Cursed was a Canadian

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier pu ...

band formed in 2001 and dissolved in 2008. It featured members from

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

, and Hamilton of various other Canadian DIY bands such as Haymaker, Left for Dead, The Swarm aka Knee Deep in the Dead, Acrid, Ruination, The Black Hand, Countdown to Oblivion, At the Mercy of Inspiration,

Shallow North Dakota Shallow North Dakota was a Canadian noise rock/sludge metal band from Hamilton, Ontario. The band was well-know known for its loud, aggressive music and live shows, which often included destroying stage equipment. History Shallow North Dakota ...

, Crux of Aux, Quest for Fire and

Burning Love "Burning Love" is a 1972 song by Elvis Presley written by Dennis Linde, originally released by Arthur Alexander earlier in 1972. Elvis Presley had a major hit with the song, becoming his biggest hit single in the United States since " Suspicious ...

Career

Cursed was formed in 2001, by Chris Colohan, Mike Maxymuik, and Christian McMaster, a year after the break-up of their previous band, The Swarm aka Knee Deep in the Dead. They were joined by bassist Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, formerly vocalist in the Quebec Arabian-influenced hardcore band Ire. The band quickly became known for its nihilistic and dystopian lyrical themes, stark classic horror imagery and loud, abrasive live shows. In 2003, they released their debut album ''I'', on Deathwish Inc., which garnered wide cult support. Moumneh switched to second guitar, allowing bassist Tom Piraino to join the lineup; Piraino and McMaster had previously played in the band Funerary together. Cursed followed with 2005's ''II'', on Goodfellow Records. In 2007, they released the picture-disc EP ''Blackout At Sunrise'', and a 180gr vinyl gatefold reissue of 2003's ''I'' on the label

Trash Art! Trash Art! is an independent record label from Providence, Rhode Island, specializing in loud music from punk and metal subgenres. The label was founded in 1997, and has issued releases on vinyl and compact disc formats by 16, Apartment 213, As T ...

. In 2008, they released their third LP, ''III: Architects of Troubled Sleep'', on Goodfellow Records in North America, Howling Bull in Japan and, in Europe, the Dutch label

Reflections Records Reflections Records is a Dutch record label based in Arnhem and focused primarily on hardcore punk music. It started in 1994 as a fanzine that in 1998 added a 7-inch compilation to one issue that proved successful and sparked a shift to becoming ...

. ''III'' was produced at Toronto's Hallamusic studio, mixed by long-time friend and collaborator Donny Cooper, and mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music, with cover art by

Baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

' John Dyer Baizley. The band had long been touring internationally but, for this album, it played six weekends of strictly

Southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a primary region of the province of Ontario, Canada, the other primary region being Northern Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada. The exact northern boundary of Southern Ontario is dis ...

DIY shows. The official release show was in Toronto, at a sold out Lee's Palace, with 50Watthead, Career Suicide and Living Darkness. The band then went on a European tour and, on May 22, 2008, Chris Colohan announced from Germany that the band had been robbed of their passports, and all of their money and tour expenses. Colohan described the robbery as a "bullet in the head" for the band. A hectic final show at Bitterzoet in Amsterdam would be their last.

Post-breakup

Colohan released the band's final UK radio session (their last recording) as a 7" EP on High Anxiety. Deathwish Inc reissued the vinyl repress of ''Cursed I'', which quickly sold out. Mike Maxymuik subsequently joined the band Quest for Fire and was a touring drummer for

Pink Mountaintops Pink Mountaintops is a Canadian rock and roll band from Vancouver led by Stephen McBean. The band's first album, ''The Pink Mountaintops'', featured Amber Webber and Joshua Wells. The tracks varied from alt-country to indie rock. The band's rec ...

. Dan Dunham continued to play in Crux of Aux, and in the bands Skull and Limitoids. Chris Colohan continued to tour and play with

and Mature Situations, and runs the vinyl-only High Anxiety label. In 2016, he formed the band

SECT A sect is a subgroup of a religious, political, or philosophical belief system, usually an offshoot of a larger group. Although the term was originally a classification for religious separated groups, it can now refer to any organization that b ...

, composed of

Andy Hurley Andrew John Hurley (born May 31, 1980) is an American musician. He is the drummer for the rock band Fall Out Boy. Prior to Fall Out Boy, Hurley played in several hardcore punk bands. He joined Fall Out Boy as the full-time drummer in 2003 and ...

(

Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. ...

, Vegan Reich,

Racetraitor Racetraitor is an American hardcore punk band originally from Chicago, Illinois. The band attracted controversy in the late 1990s, before any releases, as a result of their radical take on racial politics, which focused on ideas like systemic ra ...

) on drums, James Chang (Catharsis, Undying) and Scott Crouse ( Earth Crisis, Path of Resistance) on guitar, and Ian Edwards ( Earth Crisis, Path of Resistance) on bass. Radwan Moumneh went on to open the

Hotel2Tango The Hotel2Tango (sometimes referred to as Thee Mighty Hotel2Tango and abbreviated H2T) is a 24-track analogue recording studio situated in the Mile End district of Montreal, Quebec. The current facility is the second to bear the name, and was pr ...

recording studio in Montreal, with partners from

Godspeed You Black Emperor Godspeed You! Black Emperor (sometimes abbreviated to GY!BE or Godspeed) is a Canadian post-rock band which originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation, an independent record label also located ...

and Constellation Records, and continues with his performance art project Jerusalem In My Heart.

Members

Final lineup

* Chris Colohan - vocals (2001—2008) * Christian McMaster - guitar (2001—2008) * Dan Dunham - bass (2005—2008) * Mike "The Mauler" Maxymuik - drums (2001—2008)

Former members

* Radwan Ghazi Moumneh : bass (2001—2003), guitar (2003—2005) *Tom "Dot Com" Piraino: bass (2003—2005)

Discography

Albums

*'' I'' (2003, Deathwish Inc.) *'' II'' (2005, Goodfellow Records) *''III: Architects of Troubled Sleep'' (2008, Goodfellow Records)

EPs & Demos

*"Cursed Demo Recording" (2002, Self-Released) *''Hell Comes Home'' EP (2004, Hex Records) *''Blackout At Sunrise'' EP (2007, Goodfellow Records) *''The Last Session'' EP (2010, High Anxiety)

Music videos

* Fatalist (2006)

References

External links

Cursed @ London Underworld by Bartolomy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cursed Musical groups established in 2001 Musical groups disestablished in 2008 Musical quartets Deathwish Inc. artists Canadian crust and d-beat groups Sludge metal musical groups