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Continuing in their campaign to unveil the hidden history of the 1980s Virginian hardcore punk scene, Beach Impediment unearths the "Existence Demo 1985" by Virginia Beach skate thrashers DISARM. Taking inspiration from New Yorks’ AGNOSTIC FRONT, Boston's SS DECONTROL, Sweden's ANTI-CIMEX as well as the burgeoning thrash metal from Californias’ SLAYER and POSSESSED, DISARM were truly a product of their time and in their brief two-year lifespan, the teenaged quartet bombed up and down the east coast sharing stages with CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, YOUTH OF TODAY and GANG GREEN among others. Recorded in a suburban garage studio during a sweltering summer, "Existence Demo 1985" combines the brute sonic force of hardcore with a blinding thrash delivery to create one of the most unheralded demo tapes of the era. Remastered from the original reels by CHRIS CORRY and released in conjunction with NO IDOLS, the "Existence Demo 1985" gets its’ well-deserved vinyl debut, almost 40 years after its’ recording.
Each record features a layout adorned with imagery from the band's brief existence along with liner notes derived from an interview conducted by Tony Rettman with guitarist Raymond Epstein and vocalist Bryan Zentz. Limited to a one time pressing of 500 copies.
Our take: True Sorry State heads know that, while we’re strongly associated with North Carolina (and rightly so!), I actually grew up in eastern Virginia and only moved to North Carolina in my early 20s. So I feel more than a twinge of hometown pride when I listen to Virginia Beach’s Disarm, whose 1985 demo Beach Impediment just lovingly re-released on vinyl. Honestly, though, I’d be into Disarm no matter where they came from, as their influences and aesthetic are like catnip for me. Their sound is a kind of Americanized take on peace punk, reminding me a lot of California’s Final Conflict and Richmond’s Unseen Force, and while most of the lyrics deal with the kinds of social issues you might expect, there’s a healthy side of skateboarding too... three of the band’s members were hardcore skaters, and their drummer Mike Crescini eventually went pro for Vision. Disarm also had strong connections to the 80s Raleigh scene, as their bass player Bryan S was from Raleigh and had previously played in UNICEF, and many of Disarm’s out-of-town shows were in North Carolina. In the booklet, Disarm also lists the No Core compilation as one of their most important influences, alongside European hardcore bands like Wretched and Anti-Cimex and, of course, your standard punk and early hardcore classics. Speaking of the booklet, it’s beautifully done, up to the standard of top-shelf reissues on Radio Raheem (which makes sense, since that label’s co-owner Chris Minicucci handled the layout), compiling a bunch of archival material along with a detailed interview conducted by hardcore historian Tony Rettman. The music here is great, and the packaging is killer. If you have a personal connection to Disarm’s story like I do, this release is essential, but anyone with a taste for obscure 80s hardcore archival releases will get a lot of enjoyment from this.