Earth Crisis

Throughout the 1990s, Earth Crisis channeled America’s militant vegan straight-edge ethos through pounding guitar riffs and shouted vocals that advanced animal and human liberation, substance-free existence, and self-empowerment in hardcore form. Activists spawned by that movement began taking direct action, torching fur farms and liberating animals themselves. The band originated when Karl Buechner, initially planning to play bass, teamed with his friend DJ Rose; the eventual roster featured Buechner handling vocals, Ian “Bulldog” Edwards on bass, Scott Crouse and a guitarist named Ben on guitars, and Mike Ricardi behind the drums. Performing locally in Syracuse, they promoted the vegan and drug-free principles already voiced in the scene by Vegan Reich, Statement, and Raid. A five-song demo reached Hardline—the label behind those earlier acts—but because Hardline had paused operations, the group instead issued its debut EP via Conviction, an imprint run by a Syracuse acquaintance. All Out War appeared on 7-inch vinyl, prompting the band’s first national tour. Ricardi’s touring limitations led to Dennis Merrick’s arrival on drums; Merrick would prove nearly as pivotal in defining the group’s ideology as Buechner. Growing underground interest, paired with another demo, attracted Chicago’s Victory Records, and a contract followed. The label’s first Earth Crisis release, Firestorm, fused staccato, solo-free metal with aggressive, politically charged vocals and became a defining hardcore statement; its lyrics condemned drug abuse while advocating “violence against violence” toward dealers and animal abusers, culminating in the call for “a firestorm to purify.”

The Earth Crisis phenomenon accelerated, yet Ben departed and Kris Weichman took his place. The band then recorded its first full-length, Destroy the Machines, issued in 1995. Victory acquired the rights to All Out War and re-released it on CD, 7-inch, and cassette. European audiences embraced the group, and further U.S. tours paired them first with Guilt, Ignite, and Damnation AD, then with Shelter. A serious van accident in the Northwest hospitalized Merrick, during whose recovery Buechner, Crouse, Rose, Ricardi, and another friend recorded a side project as Path of Resistance. National outlets including MTV, CNN, and CBS began reporting on the band and the broader vegan straight-edge movement. Gomorrah’s Season Ends, the 1996 follow-up album, emerged as a more metallic, refined effort that supplied additional live staples. As Victory expanded, larger, better-distributed labels expressed interest; Earth Crisis appeared on the first Ozzfest. Victory issued the live album The Oath That Keeps Me Free before the band signed with Roadrunner Records, home to Fear Factory and Sepultura. Weichman was replaced by Erick Edwards, Ian’s brother and formerly of Beta Minus Mechanic. Breed the Killers, the sole Roadrunner album, appeared simultaneously on vinyl through Equal Vision; produced by Andy Sneap, it featured a guest vocal from Machine Head’s Robb Flynn. Extensive touring followed, yet the record generated little additional attention. Mutual dissatisfaction ended the Roadrunner partnership, returning Earth Crisis to Victory for Slither, whose nu-metal leanings, crisp production, structured arrangements, and mix of singing and rapping accompanied more introspective lyrics. Many longtime supporters viewed the shift as a sell-out, and subsequent shows drew smaller crowds. Last of the Sane compiled demos, rarities, and covers. In 2001 the band announced its dissolution with a final performance at Syracuse’s Hellfest; a DVD and retrospective appeared shortly afterward. Buechner formed Nemesis while Crouse and Merrick launched the progressive heavy-rock outfit Slave One.

Earth Crisis reunited in 2007 for what began as a single show, but momentum led to a worldwide Century Media deal in 2008. The sixth studio album, To the Death, arrived the next year, followed by extensive North American and European touring. Neutralize the Threat appeared in 2011, and the animal-rights-themed Salvation of Innocents followed in 2014.