INCURSION
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INCURSION

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The best kept secret in music

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"When Lyrics Go To Far...Or Do They"

News From the Pit
By Eddy Metal
When Lyrics Go Too Far. Or Do They?
By Eddy Metal

Man, oh man, what a horrible tragedy. A guy heavily into our metal scene recently committed suicide while listening to a few local bands and now the chit has hit the fan at high speed. First, I want to send out my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. Suicide is a horrible thing and only causes serious emotional scars to those involved. My sympathies go out to you.
A person in his family contacted me with high hopes of me contacting the three bands cited to get their response from this tragedy and to discuss and print the topic of "when bands go too far with their lyrics." This is the most difficult topic I have ever written.
While I cannot possibly feel the pain that this family is going through, I have to follow my heart on this one. Does anyone remember when metal legends Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne almost got sued because a few young kids committed suicide while listening to their music? I do. You all know me, that I'm a straightforward mofo. The truth is:
I felt that the bands weren't responsible at all. After all, it's a free country and we do have that thing called "freedom of speech." It's how I feel.
In that incident, the family wanted answers that no one had. They wanted to know why and apparently wanted to put the blame on the musicians. While I feel the family of the Louisville guy doesn't wish to press charges or do anything of that nature. I do think they wish to question the motives behind the lyrics of these three bands.
I originally planned to not list the band names, because I thought the bands would feel bad enough without bringing it out into the open for thousands to see. BUT... the bands involved WANT to set the record straight and to put their two cents in.
So that is what we shall do.
Tim "Stem" Holder of local metal veteran band Incursion502 had a bit to say about lyrics, life and such. "I am definitely an advocate of free speech, especially since a lot of our songs bear a violent theme. I have always believed that music is a perfect medium through which to vent frustration and live life vicariously, to a certain extent. In saying this I mean it can become a type of therapy that creates a reservoir for negative emotion.
The artist empties that reservoir into a song. The performance of the song, for the artist and all those who can relate to his plight, becomes a continual release for that particular emotion. Therefore, we write the music and lyrics we write so we that we DO NOT act upon these base emotions that lead to violence and suicide. We also wish our audience this release so that they do not have to bottle these things up until they explode in such a manner as this. This being said, we cannot be expected to avoid exposing the darker side of mankind on the premise that someone will take what we say too literally or be misguided into thinking that we are encouraging this behavior.
To the family and friends of the deceased, Incursion and I offer our deepest condolences. May his troubled soul rest in peace."
Jerry Barksdale of new industrial metal band Empyrean Asunder and the demented songwriter who penned the song "I Suicide" responds.
A problematic ill of America is that the notion of personal obligation is in decline. No longer are we held accountable for our own actions. It seems everywhere I turn some major corporation or company is taking the fall for an individual's poor decision. In most cases these companies simply provide a service that is available for use at the individual's personal discretion. A service, mind you, that is often abused or misused. The same holds true in this situation, except in our case it isn't just a service we are providing. We take an emotive investment in our products. As musicians, our creations are direct manifestations of our own afflictions. Straightforward or metaphorical, the rhymes we pen are reflections of our personal lives and no one else's and that must never be confused.
That being said, I do not believe that it is possible to take the written word too far. "Please excuse me while I kill myself," or "You put this noose around my neck, you watched as I took my last step, I thought I heard you laughing as I choked for my last breath, I didn't see you struggle, I didn't see you plead, you watched wide eyed as my world came crashing down on me.," no matter what my words they are nothing more then just that...MY WORDS. It is not my responsibility, as a songwriter, to police the actions of the impressionable. In my opinion, that is the responsibility of the parents. Sure, this is a utopian notion, that there are actually responsible parents capable of rearing responsible offspring, but we help nothing by candy coating cultural necessity. We must take responsibility for the decisions we make. The bands involved have became a whipping post for this kid's actions. The hypersensitivity of our politically correct culture will have you believe otherwise, but I will not accept even minimal blame for the interpretation of my music and I hope all those involved feel the same way.
However, I do offer my sincerest condolences to the family and friends and am truly sorry that you've had to experience this tragedy.
There you have it. The gauntlet has been breached and the bands have been very helpful and unafraid in getting to the bottom of this very touchy topic. And I have to say that I agree with them 100%. This world is not a fair place of unending happiness. A lot of it is pure misery. And some people simply can't wait to be rid of it. Hell...I have even had these feelings once or twice in my life. But I realized that life is too precious and too short to go focusing on all the bad stuff. Instead, I keep the good things close to my heart and try to deal with the bad, day by day.

http://www.louisvillemusic.com/lmn/lmhdr.php?thisid=6&thisissue=194&thisstory=2351
- Louisville Music News


"The Courier Journal"

The Courier Journal
Scene
This Town Rocks
Louisville's heavy-music scene is loud -- and so is the national buzz
By JEFFREY LEE PUCKETT •
Aug. 11, 2001

...
The family that moshes together . . .

In its diehard fans, heavy rock provokes both a physical and an emotional reaction; you can't separate one from the other.
When a band such as Incursion 502, who many point to as one of Louisville's finest unsigned bands, powers into a perfectly placed chorus, choosing that moment when tension desperately needs to be released, you can see the energy whiplash through the crowd, jerking people off their feet as if an electrical charge had rocketed through them.
The boys, especially. They curl into a question-mark shape just before the moment arrives and then violently uncoil, bouncing off the stage, off friends, off strangers and off the floor. This isn't heavy metal's headbanging, but its more elaborate and visceral cousin; the spirit of the mosh pit is strong voodoo.

http://uss001.infi.net/louisvil/scene/music/features/f20010811metal.html - Jeffrey Lee Puckett


"Louisville Rock Lowdown"

Louisville Music News
Louisville Rock Lowdown
Incursion 502
By Jason Koerner

The band speaks up after eleven years together, stating that they have never had an interview or an article written on their music... better late than never.
The band did, however, receive a nice plug from Jeffrey Lee Puckett back in August 2001 in his article about the local talent in metal. There they were dubbed one of the best-unsigned bands in town and I would have to agree. The band has it together musically and has recently partnered up with Julie McGrath to tie up the loose ends on the business side of things.
Incursion 502 features the dual lead vocals of Van Avery and Tim "Stem" Holder, both specializing in screaming. Brian Hart plays bass, Nick Houpt is on the drums and Jeremy Robertson and Erik Angelini play guitar.
The band describes their music as "hard metal groove-core aggression, Louisville style." Isn't that how N'Sync describes their sound too?
The band dates back to the summer of 1995, when they formed what would be known as one of Louisville's biggest names in metal. It is not unusual to see 200 or more people packed into a tiny venue to see the band explode onstage. Incursion 502 is synonymous with good old-fashioned aggression and rage, plus a little violence and Satanism. The group has built a loyal following a few hundred strong based on this ideology, both locally and abroad. A major reason for such as devout following is their live performance. The band is insane on stage and you cannot help getting hyped up with them. The group is intense in every way and is able to transfer that energy to the audience every show. The band states that they want to open peoples' eyes with their music, so they can see the world for what it is- not what it appears to be. The group takes this a lot more seriously than others who have fought the same cause before, "Incursion 502 is not just music, Incursion 502 is an emotion that people feel, after it grows on you."
Incursion 502 has a reputation for many things and one of those things is playing shows. Shows after shows after shows... The band works hard for the "money," to say the least. If you have ever read my column or played in a local metal band yourself, you would know why I just put the word money in quotations.
They have been playing a lot at Pappy's Bar lately. Pappy's has taken up the role of local metal venue since the demise of Tek World and has been building a foundation of music since. There is a bit of culture shock for some regulars, however. Since it was not always a metal bar, there are the older customers who walk in, hear metal and walk out. This doesn't include everyone though, as some patrons enjoy the music well enough to dance to it. Unfortunately, dancing on top of a table was one woman's biggest mistake of the night, as she fell off during the appropriately titled song, "Bleed Bitch." Irony never takes a vacation, does it?
Lord of Carpathia was the first album from the local heavies and it was released in 1999. It featured five songs from the band and introduced many people to what Incursion 502 was all about. The follow-up album was released in 2001, Hymns for a New Revolution. This one was full-length with nine songs and has been a good seller for the band in local stores in Louisville and Lexington.
The new CD is being recorded at Canyon Studios as we speak and will be released sometime later this fall. The group has written over 35 new songs for it and will be picking the best ones for the cut. It is still untitled, but whatever it is called, I am sure it is going to be worth the wait. However, if you would like to speed the process up a bit, feel free to send money to the band to finish the recording. This will keep these fine young men off the streets, turning to prostitution for extra cash. For only 8 cents a day, you could sponsor an Incursion 502 band member.
The major goal of the band is to get signed to a label that will put them in the studio and on the road to reach a new audience. They say there are many fans of theirs that have never had the chance to see them perform live in places such as the West Coast, Europe, Canada and other locations. A deal would help fix that. Those fans are missing out on the best part of Incursion 502.
Incursion 502 has opened for such national acts as Hatebreed, American Head Charge, Morbid Angel, Strapping Young Lad, Cold, No One, Neurotica, Chimaira, Switchd, Vendetta Red, Kidney Thieves, E-Town Concrete, Flaw, Apartment 26, 40 Below Summer, Outspoken, Primer55 and LollipopLustKill. (Information taken from the band's site at www.incursion502.cjb.net...) They have also toured regionally and continue to do so.
On the web, you will find a ton of information about the band. Unfortunately, a lot of it is outdated. The group is working on that aspect but has a great many valuable items for the taking as well, such as Mp3s, pictures and news. Aside from their web site(s), you can see them at www.garageband.com and www.iuma.com as well. The listeners from around the globe have very flattering things to say about the band. The band gains much comparison to Pantera, a la My Own Victim, but who can complain about that?
One of the other projects of the band right now includes a book of poetry to be released by Timothy James Holder, A.K.A. "Stem." No date has been set yet for the book to be produced, but manager Julie McGrath says it is coming along nicely. Poetry is a source of inspiration for some Incursion 502 songs, believe it or not.
The other project is Tim's creation of an independent label, "Warfare's Muse Recordings," which will also be doing the next False album. The band also has some new T-shirts and posters on the way following the release of the new CD.
To contact the band directly, send email to Incursion@insightbb.com. For booking, contact Julie at VixenVideo502@aol.com.
The group is continuing to write new music and is trying to transition into playing predominately newer material at shows. They still do the crowd pleasers of the old material but have a lot more to offer these days.

http://www.louisvillemusic.com/lmn/lmhdr.php?thisid=6&thisissue=183&thisstory=2031 - Louisville Music News


Discography

"Lord Of Carpathia" 5 song EP, circa 1999
"Hymns For A New Revolution" 9 song LP, circa 2001
"Three Years" 9 songs LP with 4 bonus tracks circa 2006

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Incursion is an extreme and aggressive, groove-oriented metal band from Louisville, Kentucky that began in the summer of 1995. Since then, they have built a solid fan base that stretches from Louisville and it's surrounding areas to the West Coast and beyond. With influences ranging from Black Sabbath, through the power metal of bands such as Pantera, and over to the darker side of death metal, as in Obituary, Incursion's music has evolved to an all out assault on the senses with an intense groove you can't help but move to.
Incursion has released three albums which were received quite well. All three of them, along with various types of merchandise, have been stocked in local Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky stores and generally sell out within a few weeks every time. A clear testament to their marketability.
Incursion's current goal is to seek out a label who will put them in the studio and on the road consistently so they can reach those that, without label or sponsorship support, they could not otherwise reach. There are hundreds of rabidly hungry, Incursion fans on the West Coast, in Canada, Europe, Australia, and countless other places that have never had the opportunity to witness the intense, power-packed live show they deliver, which is their forte'.
Onstage is where Incursion shines brightest and the energy they generate with each gut-wrenching performance is a main element in the formula that has gained them the notoriety they possess. This same furious onstage presence also assisted them in snaring the eyes, ears, and emotions of respected music journalists like Jeffrey Lee Puckett of The Courier Journal as well as the local "Louisville Music News" bi-weekly paper. Incursion also snagged a spot on the soundtrack to the film "Death Tunnel" (Sony Pictures) and did an on-camera interview for the documentary "Spooked: The Ghosts Of Waverly Hills Sanitorium" (Sony Pictures) which airs on the Sci Fi Channel on June 7th 2006.
Incursion has had the pleasure of opening for such prominent acts as Hatebreed, American Head Charge, Morbid Angel, Soilent Green, Strapping Young Lad, Kittie, Pissing Razors, Candiria, Drowning Pool, Ill Nino, Cold, No One, Neurotica, Chimaira, Switchd, Vendetta Red, Kidney Thieves, E-Town Concrete, Apartment 26, 40 Below Summer, Primer55, LollipopLustKill and Bobaflex.