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Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Entertainment
Stephen Hill

"Some kids wanted to come up onstage, chaos ensues and the people in charge seemed to panic and cut the power." How a cult hardcore punk band shut down one of rock's most legendary festivals after bagging an unlikely major label deal

Biohazard backstage in 1993.

The major label goldrush toward punk, metal and alternative bands in the early 90s was one of the most fascinating times in heavy music. By 1994, many of those labels, desperate to find themselves the next Nirvana, had reached the point where they were snapping up rising bands that they'd ultimately struggle to control. One such band were New York hardcore crew Biohazard, who had experienced enough crossover success with their second album Urban Discipline in 1992 that they suddenly found themselves on Warner, one of the biggest labels on the planet.

It raised their profile, but the band themselves weren’t going to give up their underground punk principles too easily, leading to one of the most infamous festival sets of the decade.

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