On the not so hard streets of Williamsburg Brooklyn, hardcore and metal crossover giants Biohazard returned to Brooklyn after a seventeen year absence. To help welcome them back home at the Knitting Factory, they were joined by up and coming hardcore boys form New Jersey, 96. They brought a very mid-nineties flavor to the show. They put on a fast and intense set of future hardcore classics in the making. Up next was another of Brooklyn’s finest, Wrench. Now these guys straight up reminded me of the the old Systems Two Studios days. They had riffs and beats so Brooklyn you could feel the ghosts of Carnivore, Type O Negative and Life Of Agony in the air. They stand on their but they do honor that era and vibe in their style.

And as the crowd grew bigger and more antsy. Biohazard took the stage in a blur of air raid sirens and cheers. If you’ve not seem them since the departure of Evan Seinfeld (Attika 7), I implore you to check them out. They are hands down the most energetic band this side of Iron Maiden. They own that stage and you can see the joy they have playing. They hammered through classic sounds like ‘Shades of Grey’, ‘What Makes Us Tick?’, ‘Howard Beach’, ‘Tales From The Hard Side’, and personal faves ‘Five Blocks To The Subway’, and ‘Down For Life’ . Former lead guitarist turned new bassist/ co-vocalist Scott Roberts does a phenomenal job in his new position. He’s not an direct copy of Evan, unless you count the bald head and tattoos but he holds his own on the mic just fine. As well as displaying some of the fanciest foot work. Guitarist Bobby Hambel is a vortex of fury and one of the best shredders ever to come out of New York. Kids take note!

Guitarist and co-vocalist Billy Graziadei has really grown into a better front man over the last year. He’s just as crazy as ever, but it’s more refined and focused. None of this could happen without the mighty backbone known as Danny Schuler. He does so much with a little drum kit you’d expect some monster kit instead of simple 4 piece. When they went into ‘Vengeance is Mine’, the opening song off their latest record Reborn In Defiance, Danny shows you no one hits harder than him. Wrapping the night up with ‘Punishment’ and ‘Hold My Own’, the exhausted crowd still wanted more. But like true veterans of the stage, they left you wanting more and more and more.

Biohazard, Wrench and 96,
Live At The Knitting Factory, Brooklyn NY, USA
August 16th, 2013
Text & photos: Omar Cordy