One of the best peace-post-punk records to come out of America in the 80’s was created by San Francisco unsung heroes TRIAL, & the name of their classic album, Moments Of Collapse. This band started out as a young peace punk band in the early 80s, but by 84 their sound really started to develop into more akin to post punk. TRIAL’s anarcho punk roots ran deep – their singer John was the younger brother of Matt from Crucifix; Chris, their drummer, played for Crucifix; & Cyrnai was once a member of the Sleeping Dogs, the 1st American band signed to the Crass label. Moments Of Collapse was a testament to the band’s creative spirit – the opening track, “Lobotomized Visions,” is a dense wall of industrial dirge that’s sound can never be dated. John’s lyrics were written from somewhere deep within his heart, but he wrote them in a way that we all can be touched by them. Songs such as “Unshackled In The Garden” have this eerie neo-folk vibe about them; his voice seems like a haunting fog rolling over the hills. TRIAL was not afraid to experiment with sound: how it could be bent, stretched & deconstructed, then built in to something new. Every song on Moments Of Collapse drips with damaged emotion, these are compositions that have layers of cold built around a warm skeleton. The drumming on this album is a voice unto itself, the way Chris plays, it’s like he is speaking different languages for us to decode. If you are into post-punk & would like to hear a record that was created from the heart, for our hearts, then TRIAL’s Moments Of Collapse will build your future. So now all you have to do is do whatever you have to do to find this album! After the jump, check out the album art up close etc.
TRIAL : Lobotomized Visions
TRIAL : The Border
Johnny Darko
April 27, 2014 at 8:38 pm
Yes, thank you very much for posting this review. “Moments Of Collapse” is as Zaius says “beyond words, ahead of their time, and under rated”. It is simply a true masterpiece. John’s lyrics and vocals are so dark, tortured, and yet so beautiful. The music is pure brilliance; creative, innovative and so full of melancholic emotion. This record continues to be as strong now as when I first heard it back in the 80’s. It is timeless. I know they did some shows as The Collapse. I have some flyers with them bearing that name. I saw a flyer for a show in Denver, CO. How I wish I could have witnessed one of their performances. I heard it was quite an amazing event. I was given a live tape of a Trial show from the period after the 7″ and before the LP which is just so incredible, another masterpiece in the form of a live gig. Emotionally and musically a phenomenal event. They were and still are one of my all time favorite bands. I would love to see “Moments Of Collapse” released on cd one of these days. Always looking to connect with other Trial fans especially those who may have seen them live or knew them personally. Thank you Trial for your music, the lifeblood of the darkest and dearest corners of my soul.
Zaius Macabucha
May 22, 2013 at 9:30 pm
thank you VERY much for posting this. …. for whatever reasons there seems to be a black out concerning this band compared to how much is out there these days on the interwebs from those daze gone by. cheers. and I didn’t know john was matt’s little brother. This band was beyond words, ahead of their time, and under rated. They influenced many other legendary bands. Crash Worship. The Wankers. John Essen did some djing post trial. Matt and Chris had Loudspeaker who were pretty good. I always wonder what happened to and or what music all those folks have made since. Any clues or links would be much appreciated.