In 1992, three Texas hardcore bands exploded onto the Dallas/Fort Worth punk scene. Sharing a love of politically charged underground music and a desire to confront the world around them, Sleeping Body, Voice of Reason, and Suiciety became close friends and built a united front of socially conscious, emotionally driven hardcore. They released a handful of 7” records and toured across the US, playing spaces like ABC No Rio in New York, 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, and countless punk clubs, basements, and house shows. Their chaotic live sets became the stuff of local legend, but just as quickly as they emerged, the bands were gone.
Now, a new 3xLP set brings their work back into focus. Out August 15, 2025 via King of the Monsters Records and Protagonist Music, the collection compiles the long out-of-print 7”s, along with demos, live recordings, and unreleased studio material. Packaged in a triple gatefold sleeve, it also includes flyers and photos from the time, framing the records as both archival and communal.
Jeff from Sleeping Body explains why this project resonated: “I had seen comments on a couple YouTube videos folks had thrown online over the years of Sleeping Body tracks, our Vermin Scum 7″, shit like that. I engaged several folks and saw a deep appreciation of what SB had meant to them over the years. Amid this, Karl Snyder (Voice of Reason) approached me with the possibility of re-releasing VoR, Suiciety, and SB content, and I jumped at the opportunity.” For him, the political context is what makes the reissue timely: “With the political climate in the US even more dominated by corporate, white supremacist, and fascist actors, the music and messages we sent out into the world back in the early Nineties felt on-point and relevant to now.”
Miguel of Suiciety describes it as a natural reunion: “The three of us were so close in the early 90s, through ups and downs, good times and bad, most of us are still good friends to this day. The message and aesthetic we all shared in those days is still relevant today, for better or for worse.”
Karl from Voice of Reason recalls how long the idea has been floating: “The seed of this project was planted more than a decade ago… As Mike/KOTM and I discussed a possible release of the remasters and WFMU live recording I suggested maybe a split with our old friends in Sleeping Body. Mike seemed keen on this idea so I approached JH (Jeff Hunt) who was very enthusiastic about the idea and he in turn suggested Suiciety should be involved and the release should be something of a time capsule celebrating the friendship and community between the bands. And so here we are.”
The history between the three bands is central. “The fact that many of us are still friends speaks to the deep bonds and roots we laid back in the early Nineties,” Jeff says. Karl adds: “These guys are like brothers to me. In the 35+ years we’ve known each other we’ve experienced the entire spectrum of emotion together – sharing many joys and sorrows, loves and losses.”
The Texas scene was small and often hostile to their politics, but the bands leaned into a DIY spirit. Karl remembers being “anti-war, vegetarian, anti-racist, anti-homophobia, etc, in Amarillo, TX in 1992” as deeply unpopular: “VoR and Sleeping Body in particular often had issue with some of the violent, macho behavior at shows. To combat this, whenever moshing started to get particularly violent, some of the SB boys would often strip down naked and do mock football drills in the middle of the pit.” Miguel points to the constant dissatisfaction that drove their energy: “The vibe was just kids wanting to make something happen in the cities we lived in but we all seemed to be dissatisfied no matter what.”
Each band took the opportunity to gather material that hadn’t been accessible for years. Sleeping Body compiled unreleased recordings into what Jeff called “a sort of anthology of all our songs.” Voice of Reason included both remastered 7”s and a WFMU live set with songs like “Crawl,” “Healing,” “Dismantled,” and “167.” Suiciety contributed their single 7” and a live show recorded in Pueblo, Colorado. All of it was mastered by Jack Control, a long-time friend who had been part of the community since the beginning.
The format was never in question. “Our bands were raised on vinyl,” Jeff says. “We were three distinct bands with distinct sounds and even somewhat distinct messages. But we were part of something. And we were (and are) friends.”
Artwork came together through contributions from the members and design by Matt Martinez, with Jeff stressing that the project also honors two late members: Chad from Sleeping Body and Scott from Voice of Reason. “In many ways, this is for them,” he says. Karl adds that Martinez “kept the design true to our original aesthetics and injected his own creativity that really gave life to this project.”
The intention behind the release is both historical and political. Jeff hopes it reminds younger activists “that there were bands in the fucking Metroplex, of all places, speaking truth to power through music back in the early Nineties.” Karl frames it as a document of friendship and defiance: “Politically I hope it reminds people to stay angry, renounce allegiance and fuck America and its fascist tendencies that have always lurked beneath the surface.” Miguel is blunt: “Politically: anger still fuckin matters.”
The full interview below expands on the shared history of Sleeping Body, Voice of Reason, and Suiciety, their memories of the Texas hardcore scene, the making of this release, and what it means in 2025.
What inspired this project now—why bring these bands together in 2025?
JEFF/SLEEPING BODY: I had seen comments on a couple YouTube videos folks had thrown online over the years of Sleeping Body tracks, our Vermin Scum 7″, shit like that. I engaged several folks and saw a deep appreciation of what SB had meant to them over the years. Amid this, Karl Snyder (Voice of Reason) approached me with the possibility of re-releasing VoR, Suiciety, and SB content, and I jumped at the opportunity. I had reconnected with Tonie Joy, who put out that Vermin Scum 7″ back in 1993, recently, and was easily able to get the digital files needed to do this. Additionally, with the political climate in the US even more dominated by corporate, white supremacist, and fascist actors, the music and messages we sent out into the world back in the early Nineties felt on-point and relevant to now.
MIGEUL/SUICIETY: I believe VOR was originally approached about some reissues awhile back and we were graciously invited to be a part of it along with Sleeping Body. The three of us were so close in the early 90s, through ups and downs, good times and bad, most of us are still good friends to this day. The message and aesthetic we all shared in those days is still relevant today, for better or for worse.
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: The seed of this project was planted more than a decade ago. I met Mike (King of the Monsters Records) while I was living in Arizona in 2009-2013 and he expressed an interest in releasing remasters of our 7″s (Gear & Parody to the Righteous) but it never materialized for various reasons- most notably the loss of the original masters. About two years ago the damaged DAT from our WFMU show was found by Todd Greene of Selfless Records and graciously given to us, but we were having difficulty accessing the material. We contacted our old friend Jack Control and he was able to access the data. He also informed us that he had the equipment to remaster the old 7″s without the original masters if we were interested. As Mike/KOTM and I discussed a possible release of the remasters and WFMU live recording I suggested maybe a split with our old friends in Sleeping Body. Mike seemed keen on this idea so I approached JH (Jeff Hunt) who was very enthusiastic about the idea and he in turn suggested Suiciety should be involved and the release should be something of a time capsule celebrating the friendship and community between the bands. And so here we are.
Can you tell us more about the friendship or community ties between SLEEPING BODY, VOICE OF REASON, and SUICIETY back in the early 90s?
JEFF/SLEEPING BODY: For SB, it started with Suiciety. We were all from the south side of Fort Worth and met through friends and hard-core shows in our city. At some point, VOR landed like lightning, most likely at shows we went to and helped run in Dallas. Once they moved to Dallas, we all became friends, hanging out at their house after shows and just getting tighter and tighter. The fact that many of us are still friends speaks to the deep bonds and roots we laid back in the early Nineties.
MIGUEL/SUICIETY: Speaking for myself, our “scene” was small, divided but very active in Ft Worth in the late 80s early 90s, but many of us who were intent on making things happen gravitated toward each other, many friends who weren’t involved musically but rather were involved in may other ways artistically, socially and actively, despite our very different backgrounds. We all shared the sentiment that “something had to be done”, be it shows, picnics, record distro, activism or just communication.
I was lucky enough to join VOR and Sleeping Body on separate tours, experiencing a lot of hardships, laughter and making lifelong friendships that still hold true to this day. I also briefly joined a post VOR band (Fossil) after that tour as well before rejoining Suiciety. I believe there was some SB/VOR cross pollination in a band or two later on as well some Suiciety/SB collaborations (Sparrows and Mockingbird Cartel).
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: These guys are like brothers to me. In the 35+ years we’ve known each other we’ve experienced the entire spectrum of emotion together – sharing many joys and sorrows, loves and losses. We’ve lived together and travelled the world together. I still consider these guys family. Even though we currently live in different states/countries, we still communicate regularly and visit when possible. I love these guys. Voice of Reason was originally from Amarillo, TX but we often travelled to Dallas to play shows at Slipped Disc and Common Ground. It was at Slipped Disc that VoR met Jack Control, Sean Capone, and the Sleeping Body and Suiciety guys.
We instantly clicked as friends – sharing the same anger at the world around us – a world filled with war and hate and suffering. VoR wanted to scream our rage at the world and maybe make a difference and so did Suiciety and Sleeping Body – we became friends and co-conspirators immediately. VoR relocated to Dallas to be closer to a community of friends that shared our values and dreams. I have no idea how many shows we played together, but it was a lot. Every chance we had. It was never just about the music. We shared ideas about the world we wanted to live in. We loved hanging out, making each other laugh and inspiring one another.
The bands fed off each other. If Suiciety or Sleeping Body wrote a heavy as fuck riff, we wanted to write something just as heavy. We were constantly introducing new bands to each other and challenging our perspectives of the world. I wouldn’t describe it as competitive, but there was an aspect of trying to outdo each other- not as rivals, but as peers, pushing each other to go as far to the extremes as possible. After VoR and Sleeping Body broke up, VoR moved back to Amarillo and many of the Suiciety and Sleeping Body guys moved to Amarillo with us. A few new bands were formed, I think Miguel referred to this as “cross pollination,” which is an appropriate descriptor. Fossil was a Neurosis inspired project with members of VoR and Suiciety. The Submarines were a post hardcore band with members of VoR and Sleeping Body. Dreamfog was a stoner rock inspired band with members of Sleeping Body and VoR. At some point we had ten people living in a tiny two bedroom house. It was set up like dorms with bunks everywhere and zero privacy. But who needs privacy when you’re surrounded by your best friends?!? I still have very fond memories of those days of communal living- especially the big vegetarian feasts we often prepared and ate together.
What do you remember about the scene in Texas at that time—venues, bands, politics, or just the general vibe?
JEFF/SLEEPING BODY: Just DIY as fuck. Everything felt like we made it, whether it was venues we helped run, shows we helped book, or bands we threw together with whatever instruments were lying around. This was the end of the Reagan era and around the time of the first Gulf War. We discovered political hard-core, mostly out of DC, and had plenty of shit to respond to. Outside of our passions for causes we believed in, though, there was just a rad vibe of friendship and community, and it felt like it kept growing and growing.
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: Being anti-war, vegetarian, anti-racist, anti-homophobia, etc, in Amarillo,TX in 1992 was not very popular! Our song “CRAWL” was about a group of young men who were convinced VoR had brainwashed their girlfriends into being vegetarian, “pro-gay” and “anti-American” and attempted to fight us on several occasions at parties and shows. (One of these men is now a good friend who is vegan and shares those values that he once wanted to fight us over!) Texas, especially the Panhandle area, was very hostile to our world view. Dallas was not much better- on several occasions small riots broke out at our shows. VoR and Sleeping Body in particular often had issue with some of the violent, macho behavior at shows. To combat this, whenever moshing started to get particularly violent, some of the SB boys would often strip down naked and do mock football drills in the middle of the pit.
This often escalated the situation as it did when VoR opened for Vegan Reich at Easy Street Theater in Dallas. When the Vegan Reich hardliner crowd started getting violent I remember Chad from SB stripping down naked and standing on the PA speakers go-go dancing with pro-LGBTQIA+ messaging written all over his body in black sharpie pen. When someone tried to pull him off the speakers a riot ensued before he hit the ground. Whenever we played, we were prepared for heckling and a fight to break out. I believe this animosity probably aided our close friendship – it was us against Texas and the world.
MIGUEL/SUICIETY: At our age, even though we had DIY venues, house shows and even older scene members who had been supporting the younger generation, I remember always feeling dissatisfied, There had to be more somewhere out there. I’m afraid we took a lot of it for granted. I feel that in DFW there were multiple punk/hc scenes happening simultaneously, we’d sometimes meet up and cross paths at different shows.
But we had some great bands, venues and some zines here. Slipped Disc, Eazy St Theater, Common Ground and Mad Hatters come to mind for venues, plus some really fun house shows, Positron and Diarheader were great zines, way more focused than anything I could’ve pulled off at the time. Subsanity (OK), Initial State, Burden, Arc Ruin, Scorched Earth Policy, Boy Wonder, Mumblety Peg were all great bands. The vibe was just kids wanting to make something happen in the cities we lived in but we all seemed to be dissatisfied no matter what.
What was the selection process like for the tracks included—why these particular demos and live recordings?
JEFF/SLEEPING BODY: SB saw an opportunity to get all the stuff we recorded but never released out. But, we thought, why stop there? Why not get it all remastered and re-released and have a sort of anthology of all our songs, since that seemed possible thanks to Mike at KotM.
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: We wanted to include as much material as possible- remasters of previous releases, but also recordings of unreleased material. For VoR, the Gear 7″ was the start of a change in our sound- moving away from groove oriented hardcore like Downcast and Head First and verymuch inspired by the discordant sound of bands like Born Against and Rorschach, not to mention Suiciety and Sleeping Body as well. Songs in the WFMU set like “Crawl,” “Healing,” “Dismantled,” and “167” reflect this new sound and this was an opportunity to let people hear them – maybe for the first time if they missed us live. The live recording also captures the chaos and energy of the VoR shows.
MIGUEL/SUICIETY: Suiciety didn’t have a lot of studio recordings, so we gave the one 7″ we had plus a live show recorded in Pueblo, CO with a decent recording. Although we have some un-recorded material, that’s basically all we had available.
Any of the recordings hold a special place for you personally? Moments you vividly remember being there for?
JEFF/SLEEPING BODY: On our Side B (of the vinyl set), the WFMU recording, is memorable for many reasons. We had a whole damn crew in the studio with us, we were in freakin’ New Jersey on the radio, and then there’s that hybrid feeling, something between a live show and a studio recording, that playing on the radio can be. It was so rad, even if I did “wig out” (inside joke, IYKYK).
MIGUEL/SUICIETY: I remember them all pretty well. Suiciety won our studio time in a “battle of the bands” contest at a local spot called Mad Hatters, the studio owner gave a sob story about being broke and our good friend Summer loaned us some money to pay the sorry bastard, Adam Nanaa of Repercussion Records, who I met while on the VOR show put it out, we are still friends to this day. The live show has a lot of memories and emotions, this being the only out of state venue/house that all three bands played at different times, I was lucky enough to be there with all three, this night in particular is a long story better saved for another time. I believe Karl from VOR tagged along for that one.
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: The WFMU recording holds a special place for me. It was recorded during our longest tour (90 days/60 cities/36 states) and reflects the new direction we were heading musically. That tour in particular was life changing for me in many ways. For me, it cemented the DIY ideal- that we didn’t need a record company to put out a record or do a tour- we could do it ourselves with our friends. It also was an opportunity to travel the country, meeting new friends and exchanging new ideas. This experience opened my eyes to so much. It was on this tour that I met Joel Olson at the Profane House who introduced me to new ideas of anarchism. I was familiar, but he was the first person to articulate it to me in a way that resonated. We were able to have a beer together and discuss anarchism again many years later in Arizona before his untimely death. I also met a Cheyenne grandmother named Lorraine in Portland, OR on that tour. Our brief encounter, made a huge impact on me that led to my later work with the Northern Arapaho Tribe and their Language Revitalization Program. For me, these recordings are a snapshot of a pivotal time- one that shaped the trajectory of my life towards academia and activism.
Were any of the bands involved in remastering, curation, or digging through old tapes?
JEFF/SLEEPING BODY: We curated which songs to include, as we were lucky enough to get hold of all of them. But we turned remastering over to our buddy Jack Control, who did a killer job.
MIGUEL/SUICIETY: I guess we all did that on our own, while entrusting our mutual good old friend Jack Control to master all of it, since he was there from the beginning for all of us, there really was no other choice. He did an amazing job. Thanks Jack!
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: I think we all enjoyed going through old recordings and photographs. Jack Control was a a big part of our community- VoR lived with him briefly when we fist moved to Dallas and all three bands played at his various venues (Slipped Disk, Common Ground, Easy Street), so we definitely wanted him to be involved. It was a no brainer that Jack should do the remastering for all the bands.
What was the motivation behind going big (3xLP) instead of digital-only or individual projects?
JEFF/SLEEPING BODY: Our bands were raised on vinyl. And for me, it was never a question, once the offer was made to do a whole set. We were three distinct bands with distinct sounds and even somewhat distinct messages. But we were part of something. And we were (and are) friends.
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: This project is really a snapshot of our Texas hardcore community in the 90s, so it just made sense to do a vinyl set.
MIGUEL/SUICIETY: Good question! I believe that was up to the generosity of both Brendan and Mike. Thanks dudes!
How did each band contribute to shaping that era of Texas hardcore in your opinion?
JEFF/SLEEPING BODY: It’s hard for me to really know, outside of an outpouring of comments on YouTube, the effect that SB had on TX hard-core. I know we had some influence, but I’m just happy that our music landed with folks, period. I left Texas not long after SB disbanded and really have only spent very limited time there since.
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: Suiciety was sneaking a very metal sound into the punkier sounding hardcore. Miguel and Auggie were an incredibly tight rhythm section and Frank still blows me away with his amazing guitar skills. Their sound had a metal edge to it that still remained true to the hardcore/DIY ethos, with lyrics that were thoughtful and profound. Sleeping Body were doing emotionally driven “screamo” long before I ever heard that term. Their live performances were chaotic explosions of passion that left spectators speechless and in awe. As for VoR – I think we injected a much need challenge to the status quo- politically and musically. Our relationship certainly affected our own music, Suiciety made SB and VoR adopt more of a metal undertone while SB encouraged VoR and Suiciety to venture into discordant emo realms.
MIGUEL/SUICIETY: I’d hesitate to say that Suiciety shaped anything in Texas hardcore, although I love meeting new people who say they saw us play in those days, We never felt like we belonged, being more metal influenced and long haired than most, darker personal lyrics, most people just stood there and watched us with folded arms, although it was really cool to hear Garuda cover one of our songs here locally and then hearing The Body (RI) cover the same song later on as well. I really think Sleeping Body and VOR influenced more around here, SB was one of the first really chaotic, both emotionally and politically, bands around here and there were many to follow. VOR somehow pulled of the hardcore/metal thing without ever really being considered metal at all, also with a political stance unpopular in TX at the time, predating what most call metal-core although still very different from that genre, I think they inspired a lot of the hardcore hoodie kids to be better musicians for sure as well as with their straight forward politics.
How do you think these bands would be received by today’s underground punk/hardcore audience?
JEFF/SLEEPING BODY: Again, judging by YouTube comments and some of what I hear from friends with kids the age we were in 1992, I think the music would land well today. And as I’ve already said, a lot of speaks to the shit happening now.
MIGUEL/SUICIETY: That’s hard to say nowadays, back then the only connection bands had in hardcore was touring and zines, it was really hard to know if there was a band with similar influences and ideals somewhere across the country or world for that matter. Everything is a clique away now, with very short attention spans. But I’m happy to know that there is still grass roots hardcore out there!
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: The world always needs voices of dissent- I think these three bands would be received well, as they speak to the unfortunate events and attitudes that still plague the world today.
What do you think people often misunderstand about the early 90s hardcore scene?
JEFF/SLEEPING BODY: Hard to say, as I’m not aware of people’s understanding of the early Nineties hard-core scene. As an aging punk, I’d probably be quick to remind kids today that we didn’t have cellphones or the internet, but we got shit done. Not that they don’t. But yeah, hard to say.
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: I think people mistakenly think of hardcore as a monolith, with every band having essentially the same sound, ideas, and outward appearance. But there was so much diversity. VoR, Suiciety, and Sleeping Body are very different sounding (and looking) bands, but we all shared a DIY ethos and love for music that bonded us under the banner of hardcore.
MIGUEL/SUICIETY: Most people don’t even understand that there was hardcore before Warped Tour or the internet, we struggled a lot harder back then, and those before us struggled even harder. Many of us lit up like a flame for a very short period of time and then disappeared just as quickly. I admire anyone who played back then and is still doin it today as well as the kids who dig deep and realize we all come from a long line of disgruntled youth with the same struggles trying to make shit better whether in our lifetime or not. Stay Angry!!
How did the collaboration with KING OF THE MONSTERS and PROTAGONIST MUSIC come about?
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: This is a question best answered by Mike and Brendan. What I can say is that when I moved to Arizona, Mike (KOTM) and Brendan (PM) were always very kind to me and often fueled my ego with kind words about the impact VoR had on them in the 90s. So when this opportunity presented itself I was more than happy to jump on board.
What do you hope people take away from this release—emotionally, historically, or politically?
JEFF/SLEEPING BODY: I hope these records let young activists today know that there were bands in the fucking Metroplex, of all places, speaking truth to power through music back in the early Nineties. And for folks more our age, I just want it to sustain whatever inspiration it might’ve given them 30 years ago. So much of what we were saying back then is 100 percent relevant now.
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: Emotionally I hope people connect with the sense of community and friendship. Although this is a collection of musical recordings, it also reflects the power of those relations and the will to create and stand up for something in a hostile environment. Historically I hope it serves as a document that preserves the sounds and ideas of the era. Politically I hope it reminds people to stay angry, renounce allegiance and fuck America and its fascist tendencies that have always lurked beneath the surface.
MIGUEL/SUICIETY: Historically: it kind of is a time capsule of that year especially in TX. Emotionally: some of us are still recovering from those scars. Politically: anger still fuckin matters.
Who worked on the artwork/layout for the reissue? Did you try to keep the original aesthetics or reimagine them?
JEFF/SLEEPING BODY: Karl, Miguel (Suiciety), and I did most of the collaboration. Jeff Leeper (JL) from Sleeping Body helped out a little, too. I credit Karl and Miguel as having most of the visual ideas we ended up going with. I’m very happy with how it all turned. It was also important for me to honor the memory of two members of these bands who’ve passed away—Chad (Sleeping Body) and Scott (Voice of Reason). In many ways, this is for them.
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: When we started this project, we wanted to keep it as true to the spirit of our 90s scene as possible. We initially tried to recruit our friend Sean Capone, who did the original layout design for VoR’s Parody and Gear 7s, but unfortunately he was unavailable. This led us to Matt Martinez (Common Wounds, Suicide Nation), who I’ve known for a while and previously did some design work for a band and the animal sanctuary I am involved with. We explained our ideas to Matt who transcended all expectations. He kept the design true to our original aesthetics and injected his own creativity that really gave life to this project. We couldn’t be happier.
MIGUEL/SUICETY: We all contributed photos, flyers and info. Matt Martinez put the puzzle together and did a great job.
Are there any included zines, photos, or liner notes that tell the story?
JEFF/SLEEPING BODY: There are hella photos, y’all! No zines that I’m aware of. Liner notes include band members and roles, recording and remastering notes, and a shout-out to Chad and Scott. Sorry, no lyrics.
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: In early discussions we tossed around the idea of having all kinds of memorabilia included like zines, tour journals, and reflections on the era, but this proved to be overwhelming and ultimately we decided to keep it simple. There are lots of photos contributed by friends from the era – Sean Capone, Darren Plank, Rich Alvarado, Summer Semmens, and Karoline Collins.
Are any of the band members still active in music today—if so, can you share what they’re doing?
JEFF/SLEEPING BODY: Not that I know of but I still have and cherish the bass I played in Sleeping Body (the only bass guitar I’ve ever owned). I’ve been in a few bands over the years, but nothing recently. I know JL and Carl did some stuff, like Sparrows, and also possibly other projects on their own. I don’t think they’re playing currently. And we lost track of Justin altogether years ago, but I doubt he’s doing music.
MIGUEL/SUICIETY: Today, although on a break Frank and Miguel are still playing together in Sub Oslo along with Eyad from Indian Summer, Frank also plays with various projects including Stumptone and Wire Nest, Augustine and Miguel have had a few projects such as Solomon that come and go as well. Linc has most recently played with Bad Creek, which also included Augustine at some point. Frank, Augustine and Miguel still play music together from time to time…
KARL/VOICE OF REASON: Steven (VoR) lives in Berlin and has made a name for himself in the dance music scene producing EDM under the name Bruno Pronsato. Karl (VoR) lives in Washington state and still plays hardcore and politically minded music.
