From 1996 to 1999 Philadelphia’s Ink & Dagger burned like a roman candle, blurring the lines between punk, hardcore, and psychedelia, an enigma wrapped in rumors, vampire lore, and blood-spattered theatrics. Equal parts chaos and prank, their ever-shifting all-star lineup fed on the energy of others and spit it back out as something entirely their own. Controversial, influential, and long out of print, their complete legacy has finally risen again—now reissued in their definitive editions by Trust Records.
DEVIL CHILDREN UNITE
In 1996 Philadelphia hardcore stalwarts Sean McCabe (Crud is a Cult, Mandela Strike Force) and Don Devore (Frail, The Icarus Line, The Lilys) drew up a maniacal manifesto for a new kind of band, a century-ending statement that would push underground music beyond the confines of genre and into something completely new.
It was to be an unholy marriage of punk and hardcore that blended theatrics, mischief, and occult mystique, launched through a coercive campaign of misinformation and misdirection. They mixed myth and metaphor, presenting rock & roll as a psychic vampire that obtained immortality by stealing energy and making it their own.
Their ranks were filled out by an ever-rotating cast of Philadelphia’s finest, including members of Guilt, Prema, Frail, Dave Wagenschutz (Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Paint it Black), Gregg Foreman (Delta 72, Cat Power), Eric Wareheim (Elements of Need, Tim & Eric), Josh Brown (Crud is a Cult, Lenola), and Jennifer Layne Park.
For four years they operated tirelessly, from the chaotic blister of their first 7” records, the frenetic sleaze of their first LP, to the dense psychedelic swirl of their final posthumous album.
During what was supposed to be a temporary hiatus for the band, frontman Sean McCabe died in 2000 at the tragic age of 27. As in life, so in death, the story was forever shrouded in mystery, putting an unfinished capstone to a short-lived but brightly burning legacy that never faded.
For decades the band and their long out of print discography existed only as legend, prized by collectors and shared among enthusiasts. Tales of their decadent, debauched tours continued to circulate like sinister scripture.
Their lasting impact continues to reverberate; they remain a band’s band. That legacy lives on within every single individual who was privy to witness their incendiary performances. Those who were there were forever changed. An incredibly disparate bevy of bands were launched directly as a result; bands as notable as American Nightmare, Thursday, Botch, AFI, and My Chemical Romance have all cited Ink & Dagger as a core influence.
Trust Records is proud to announce that they are bringing this long-lost darkness back into the light.
Painstakingly remastered by David Cooley (M83, Tame Impala, Jimmy Eat World), these recordings represent the definitive version of Ink & Dagger’s complete discography.
The shock and awe of Ink & Dagger’s bloodthirsty barrage is as relevant today as it ever has been. A caustic keystone of hardcore history, these re-releases present a portal to the past, while continuing to pave the way forward into a wilder, more feral future.
It’s coming full circle.
Since forming in 2002, Philadelphia’s Paint It Black have rewritten the rules of hardcore punk with each new release. Across three full-length albums and three seven-inch EPs, the four-piece of vocalist Dan Yemin, bassist Andy Nelson, guitarist Josh Agran, and drummer Jared Shavelson have been crafting concise, incisive statements that meld hardcore’s fury with a nuanced lyrical perspective. On Famine, the band’s upcoming 12-inch on Revelation Records, Paint It Black shows all sides of itself, returning as inspired—and inspiring—as they were a decade ago.
Famine is the product of years of plotting, planning, and prepping, with the goal of making the most impactful statement possible. In many ways, Famine is a record about the blurring between history and mythology, especially as it pertains to the current moment in America. On Famine, Yemin explores the stories we grew up being told—the truths, the lies, and everything in between. Yemin’s vocals, as charged as ever, sound like a decade’s worth of frustration has finally boiled over, allowing him to dissect the rose-colored tellings of American history with surgical precision. Similar to this exploratory lyrical approach, the music on Famine creates richer textures out of pieces rarely found on hardcore punk albums, as distinct struts shift between pummeling pieces and melodic touches in ways that continually take the listener by surprise.
Throughout the eight songs that make up Famine, Paint It Black proves that the most potent hardcore punk releases are ones that come from a space of vulnerability, honesty, and authenticity. It’s what makes each moment on Famine feel vibrant and vital, just like Paint It Black has always done.