Boysetsfire - Before the Eulogy

With 10 years, three full-length records (one on a major label), a multitude of fans worldwide, and a brand new record on the way, the release of Boysetsfire's Before the Eulogy (the obligatory B-sides and rarities collection) is not only timely, it’s necessary. Anyone in the hardcore scene knows that those first demos and releases are low-run pressings, often poorly recorded and not up to par with what eventually garners the band the most success, but simultaneously, those recordings are from the most intimate times of a group’s career. Featuring Boysetsfire’s first and second demos, the Consider 7”, 2 EPs ( In Chrysalis and Suckerpunch Training), plus some added rarities tacked on the end, Before the Eulogy is the precursor to the ideal starting point (The Day the Sun Went Out) for new fans, and also serves as a lesson in the band’s history for those not so well-versed (myself included) in the musical background of one of the most important melodic, experimental hardcore bands of the past decade. The first 7 songs (the demos) date back to 1995, long before the Delaware quintet was being peddled to nu-metal crowds with overproduction and inclusion on the same label as Creed with 2003’s Tomorrow Come Today. Gritty and soulful, the tracks showcase what pulled attention to the band, just in much rougher fashion. Nathan Gray has been an exceptional frontman from the beginning, roaming between guttural shouts and beautiful, soulful vocals. In Chrysalis and Suckerpunch Training are found here more for posterity, to cancel out the need for searching the two down separately, and do their part in rounding out the band’s early years. Between them, you get a broad taste of the band’s influences—Elton John’s classic “Rocketman” and the Dead Kennedys’ “Holiday in Cambodia” both receive the cover treatment. While it won’t complete a Boysetsfire collection pre-2001, the disc does an excellent job of just getting all this stuff rounded up and together in one place. [www.equalvision.com]