Ed Walters Records

E-Mail: mike@edwaltersrecords.org
Web Site: www.edwaltersrecords.org

Label Discography:

THE AWAKENING/VIRGINIA BLACK LUNG - split 7"
FIGHTING DOGS - CD
FIGHTING DOGS - LP
FIRE DOWN BELOW - G 7"
THE GREAT CLEARING OFF - In Flight From The Terror Behind CD
THE GREAT CLEARING OFF/THE SOUND OF FAILURE - split 7"
KILL THE MAN WHO QUESTIONS/DEL CIELO - 7"
MIDVALE - First Aid For Airmen 7"
MURDER IN THE RED BARN - CD
MURDOCK/SUTEK CONSPIRACY - split 7"
PASSENGER TRAIN PROPOSAL - Sailboats 7"
RAMBO/CRUCIAL UNIT - split 7"
SIN DESIRES MARIE/DEL CIELO - split 7"
THE SOUND OF FAILURE - The Party Is Over CD
THE SOUND OF FAILURE - The Party Is Over LP
SUTEK CONSPIRACY - CDep
TRUE IF DESTROYED - CD
TRUE IF DESTROYED - LP

Release Discriptions:

TRUE IF DESTROYED - LP/CD
Culled from diverse backgrounds it follows form that True If Destroyed should be an amalgam of influences and sounds, complementing and contrasting each other for an utter reinvention of each individual band member into one cohesive unit. Melodic guitars reflect a deep appreciation for the spirit of the ring and shimmer of mid-'80s DC bands like Rain, Soulside and Rites of Spring. Front woman Julia Gaylord's vocals, meanwhile, take a suspiciously angelic foil to the busy instrumentation, invoking the air--if not a revisitation--of an idealistic pocket of mid-'90s basement groups a la Discount, Current or Evergreen (Kentucky). Live, we think the band is one of the best sounding, locked-in groups from Philadelphia, and their self-titled full length does a commendable job of capturing their fire and skill. (Ed Walters #18)

THE GREAT CLEARING OFF - In Flight From The Terror Behind CD
The Great Clearing Off erupted from Philadelphia's traditionally fertile basement scene several years ago, with numerous shows and an impressively packaged demo CD a 7" on Cheap Art Records, and split 7" under its belt by the end of the millenium. This CDep marks the band's last studio recording, while still focusing on the energy and urgency of its live shows. "In Flight From Terror Behind..." contains six songs of aggressive, topical punk peppered with a gritty sense of melody. Also contains a computer friendly video. (Ed Walters #19)

FIGHTING DOGS - CD/LP
This is the first official record from this politically driven Philadelphia three-piece. Thirteen songs of modern punk influenced by Bay Area speed metal and international hardcore. Featuring ex members of Virginia Black Lung and R.A.M.B.O.! (Ed Walters#17)

SUTEK CONSPIRACY - CDep
Sutek Conspiracy hailed from Lafayette, IN. They had a slew split releases with bands like Cobra Kai, Murdock, Amputee Set, and more. This is their first solo release since their first release (six song CD). Sutek combined French screamo ala Fingerprint with metal type bands (Iron Maiden). This release also is their final recording. The band broke up the summer of 2002. Members went on to be in bands like Memento Mori and the Dream is Dead. (Ed Walters #004.1)

FIRE DOWN BELOW - G 7"
Fire Down Below is a six piece band from Philadelphia, PA that features male and female screamers, duel guitars, bass, and drums. The sound is heavy, thick, and very aggressive and these three songs will make you grasp those 94' records and Iron Maiden records too. Description by Michael Daily. (Ed Walters #016)

THE SOUND OF FAILURE - The Party Is Over CD/LP
Moving on after the Distress Signal 7" and the split 7" with The Great Clearing Off, The Sound of Failure releases thier new full length LP/CD, thier strongest effort to date. "The Party Is Over" offers up 14 songs of noisy, abrasive hardcore. Fast, chaotic blasts give way to heavy, pounding, noisy breakdowns. Lyrically, The Sound of Failure paints bleak, desperate pictures of intensely personal paranoia and terror. (Ed Walters #15)

KILL THE MAN WHO QUESTIONS/DEL CIELO - split 7"
Kill the Man Who Questions played its last show in April 2002, after six years of touring and releasing records. Their side of this split represents the final 3 songs recorded by the band. While a CD discography should be made available soon, it seems fitting the last 'living' effort from this Philadelphia band should be a split 7" with Del Cielo, as the two bands shared a close friendship up and down the East Coast, believing that punk was more than just a specific sound. Del Cielo contributes two unreleased songs in the same vein of melodic power pop found on their full-length CD (eyeball records) and their other split-seven inch on Ed Walters (with Sin Desires Marie). (Ed Walters #14)

DEL CIELO/SIN DESIRES MARIE - split 7"
One song each from these two unique bands. Colorado's Sin Desires Marie offers "The One She Likes," a haunting, bass-driven approach to what once was pop. This western three-piece invokes an angular, jarring dissonance cultivated from equal parts Third Sex, Submission Hold and Gang of Four. Del Cielo, meanwhile, hails from Washington DC and Richmond, VA area, and takes a more up-front indie pop approach, reminiscent of Velocity Girl or Braid. Vocal harmonies and clever writing gel with Warmers-esque drumming and a kinetic bass line for "Richmond Never Forgets." This marks the debut release from Del Cielo, who now have a full-length forthcoming on the Eyeball label, and a split 7" with Kill the Man Who Questions (Ed Walters). Both bands prove once and for all, the power trio is alive and well. (Ed Walters #013)

THE AWAKENING/VIRGINIA BLACK LUNG - split 7"
Virginia Black Lung follows up its first EP with four songs of blistering speed and distortion with a spoken-word about Iraq thrown in the mix. Virginia Black Lung's final recording roots itself in current events and a progressive idea of noisy hardcore. Columbus, Ohio's The Awakening forges a thick, gloomy, D-beat punch. Both bands compliment their music with personal/political writings with attention to the bike-oriented theme of this ongoing split 7" series. (Ed Walters #007)

THE SOUND OF FAILURE/THE GREAT CLEARING OFF - split 7"
The Great Clearing Off offers "Love Song" (not a Damned cover) and "Murder Not Justice." Sometimes compared to '90s East Bay punk (Filth/Econochrist) mixed with a wide-eyed, idealistic sentimentality (The Hated). The GCO delivers strongly on this follow-up to their debut 7" (Cheap Art Records). The Sound of Failure offers two destructive songs, "Assemble/Edit" and "Horsham Clinic." Musically the band molds early Unwound's penchant for chaotic noise with a driving, John Henry West/End of the Line, guitar-driven hardcore. Lyrically, the intensely personal "Horsham Clinic" offfers a less glamorized look at the 'nervous breakdown'/'suicide' chic so popular these days. (Ed Walters #006)

MURDER IN THE RED BARN - CD
While respected among its followers, some of the most inventive punk groups often wind up sequestered and sounding perhaps too similar in the end. Milwaukee's Murder in the Red Barn avoids the common fall by infusing a truly melodic, structured skill to the fire of its more erratic elements. Combining the oft-rhythmic guitar work of The Minutemen with the percussive drive of Trenchmouth, Murder In The Red Barn songs are anchored just enough by passionate, emotive melodies to keep feet on the ground (but tapping all the same). This CDep harnesses experimentation and rhythm without giving up the reins. (Ed Walters #4)

MURDOCK/SUTEK CONSPIRACY - split 7"
Long after contemporaries from the (under)celebrated Reservoir Records/NY HC scene of the mid-'90s had called it quits, Staten Island's Murdock plowed forward with a self-released CD and a limited run 7" EP. The band's two-song contribution to this split, however, marks its finest hour. "Tainted" and "Peace Off" represent some of Murdock's most crushing work with melodic and emotive hardcore dodging between post-hardcore and screamo's obsolete labeling. Rorschach, Milhouse and Deadguy might all well have been influences, but Murdock is its own voice. Sutek Conspiracy features yet-to-be members of Memento Mori, and offers three songs to this split 7". Technical, speedy metal riffs are balanced with the economy of hardcore's tight structure and cathartic, seemingly tortured vocals. Original illustration and design from the respected hand of Last Chance Illustration makes for impressive packaging. (Ed Walters #003)

PASSENGER TRAIN PROPOSAL - 7"
Composed partially of former members of East Coast emo mainstays Autumn, Passenger Train Proposal delivers two, subdued tracks to this EP. Intricate, controlled drumming backs reserved poetic lyrics and guitars swinging from the hushed, whispered strumming of June of 44 and Still Life to swashes of the distorted crash of Endpoint and Anasarca. While more accessibly pop minded than hardcore math rock purists would dictate, PTP's emphasis on the dynamics of volume and technical instrumentation present a quiet, but firm challenge to the notion of what sensitive music ought to sound like. (Ed Walters #002)

MIDVALE - First Aid For Airmen 7"
Featuring acclaimed singer/songwriter Kadd Stephens (Homage to Catalonia), Midvale's debut EP marks the first release for Ed Walters Records, with three diverse songs rooted strongly in mid-'90s melodic hardcore. With vocal and instrumental nods towards Falling Forward, Sleepytime Trio and Sunny Day Real Estate, Midvale's music remains significant long after the kids have traded in their book bags for messenger bags and retired their cut-off shirt sleeve headbands. Stephens' sentient songwriting appears in a younger, more volume form on this 1997 release. (Ed Walters #001)