The Formative Years - Battalion of Saints
The original incarnation of Battalion of Saints from San Diego only existed from 1980 to 1985, a span of time during which they churned out two classic releases, i.e. their Fighting Boys 7”and the full-length Second Coming LP.
What set them apart from their peers was the fact that in addition to their idiosyncratic melange of speedy hardcore with references to classic British outfits like Discharge and Motorhead, they successfully channelled the energy of bands like the Descendents, Dead Kennedys and Adolescents.
Inherently conveying an additional layer of danger courtesy of their personas due to their live-fast-die-young, devil may care ethos fuelled by debauchery and nihilistic swagger, it made their musical emissions even more authentic and appealing.
The fact that most of their stippling artwork was drawn by artist Mad Marc Rude, an artist who in terms of abrasiveness and debauched antics was a match par excellence for Battalion of Saints, only added to the appeal.
Battalion Of Saints were not merely a major catalyst in accelerating the transition from the already buoyant, adrenaline-charged, speedy punk of the early 1980s to untamed, gruff hardcore punk of the cold war era, but their radical outlook on the world and legendary live shows made them stand tall as one of the more unique bands of North America’s early hardcore scene.
