As you may or may not have noticed, the title of this blog and the quote at the top of this page are taken from one of my all-time favorite hardcore/punk records: the Torches to Rome Lp.
Torches to Rome were a mid-1990s hardcore/punk/emo band from California. The band consisted of Mike Kirsch (guitar/vocals), Aaron Schlive (drums) and Steven Chamberlain (bass/vocals). Their music was an agressive, yet melodic continuation of some of Mike's older bands (like for example Sawhorse, John Henry West and Fuel). The record, recorded in 1995 and released on Ebullition records in 1997, breathes a sense of passion, urgency and hope in a combination that is hard to come by on a hardcore record. Obviously pissed as hell, the band voices their anger through intelligent, well-thought out lyrics and catchy riffs and song structures, which make this record a classic in the genre.
I didn't come across the record until about 5 or 6 years ago (long after the band had broken up), and bought it as I had heard good stories about it and already loved one of Mike Kirsch's other bands, Bread & Circuits (more on them probably at some later point in time). I fell in love with it the moment the needle hit the vinyl, and it has been a favorite of mine ever since. To me, this record exemplifies the best elements of hardcore and punk. It shows how you can be intelligent ánd agressive at the same time. That you can combine rage with melody without compromising on either. And in general how electrifying good DIY punk can get.
Accompanying the record is a lyricsheet which on the flipside features an essay by the band covering the topic of privilege and power dynamics in modern day society. It brings up some poignant points and questions about how we can fight opression while at the same time benefiting from a certain position of privilege. How can we fight inequality while at the same time stepping on others because of the positions we were born into and the choices we make in life? I will try to put the complete wording of the essay online in some future entry.
For those of you who are not in the know regarding this band, below are some videos I have found on YouTube. Also: here is a myspace profile of the band, made by one of their fans. It includes MP3's of the songs: 'Young Arsenal', 'This is not a Step', 'Idle Heroes' and 'Torches to Rome', which together make up half of the 8 songs that are on the Lp in total.
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