Grade is a

melodic hardcore Melodic hardcore is a broadly defined subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melody in its guitar work. The style often includes guitar harmonies, riffs using octave chords, as well as broken chords. Additionally, lyrics tend towar ...

band from Burlington, Ontario, often credited as pioneers in blending

metallic hardcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...

with the honesty and melody of

emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

, and - most notably - the alternating screaming/singing style later popularized by bands like

Poison the Well Poisoning the well (or to poison the well) is a logical fallacy. Poisoning the well may also refer to: *Well poisoning, the literal meaning of the phrase *"Poisoning the Well", a ''Stargate Atlantis'' episode *Poison the Well (band), a hardcore pu ...

and

Hawthorne Heights Hawthorne Heights is an American rock band formed in Dayton, Ohio in 2001. Originally called A Day in the Life, their lineup currently consists of JT Woodruff (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Matt Ridenour (bass, backing vocals) and Mark McMillon ...

. Formed in 1994, Grade found inspiration in the hardcore bands

Integrity Integrity is the quality of being honest and having a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and Honesty, truthfulness or of one's actions. Integr ...

and

Chokehold A chokehold, choke, stranglehold or, in Judo, shime-waza () is a general term for a grappling hold that critically reduces or prevents either air ( choking)''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' (1999). Oxford University press. . or blood ( s ...

. By 1995, however, they had discovered

Indian Summer An Indian summer is a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs in autumn in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Several sources describe a true Indian summer as not occurring until after the first frost, or mor ...

and

Rye Coalition Rye Coalition is a post-hardcore band based in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. The band has released four albums, three EPs, a split 12-inch with Karp, and several singles. Described by member David Leto as "a loud rock and roll band wi ...

and began developing the sound and style for which they had become known.

History

Four of the members of Grade previously played in the band Incision, with a different bassist, from 1992 to 1993, releasing two demo tapes. In late 1993, the band briefly broke up but reformed under the name Rebirth. After only two shows, Rebirth recruited bassist Matt Jones (who was then also playing in the band Sun Still Burns) and changed name to Grade in January 1994. Grade released their debut three-song demo tape in February 1994 through Workshop Records. Though '' And Such Is Progress'' would eventually be hailed as a "landmark album," it was not until 1997, when Grade released ''

Separate the Magnets ''Separate the Magnets'' is the second full-length studio album by the hardcore band Grade Grade most commonly refers to: * Grading in education, a measurement of a student's performance by educational assessment (e.g. A, pass, etc.) * A designat ...

'' and toured with

Hot Water Music Hot Water Music is an American punk rock band formed in October 1994 and based in Gainesville, Florida. Since their formation, the group has consisted of Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard on shared lead vocals and guitars, bass guitarist Jason B ...

, that they began to develop a following. During this time, band members collaborated in several side-projects. Bishop played in Acrid; Jones played in SeventyEightDays; Bishop and Jones played in The Swarm aka Knee Deep in the Dead; and Bishop played in Tomb of the Worm; Taylor and Harris played in Jersey. In 1999, Grade signed with

Victory Records Victory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several record labels. It has featured many prominent artists including Thu ...

and released ''Under the Radar'', the album for which they had become best known. ''Under the Radar'' spawned two singles, the videos for which received some play on

MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, through PMN’s MTV Entertainment Group Subdivision. The channel launched initially as an all-music ...

in 1999 and 2000. In 2000, the band toured Europe and the United Kingdom, meeting up with American melodic hardcore band

As Friends Rust As Friends Rust is an American melodic hardcore band based in Gainesville, Florida. The original line-up, which included vocalist Damien Moyal, guitarist Henry Olmino, bass guitarist Jeronimo Gomez, and drummer Matthew Crum, formed in Davie, F ...

for several cross-over shows. In 2001, Grade released their fourth and final full-length album, ''

Headfirst Straight to Hell Headfirst Straight to Hell is the fifth full-length album by the Canadian hardcore band Grade Grade most commonly refers to: * Grading in education, a measurement of a student's performance by educational assessment (e.g. A, pass, etc.) * A desi ...

'', before disbanding approximately one year later. Jones, Magill, Danner and Casarin all went on to play in To the Lions. Since their break-up, Grade have reunited several times, beginning with a 2006 show in Toronto. In 2010, they wrote and recorded two new songs for a split 7-inch with

Bane Bane may refer to: Fictional characters * Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman * Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series * Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy * Bane the Druid, a Gua ...

. In 2013, Grade performed at Pouzza Fest in Montreal. In 2014, they toured the northeastern U.S. with

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

Legacy

When asked by

Noisey ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company ...

in 2014 if he ever felt bitter for a lack of recognition, singer Kyle Bishop stated, "There’s a lot of accolades that people give us for supposedly starting something and I think that’s all bullshit, to be honest with you. I think that a billion bands were doing similar things before us and after that deserve just as much credit. And if we do get some credit from certain people, awesome. If we don't, it doesn’t really matter because I really don’t think it’s true anyway."

Discography

Albums

*'' And Such Is Progress'' (1995 Capsule Records, repress May 1997 Toybox Records, repress 1998 Second Nature Recordings) *''

'' (1997 Second Nature Recordings) *'' Under the Radar'' (October 12, 1999 Victory Records) *''

The Embarrassing Beginning ''The Embarrassing Beginning'' is the fourth full-length album by Canadian hardcore punk band Grade. It is a combination of two older releases with new packaging. The first eight songs are from Grade's first proper release, Grade/Believe split re ...

'' (November 21, 2000 Victory Records) *''

'' (August 21, 2001 Victory Records)

EPs

* ''Grade'' (1996, Wheatfield Press Records) *''

Triumph & Tragedy ''Triumph & Tragedy'' is Grade's first release on Victory Records. "Panama" is a cover of a Van Halen song. This EP was included in its entirety on '' The Embarrassing Beginning''. Track listing # "Triumph & Tragedy" # "Stolen Bikes Ride Faster" ...

'' (1999, Victory Records) *Collapsed Lungs (2014, Dine Alone Records)

Split albums

*Split CD with

Believe Believe may refer to: *Belief, a psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true, with or without proof for such proposition *Faith, a belief in something which has not been proven Arts, entertainment, and me ...

(1994, Workshop Records) *Split 12-inch with

Incision Incision may refer to: * Cutting, the separation of an object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force * A type of open wound caused by a clean, sharp-edged object such as a knife, razor, or glass splinter * ...

(1999, Workshop Records) *Split 7-inch with

(2010, At Both Ends Magazine)

Compilations

*''Making the Impossible Possible'' (1999) *'' Victory Style 4'' (March 28, 2000) *'' Rock Music: A Tribute to Weezer'' (February 5, 2002) *'' Punk Chunk 2'' (February 15, 2002) *'' Victory Style 5'' (April 9, 2002) *'' Smoking Popes Tribute'' (March 23, 2003) *''

Punk Goes Acoustic ''Punk Goes Acoustic'' is the third album in the '' Punk Goes...'' series and the first installment in the ''Punk Goes Acoustic'' series created by Fearless Records. It contains a collection of both previously released and unreleased songs by vari ...

'' (October 21, 2003) *'' Initial Records Punk Rock Sampler''

References

External links

Band's Myspace Page
* Profile At All Music {{DEFAULTSORT:Grade Canadian hardcore punk groups Victory Records artists