Bio

Thank heavens to Betsy that one of the early '90s more popular underground hardcore punk bands, Born Against, managed to break up before the fallout from Nirvana and Green Day's popularity helped mass market entertainment corporations wipe out the spirit of the punk rock D.I.Y. underground and sell a bland, image-oriented version of punk to the mainstream youth culture. Nowadays, "punk rebellion" is no more than an ironic caricature: business savvy kids with green, spiky hair talking demographics and ad revenue while slapping their logos alongside corporate banners selling shoes, colas, chain music stores, you name it.

Primarily composed of vocalist/Vermiform Records label owner Sam McPheeters and world guitar champion Adam Nathanson, with a rotating cast of drummers and bassists, Born Against formed in the early '90s in New York City. Over the course of a few years, Born Against appeared on numerous compilations, including D.I.Y. label Ebullition's incredible , and released the first 7" EP, Industrial Relations, to much praise and enthusiasm. The band also appeared on a couple of split 7"s, as well as the respective 12" and 10" LPs Nine Patriotic Hymns for Children and Battle Hymns for the Race War. The compilation tracks and 7" material later resurfaced on the Rebel Sound of Shit and Failure CD. Always political, in-your-face, sarcastic, and cynical, Born Against managed to capture the rebellious spirit of early '90s hardcore before its meaning was stripped, pulverized, and the corpse was mass-marketed by the music industry. Unfortunately, rip-off Epitaph "artists" Refused made an attempt at gesturing to the bands and scene they blatantly gutted, covering a Born Against song on their last record. Hearing such a desperate plea for redemption from generic plagiarists like Refused really makes you fiend for the real thing.

McPheeters still runs Vermiform Records and went on to form the band Men's Recovery Project. Adam Nathanson became a founding member of Young Pioneers. The remaining cast of at least seven drummers and four bass players either went on to or already had played in a massive list of stellar punk acts, including Vitapup, Team Dresch, Manacled, Citizen's Arrest, Universal Order Of Armageddon, Skull Control, False Prophets, Cattle Press, Lava, Moss Icon, and Great Unraveling. ~ Paul Kott, All Music Guide