Battery (band)
Encyclopedia
Battery was a Washington D.C. hardcore band that existed from 1990 until 1998. During this time they released a 7", a split 7" with Ignite, two MCDs and three full-length albums on Deadlock, Lost & Found, Tidal, Conversion, and Revelation Records.
The guitarist and main man was Ken Olden, who also played in Damnation A.D.
, Better Than A Thousand
, When Tigers Fight, Worlds Collide, Far Cry and Fort Knox and filled in on bass for Youth Of Today
on their 2003 European reunion tour.
Singer Brian McTernan
, a well known hardcore record producer, presently owns and operates Salad Days recording studio in Baltimore and also played guitar in the D.C. emo hardcore band Ashes
, as well as Miltown and My Best Mistake.
on vocals, Ken Olden and Matt Squire
on guitars, Toshi Yano
on bass and Zac Eller on drums. The songs from this original 7" were re-recorded and released as an EP entitled We Won't Fall in 1993 on the German record label Lost & Found. The band, as it states in the liner notes of the EP, then turned into Worlds Collide
with Matt Burger becoming the new vocalist.
Battery achieved phenomenal success in Europe, especially in Germany, whereas in the USA they were only well known in the D.C. area. The band was eventually reformed with Brian McTernan and Ken Olden, a new bass player (Ben Chused) and a new drummer (Al Rosenberg) and embarked on an extensive European tour. They released their first full length album in 1994, Only the Diehard Remain, on Tidal Records in the USA and on Lost & Found Records in Europe. This album featured the cover of 7 Seconds We're Gonna Fight and featured Ken Olden performing all of the guitar and drum tracks. In the same year they released a four song E.P. entitled Let the Past Go as well as a split 7" with Ignite, both on Lost & Found Records.
By 1996 they released Until the End, their second full length album, which featured another 7 Seconds cover, Young Till I Die. By this stage they had a new drummer, Jason Hamacher
, who was also a member of the D.C. spazzcore band Frodus
. This album saw the refinement of the bands old school revival sound, as they moved towards a more stripped down and melodic style. Ben Chused then left the band and began playing drums in the Boston hardcore band, Ten Yard Fight
. He was replaced with Graham Land who had played guitar in Worlds Collide and founded Better Than A Thousand
with Ken Olden and Ray Cappo
, the singer of Youth of Today
. The band then began their first major tour in the United States, headlining with Ten Yard Fight
, as well as their second major tour of Europe with Damnation AD.
Their third and final full length LP, Whatever It Takes, was released on the major hardcore label Revelation Records
. The drums on this album were, for the first time since We Won't Fall, not performed by Ken Olden, but by Jason Hamacher
. This album was by far the softest and melodic of their releases and Brian McTernan explained in an interview that the next record would be "more aggressive sounding". After the release the band toured the United States and Europe with Revelation Records
labelmates, Better Than A Thousand
, In My Eyes and Speak 714.
Unfortunately another release would never materialise and the band broke up, reportedly due to differences between Brian McTernan and Ken Olden. Frustrated with Lost & Found Records continually bootlegging the band's back catalog, Ken authorized the release of a compilation CD in 2002 entitled Final Fury: 1990-1997 on the Spanish hardcore label Soul Force.
Battery
Ignite
The guitarist and main man was Ken Olden, who also played in Damnation A.D.
Damnation A.D.
Damnation A.D. is an American band from Washington, D.C.. The group released several albums in the 1990s before disbanding. They reformed in 2007.-History:...
, Better Than A Thousand
Better Than a Thousand
Better Than A Thousand was a hardcore band with former Youth of Today singer Ray Cappo, Graham Land and Ken Olden from Battery fame. It was a side project of Shelter, Ray originally intended just to record a couple songs with some friends and it spawned three world tours and two...
, When Tigers Fight, Worlds Collide, Far Cry and Fort Knox and filled in on bass for Youth Of Today
Youth of Today
Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk straight edge band, formed in 1985 and still in activity. The band played a major role in establishing the Youth Crew subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles.-History:Youth Of...
on their 2003 European reunion tour.
Singer Brian McTernan
Brian McTernan
Brian McTernan is a record producer who has worked with bands from all over the world. He works out of the Baltimore, MD area at Salad Days Studio. Brian was voted to be one of the 50 most influential people in Maryland by the Maryland Daily Record...
, a well known hardcore record producer, presently owns and operates Salad Days recording studio in Baltimore and also played guitar in the D.C. emo hardcore band Ashes
Ashes (band)
Ashes were a hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C. The band was known for their heavy guitars and female vocals.Ashes featured musical contributions from Matt Squire, who is a multi-platinum music producer, and Brian McTernan, who went on to play in the D.C...
, as well as Miltown and My Best Mistake.
Biography
Battery, originally entitled "Fury", was first established in 1990 and released a 4 song self-titled 7" on Deadlock Records in 1991. The record featured Brian McTernanBrian McTernan
Brian McTernan is a record producer who has worked with bands from all over the world. He works out of the Baltimore, MD area at Salad Days Studio. Brian was voted to be one of the 50 most influential people in Maryland by the Maryland Daily Record...
on vocals, Ken Olden and Matt Squire
Matt Squire
Matt Squire is an American multi-platinum music producer and writer. He has produced, engineered, or written tracks for One Direction, 3OH!3, Good Charlotte, New Boyz, Selena Gomez, David Archuleta, Taking Back Sunday, HIM, The Used, All Time Low, Panic! at the Disco, Boys Like Girls, The Cab,...
on guitars, Toshi Yano
Toshi Yano
Toshi Yano was a founding member of the DC hardcore band Battery, a touring member of The Fiery Furnaces from 2003–2005, playing bass and keyboards on world tours with the band, and a temporary bass player for Franz Ferdinand....
on bass and Zac Eller on drums. The songs from this original 7" were re-recorded and released as an EP entitled We Won't Fall in 1993 on the German record label Lost & Found. The band, as it states in the liner notes of the EP, then turned into Worlds Collide
Worlds Collide
Worlds Collide is the sixth studio album from Finnish metal band Apocalyptica, released on September 14, 2007. It includes special guests Till Lindemann, Corey Taylor, Adam Gontier, Dave Lombardo, Tomoyasu Hotei, and Cristina Scabbia...
with Matt Burger becoming the new vocalist.
Battery achieved phenomenal success in Europe, especially in Germany, whereas in the USA they were only well known in the D.C. area. The band was eventually reformed with Brian McTernan and Ken Olden, a new bass player (Ben Chused) and a new drummer (Al Rosenberg) and embarked on an extensive European tour. They released their first full length album in 1994, Only the Diehard Remain, on Tidal Records in the USA and on Lost & Found Records in Europe. This album featured the cover of 7 Seconds We're Gonna Fight and featured Ken Olden performing all of the guitar and drum tracks. In the same year they released a four song E.P. entitled Let the Past Go as well as a split 7" with Ignite, both on Lost & Found Records.
By 1996 they released Until the End, their second full length album, which featured another 7 Seconds cover, Young Till I Die. By this stage they had a new drummer, Jason Hamacher
Jason Hamacher
Jason Hamacher is an American musician. He was the drummer for the bands Frodus, Decahedron, Combatwoundedveteran and the mid-1990s straight-edge band Battery. He also sang under the pseudonym Ponan for the Washington, DC rock band Mancake , which released an EP on Art Monk Construction in 1999...
, who was also a member of the D.C. spazzcore band Frodus
Frodus
Frodus was a 1990s Washington, D.C.-based post-hardcore band, described by critics as a mixture of math rock, hardcore punk, and alternative rock. Their songs were frequently dark and dissonant...
. This album saw the refinement of the bands old school revival sound, as they moved towards a more stripped down and melodic style. Ben Chused then left the band and began playing drums in the Boston hardcore band, Ten Yard Fight
Ten Yard Fight
Ten Yard Fight was a straight edge, football-based band formed in 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with In My Eyes and Floorpunch, they spearheaded the youth crew revival in 1997. Ten Yard Fight's "official" last show was in Boston on October 17, which would become the first National Edge Day...
. He was replaced with Graham Land who had played guitar in Worlds Collide and founded Better Than A Thousand
Better Than a Thousand
Better Than A Thousand was a hardcore band with former Youth of Today singer Ray Cappo, Graham Land and Ken Olden from Battery fame. It was a side project of Shelter, Ray originally intended just to record a couple songs with some friends and it spawned three world tours and two...
with Ken Olden and Ray Cappo
Ray Cappo
Ray Cappo is the former vocalist for the hardcore bands Youth of Today, Reflex From Pain, Shelter, Better Than A Thousand, and the project recording "Pour Water On It". This icon of New York hardcore was originally from Connecticut, and played drums for the Connecticut band Violent Children...
, the singer of Youth of Today
Youth of Today
Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk straight edge band, formed in 1985 and still in activity. The band played a major role in establishing the Youth Crew subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles.-History:Youth Of...
. The band then began their first major tour in the United States, headlining with Ten Yard Fight
Ten Yard Fight
Ten Yard Fight was a straight edge, football-based band formed in 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts. Along with In My Eyes and Floorpunch, they spearheaded the youth crew revival in 1997. Ten Yard Fight's "official" last show was in Boston on October 17, which would become the first National Edge Day...
, as well as their second major tour of Europe with Damnation AD.
Their third and final full length LP, Whatever It Takes, was released on the major hardcore label Revelation Records
Revelation Records
Revelation Records is an independent record label focusing originally and primarily on hardcore punk. The label is known for its role in the evolution of hardcore and metallic post-hardcore with important releases by bands such as Youth of Today, Warzone, Sick of It All, Quicksand, Side By Side,...
. The drums on this album were, for the first time since We Won't Fall, not performed by Ken Olden, but by Jason Hamacher
Jason Hamacher
Jason Hamacher is an American musician. He was the drummer for the bands Frodus, Decahedron, Combatwoundedveteran and the mid-1990s straight-edge band Battery. He also sang under the pseudonym Ponan for the Washington, DC rock band Mancake , which released an EP on Art Monk Construction in 1999...
. This album was by far the softest and melodic of their releases and Brian McTernan explained in an interview that the next record would be "more aggressive sounding". After the release the band toured the United States and Europe with Revelation Records
Revelation Records
Revelation Records is an independent record label focusing originally and primarily on hardcore punk. The label is known for its role in the evolution of hardcore and metallic post-hardcore with important releases by bands such as Youth of Today, Warzone, Sick of It All, Quicksand, Side By Side,...
labelmates, Better Than A Thousand
Better Than a Thousand
Better Than A Thousand was a hardcore band with former Youth of Today singer Ray Cappo, Graham Land and Ken Olden from Battery fame. It was a side project of Shelter, Ray originally intended just to record a couple songs with some friends and it spawned three world tours and two...
, In My Eyes and Speak 714.
Unfortunately another release would never materialise and the band broke up, reportedly due to differences between Brian McTernan and Ken Olden. Frustrated with Lost & Found Records continually bootlegging the band's back catalog, Ken authorized the release of a compilation CD in 2002 entitled Final Fury: 1990-1997 on the Spanish hardcore label Soul Force.
Discography
- Self Titled 7" (1991) - Deadlock Records
- Shattered Stone
- Fury
- I Won't Fall
- Fading
- We Won't Fall (1993) - Lost & Found Records
- I Won't Fall
- Overcome
- Fury
- Shattered Stone
- Fading
- Only the Diehard Remain (1994) - Tidal Records (USA), Lost & Found Records (Europe)
- Left Behind
- Trap
- Empty Room
- Unwound
- Success Story
- Choke
- Last Dance
- To Hold
- No Right
- Only The Diehard Remain
- We're Gonna Fight (7 Seconds cover)
- Let the Past Go (1994) - Lost & Found Records
- Bitter Taste
- These Are The Days
- Piece Of You
- Do You Believe
- Split 7" with Ignite (1994) - Lost & Found Records
Battery
- These Are The Days
- Choke
Ignite
- In My Time
- Aggression
- Until the End (1996) - Conversion Records (USA), Lost & Found Records (Europe)
- In Our Hands
- Has Been
- Why Is She In Pain?
- Go Back To The Gym
- That'll Never Be Me
- Never Forget
- Say It
- In The Dirt
- Move On
- The Factory
- Until the End
- Young 'Til I die (7 Seconds cover)
- Whatever It Takes (1998) - Revelation RecordsRevelation RecordsRevelation Records is an independent record label focusing originally and primarily on hardcore punk. The label is known for its role in the evolution of hardcore and metallic post-hardcore with important releases by bands such as Youth of Today, Warzone, Sick of It All, Quicksand, Side By Side,...
- What I'd Give
- Brand New Place
- Throughout
- Leave It Behind
- Part 2
- Another Reason
- Half My Time
- You Can't Win
- To Want
- Retrace
- Who Are You
- Whatever It Takes
- Final Fury: 1990-1997 (2002) - Soul Force Records
- In Our Hands
- Has-Been
- Why Is She In Pain
- Go Back To The Gym
- That'll Never Be Me
- Never Forget
- In The Dirt
- The Factory
- Until The End
- Left Behind
- Trap
- Empty Room
- Unwound
- Success Story
- Choke
- Only The Diehard Remain
- Do You Believe
- Bitter Taste
- These Are The Days
- I Won't Fall
- We're Gonna Fight (7 Seconds cover)
- Young Till I Die (7 Seconds cover)
External links
- http://www.myspace.com/tributetobattery A Tribute to Battery - MySpace page