17.12.2011 - Thoughts: The Burial - by Simon Bennett

I remember people talking about The Burial before they had even played a show. At an Ellen Melville hall show Michael Hardgrave (Ricky Bobby) mentioned that Matt Livingstone was doing a band with Wadzy from Damaged and Boozy from Antagonist. I was a big fan of Damaged, a band that found a sweet spot between the raw frenetic pace of early 80s hardcore punk and the pounding heaviness of bands like Terror and Ringworm. Their live show kicked ass and their self titled album on Action Man Records was on par with the classics of NZHC. I also owned a copy of 'Hatred Inherit' by Promise of Bloodshed (a band that Wadzy and Boozy played guitars in) which in my mind is the heaviest thing to ever come out of NZ. Although P.O.B. were before my time, I had heard stories about the crazy shit that went down at their shows. The shows, music and stories had me as well as many others excited about this new band in the works.

The Burial played their first show at Crywolf's cd release with Wasteland and Antagonist at Clockwork Studios. Talk about a sick line up! At the time us Hamiltonians were heading up to Auckland for shows every two or three weeks. Several carloads of us came up, arriving to the sound of guitar feedback and Wadzy telling everyone to move up front. The room was packed and you could feel that pre-show excitement/anxiety in the air. Were The Burial gonna live up to the hype? How was all this shit gonna go down? As people reading this probably remember, chaos ensued after the first note. People of all ages and different sizes were flying all over the place. The Burial dropped a scorching set topped off with a Ringworm cover, which fit in just nicely. The explosive crowd reaction gave me the impression that it was almost as if people had been waiting for a band like this to come along. Fast, no bullshit, to the point songs permeated with crazy breakdowns. This show definitely set the tone for subsequent ones and a high energy set is what you have come to expect when The Burial are playing.

Although there are several metal influenced hardcore bands in the country, in my opinion none of them have hit the nail on the head as hard and precisely as The Burial. Their first demo was an instant classic for me and I know it was for many others. I remember travelling back to Hamilton the day after a Xmas show at the Thirsty Dog and the demo played through 2 or 3 times before we hit the eject button. It wasn't uncommon to hear that eery Mobb Deep sample flow intoDisillusioned when riding in a mate's car. The album to come, 'Existence', was also great with songs like My Generationand Blackheart getting the same kinda love that earlier classics like Times Change and Determination had received.

Whether it's been on the big stage at the Meteor theatre and the Transmisson room or the derilict lounge at Thrash Palace, The Burial have played some of the heaviest and most intense hardcore I've ever seen. They kept shows "fun", challenged the audience with their passionate and honest performances, as well as make a few people laugh in the process. I know they've had a great run, but they will be missed. 

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