Majority Rule is an American

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

band from

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is a widespread region radiating westward and southward from Washington, D.C. Wit ...

, originally active between 1996 and 2004. Influential within the

screamo Screamo (also referred to as skramz) is an aggressive subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002Access date: ...

subgenre, their releases include the studio albums ''Interviews with David Frost'' (2001) and ''Emergency Numbers'' (2003) and the split album '' Document #12'' (2002) with

Pg. 99 Pg. 99 (also spelled pageninetynine) was a screamo band from Sterling, Virginia, a town on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. They are considered one of the pioneers of screamo. The band formed as a six-piece in late 1997 and broke up as an eig ...

. The band reunited in 2017, performing benefit shows with Pg. 99 and

City of Caterpillar City of Caterpillar is an American post-hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia, formed in 2000. They released a split with Pg. 99, one studio album, and a full-length compilation of demos and live tracks. Their songs, some of which are over 10 m ...

History

Early work (1996–2000)

Majority Rule formed in 1996 as a four-piece. While they initially performed fairly straightforward

, they gained more recognition after transitioning towards

. In a 2003 interview, frontmant Matt Michel called this transition "a natural change". The band's early releases were: splits with Positive State, Turbine, and the Blackout Terror; the EPs ''Majority Rule'' (1999) and ''Songs'' (2000); and debut studio album ''Half the Battle'' (1996).

Later work (2001–2004)

In 2001, Majority Rule's lineup stabilized as a three-piece—comprising guitarist and vocalist Matt Michel, bassist and vocalist Kevin Lamiell, and drummer Pat Broderick—and they released their second album ''Interviews with David Frost''. A year later, they it was followed by a

split album A split album (or split) is a music album that includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There are also singles and EPs of the same variety, which are often called "split singles" and "split EPs" respectively. Split albums differ from "var ...

with fellow Virginia band

, titled ''Document #12''. In 2003, the band released its final album ''Emergency Numbers'' before breaking up in 2004. In a 2005 interview, Michel said: "I just think we all have some pretty different ideas on why the band had to end and when the band really ended."

Reunion (2017–present)

In 2017 Majority Rule reunited to play a string of benefit shows across the

Eastern United States The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...

with Pg. 99 and

(a band which Broderick had also played drums in). Michel stated that they decided to join after seeing City of Caterpillar and Malady perform and being contacted by Pg. 99 vocalist Chris Taylor. These initial shows quickly sold out and raised over $36,000 for local non-profits. In 2019, Pg 99 and Majority Rule reunited to tour the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

with Portrayal of Guilt. They repeated their success, selling out all dates and raising over $28,000 for local grassroots organizations (according to a statement posted on Majority Rule's website).

Impact

In a 2019 interview with ''Revolver'', Portrayal of Guilt frontman Matt King directly attributed the inception of his band to Majority Rule, Pg. 99, and City of Caterpillar, stating: "That's

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

I was into before anything else, before I could have a

deathcore Deathcore is an extreme metal subgenre that combines death metal with metalcore. The genre consists of death metal guitar riffs, blast beats, and metalcore breakdowns. While there are some precursors to the concept of death metal fused with met ...

or a

scene Scene (from Ancient Greek, Greek σκηνή ''skēnḗ'') may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Scene (subculture), a youth subculture from the early 2000s characterized by a distinct music and style. Groups and performers * The S ...

phase or whatever."

Touché Amoré Touché Amoré is an American post-hardcore band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2007. The band consists of vocalist Jeremy Bolm, guitarists Clayton Stevens and Nick Steinhardt, bassist Tyler Kirby, and drummer Elliot Babin. Among other ...

, Infant Island, and

Wristmeetrazor Wristmeetrazor is an American metalcore band that originally started as a solo project in Washington, D.C. in 2017. Members are now located in Louisville, KY, Las Vegas, NV, Springfield, VA, and Newark, DE. History The band started out as a pr ...

have also named Majority Rule as an inspiration.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

{, class="wikitable" !Title !Album details !Comments , - , ''Partners in Profit'' , * Released: 1997 * Labels: Submit * Formats: 7" , split with Positive State , - , ''Turbine / Majority Rule'' , * Released: 1998 * Labels: Submit * Formats: 7" , split with Turbine , - , ''Majority Rule'' , * Released: 1999 * Labels: Submit * Formats: 7" , , - , ''Songs'' , * Released: 2000 * Labels: Self-released * Formats: CDr, DL, 10" , reissued in 2017 by Quit Life before Majority Rule's reunion dates with Pg. 99 , - , ''The Blackout Terror / Majority Rule'' , * Released: 2000 * Labels: American Dream 101 * Formats: 7" , split with the Blackout Terror

References

American screamo musical groups Hardcore punk groups from Virginia 1996 establishments in Virginia 2004 disestablishments in Virginia Musical groups established in 1996 Musical groups disestablished in 2004 Musical groups reestablished in 2017