Nausea was 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 p ...

band from New York City, active from 1985 to 1992. They are cited as a notable band in the first wave of

crust punk Crust punk (also known as crust or stenchcore) is a form of music influenced by English punk rock and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the early 1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on politic ...

. Prior to Nausea, guitarist Victor Dominicis played in the hardcore punk bands Hellbent and Sacrilege. Nausea were involved in the New York City

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

squatting Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

community. Their earlier sound with singers Amy Miret and Neil Robinson was in the vein of

. After Robinson's departure, he was replaced by Al Long and the band began to experiment with darker,

metal A metal (from ancient Greek, Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, e ...

influences. Robinson went on to form the bands Jesus Crust and Final Warning, as well as start

Tribal War Records Tribal War Records was a punk rock record label formed in 1991 in New York City by ex- Nausea singer, Neil Robinson. The label operated out of Brooklyn, New York until relocating to Portland, Oregon in 1997. The label released recordings by t ...

Lyrics and musical style

Nausea's apocalyptic lyrics and artwork were influenced by the sociopolitical issues of the day, such as the

Reagan Administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following a landslide victory over ...

, the US-USSR

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

, and threats of

nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear wa ...

with the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nati ...

. Nausea focused on topics such as

environmentalism Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad Philosophy of life, philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment (biophysical), environment, par ...

human extinction Human extinction, also known as omnicide, is the hypothetical end of the human species due to either natural causes such as population decline from sub-replacement fertility, an asteroid impact, or large-scale volcanism, or to anthropogenic ...

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, th ...

, and

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the s ...

. Nausea progressed from having a very Discharge styled hardcore punk sound, to in its later years with new singer Al Long, having a more dark and metallic sound, similar to UK bands like Amebix and Axegrinder. The band broke new ground for the emerging crust punk genre, flirting with

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

, d-beat,

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, artists indulge in extre ...

and

sludge Sludge is a semi-solid slurry that can be produced from a range of industrial processes, from water treatment, wastewater treatment or on-site sanitation systems. For example, it can be produced as a settled suspension obtained from conventional ...

. Band member John John Jesse describes their music by citing bands such as

Discharge Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from ser ...

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical styl ...

, and

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...

as influences. In their formative years, the founding members were compelled by the political and social messages that the band

Crass Crass were an English art collective and punk rock band formed in Epping, Essex in 1977, who promoted anarchism as a political ideology, a lifestylism, way of life, and a resistance movement. Crass popularised the anarcho-punk movement of the ...

would use to drive their music; their lyrics reflected their views on

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

anti-racism Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate ...

class conflict Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor. The forms ...

, and the opposition against war.

Later lineup

Nausea's final lineup was: John John Jesse (bass), Victor Venom (guitar, ex-

Reagan Youth Reagan Youth is an American anarcho-punk band formed by singer Dave Rubinstein (Dave Insurgent) and guitarist Paul Bakija (Paul Cripple) in Queens, New York City in early 1980. History Initial career (1980–1990) Rubinstein and Bakija at ...

), Amy Miret (vocals), Al Long (vocals), and Roy Mayorga (drums). John John Jesse has gone on to become an artist, as well as joining with members of

Choking Victim Choking Victim was an American punk band formed in New York City, which lasted from 1992 to 1998. They played a mix of hardcore punk and ska (sometimes known as ska-core). Following the breakup of the band, which occurred the same day as the re ...

in the band

Morning Glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose current taxonomy and systematics are in flux. Morning glory species belong to many genera, some of ...

. Roy Mayorga went on to play with

Shelter Shelter is a small building giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger. Shelter may also refer to: Places * Port Shelter, Hong Kong * Shelter Bay (disambiguation), various locations * Shelter Cove (disambiguation), various locatio ...

Soulfly Soulfly is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1997, and later based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, who formed the band after he left the Brazilian group in 19 ...

, Maggott SS (featuring members of Electric Frankenstein and Degeneration), ABLOOM, Stone Sour, filling in for

Igor Cavalera Igor Graziano Cavalera (born 4 September 1970) is a Brazilian musician, best known as the former drummer for the heavy metal band Sepultura, which he co-founded with his brother Max in 1984. Max left the band in 1996, and Cavalera himself wo ...

with

Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...

in 2006, and drumming for the reunited Amebix. Roy is currently on tour in 2016 with

Ministry (band) Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1981 by producer, singer, and instrumentalist Al Jourgensen. Originally a synth-pop outfit, Ministry evolved into one of the pioneers of industrial rock and industr ...

Popular culture

In Jackie Chan's film, '' Rumble in the Bronx'', there is a punk seen wearing a leather jacket with 'Nausea' spray painted on the back.

Members

*Al "Hoon" Long – vocals (1988–1992) *Amy Miret – vocals * Victor "Vic Venom" Dominicis – guitar * John John Jesse – bass * Roy Mayorga – drums (1989–1992)

Previous members

*Brian Patton – drums (1985) *Neil Robinson – vocals (1985–1988) *Pablo Jacobson – drums (1985–1987) *Jimmy Williams – drums (1987–1988)

Discography

Official releases

*''Nausea'' demo (self released, 1988) *'' Extinction'' LP/ Cassette (1990,

Profane Existence Profane Existence is a Minneapolis-based anarcho-punk collective. Established in 1989, the collective publishes a nationally known zine (also called ''Profane Existence''), as well as releasing and distributing anarcho-punk, crust, and grindc ...

Meantime Records Karin Krog (born 15 May 1937) is a Norwegian Vocal jazz, jazz singer. Life and career Krog began singing jazz as a teenager and attracted attention while performing in jam sessions in Oslo. In 1955, she was hired by the pianist Kjell Karlsen ...

) *''Cybergod'' 7" (Allied Recordings, 1991) *''Lie Cycle'' 7" (Graven Image Records/ Skuld Records, 1992) *''Alive in Holland'' VHS (Channel Zero Reality/Profane Existence, 1993) *''Extinction: The Second Coming'' CD (Selfless Records, 1993) *'' The Punk Terrorist Anthology Vol. 1'' 2xLP/CD (2004, Alternative Tentacles/Blacknoise Records) *'' The Punk Terrorist Anthology Vol. 2'' 2XLP/CD (2005, Hellbent/Blacknoise)

Compilation appearances

*''New York Hardcore: The Way It Is'' LP (

Revelation Records Revelation Records is an independent record label focusing originally and primarily on hardcore punk. The label is known for releases by bands such as Youth of Today, Warzone, Sick of It All, Quicksand, Side By Side, Chain of Strength, Sh ...

, 1988) *''Squat or Rot Volume. 1'' 7" (Squat or Rot Records, 1989) *''They Don't Get Paid, They Don't Get Laid, But Boy Do They Work Hard'' LP ( Maximum Rock'n'Roll, 1989) *''Murders Among Us'' 7" ( Vermiform Records, 1990) *''More Songs About Plants and Trees'' 7" (Allied, 1991) *''Discharged: From Home Front to War Front'' 7" (Allied, 1992)

References

External links

Official Nausea websiteA Recent Interview with Neil Robinson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nausea Anarcho-punk groups American crust and d-beat groups Squatters Punk rock groups from New York (state) Musical groups established in 1985 Musical groups disestablished in 1992 Alternative Tentacles artists 1985 establishments in New York City