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
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

• 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

External links

• Buy 1982 from Alona's Dream Records
• Discogs page
• Regressive Film's trailer for the 1982 Record