A Hangover in Your Head: The 1989 Extreme Noise Terror/Disrupt Split 7"
Left to right: Ali Firouzbakht (ENT/Raw Noise), Jay Stiles (Disrupt), Pete Kamarinos (Disrupt), Stick (Doom/ENT), and Dean (ENT) at Pete's house in Lynn, Massachusetts circa 1992. Photo by Mike Leberge.
In 1989, England’s Extreme Noise Terror were at the forefront of the crust genre. Having just released their masterpiece "A Holocaust In Your Head," there were few bands who rivaled their reputation in the game. They were even making occasional noise in the mainstream thanks to numerous glowing endorsements by BBC mainstay, John Peel. ENT’s contemporary brew of aggressive hardcore was distinct and forceful, making waves across the pond in America and spawning a new breed of hardcore inspired by this dual-vocal onslaught approach.
Perhaps the most notable of those inspired were Massachusetts’ band Disrupt.
Still relatively new to the scene, Disrupt quickly earned the moniker as being "the American ENT." Clearly it's foolish to try and dispute the similarities, however, most seasoned listeners of the genre would probably tell you that comparing the two groups is lazy, short-sighted and borders on sacrilege. Disrupt were coming from a very different place than ENT, both musically and culturally. This is evident in their songwriting as well as the lore that would follow the band long after they split up in 1994.
That being said, the influence of ENT and other British crust groups of the era is undeniably present in Disrupt's music. This presence is no accident, of course. The birth of crust opened many new doors for the late 80’s generation of pissed off youth. By appealing to kids who would otherwise have ended up playing in mindless metal bands, it offered a style of music that was just as sonically aggressive as metal, but lyrically founded on the core principles of anarcho and peace punk.
Disrupt were those very kids who this style spoke to. They took these concepts, they ran with them and created something of their own amidst a local scene of otherwise forgettable rubbish. With the exception of Rhode Island's Dropdead and Connecticut’s Deformed Conscience, there were very few bands in the Northeastern US at the time honing in on these styles and ideas.
At the very start of their existence, Disrupt vocalists Pete Kamarinos and Jay Stiles were in communication with their unofficial brothers across the ocean to collaborate on a split EP for their debut release. Though this record never materialized, the bands remained in contact and forged a long distance kinship for years to come. They would eventually collaborate on a studio project called Disabuse, releasing a sole eponymous EP in 1994.
While both bands went on to successfully carve their own niches in the annals of crust history, one cannot help but wonder how this aborted concept ultimately played into the legacy of Disrupt as a standalone, classic band; existing independently and never being fully overshadowed by their British peers.
Negative Insight spoke with vocalist Jay Stiles about his introduction to British Hardcore and the Extreme Noise Terror/Disrupt split EP that never came to fruition.
How did you get exposed to British hardcore and the early crust stuff coming out of the U.K. during a time when everyone in Boston was listening to more metallic influenced and tougher hardcore?
I saw the ENT/Chaos U.K. split LP at Newbury Comics in Boston when it first came out in 1986. I had never heard of either band, I just liked the title of the LP "Earslaughter." I was mostly listening to metal at the time so the words slaughter/noise/chaos/terror appealed to me. After that it was Doom "War Crimes: Inhuman Beings" LP, Ripcord "Defiance of Power," Napalm Death "Scum," Heresy/Concrete Sox split LP, etc, etc...
I didn't know any punks back then, just a few friends who liked metal and started listening to crusty punk shit. Yeah, the Boston scene then was definitely dominated by thrash metal...
How did you get in touch with ENT? Were you tape trading with those guys?
Yeah, I was tape trading with Phil Vane (RIP) for a while back then and Pete was in touch with Phil and Dean. We were friends with Stick [from Doom] as well, but I can't remember if he was playing with ENT at the time...
How did the idea to do a split release come about?
Pete was talking to Dean about it and he agreed...
What label was supposed to release it?
I think Vinyl Japan were supposed to release it. I can't rightly remember. Not sure why they didn't consider a US/European label. I know those guys were heavily into Japanese hardcore back then so...
Can you recall which recordings of yours and theirs were supposed to be on it?
We recorded five songs for the split (before we realized six minutes is the appropriate amount of time per side of a 7", ha!) which ended up being the first Disrupt EP. I don't know if ENT even recorded tracks for it. Probably not...
Why did the release get aborted? Were those songs ever used for other releases?
I don't really remember why it never materialized. Pete was the one dealing with those aspects of the project. I think Dean flaked for some reason? We were a bit bummed at the time because that would have been an honor for a first release. It might have been too much though, we did rip them off just a bit, haha...
Any other thoughts on it or anything else to add? Did you keep in touch with the ENT guys at all?
Not much to add, I guess. I have some great memories being a part of that band, and I'm still friends with a few of them. I'm not sure if Pete is still in touch with Dean. I doubt it. I got to see Stick when Doom were in Seattle a few years ago so that was alright.
I did want to apologize for any lapses of memory and misinformation. These answers are to the best of my knowledge, which is minimal, haha. This shit happened 32 years ago and I like to drink, so... Thanks. Cheers!
To go along with this interview, Ben from Dropdead was kind enough to recount how he first became acquainted with the members of Disrupt, and ultimately how the tracks from the aborted split EP with Extreme Noise Terror would come to be released on Ben's label at the time, Crust Records.
My original introduction to the Disrupt folks was when the original Disrupt demo came out in 1989. I saw the MRR review and sent off a couple bucks for a copy. I was still living in Southern California at that time. Jay sent the demo and lyric booklet my way. I ended up using a couple tracks on the first thing I ever put out, a compilation cassette called "Apathy Pisses Me Off." I moved back to Massachusetts in June '89, and ended up meeting the OG Dropdead members in December. I think we (Dropdead and friends) ended up driving up to see a show they played at Salisbury Beach. We used to hang out pretty regularly from '91-93/94 when they split. Played a bunch of shows and had some pretty epic weekender parties and hangs. All the dudes had a great sense of humor and I still miss those days. We were all broke and barely keeping our shit together, but we had a blast. We were all together: a bunch of weirdos, misfits and freaks, but it all made sense somehow.
The original mix was actually used on the second press. I believe Pete (Disrupt vocalist) went and remixed the songs (the reel I sent pics of) prior to us sending the EP to the plant. The sound on that first press is actually the second (worse) mix. I don't think that was supposed to be a split with ENT, but I could totally be mistaken. Phil Vane (from ENT) came over at some point in '92 and recorded with Jay and the Disrupt guys leading to the Disabuse project that came out on Vinyl Japan in '94 or so. Terry and Jeff of Disrupt printed the original covers and inserts at Terry's print shop. Not sure who did the original layout. I did the label art and the updated layout on the second press in 1995.
Many thanks to Jay for taking the time to speak with us. For those unfamiliar, Jay is a bonafide LIFER and very much still active with music. His current project Nightfeeder released an excellent demo this past winter that absolutely worth checking out.
Additional thanks to Ben Barnett and Jeff Hayward for their contributions to this article..
Photo Credits:
Crust bangers collection photos of Disrupt, ENT and Disabuse from long time friend of the magazine, M. Banfield.
Archival photos of first EP and master reels courtesy of Ben Barnett (Crust Records/Armageddon Shop).
ENT/Chaos U.K. split LP test press on Manic Ears from the collection of Negative Insight Staff.
