The McTernan Legacy - DC's 1990's Hardcore War of Good Versus Evil.

Hardcore's troubled 90's. Many are quick to dismiss hardcore music's accomplishments during this period, however in 1991, hundreds of kids still believed they had their say. Brian and Mike McTernan were among them, both proud to represent the city that was at the leading edge of the genre for so long.

The Mackaye dynasty was hard to put in perspective. Washington DC used to be Straight Edge's Vatican. Now that their heroes moved on from the XlabelX, one can wonder what made the McTernan brothers commit so wholeheartedly to the Edge.

Each started their own band, Brian doing so as early as 1991, with Battery. Mike started working on Damnation in 1992. Both bands extensively featured Ken Olden, who often recorded many of the instruments on most of the bands sessions.

The hooks are often similar, but the music is worlds apart. Battery fueled on the youth crew's positive glory, while Damnation was on the dark side, with moods reminiscing of the harder Cleveland sound of the time, having only Mike's Henry Rollins-like vocals enabling listeners to link what they heard to the punk realm.

Olden had a passive face but quick fingers. He came up with both inspirational, motivating anthems and multilayered brooding dark musings. The chords were often the same in both outfits, but the way he played was for entirely dissimilar universes.

Always keeping busy, Olden formed Better Than A Thousand with Youth Of Today's Ray Cappo and even filled in YOT's reunion shows.

By presenting them together, I wish to point out the obvious similarities between these acts that achieved so much from and for Washigton DC's scene without ever being associated with Dischord Records sometimes overwhelming post-Revolution Summer art-core.

Anger sits strong at the core of this music. By living on the edge of  the bittersweet, Ken Olden expressed more in these riffs than he ever did in facial expressions. He carried this emotion between both bands, and somehow, it did not permeate Better Than A Thousand and not much of his other endeavors.


Damnation found their niche early on with Jade Tree records, (previously Hi-Impact records, the sXe hardcore label who released Turning Point's first EP) while Battery found a cultish following in Europe (often touring with Ignite, who were also big over there)




Find Battery's Until The End and Damnation A.D.'s No More Dreams Of Happy Ending on mediafire.com/naud.