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Earth Crisis' chugging riffs and barked declarations served as the mouthpiece of America's militant vegan straight-edge movement throughout the '90s, detailing the ideas of animal and human liberation, drug-free living, and personal empowerment through hardcore song. The vegan straight-edge movement spawned activists who took the law into their own hands, burning down fur farms and freeing animals directly. Earth Crisis began as the brainchild of Karl Buechner -- who intended to play bass -- and his friend DJ Rose. The lineup eventually solidified with Buechner on vocals, Ian "Bulldog" Edwards on bass, guitarist Scott Crouse, drummer Mike Ricardi, and a guitarist named Ben. This lineup began playing around Syracuse, spreading the message of veganism and the drug-free lifestyle previously preached in the hardcore scene by Vegan Reich, Statement, and Raid. Earth Crisis crafted a five-song demo and sent it to the label that had released those bands' records, Hardline. But with that label on hiatus, they decided to release their first EP through a local friend's imprint, Conviction. All Out War came out on 7" single format, with the band embarking upon their first U.S. tour in support of it. Drummer Dennis Merrick -- who would become almost as important in shaping the band's political ideology as Buechner -- came aboard around this time as Ricardi was unable to commit himself to touring. The interest that built up in the hardcore scene around the band, along with a new demo, brought Earth Crisis to the attention of Chicago's Victory label and a deal was signed. Earth Crisis set about making their first EP for the label; Firestorm was a landmark release for the hardcore scene that combined staccato, solo-free metal with barking, political, and militant vocals. The lyrics centered around the dangers of drug abuse and bringing "violence against violence" to drug dealers and those who would abuse animals: "a firestorm to purify."
The Earth Crisis phenomenon was now in full swing, but Ben was asked to leave the band and was replaced by guitarist Kris Weichman. The group next crafted their debut full-length album, Destroy the Machines, which was released in 1995. Victory also secured the rights to All Out War, reissuing it on CD, 7", and cassette format. The band traveled to Europe, where they were amassing quite a dedicated following. Earth Crisis set about touring the States again as well, first with Guilt, Ignite, and Damnation AD and next supporting Shelter. While on tour in the northwestern United States, they were involved in a serious van crash that hospitalized Merrick for some time. While home recuperating, the rest of the group -- together with Rose, Ricardi, and another friend -- made a project album under the moniker Path of Resistance as Earth Crisis popularity began to increase.
Major media outlets such as MTV, CNN, and CBS started covering Earth Crisis and vegan straight-edge in general. In 1996, the band released their second full-length album, Gomorrah's Season Ends, a polished and decidedly more metallic affair that produced even more anthems that became singalong worthy staples of their live performances. Though Victory was growing in size alongside the band, offers from bigger, more established and more widely distributed labels began to pour in. The band was asked to take part in the inaugural Ozzfest. Earth Crisis released a live album, The Oath That Keeps Me Free, through Victory and then signed a contract with then-indie metal giant Roadrunner Records, home to acts such as Fear Factory and Sepultura. They also fired Weichman, replacing him with Edwards' brother Erick, late of the band Beta Minus Mechanic. Their first and only album for the label, Breed the Killers, was released simultaneously on vinyl through Equal Vision. It was solid, with production by Andy Sneep and a guest vocal appearance by Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn. Earth Crisis toured relentlessly behind the record, but it failed to generate much more of a buzz than any of their previous releases had already. With dissatisfaction mounting on both sides, Earth Crisis severed ties with Roadrunner and returned "home" to Victory. What followed was perhaps the best work of their career, the decidedly nu metal flavored Slither. Its incredibly well produced, structured, and catchy songs included singing, rapping, and more obtuse and personally oriented lyrics. It was tantamount to a massive "sell-out" to many fans, however, and poor turnouts at subsequent tour stops reflected this. Earth Crisis' next release was a collection of demo, rare, and cover tracks called Last of the Sane. In 2001, they announced their breakup, playing a triumphant final performance at Hellfest in their hometown of Syracuse. A DVD and best-of collection were released soon after. Buechner formed a new band called Nemesis. Crouse and Merrick have teamed up in a progressive, heavy rock group named Slave One. ~ Ryan J. Downey, All Music Guide
XM Radio: A looming crisis?
Company reports widening loss, and a key director quits over concerns about XM's hefty spending and rapid growth rate.
To date, the battle between the two major satellite radio companies, XM and Sirius, has been an expensive one.
In their quest to garner more subscribers than the other, the two companies have squared off in a celebrity-driven battle of one-upmanship featuring big-name radio hosts like Howard Stern, Bob Dylan, Oprah Winfrey, and Bruce Springsteen.
That costly race to acquire subscribers appears to be taking its toll.
XM today reported a widening fourth-quarter loss because of higher marketing and customer acquisition costs. The company also said that a key director quit over a disagreement about the company's future, with that director warning of a looming "crisis."
The news sent shares tumbling $1.50, or 6 percent, to $23.75 in midday trading.
For the quarter ended December 31, XM posted a loss of $270.4 million, or $1.22 per share, after dividends for preferred stockholders. Its revenue more than doubled, however, to $177.1 million from $83.1 million.
The loss was greater than XM's fourth-quarter loss from a year ago of $190.4 million, or 93 cents per share. It also missed the forecast of Wall Street analysts of a loss of 92 cents per share on revenue of $174.1 million, according to a survey from Thomson Financial.
"Our overall focus in 2006 is to continue driving rapid growth in a cost-effective manner," XM CEO Hugh Panero said in a conference call this morning. "The company has put in place all the elements necessary to reach profitability and at least 20 million subscribers by 2010."
But company director Pierce Roberts Jr. disagrees, and he quit today over that dispute, according to the company's regulatory filing. A former investment banker with Bear Stearns, Roberts had served as a director for five years and sat on all of the board's major committees.
In a letter to board chairman Gary Parsons, Roberts said he was "troubled" by the company's current path. "Given current course and speed there is, in my view, a significant chance of a crisis on the horizon," Roberts wrote. "Even absent a crisis, I believe that XM will inevitably serve its shareholders poorly without major changes now."
The company said in a statement accompanying the letter that its management and other directors disagreed with Roberts over how to balance growth versus cash flow, believing that it was important for the long term to keep up its rapid growth rate.
As Panero said on the call, that growth rate is all about getting to 20 million subscribers faster than the other. To do so, the two have spent large sums of cash both in marketing costs and enticing big-name celebs to host shows and program various music channels.
XM's recently announced $55 million, three-year deal with Oprah pales next to Sirius' five-year, $500 million deal with Howard Stern, but the company has also signed deals with Dylan, Springsteen, and Snoop Dogg, among others.
For the full year, XM posted a loss of a whopping $675.3 million, or $3.07 per share, after preferred dividends. The company posted a loss of $651.2 million, or $3.30 per share, for the prior year.
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