Bad Brains Explored a Fusion with Metal

This album’s sound saw the band take their hardcore punk roots and throw in some metal of the thrash persuasion.

It was a wise decision as crossover thrash and straight up thrash metal were either popular or rapidly gaining in popularity among that decade’s rock fans.

Also growing at the time were the alternative metal and funk metal genres. While not the ooze for those genres, Bad Brains were ahead of the curve as far as burgeoning sounds in rock.

Plus, the band cranked out some dope reggae tracks alongside the heavier offerings. The other two albums that pushed things along for Bad Brains were 1989’s Quickness and 1993’s Rise.

 This third album is an important one as it was a landmark of dissention in the band. Brothers H.R (lead singer) and Earl Hudson (drummer) sought to steer Bad Brains from heavy rock to reggae.

Meanwhile, Dr. Know (guitars) and Darryl Jennifer (bass) wanted to explore rock more. Remember, things were really moving and growing with rock music and Bad Brains were always in the thick of it. Issues could’ve probably been resolved with double albums.

One side being rock featuring reggae and the other with reggae featuring rock could’ve worked. Hell, that idea was just expanding what they usually did and flipping the concentrations as desired.

Instead, the Hudson brothers bounced and Bad Brains had to enlist the talent of session musicians and vocalists within the rock sphere. All of this history brings us to Rise.

Doing the vocal duties here is Israel Joseph I of later of Fireburn while Mackie Jayson—formerly of The Cro-Mags—handled the skins.

Bad Brains – Rise A-Side

Featured on the A-side are six tracks: “Rise”, “Miss Freedom”, “Unidentified”, “Love Is The Answer”, “Free”, and “Hair”. Off the bat, “Unidentified” is the star of this side. Actually, it’s the star of the album.

This track is everything that I dig about Bad Brains’ music. It’s fast, loud, and is just an energetic song overall. “Rise” and “Miss Freedom” are also strong tracks with “Free” and “Hair” holding their own.

While they don’t top the first four tracks, they round out the rest of the A-side and keep it as an extremely good first album.

I mentioned the first four tracks as the reggae song “Love Is the Answer” does a great job of cooling thing down after three fast and heavy tracks. As a song without a specific duty, “Love Is the Answer” is a very good one.

Listening to it separately from the rock material allows it to stand out on its own. It also shows that without the Hudson brothers, Bad Brain didn’t completely unravel and just leave reggae behind. Not only that, it also showed that they could still deliver it with a compatible singer and drummer.

Standout Tracks: Rise, Miss Freedom, Unidentified*, and Love Is The Answer

B-Side

We’ve crossed over into the second act of Bad Brains’ third run with hardcore and crossover. This side includes five songs and six tracks overall: “Coming In Numbers”, “Yes Jah”, “Take Your Time”, “Peace of Mind”, and “Without You”.

Yes, I never include the outro unless it’s an actual song called “Outro”. This side was decent, I can’t honestly say it was truly strong side. Half of the B-side was strong and other side was decent—definitely better than “acceptable”.

The standouts were “Coming In Numbers”, “Take Your Time” and “Without You”. Of the three, “Without You” stood out the most as it was a change in tempo and showcased Israel Joseph I’s singing ability more.

The rest of the songs showcase his singing as well but in listening to Rise and figure out the flow of the tracks. However, that last song could be a rock tune or a reggae track. This was something different. It put me in the mind of “She’s Calling You” and “Secret 77”. They were slower songs that still had heft to them.

“Without You” had less heft but more emotion and I really enjoyed it. More than the other songs on the B-side. It was a great, unexpected album ender.

Standout Tracks: Coming In Numbers, Take Your Time, Without You*

Black Rock Verdict

I dig the hell out of this album! Growth-wise, it’s exactly where Bad Brains would’ve headed if H.R and Earl Hudson had stayed in the band. It’s the natural extension of the sound they had developed since 1977.

It’s faster than Quickness which was faster than I Against I so major bonus points there. I’m big on speed and pace and the band nailed one of the important things that will keep me glued to an album.

The mandatory reggae tracks worked for me as well. You expect them with Bad Brains and in later albums, it seems as though the band met its happy medium because we’d hear more reggae in future albums.

Joseph I’s singing performance here was excellent and turned me on to his current band Fireburn. That’s a great bonus from Rise. Mark this release as “recommended” but not as recommended as I Against I and Quickness. It does finish out a strong trifecta for Bad Brains.

Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Rest in Power Omar Higgins

Before I get into Negro Terror, it’s important to mention that in late 2019, lead singer and bassist Omar Higgins passed away at 37. The singer was known for his energy and the power he put behind the band’s rapid, aggressive approach.

In addition to hardcore punk, he also performed reggae with Chinese Connection Dub Embassy. The band features his brothers Joseph and David. Trust me, it was a difference experience after seeing Omar in a hardcore punk band first.

That said, they make dope music and are pretty much the reggae act in Memphis-10. Plus, if you’ve listened to Bad Brains’ catalogue, it’s not that strange to see a musician do two different styles such as rock and reggae.

If anything that makes them a truly diverse artist. That said, rest in power to Omar Higgins. There was a lot more to do with Negro Terror with you heading up the vocals.

Negro Terror: More Than Newcomers to Black Rock

There are no shortage of rock and metal bands from Memphis and almost every major city has a punk scene of some sort. Negro Terror is a band I discovered early in 2020 after finding their The Bootlegg EP, released in 2017.

From there I checked out the Negro Terror Documentary Film from 2019. I really wish there were more Black Rock documentaries, these bands have been around for years and you don’t really hear about them unless they start to make waves beyond their region.

It’s a hard feat when a lot of newer Black bands are viewed as novelties despite having respect and support in their regional scenes. Back to Negro Terror, the band gained national attention after doing covers of defunct white power rock band Skrewdriver.

While this probably raised a few—a couple—of eyebrows, Negro Terror made those songs distinguishable from the original band’s versions. As a matter of fact, hearing “Invasion” I thought “This sounds familiar.”

Negro Terror’s spin on the song and spinning “Voice of Britain” into “Voice of Memphis” made for interesting choices and their performance pretty made them their songs. Just like Whitney Houston making Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” her song.

The band’s approach is similar all-Black band and DC hardcore punk pioneers Bad Brains’ early work. It’s fast, aggressive, and energetic. The contrast comes in the vocals.

While Bad Brains lead singer H.R could do some of everything vocally, Omar Higgins—who could also change up his singing—really delivered with the harsher, growls. Really makes me wonder how he would’ve done in metal.

Recommended Material

As it happens, there isn’t a ton from the band on Apple Music and Spotify. There you can find “Voice of Memphis” and “We Need Support”. Those two can also be found on YouTube.

If you want more Negro Terror, hit up their Bandcamp and check out The Bootlegg EP. Also support the band, their EP is $2. This EP features another cover called “Rapist” from British band Combat 84.

The band ended up being lumped in with the white power music scene based on controversial statements in the aftermath of the Southall riot in 1981.

As with other covers by the Terror, songs by racist or perceived racist bands aren’t spared. Here’s hoping that the band continues and doesn’t end as a “what could’ve been”.

Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.

Unfortunately, the band was out of the game before the decade ended. Their debut album features cover artwork that would put you in the mind of a thrash metal or power metal band of the time.

What you will get is something entirely different but still pretty damn cool. It’s an album that really lends itself to what ifs and wondering how far Xavion could’ve gone given how metal and rock grew during the 80s.

The possibilities were endless. We’ll dwell a bit on that later, let’s get into Burnin’ Hot.

Xavion – Eat Your Heart Out: The A-Side

On the A-side of this album we have five tracks. From this side, you get a mix of funk and hard rock. These five tracks are all strong rockers and half of them are catchy. They include:

-Eat Your Heart Out
-Burnin’ Hot
-Don’t Let It Go To Your Head
-Self-Made Hell
-Tell Me

In listening to this side, you’ll probably notice it’s a brisk listen. These songs have length to them but most of them are catchy enough that they don’t seem like three or four-minute tunes.

I dig an up-tempo song or anything that just rides. Songs like “Eat Your Heart Out,” “Burnin’ Hot,” and “Self-Made Hell” fit the bill perfectly. While the other two tunes are solid-to-good, the A-side is definitely carried by the strength of these three.

Of the three, “Burnin’ Hot” is the strongest song on the A-side with “Eat Your Heart Out” being the more commercial of three. Something more in the vein of “Burnin’ Hot” is something I would’ve loved.

Standout Tracks: Eat Your Heart Out, Burnin’ Hot, Self-Made Hell

B-Side

The B-side is something of a different story. There are good songs here but the pace simmers down quite a bit to deliver love songs for the most part. I wasn’t banging my head like I did on the A-side.

That isn’t to say that this side was more of a throwaway side because such songs would’ve been radio friendly in the 1980s.

Actually, the B-side tunes seem like the ones that would’ve had this proto-funk metal band touring with acts outside of hard rock and metal. Included are:

-Love Games
-Can’t Get My Connection
-You’re My Type
-Get Me Hot

Of the four tracks on this side, “Love Games” and “Get Me Hot” are my favorites here. Only “Get Me Hot” is more up my alley but “Love Games” is worth a spin or two.

The sleeper here is “You’re My Type”. I don’t what it is but sometimes I really enjoy the song while other times I’ve skipped it only to get to “Get Me Hot.” This one is likely a song that will grow on me with time.

Standout Tracks: Love Games, Get Me Hot

Album Verdict

I’m going to say that this mix was ahead of its time but not something that couldn’t be achieved by more popular acts at time.

Michael Jackson, Prince, and Rick James would have tunes with a similar edge to their music. As a matter of fact, Purple Rain came out that same year and the sound was very different.

If I had to put a familiar song to their sound, I’d say Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker” with more edge to it or Prince’s “When Doves Cry.” The thing is that this album has a very mainstream-friendly 80s sound.

The keyboard and guitar assault gives the tunes this fun vibe for the most part. Lead singer Dexter Haygood had a lot of potential as a frontman in metal during this decade and I would’ve love to see what he could’ve done in other genres during the 80s.

Personally, I would’ve preferred more of the hard rockin’, up-tempo of the A-side. That side was right up my alley and a full album in the same direction would’ve been absolutely awesome.

Xavion had a sound that was a few years ahead of the likes of Fishbone, Living Colour, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Faith No More.

Had the band made more albums following Eat Your Heart Out, we likely would’ve seen them head clean into the same direction as the four abovementioned bands.

The best example of this is how lead singer Dexter Haygood—who appeared on X Factor—developed his voice from the 1980s up until now. With his vocal flexibility, Xavion could’ve been one of those consistent old school bands that changed with the times in the best way.

Who knows, maybe Xavion will get that Black Death-like resurrection. For now, check out Burnin’ Hot on YouTube, Apple Music, or wherever you enjoy your music. Also, put Dexter Haygood’s cover of “Wild Flower” into your ears!

Album Grade: C (Solid)

Staff Writer; James Swift, Jr.

This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.