The Accüsed is an American crossover thrash band from Washington, formed in 1981 by Chibon 'Chewy' Batterman, Dana Collins and Tommy Niemeyer. The band was a progenitor of the crossover style that bridged the gap between thrashcore and thrash metal, later influencing grindcore and some crust punk bands; as well as an influential band in the Seattle area alternative scene. The band calls their music "splatter rock", and their zombie mascot, Martha Splatterhead, created by Blaine Cook and Tommy Niemeyer, appears on most of their albums. Common lyrical themes involve social injustice and Martha Splatterhead coming back from the dead to slaughter rapists and child molesters.

History

Early years (1981–1992)

The Accüsed was formed in 1981 on Whidbey Island, by bassist Chibon "Chewy" Batterman, drummer Dana Collins, and guitarist Tommy Niemeyer. John Dahlin was the vocalist from 1982 to 1984. The original members formed as Gain Green, then chose the name The Accüsed, and then Political Nightmare, before returning to The Accüsed. The band's first two demo cassettes and their album, Please Pardon Our Noise, It Is the Sound of Freedom, released in 1983 drew heavily from hardcore punk. In 1984, the Fartz vocalist Blaine Cook replaced Dahlin.

In 1984, the band began adopting metal into their sound and dubbed their style "splatter rock", in 'homage' to their favorite genre of horror films. According to a review, "Their hybrid musical formula was distinguishable by Cook's unusual choking-sound vocals, Niemeyer's muted, choppy, buzz-saw guitars, dark metallic riffs, and Dana Collins rapid-fire, double-kick drumming."), whose likeness adorns most of their albums and many of their promotional items. A recurring theme in the band's lyrics involve Martha Splatterhead coming back from the dead to eviscerate and slaughter rapists and child molesters.

In 1983, The Accused teamed-up with fellow Seattle hardcore group REJECTORS, and Malcolm Conover's Fatal Erection Records for the band's debut vinyl title 'PLEASE PARDON OUR NOISE...It Is A Sound of Freedom'; a split-12-inch LP featuring 1 side for REJECTORS, 1 side for The Accused.

After a line-up change in late 1984, the band released a 5-song 12 inch EP, Martha Splatterhead, in 1985 on their own Condar label. Their first full-length LP was The Return of Martha Splatterhead, released on Subcore Records, and later re-released on Earache Records (the first mosh album), in 1986.

According to reviewer Jeb Branin, "I was writing for a zine in Canada called Northern Metal that reviewed the new LP The Return Of Martha Splatterhead giving it a 0.0 rating and absolutely crucifying it in the review. It is the only 0.0 review I remember ever seeing in Northern Metal. They hated it so much I knew I had to buy it. As I suspected, the album was a masterpiece of hardcore hysteria.")

  • 1988: Hymns for the Deranged (LP, Empty Records)
  • 1990: Grinning Like an Undertaker (LP, Sub Pop, Nastymix)
  • 1991: Straight Razor (EP, Nastymix)
  • 1992: Splatter Rock (LP, Nastymix)
  • 2006: Oh Martha! + Baked Tapes (double LP, Nuclear Blast) – 666 pressed
  • 2006: 34 Song Archives Tapes 1981-86 (Condar; #Cond002)
  • 2007: Why Even Try? (EP, Condar 2007)
  • 2009: The Curse of Martha Splatterhead (LP, Southern Lord)

Singles

  • 1989: Accüsed/Morphius Split (split 7-inch single, Empty)
  • 1992: Straight Razor (Fantagraphix Comics)
  • 2002: Paint It Red
  • 2005: Songs of Horror and Alcoholism (split 7-inch with Potbelly, PB Records)

Album track listings

;Martha Splatterhead's Maddest Stories Ever Told

  1. "Psychomania"
  2. "Bag Lady Song"
  3. "Inherit the Earth"
  4. "Deception"
  5. "Molly's X-Mas"
  6. "I'd Love to Change the World" (Ten Years After cover)
  7. "You Only Die Once"
  8. "Sick boy"
  9. "Chicago"
  10. "Starved to Death"
  11. "War=Death"
  12. "Maddest Story Ever Told"
  13. "Intro"
  14. "Scared of the Dark"
  15. "Losing Your Mind"
  16. "Smothered Her Trust"
  17. "Lights Out"
  18. "Hearse"

Catalog

The out-of-print back-catalog of The Accüsed's albums has been sporadically re-issued on various labels over recent years; a move prompted in part by the fact that many collectors of memorabilia by The Accüsed were seeing copies of the rare/out-of-print US-made CDs fetch hundreds of dollars each on the auction website eBay.

References