SET THE TONE SERIES 2 – THE STRAIGHTS OF EDGE
Earth Crisis –
Firestorm
Released 1993
Earth Crisis is one of the bands I was hesitant to tackle because of
the density I attributed to their message. I was particularly unsure
about diving into Firestorm because I have been carrying doubts about
its lyrics for a while and finally studying it might result in a
tainting the band’s legacy. However, here we are and Earth Crisis
is the next logical step.
If
ever one band could be the symbol of the transition between the youth
crew era of straightedge and the 90’s era, it just might be Earth
Crisis. At least, it was, to me. Their songs brought a darker, more
metallic sound, along with a different level of austerity. Supporting
that impression, in an
interview with Hard Lore, Karl Buechner states that he became
straightedge in 1986i,
at the age of sixteen. He confesses that drugs, alcohol or cigarettes
never appealed to him because
he had seen, in his surroundings, the negative consequences they
could have. In the same
interview, Karl also states about
the way straightedge has
evolved, saying :
‘I dearly love all of the
founding fathers from the original era of straightedge. I love their
music. We’ve toured with them. We’ve played with them. They’re
friends. They gave me everything I have and
everything I’ve tried to pass on, but
what was missing with that first incarnation of it was, like,
solidified guidelines.’
This desire to define and
expand on the idea of straightedge provides a pertinent element of
context in the analysis of their lyrics.
About the expression ‘are you Floorpunch straightedge or Earth
Crisis straightedge?’ previously referred to in the Floorpunch
article, Karl states ‘[i]t’s like, yes, Earth Crisis experimented
with different tempos and darker guitar tones and more aggressive
vocals and different subject matter, but I mean we’ve got our youth
crew band, too. We’ve got Path of the Resistance. I love youth crew
as much as anybody else ever did. You know. ‘Cause it’s what I
grew up with. I love it just as much and I wanted to do something
different before I went back and revisited that and celebrated it in
our own version.’ Although Earth Crisis’ stance and sound might
have been different, this acknowledgement of other perspectives
cements their place in the tapestry of the evolution of straightedge
by its inclusiveness, rather than distancing.
Now that context has been established, to some extent, let us see
what meaning can be derived from some of their lyrics.
Firestorm
Street
by street, block by block
Taking
it all back
The
youth’s immersed in poison
Turn
the tide, counterattack
Violence
against violence
Let
the roundups begin
A
firestorm to purify the bane that society drowns in
No
mercy
No
exceptions
A
declaration of total war
The
innocents’ defense is the reason it’s waged for
Born
addicted, beaten and neglected
Families
torn apart, destroyed and abandoned
Children
sell their bodies
From
their high they fall to drown
Demons
crazed by greed cut bystanders down
A
chemically tainted welfare generation
Absolute,
complete moral degeneration
Born
addicted, beaten and neglected
Families
torn apart, destroyed and abandoned
Children
sell their bodies
From
their high they fall to drown
Demons
crazed by greed cut bystanders down
Corrupt
politicians, corrupt enforcement, drug lords and dealers
All
must fall
The
helpless are crying out
We
have risen to their call
A
firestorm to purify
If
any one song were to qualify Earth Crisis as a militant straightedge
band, Firestorm would undoubtedly be one
of choice, as their position regarding
drugs could not be established in clearer terms. It
is also the one song that gave me pause
over the band because, at first glance, it
could appear to
propose wiping
every addict, user,
and drug dealer from the face of the planet to
realize a
straightedge agenda, which generated
an internal conflict when thinking about friends and family members
who indulged. If
that were so, screaming these lyrics aloud would equal to
an endorsement of the murder of these
people I claim to love. The time has come
for me to settle this matter once and for all.
From
the first notes played in staccato to the very
last word, the song screams of conflict and
draws a definite line in the sand. The
first line, straight forward as it may be, is significant on many
different levels. On the
first one, it
establishes the location of the battlefield in this war against
drugs. On a second level,
it also taps into the idea that drugs come from the street. The whole
genre of gangsta rap may be relied upon in
support, as many rappers glorify their
experience gained there. For
the sake of providing at least one example, we could name WC’s the
Streetsii.
Although
not exclusively, it is in
the streets that
the drugs can be sold, bought, fought over,
and consumed. On
a final level, the line also suggests that
the plan put forth
will be a step by step process. Following
with “taking it all back” defines the claim that they will not be
satisfied until the entirety of no man’s land has been cleansed of
drugs.
The
face of the enemy is revealed as a “poison” plaguing children.
The idea of the “youth” being “immersed,” along with the
image of “the tide,” suggest the significance of the damage as
the victim population is completely submerged. The image could evoke
both the manner in which drugs have become a problem and the
enthusiasm generated in users. The tide having to be turned implies
resistance against a certain current.
The
structure of this manifesto continues to reveal itself. After
detailing the where and the what comes the how. Fight fire with fire.
Eye for an eye. ‘Violence against violence.’ The spread of the
poison is considered an attack, which would be violent in nature, and
the reaction would, therefore, be self-defense.
Then
comes the perplexing phrasing ‘let the roundups begin,’
reminiscent of World War II and the time a group of people decided to
place themselves above others and project this point of view upon the
rest of the planet, sending millions to their death or concentration
camps. Roundup who, exactly? And what are they to become? The next
three lines add fuel to the fire, as they state ‘[n]o mercy / [n]o
exception / [a] declaration of total war.’ Such lack of nuance and
contrast should raise a flag. There will be no fair trial as the
judgment has already been passed. A dogmatic point of view that even
appeals to emotions in an attempt to establish its righteousness when
it mentions that they have the best interests of ‘innnocents’ at
heart.
While
the apparent structure of the argument made, so far, may evoke logic,
the first three lines of what could be qualified as the chorus of the
song further appeals to the emotions of the audience through the use
of images of child abuse and exploitation, as they state :
‘[b]orn addicted, beaten and neglected / [f]amilies torn apart,
destroyed and abandoned / [c]hildren sell their bodies.’ Although
it should come as no surprise that a topic so important to Karl
Buechner, as has been established in the introduction to this
article, should generate such an emotional reaction, this nonetheless
denotes a certain shift in his discourse. As emotional as the images
may be, they are not unjustified, as the Stanford Medicine website
defines Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome as ‘a set of signs and
symptoms that may occur after babies are exposed to medicines or
other substances in the uterus before birth.’iii
It also defines Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) as a term
‘used to refer specifically to withdrawal from opioids only.’ The
website lists heroin as one of the opioids that could possibly cause
these syndromes. This is one of the ways in which a person could be
‘born addicted.’ An article published on the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website, based on
survey results obtained between 2009 and 2014, children of parents
with a Substance Abuse Disorder (SUD) ‘are at risk of experiencing
direct effects, such as parental abuse or neglect.’iv
Not only do these two articles support and document Earth Crisis’
claim that drugs have a direct, negative impact on children and
families, but their publication years after Firestorm
was released demonstrates the progress made in terms of preventing
these situations and the
relevance of the band’s
message. Drugs
and child abuse are still afflicting children and families to this
day. As for the link drawn
between drugs and child prositution, an article published on the
National Library of Medicine website does support the idea that
research has demonstrated the existence of a correlation between
child abuse, sex work, and drug usev.
The chorus, because it
summarizes the argument being made in a few concise, catchy phrases,
does exactly what a chorus is supposed to do. After
the where, the what, and the how, the who has been defined on the
sides of both the perpetrators and the victims.
The second part of the chorus serves as a proverbial nail in the
coffin with the lines ‘[d]emons crazed by greed cut bystanders down
/ [a] chemically tainted welfare generation / [a]bsolute, complete
mental degeneration’ predict the outcome of complacency. The rich
will continue to profit from exploiting a population of drug users
that is bound to slowly and painfully self-destruct.
In the final lines of the song, the proposal is summarized in
clearer terms. The people to be rounded up are listed as being
‘[c]orrupt politicians, corrupt enforcement, drug lords, and
dealers.’ Almost as a mission statement, the song ends with ‘[t]he
helpless are crying out / [w]e have risen to their call / [a]
firestorm to purify.’
If
my first impressions of Firestorm
gave me pause, an analysis of the actual lyrics lays to rest the fear
of condoning the murder of loved ones. The song is directed at those
exploiting, rather than those using. I would argue that anyone
engaging in the commerce of drugs, whether they be facilitating it
through legislation or selling it on a street corner, should be aware
of the risk it entails, and that this enteprise has a way of
regulating itself. Althought
the fear of advocating for retribution upon family members has been
relieved, there remains a point of contention in the idea that the
band has appointed themselves as judge, jury, and executioners. A
doubt persists in my mind that things may not be so clear cut.
An
analysis of Firestorm would not be complete without a look at
what is undoubtedly a response by Propagandhi, with their song
Firestorm, My Ass, appearing on the 1998 release Where
Quantity is Job #1.
Firestorm,
My Ass
Heard
a song and I counted out loud
The
two-steps, the goose-steps, back from square one
From
where we’d just begun
And
then it rang a bell
But
is this kristallnacht or what the fuck is your plan?
‘Cause
I don’t deny the voice
But I
defy you as the voice
Of
anything I’ve stood for in these past 9 years
I’ve
conquered the nurturing and found that anything
Worth
conquering is powered, built, and backed
By
fear, not by fact
But,
having said that…
Meat
is still murder
Dairy
is still rape
And
I’m still as stupid as anyone, but I know my mistakes
And I
have recognized one form of oppression, now I recognize the rest
Life’s
too short to make other’s shorter
The
juxtaposition of the image of a two-step dance, a type of dance that
is popular in hardcore pits, to the one of the goose-stepping of an
army, a demonstration common in military parades, Propagandhi are
establishing a link between the hardcore scene and conformity.
Although the origins of goose-stepping can be traced to the Prussian
armyvi,
according to an article on the We Are the Mighty website, the image
has been associated to the armies of nazi Germany because of the
films used from that period. If this association appears
circumstancial, the reference to kristallnacht, three lines further,
closes the gap that had to be covered in such a leap. Kristallnacht
refers to the night of November 9 during which the Nazi German
leaders ‘a nationwide anti-Jewish riot’vii
in an attempt to generate public outrage. With this comparison,
Propagandhi signal the questions raised by the lyrics and ask for
further details. Moreover, they are questioning the appointment of
the band as the spokespeople for such a revolutionary program. Their
approach would imply more compassion, as they state ‘I’ve
conquered the nurturing and found that anything / [w]orth conquering
is powered, built, and backed / [b]y fear, not by fact.’ In this
perspective, if the world had to be ridden of drugs, they would
prioritize working in cooperation rather than rounding up the
perpetrators and eliminating them.
While
the title and the image two-stepping appear to point a finger to
Firestorm and its drug free
agenda, the last part of the Propagandhi song allude veganism,
sharing lyrics with their
song Meat is Still Murder,
appearing on Less Talk, More Rock. One
could argue that it is a way to express disagreement with part of
Earth Crisis’ message while shifting attention to a cause they both
endorse.
Forged
in the Flames
Forged
in the flames of chaos
Hammered
by trials to tempered steel
Convictions,
tried, and tested onto a razor’s edge that’s true and real
Wrought
between the hammer and the anvil
Strengthened
to never breaking
The
weakness that surrounds is the evil that I forsake
Never
have I taken in vain the sacred vessel of my soul
I am
the master of my faith, my destiny I control
Nobility
lies in actions
Corrections
where once was wrong
Ascension
from evil with a heart that’s true and strong
Through
this veil of shadows, the light of truth is my only guide
A
knight unyielding
To
the X I’m crucified
As
mentioned in the introduction to this article, Karl Buechner stated
in his Hard Lore interview that one of his intent with Earth Crisis
was to provide clear guidelines to straightedge. In that same
interview, Karl states that Forged in the Flames was
inspired
by people falling away from straightedge and them perceiving
themselves as the last few remaining.
In
this context, Forged in the Flames
is a statement that the straightedge committment is strenghtened by
resistance to temptations. If ‘chaos’ is the fire heating
the blade to a degree that allows it to be molded, as
supported by the line ‘[t]he weakness that surrounds is the evil
that I forsake,’ and
the straightedge committment is the blade being forged, reinforcement
is derived from the disapproval of the behavior witnessed in the
author’s environment. The
‘trials’ are the situations that test an individual’s resolve,
making their committment stronger with each success. After
all, how could one possible assess the strength of a committment that
has never been put to the test?
The line ‘[n]ever have I taken in vain the sacred vessel of my
soul’ could be interpreted as implying that Karl Buechner has never
taken drugs or consumed alcohol. In this perspective, the consumption
of drugs or alcohol would corrupt the user’s soul. This statement
draws a line in the sand, not only among users and non-users, but
also among the straightedge community, as it distinguishes two levels
of straightedge -those who have never used and those who have stopped
using. However, emphasis returns to the most crucial element, which
would be for an individual to maintain control over their ‘faith’
and ‘destiny.’
In Firestorm, straightedge is presented as a reaction from a
set of individuals to a culture of debauchery and exploitation
perpetrated by society. An alternative, perhaps marginal, lifestyle
choice made to stand up for the innocent. In Forged in the Flames,
straightedge is qualified ‘the light of truth,’ a formulation
reminiscent of organized religion. An image reinforced by the
metaphor of the ‘knight,’ which could be interpreted as a
reference to the knights templar, who were combining ‘ideals of
chivalry’viii
to a Christian faith. Support for this idea can be found in the last
line of the song evoking the crucifixion. One could argue that
crucifying oneself to an ‘X’ could be posturing to be a martyr.
In this perspective, those who claim the edge would be martyrs of a
society that glorifies the consumption of drugs or alcohol.
The origins of metal forging can be traced back around 9,000 years
agoix.
It could be qualified as a practice that is as old as time. The
juxtaposition of the idea of metal forging, the crucifixion, and
straightedge principles could be perceived as an attempt to provide a
historical dimension to the conflict. The implications being that the
struggle has been ongoing since time immemorial.
Unseen
Holocaust
Demons
descended upon the lands
The
fire of greed burned within their minds
They
destroyed the paradise that filled their eyes
From
the East they swarmed to pillage
To
populate the righteous under siege
The
stream of invaders rose into a raging flood
Now
the arrow shaft lays broken where the grasses dripped with blood
Unavenged
apparitions of the dead walk down this trail of tears that never ends
Conquered
by the sword, by treaties that were lies
Millions
perished in the wars for their genocide
Decimated
by Manifest Destiny
Tortured
and enslaved in the name of christianity
The
stream rose into a raging flood
Now
the arrow shaft lays broken where the grasses dripped with blood
Unavenged
apparitions of the dead walk down this trail of tears that never ends
Manifest
Destiny prevails
Felled
their rainforests, flood their lands
Ancient
cultures destroyed by so-called civilized man
The
tribal peoples of today
Survival
is at stake
History
means nothing if nothing’s learned from past mistakes
Stop
the unseen holocaust
Relying
on the image of ‘demons’ to establish a setting suggests a sort
of tale and creates an mythological effect. It could be compared to
the use of the phrase ‘once upon a time’ of fairy tales. In the
present context, the time period referred to would begin in the 15th
century, with the colonization of the americas by Portugal and
Spainx,
who came from ‘the East.’
By
characterizing the colonizers as pillaging ‘demons’ and
‘invaders,’ Earth Crisis is acknowledging the horrifying nature
of the attack, as the first nations are characterized as ‘the
righteous.’ The disapproval in the results of this process is
displayed in the images of blood-soaked fields and ‘unavenged’
victims returning as ghosts. Combining the barbarity of the actions
to a time length of four centuries, through the reference to the
Trail of Tearsxi,
confers an unimaginable intensity that inreases the severity of the
judgement. Replacing conquest with relocation or eradication with
removal may be less direct methods, but the results are just as
condemning. These results are here labeled as ‘genocide.’
Unseen
Holocaust criticizes the
colonization of the americas when Manifest
Destiny
is compared to a decimationxii.
It also criticizes
christianity when it implies that it was invoked to
entitle people
to murder and ownership of geography. While
the theme of straightedge is absent for the first time on the EP,
another recurrent theme in Earth Crisis lyrics appears -the
environment. One only needs
to think about the shirt design with the recycling symbol or later
songs suchs as Destroy the Machines
and Ecocide. Not
only was it wrong to seize land, exact an holocaust, and justify
actions with a divine proclamation, the destruction of the ecosystem
of the land they were claiming for themselves would only benefit them
in the short term.
Providing
context for the song Unseen Holocaust
in his Hard Lore interview, Karl Buechner explains that New
York is surrounded by reservations and these people were coming to
the shows in Syracuse. There were the Onondagas and possibly the
Iroquois. Through this explanation, a certain proximity is
established. With origins much closer to the band than a history
book, the song draws attention to a topic still relevant today. By
saying ‘[h]istory means nothing if nothing’s learned from past
mistakes,’ they are saying that although irreparable damage has
been done, it is not too late to gain awareness and apply this
knowledge to the way you behave, today.
Eden’s
Demise
Poisoned
tears fall from a corroding sky down to a tortured earth that’s
been left to die
The
oceans diseased, the stricken lands decay
Mankind’s
supremist mentality has set this world ablaze
Nature’s
plan forever altered, animals lost to extinction
This
society based on greed fuels the onslaught of destruction
The
circle of death ends with the instigators victimized
The
means to quench a selfish lust brings eden’s demise
Mass-murder,
demonic cruelty
Absolute
fascism
To
end the enslavement and slaughter, the antidote is veganism
Don’t
let your outrage for injustice end where your selfishness begins
I
have conquered through self-control
Together
we can win
Respect
for nature and innocent life
The
end of human over human oppression
A
peaceful world can evolve after animal liberation
To
persist with what is immoral is illogical
There’s
no excuse for violence against nature or for the innocent to be
killed
I see
so much sickness
The
enemy surrounds
I see
so much sickness
I
fear what the future holds
I
have hope that the point of no return has not yet been passed
These
are the final moments
Sand
pours from a broken hourglass
Once
more, christianity appears through the image of the Garden of Eden.
It appeared in Forged in the Flames,
through the image of the crucifixion. In Unseen Holocaust,
it appeared as the justification for land grab through the image of
Manifest Destiny. Because the
connotation is not the same in both past references, Earth Crisis
cannot be perceived as making a statement on faith, but rather as
making a statement on the consequences of organized religion.
As the ‘[p]oisoned tears’ falling ‘from a corroding sky’
could be interpreted as a metaphor for acid rain, the topic of the
song appears to be a reccurrence of the theme of the environment. If
the first instance was to criticize colonization, or perhaps
Imperialism, the present critique could be aimed at
Industrialization. Among the sources for acid rain would be the
sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissionsxiii,
which would be caused in part by human activity through the burning
of fossil fuels, for examplexiv.
‘Mankind’s supremist mentality’ and ‘greed’ are listed as
the driving forces behind the pollution of a once pristine
environment.
The attention focuses to one industry in particular -the food
industry, as another important part of the Earth Crisis agendan
appears -veganism. ‘Mass-murder,’ ‘cruelty,’ ‘fascism,’
‘enslavement,’ ‘slaughter,’ ‘injustice,’ selfishness, and
‘oppression’ are all attributed to the meat industry, whether it
be the producers or the consumers.
Veganism is presented in a dogmatic point of view, as Karl states
he has ‘conquered through self-control’ and proceeds to display
these principles as an absolute truth. This truth is based on respect
for nature, compassion towards all life, and the idea that humans are
projecting a self-proclaimed superiority on both in order to further
their own agenda. In their perspective, there cannot be peace while
oppression endures.
Detailing
what inspired the lyrics of Eden’s Demise
during his interview with Hard Lore, Karl Buechner refers to
the pollution of Onondaga Lakexv
and radiation towers. The Onondaga Nation website indicates that 20%
to 30%, depending on the season, of the lake’s water comes from
sewage from the Onondaga water treatment plant. The levels of ammonia
and phosphorus in the water have increased by this dumping of human
waste, catalyzing a growth in algae, which, in turn, has choked out
the fish and plant populations. Amongst other issues of Onondaga Lake
lay in its sediments, its solvay wastebeds, as well as its mercury
levels.
In
comparison to Floorpunch’s perspective on straightedge, Earth
Crisis’ point of view appears to be projected on a larger scale.
While the Floorpunch lyrics for Division 1 Champs appear to be
directed more specifically to their community, Earth Crisis are
proposing the ideals be applied to the entire world. Moreover, by
addressing issues such as Colonialism, Imperialism, and
Industrialization, they are taking a stand against forces much larger
than the mere infiltration of a scene. Although they appear to have
condescension, arrogance, and a dogmatic view in common, the lyrics
of Earth Crisis are made more dense by the references they include.
The formality and almost academic tone in the texts, combined to the
amplified intensity of the principles, give an impression to be
addressing the whole world, whereas Floorpunch may have been more
limited in their target audience.
In
conclusion, if the original intent of Earth Crisis was to clarify the
implications of a straightedge lifestyle, Firestorm presented a
program and proposed a revolution to effect change on a world set on
destroying itself. In his interview with Hard Lore, while discussing
the song the Discipline from
their later album Destroy the Machines, Karl stated that he
‘wanted straightedge to be clearly defined as to what it means to
me, Scott, and Ian, and Dennis, and Eric. Like, this, to us, is not a
phase. This is not a chapter. This is the story, and the story is if
we abstain from drugs, and alcohol, and smoking, and promiscuity, we
are going to be sweeping obstacles out of our path. We’re going to
achieve our goals quicker and faster and we’re going to be able to
see things with a type of clarity that other people can’t. So I
wanted to present it, to the world, what it meant to us. Which is :
it’s a lifetime commitment to stay loyal to those ideas.’
Interestingly, this quote offers a certain insight in how the clarity
provided by their straightedge lifestyle has motivated them to
address issues on a larger scope, which is what Firestorm does.
