Photo credit: Evan Casey
Milwaukee straightedge band Verdict
Milwaukee straightedge band Verdict doesn’t take their music lightly. Having been in bands for years and seeing people in the independent music scene come and go, they decided to put a stamp on their scene. With just one release under their belt, they are hopeful that their newest EP, What’s to Become—released independently in early June—will stick in the minds of listeners and encourage them to think more deeply about the bigger questions in life.
“What’s to Become is a question I think we all need to ask ourselves in this day and age,” says vocalist Jake Beaver. “I think it’s time for all people to take a step in each other’s shoes and try to learn about the walks of life they are foreign to and try to understand them.”
Verdict is a straightedge hardcore band, meaning all of their members abstain from drugs and alcohol, a movement that began in the early 1980s by legendary punk band Minor Threat. Although most traditional hardcore bands write quick songs with little variety in the songwriting, Verdict’s music shows a wide range of diversity, with all the songs on the new release coming in at more than three minutes long, and many songs including compulsive riffs and even a few memorable hooks—things that many newer hardcore bands skimp on. Many songs build momentum and tension as they go on, often coming to a riveting end.
Beaver recently moved from Michigan to Milwaukee to be closer to his bandmates, all of whom are from the Racine area. They began playing music together years ago, but only formed Verdict last summer. They have been attending hardcore shows for years as well, often driving to Chicago, or even as far as Detroit, to see a band they love. Guitarist Anthony Willems has been going to shows since he was 15, and he says he will always have a close connection to the Milwaukee hardcore scene specifically.
|
|
“Growing up, in what I feel like was part of its prime, was very memorable,” says Willems. “Now, playing shows in the Midwest is always a great time because it’s a mix of friends as well as lots of new faces which is awesome to see.”
With time comes maturity, and the members of Verdict are hoping to show their maturity with this release. Beaver screams on the second track, “Faith in Ashes”: “Standing face to face with an enemy, I pry open a clenched fist, but as I look to my brother I see nothing but innocence.” The theme of mutual understanding and looking for commonalities is ever present on this release, a conscious effort by Beaver.
“With our [presidential] administration and other all-encompassing things trying to pit us against each other, it’s time that we look at our actions and try to predict the repercussions rather than learning after the fact,” says Beaver. “To see past the temporal fixes and petty arguments and realize that we, as a human race, are created to be different and unique.”
Hardcore music is something that is important to all the members of Verdict. It has allowed them to play shows and spread their message all across the nation, something they hope to continue to do for the time being.
“It gives you a chance to stand together for a cause and become the ones who ignite the spark to start a revolutionary fire to the world’s way of thinking,” says Beaver. “This tight-knit community of people showed me more about myself than a lot of other things ever have.”
You can stream Verdict’s music at verdictxxx.bandcamp.com.
