|
|
|
|
BIOHAZARD BAND PAGE
 BIOHAZARD
|
||
|
CURRENT NAME
|
Biohazard | |
|
FORMER NAMES
|
- | |
|
ORIGIN
|
Brooklyn, New York, USA | |
|
STATUS
|
Disbanded (since 2005) | |
|
FORMED IN
|
1988 | |
|
GENRE
|
Hardcore; Metal | |
|
STYLE
|
- | |
|
LYRICAL THEME
|
- | |
| BAND ADDED | 2005-10-12, 00:00 | |
| LAST UPDATE | 2009-01-21, 12:07 | |
Biography | Band members | Discography | Shows | Videos | Forum
| Band biography |
Emerging from the ashes of the Brooklyn, NY underground comes Biohazard (Evan Seinfeld - bass/vocals, Bill Graziadei - guitar/vocals, Danny Schuler - drums, Leo Curley - guitar), pioneers of a blend of musical styles that have taken the mainstream by storm, blazing the way for today's most popular hard-core music groups. Biohazard was one of the first to fuse the bone-crunching power of hard-core metal with the social commentary and street sensibility of rap and have endured over a decade of musical, social and personal change to establish themselves as the true leaders of a musical revolution.
Born in 1988 out of a love for hard-core and an instinct for escaping the lure of the streets, Biohazard chose music over the downward spiral of drugs and violence lurking in the troublesome neighborhoods around them. Inspired by (but not limited to): Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Run DMC, Bad brains, Judas Priest, Cro-Mags, Public Enemy, The Ramones, Agnostic Front, pre-house and hip-hop, the band set out to create a musical hybrid that would transcend easy categorization and not be bound by limitation.
Right from the start, they attracted a rabid fan support in their native NYC, with legions of kids pronouncing themselves forever "Down for Life" and tattooing the bands famous symbol on their bodies in a sign of solidarity and support. Over a decade later, Biohazard fans remain loyal, connecting to the band through shared experiences of struggle and oppression. Together they have turned the negative factors of life into a powerful positive outlet through the bands music and legendary concerts.
After releasing their self-titled debut in 1990, Biohazard set out on their path for world domination. Returning from their first European tour in 1990, they realized that the problems they sang about on their first record were not limited to their Brooklyn hometown. In 1992, the band released the classic URBAN Discipline (Roadrunner Records) which went on to sell over 1,000,000 copies worldwide. Spawning from this record was the video for the track "Punishment" which was the most played video in the history of MTV's Headbanger's Ball and is still regarded as one of the most influential records of the nineties.
In 1993, the hard-core rap group Onyx recorded an alternate version of their hit single "Slam" with Biohazard backing them up. This led to both bands collaborating on the title song for the groundbreaking Judgement Night soundtrack, which sold over 2,000,000 copies in the US.
Upon signing to Warner Bros. Records, the band released State of the World Address in 1994 again touring the entire planet and drawing strength from their loyal fans. Sotwa went on to sell over 1,000,000 copies and spawned the hit single and video "How It Is" featuring Sen-Dog from Cypress Hill who is also featured on the song "Last Man Standing" from Uncivilization. "Last Man Standing" was produced by long time friend Jive Jones again breaking down barriers and inspiring many newer hard-core bands to collaborate with their hip-hop contemporaries.
Biohazard went on to release Mato Leao two years later. The title means, "to kill the lion" and, in a sense, they discovered that their ambitions would lead them to do just that. By facing their fears head on, defeating their inner demons and looking around the globe for answers, the band found the truth inside themselves. Battling drug and alcohol abuse, inter-band strife, record labels folding, merging and abandoning them for more pop flavors, Biohazard staggered like a champion fighter, but never went down. During these difficult years, Biohazard succeeded in sticking it out together.
Following the release of their first live album No Holds Barred (live in Europe) in 1997, the band signed to Mercury Records and released the critically acclaimed New World Disorder in 1999. Feeling betrayed and misunderstood by their label, the band left Mercury amidst the mass artist genocide that occurred with the merger of Mercury, Island, Def Jam and Polygram into Universal.
In 2000, operating on their survival instincts, the band re-grouped and launched a highly successful European/Japan tour with no record label or managerial support. This led to signing new record deals with SPV/Steamhammer for Europe and Sanctuary for the rest of the world. Consequently, the band also secured management with Accelerated Development, Inc., a new endeavor for legendary record industry guru Dan Beck.
During the bands' downtime, the high visibility of being hard-core legends connected Evan with Tom Fontana landing him a high profile starring role portraying the prison convict "Jaz Hoyt" on HBO's critically acclaimed and award winning hit series "OZ".
The bands' hard work and earned respect has brought Billy into the journalism world. Currently working on a collection of "Tales from the Hardside" for later release, you can find some of these tales in magazines like Metal Hammer and FAQ (to name a few) where he has his own monthly column.
Also during this time, Billy and Danny transformed the bands infamous rehearsal studio/hangout in downtown Brooklyn into a world class digital recording studio now know as Rat Piss Studios. Re-investing into the band, Billy and Danny honed their engineering and productions skills while recording/producing local acts and new Biohazard demos. Armed with a truckload of new music, the band undertook the difficult process of writing, recording and producing their own music.
The result: Uncivilization, the finest record of the band's career, pounding its way into your soul. You've been warned...
In early October 2005 it was officially revealed that Biohazard had called it a day with the release of their final album "Means To An End":
"It was a natural progression with the band," Billy said. "We've grown in different areas. I have a daughter and I'm focusing now on my other band SUICIDE CITY [also featuring former KITTIE bassist Jennifer Arroyo]; Danny [Schuler, drums] has three kids now, so things have really changed for him; Evan [Seinfeld, vocals and bass] is doing his big porno-acting thing now, and that's cool. One of the things about BIOHAZARD is that it's your life, your way. So to each his own.
"I think over the years we just grew apart," Billy continued. "I've come to a stage in my life where I've come full circle and music is only for pleasure now. Don't get me wrong, I always dug it, always enjoyed it, I've had a fucking great time, but I didn't know any better. All I had was music. But my reality now is that I have a family and we've got to pay the bills. I'm no different from you we've both got to buy the same token to ride a train, you know? So I'm back in the workforce, hanging out with my buddies at the weekend and dealing with the bullshit so I can enjoy the pleasures of life, like making music."
| Discuss this band at our forum |
| Former members Add - Fetch | |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| |||
| Session musicians Add - Fetch | |||
| |||
| Buy Biohazard albums |
| Official releases Add | ||
7.5 / 10 Read our review here | ||
| Videos |
Song: Sellout
| Tour dates / gigs |
