HOWIE ABRAMS DECLARES A TIE!

This match-up is by far the toughest one posed yet. Truth be told - I love the shit out of both of these albums, and would place each among my Top 10 NYHC long-players of all-time.

I was a fan of Leeway since their “Enforcer” demo was sent to me for review by the band's original bassist Jose (I was publishing Occasional Irregularity Fanzine at the time). I love the overtly metallic edge to it, and the songs are very strong. The first time I experienced the intro to "Rise And Fall" from the BTE album, I just wanted to smash anything and everything in my path. AJ's guitar tone was easily the best ever recorded by a NYHC band, and for once, blatantly metal sonics worked perfectly for a crossover band. The album is jammed with powerful material and equally powerful performances. Then there are the number of great bands that went on to record stellar albums up at Normandy Sound in Rhode Island as a result of what Leeway created... The list reads like a NYHC who's-who. Sick of it All and Killing Time to name but two. A game-changer for sure.

As for the mighty Crumbsuckers and “Life Of Dreams”; when Chris Notaro took over vocal duties for the 'suckers, and Chuck Lenihan was added on second guitar, it became apparent that the band had become more than just something for its members to do between skate and surf sessions out on Long Island. “Life Of Dreams” is a crossover masterpiece without even breaking a sweat. The energy of songs like "Just Sit There," "Trapped" and "Bullshit Society" is off the chain and are so anthemic, Chris often got to take a breather (not literally) as crowds were only too happy to sing them for him and the band at every show. Musically, these guys were top fucking notch, and their musicality never interrupted their simplicity.

Both Leeway and the Crumbsuckers should have been huge bands. I mean - HUGE! But as with so many groups from our scene, obstacles kept that from being the case. However, each left an equally big, fat glorious black eye on the crossover movement of the mid-80's and beyond. For that reason, I must call this one a draw. Not a cop-out... Just the truth.

LEW DIMMICK "LIFE OF DREAMS"

I was hanging out in Some Records the first time I heard Leeway’s “Born To Expire”. Duane was playing an advanced tape of it in the store.

            My first impression was that I thought I was listening to Anthrax. The sound, in comparison to Leeway’s demo, was so metal. The guitar tone was heavily chugged out. It’s hard not to hear the Scott Ian influence. It’s a great guitar tone, but just so Anthrax. On the demo the guitar tone had been raw. And the vocals were so clean. I literally thought I was listening to Joey Belladonna. On the demo the vocals had been scratchy. Everything about the sound was disturbingly Anthrax. This was at a time when Anthrax was the enemy of the NYHC scene. There were rumors that they had tried to copyright the NYHC symbol.

            I do like the record. It holds up well. I would never fault a band for trying to expand their audience. Leeway was obviously trying to win over the metal crowd. They even brought in a second guitarist, a bona fide metalhead, to add blistering leads to their songs.

            In contrast, the first time I heard the Crumbsuckers’ “Life Of Dreams”, I could barely contain my excitement. My initial impressions were frantic. There was speed, heaviness, musicianship, originality! The songs were short yet seemed to have so much going on. Like Leeway, Crumbsuckers were part of the crossover world, mixing metal into their hardcore, but the Crumbsuckers were not only more interesting and original, but they managed to retain a lot more hardcore in their sound than Leeway. For me, when it comes to comparing the two, Crumbsuckers easily runs away with it.

JOE HARDCORE "BORN TO EXPIRE"

Crumbsuckers vs Leeway goes down in my head like a clash of the titans. However the sands of time have buried a great body of work that is the Crumbsuckers with often not much more than an "ex-Crumbsuckers" mention on a Pro Pain record sticker or review.

If I had to pick one, it would be Leeway and the reason stems completely from my pre-hardcore roots in heavy metal. In fact, Leeway was one of those bands as I was coming into hardcore that perplexed me. I didn't understand how they were as metal as they were, while being as respected and welcomed as a hardcore band. There is something about the Leeway story that makes for a better tale in the end, even if by virtue of tragedy. Could they be one of the last great bands that the generations to come will never get a chance to see as a full lineup? Having social relations to both AJ and Eddie of Leeway, I wouldn't hold my breath for a reunion. Though it wasn't but 9 years ago that they were doing shows, so anything can happen in the world of NYHC.

Back to the tale of the tape… this isn't to say that Crumbsuckers’ “Life Of Dreams” is forgettable, it just comes down to preference for me. I find the metallic riffs and tempos in Leeway's court mixed with Eddie's incredibly unique voice to stand out taller against the harshness and more raw sounding “Life Of Dreams” era Crumbsuckers. I think the polish and Leeway's ability to stand over a heap of bands in the NYHC scene at that time is really what drew young Joe HxC to them and over time, I can't deny being able to put on even a later Leeway record and remembering car rides and trips rocking out to them. If it were a 12 round fight, I'd give 8 rounds to Leeway and wouldn't argue that “Mark Of The Squealer” itself is a TKO in this match of NYHC heavyweights.

ERIC SVIRIDA "LIFE OF DREAMS"

Not an easy choice but kind of an easy choice for two reasons:

1. South Shore Long Island hometown pride and…

2. I ALWAYS choose the underdog.

Timing and release-wise this is a no brainer for me. Like many of my contemporaries I came into the punk/hardcore scene in the mid ‘80’s coming directly from metal.  Being disenchanted and bored with thrash metal and looking for the relatable honesty, power and aggression that hardcore had to offer the crossover bands at the time literally did just that - crossed fans over to straight ahead punk/hardcore.

“Life Of Dreams” was an early record for me. I never forget hearing it for the first time. It blew by me at what seemed like seconds (16 songs in a little over 30 minutes to be exact) like a razor blade across my face. The opener "Just Sit There" sets the tone for the entire record. It opens with a classic, crucial mosh that rips into a feverish hardcore bass line and they're off to speed through what seems like one minute of straight ahead brutal hardcore with the raw vocals of Chris Notaro leading the way. But this is what sets the Crumbsuckers apart.  There is nothing straight ahead about it. The song is less than a minute and is packed with such speed and really progressive riffs and time changes but they make them flow so seamlessly. In fact the entire record is like that. The musicianship is exceptional - Insanely progressive guitar riffs, time changes, breakdowns, swirling guitar solos that give it a slight metal edge but is pulled off with such ease, speed and raw energy that there is nothing NOT hardcore about it.  An absolutely flawless crossover record.  All topped off with the straight rough hardcore vocals of Notaro singing about the Reagan administration, life in the suburbs, scoring weed, alienation, and religious fanaticism. Everything about it sounds so natural - just some pissed off Long Island punks and metalheads playing aggressive, loud music without a care of labels or fashion.

I am going to assume that “Born To Expire” will win by a landslide and don't get me wrong - I absolutely love that record. It still gets regular rotation after all these years and Eddie Sutton remains one of my favorite NYHC vocalists of all time. But BTE has a slick, polished, almost glossy style to it that for me is almost too clean.

My only hope is that the people who in a knee jerk reaction chose Leeway or may not have ever heard the Crumbsucker's debut record would give it a serious listen because it remains one of the most criminally underrated records (forget crossover, metal, punk, hardcore) of its time. (Plus the Taggart artwork is worth the price of admission alone.)

My two cents - thank you.

MARK ANTHONY G-MAN (CORE JUNKIE) "LIFE OF DREAMS"

Damn....the great crossover debate.  Well, when Chris asked me to write up my two-cent on the topic of "Born To Expire" vs. "Life Of Dreams" my initial reaction (good band btw) was to think of this task as a type of "Sophie's Choice" of excellent records by bands on the fringe of the hardcore scene back in my heyday, the mid to late 80s. I say that because I honestly love both records. They each meant a lot in my life at different times, as I am sure is the same case for anyone who reads In Effect. Honestly to compare Chris Notaro to Eddie Sutton alone is to compare an apple to an orange. Both amazing. Both completely different.

However, I am not the type of motherfucker to shy away from anything, nor am I the type to half-ass an answer.  If I am to choose one of these two great LP's I need to weigh it all. Not just the tunes, but the entire ball of wax.The music, the impact, the aesthetics, the timing, etc. I need to go back to that time when I was a wee pup in Freschester County, NY. Located directly between the Anthrax and CBGB and with access to a tri-state of amazing music...yet without much of a clue. So I put on a mullet wig, lit a roach from 1991 and listened to both records. I opened a window and the room became clear....and so did my answer.

"Life Of Dreams" was recorded in 1985. 16 tracks, 33 minutes. It combined punk ass riffing with metalrific solos. The band experimented with some crazy time changes and song structure, way ahead of its time. Mix all of that with Notaro's gargling razor blades dipped in acid vocals, you had something as of yet, unseen in the underground music world. This record changed the game up for many a hardcore band and metal band that followed. I still believe this is a woefully undervalued LP based on importance. For me this represents the most palatable mix of hardcore

punk and metal that any band has ever put out. It kicked my head in the 1980’s and still does today. It also kicked the door down between genres. On top of all that, they had Sean Taggart, flyer God, artist extrodinaire, design the LP cover, which remains one of my favorite representations of the 80’s scene. The album also spawned a video for "Trapped" which we copied and traded ad-nauseum back in the day and I have heard rumors one was shot for "Bullshit Society" but never surfaced. However, that track was featured on the Combat compilation "Bullets" being the stand-out track along with AF's "The Eliminator". 

"Born To Expire" was recorded in 1987, but due to what I am sure amounts to shenanigans and bullshit, the LP did not hit the streets until 1989. 12 songs in @ 37 minutes. In terms of the lyrics and vocal style of Eddie as well and many of the aesthetics, Leeway's roots were in hardcore. However, "BTE" is a straight up metal record in my opinion. A great metal record in my opinion. "BTE" also kicked down that genre door and cut the underground open allowing for a lot of mixing of crowds and sounds. The music was tight with metal riffs and thrash solos sprinkled throughout, but it was Eddie who made them stand out for me. With his vocals, he always tried to add some melody and it worked. This LP even mixed a little rap in there further blurring genres. There are some killer tracks on "BTE" and there are certain lyrics that remain in many of our heads to this day. I can listen to this LP any day of the week. I still love it.

So, I truly love them both, but my answer has to be "Life Of Dreams". "Life Of Dreams" was a gateway drug LP.... The gateway between hardcore and metal. Now, hold on a minute, settle the fuck down, I know "Born to Expire" was as well, but hear me out. Here is the difference. "LOD" kicked down the door between the genres and allowed for an influx of metal into the hardcore scene. It did so at a time when it was appreciated and maybe even needed to keep things fresh and exciting. It influenced and expanded the sound of many bands....including Leeway, .....I would think. "Born To Expire" came thru that door at the tail end of the period when everyone was still enjoying the mix and they proceeded to kick all of the walls down between the genres altogether. This is no indictment on them in any way, they just happened to be the right band at the right time, but this allowed for a futher blurring of lines and influx of knucklheads who were 110% metal but apparently really liked the word hardcore. They used it a lot. So you have two bands, two amazing records, both mostly beloved by the hardcore punk underground, one ushering in a change, the other seeing that change to its inevitable conclusion. I can't help but think that most people would not even know who Leeway were if there wasn't a Crumbsuckers. "Life Of Dreams" is why we all know the Crumbsuckers. 

Therefore, it's "Life Of Dreams" by a little more than a crumb...sucka.

CHRIS WYNNE "LIFE OF DREAMS"

I think it was Metal Forces Magazine that gave the Crumbsuckers a 98 rating out of a possible 100 on their review of "Life Of Dreams" back when it came out in 1986. I had heard of them previously but on my next trip to Slipped Disc Records in Valley Stream out on Long Island this was a must purchase. Slipped Disc took a lot of my money back then as it was pretty much a Saturday ritual to trek out there from nearby Queens. When my parents split my dad would get me and my brother on Saturdays and when he would ask where we wanted to go we almost always said Slipped Disc... and then you could see his face kind of drop after going there like 20 times in a row. I, like a few of the other guys writing on this piece came into hardcore via metal and before finding the Crumbsuckers found other stuff like the first Suicidal Tendencies LP before this. Me and my friends were pretty much hunting for new music. We would go to the local candy store/news stand and read the magazines right in front of the guy working there, then put back the bad ones and buy the good ones. You would get valuable bits of information here and there on bands and that review in Metal Forces really stood out to me and it was sort of a mission to go get that record. The beast needed to be fed after finding this new music and when I heard the first track “Just Sit There” I immediately knew I found something special. I can still remember sitting in my old bedroom of my parents apartment reading the lyrics along with the music and yelling out YEAH! just as “Shot Down” finished. The Crumbsuckers were an insanely perfect blend of punk metal and hardcore while not being too over the top on any of the 3 styles mentioned. They could play their balls off and the solos and overall tightness was just mind blowing and that doesn't even include the vocals by Notaro which fit everything like a glove. Lyrically, musically, and visually stimulating to a teenager that was looking for something more than upside down crosses and pentagrams. The Crumbsuckers spoke to me on a few levels.

Leeway's BTE came my way maybe a year before it actually came out via the Benetos Brothers (you may remember them from being in bands like Coldfront, Fit Of Anger, and Everybody Gets Hurt). They had moved from nearby Astoria to College Point and although me and my friends were already fully entrenched in knowing all the bands and going to lots of shows these guys KNEW most of the guys in all these great bands from that part of Queens including AJ Novello, Leeway's guitarist. I knew their demo a little bit but to me the big guitar sound and slick production on this upcoming album was amazing considering that many of the recordings of that time were marred by shitty sound quality. Much like the Crumbsuckers, Leeway walked that line between hardcore and metal and had some of the sickest mosh parts going anywhere. The fact that Eddie Sutton was a singer and not a yeller gave this such a great sound as well. The beats were crisp, vocals dead on, and as close to a perfect guitar sound as you could possibly get in my opinion. Both albums clocked in as real full lengths and didn't dick around with any filler with both bands here belting out at least a solid 30 minutes. The task here is to pick just one though and my pick goes to “Life Of Dreams” by a little more than a nose hair. The way I see it both of these were albums were life changing musical masterpieces that to this day I can put on and instantly be charged up even after easily listening to both of these albums literally hundreds of times.