Music Style Grindcore / Hardcore

Similar Artists Man is the Bastard, Spazz, Dystopia, Capitalist Casualties, Charles Bronson

Artist History Formed in 1994, in the San Francisco Bay Area, BENUMB quickly built a respected reputation within the hardcore community with their explosive, aggressive sound. Withstanding various lineup changes during their early years, this 5-piece D.I.Y. powerhouse has solidified into an absolutely vicious assembly that lives and thrives within multiple musical scenes. After honing their music for almost a year, a split 7" with SHORT HATE TEMPER was released in mid-1995 on the Same Day label. BENUMB took the next year and a half to further develop their style of pounding hardcore/thrash as they played tons of shows with friends and peers MAN IS THE BASTARD, SPAZZ, EXHUMED, DYSTOPIA and CAPITALIST CASUALTIES, among others, all the while remembering and appreciating the unity and friendships they were building. 1997 was a busy year for BENUMB, as the band recorded and released numerous seven inch records, including splits with DUKES OF HAZZARD (on Rape An Ape) and APARTMENT 213 (Stenchosaurus). Their crushing live set at the infamous Fiesta Grande festival was recorded and released as part of the Fiesta Comes Alive! LP on Slap A Ham. After following the band’s progression, witnessing their live performances and hearing their angry bursts of unreal frustration, Relapse had no choice but to get involved. In late 1997 the destructive Gear In The Machine 7" was released on the Relapse 7’ series. In 1998, a killer live split-flexi with SUPPRESSION accompanied issue #3 of the notorious Monkeybite fanzine to an enormous response. In May of 1998, BENUMB released their first full-length, "Soul Of The Martyr", which delivered 38 atomic clouts of ferocious hardcore/grind in the California tradition. Unveiling caustic new material alongside the Gear... recordings and material from the APARTMENT 213 and the (forthcoming) AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED splits, "Soul..." also contained BENUMB’s full live performance from the Fiesta Comes Alive! recording. "Soul Of The Martyr" was undoubtedly fueled by anger, influenced by metal, and destined for cult status! Songs such as the shocking "Agony 1" (:18) and the oh-so-sudden "Agony 2" (:05) showed the grinding ferocity of the band, while tracks like "Stood Up and Sold Out" and "Deprivation" revealed an overwhelming other side. The inner-sleeve of the release showed BENUMB’s respect and dedication to the underground scene that they thrive in as the band listeded the contact information to 101(!) of their favorite bands. "Soul Of The Marytr" met to a rousing response, and the band promoted the release by completing several mini-tours of the U.S., and appearing at every major U.S. heavy music festival in the two years that followed, including the 1998 and 1999 Milwaukee Metalfests and the 1998 and 1999 March Metal Meltdowns. The festival performances allowing many to be exposed to what Bay Area fans experience with regularity; the stunning, blistering BENUMB live show. BENUMB has issued an eye-opening affirmation to the declining state of society in "Withering Strands Of Hope". Produced by Bart Thurber (SPAZZ, EXHUMED) at San Francisco’s House Of Faith, "Withering Strands Of Hope" assails the listener with hostile hardcore/grind and is a grand platform for the band’s venomous commentary. Remarkable songs like "Synopsis Of Ignorance Within The Society At Large", "Oxygen Thief", "Father To The Fatherless" and "Ascend From Persecution" show BENUMB railing against apathy, suppression and neglect with a take-no-prisoners ferocity and activist’s aggressiveness. The band’s combative grind/thrash has taken on an even more extreme face, often exhibiting "Jeckyl and Hyde" characteristics as they alternate from attacking, destructive blurs to sandpaper-slow molasses dirges. Elements of hardcore, metal, grind and sludge are all present within the BENUMB sound, while every lyric is conveyed with agonizing conviction. "Withering Strands Of Hope" is the soundtrack to an impending revolution and musical mutiny at its anarchistic apex.

Group Members Pete Pontikoff - Vocals John Gotelli - Drums Tim Regan - Bass Dave Hogarth - Guitar Paul Pontikoff - Guitar

Albums Split 3" CD with Pig Destroyer (Robotic Empire - 2002); Withering Strands of Hope (Relapse - 2001); Soul of the Martyr (Relapse - 1998); various compilation appearances and split 7" releases

Press Reviews "Real intense grind thrash that doesn't let up for a second. Brutal playing and great lyrics. This will fuck you up from start to finish." - FLIPSIDE "The last real album I've heard in a God-awful long time. BENUMB's sound will make you numb." - HECKLER

Location San Francisco, CA - USA

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