INTEGRITY, Mönchengladbach, Rock Babylon (ca.1992)

This is it! The holy trinity is completed - yep, there is no better way to end up this first round of photo-sets with the most important band. Damn right, everybody who knows me should be aware of the fact, that if there is only one band to choose from for me: it's INTEGRITY

Dwid

CRO-MAGS and NEUROSIS both did and do have alot of impact not only on my musical taste but as a somehow guiding line through emotions, thoughts and inner reflection.

A-Double

But when INTEGRITY hit the shores, I got it all in one place. And more. There is this vast vvasteland of topics and feelings that is touched and offered by INTEGRITY. It ranges from simple "animal rights/hunters are weak" to the political in "Armenian Persecution" to in-depth hatred and fear analysis. There are demons, enemies and..."YOU MOOOOTHERFUCKERS".
There is Holy Terror, there is strangeness, there is something beyond - and there is alot of fun, simple, raw attitude. Music-wise, no one could be more to blame for the "Metal-Core"-Tag so overused in the 2000s.
M.A.N., was I awaiting the "Those who fear tomorrow" from Overkill back then, and it was no let-down, but to this day the ONE album that has been played the most out of every single music piece I own...

Yes, this is total Fanboy, and yes, I am aware about alot of rumors and shittalking and stuff - but what better way to respond when it comes to INTEGRITY:
"I don't care for your little world, this is MINE, and always will be!"

CRO-MAGS, Bielefeld, Kaffee Kleinkunst (ca. 1990)

The Cro-Mags...the fucking Cro-Mags. No band is more legend and gossip in the same vein as this New York powerhouse. All the different line-ups, all the different battles, all the different opinions - but nothing ever will weaken the impact, the truth and the power their "Age of Quarrel" demo and album has. If there is anything close to a HC-bible, it would be this.
In those days, Germany's most talked about Fanzine was ZAP, which presented this tour - still the ultimate one in my opinion. I was starting out to be part of that zine, I was starting out to take part in the scene - and haven't it not been for those to CRO-MAGS shows I saw back then, Bochum and Bielefeld, I wouldn't have felt that much love for it probably.
I hope you can see and feel all the energy, the sweat, the rage, that was in this room. Everybody was fighting his/her fight with the outer world in this place (name unknown, i'm old), but all were kinda friends. They/we catched Harley every time he dove off-stage whilst playing, and even JJ got caught when he climbed above all the big speakers, like 8 meters high. An awesome night, an awesome band... well, and over the course of time, i talked to most major players, mostly Harley and JJ, and they all were nice - yep, and special.
I spare you the part with JJ now (and hopefully forever) being with a very good friend of mine - which is, with all that being said, abit strange, but wonderful.

NEUROSIS, Dortmund, FZW (ca.1992)

The first in a small series of shots (read previous entry for details WHY and WHUUUT) is a band that impressed me alot in my early HC years. I came from a kinda NYHC-vibe, but very soon simply fell for all the deep shit, that was kinda bridge to where I came from (first Metal and later on the "Alterna"-scene).
For years and years, I would have told you that "Souls at Zero" is THE perfect record, in all it's negativity, nihilism, pain and catharsis. It stood right up there with "Age of Quarrel", that taught me another lesson about the very same topic: life. Well, I only realized somewhat later, that it is none of both, which I would like to be my sole soundtrack on that infamous desert island... save that for later.
So - the pictures where taken at a place with great memories for me concerning Hardcore (which always was just a small portion of what they had there). It now has resettled to another place which I haven't been to. Before the show, maybe after, I and some of the BLURR-fanzine-Crew did an interview for said Zine, which will come up here in the future for sure. This is not much, just do what NEUROSIS can do best to you: let your mind wander! Click on a picture to see the full shot...

Photography

Due to request, I am going to include some band-photos/live-shots I did on this blog.
I guess I will not have THE ONES, because I have never been that photography guy. To be honest: I suck in taking pictures. Maybe these days I know something about balance, contrast, focus - but way back, maaaan...
But, as said, there was request to share some of the moments that I captured, so be it.
Most of them are unpublished, but I guess the few "hot shots" I did take all got used in some fanzine or another. If any of those look familiar to you, scream for me...