Toronto band SPREAD THE DISEASE are re-releasing their debut LP “We Bleed from Many Wounds” as a limited edition 12” Originally released in 1998 as a CD on Eulogy Records, “We Bleed from Many Wounds” is the band’s debut album. After 23 years, three independent labels, Hypaethral Records (Canada), Moment of Collapse (Germany), and Listen to Aylin (Norway) have come together to finally give this album the vinyl release that it deserves. The first pressing is limited to 300 LPs on blood splattered vinyl.
Featuring former members of seminal hardcore band New Day Rising, as well as members that went on to form The Abandoned Hearts Club, Spread the Disease’s unique blend of metallic hardcore with elements of black and death metal quickly gained them notoriety within the hardcore scene of their time. Hailed as progenitors of blackened metalcore, they made their way to Syracuse’s Hellfest in 1999, sharing the stage with the likes of Buried Alive, Snapcase, and Boysetsfire.
Spread the Disease was: Dave Buschemeyer (guitar), Trevor Dykstra (guitar), Shawn Butchart (drums), Stu Brown (bass), Ben Pobjoy (vocals), now active in now reformed band New Day Rising, as well as Pale Drone and Omen Astra.
The opening track “Quarantine”, whose title could not be more a propos as we continue to navigate a global pandemic, is a bleak and relentless fusion of hardcore and death metal, channelling Integrity, Cryptopsy, and Entombed. Stream it through the player above, along with the rest of the crushing album!
The refreshed version of “We Bleed From Many Wounds” was remastered by Greg Dawson @ BWC Studios (Mare, The End, Olde). The first pressing of the record is limited to 300 LPs on blood splattered vinyl.
To celebrate this amazing re-issue, we have teamed up with the band to give you their top 5 records that inspired their debut album and their unique perspective on the underground metal/hardcore scene in Ontatio back in the 90s.
The underground hardcore/metal scene of the mid/late 90s in Southern Ontario was extremely unique. It was a place where a show lineup with bands like New Day Rising, Acrid, The Swarm, Chokehold, or Grade was just another Saturday. There has only been a few places that have spawned hardcore scenes with such a long lasting legacy.”
At the center of it all was the band Spread the Disease. Formed from the ashes of New Day Rising, Spread the Disease took the darker, heavier direction of NDR’s swan song, “Memoirs of Cynicism” and pushed it to the next level. With one foot firmly rooted in the scene that spawned them, Spread the Disease pushed the boundaries of the metallic hardcore of the time by being one of the first to introduce elements from black metal.
Spread the Disease have often been hailed as the progenitors of what we now call “Blackened Hardcore”. I sat down with Dave Buschemeyer from the band to ask him what led to the creation of their unique sound. Here are 5 influential albums that defined their writing style.
1. Cradle Of Filth – “Dusk And Her Embrace”
Favorite track: Funeral In Carpathia
The cold melodicism of “Dusk And Her Embrace” set our hearts on fire! It was, without a doubt, the main inspiration for writing black metal inspired riffs. From the dirge of “Humana Inspired To Nightmare” to the blistering speed of the first riff of “Funeral In Carpathia”, we were instantly hooked into the vibe. We loved every single second of the band’s dramatic power and fury. Hardcore wasn’t known for it’s flights of fantasy, and this was exactly what we were looking for!
Many people look down on this band and dismiss it based on “cheesiness”, but we didn’t see it as cheesy at the time. This record lit a passion that pushed us to play above our abilities.
2. At The Gates – “Slaughter Of The Soul”
Favorite track: Slaughter Of The Soul
This album came out when Trevor and I were in New Day Rising. It was the wake up call that we needed to play better, write better songs, and present ourselves better overall. Anyone who went to the Hellfest (Syracuse) in 1999 will recall that we rolled into the parking lot blasting “Slaughter Of The Soul”. While this album’s influence on our writing didn’t directly appear until our second album “Sheer Force Of Inertia”, the urgency that we drew from it can be heard on our first few 7” EP’s.
3. Integrity – “Those Who Fear Tomorrow”
Favorite track: Die Hard
Having grown up as an 80’s metal kid who migrated to punk and hardcore in the late 80s/early 90s, I still hold a deep love for Integrity. They perfectly bridged the gap between metal and hardcore. The darkness of this album was so compelling to us at the time, it is the seed that grew to form the basis of Spread the Disease.
4. Cryptopsy – “None So Vile”
Favorite track: Slit Your Guts
No other band had as direct of an impact on Spread the Disease’s writing style than Cryptopsy. That cannot be stated strongly enough! Easily Canada’s greatest metal band. “None So Vile” was our go-to album in the van while driving to shows. Although we didn’t have virtuoistic chops, we were eager to bring their influence into our writing. This album led me to my lifelong love of the Mike DiSalvo era of Cryptopsy.
5. Dimmu Borgir – “Enthrone Darkness Triumphant”
Favorite track: Spellbound (By The Devil)
While many of our contemporaries looked to Slayer to find inspiration, we were buckling down with Dimmu and Old Man’s Child. This album was so evil and fresh: so many of the symphonic elements in it were new to us. “Enthrone Darkness” was the relentless statement of beautiful fury that we aspired to. I allowed Dimmu to infiltrate my creative consciousness. It was an atomic bomb of an influence!
Watch part of Spread the Disease’s intense set from Hellfest 1999 and see how these influences impacted their live performance.
Order Spread the Disease’s “We Bleed from Many Wounds” HERE. Remastered and pressed on vinyl for the first time. Limited edition of 300 LPs on blood splatter vinyl.
For more blackened hardcore, check out the other releases from Hypaethral Records.
