M Blanket

M Blanket was one of the earliest BC emo bands. Sometimes more punk, sometimes some ska thrown in (i know this doesn’t sound to their advantage, but I assure you, you will fall in love with them).I’m not sure why they always labeled their albums as just M Blanket, but in a live set I once heard them say “We’re Morphine Blanket”.

They formed in 1992, and had a four song demo. Their early material was more chaotic. They appeared on a few compilations and put out their first 7″ on Spinout 360 Records. I heard this was a split with Slinky, but after seeing the artwork, I don’t think it was. Someone could clarify this for me? Did this split exist? They then hooked up with Slow to Burn Records, BC’s leading emo label at the time. The first of these collaborations is the “Seen it Coming” 7″. The last of these, which is also their final ep, and my favorite release of theirs, “Safety”. The band’s last output was released on “Attending the Supreme” compilation in 1995. They changed drummers and became Ache Hour Credo (which would itself change drummers and become Daddy’s Hands).

M Blanket Discography pt1
M Blanket Discography pt2

The Wolfnote

The Wolfnote doesn’t seem like it much fits in with the bands on this blog, but it totally does! These guys are my first Alberta band on here. Great post-hardcore. These guys were pretty intense.

After some home burnt compilation demos they self released “Dancing to a Rhythm”, their first ep. They would also self release their next two eps, “Check the Lungs for Water” and “SI! SI! SI! SI!”. The later would be the first with their new vocalist Travis Sargent. After selling out the initial pressing on tour, Farway Records re-issued it in digipak. They were then signed to BlackBox Recordings, and would release their two albums on the label. “This is the Getdown” and “Sacred Bodies”.

The Wolfnote Myspace
The Wolfnote Discography

Render Useless

This is what i like! Something I just discovered, that I didn’t think existed in Canada. New Jersey type screamo, all the way out in Victoria, BC. This three piece was around from 1995 to 1998. At the time the band was formed, Paul was still doing Benchwarmer, but not for much longer.

Their first release was a self titled 7″ on Slow to Burn Records in 1995 (I think this may also have been their demo, but I’m not sure). Next year they put out a split with The Republic of Freedom Fighters on Buddy System Records. In 1997, came their big break for out of Canada fans. They recorded a 10 song demo tape, which some songs would end up being released on their second 7″ “The Relationship Between a 1/4 Note and a 1/8 Note” on The Mountain Cooperative. I think the other songs were used for their split with Miracle of 86 (but I’m not sure when that came out), on City Lights Records.
The whole works was compiled into a discography CD in 2007 in Clue #2 Records. This compilation is really amazing. Great digipak with stickers and booklets, etc. I really suggest buying it, even if I posted it here. Totally worth it.

Render Useless Myspace
Render Useless Discography

Officer Down

This is my first post on a band from Manitoba. These guys were from Steinbach. And I love them! They had these incredibly melodic parts on their hardcore, something I can’t seem to pin point in any other band.

The band formed in 1997 and recorded a demo, which was already well talked about. They were contacted by Goodfellow Records, which would be the labels very first release, a split 7″ with Puritan in 1997. Later that year they also appeared on the labels compilation “The Difference Between Us”. The song would also appear on the bands only album “Subversive Paradigm”. A total masterpiece.

They were set to record an ep in late 1999, but I don’t think they got that far. If anyone knows if the recordings are around… I don’t have the pleasure of having the demo, so if you know where I could get a copy of it, or even just mp3s, I would be super thrilled!

Officer Down Discography

Burden

Burden was Vancouver’s first straight-edge band, and probably one of the first to bring a hint of new school hardcore into the local scene. At the time, there really wasn’t much to brag about in the western Canadian hardcore. All the attention was given to Ontario. But Burden was one of the bands who changed that.

Burden’s first demo, “Chosen Path”, came out in 1997, in various pressings and covers. Their first ep “Strength of Conviction” came out in 1999 on Faith, Hope and Charity Records. This ep would be re-released in 2000 by Spawner Records (in Canada) and also on Bad Man Records (in Europe). This re-issue would contain the demo as bonus tracks. In 1999 the band also had it’s only exclusive song on a compilation, which would be a cover of The Misfits, We Bite.

In 2001, the band would finally come in contact with Dead Serious Recordings, who would release everything from the band forth. The band took two songs from their upcoming LP and one song from their ep, to do a split release with Automatic from Kentucky. Their first and only full length, “If You Don’t Stand for Something, You’ll Fall for Anything”, was released in 2001 on Spawner Records (Canada) and Dead Serious (Europe). This got them to tour western Europe. And the band did tour for the next few years. Upon their final time in Europe, Dead Serious would release the bands final ep “With Every Step Forward”. This would never get to see the light in North America however. The band played a final show on March 13th, 2004 in Vancouver.

Burden on Myspace
Burden Discography

Maharahj

I decided to post this band, knowing it doesn’t fit in the hardcore genre, because I think that people who liked Spread the Disease would really like this band as well. These guys were from Oakville I believe, and they were damn good.

The band formed under the name One Winged Angel. They released their first demo in 1999 and I think it was repressed by Now Or Never Records as their ep “A Replication of a Process and Product”. Anyway, this sold out quite rapidly, while they were touring with Dillinger Escape Plan. They they went to record and release their album “Chapter One: The Descent”, which was a huge success.

I read they were supposed to release a split with Circle of Dead Children on Robotic Empire, but it never got released. This may be what “The Belle Morte” ep is, but I can’t confirm. In fact I found very little information on this ep, and suspect it could be just a bootleg, since two of the songs are straight from the album (including quality) and the other is a b-side from Chapter One. If anyone could tell me some info about that… They then had their second full length, “Repetition” after a 2 member change. Everything ended not long after that.

Maharahj on Myspace
Maharahj Discography

The Black Hand

I can’t find too much original information on this band. Pretty much this is what half of Ire became. This was a lot more thrash/crust oriented, and its pretty strong.

They first did a cassette demo, which was re-issued by Scorched Earth Policy as the “Pulling Your Strings” vinyl in 2000. They then had a song on the “Seven Deadly Sins” compilation from Hater of God Records. Their final output was their full length “War Monger” on Chainsaw Safety Records (CD) and Scorched Earth Policy (12″).

The Black Hand Discography

Blue Monday

I’m trying to expand to other provinces rather quickly. And one band i already knew of from Vancouver was Blue Monday (since Jason Kehoe from Day of Mourning played drums with them). They are very similar to the type of hardcore that bands like Terror, Bishop and Still Crossed played. I don’t know what you call this type of hardcore. Youth Crew? Hints, guys this would be appreciated!

These guys formed in 2001 and recorded a demo which was self released in early 2002. They changed some members and recorded their first ep “War Wounds” 7″ which was released on For the Core Records in early 2003. Later that year they put out “What’s Done is Done” on Stab and Kill Records. The CD version had the previous ep as bonus tracks. This got them to the attention of Bridge 9 Records which released their second album “Rewritten” in 2005. Their final output was a split with Go It Alone in 2006, before breaking up.

Blue Monday on Myspace
Blue Monday Discography

In Dying Days

In Dying Days were one of the few bands in Quebec doing the really metallic style of hardcore which was big in Florida. They were often compared to Poison the Well and Morning Again, but personally I would compare them to This Day Forward.

They would record a demo tape in 1998 after forming, with their original vocalist Olivier, and would build up a good following right away. They then switched vocalists and ended up with Mike Doucet. They recorded a second demo “To Forget Yesterday”, and  would come in contact with James Hamilton who was working on his new record label, Re- Define Records. He decided to officially release the demo as their first ep. James decided to press a limited run of a single song from it on tape, to see if the product was marketable. Indeed it was because the ep would come out as the labels’ first output.

The band band was then approached by Good Life Recordings, and would be featured on their VHS “Good Life T.V.” (which had Morning Again and As Friends Rust on it) as well as a compilation, which featured their song “Once Were Warriors”, from their debut ep. They would however sign a contract deal with One Day Savior instead.

The band recorded some demos for their second ep, “Life as a Balancing Act” in 2002, which would be released by ODS. The year after, “After the Fire” would be released on the same label. Both would do really well for the band. They would also appear on the “True Until Death” compilation by United Edge Records.

In Dying Days – EPs

Searchingforchin

Searchingforchin (or sometimes Searching For Chin) was awesome!!!! And I’ve been wanting to post this band for a while. Only it took me forever to collect what I could find from them. When they started in 1999 they were a lot more metalcore, but pretty quickly progressed into a mathcore outfit. Really great stuff.

I’ve had a lot of trouble tracing some of this stuff around, and same goes for the information. I know they had a few line up changes, but Jim Meloche was always the vocalist and Jesse Martinez was always the main guitarist (both of them would later form Orphan Choir together).The band was foremd under the name Provoked.  They released a demo in 1999, and then again another demo in 2000 (but I think this later was just a compilation of already released stuff, or stuff that would be released on their self-titled album).

Then came their self-titled full length out on their local scene’s most important label, Sounds of Revolution. The year after, they put out a split 7″ with The Wake on One Eye Records, the year after that a split with Recension on Sounds of Revolution (which for some reason also included the songs from the previous split) and finally in 2004, a split with The Wolfnote on Jim’s own label, Tragicomedy Records. All the while, they had a series of tour compilations made from these splits and occasionally a few new songs.

I’m not too certain of the compilations this band appeared on, but the ones I did read about didn’t have any exclusive songs. In 2005 they released their final album, ” Context”, also on Tragicomedy. The band had decided to breakup, and would openly announce it with a last tour. Their last release was supposed to be a split with Back When but that never happened.

Searchingforchin Myspace
Searchingforchin Discography