ABYSMAL

Abysmal on Facebook



History of a burning declaration…
Abysmal started in mid-1992. Music wise, the scene was in a spiraling change as Black Metal was on the rise and its brethren, Death Metal, was on its way to a cryogenic tube somewhere. The first demo entitled ‘Surrealistic Fatality” was originally composed of seven songs and had a different cassette cover. These songs were comprised of the band’s original compositions and 4 other tracks which had been performed with other local area musicians. A few months later, it was decided to no longer continue to disseminate this version of the demo and 2 more songs were recorded. This final inclusion was to become what the 1992 demo remained as. The band enjoyed a little momentum from radio play at a local radio station and heavy distribution of the demo through means of trading it with other bands and submitting it to independently run magazines in the U.S. and Europe.
Situations arose and two original members were unable to continue a commitment toward the existence of the band. A new drummer and guitar player were added to the mix. Again, the hand of fate proved to twist the knife slowly in the band’s existence as, rehearsal space used by Abysmal and another local band was broken into and expensive music gear stolen. This delivered a fatal stab to any further efforts to compose new songs. Both new members decided to quit leaving the band’s vocalist as the only surviving member.
The band was put to slumber for several years and in 2005, new songs were composed by the reunited 1992 line up and recorded. These songs continued to be in a Death Metal/Thrash vein owing a debt to the band’s influences. Financial and health related problems strike forcing Abysmal to not release these new songs.
In early 2012, an opportunity timely manifested whereby Abysmal is able to shake off difficulties and get at it once again. A vinyl only release compilation is planned and fully materialized by late fall of the same year. This LP is limited and hand numbered to 250 copies only. The contents of it are comprised of all the songs featured in the 1992 demo, 2005 demo and a few extras that were deemed to be part of the band’s history in one way or another.
The idea to revive the very existence of the band’s recordings was a simple one. With communications being a vital component of today’s living, it was not long before through a curious search led to discovering several people were still trading the 1992 demo! The very fact our songs had found a way to survive for 20 years was in itself a much welcomed honor and not taken lightly.
The band is now currently on its feet. Our eyes are set not on glory or adoration from multitudes. These are not the values by which we live. The only true call is that of Metal and the propagation of it as if it were a plague.  Recently, a musical project brought back together many friends in the Miami, FL and blessed the re-animation of Abysmal. Planning for a new set of recordings is underway and anxiously being prepared for. It is a promise that it will be as it always had been: heavy, deadly and heartless. We would not have it any other way.
In the meantime, we hope that the songs in the record are of your enjoyment. Things may have changed drastically in the last few years but, one has not: the spirit of Metal. Specters of Death- Arise!

Respectfully war-torn…
Dr.Fukk

Timescape Zero "Everything Short Of Total War"

One of the first "metal-core" bands, Timescape Zero started out in the early 90s and made an impact immediately, winning both "Best Local Demo" and "Best New Band" at the South Florida Slammie Awards. They recorded a handful releases before getting together to record a final full length called "Total War". Vocalist, Adel 156, took all of their early material and compiled into this disc appropriately titled "Everything Short Of Total War". As you can see from the tracklisting, this features:
-"Welcome To The Kali Yuga" (1992 Demo)
-"Life In Sodom" (1993 Demo)
-Split 7 Inch with Subliminal Criminal (1993)
-"Born With The Fear Of Dreaming (1994 Album)

A total of 18 tracks. You'll probably notice the photo on the back where it looks like Adel is bleeding...well he was. During a show they were playing at Cheers in 1996, he used a razor to carve the word "Zero" into his chest. It was always an experience...I hit up Adel and here's what he had to say about the band:

"In late 1991, in the ashes of Hangman (two songs on 7" comp Notes From the South on Youth Bus Records), the musicians tried to keep it going with a rotating door of vocalists.

I was friends with the guys, and a few years after fronting Miami's first straightedge band, Violent Deed, had it with playing live, but offered to help with band practice.
After the first they asked me to join. I declined.
After the second, I re-thought, when they asked again.
By the third, I was hooked on the songs.
It was a tumultuous sound for the time, especially south Florida, which was still a bit stuck in 3-chord limbo. The band wanted a list of words or phrases that meant "the apocalypse".  It was long, but one phrase stuck out, and we chose the name: Timescape Zero.
By our second show, the original guitarist - Frank - left to join the military, and was soon replaced by Bry, who had roots in the local punk and hardcore scene, and his hardcore band Beyond Reason (7" on Youth Bus Records) had just disband.
We played together for a while, then just before Hurricane Andrew, a friend offered to sneak us into Miami-Dade Community College’s south campus’ recording room at night, and we record our first demo, Welcome to the Kaliyuga.
We dubbed it on piss-poor tapes, as we were piss poor to afford professional pressing, or even decent tapes.
By the time it fairly got around, and we snuck into the studio to try another demo (Life in Sodom), in early ’93, the musical climate was changing in Florida.
It was still 3-chords, but so very different.
Floor, Bloodlet, Load, Faliure Face, Machine, Assück, Subliminal Criminal, even my other band, Shroud.
Timescape Zero was still our band, but my heart went elsewhere, and you could hear it as the recordings went on.
I still love that demo though."

 I ripped the CD as a VBR so it sounds nice and loud as well giving you scans of the front and back. No insert was given and the CD was a CDR.

Timescape Zero "Everything Short Of Total War"


Check out an old video of the band from 1992 playing in Miami. If you go to Youtube via the video, Adel has uploaded other live sets of theirs.

Foolproof "1996 Demo"

 

This is the demo that started it all for this Miami Punk band. Fast, Fat Wreck style punk with lots of melody. This has 2 songs, one of which was never re-recorded (to the best of my knowledge). Personally, I prefer the version of Plastic World on here to the full length. I hit up Andres and here's what he had to say about the demo:

"Yeah we recorded it at the old Miami Dade studio . We were still in high school. We were inspired by Caught Inside to start recording music because we went to school together. I played drums and sang during these times. We were still trying to find our sound. Plastic world was re-recorded for Ego."

I picked this up at a show in early 1996 when they played at Cheers. The rip is an old rip so it's not the highest bitrate (I'll try and re-rip it soon) but I scanned the cover and insert yesterday. All scans are included in the download. 

Foolproof "1996 Demo"

Chocolate Grasshopper "Live At The Cameo Theater, 1986"

During a quick search, I saw that good ol' George Van Orsdel of The Van Orsdels was kind enough upload this early video of Chocolate Grasshopper playing at the Cameo Theater. The video is broken up into 5 parts so if you just follow the link, you can view the whole thing. Expect a post with the original Chocolate Grasshopper demo in the near future but until then, enjoy this glimpse back into the early days of the Miami Punk Scene.

Tension "Agent Of The People" (1996)

Last night, I was asked for the next post to upload Tension's lone full length "Agent of the People".  I do my best to give the people what they want so here it is. I did a high quality rip of the CD (VBR) and scanned the layout (traycard and CD included). The insert was a little difficult since it was a 3 panel fold out and my scanner wouldn't allow the whole thing to fit. I improvised and what you see below is the best I could do. All of the layout photos below are included in the download link (see below description). If you never heard or heard of Tension, they were South Florida straight edge. They were THE band in the mid-90s, a good mix of old and new. Members were in and went on to Endure, Shai Hulud, Strongarm, Ikthus, New Found Glory, Further Seems Forever and (the very shortly lived) Rebuilt.

Here's some info from their old Myspace profile:

"TENSION (1993-1997) A long time ago, in a neighborhood not so far away... A band was formed, a band that brought the house down on its good days, a band based on friendship, a band that unfortunately didn't last for very long... That band was Tension... In 1993 Singer Mike Hurley at the time was the frontman for Endure, which many members of Strongarm were also in, and they were a great band that many would go see... Mike Hurley met Guitarist Joe Keit, who was helping out in a band called the Murrychesstoes and the 2 quickly became good friends... They both already were good friends with Chris Michealis, and Mike & Chris began plans to start a new band and to them Joe was the man for the job on guitar... Joe started playing guitar very young and along with Matt Fox of Shai Hulud formed a few bands in their teens. Joe was used to writing his own music and lyrics from an early age and together with Mike Hurley some great songs and lyrics were born... Nick Dominguez from Strongarm & Endure came in on bass guitar and together the 4 created the orginal frame of Tension... After the 1st phone conversation between Joe, Mike & Chris, Mike decided to meet that very night, and in that night 6 songe were written... The songs of course sounded similar to each other, but were very raw and became the 6 songs recorded 2 weeks later in the studion as Tension's 1st release "In Our Time"... Tension quickly began playing shows and right away friends and new fans came out and supported Tension and helped make the shows exciting & fun... Tension was being aired on College radio and was doing small tours throughout Florida and the east coast trying to get the music out... With the formation of Strongarm, Nick Dominguez left to play guitar with them and Ray Rodriguez joined in on bass... The song writing was getting better and more intense new songs were being developed and shortly after the next ep "Sickness of Our Age" was released... In the studio that day, a girl Joe was dating broke it off, and Chris & Joe had an arguement which really helped fuel the fire to give "Sickness" that anger and edge it definitely has... To this day Tension fans agree that "Sickness of Our Age" is the best and most raw of Tension's releases... After more shows and more songs and the sucess of Tension, drummer Chris Michalis took a leave to pursue other things and long time friend and old band mate of Joe's Eric Leon joined up... After Eric Leon Joined up, the shows and songs were more intense and better than ever, Tension was at its peak and realization of the little Bomb from Florida that it really was... So many of the friends of Tension made what was accomplished back then possible... Tension was awarded a Slammie Award for best new band, and was in negotiations with a few major record labels to try and get a release and tour... Being from Pompano and being probably the most ghetto and broke hardcore band, Tension put out an ep on Endless Fight Records (Sickness of our Age) out of Conneticut and later that same ep was re-released by Uprising Records out of California along with Tensions last release, an LP "Agent of the People".... While in negotiations with a record label in Germany, Tension recorded a single called "Stand Aside", which is the only recording featuring drummer Eric Leon, this single was only released in Germany....... Due to reasons unmentionable, Eric Leon had to leave Tension and was replaced by drummer Mike Mcdermit who was with "L.U.N.G.S.", Mike was a great addition to the band and an amazing drummer, he is the drummer on "Agent of the People".... Also Tension had more members than "Spinal Tap".... Included in the band were long time friends: Matt Fox (Shai Hulud, Murrychesstoes), Ray Souza (Hit the Morror, LOAD, Murrychesstoes), Little Chad (New Found Glory), Kenny Fontaine (Kenny Steel, the steel is for real), John Wiley and a few more here and there...... Tension has played with some great bands and some big names, from Shelter, Earth Crisis, Hatebreed, Strife and believe it or not, Maryilyn Manson... hahaha!..........We hope this myspace page and can be a place for old friends to re-unite and for us to remember some great tracks by a group of friends who love to bring the house down..... Thank you all for your support in the past and for your interest in TENSION.... let's keep it real......"


Tension "Agent Of The People"

Shovelhead "Demo 2013" (Members of Harbinger, Axis, Losin' It)

 

I admit I haven't had as much time to get on here to post so I'm going to try and start making up for it. I promise I'll have something old to post in the next day or two but for now, check out Shovelhead from the West Palm Beach area. South Florida has a lot of newer hardcore and metal bands popping up and these guys are one of my current favorites. Kinda metal, kinda doomy, kinda thrashy...pick whichever you think fits it best. Whichever you pick, it's awesome. Definitely one of the best demos I've heard in a long time. 

Members of the band have been in or are still in: Losin' It, Blistered, Harbinger, Axis. Their first show is this Thursday (5/16/2013) at the Talent Farm and you can download their demo by clicking below:

Shovelhead 2013 Demo

Raped Ape Discography and Solstice "Pray For The Sentencing" Now Available

Alright, well both of these releases have been available for a few months now but since we are just getting started with the new blog, it's new for us. Both bands were important in shaping South Florida's metal scene.
Both Solstice and Raped Ape have Facebook pages so check them out for more info.


All info from the Tribunal Records / Divebomb Records webstore. You can order both CDs directly from the label by clicking here.


Solstice:

The Florida based death metal band SOLSTICE was formed in 1990 by guitarist Dennis Munoz and drummer Alex Marquez with vocalist/guitarist Rob Barrett. In 1991, they recorded a demo produced by legendary producer Jim Morris and signed a deal with Germany’s SPV/Steamhammer and their debut album was released in 1992. It was originally to be titled The Sentencing, but delays in correspondence didn’t reach Germany in time so it was simply known as Solstice. The following year internal issues combined with Rob Barrett departing for a position in Cannibal Corpse forced the band into hiatus, but in 1995 they regrouped and returned with the magnificent sophomore album, Pray.
Both albums are considered classics in the death/thrash crossover genre and at that time no bands were pushing the limits like SOLSTICE. The band is currently active once again and in 2011 Dennis Munoz remixed Pray as an exclusive addition to this collector’s set. Pray For The Sentencing is something underground metal fans have been talking about for years and we at Divebomb Records are happy to give it to them. It contains both legendary albums in original form (remastered), plus the newly remixed version of Pray. For the fans, by the fans.

Raped Ape:

When people reflect on the Floridian metal scene of the late '80s, groups like DEATH, OBITUARY and SOLSTICE instantly spring to mind. Yet, there's one band that despite never achieving the same glory some of their contemporaries enjoyed is still adored and respected amongst cultist metal fans all these years later. We’re talking about Lake Worth thrash heathens RAPED APE.
Named after car mechanic slang for something moving very quickly, RAPED APE did precisely that within the Southern Florida metal scene. Releasing three demos (1988’s In Ape We Trust, 1990’s Perpetual Aggravation and 1991’s Lost In Mind) and opening for some of the biggest metal bands at that time (CORONER, SEPULTURA, OVERKILL and M.O.D.). Eventually, the group entered the famed Morrisound Recording studios to work with producer extraordinaire Scott Burns to track their debut EP, 1993’s Terminal Reality. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, this new Divebomb Records collection combines not only the original Terminal Reality EP, but also four of the band’s long sought-after demo tapes all of which lead up to their signing to Century Media Records.
A must-own for any fan of underground thrash, this Land Of Broken Promises limited edition set contains brand new mastering from original source tapes and a massive 16-page booklet with member-supplied scrapbook styled memorabilia encompassing RAPED APE’s entire history. As a bonus, Divebomb Records has included an enhanced portion containing seven archival live videos of the band in their prime.

Welcome To The NEW Florida Music Scene Blog!!!

I'd like to be the first to welcome to the NEW Florida Music Scene blog. A few years back, you may remember I used to run a blog called "The South Florida Music Scene". Well, I did what I could do with it and it's been dormant for quite some time. I lived about 8 hours away from Miami (my home) and it made things difficult to not only maintain but obtain music and other items that I felt were essential for the life of the website. I've decided to start fresh with a new page and this time I have some great people helping me out. The page is a little bare right now but that will come with time.
We, as a collective, will not focus on one specific genre or style of music. We intend to cover everything, past and present, from all over this great state. We have to preserve our culture and history and that is our intention.

If you have anything to contribute (flyers, photos, recordings, zines, stories, ANYTHING), please don't hesitate to get in touch with us. I will take the utmost care pf whatever you send me and will return it in the same condition that it was sent to me in. Until we have a group email, you can contact me at xchipxsem@gmail.com.
We look forward to taking you back to some special times.