Human Remains

New Jersey outfit Human Remains exerted considerable sway over the more avant-garde fringes of grindcore and death metal despite an official recorded output that totaled under forty minutes, while also helping shape the noisecore movement that surfaced toward the end of the 1990s, a development illustrated by acts such as fellow New Jersey band the Dillinger Escape Plan. Their approach fused grindcore, hardcore, and death-metal elements yet steered clear of conventional songwriting formulas. Dave Witte handled drums with uncommon flair, a reputation he reinforced through later stints in Discordance Axis, Burnt by the Sun, and Atomsmasher. Paul Miller supplied vocals marked by an especially guttural, phlegm-laden style reminiscent of Obituary’s John Tardy. Guitarists Steve Procopio and James Baglino further distinguished the group by weaving unexpected dissonances and electronic textures into their riffs.

The band assembled in 1989 with Miller, Witte, Procopio, Baglino, and bassist Ted Patterson. That configuration produced several demos plus a lone 7-inch before William Carl Black took over on bass. The revised lineup tracked the six-track EP Using Sickness as a Hero, issued by Relapse Records in 1996, though the group had already dissolved by then. Subsequent projects included Baglino’s work with hardcore and noisecore outfit Deadguy, Black’s formation of the Dmitri Guerevitch Quintet, a Zappa-esque ensemble blending jazz-rock and klezmer, and Witte’s continued activity in Discordance Axis, Major Burns, and Black Army Jacket. In 1999 Witte rejoined Patterson in the noisecore and metalcore five-piece Burnt by the Sun. Relapse capitalized on lingering interest by releasing the double-disc anthology Where Were You When in 2002, which gathered every official recording and demo the band had made.