Biohazard Urban Discipline (30th Anniversary) Numbered Limited Edition 180g 2LP

Biohazard originally formed in Brooklyn in 1987. They are one of the first bands to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal with elements of hip hop. The earliest lineup consisted of bassist-vocalist Evan Seinfeld, guitarist Bobby Hambel, and drummer Anthony Meo. Guitarist-vocalist Billy Graziadei would join the band soon after, changing the band to a four-piece. Since February 2016, the lineup has consisted of Graziadei, Hambel, and Danny Schuler. Their first demo, released in 1988, caused a stir with journalists who felt that some of the band's lyrics displayed fascist and white supremacist views, overlooking that both Seinfeld and Schuler were, themselves, Jewish. The accusations of racism in their music were denied by the band but in later interviews, Seinfeld and Graziadei explained that it had been a publicity stunt to win over the band Carnivore and their fans. Additionally, Seinfeld has defended the lyrics of songs such as "Master Race" and "America" as metaphors meant to gain the attention of listeners and maintains that the band was never racist. After the release of the first demo, Anthony Meo left the band and drummer Danny Schuler replaced him. A second demo tape followed in 1989. Although Biohazard did not present themselves as a hardcore band, they shared stages with bands associated with the New York hardcore scene, such as the Cro-Mags and Agnostic Front. They also shared stages with the New Jersey band Mucky Pup and a friendship between the two bands developed.

In 1992, Biohazard signed with Roadrunner Records and released Urban Discipline, which gave the band national and worldwide attention in both the heavy metal and hardcore communities. In 2005, Urban Discipline was ranked #277 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. The video for the song "Punishment" became the most played video in the history of MTV's Headbangers Ball, and the album sold over one million copies. The band also began opening for larger acts such as House of Pain, Sick Of It All, Fishbone, and Kyuss. In 1993, the hardcore rap group Onyx recorded an alternate "Bionyx" version of their hit single "Slam" with Biohazard as their backup band. This led to a collaboration on the title track of the Judgment Night soundtrack. The soundtrack would go on to sell over two million copies in the United States.

Get 'Em Before They're Got!

Urban Discipline is an original hardcore metal-rap album, debuting a half-decade prior to the rap-rock explosion of the late '90s. It is defiant and distinctive - in some senses a precursor of bands such as Korn, Limp Bizkit, and the Deftones, and in other ways in a class all its own. It's not the self-indulgent, 'I-gotta-get-mine' rap-rock of the late '90s, as it's loaded with social criticism. It's a blue-collar metal record made by rough-shod, tattooed, fighting men. The album's highlight is 'Punishment,' a hard-charging anthem with a surprisingly melodic chorus. This hook was strong enough to earn them moderate playtime on MTV, even though nothing else sounded like them at the time. Though intended merely as simple music for slam dancing, Biohazard does well to mix things up within those parameters. The group successfully rearranged their typical song structure with divergent bass, drum, and guitar parts in 'Shades of Grey.' They're technically competent enough to implement light crescendos and decrescendos, tempo variation, and a diffuse focus of the instruments within the band. It's not Mozart, but it is one of the most authentic combinations of thrash and rap ever made.