Trial By Fire



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

 * Chris Bjorklund - Guitar
 * Pierre Kezdy - Bass
 * Bob Furem - Drums

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 opening to Naked Raygun's Vanilla Blue was taken from TBF's Cross Reaction

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 on April 31st, 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
 * 14
 * 1) Rocks of Sweden
 * 2) Cross Reaction
 * 3) Mad Dog
 * 4) Mercury Man
 * 5) The Shaft
 * 6) Under the Rock
 * 7) Trial By Fire

Shows Played

 * December 31, 1981 - at O'Banion's with Naked Raygun. Perhaps their first show.
 * February 6, 1982 - at Cubby Bear with the Subverts
 * February 26, 1982 - at C.O.D. with The Effigies
 * March 25, 1982 - at 950 Lucky Number with Six Feet Under
 * March 7, 1982 - at Exit with Die Kreuzen and Naked Raygun
 * April 23, 1982 - at the Cubby Bear, opening for Naked Raygun
 * August 26, 1982 - at C.O.D. with Rights of the Accused
 * June 11, 1982 - at Cubby Bear with Die Kreuzen
 * September 11, 1982 - Lincoln Arcade, Milwaukee