Ludichrist - Immaculate Deception and Powertrip [Speed Metal]

Ludichrist was an American hardcore punk/speed metal band formed in the 1980s in New York. Their musical style broke from traditional New York hardcore roots by adding aspects of rock, heavy metal and jazz, like extended guitar solos and musical interludes. After their second proper album, lead singer Tommy Christ and guitarist Glen Cummings broke up the band and reformed with a new rhythm section as the more humor-oriented, style-jumping Scatterbrain.

Original guitarist Mark Kanabrocki, who had written most of the first albums songs, left the band before it was recorded and appears only on the record release issued from CBGB called Off the Board. On their debut album Immaculate Deception, one track featured guest vocalists from fellow New York bands Agnostic Front, Nuclear Assault, The Crumbsuckers and Leeway. The original drummer and founder of Ludichrist (also the guy who named the band), Al Batross, left after the first album Immaculate Deception was recorded. Incredibly, Immaculate Deception was reviewed in the May 11, 1987 issue of People between Bryan Adams Into the Fire and The Kinks Think Visual! By the time Ludichrist's second album Powertrip was released, the band only retained two original members, vocalist Tommy and guitarist Glen which naturally lead to a drastic change in style and sound. The band became far more metallic in style, while retaining a range of musical influences and being more overtly humorous, they abandoned the early hardcore style, leaving many of the band's early fans sorely disappointed. But the new style won them many new metal crossover fans and featured stellar musicianship by Paul Neider (guitar) and Dave Miranda (drums) in particular. Many have noted that the track "Green Eggs and Ham", on "Immaculate Deception", was possibly the first example of a hard core or metal band paying homage to rap music, as a break in the middle of this song is a cover of the Run DMC song "Rock Box" (with self-mocking, humorous lyrics added.) This for, example, pre-dates songs by bands like Anthrax which later received heavy rotation on MTV.

Al Batross formed Big Sniff (with releases on both Mint Tone Records and Do iT! Records in Germany) with future members of The Arsons and Kill Your Idols in the 90's. He later played with the band MDC (Millions of Dead Cops) from 2001 through 2003. As of 2008, Al continues to live in NYC and has been the sole American member in three all-Japanese bands to date, curiously enough, also based in NYC called The Plungers, The Spunks and Gelatine. The Spunks released "Yellow Fever Blues" in 2007 on Gearhead Records. Following a few years of consistent touring and local gigs, The Spunks disbanded when members Hajime and Joji decided to move back to Japan after having lived in the US for almost 9 years. Al, properly known as Alan Bazin, is an accomplished film and video editor who has also been working on a book related to New York City architecture. He was recently signed by a literary agent.

Glen Cummings toured with Mucky Pup for a brief time, released two albums with his own band, Stone Deep, while living in Nashville, TN , and eventually left the music world in the 1990s to pursue a career in design. He received a BFA from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Yale University School of Art. He currently lives in New York City, is art director at 2x4, a well respected downtown design studio, and is a lecturer in design at Yale University.

Original bassist Chuck Valle later joined Murphy's Law and had become a talented audio engineer (see Six and Violence Lettuce Prey) but was tragically stabbed to death in California following an argument with an unknown man. Chuck was also an early enthusiast of rap and hip hop, leading to what has widely been acknowledged as the first clear example of hardcore mixed with rap, the track "Green Eggs and Ham." Recently, Chuck's family has been involved with trying to prevent the man who murdered Chuck from being released from Prison

Recently, 2007, several Ludichrist reunion shows took place in New York.


Immaculate Deception (1987)

1)Fire At The Firehouse
2)Most People Are Dicks
3)Murder Bloody Murder
4)Blown Into The Arms Of Christ
5)Big Business
6)Only As Directed
7)Games Once Played
8)Green Eggs And Ham
9)Immaculate Deception
10)You Can't Have Fun
11)Government Kids
12)Legal Murder
13)Down With The Ship
14)Thinking Of You
15)Tylenol
16)Mengele
17)Young White And Well Behaved
18)Last Train To Clarksville
19)God Is Everywhere

Powertrip (1989)

1)Powertrip
2)Zad
3)Stuff To Fill Graves
4)The Tip Of My Mind
5)Damage Done
6)T.B.O.S. (Barbiere di Siviglia)
7)This Party Sucks
8)Johnnypump
9)Yesterday For You
10)And So It Goes
11)The Well Dressed Man Disguise