ICEBURN LIVE IN PENNSYLVANIA, 1993

SLHC MUSIC ARCHIVE: BETTER WAY - A PATH TO TAKE

Better Way's 1989 demo, A Path to Take, combines a strong New York Hardcore influence with the first glimpses of the otherworldly riffing of guitarist Gentry Densley (Iceburn/Ascend/Eagle Twin).  And how awesome is the Straight Edge wolf-man cover art?

To learn more about the band see our Salt Lake Hardcore 101 article and Josh Rathbun's Salt Lake Hardcore Music Blog. Also, take a minute to thank Troy Trujillo for all of his hard work collecting and compiling Salt Lake hardcore's history... artwork courtesy of Troy's extensive SLHC record collection.

Download

SALT LAKE HARDCORE 101: BETTER WAY

Better Way, with the help of close-friends Insight, drafted the Utah chapter of the Youth Crew history book.  During the late '80s, the band churned out sing-along inspiring anthems, while sharing the stages of The Word and The Speedway with the likes of Insted, Slapshot and Gorilla Biscuits.

A Path to Take, the band's 1989 self-released demo, boasts strong influence from the New York Hardcore scene and some of the greatest lyrics on overcoming personal hardship this side of Break Down the Walls. (Makes sense that Ray and Porcell are mentioned in the record's thank you list.)

One thing that set A Path to Take apart from the Youth Crew crowd was its brief forays into groovy, guitar experimentation (See: The last 30 seconds of "The Fight.") These hints of technicality came to make perfect sense as guitarist Gentry Densley went on to guide Iceburn through 15 years of sonic exploration. The band threw in the towel shortly after the release of A Path to Take.

Better Way's vocalist Dustin worked at Raunch back in the day and ran his own short-lived shop on 21st South called "Rock City." Gentry Densley continues to push the limits of heavy music with Eagle Twin and Ascend. Guitarist Randy also played with local rock band Dinosaur Bones. Various members also played in fellow late-80s Salt Lake straightedge band Head Strong (if you know which ones, fill us in!).

Download Better Way's A Path To Take in our Salt Lake Hardcore Music Archive.

PHOTO ARCHIVE UPDATE: INSIGHT, ICEBURN, WATERFRONT, MASSACRE GUYS + INSTED & SUICIDAL IN SLC!

Head on over.

THE POLLS HAVE CLOSED

Integrity - Those Who Fear Tomorrow is your favorite hardcore release of the 90s.


Integrity - Those Who Fear Tomorrow - 13 (10%)
H2O - S/T - 10 (8%)
Section 8 - Nine Ways to Say I Love You - 8 (6%)
Bloodlet - Entheogen - 7 (5%)
Earth Crisis - Destroy the Machines - 6 (5%)
Chokehold - Content With Dying - 6 (5%)
Snapcase - Lookinglasself - 5 (4%)
Deadguy - Fixation on a Coworker - 5 (4%)
Converge - When Forever Comes Crashing - 5 (4%)
Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come - 5 (4%)
Trial - Are These Our Lives - 5 (4%)
Starkweather - Crossbearer - 5 (4%)
Disembodied - If God Only Knew the Rest Were Dead - 4 (3%)
Unbroken - Life. Love. Regret. - 4 (3%)
108 - Songs of Separation - 4 (3%)
Ringworm - The Promise - 4 (3%)
Sick of it All - Scratch The Surface - 4 (3%)
Iceburn - Firon - 4 (3%)
Harvest - Transitions - 4 (3%)
Sheer Terror - Love Songs for the Unloved - 3 (2%)
Madball - Demonstrating My Style - 3 (2%)
Hatebreed - Satisfaction is the Death of Desire - 2 (1%)
Slapshot - 16 Valve Hate - 2 (1%)
Coalesce - Functioning On Impatience - 1 (0%)
Cave In - Beyond Hypothermia - 0 (0%)
Buried Alive - Death of Your Perfect World - 0 (0%)
Damnation AD - No More Dreams of Happy Endings - 0 (0%)

NEW POLL: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HARDCORE RELEASE OF THE 90S?

The new poll is up, so go over to the sidebar and vote.

This is also the feature discussion of GCAcast 09 that should be up later today. Listen to our take on it and then tell us why we're wrong and you're right.

The nominees are...


Earth Crisis - Destroy the Machines
Snapcase - Lookinglasself
Deadguy - Fixation on a Coworker
Disembodied - If God Only Knew the Rest Were Dead
Converge - When Forever Comes Crashing
Unbroken - Life. Love. Regret.
108 - Songs of Separation
Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come
Cave In - Beyond Hypothermia
Trial - Are These Our Lives
Buried Alive - Death of Your Perfect World
Madball - Demonstrating My Style
Integrity - Those Who Fear Tomorrow
Ringworm - The Promise
Coalesce - Functioning On Impatience
Damnation AD - No More Dreams of Happy Endings
Bloodlet - Entheogen
Chokehold - Content With Dying
Iceburn - Firon
H2O - S/T
Sick of it All - Scratch The Surface
Hatebreed - Satisfaction is the Death of Desire
Starkweather - Crossbearer
Harvest - Transitions
Section 8 - Nine Ways to Say I Love You
Sheer Terror - Love Songs for the Unloved
Slapshot - 16 Valve Hate

EAGLE TWIN - LIVE IN ILLINOIS

ASCEND

Iceburn + Sunn O))). Get in the know.

DOWNLOAD BETTER WAY'S "A PATH TO TAKE"

The Salt Lake Hardcore Download Blog has posted a copy of the album A Path to Take by early Salt Lake hardcore band, Better Way. A Path to Take was released in 1989 and featured Gentry Densley (Iceburn, Form of Rocket, Smashy Smashy, Eagle Twin, Ascend) on guitar.

EAGLE TWIN

If you haven't gotten a chance to check out Gentry Densley of Iceburn's new project, Eagle Twin, I suggest you do.

The duo will be performing live, February 27th at 8 p.m., on KRCL 90.9.

CUB COUNTRY

You may recognize Cub Country mastermind, Jeremy Chatelain, from such bands as Insight, Iceburn (early on), Handsome and Jets to Brazil. Well, this is his current project:



Give 'em a better listen here.

SALT LAKE HARDCORE 101: ICEBURN

• Iceburn at Revelation Records

Iceburn was born of Salt Lake's early straight edge hardcore scene but ventured into the deepest realms of jazz, metal, classical and avant-garde experimentation during its decade-plus existence.

The band's first line-up was an amalgam of late 80s hardcore bands Insight, Better Way, and Brainstorm. In 1990, Insight and Brainstorm played their final show together to a packed Speedway Cafe. Iceburn quickly formed in their wake, featuring Gentry Densley (Better Way, Brainstorm) on guitar, Jeremy Chatelain (Insight, Brainstorm) on vocals,  Doug Wright (Insight, Brainstorm) on bass, Chad "Chubba" Smith (Insight) on drums and James Holder (Insight) on guitar.

With this crew, Iceburn released the Burn / Fall 7" through Victory Records in 1991. Shortly after the record's release, frontman Jeremy Chatelain left the band to pursue other projects: Lumberjack, Handsome, Jets to Brazil, Cub Country... this list will undoubtedly go on. Guitarist James Holder also left the band.

Iceburn decided to move forward as a three-piece. Their next album, Firon (also on Victory), was released in 1992 and led to a record deal with another hardcore history maker, Revelation Records.

The four-track, double-LP Hephestus was released on Rev in 1994 (right there between Into Another's Creepy Eepy and the Underdog Demos). Iceburn would release an E.P., a split with Engine Kid and the album Poetry of Fire in 1995.

Ninety-six saw the band releasing Meditavolutions under its new moniker, The Iceburn Collective. Journeying deeper into experimental galaxies, 98's Power of the Lion was rumored to be inspired by quantum mechanics and was meant to be played as a musical collage.

The new millenium saw the Collective reaching ever further into avant-territory with 2000's Polar Bear Suit, which featured 2 upright basses, bass clarinet and bassoon, and 2002's mini-album Land of Wind and Ghosts.

In 2001, the band recorded a few songs meant to be released in a Southern Lord Records 7" series. The deal didn't work out but 2006 saw the songs released as a split with Italian band Zu. It was put out in Italy as a limited 500-copy 10" split. This would be Iceburn's final release.

Iceburn reunited for a few shows in 2007 but have not announced plans of future recordings or performances.

These days you can find Densley playing across the nation in the duo Eagle Twin with Tyler Smith (ex-Clear) on drums He also recently released an album with Greg Anderson of Engine Kid/Sunn O)))/Goatsnake under the name, Ascend. Doug Wright went on to play with Salt Lake's Makeshift. He now plays with up-and-coming New York City rock band, The Dirty Pearls.

Iceburn performing their version of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" at their '07 Reunion Show.

NEWISH ICEBURN COMING SOON

As I searched the internet earlier today for stuff to post, I ran across a statement from Southern Lord Records where they hinted that new releases from both Iceburn and Ascend were in the works.

Having not heard anything about this, I went straight to the source to get the details. Gentry Densley, on of the men responsible for both bands gave GCA a bit of clarification:

"The Iceburn on Southern Lord is a remaster of 'Power of the Lion' on double vinyl. It was CD only before. The japanese Ascend is out, it has a bonus track. And we've started recording more already. Eagle Twin is also gonna finish up a record this winter! Keep your eye out, we might do a guerilla gig at Red Light soon, see if we can get the cops out again."

So there you go. Keep an eye out for all three of these. None will disappoint.

SALT LAKE HARDCORE 101: THE STENCH

• The Stench on MySpace
• Order The Stench records here.

Renowned for their surfer looks and unique melodic hardcore-rock sound, The Stench kept the city's scene alive through the late '80s.

The band released six albums -- 86's Zigamewa (Raunch), 87's Crazy Moon (Running Records/Cargo), 88's Saltair (Running Records/Cargo), 89's Old Style (Mysophobic), and 90's S/T (Leone Trust) and Four Before (Flatline Records) -- before disbanding in 1993.

Songwriter Terrance D.H. honed his singing skills with The Stench before moving on to front Bad Yodelers, Magstatic, Daisy Grey and various solo endeavors. He continues to release solo music and leads local rock band Danger Hailstorm, while enjoying a successful career as a music engineer at Salt Lake's Counterpoint Studios. His resume includes work with artists ranging from Air Supply to Sum 41.

The Stench reunited in 2007 alongside fellow Salt Lake old-timers Iceburn and Clear for SLUG Magazine's 18th Anniversary. Slug released a DVD about the reunion show titled, Making A Scene, that can be purchased at numerous local spots and online here.

HANDSOME

The short-lived Handsome featured SLC's Jeremy Chatelain (Insight, Iceburn, Jets to Brazil, Cub Country) alongside Peter Mengede (Helmet), Tom Capone (Bold, Quicksand) and Pete Hines (Cro-Mags, Murphy's Law).

Handsome's self-titled release on Epic Records was released in '97 and remains one of the finest (and most under-appreciated) albums of the 90s post-hardcore sound.

SALT LAKE HARDCORE 101: INSIGHT

• Insight on MySpace
• Interview with singer Mark Starr at Double Cross Webzine: Part I, Part II.
  

"To always walk proud and STAY DRUG FREE!"

Insight was Salt Lake's first straightedge hardcore band. Their passionate lyrics on clean living and animal rights set the stage for Salt Lake's infamously outspoken hardcore scene.

Insight formed in 1988 and just a year later signed with Arizona-based SoulForce Records to release the Standing Strong 7". Shortly after their signing was announced, the band headlined the "Salt Lake Youth Pride Show" at The Word, featuring Bad Yodelers, Better Way, Head Strong, Right Side Up, and Starving Artists. To support the record, they set out on their first east coast tour alongside California's Chain of Strength. The two teamed up with Judge and Gorilla Biscuits for a number of dates as well. 

Standing Strong's New York crossover sound and drug-free convictions placed Insight comfortably on bills across the country with contemporaries from Youth of Today to Insted.  The Youth Crew scene embraced Insight and in 1990, Victory Records re-released Standing Strong with the new title What Will It Take and the now-iconic, caged tiger cover art.

Insight tracks also appeared on Victory's Only the Strong and Victory Singles: Volume 1 compilations as well as the classic Voice of Thousands comp which featured early material from Integrity and Outspoken. The band went its separate ways at the turn of the decade.

During Insight's existence guitarist Jeremy Chatelain and bassist Doug Wright also played in the band Brainstorm with Gentry of Better Way. Various members also played in fellow late-80s Salt Lake straight edge band Head Strong (if you know which ones, fill us in!).

Wright went on to Salt Lake's Iceburn and Makeshift. He now plays with up-and-coming, New York City rock band The Dirty Pearls. Guitarist Jeremy Chatelain went on to play with Lumberjack, Iceburn, Handsome (alongside Tom Capone of Bold & Quicksand), Jets to Brazil (alongside Blake of Jawbreaker) and Helmet. He is currently doing a country-pop project called Cub Country. Drummer Chad "Chubba" Smith went also moved on to Iceburn. Singer Mark Starr moved to Seattle after the band's demise and released 3 records with his next project, The Gimmicks. He then head south to L.A. where he played with The Masons and Sweet Evil.