Life's Blood

Life's Blood was a hardcore punk band formed by four first year college students in New York City in 1987. It consisted of Adam Nathanson on guitars, Neil Burke on bass, John Kriksciun on drums, and on vocals, Combined Effort all ages shows promoter and fanzine editor Jason O'Toole. They were part of the scene that grew out of CBGB's Sunday matinees and Some Records. Life's Blood gained a loyal following with their aggressive sound that blended East Coast hardcore-punk with melodic Oi!, as well as their biting, intelligent lyrics.

Life's Blood performed with bands as diverse as Agnostic Front, Sheer Terror, Beyond, Judge, Project X, and Soulside before breaking up little more than a year later. Nathanson would go on to form Born Against out of its ashes with Sam McPheeters on vocals. Kriksciun would continue drumming for Collapse and Burn, among many other acts. Burke, an artist who works in visual and audio mediums would go on to many important bands, including Born Against, Sinking Body and Men's Recovery Project. In 1992, O'Toole performed and recorded with Factory with past and future members of Intent, Hail Mary, Brown Cuts Neighbors and Limp Wrist. In 2011, O'Toole sang for My Rifle on a self-titled EP backed by former members of Our Gang, Hell No, and Absolution, on Wardance Records. This may be the only punk record to receive a glowing review from Maximumrocknroll despite the vocalist's twenty years in law enforcement.

Life's Blood played live on WNYU and WFMU, and played 26 shows throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Ohio. Their songs have been covered live and on recordings by bands from as far flung as Sweden and Japan as well as by American hardcore bands. A notable cover being the version of "It's not in your heart" by MK-ULTRA. Finland's Down Your Throat covered "Youth Enrage" on their album "Real Heroes Die."

Among Life's Blood's recordings are Defiance originally on Combined Effort, the Vermiform Records compilation EP Murders Among Us, the New York Hardcore compilation Where the Wild Things Are on Blackout Records, the New Breed compilation, a split 7" with {Sticks And Stones]], as well as a rash of bootlegs. Vermiform released a CD containing the original "Defiance" ep along with extra material. Prank Records is releasing the complete discography in Fall 2014.