Since I moved to the South Jersey area and joined a South Jersey band, I kept on hearing about this thrash group Faith Or Fear. I guess being a North Jersey boy my whole life, I never knew about these guys, but they are apparently as legendary to the South Jersey metal scene as bands like Hades, Non-Fiction, and T.T. Quick were to us up North. I mean, the guys in my band talk about the members of Faith Or Fear as if they were James Hetfield or Lars Ulrich. I got to share the stage with Faith Or Fear at a gig in Philadelphia a couple years ago and these guys might’ve been South Jersey’s best kept secret all these years, which is unfortunate because these guys could have been huge.
In educating myself about Faith Or Fear, I learned that it all began back in 1982 at St. Augustine Prep School in Richland, NJ, where lead guitarist Chris Bombeke and rhythm guitarist Bob Perna were both seniors and drummer Dan Hansen was a freshman. The three young gents joined the music club where they discovered their love for the same types of bands like UFO, Iron Maiden, Metallica, etc. Years would fly by and in 1985, Dan would run into Chris in Vineland, NJ, and that chance meeting would turn into a jam session with Chris and Bob and a singer named Tim Blackman. They would play cover songs under the name Maggot Vomit for a while. In September of 1985, Dan left for Widener University, but when Dan heard the new original songs, he knew that something incredible would eventually happen and maneuvered his way back to Vineland and continued studies locally while the band played on. In 1986, things took a different turn when the band went to Philadelphia to see a group called Anvil Bitch. It was at this show that they first witnessed slam dancing, stage diving and really heavy music, and from that point on, they went to work on faster and heavier material. A song called “The Reducer” was the first by-product and was a fast yet melodic tune inspired by metal and sprinkled with alcohol. Many shows and parties were to follow with Philly friends Anvil Bitch and other stage mates including Nuclear Assault, Hallows Eve and Flotsam And Jetsam, just to name a few.
After a long run, Faith Or Fear called it quits back in 1991 and had been inactive until 2008, when they performed their first show in 18 years with the original lineup minus Bob Perna. The current lineup includes singer Tim Blackman, guitarists Bob Perna and Chris Bombeke, drummer Ed Schwegel, and bassist Rob Guidotti. This Saturday night (10/19), Faith Or Fear return to their home area of Philly at the Legendary Dobbs for SaveFest with the legendary Anvil Bitch, my band BlackOcean, MeatPlow, Decypher, Slander, Evil Reign, Citidel and Bone Devil. This show is a must see for true metal fans! For more info on Faith Or Fear, log onto myspace.com/faithorfearnj.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My boys from Lower The Veil have been hard at work on their upcoming CD, Soon, and if the song “Kings Rule,” which the boys have been performing live throughout the summer, is any indication of how the rest of the disc sounds, this is going to be one epic CD. Lower The Veil’s sound seems to have evolved again, equipping them with a heavier sound. I can’t wait to hear it! They’ll be celebrating the album’s release with a CD release party at The Saint on Nov. 9 with my band, Black Ocean, Black Angel Down and Audio Empire all performing. For more info on the CD and the release party, log onto facebook.com/lowertheveil.
One of my favorite New York City bands, Charetta have finally released their long-awaited EP, Apocalypse, and it is getting some rave reviews from fans. So, it seems the wait was worth it! To celebrate, Charetta will be out performing live through the rest of 2013 in support of Apocalypse. Log onto charetta.com to find out when they will be playing by you!
And finally, speaking of my favorite NYC bands, the boys from Killcode will finally be paying the toll to come across the river to play here in Jersey. Tom Morrissey and crew will be hitting the shores of Jersey at The Brighton Bar in Long Branch this Friday night (10/18) with my bros Audio Empire, my longtime bro Anthony “Main Vein” Coviello and his band Long Gone Day, and Raftree. This has lined up to be a pretty good show, so get your asses to Long Branch this Friday night! For more info, log onto facebook.com/KillcodeOfficial.
That’s all for now! If your band is from North Jersey, and you want some exposure, send your press kits to Arts Weekly, c/o Tim Louie P.O. Box 1140, Little Falls, NJ 07424, or you can email me at tim@theaquarian.com, where you can also let me know where you’re performing next!
Just remember….We’re all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!
Tim Louie is the Author of S**t Happens.
NJN Concert Calendar:
10/18—Audio Empire/Killcode/Long Gone Day/Raftree—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
10/18—Seven Witches/Black Water Rising—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/18—Charetta/The Toxic Femmes/Spider Rocket—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
10/18—Ropetree—Berkley Seafood, South Seaside Park, NJ
10/19—Slander/Faith Or Fear/Evil Reign/BlackOcean/Decypher/ MeatPlow/Anvil Bitch/Citadel/Bone Devil—The Legendary Dobbs, Philadelphia, PA
10/19—Borgo Pass—Who-Ville Bar, Bethpage, NY
10/19—Charetta/Off The Turnpike—Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, NJ
10/20—Anaka/Ill Nino—Gramercy Theatre, NYC
10/23—Mobile Deathcamp—Finnegan’s Wake, Philadelphia, PA
10/24—Mobile Deathcamp/USELESS/Gyre—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/25—Kore Rozzik/Beyond The Flames/SarGasm/Off The Turnpike/Train Seven—Blackthorn 51, Elmhurst, NY
10/26—Madysin Hatter/Rivera Bomma/Affinity—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/26—Lieder—Ella Lounge, NYC
10/26—Killcode/Panzie*/Thinning The Herd/Cracked Alice—The Studio at Webster Hall, NYC
10/26—Voodoo Terror Tribe/Looney Tunes/Trailer Park Mafia—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/29—The Infinite Staircase/The Winery Dogs—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
10/30—Syka/Demon Boy—The Paper Box, Brooklyn, NY
10/31—Riotgod/The Battery Electric/Sekond Skyn/Harvey Djent—The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
11/1—Straight Line Stitch—Finnegan’s Wake, Philadelphia, PA
11/1—Days Before Tomorrow—The Bitter End, NYC
11/1—Mister Monster/Sardonica/Darrow Chemical Co./Cryptkeeper 5/Who Killed Marilyn—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
11/2—Faster Pussycat/Horseman 5/Roulette/Sick Mind/Big Tom And The Guns—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
11/3—Attacker/Liege Lord/Freedoms Resign—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
11/9—BlackOcean/Lower The Veil/Black Angel Down/Audio Empire—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
11/9—Charetta—The Legendary Dobbs, Philadelphia, PA
11/13—A Sound of Thunder/Operatika/Edge of Paradise/Fiakra—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
11/16—Generation Kill/Slam One Down/Julius Siezure—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
