Trial By Fire

From ChicagoPunk
Jump to navigation Jump to search
TrialByFire-MRR3.jpg

Trial by Fire was a Chicago punk band that performed from Autumn 1981 to Autumn 1982, after the demise of Strike Under. All of the members - Pierre Kezdy, Chris Bjorklund and Bob Furem - had been in Strike Under. Trial By Fire did not officially release any records duiring their lifetime though they recorded a 9 song demo in December 1981 and a full record in April 1982. In 2017 their record from the 1982 recordings was finally given a proper release by Alona's Dream Records

Just about anyone who saw Trial By Fire live or heard their (at the time ultra rare) recordings back then said that they were a special band. Many call them the first true hardcore band from Chicago. Even today people who were part of the scene in 1981/1982 say that Trial By Fire was one of the best bands of the Chicago Punk era.


Members

Recording and cover history

  • In December 1981 they recorded a 9 song demo
  • In April 1982 they recorded a 16 song record with Timothy Powell Although this was confirmed in issue #1 of Last Rites, it never had a release at the time.
  • In Naked Raygun's Quartersick CD re-release of All Rise, they include a cover of Trial By Fire's Rocks of Sweden.
  • Naked Raygun's Last of the Demohicans includes a cover of TBF's Giveaway, written by Pierre Kezdy. The cover was recorded during the Jettison sessions on April 21, 1987
  • Arsenal, a later band with Pierre Kezdy and Santiago Durango does a cover of Trial By Fire song When Worlds Collide on their Factory Smog Is A Sign of Progress EP. They called it When Head's Collide.
  • The infamous guitar to Naked Raygun's Vanilla Blue was taken from TBF's

Releases

  • Demo Tape (December 1981)
    • Recorded by Timothy Powell
    • Either 8 or 9 tracks
    • Available as a download to 1982
  • You Weren't There: A History of Chicago Punk 1979-1984 soundtrack LP (Factory 25, 2008)
    • "Rocks of Sweden"
  • 1982 CD/LP/Digital (Alona's Dream Records, 2017)
    • Includes the band's unreleased LP and 8 demo tracks (demo tracks are included on the CD and available as an additional download with the LP)
    • Recorded by Timothy Powell in April 1982
  1. Four at the Guard
  2. Lost in the Fog
  3. When World's Collide
  4. Altar of Chumps
  5. Tempting Fate
  6. Money Lord
  7. Private War
  8. Giveaway
  9. 14
  10. Rocks of Sweden
  11. Cross Reaction
  12. Mad Dog
  13. Mercury Man
  14. The Shaft
  15. Under the Rock
  16. Trial By Fire

Shows Played

External links