Also see Diatribes.
… Read Full Bio ↴Diatribe is the name of more than one artist
Also see Diatribes.
1) Diatribe was a coldwave group from San Jose, California which was active in the 1990’s and signed to Re-Constriction. They had a sound similar to 16 Volt and Chemlab, integrating synthesizers and vocal samples with more traditional rock instruments. Their song “Therapy” was used in the film Strange Days but does not appear on the official soundtrack album. . They put out 2 EPS (Therapy and Nothing), a single (Ultracide), and a self-titled LP.
2) Diatribe is a San Diego California hardcore punk band formed in late ‘84,one of the first political bands in the states, their style is similar to that of Discharge, Crucifix, Broken Bones, Iconoclast, English Dogs…etc they recorded The Aftermath EP (tape) in ‘85 which was also bootlegged in ‘92 on Revoltation records as a 7”EP and has since then been released in ‘07 by Get Revenge Records as a 7’’ EP.The band is working on new material and has shows set up for 2010.
This San Diego band became one of the first political punk bands in the U.S.A. They quickly started creating mayhem around town.They played they’re first show opening for D.O.A. and Abrasive Wheels. The band soon found themselves playing shows and sharing the stage with great bands like Conflict,Subhumans,Iconoclast,SNFU,Broken Bones,Battalion of Saints. The six song Demo tape “AfterMath”was recorded DIY for only 25 bucks.The Demo got rave reviews and the band soon had a strong following.A tour of the states was soon to follow.
This 7” EP on Get Revenge Records contains the six-song “Aftermath” demo, Diatribe’s only widely circulated recording. One track from it, “I’m Your Leader,” appeared on the Mortarhate 2xLP compilation “We Won’t Be Your Fucking Poor.” The demo was bootlegged circa 1991 on vinyl 7” by Revoltation Records in the UK, with one additional song called “The Day I Was Born,” obviously from a different recording session. Oddly, the order of the tracks on the Revoltation bootleg is not the same as on the original cassette. (The present reissue doesn’t use the original order either.) The Revoltation bootleg was coveted by lovers of raw punk, but even with the extra track, it is made obsolete by this reissue, which has much better sound quality. In fact, the sound could be better than surviving original copies of the cassette, as the vinyl was mastered from the original reel. The music is fast, with a redoubtable crunchy guitar and a perfect reproduction of the Discharge songwriting formula. “Hellish Inferno” actually seems to pay homage to Crucifix’s “Prejudice,” but mostly it’s as if Diatribe weren’t listening to much other than Discharge—though they covered Conflict live. A couple breakdowns slow the tempo (and induce hard-pitting in the living room), but mostly the music is fierce and relentless. No other American drummer played a d-beat in the ‘80s as convincingly as Diatribe’s (who, you may not have known, was African-American). So: you need this reissue. It’s great, and long overdue.
Other than “Aftermath,” Diatribe’s recorded history is something of a mystery. Tape traders have circulated a two-song demo with “Free the Animals” and “Glorious War Games” on it. “Free the Animals” begins with a tedious sample about vivisection, but then it turns out to be the same song as “The Day I Was Born” on the Revoltation bootleg. “Glorious War Games” begins with a Reagan sample and the song calls to mind the “Another Religion Another War”-era Varukers. There is another version of “Free the Animals” also circulating, dated February ’86, which is clearly live and inferior to the supposed second-demo version.Unfortunately, none of these additional recordings is available with good fidelity; deterioration of the tape is audible. Do high-quality master tapes still exist, as for “Aftermath”?
The list of American hardcore bands influenced by Discharge would be long indeed, even though “Discharge-style” hardcore is most often associated with Finland and Sweden. Still, there’s a Discharge influence—Battalion of Saints, Poison Idea, SSD—and there’s a Discharge influence—Crucifix, Iconoclast, and, best of all, Diatribe. Though from California and nominally peace-punk, Diatribe didn’t actually fit in well with the categorization. They came later than Crucifix, Against, and The Iconoclast and their sound was much more hardcore than Another Destructive System or Treason—though not as metal as Final Conflict or the late ‘80s crust bands that came after them. Peace-punk, in its varied forms, took hold in Southern California ( Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego), San Francisco, and New York more so than anywhere else in the States. True, these regions were home to the largest scenes, so there was room for more varied subgenres among the legions of punx, but I believe something about the character of these places lent itself to this appropriation and Americanization of a British musical invention. Southern California, with its huge Latino population butted up against the vapid celebrity culture and, in turn, the xenophobic Republican stronghold of Orange County (which produced some of the most violent original American hardcore bands), is rife with contradiction that would be fruitful for a punk lyricist trying to relate Discharge’s lyrics to his own everyday life. San Francisco, on the other hand, has always had the feeling of being aloof, disconnected from the rest of the country due to its liberal politics and queer culture, which themselves actually alienate many. Finally, New York is a crazy bouillabaisse of these cultures, but unlike any other, with so many immigrants, so much corporate money, and yet deep social isolation in the midst of a billowing metropolis. Perhaps there is no explaining it, but to me, Diatribe, from San Diego, seem like they couldn’t have originated anywhere else. Their earnest belief that what they were doing was a radical political (anarchist, animal rights) project, an educational mission, combined with the horror-themed song “Psycho Killer,” captures perfectly not just the adolescent punk rock worldview but the contradictions of Southern California. Unlike The Iconoclast, Diatribe never had any of the (hippie-esque) dark, acoustic peace punk stylings. They played nothing but pure raging d-beat raw punk and matched the music with strong political beliefs.
Today, their pro-vegetarian and anti-vivisection attitude seems much less radical than it must have in 1985. What interests me most is their message, written in an autobiography (rather than interview) in Maximum Rocknoll in 1985, about border conflicts and why Latin Americans emigrate to the United States. At the time, not many bands were talking about this issue, which is obviously still highly contentious today. Diatribe write: “If all the money spent on border enforcement went for housing and food, everyone would be better off. If American companies exploiting the resources of Central and South America stopped, people wouldn’t be forced to leave their homes in search of food and jobs.” It’s funny how these lines from this anarchist punk band constitute a much more intelligent analysis of the “immigration” issue than can be found in much of the mainstream press today. I believe that the band was so accurate because they were from San Diego, a city that has been forced to confront the injustice that has led to illegal immigration for far longer than the rest of the United States. Diatribe’s intelligence about this issue demonstrates their essential “California-ness,” and maybe shows one reason why punks formed bands of this type in California and not in other places in the United States. Of course there were many idiotic ‘80s hardcore bands from California, but that only throws into relief what a breath of fresh air the anarchist bands were.
The band recently reformed at the end of 2009.
Watch for new music and upcoming shows.
Free tracks can be downloaded at their offical website,
http://www.myspace.com/diatribepunk
3.) With in memory of tomorrow the five Paderborner guys are presenting a very versatile hardcore album, far away from deadlocked structures. 10 songs have been forged together with a lot of independence which convince from beginning to end and pull one into their spell. The production is first class - one can tell straight away that a lot of devotion and intuition has gone into it
4) .Diatribe is a UK post-punk band during the mid 1980s. They released the ‘17 and Dying’ EP on Criminal Damage records and recorded a Peel session in 1985.
Cold Sweat
Diatribe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shouldn't burn yet
The wires get hotter
Palms are glowing
This is hot meat
This ismetallic blood
This is hot meat
Show you with my fingers,
Draw with the eye
With your own breath
I tear your lungs
This is hot meat
This is metallic blood
This is hot meat
This is open sweat
Outside of the blackest meadows
I make my winter dwelling and crush my bones
This is hot meat
This is metallic blood
This is open sweat
I'll sail out the window
I'll walk down the henge
I will not finish
'Til I'm fully satisfied
This is hot meat
This is metallic blood
This is hot meat
This is open sweat
The lyrics to Diatribe's song Cold Sweat paint a picture of intense physical and emotional pain. The repeated refrain "This is hot meat, this is metallic blood, this is open sweat" suggests a visceral, raw experience that cannot be ignored or denied. The image of the singer closing the door and feeling the wires get hotter, with palms glowing, sets the scene for this intense experience. It is as if the singer is trying to contain or control something that is bursting out inside them.
The lines "Show you with my fingers, draw with the eye, with your own breath I tear your lungs" are particularly striking, suggesting both violence and intimacy. The singer seems to be both the perpetrator and the victim of this act of destruction, tearing apart someone else's lungs while possibly also destroying their own body in the process. The final lines of the song suggest a sense of determination and perseverance in the face of this pain: "I'll sail out the window, I'll walk down the henge, I will not finish 'til I'm fully satisfied." It is unclear what exactly the singer is trying to achieve, but it is clear that they will not stop until they feel some sense of resolution or completion.
Overall, the song Cold Sweat conveys a sense of intense physical and emotional turmoil that is both unsettling and captivating. The repeated refrain and vivid imagery make the experience feel tangible and real, while the ambiguous final lines leave the listener wondering what exactly has taken place.
Line by Line Meaning
I close the door
I am shutting something out or secluding myself in privacy
Shouldn't burn yet
I am preventing something from starting too soon or too quickly
The wires get hotter
Something is heating up or becoming more intense, possibly in a dangerous way
Palms are glowing
There is a physical manifestation of stress, fear or tension causing my body to react
This is hot meat
This situation or emotion is intense and potentially harmful
This is metallic blood
The feeling is cold and hard, like metal, but also evokes the imagery of bodily harm
This is open sweat
This stress or fear is causing a visible, physical response
Show you with my fingers,
I will communicate something to you through touch
Draw with the eye
I will use visual cues to communicate something unspoken
With your own breath
Your own reaction or fear to the situation will be used against you
I tear your lungs
I am causing significant physical harm or pain to you
Outside of the blackest meadows
I am in the worst, most dark and dangerous territory
I make my winter dwelling and crush my bones
I am living in a harsh environment and facing great difficulty and danger
I'll sail out the window
I will leave quickly and without warning
I'll walk down the henge
I am moving through a place with ancient and significant history or power
I will not finish
My actions will not stop until I see them through to a satisfactory end
'Til I'm fully satisfied
Only when I feel completely fulfilled or satisfied with the outcome
Contributed by Ava N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.