NDE

Formed in Cleveland during the mid-1990s, the ultra-heavy outfit NDE has routinely drawn descriptions such as ferocious, brutal, harsh, punishing, and claustrophobic from observers of its metalcore and alternative-metal sound. The group offers listeners no reprieve, delivering an unyielding barrage that fuses metal and punk. At the helm stands Robert Reinard, who handles lead vocals and rhythm guitar while drawing inspiration from Slayer, Sepultura, and Pantera; the band’s arsenal features seething, rage-filled lyrics, churning guitar riffs, and a vocal approach that is raw, anguished, and abrasively relentless. Although this intensity limits broader appeal, it has cultivated a devoted, if modest, audience, particularly within Cleveland’s metal community where NDE has frequently shared stages with fellow local favorites Mushroomhead.

The year 1996 saw the release of both the full-length Falling and the EP Pain, with the second full-length album, Fix, arriving in 1999. Initially issued on the band’s own imprint, Fix later received a 2001 re-release through the London-based Rage of Achilles Records. NDE tracked its third full-length, End of Trust, in 2002; that album first appeared on the group’s label before Crash Music of Phoenix, Arizona, reissued it the next year. The End of Trust lineup comprised Robert Reinard on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Chris Longo on lead guitar, Wally Howell on bass and backing vocals, and Greg Cook on drums. Longo subsequently departed to prioritize family life. Affiliation with Crash Music opened opportunities for wider touring, yet that schedule reduced Longo’s availability for his wife and two children; concluding that his domestic responsibilities might impede the band’s progress, he stepped down officially in 2003. In multiple interviews Reinard stated that Longo exited on amicable terms, noting that the remaining members respected his wish to devote more time to his family even while regretting his absence.