Backstabbers Incorporated
American hardcore band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
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Backstabbers Incorporated (also known as Backstabbers Inc., BSI, and originally Life Passed On) were a hardcore band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Guitarist Matt Serven and vocalist Ryan McKenney started the group as Life Passed On in the late 1990s.
After some lineup changes in 2000, they switched to the name Backstabbers Incorporated, and Brian Serven joined around that time. Their albums came out on Black Market Activities (distributed by Metal Blade) and Trash Art! Records, and they also put out splits and EPs on smaller DIY labels.
The band toured the U.S. several times, including a short run in January 2005 and a longer East Coast tour from October to December of that year. In August and September 2006, they toured Europe. After a brief tour in March 2008 tied to Dudefest, they went mostly inactive.
On August 24, 2010, BSI announced on Facebook that their next full-length would come out on Black Market Activities. On January 1, 2014, they released MIA, a raw, stripped-down, claustrophobic hardcore record. In spring 2015, the band resurfaced with another lineup change and a short East Coast and Midwestern tour.
Musical style
Musically, the band is broadly labeled punk and hardcore, but they note influences from grindcore, crossover thrash, post-hardcore, and death metal. Their vocals range from high-pitched screaming to deeper growls, which helps place them in both hardcore and metal scenes.
Earlier releases are more direct and stripped-down, while later ones like Kamikaze Missions expanded their sound with longer song structures and a wider mix of extreme metal and hardcore. Brian Serven also cites film composers Michael Nyman and Yann Tiersen as influences. Though the Servens are drug- and alcohol-free and vegan, the band is sometimes tied to straight edge culture, but they say these are personal choices, not part of any youth subculture.
Discography includes albums Bare as Bones (2003, Black Market Activities), Kamikaze Missions (2004, Trash Art!), and Missing In Action (2014, self-released); EPs Evolution (2000, Cadmium Sick Records), While You Were Sleeping (2001, Trash Art!), and Theory/History (2002, Element Records); a split 7-inch Bad Cop, No Cop with Advocate (2001, Black Day Propaganda); a split with Advocate, Trap Them & Kill Them, Purity’s Failure, and Transistor Transistor (2003, Broken Press); and a self-released demo tape.
Origins & Lineup Evolution
Backstabbers Incorporated traces its roots to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where guitarist Matt Serven and vocalist Ryan McKenney began playing together under the name Life Passed On in the late 1990s. A significant lineup shift in 2000 led the group to rebrand as Backstabbers Incorporated, a name that would carry them through the rest of their career. Around that same period, Brian Serven stepped in to handle bass, guitar, and additional vocal duties, a role he would maintain until 2018.
Over the years the band cycled through numerous members: bassists Sean McAlister, Nick Reddy, and Anthony Ruscio; drummers Jonah Livingston, Mike Quinn, and Matt Dunn; and guitarists Brian Izzi and Mike Justian. The current roster includes Matt Serven on guitar and vocals, Mark Richards, Anthony Ruscio on bass, and Mark Blanchard on drums. This constant rotation of personnel reflects the fluid, DIY spirit of the New Hampshire hardcore scene from which the group emerged.
Touring & Activity Timeline
Backstabbers Incorporated maintained a steady touring presence through the mid-2000s, hitting the road on several US runs. A brief tour took place in January 2005, followed by a more extensive East Coast tour spanning October through December of that year. The following summer saw the band cross the Atlantic, performing a European tour during August and September 2006. Their last notable live outing came in March 2008, a short run centered around the Dudefest festival, after which the group largely fell silent.
A quiet period of inactivity stretched for several years, broken only by an August 2010 Facebook announcement about a forthcoming album. The band's return to recording materialized on January 1, 2014, with the release of Missing In Action, a deliberately raw and claustrophobic record. In the spring of 2015, Backstabbers Incorporated re-emerged with yet another lineup change and undertook a brief East Coast and Midwestern tour, keeping their live presence alive in a low-key fashion.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Backstabbers Incorporated (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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