Bulldoze is an American

beatdown hardcore Beatdown hardcore (also known as heavy hardcore, brutal hardcore, moshcore, or simply beatdown) is a subgenre of hardcore punk which incorporates elements of thrash metal and hip hop music, hip hop. The genre features aggressive vocals, heavy, ...

band formed in

Irvington, New Jersey Irvington is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 61,176, an increase of 7,250 (+13.4%) from the 2010 Uni ...

in 1992. Originating from

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

band Retribution, Bulldoze's mid-tempo, heavy metal-inspired take on

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

developed the beatdown hardcore genre. They have released a single studio album, ''The Final Beatdown'' (1996), along with the ''Remember Whose Strong'' (1994) EP and ''Cleaning Shit Up!!'' (1993) demo.

History

Bulldoze has its origins in

band Retribution which featured bassist and vocalist George Puda, guitarists Zack Thorne and Mike Milewski and drummer Chris Golas. After seeing Mucky Pup and

Leeway Leeway is the amount of drift motion to leeward of an object floating in the water caused by the component of the wind vector that is perpendicular to the object’s forward motion.Bowditch. (1995). The American Practical Navigator. Pub. No. 9. 1 ...

at the Cricket Club in Irvington, and befriending the members of

Biohazard A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat (or is a hazard) to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect huma ...

and

Life of Agony Life of Agony is an American alternative metal band from Brooklyn, New York City, formed in 1989 by singer Keith Caputo, bassist Alan Robert and guitarist Joey Z. The band has released six studio albums to date, most notably their 1993 debut '' ...

, Retribution began changing their style towards hardcore. In 1992, Puda decided he wished to quit the band's vocal duties and instead only play bass. In his place, the band recruited Biohazard roadie Kevin "Kevone" Clark on vocals, whom Golas had met during the filming of Biohazard's "

Punishment Punishment, commonly, is the imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome upon an individual or group, meted out by an authority—in contexts ranging from child discipline to criminal law—as a deterrent to a particular action or beh ...

" music video, and changed their name to Bulldoze. The band's first live performance was an impromptu set at Studio One in the middle of NJ Bloodline's set when they were opening for Dog Eat Dog. Due to the violence of their live performances and Clark's frequent criminal activities, Bulldoze were banned from many of the prominent venues in New Jersey's hardcore scene including Studio One, the Cricket Club and the Pipeline. This, along with the growing split within the band, where Puda, Thorne, Golas and Milewski wished to play more melodic and faster music, while Clark wanted to play heavier metal-influenced music led to the band deciding to disband in 1995. Following Bulldoze's disbandment Puda, Thorne, Golas and Milewski formed Train of Thought with bassist Larry Chiswick, and Clark began pursuing his side project Terror Zone full time. Soon after Clark was incarcerated. On August 14, 2010, they performed at This is Hardcore Festival. On December 18, 2012, they rereleased ''The Final Beatdown'' with their demo, EP, two songs from compilation appearances and an hour of live footage. On May 24, 2013, they played in Copenhagen with support from Ruined, Cutdown and No Second Thought. On September 2, 2022, the band announced that Clark had died. Because of this, Puda moved to vocals during the band's subsequent live performances. In January 2022, they played FYA Festival in Tampa, Florida. On May 12, 2023, they performed at the 2023 Black N' Blue Bowl in New York City.

Musical style and legacy

Bulldoze's take on hardcore is slow and influenced by heavy metal and

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

. They make frequent use of breakdowns, heavy grooves and disses. They have cited influences including

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

Judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...

Carnivore A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they ar ...

, Youth of Today,

Gorilla Biscuits Gorilla Biscuits are an American hardcore punk band from New York City, New York, United States, formed in 1986. The band currently consists of Anthony "Civ" Civarelli, Walter Schreifels, Arthur Smilios and Luke Abbey, and is signed to Revela ...

and

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...

. Bulldoze pioneered the

genre, with their 1996 album ''The Final Beatdown'' giving the genre its name. ''NoEcho'' writer Carlos Ramirez called them "perhaps the biggest influence on the breakdown-heavy hardcore bands that came after them in the mid-'90s and beyond". They have also been cited as an influence by Trapped Under Ice.

Members

*George Puda – vocals (2022–present), bass (1992–1995, 2010–2022) *Zack Thorne – guitar (1992–1995, 2010–present) *Mike Milewski – guitar (1992–1995, 2010–present) *Chris Golas – drums (1992–1995, 2010–present) ;Former *Kevin "Kevone Cea" Clark – vocals (1992–1995, 2012–2022; his death)

Discography

;Albums *''The Final Beatdown'' (1996) ;EPs *''Remember Who's Strong'' (1994) ;Demos *''Cleaning Shit Up!!'' (1993)

References

{{Reflist Musical groups established in 1992 Musical quartets from New Jersey Hardcore punk groups from New Jersey Musical groups from Essex County, New Jersey Beatdown hardcore musical groups