So, first post of 2009 and I think this is my first one since November. This one is pretty special. I asked
David Agranoff to write up something about Framework and the Gatekeeper demo, and I'm super thankful for what he wrote, it's fucking great. And I also want to thank EMS at Coregasm for making me aware of Gatekeeper a few years ago on his blog. Check it out here http://coregasm.blogspot.com/. There is a lot of good stuff and I found out about a good amount of older bands through that blog. The scans in the folder for the GK demo are from EMS as well.
I first heard of Framework from the Realization comp I got on ebay a few years back, only got it because I heard someone from Earth Crisis was in it. Good bands on it like Stuggle, Framework, Darkroom, Oversight and I think another.
Here's David's post, really great info
Framework/ Gatekeeper
Hardcore in 1992/93 was very different from hardcore today. The biggest and most popular bands playing in Syracuse were probably Shelter, Sick of It All and maybe integrity. Like today very few bands were striking new ground and inventing original sounds. That is what a young band from Syracuse did.
Framework was young militant vegan straight edge band whose debuted on the scene on three song 7-inch(Conquer the World records) before hardcore Legends Earth Crisis put the movement on the map. Framework shared more than beliefs with earth crisis it was almost the same band as the all out war 7-inch.
Scott Crouse and Ian Edwards who still play in earth crisis, Ben Reed (EXC, God is I) and Mike Riccardi (ExC, Path, Another Victim) were the musical core for this band. In the beginning Ben played guitar and sang. They picked up their vocalist Shane Durgee after band Oversight(who had a lost 7-inch also on Conquer the World records) called it quits.
When Karl of Earth Crisis was ready to re-boot his band he asked his friend shane if he could borrow his band to record a demo. The idea at the time was that Karl would use the band to record song like Ecocide that he had written on his own to record a demo recruit new band members.
It is not a surprise that earth crisis the more traditional sounding hardcore would be the band to take off and eventually Framework lost out to the legend that became Earth crisis. In Syracuse however, for the old school love for this important band still runs deep.
Framework was and remains unlike any other band in hardcore. Heavy hardcore with break downs but guitar melodies and melodic vocals give it that originality. Don’t think for one second that framework is a weaker version of EXC. The lyrics are just as militant. “A revolution is here to end the genocide, an army stands to stop the ecocide, anger we all hold deep inside it’s the final ultimatum, either change or die”
Framework only recorded 9 songs which were released on the now out of print Never Again CD from Lifeforce records in Germany. This release complies songs from the two 7-inches and one compilation they appeared on. The songs Deteriorate, Never again, and Struggle (recorded in the JC session) were not released before.
Their first release was the “Justice coming” 7-inch. This record featured the title track, hidden and the bands most classic song Broken mirror. The title of the song is sung in a back-up vocal by future Path of resistance vocalist DJ Rose. Hidden is a brilliant song about Animal Liberation and Veganism exploring the ways people deny the issues involved and bringing the issue back to a call for direct action. Broken Mirror is also about veganism opening with the line “I found the truth on the darkside and I can back for my soul,” The song explain what happens to animals and how the compassionate person cannot escape the knowledge without acting.
After the record snuck out to modest sales Earth Crisis took off like a rocket. Framework also recorded in that same session a song that would appear on a 7-inch comp called realization. The song ‘fuse’ was written lyrically by Karl of Earth crisis in trade the friends made. Earth Crisis in exchange used Shane’s lyrics for the song Stand by( whose contriversal use of “for the fetus” is still one of the band’s most debated lyrics).
While the original intention was to keep both bands going at the same time, Framework only wrote and recorded two more songs. They are without question their two best songs. Which Shane released himself on his record label Reflection records. The two songs Tear me down and Gatekeeper were longer than your average hardcore songs and were epic compared to the band’s other songs.
The lyrics combine the earth liberation message with inner struggle. “A final decision which decides the earth’s existence/ internal war you must not lose/ you moust become unsubmissive.
Gatekeeper
After the band broke up Shane continued to do his record label releasing the classic Green Rage 7-inch. After that record was recorded GR changed line-ups. They added Pete Spielman who had been in the skinhead hardcore band Flackjacket and would later play bass in Beta minus Mechanic on Bass. Drummer Chris Fuller who had pissed off GR Vocalist Justin O’hare so much he refused to print his name on the record, so he replaced him with hardliner Matt Bullard on drums. Justin and Dave from the 7-inch remained.
They wrote two new songs, which Justin thought were two metal before he decided he was into it. Dave, Pete, and Matt like the songs they wrote. They intended to start a hardline band because at they all claimed hardline. They were also framework fans. So they asked Shane to sing, even though Shane didn’t consider himself hardline.
They recorded a four song demo that they self-released, before it was briefly re-issued by Militant records in Indiana. The last two songs on the demo(Flames of Salvation/ Vigilante) were written to be Green Rage songs. The demo is a brilliant work of lost Vegan Straight Edge metal with a few ground breaking moments. Most important musically is the first blast beat down by a vegan metal band.
The lyrics to Filth are kinda off the wall compared to anything at it’s time. Sure we have heard lots of militant sXe and Vegan songs but militant defense of the virgin youth? “Vigilante justice will save the virgin youth!” Perhaps more classic is the line “Kill the judges and rapists alike” The second song One million incisions is second only eXc’s deliverance is tackling the subject of Vivisection after the gut wreching almost impossible to listen to sample of a monkey screaming.
The four song demo was self released with a hilarious cover. When the band was at kinkos laying out the cover they found a drawing in the recyle bin of a cat monster. Shane, who is a gifted illustrator added a dying hunter into the Cat monster’s hand. Pete took the picture of palestian militants with rifles and ski masks out of a newsweek and added the words “the revolution has come.”
This package was great and enough to get them a “deal” with a kid name Brian in Indiana who was starting a record label. Militant records had one 7-inch by locals named Warcry. He repacked the demo making it look slicker but less interesting. He distributed the demo and was going to do a Gatekeeper 7-inch.
The band started writing material for another record. They added a guitar player named Kris Weichman who had been playing in another local vegan sXe band named Solstice. After writing two songs and playing as many shows Kris was offered a spot playing guitar in Earth Crisis. Soon after Pete’s other band Cross Section started to play more shows. Matt who had never really established roots in Syracuse moved back to the south. That was that.
Pete has claimed that the break down in Situation Degenrates by has Earth Crisis sounded familiar. Written for a later Gatekeeper song, and re-positioned by Weichman. This is of course only rumor.
Shane went on do a band a few years later called Farthest Man. Sounding a little Quicksand inspired the band recorded two songs for split and broke up when guitarist Eric Edwards replaced Weichman in Earth Crisis. Sensing a Pattern? Always a bridesmaid never a bride?
Shane is now a Novelist and an illustrator.
-David Agranoff
David Agranoff is a Novelist and activist. Check out his blog at:
http://www.Davidagranoff.blogspot.com or find out about his book with cover art by Shane Durgee at:
http://www.myspace.com/screamsfromadyingworldHere's the Framework "Never Again" cd.
This cd contains everything they released I believe.
Download - Framework "Never Again" 
Download - Gatekeeper "Demo"
