Unruh was a
hardcore band from
Arizona. They formed in 1995, out of the ashes of short-lived
crust thrash band
Uruk'Hai.
Ryan Butler, who played guitar in Uruk'Hai as well as numerous other
Arizona-based hardcore bands like
Lyburnum and
Wellington, helped start Unruh with Uruk'Hai
founder and drummer Bill Fees. They took their name from notorious
murderer Howard Unruh, who
killed thirteen people in one day. With the lineup completed by bassist
Mike Bjella and vocalist
Mike Edwards, Unruh was ready to be unleashed on Arizona and the world.
Unruh was
born into a scene that the members of the band considered to be stagnant and uninteresting. They wanted to play intense,
violent hardcore - but more than anything they wanted to play
music that was interesting and powerful. They played music that is hard to classify into hardcore's many
sub-sub-genres, but under pressure I'd call it
death metal-influenced hardcore, along similar lines as their contemporaries in bands like
Suicide Nation and the
Tho Ko Losi.
Here is the Unruh
discography (dates and labels in parantheses):
"
burnedbeyondrecognition" demo (1995)
"
Friendly Fire" 7 inch (1996,
King of the Monsters)
Split EP with
Enewetak (1996,
Feast and Famine)
"Misery Strengthened Faith" LP (1997, King of the Monsters)
"
Setting Fire To Sinking Ships" LP/CD (1999,
Pessimiser)
Split 7 inch with
Creation is Crucifixion (1999,
Willowtip)
They also appeared on several
compilations, such as
Cry Now, Cry Later and The
Seven Deadly Sins 7 inch
box set. Unfortunately, the only Unruh records still in print are Setting Fire To Sinking Ships and the split with CIC. However, King of the Monsters is planning to re-release the Misery Strengthened Faith LP on CD, as well as a
discograpy CD with demos and rarities. KOTM owner
Mike Genz (who you can often find behind the counter at
Stinkweed's in
Tempe) continues to push back the
release date though. Last time I talked to Ryan he said he wonders if it'll ever come out, since it always seems to be "
just another week".
Unruh broke up in 2000, following an
arduous full European tour. Internal problems and conflicts had been present since the band's formation, and had finally come to a head. In some ways it is sad because if anything they seemed to be at the
height of their powers, but then again maybe that's the best time for a band to split up.
I loved Unruh. I thought they were one of the most
creative, interesting, and unique bands I'd heard in a long time. Incredibly intense and gripping. As if that wasn't enough, they are also incredibly nice and
down to earth (even more impressive considering their
spiteful, violent music). Ryan and Bill now have a new band called
Structure of Lies who play what has been construed as (appropriately enough) "
hardcore-influenced death metal" or "
death metal played by punks, instead of hessians". They play regularly around the
Phoenix area and have a
split CD out with
east-coast grinders Iranach.
Ryan has become a good friend of mine, and is for my money
one of the nicest and most honest guys in the AZ scene, which is all too often sullied by
over-dramatizing and posturing.
It's bands like this that
restore my faith in hardcore, and make me remember why I love listening to and playing
fast, loud, angry music.