By
Phil Leckman
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Earth Crisis brings uncompromising straight-edge message
Just saying "no" - to alcohol, drugs and meat-eating - hardly seems like the basis for a radical political agenda.
But for members of Syracuse, N.Y.'s Earth Crisis, whose tour in support of their new album "Slither" brings them to Tucson next week, these beliefs are the root of an extreme philosophy that has made the band among the most controversial acts in today's hard music scene.
For almost 10 years, the band's uncompromising advocacy of veganism, animal rights and straight-edge - staying "poison free" by avoiding alcohol, drugs and smoking - have brought it almost as much infamy as fame. The band's support of radical animal-rights groups like the Animal Liberation Front, and its violent disdain for drug users have often caused the group to be branded as extremist.
And Earth Crisis seems to like it that way.
"We're not into toning it down to appeal to more people - we're honest with our beliefs," said lead singer Karl Buechner.
Musically, Earth Crisis' intricate, guitar-based sonic assault may sound familiar to fans of groups like Korn, P.O.D. or Slipknot. This is no surprise - the band's aggressive fusion of metal and hard-core paved the way for the current onslaught of neo-metal rap-rock acts.
And while Earth Crisis is successful - the group performed at Ozzfest and toured with Sepultura and the Misfits - it has never quite reached a status befitting its role as a neo-metal pioneer.
Buechner said he is happy with the level of success he has attained - his band is known worldwide, with a visit to Japan as soon as its current U.S. tour concludes.
Buechner has an easy answer for why Earth Crisis has not reached the heights attained by other, less ideological bands.
"Our extreme message keeps us from really hitting the mainstream," he said. "We're all straight-edge and have been for our entire career - that kind of freaks people out."
Buechner maintained that, despite their extreme reputation, the Earth Crisis members are actually concerned with "very simple basic ideas of self-respect and reverence for all innocent life." His goal, he said, is to address things that "you're not going to hear in the nightly news."
Buechner's concern for events behind the scenes is obvious on the ambitious "Slither." In a voice veering between brutal growls and Ozzy Osbourne-like dirges, Buechner denounces animal testing, genetic research, and gun control with an almost paranoid fury.
"Slither" also represents a new complexity and musicality for the band. As Buechner put it, "we're finally multi-dimensional - this is Earth Crisis with something more."
But not even thundering bass lines and intricate-but-furious guitars can drown out the band's stark message. Denunciations of drug users as "roaches (crawling) in the filth of vice" verge on hatred and demonstrate why Earth Crisis may never cross over to fans of hedonistic acts like Limp Bizkit or Korn.
Earth Crisis' uncompromising crusade to "end unnecessary suffering in the world" may not win the band many friends, no matter how powerful its music is. Nonetheless, the members' no-holds-barred energy and ferocious live show should appeal to all fans of hard music.
Earth Crisis plays on Tuesday at Skrappy's, 201 E. Broadway Blvd. The show starts at 7 p.m.
