Eisold deserves some documenting ever since his new project, Cold Cave, has come into existence and seen a bit of mainstream success. This was something that I could not have foreseen, because Eisold doesn’t seem like the kind of dude who was looking to please a crowd. Eisold is primarily known in hardcore for starting American Nightmare, a Bridge 9-affiliated band named after one of the finest Misfits songs ever conceived. They would later have to change their name to Give up the Ghost, after a lawsuit from a less noteworthy blues band. In their time as American Nightmare, however, the group released two EPs, an LP, and a demo. Each and every record was littered with Eisold’s dark imagery, high pitched shriek, bizarre sense of humor, intellectual wit, and poetic perfection, which set them aside from a lot of other bands.

Other Boston hardcore bands were pissed off, but Eisold had some damn good reasons for it. Boston is cold, for one, and it is also suggested through his songwriting that he could not find a girl to touch him. It could be because of the fact he has only one hand, or the fact he later wrote a song called “I Need Drugs”. I’m just speculating, but he seemed like a guy who might have a dark world view, and it definitely has fueled all his songwriting to a freakishly legitimate and honest portrayal of his personality. Eisold is his songs, plain and simple.

Anyway, American Nightmare put out a self-titled EP, complete with songs titled “The Ice Age is Coming”, “Please Die!”, and “Fuck What Fireworks Stand For”. The standout track is the finale, “Farewell”, a beautifully written track about a relationship turning to shit. “And know the innocence is gone/Move on/From this day forth/we’ll never be the same,” a line that says more about the loss of youth then it does the end of a relationship. If Simple Plan had said that, it would be stupid, but this guy was literally screaming it over lighting fast guitars and AK-47 drumming. Their LP, Background Music, is an amazing relic of the Boston scene. Tracks like “I Saved Latin”, “Hearts”, and “Your Arsonist” are amazing examples of Eisold’s wit, humor, and poetic skill. “Dreams are trash on the side of the road,” he screams in “There’s a Black Hole in the Shadow of the Pru”, a near hate-letter to the city. His dreams might be trash, but his lyricism is pristine.

Then they turned into Give up the Ghost, releasing Year One (an A.N. compilation), and We’re Down ‘Til We’re Underground. Underground is their farewell letter to the world and a brilliant one at that. In the first lyrics of the album, Eisold screams out “In a world full of sluts/we keep the wet dream alive.” Good to know somebody is trying. Songs like “No Lotion’s Gonna Unclog These Pores”, “Crush of the Year”, “Aeiou”, and “The Last Supper After Party” brought the hardcore level up a couple of notches for the band. They were better produced, faster, angrier, and more artistic than ever (see: “And Its Sometimes Like it will Never End”). At this point, their shows closed with that tune, as Eisold would stare out at the crowd motionless. I must note I never personally saw this; I merely borrowed a VHS of bootlegged shows from my friends.

Then what happened? Well, the band called it quits for “health reasons”, and went down as a notorious Boston outfit. Other members of the band joined the short-lived Bars, but Eisold went on with several projects. He began a synthesizer-based hardcore group called XO Skeletons, whom I still can’t tell whether I love. They released two EPs, neither sounding like a lot of mixing was involved. Asthmagasm came first and slightly denounced Eisold’s prior poetic ability. Their next effort, Bored by Heaven, harnessed the previous lyrical genius from before. Songs like “Town Crier” compared love and religion (“I read the Bible and I understand/I was bored by heaven in the holy land”), while tracks like “Live from Planet Death” brought an electronica element into the production. The final track, “California Needs You and Me”, almost mocked the idea of the West coast, which makes Eisold’s next career move ironic.

Eisold went out to San Diego, California and formed the grindcore outfit, Some Girls, with Justin Pearson of the Locust. The band released a number of EPs, the most memorable being The DNA Will Have Its Say. Karen O appeared with Eisold on the title track, but the song “A Sick Cult” will forever remain one of the only grindcore songs I ever mention to anybody. In the song, Eisold refers to his new band as “the best habit I’ve had in years.” Fifty percent of their actual LPs were decent. All My Friends are Going Death contains a number of staple tracks like “The Rains”, “The Blues”, “Up to Our Hips”, and “Gonna Set My Soul on Fire”. This was the band’s first commercial release; in fact, it was an album my friends and I did not initially want to enjoy. But, I think it was the liner notes that convinced us, which read, “Here’s to new beginnings, you fucks.” Thanks Wes, glad I bought your new record.

Eisold remained under the radar for awhile after Some Girls, releasing poetry collections and suing Fall Out Boy over single lyrical quotes (In 2007, Fall Out Boy settled the matter outside of court, stemming from the use of lyrics which had not been approved by Eisold.), but in a group of Boston hardcore scenester’s hearts, Eisold’s music has been playing on their stereos forever. Now he plays in Cold Cave, who have frequently been compared to The Smiths. The group released their debut, Love Comes Close, a year ago. On this album, Eisold’s style is a combination of his prior bands. There’s the electronica of XO Skeletons, the melody of American Nightmare, his humorous song titles (“The Trees Grew Emotions and Died”), and the dark lyricism of his entire career. Some songs even sound like they could be on pop radio. His style is getting friendlier. One day, when the Boston scene is properly documented, people will realize his influence on hardcore. And if he keeps composing brilliant work, it won’t be long before he goes from Boston icon to rock and roll icon.