Human Remains

Despite having an official discography that clocked in at less than 40 minutes, New Jersey's Human Remains proved to be heavily influential on the more experimental edges of the grindcore and death metal scenes, as well as a key influence on the so-called noisecore scene that developed in the late '90s (as exemplified by bands such as fellow New Jersey-ites the Dillinger Escape Plan). Human Remains' sound blended together aspects of grindcore, hardcore, and some death metal, but with an unusual, cliché-free approach to songwriting. They had one of the standout grindcore drummers in Dave Witte (also known for his work in Discordance Axis, Burnt by the Sun, and Atomsmasher) as well as a powerful vocalist in Paul Miller, who had one of the most guttural, phlegm-soaked deliveries outside of Obituary's notorious John Tardy. Meanwhile, guitarists Steve Procopio and James Baglino also had an interesting approach to their instruments, incorporating novel dissonances and sound effects into their playing.

Human Remains formed in 1989, at which time they were rounded out by bassist Ted Patterson in addition to Miller, Witte, Procopio, and Baglino. They recorded a few demos and one 7" with this lineup, before a new bassist, William Carl Black, came on board to replace Patterson. This lineup recorded one EP, the six-song Using Sickness as a Hero, which was released by Relapse Records in 1996. By this time, though, the band had already broken up. Various members of the group went on to play with other bands: Baglino joined the hardcore/noisecore band Deadguy; Black formed a Zappa-esque jazz-rock-klezmer group called the Dmitri Guerevitch Quintet; and Witte stayed busy with other bands including Discordance Axis, Major Burns, and Black Army Jacket. By 1999, Witte had gotten back together with Patterson in the noisecore/metalcore quintet Burnt by the Sun. Finally, in 2002, with interest in Human Remains still relatively high considering their small recorded output, Relapse released a double-disc anthology of all the band's official recordings and demos, entitled Where Were You When.