One King Down
Encyclopedia
One King Down was a straight edge
hardcore
band from Albany, New York
that recorded and performed from 1994 until 2002.
-based metallic hardcore band that played crunchy, danceable metal-influenced music by such scene contemporaries as Snapcase
and Earth Crisis
.
In 1997, the band released the Bloodlust Revenge EP, released on Equal Vision Records
and is regarded by most fans as the band's finest recorded hour. The group toured with Erie, Pennsylvania
-based Brothers Keeper and other bands, selling several thousand copies of the record at shows and through major independent distribution channels. The next year they released a split EP with Spirit of Youth through Europe's Good Life Recordings
.
Internal friction caused the ousting of singer Rob Fusco shortly before the band was to embark on a national tour supporting Earth Crisis
and Madball
, to be followed by another tour with Hatebreed
. One King Down scrambled to find a replacement, inviting then Burn It Down vocalist Ryan Downey to fill in for them. This union only lasted for two shows before the singer-less One King Down returned home to regroup. Eventually, they teamed up with Syracuse
native Jon Peters, who lent his vocals to the band's debut full-length album, 1998's God Loves, Man Kills
, which was also released on Equal Vision.
One King Down re-formed and Fusco was eventually invited to rejoin. One King Down released the Gravity Wins Again EP in 2000, a collection of newly penned songs together with older, previously recorded tracks. They played a few shows before Van Wie left the group, with Wood switching to drum duties as the Albany band pared down to a four-piece. In 2001, after skipping an appearance at Hellfest, it appeared that the band was done once and for all.
Five years after the band's initial break up, One King Down reunited again in 2006, yet, as of 2008, no live shows have been performed. Three new songs from a 2006 session were uploaded on the band's myspace page.
Straight edge
Straight edge is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock. For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a...
hardcore
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 from Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
that recorded and performed from 1994 until 2002.
Background
One King Down was an Albany, New YorkAlbany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
-based metallic hardcore band that played crunchy, danceable metal-influenced music by such scene contemporaries as Snapcase
Snapcase
Snapcase is a hardcore punk band from Buffalo, New York. Their records have been released on the Chicago record label, Victory Records. Through the course of the band's initial run of fourteen years, they released six studio albums before disbanding in 2005....
and Earth Crisis
Earth Crisis
Earth Crisis is an American metalcore band from Syracuse, New York, active from 1989 until 2001, reuniting in 2007. Their most recent record, To the Death, was released in May 2009 through Century Media....
.
In 1997, the band released the Bloodlust Revenge EP, released on Equal Vision Records
Equal Vision Records
Equal Vision Records is a record label based in Albany, New York, which has a focus in metal or punk-based rock genres. Equal Vision Records was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo ....
and is regarded by most fans as the band's finest recorded hour. The group toured with Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
-based Brothers Keeper and other bands, selling several thousand copies of the record at shows and through major independent distribution channels. The next year they released a split EP with Spirit of Youth through Europe's Good Life Recordings
Good Life Recordings
Good Life Recordings is a record label based in Belgium. It was founded in 1996 by Edward Verhaeghe who had been the lead vocalist in Nations On Fire. The label specializes in hardcore bands. It has released many highly significant bands of the second and third wave of hardcore, as well as the...
.
Internal friction caused the ousting of singer Rob Fusco shortly before the band was to embark on a national tour supporting Earth Crisis
Earth Crisis
Earth Crisis is an American metalcore band from Syracuse, New York, active from 1989 until 2001, reuniting in 2007. Their most recent record, To the Death, was released in May 2009 through Century Media....
and Madball
Madball
Madball is a New York-based hardcore band that originated in the late 1980s, as a side-project of Agnostic Front .- History :Madball was founded in 1988 and featured most of Agnostic Front's members...
, to be followed by another tour with Hatebreed
Hatebreed
- History :Hatebreed was formed in 1994 in Bridgeport, Waterbury and New Haven. They began by recording a three song demo and selling it to locals. Those three songs would eventually be released on a split seven inch with New York's Neglect in 1995...
. One King Down scrambled to find a replacement, inviting then Burn It Down vocalist Ryan Downey to fill in for them. This union only lasted for two shows before the singer-less One King Down returned home to regroup. Eventually, they teamed up with Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
native Jon Peters, who lent his vocals to the band's debut full-length album, 1998's God Loves, Man Kills
God loves, man kills (album)
God Loves, Man Kills was One King Down's second release but first full-length album. It was released on December 8, 1998, through Equal Vision Records...
, which was also released on Equal Vision.
One King Down re-formed and Fusco was eventually invited to rejoin. One King Down released the Gravity Wins Again EP in 2000, a collection of newly penned songs together with older, previously recorded tracks. They played a few shows before Van Wie left the group, with Wood switching to drum duties as the Albany band pared down to a four-piece. In 2001, after skipping an appearance at Hellfest, it appeared that the band was done once and for all.
Five years after the band's initial break up, One King Down reunited again in 2006, yet, as of 2008, no live shows have been performed. Three new songs from a 2006 session were uploaded on the band's myspace page.
Members
- Rob Fusco - vocals
- Mike Scoville - guitar
- Bill Scoville - bass
- Derrick Vanwie - drums
- Matt Wood - guitar
- Bill Brown - vocals
- Jon Peters - vocals
Discography
- Jawbreaker Demo Cassette (1994, Self-ReleasedDemo (music)A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
) - Absolve CDep (1995, Trainwreck Records)
- Bloodlust Revenge (1997, Equal Vision RecordsEqual Vision RecordsEqual Vision Records is a record label based in Albany, New York, which has a focus in metal or punk-based rock genres. Equal Vision Records was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo ....
) - God Loves, Man Kills CD/12" (1998, Equal Vision RecordsEqual Vision RecordsEqual Vision Records is a record label based in Albany, New York, which has a focus in metal or punk-based rock genres. Equal Vision Records was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo ....
) - Gravity Wins Again 7"/CD (2000, Equal Vision RecordsEqual Vision RecordsEqual Vision Records is a record label based in Albany, New York, which has a focus in metal or punk-based rock genres. Equal Vision Records was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo ....
- CD version contains Absolve) - Rob Loves, Man Kills Demo CDr (2006, Unreleased)
- Split - One King Down/Spirit of Youth Split CD (1998, Good Life RecordingsGood Life RecordingsGood Life Recordings is a record label based in Belgium. It was founded in 1996 by Edward Verhaeghe who had been the lead vocalist in Nations On Fire. The label specializes in hardcore bands. It has released many highly significant bands of the second and third wave of hardcore, as well as the...
) - Split - When Angles Shed Their Wings Volume 2 7" (2001, Devil's Head Records)
- Split - One King Down/Mindsnare/Day of Contempt Split 7" (2001 Trial & Error RecordsTrial & Error RecordsTrial & Error Records is an independent record label based in Melbourne, Victoria. It is one of Australia's largest hardcore labels. The label is owned and run by Mindsnare bassist, Nigel Melder.-Current Artists:*4dead*Against* Antagonist A.D...
)
- V/A - City Rockers: A Tribute to the Clash (1999, Chord Records)
External links
- Equal Vision Records pageEqual Vision Records page
- One King Downs official myspace pageOne King Downs official myspace page