardcore punk band formed in 1977 by Terry "Tezz" Roberts and Roy "Rainy" Wainwright. They are often considered among one of the very first bands to play hardcore punk, and to mix punk with metal...
-influenced acts Freestate and Victims of War, whilst Jones had been singing with Raw Noise. Hurley claims that the band name came from an insert for an album by the Dutch band Lärm
Lärm
Lärm were a Dutch straight edge thrashcore band formed in 1981, first playing under the name of Total Chaoz. Lärm pioneered what would later be called power violence, along with bands Heresy and Siege...
: "It featured a bandanna-ed hardcore kid with 'Extreme Noise Terror' surrounding him. Those three words summed up exactly what we were aiming at." Aside from Discharge, the band cite as early influences Anti Cimex, Rattus and Antisect
Antisect
Antisect are an English anarcho-punk band, formed in 1982 in Daventry, Northamptonshire, UK. Their debut album, In Darkness There is No Choice, was released in 1983...
, another early proponent of the "one high, one low" vocal approach. ENT signed to the small UK-based indie label Manic Ears after a solitary gig supporting fellow UK punks Chaos UK
Chaos UK
Chaos UK are an English hardcore punk band formed in 1979 in Portishead, near Bristol. They played fast aggressive hardcore punk rock initially. The original line up of Simon on vocals, Andy on guitar, Chaos on bass and Potts on drums recorded two EP's and a full LP for Riot City Record...
. Their first release for the label was a split LP with Chaos UK in 1986, entitled Radioactive Earslaughter. Although there were still musical similarities between the two bands, ENT were already beginning to twist hardcore into what would later become known as "grindcore". ENT have however expressed misgivings about the use of the term:
In 1987, ENT came to the attention of John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, on the recommendation of fellow Ipswich group The Stupids
The Stupids
* For the skatepunk band see The Stupids * For the 1996 film, see The Stupids The Stupids are a fictional family which appear in a series of books written by Harry Allard and James Marshall...
. After seeing them live at the Caribbean Centre in Ipswich with his wife and son, Peel offered them their first (of four) Peel Session for BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, which was released through Strange Fruit
Strange Fruit Records
Strange Fruit Records was an independent record label in the United Kingdom.The label, established by Clive Selwood and John Peel in 1986, was the primary distributor of BBC recordings, including Peel Sessions....
. A second Peel Session was recorded the following May. During this period, the drum stool was filled by former Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
drummer Mick Harris
Mick Harris
Mick Harris commonly known and credited both as Mick Harris or occasionally M.J. Harris, is an English musician....
, although he left soon afterward to form Scorn
Scorn (band)
Scorn was an English electronic music project. The group was formed in the early 1990s as a side project of former Napalm Death members Mick Harris and Nic Bullen...
and was replaced by Tony "Stick" Dickens (of crust band Doom). Bassist Clay was replaced by Mark Gardener, and this line-up recorded ENT's debut album, A Holocaust in Your Head, which was later voted number 3 in Terrorizer
Terrorizer Magazine
Terrorizer is an extreme music magazine published by Dark Arts Ltd. in the United Kingdom. It is released every four weeks with thirteen issues a year and features a 'Fear Candy' covermount CD, a twice yearly 'Fear Candy Unsigned' CD, and a double-sided poster.-1993:Terrorizer published its first...
s essential European grindcore albums, who described it as "marrying a thick crust-punk crunch and vitriolic lyrical assault with the newborn, clattering fury of grindcore, 'Holocaust...' followed Napalm's heroic uppercuts and haymakers with a Doc Martin in the goolies." The band undertook a headline tour of both Europe and Japan in support of the album. In 1990, Jones and future ENT guitarist Ali Firouzbakht guested on Raw Noise's "Sound of Destruction" single release, and bassist Gardener was replaced by Peter Nash from the band Doom.
Collaboration with the KLF
On their return from Japan, ENT were invited to perform their third Peel Session, which was released along with their first as a full-length LP by Strange Fruit. The band then embarked on another European tour, after which they released their sophomore record, Phonophobia, through Vinyl Japan and returned to tour Japan once again. Further radio support from John Peel brought ENT to the attention of Bill DrummondBill Drummond
William Ernest Drummond is a Scottish artist, musician, writer and record producer. He was the co-founder of late 1980s avant-garde pop group The KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with which he burned a million pounds in 1994...
of The KLF
The KLF
The KLF were one of the seminal bands of the British acid house movement during the late 1980s and early 1990s....
; the two acts got in touch and Drummond asked ENT to re-record a version of KLF's hit single "3 a.m. Eternal
3 a.m. Eternal
"3 a.m. Eternal" is a song by The KLF, numerous versions of which were released as singles between 1989 and 1992. In January 1991, an acid house pop version of the song became an international top ten hit single, hitting #1 in the UK Singles Chart and #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and leading to...
", with the intention of the band performing live on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
at Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
. The BBC, however, felt that the song was inappropriate for broadcast on daytime television and thus refused to air the track, leading to the KLF boycotting the show. The single eventually saw limited edition release through KLF Communications
KLF Communications
This discography lists the key British and notable international releases of The KLF and the other pseudonyms of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty. It also details the other releases on their independent record label, KLF Communications, by KLF-spinoff Disco 2000 and Space...
and won Single of the Week from both the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
and Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
. ENT also worked on the abandoned KLF album The Black Room
The Black Room
The Black Room is a never-released LP by The KLF/The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, originally intended to be a complement to their earlier LP The White Room.-History:...
(the KLF had previously released an ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
album called The White Room
The White Room
Allmusic said that The White Room "represents the commercial and artistic peak of late-'80s acid-house" and Q magazine called it "strikingly imaginative" and "a more subtle form of subterfuge" than previous works...
), but when Drummond and KLF co-member Jimmy Cauty
Jimmy Cauty
James Francis Cauty is a British artist and musician born in Liverpool, England, in 1956...
announced the band's retirement, they also deleted the recordings. When asked how the collaboration came about, Jones said: "What actually happened was that Bill heard us on Peel when he was in the bath and got in touch. They had wanted to do rock versions of their songs with Motörhead but something fell through, so he rang us... The message said it's Bill from The KLF, but I thought they said 'the ALF
Animal Liberation Front
The Animal Liberation Front is an international, underground leaderless resistance that engages in illegal direct action in pursuit of animal liberation...
' so I didn't take much notice... Later, we got another message saying it was definitely Bill from The KLF and I said 'f--- off! What does he want with us?' But it all got explained eventually." The two bands were later asked to appear at the 1992 BRIT Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
, at which they caused controversy by firing blanks from machine guns into the audience, a performance that the NME listed at number 4 in their "top 100 rock moments".
Retro-bution, Vane's departure and subsequent albums
Extreme Noise Terror continued to tour throughout 1993 and 1994, and underwent further line-up changes; drummer Dickens left to join DIRT and was replaced by former member Pig Killer, Lee Barrett (founder of Candlelight RecordsCandlelight Records
Candlelight Records is an independent record label based in Europe founded by former Extreme Noise Terror bassist Lee Barrett, though it has had a division in the United States since January 2001. Candlelight Records specialises in black metal and death metal, having bands such as Emperor,...
and also member of Disgust) took over on bass, and Ali Firouzbakht joined on lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
. At the request of Digby Pearson
Digby Pearson
Digby Pearson, also known as "Dig," is a British musician who founded Earache Records, which signed some of the most infamous heavy metal acts worldwide in the 1980s and early 1990s....
, this line-up signed to Earache
Earache Records
Earache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
in June 1994 and recorded Retro-bution, essentially a compilation of re-recorded material from the band's earlier days, which was released in January 1995. The motivation behind this release was due to the band's dissatisfaction with their earlier recordings and saw ENT take a slightly more metal direction, including the addition of some guitar solos. A short UK tour followed, followed by touring in Europe and the US and a further line-up change occurred with Pig Killer being replaced by former Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
drummer William A. "Was" Sarginson. The line-up changes continued with the departure of founder member Phil Vane, who left to join Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
in late 1996. In an example of trading places, Napalm Death frontman Mark "Barney" Greenway
Mark Greenway
Mark "Barney" Greenway is a British extreme metal singer, who has been a member of Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror, and Benediction....
agreed to join ENT during the recording of their next album, Damage 381. The album, whose title comes from the BPM recorded on the title track, saw ENT moving further into death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
territory, reincorporating some of the blast beat
Blast beat
A blast beat is a drum beat often associated with extreme metal and grindcore, although its usage predates the genres, and is utilised by many different styles of metal...
s and screamed vocals that had been missing from their previous two releases. The album also benefited from a production from noted metal producer Colin Richardson
Colin Richardson
Colin Richardson is a British record producer, mixer and recording engineer. He has worked on over 100 albums, and is most frequently associated with heavy metal and its subgenres such as:*Anathema*As I Lay Dying*Behemoth*Bullet for My Valentine...
. At the same time Napalm Death were having a hard time getting the vocals that they wanted from Vane and asked Greenway to return, which he agreed to do, leaving ENT once again lacking a second vocalist. Vane subsequently returned to the band in 1997.
Further line-up changes occurred in 1999, with Vane once again departing to be replaced by Adam Catchpole, Sarginson being replaced by Zac O'Neil, and former Cradle of Filth member Gian Pyres
Gian Pyres
Gian Pyres is a British guitarist, best known for his work with extreme metal band Cradle of Filth for which he co-wrote and recorded guitars for Dusk And Her Embrace , Cruelty and the Beast , Midian , Bitter Suites to Succubi and Lovecraft & Witch Hearts...
joining on lead guitar. In 2001, the band signed to Candlelight and released their fourth full-length album, Being and Nothing
Being and Nothing
Being and Nothing is an album by Extreme Noise Terror. It was released in 2001 by Candlelight Records.-Track listing:*All Songs Written By Adam Catchpole, Dean Jones & Zac O'Neil, except where noted.# "Being and Nothing" – 2:08...
. The band also played a fourth session for BBC Radio 1 in February 2001 and continued to tour round Europe, including a slot on the main stage at Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
in 2003.
Recent activity
Ever struggling with line-up problems, Paul "Woody" Woodfield took over on lead guitar for studio and live duties in early 2001, whilst Stafford Glover took over on bass (from the departing Barrett, who left to concentrate on To-MeraTo-Mera
To-Mera are a progressive metal band from South Oxfordshire in the UK. The band plays a technical style of metal characterized by long songs, multiple time changes and jazz interludes.-Current members:*Julie Kiss - Vocals*Thomas MacLean - Guitar...
) and Desecration
Desecration (band)
Desecration is a British death metal band formed in Newport, south Wales in 1992.-Background:Formed in 1992, and releasing their first demo in 1993, the band caused controversy in 1995 when their debut album Gore and Perversion was infamously seized and incinerated by the local police due to the...
's Ollie Jones was added to the line-up as permanent second guitarist. In early 2006, Phil Vane once again returned to the band after living in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
for six and a half years. Zac O'Neil also leftd the band, to be replaced by Mic Hourihan (of Tigertailz
Tigertailz
Tigertailz are a glam metal band hailing from Cardiff, Wales. They are most famous for their 1990 album, Bezerk, which made the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart, and spawned a couple of successful singles...
). In 2007, ENT toured the US with grind merchants Phobia
Phobia
A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder, usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational...
and released a split recording with Driller Killer
Driller Killer (band)
Driller Killer is a Swedish D-beat/crust punk band, strongly influenced by the sound of Discharge. They were formed in 1993 in Malmö and are named after the Abel Ferrara movie of the same name...
through French label Osmose
Osmose Productions
Osmose Productions is a French independent record label created in 1991 by Hervé Herbaut, after he had spent three years running a small mail order company...
. The following year the band released a split 7" with Trap Them
Trap Them
- Description :Trap Them's influences include hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Born Against, and Tragedy; metal bands like Dismember and Entombed , and experimental bands like Swans...
(released on Deathwish Inc.
Deathwish Inc.
Deathwish, Inc. is a independent record label founded by Jacob Bannon and Tre McCarthy. The label was originally used to release early albums by Bannon's own band Converge starting in late 1991. It wasn't until late 1999 that McCarthy and Bannon discussed turning Deathwish into a full-fledged label...
) to coincide with their joint US West Coast Distortion tour, which culminated at the 2008 Los Angeles Murderfest. In amongst playing shows worldwide, including Indonesia, Russia, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Finland, Germany, Estonia and at the Obscene Extreme
Obscene Extreme
Obscene Extreme is an extreme metal and grindcore open-air music festival taking place in Trutnov, Czech Republic each summer since 1999. To date, 490 bands have performed at Obscene Extreme.- Obscene Extreme 1999 :...
Festival in the Czech Republic, ENT recorded their next album, Law of Retaliation which was released in early 2009 by Osmose in Europe, MCR Company in Japan, and Deep Six Records in the US. Terrorizer described it as "a rabid, intense and gleeful return to explosive, hyper-speed hardcore punk insanity". The band continued to tour with shows throughout 2009 in Europe and a third Japanese tour, this time with Slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
. Though still fiercely political, in recent years the band has become more open-minded regarding some of their beliefs, especially concerning vegetarianism, and the use of drugs and alcohol. Jones commented:
In later years, Vane was the only vegetarian member of the band, and ENT no longer played pro-vegetarian songs like "Murder", although songs like "Think About It" (which questions the meat industry) remained in their set-list.
On February 17, 2011, Phil Vane died due to a cerebrovascular accident in his sleep at the age of 46.
Current line-up
- Dean Jones (vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, 1985–present) - Chino (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, 2010–present) - Ollie Jones (guitar, 2002–present)
- Stafford Glover (bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, 2001–present) - Zac O'Neil (drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, 1997–2007, 2010–present)
Former members
- Spit (vocals, 1989)
- Mark "Barney" GreenwayMark GreenwayMark "Barney" Greenway is a British extreme metal singer, who has been a member of Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror, and Benediction....
(vocals, 1996–1997) - Adam Catchpole (vocals, 2000–2006)
- Jose Kurt (vocals)
- Phil Vane (vocals, 1985–1996, 1997–1999, 2006–2011) (deceased)
- Pete Hurley (guitar, 1985–1995)
- Gian PyresGian PyresGian Pyres is a British guitarist, best known for his work with extreme metal band Cradle of Filth for which he co-wrote and recorded guitars for Dusk And Her Embrace , Cruelty and the Beast , Midian , Bitter Suites to Succubi and Lovecraft & Witch Hearts...
(guitar) - Ali Firouzbakht (Al Todd) (guitar, 1995–2005)
- Paul "Woody" Woodfield (guitar, 2001–2010)
- Jerry Clay (bass, 1985–1988)
- Mark Gardener (bass, 1988-1988)
- Peter (Doom) Nash (bass, 1988–1989)
- Mark Bailey (bass, 1990–1994)
- Lee Barrett (bass, 1994–1997)
- Manny Cooke (bass, 1997–2001)
- Darren "Pig Killer" Olley (drums, 1985–1987, 1993–1995)
- Mick HarrisMick HarrisMick Harris commonly known and credited both as Mick Harris or occasionally M.J. Harris, is an English musician....
(drums, 1987–1988) - Tony "Stick" Dickens (drums, 1988–1993)
- William A. "Was" Sarginson (drums, 1995–1997)
- Michael Hourihan (drums, 2007–2010)
Discography
- Radioactive Earslaughter split LP with Chaos UKChaos UKChaos UK are an English hardcore punk band formed in 1979 in Portishead, near Bristol. They played fast aggressive hardcore punk rock initially. The original line up of Simon on vocals, Andy on guitar, Chaos on bass and Potts on drums recorded two EP's and a full LP for Riot City Record...
(Manic Ears, 1986) - The Peel Session 12" MLP (Strange FruitStrange Fruit RecordsStrange Fruit Records was an independent record label in the United Kingdom.The label, established by Clive Selwood and John Peel in 1986, was the primary distributor of BBC recordings, including Peel Sessions....
, 1987) - A Holocaust in Your Head LP (Head Eruption, 1988)
- Are You That Desperate live EP (Crust, 1989)
- In It For Life split LP with Filthkick (Sink Below, 1989)
- The Peel Sessions '87-'90 CD/LP (Strange Fruit, 1990)
- ENT vs. KLF 7" single (KLF CommunicationsKLF CommunicationsThis discography lists the key British and notable international releases of The KLF and the other pseudonyms of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty. It also details the other releases on their independent record label, KLF Communications, by KLF-spinoff Disco 2000 and Space...
, 1991) - The Split Noiz live EP, split with PatareniPatareniPatareni are a punk rock / noise / grindcore band from Croatia, formed in 1983. Owing to their formation at such an early date, they are considered to be one of the earliest grindcore bands. Their name comes from Pataria, a medieval sect....
(bootleg; FalSanja Kol'ko'S / Debilana Sound, 1990) - Live and Loud live CD (unknown label, 1990)
- Phonophobia CD/LP (Discipline / Vinyl Japan, 1991)
- Retro-bution CD/LP (EaracheEarache RecordsEarache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
, 1995) - Damage 381 CD (Earache, 1997)
- Being and NothingBeing and NothingBeing and Nothing is an album by Extreme Noise Terror. It was released in 2001 by Candlelight Records.-Track listing:*All Songs Written By Adam Catchpole, Dean Jones & Zac O'Neil, except where noted.# "Being and Nothing" – 2:08...
CD (CandlelightCandlelight RecordsCandlelight Records is an independent record label based in Europe founded by former Extreme Noise Terror bassist Lee Barrett, though it has had a division in the United States since January 2001. Candlelight Records specialises in black metal and death metal, having bands such as Emperor,...
, 2001) - Live at the Fulham Greyhound London 1989 live CD (Cherry RedCherry RedCherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
, 2002) - From One Extreme to Another DVD (Candlelight, 2003)
- Hatred and the Filth 7" EP (Distortion, 2004)
- Split CD/10" EP with Driller KillerDriller Killer (band)Driller Killer is a Swedish D-beat/crust punk band, strongly influenced by the sound of Discharge. They were formed in 1993 in Malmö and are named after the Abel Ferrara movie of the same name...
(OsmoseOsmose ProductionsOsmose Productions is a French independent record label created in 1991 by Hervé Herbaut, after he had spent three years running a small mail order company...
, 2006) - Back to the Roots Digital download compilation (Moshpit TragedyMoshpit Tragedy RecordsMoshpit Tragedy Records is an independent record label from Canada which releases punk, metal and some of their subgenres . In 2007, they became the first record label to abandon physical releases in favour of a fully "sliding-scale" or "pay-what-you-want" download model.- Origin :Moshpit Tragedy...
, 2008) - Split 7" EP with Trap ThemTrap Them- Description :Trap Them's influences include hardcore punk bands, such as Black Flag, Born Against, and Tragedy; metal bands like Dismember and Entombed , and experimental bands like Swans...
(Deathwish Inc.Deathwish Inc.Deathwish, Inc. is a independent record label founded by Jacob Bannon and Tre McCarthy. The label was originally used to release early albums by Bannon's own band Converge starting in late 1991. It wasn't until late 1999 that McCarthy and Bannon discussed turning Deathwish into a full-fledged label...
, 2008) - Law of Retaliation CD/LP (Osmose, MCR Company, Deep Six, 2009)
- Split 5" EP with Cock ESP (Little Mafia, 2009)
- Hardcore Attack Of The Low Life Dogs split 7" EP with SlangSlangSlang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
(Farewell Records, 2010)
Further reading
- Boniwell, Alex (March 2009). In Grind We Crust. In TerrorizerTerrorizer MagazineTerrorizer is an extreme music magazine published by Dark Arts Ltd. in the United Kingdom. It is released every four weeks with thirteen issues a year and features a 'Fear Candy' covermount CD, a twice yearly 'Fear Candy Unsigned' CD, and a double-sided poster.-1993:Terrorizer published its first...
181, pp. 46–51. - Mudrian, Albert (2004). Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal & GrindcoreChoosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal & GrindcoreChoosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal & Grindcore is a book by Albert Mudrian. The book details the evolution of the death metal and grindcore extreme musical genres....
. Feral HouseFeral HouseFeral House is a book publisher owned and operated by Adam Parfrey. The publisher itself describes the books it sells as "pure information", and says the topics of the books are "forbidden"....
. ISBN 1-932595-04-X - Rodel, Angela (2004). Extreme Noise Terror: Punk Rock and the Aesthetics of Badness. In Bad Music: The Music We Love to Hate, Washburne, Christopher J. (ed.) and Derko, Maiken (ed.), RoutledgeRoutledgeRoutledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
, pp. 235–256. ISBN 978-0415943666.