Killing Time (band)
Encyclopedia
Killing Time is an influential New York Hardcore
band. From their beginnings in 1988, under the name Raw Deal, they went on to record two full-length albums and several EP
s, singles, and compilation tracks. The band went through three hiatus before formally disbanding in 1998. However, the band re-formed in 2006 and has been touring/playing since. Work on their third full-length album was completed in March 2009.
– another New York hardcore
band – split through personal differences. While Breakdown continued as a band without them, Anthony Comunale – formerly of Token Entry – was recruited on vocals and Mike Sentkiewitz – formerly of Sick Of It All
– on guitar to round out the Raw Deal line-up.
The band then recorded a demo cassette and set about playing at various venues in New York
– most notably at CBGB
's which was home to many hardcore punk
acts at the time, including Agnostic Front
, Warzone
, Sick Of It All
, Gorilla Biscuits
, and Murphy's Law
. They also created a second demo which remained uncirculated because, after a show at the Ritz Theatre in New York City
, they were signed to the In Effect Records label – a part of Relativity Records
– with a view to recording their first full-length album.
band of the same name. They entered the Normandy Sound studio in Warren, Rhode Island
with famed hardcore producer, Tom Soares – he had previously been involved with recording Cro-Mags
' Best Wishes
and Gang Green
's Older... Budweiser
to name but a few. The band performed as a four-piece and re-recorded some of the tracks from their first demo and a few new ones which resulted in the Brightside
album being released in November, 1989.
Also, on Blackout Records
, a New York hardcore
compilation was released which contained two of the band's tracks – "Backtrack" and "Brightside". Called Where the Wild Things Are, it also carried a photograph of the band performing live on the cover – exactly the same show where they were picked up by In Effect Records.
– this being their first and last show on the west coast of America – from which arose a 7" single entitled East Meets West which included the Killing Time track, "Wall of Hate", and tracks by Sick Of It All
, Vision, Carry Nation, and Point Blank. However, for most of this period, the band was considered to be in hiatus as they neither recorded nor toured.
, entitled Happy Hour. It contained four tracks and was released in July, 1992 on Blackout Records
. It was also released in Europe on Semaphore Records as a 12" – complete with the second, previously unreleased demo material which the band had recorded before signing for In Effect.
scene, resulted in the band again calling time on Killing Time. Joey I, roadie and author of the biography on the band's official website, explained it thus, "...the Hardcore scene itself was changing - becoming more violent and the music becoming secondary to the socializing and posing, they decided to call it quits". The band members joined or formed other bands. Porcaro and McLoughlin started the Rope-A-Dope record label, while Gopian joined a hip-hop band, Justice System. Drago became a police officer in White Plains, New York
and Comunale became involved in the financial sector of business.
. They were replaced by Dave Franklin of the New Jersey Hardcore band Vision on vocals, and ex-Judge and Uppercut guitarist Lars Weiss on bass.
was on its way.
. It was not just on the east coast, with Blackout Records
leading the way with the New York hardcore
and neighboring New Jersey
releases – re-issuing a lot of 1980s hardcore and eventually launching the recording careers of bands like H2O
– but also the west coast with labels such as Indecision Records
and Nitro Records
springing up. Victory Records
were also prolific releasers of punk from their Chicago
, Illinois
home in the mid-eastern states.
Comunale returned to the Killing Time fold and also Sean O'Brien came in on bass. Again the band entered the studio and released the Unavoidable EP on Blackout Records
in March, 1995. They also recorded a cover version
of the Sex Pistols
song, "Bodies" which appeared on the compilation, Punk Rock Jukebox – also on Blackout Records
. In addition, Brightside
was re-released simultaneously in the USA and Europe. On Lost & Found Records, it also contained three of the tracks from the Happy Hour EP. On Victory Records, it contained those three extra tracks plus the material from the band's first demo way back in 1988. The new EP was generally well received and seen as a return from the experimentations which had taken place in the Happy Hour era.
, in June, 1996 and emerged in August having recorded their second – and what proved to be last – album, The Method
. It was released in April, 1997 and marked a return to the harder sound created on the Brightside
album, but also a more melodic and intricate element with the addition of short guitar solos.
and the re-emergence of second-wave New York hardcore
bands into the third wave of late 1990s hardcore – even first wave veterans, Agnostic Front
, were tempted back to the studio – the band played its last show in Newburgh, New York in 1997 and finally brought the band to a rest in 1998.
Drago and Communale continued the professions they had started during their second hiatus; Porcaro now manages and produces local bands and was in the band Electric Frankenstein
; McLoughlin went on to perform with Maximum Penaly before joining Skin Kandy with O'Brien – who also played for, amongst others, Electric Frankenstein
. Porcaro also plays in two bands, Scream & Scream Again with his wife, and The Monumentals. In May 2005, the band played two reunion dates at Northsix Brooklyn, New York on a bill that included The Slumlords - a band that included the singer of Breakdown, the first hardcore band that Rich, Carl, and Drago played in. The band was scheduled to play later in 2005 at Posi-Numbers Festival in July, headlining the third and last day of the fest. However they never ended up playing due to the event being shut down only hours before they were scheduled to play due to a fight that broke out. They were also scheduled to play at the Hellfest in New Jersey
in August, 2005 before the event was canceled indefinitely. http://www.hellfest.com/ http://www.blackoutrecords.com/news.asp?id=&intbandid=21
Early in the summer of 2006, the band tapped old friend and Uppercut guitarist Chris Skowronski to play bass and did some NY-area shows before leaving for a European tour in the fall. They returned, played a few local shows, and set out for their first tour of Asia in November 2007, playing two weeks in Japan and So. Korea.
Inspired by the overwhelming response during the Asian tour, the band discussed writing the first new Killing Time material since 1996. They decided to bring it back to where it all started—Drago’s parents’ garage, the place where Breakdown had formed and where the classic “Brightside” record had been written and rehearsed. On a bitterly cold evening in early January 2008, the band assembled in the now much cleaner garage and got to work. A steady stream of new material began to take shape.
As winter turned to spring (and the garage’s spaceheater was replaced by a large fan), the band finalized the 12 songs that would become Killing Time’s third LP and first studio effort in over ten years. Recorded in July 2008 at Electroluxe Studios in Brooklyn, “Three Steps Back” is simultaneously a return to the band’s roots (literally, in the case of the garage) and a new vision of what a classic hardcore band can still accomplish. The band drew on their various influences and musicianship to craft twelve news songs that bring New York Hardcore back to its punk roots while still offering up that classic Killing Time crunch and power. At a time when the genre is more popular than ever—not always for the right reasons—the record is a testament to what true New York Hardcore is about: a bunch of friends in a garage having fun and doing what they enjoy.
In 2003, Carl Porcaro contributed some additional guitar work on a cover version
of "Tell Tale" by New Jersey
hardcore punk
band, Ensign
, on their album Love the Music, Hate the Kids
.
New York hardcore
New York hardcore refers to hardcore punk and metalcore music created in New York City and to the subculture associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C., by bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat. Hardcore '81 is an album by the...
band. From their beginnings in 1988, under the name Raw Deal, they went on to record two full-length albums and several 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...
s, singles, and compilation tracks. The band went through three hiatus before formally disbanding in 1998. However, the band re-formed in 2006 and has been touring/playing since. Work on their third full-length album was completed in March 2009.
1988 – Raw Deal
Raw Deal was formed in 1988 by Carl Porcaro, Rich McLoughlin, and Anthony Drago after their former band, BreakdownBreakdown (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...
– another New York hardcore
New York hardcore
New York hardcore refers to hardcore punk and metalcore music created in New York City and to the subculture associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C., by bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat. Hardcore '81 is an album by the...
band – split through personal differences. While Breakdown continued as a band without them, Anthony Comunale – formerly of Token Entry – was recruited on vocals and Mike Sentkiewitz – formerly of Sick Of It All
Sick of It All
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band from Queens, New York. Formed in 1986, the band consisted of brothers Lou Koller on vocals and Pete Koller on lead guitar, Rich Cipriano on bass, and Armand Majidi on drums. There have been only two member changes since their inception, with Max...
– on guitar to round out the Raw Deal line-up.
The band then recorded a demo cassette and set about playing at various venues in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
– most notably at CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
's which was home to many 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...
acts at the time, including Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...
, Warzone
Warzone (band)
Warzone was an American hardcore punk band formed on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1982. The band helped develop the New York hardcore sound, the hardcore skinhead style and the youth crew subgenre...
, Sick Of It All
Sick of It All
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band from Queens, New York. Formed in 1986, the band consisted of brothers Lou Koller on vocals and Pete Koller on lead guitar, Rich Cipriano on bass, and Armand Majidi on drums. There have been only two member changes since their inception, with Max...
, Gorilla Biscuits
Gorilla Biscuits
Gorilla Biscuits are a New York City-based vegan straight edge hardcore band consisting of Anthony "Civ" Civarelli, Walter Schreifels, Arthur Smilios, Alex Brown and Luke Abbey. The band is currently signed to Revelation Records.-Early career:...
, and Murphy's Law
Murphy's Law (band)
Murphy's Law is an American hardcore band from New York City, New York, formed in 1982. While vocalist Jimmy Gestapo remains the only founding member of the band, the line-up has consisted of former members of bands such as Skinnerbox, Danzig, The Bouncing Souls, Mucky Pup, Dog Eat Dog, Hanoi...
. They also created a second demo which remained uncirculated because, after a show at the Ritz Theatre in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, they were signed to the In Effect Records label – a part of Relativity Records
Relativity Records
Relativity Records, often branded just Relativity, is an American record label founded by Barry Kobrin at the site of his company, Important Record Distribution in metro New York. Early on, as an indie label, Relativity released music in a variety of styles, including dance, jazz, punk, and...
– with a view to recording their first full-length album.
1989 – Killing Time and Brightside
Mike Sentkiewitz left the band and they were forced to change their name to Killing Time after legal action was threatened by a heavy metalHeavy 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 of the same name. They entered the Normandy Sound studio in Warren, Rhode Island
Warren, Rhode Island
Warren is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 10,611 at the 2010 census.-History:Warren was the site of the Indian village of Sowams on the peninsula called Pokanoket , and was first explored by Europeans in 1621, by Edward Winslow and Stephen Hopkins...
with famed hardcore producer, Tom Soares – he had previously been involved with recording Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags are a hardcore punk turned crossover thrash band from New York City. The band, which had a strong cult following, released many records, their first two considered the most influential...
' Best Wishes
Best Wishes
Best Wishes is the second album by New York hardcore band, Cro-Mags. It was released in 1989 on Profile Records and was subsequently re-released on Another Planet – along with their debut album, The Age Of Quarrel, on the same disc....
and Gang Green
Gang Green
Gang Green is a band originally from Braintree, Massachusetts. Chris Doherty , Bill Manley and Mike Dean started the band in 1980 and broke up in 1984...
's Older... Budweiser
Older... Budweiser
Older... Budweiser was the third full-length album released by Boston, Massachusetts hardcore punk/speed metal band, Gang Green.It was released in 1989, a year after the EP, I81B4U...
to name but a few. The band performed as a four-piece and re-recorded some of the tracks from their first demo and a few new ones which resulted in the Brightside
Brightside (album)
Brightside was the first of two full-length albums released by New York hardcore band, Killing Time. It was released in November 1989 on In Effect Records, a division of Relativity Records, and subsequently re-released in 1995 by Lost & Found Records in Europe, and Victory Records in the U.S. –...
album being released in November, 1989.
Also, on Blackout Records
Blackout Records
Blackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
, a New York hardcore
New York hardcore
New York hardcore refers to hardcore punk and metalcore music created in New York City and to the subculture associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C., by bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat. Hardcore '81 is an album by the...
compilation was released which contained two of the band's tracks – "Backtrack" and "Brightside". Called Where the Wild Things Are, it also carried a photograph of the band performing live on the cover – exactly the same show where they were picked up by In Effect Records.
1990 – 1991 The first hiatus
After the album was released, Rich McLoughlin expressed a desire to switch from bass to guitar but the rest of the band were not so enthusiastic about this. McLoughlin left and his place was filled by ex-Inside Out bassist, Alex Gopian. The band played a show in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
– this being their first and last show on the west coast of America – from which arose a 7" single entitled East Meets West which included the Killing Time track, "Wall of Hate", and tracks by Sick Of It All
Sick of It All
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band from Queens, New York. Formed in 1986, the band consisted of brothers Lou Koller on vocals and Pete Koller on lead guitar, Rich Cipriano on bass, and Armand Majidi on drums. There have been only two member changes since their inception, with Max...
, Vision, Carry Nation, and Point Blank. However, for most of this period, the band was considered to be in hiatus as they neither recorded nor toured.
1991 – 1992 Happy Hour
In late 1991, Rich McLoughlin rejoined the band in the second guitarist slot for which he had craved and the band entered the studio to record an EPExtended 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...
, entitled Happy Hour. It contained four tracks and was released in July, 1992 on Blackout Records
Blackout Records
Blackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
. It was also released in Europe on Semaphore Records as a 12" – complete with the second, previously unreleased demo material which the band had recorded before signing for In Effect.
1992 – 1993 The second hiatus
A combination of a bad response to the different musical direction displayed in the material on Happy Hour, compounded by general problems of violence in the New York hardcoreNew York hardcore
New York hardcore refers to hardcore punk and metalcore music created in New York City and to the subculture associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C., by bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat. Hardcore '81 is an album by the...
scene, resulted in the band again calling time on Killing Time. Joey I, roadie and author of the biography on the band's official website, explained it thus, "...the Hardcore scene itself was changing - becoming more violent and the music becoming secondary to the socializing and posing, they decided to call it quits". The band members joined or formed other bands. Porcaro and McLoughlin started the Rope-A-Dope record label, while Gopian joined a hip-hop band, Justice System. Drago became a police officer in White Plains, New York
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
and Comunale became involved in the financial sector of business.
1994 – European tour
The band reformed briefly in 1994 for a European tour. However, Comunale was unable to resume duties due to job commitments and Gopian's Justice System had signed to MCA RecordsMCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
. They were replaced by Dave Franklin of the New Jersey Hardcore band Vision on vocals, and ex-Judge and Uppercut guitarist Lars Weiss on bass.
1994 – 1995 The third hiatus
The band's unfamiliar line-up and general appearance caused mixed reviews from the European music press, and so the band rested yet again. But a flurry of activity was just on the horizon as a renewed interest in hardcore punkHardcore 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...
was on its way.
1995 – Records, records and more records
1995 saw the beginning of an upturn in the market for hardcore punkHardcore 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...
. It was not just on the east coast, with Blackout Records
Blackout Records
Blackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
leading the way with the New York hardcore
New York hardcore
New York hardcore refers to hardcore punk and metalcore music created in New York City and to the subculture associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C., by bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat. Hardcore '81 is an album by the...
and neighboring New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
releases – re-issuing a lot of 1980s hardcore and eventually launching the recording careers of bands like H2O
H2O (American band)
-Prologue:Prior to the formation of H2O, in the early-mid-1980s, Todd Morse and Rusty Pistachio were part of the speed punk band "Roadside Petz". This band featured Wayne Williams on drums...
– but also the west coast with labels such as Indecision Records
Indecision Records
Indecision Records is an independent American hardcore punk record label which was started by Dave Mandel in 1995. It is based in Garden Grove, California. Until around 2001, it was based in nearby Huntington Beach. Both cities are within Orange County...
and Nitro Records
Nitro Records
Nitro Records is an independent record label created and owned by Dexter Holland and Greg Kriesel . They started the label in 1994. The label is famous for being an incubator for punk rock artists who have subsequently become successful, most notably AFI...
springing up. Victory Records
Victory Records
Victory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It is a privately held corporation. It also operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several smaller independent record labels....
were also prolific releasers of punk from their Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
home in the mid-eastern states.
Comunale returned to the Killing Time fold and also Sean O'Brien came in on bass. Again the band entered the studio and released the Unavoidable EP on Blackout Records
Blackout Records
Blackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
in March, 1995. They also recorded a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
song, "Bodies" which appeared on the compilation, Punk Rock Jukebox – also on Blackout Records
Blackout Records
Blackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
. In addition, Brightside
Brightside (album)
Brightside was the first of two full-length albums released by New York hardcore band, Killing Time. It was released in November 1989 on In Effect Records, a division of Relativity Records, and subsequently re-released in 1995 by Lost & Found Records in Europe, and Victory Records in the U.S. –...
was re-released simultaneously in the USA and Europe. On Lost & Found Records, it also contained three of the tracks from the Happy Hour EP. On Victory Records, it contained those three extra tracks plus the material from the band's first demo way back in 1988. The new EP was generally well received and seen as a return from the experimentations which had taken place in the Happy Hour era.
1996 – 1997 The Method
The band entered the LoHo Studio, New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, in June, 1996 and emerged in August having recorded their second – and what proved to be last – album, The Method
The Method (album)
The Method is the second full-length album by New York hardcore band, Killing Time. It was recorded between June and August, 1996 and released on Blackout Records in April, 1997. It was the band's first full length release since 1989's Brightside, but the band split up soon after its release,...
. It was released in April, 1997 and marked a return to the harder sound created on the Brightside
Brightside (album)
Brightside was the first of two full-length albums released by New York hardcore band, Killing Time. It was released in November 1989 on In Effect Records, a division of Relativity Records, and subsequently re-released in 1995 by Lost & Found Records in Europe, and Victory Records in the U.S. –...
album, but also a more melodic and intricate element with the addition of short guitar solos.
1998 and beyond – European Tour II and Japan/S. Korea; Three Steps Back
In spite of the success of The MethodThe Method (album)
The Method is the second full-length album by New York hardcore band, Killing Time. It was recorded between June and August, 1996 and released on Blackout Records in April, 1997. It was the band's first full length release since 1989's Brightside, but the band split up soon after its release,...
and the re-emergence of second-wave New York hardcore
New York hardcore
New York hardcore refers to hardcore punk and metalcore music created in New York City and to the subculture associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C., by bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat. Hardcore '81 is an album by the...
bands into the third wave of late 1990s hardcore – even first wave veterans, Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...
, were tempted back to the studio – the band played its last show in Newburgh, New York in 1997 and finally brought the band to a rest in 1998.
Drago and Communale continued the professions they had started during their second hiatus; Porcaro now manages and produces local bands and was in the band Electric Frankenstein
Electric Frankenstein
Electric Frankenstein is an American band from Whippany, Clifton, and other areas of New Jersey. Their music is generally considered punk rock, but includes elements of hard rock and Heavy Metal as well...
; McLoughlin went on to perform with Maximum Penaly before joining Skin Kandy with O'Brien – who also played for, amongst others, Electric Frankenstein
Electric Frankenstein
Electric Frankenstein is an American band from Whippany, Clifton, and other areas of New Jersey. Their music is generally considered punk rock, but includes elements of hard rock and Heavy Metal as well...
. Porcaro also plays in two bands, Scream & Scream Again with his wife, and The Monumentals. In May 2005, the band played two reunion dates at Northsix Brooklyn, New York on a bill that included The Slumlords - a band that included the singer of Breakdown, the first hardcore band that Rich, Carl, and Drago played in. The band was scheduled to play later in 2005 at Posi-Numbers Festival in July, headlining the third and last day of the fest. However they never ended up playing due to the event being shut down only hours before they were scheduled to play due to a fight that broke out. They were also scheduled to play at the Hellfest in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in August, 2005 before the event was canceled indefinitely. http://www.hellfest.com/ http://www.blackoutrecords.com/news.asp?id=&intbandid=21
Early in the summer of 2006, the band tapped old friend and Uppercut guitarist Chris Skowronski to play bass and did some NY-area shows before leaving for a European tour in the fall. They returned, played a few local shows, and set out for their first tour of Asia in November 2007, playing two weeks in Japan and So. Korea.
Inspired by the overwhelming response during the Asian tour, the band discussed writing the first new Killing Time material since 1996. They decided to bring it back to where it all started—Drago’s parents’ garage, the place where Breakdown had formed and where the classic “Brightside” record had been written and rehearsed. On a bitterly cold evening in early January 2008, the band assembled in the now much cleaner garage and got to work. A steady stream of new material began to take shape.
As winter turned to spring (and the garage’s spaceheater was replaced by a large fan), the band finalized the 12 songs that would become Killing Time’s third LP and first studio effort in over ten years. Recorded in July 2008 at Electroluxe Studios in Brooklyn, “Three Steps Back” is simultaneously a return to the band’s roots (literally, in the case of the garage) and a new vision of what a classic hardcore band can still accomplish. The band drew on their various influences and musicianship to craft twelve news songs that bring New York Hardcore back to its punk roots while still offering up that classic Killing Time crunch and power. At a time when the genre is more popular than ever—not always for the right reasons—the record is a testament to what true New York Hardcore is about: a bunch of friends in a garage having fun and doing what they enjoy.
In 2003, Carl Porcaro contributed some additional guitar work on a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Tell Tale" by New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
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...
band, Ensign
Ensign (band)
Ensign is a hardcore punk band from New Jersey, USA. It was formed in 1995 and signed to Indecision Records in 1996. They signed to the larger label "next door", Dexter Holland's Nitro Records in 1998 and finally came to rest at Blackout Records in 2003 after a brief sortie back to Indecision in...
, on their album Love the Music, Hate the Kids
Love The Music, Hate The Kids
Love the Music, Hate The Kids is New Jersey, U.S. hardcore punk band Ensign's fourth full-length album. It is an album of cover versions of seminal hardcore punk songs from the early-80s to mid-90s. It was recorded in seven days and released in October, 2003...
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Official members
- Anthony Comunale – vocals
- Carl Porcaro – guitar
- Rich McLoughlin – guitar
- Christopher Skowronski – bass
- Anthony Drago – drums
Previous members
- Sean O'Brien – bass (c.1992 – 2006)
- Mike Sentkiewitz – guitar (c.1988 – 1989)
- Alex Gopian – bass (c. 1990 – 1992)
- Dave Franklin – vocals (1994)
- Lars Weiss – bass (1994)
Albums/EPs
- BrightsideBrightside (album)Brightside was the first of two full-length albums released by New York hardcore band, Killing Time. It was released in November 1989 on In Effect Records, a division of Relativity Records, and subsequently re-released in 1995 by Lost & Found Records in Europe, and Victory Records in the U.S. –...
(November, 1989) In Effect Records - Happy Hour EP (July, 1992) Blackout RecordsBlackout RecordsBlackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
- Unavoidable EP (March, 1995) Blackout RecordsBlackout RecordsBlackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
- The MethodThe Method (album)The Method is the second full-length album by New York hardcore band, Killing Time. It was recorded between June and August, 1996 and released on Blackout Records in April, 1997. It was the band's first full length release since 1989's Brightside, but the band split up soon after its release,...
(April, 1997) Blackout RecordsBlackout RecordsBlackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation... - Raw Deal demo EP (May, 2005) Dead Serious Records
- Three Steps Back (February, 2010)
Singles
- East Meets West 7" (1991) Nemesis Records – "Wall Of Hate" in CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA - Killing Time/Profound Effect 7" (?) ? – split, contains "Fools Die"
Compilations
- Where the Wild Things Are (1989) Blackout RecordsBlackout RecordsBlackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
– "Backtrack" and "Brightside" - Punk Rock Jukebox (1995) Blackout RecordsBlackout RecordsBlackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
– Sex PistolsSex PistolsThe Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
's "Bodies" - Satisfaction Guaranteed (?) Nawpost – Major Conflict's "Outgroup"
- Creepy Crawl (1997) Another Planet – "Fools Die" live
Reissues
- Happy Hour 12" EP (1992) BlackoutBlackout RecordsBlackout! Records was an independent record label which specialized in the hardcore punk genre.It was formed in 1988 by Bill Wilson – now forever known as "Bill Blackout" – and, together with friend Jim Gibson, the label released its first record – a New York hardcore compilation...
/Semaphore Records – European import contains 2nd Raw Deal demo - BrightsideBrightside (album)Brightside was the first of two full-length albums released by New York hardcore band, Killing Time. It was released in November 1989 on In Effect Records, a division of Relativity Records, and subsequently re-released in 1995 by Lost & Found Records in Europe, and Victory Records in the U.S. –...
(1995) Lost & Found – contains Happy Hour EP - BrightsideBrightside (album)Brightside was the first of two full-length albums released by New York hardcore band, Killing Time. It was released in November 1989 on In Effect Records, a division of Relativity Records, and subsequently re-released in 1995 by Lost & Found Records in Europe, and Victory Records in the U.S. –...
(1995) Victory Records – contains Happy Hour EP and 1st Raw Deal demo