BATTALION OF SAINTS

George and Tezz in '95 The Battalion of Saints were one of the best and more legendary bands of Southern California's early hardcore punk scene. Often described as "vicious old school hardcore," they managed to combine the fury, intensity, Chris Smithand energy of punk and a hard driving force from a metal influence, without bringing in all of the stereotypical excess of metal. Their songs were nonstop blasts of adrenaline, with more drive and raw power than any of their counterparts at the time. Those lucky enough to have seen them play in the 80's name the Bats as one of the best, "most dynamic" shows they've ever seen. The combination of George Anthony's peircing vocals with solid and furious drumming, Chris Smith's explosive leads, and powerful bass lines that give the music an extra drive and flow creates a sound that is simply pure adrenaline. The Bats were the one of the most furious and nihilistic bands in all of So. Cal. in the early to mid 80's, leading to the deaths of many of the original members.

George AnthonyThe mainstay of the band is the singer, George Anthony. Most of the other original members of the band either quit or died during their first stint. Guitarist Chris Smith overdosed and drowned, bassist Barry Farwell died of drug related health problems, Dave Astor blew his brains out, Terry 'Tezz' Bones and Don Diaz died of AIDS. By the time they broke up in '85, the band went through nearly a dozen different members, and others who were short lived.

In 1995, George, the singer, reformed the band with his friend Tezz (from Discharge, Broken Bones, U.K. Subs, Section 5, etc.). Unlike a lot of reunions of old bands, the new Battalion stuff "is just as blistering as the old material," with an even harder edge to it. They put out the Fighting Boys 12" ep, and the Second Coming LP, plus numerous comp. tracks and a few demos which can be found on many Mystic Records bootlegs. Most of their old material has been re-released by Taang! Records on the Death -R- Us CD. The new line-up put out two ep's and a CD, and broke up as they were working on their second CD. George is now working with Rick Agnew from Adolescents, and Tezz plays bass for Billyclub.

the poster that came with the Second Coming LP Ken, George, and Tezz, '95







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Thanks to Simon Morris, Clint Parson, Shawn at BYO Records, Taang! Records, Steph Schwartz, Brad Beving, Horst Firmanty, and many others for help.


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