The Fists of Time

As Friends Rust formed in September 1996 when vocalist Damien Moyal (formerly of Shai Hulud and Morning Again) was invited to a band practice in Davie, Florida by guitarist Henry Olmino, bass guitarist Jeronimo Gomez and drummer Matthew Crum. The band recorded six songs, "Encante", "Ruffian", "Broken Brain", "When People Resort to Name Calling", "The Only Point" and an untitled instrumental acoustic song, at Wisner Productions in Davie, Florida from November 19–22, 1996 with producer James Paul Wisner. , Matthew Crum, Damien Moyal and Henry Olmino. Three of the songs recorded, "Encante", "Ruffian" and "Broken Brain", were used on a well-circulated demo tape that the band shopped to record labels. which led Olmino, Gomez and Crum to continue playing together but renaming the band Red Letter Day with a new vocalist. members, Chris Wollard, Chuck Ragan and George Rebelo, on backing vocals. In September 1997, Timothy Kirkpatrick (formerly of the emo band Roosevelt) joined both As Friends Rust and Culture. == Release, packaging and promotion ==

Packaging and promoting The Fists of Time (1998–1999) "Home Is Where the Heart Aches" was combined with four songs from the 1996 recording session; "Encante", "Ruffian", "When People Resort to Name Calling" and "Broken Brain"; to make up the band's debut EP, The Fists of Time, released by Belgian record label Good Life Recordings on compact disc and 10" vinyl on July 13, 1998. The tour included stops to perform at such festivals as More Than Music in Columbus, Ohio, Tin Can Full of Dreams in Lawrence, Massachusetts and Wilkes-Barre Festival in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The two bands, accompanied by Swedish hardcore group Purusam, embarked on a six-week European tour, from December 3, 1998, to January 14, 1999, in promotion of The Fists of Time and the split release. The eponymous extended play was released in the United States via Doghouse Records on September 17, 1999, while the European version was put out by Good Life Recordings in July 1999, erroneously promoted under the titles God Hour and 6-Song CD. In promotion of its new self-titled EP, and with slightly better American distribution of The Fists of Time through Good Life Recordings' American distributor, Eulogy Recordings, As Friends Rust toured the east coast of the United States during three weeks in June 1999, accompanied by acoustic musician Keith Welsh. The band quickly followed up with a five-week European tour in July and August 1999, playing at such festivals as Good Life Midsummer Hardcore Festival in Kuurne, Belgium, Festival Hardcore in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain and Ieper Hardcore Festival in Ypres, Belgium. Footage of the band's performance at Ieper Hardcore Festival was later included on Good Life Recordings' 2000 VHS release Good Life Recordings Presents: Good Life T.V. Video Sampler #1. The incident caused a riff between the two bands that never fully healed, and lead As Friends Rust to include "Thanks to all of the Gainesville bands that were actually willing to play shows with us. There is division." in the liner notes of their upcoming eponymous extended play; a protesting reference to Hot Water Music's album No Division. As Friends Rust headlined its own tour, playing a handful of cross-over shows with New Jersey melodic hardcore band Ensign and California melodic hardcore band Ignite. The Fists of Time: An Anthology of Short Fiction and Non-Fiction re-issue and promotion (2000) In 2000, Doghouse Records re-issued The Fists of Time on compact disc, 12" vinyl and digitally under the expanded title The Fists of Time: An Anthology of Short Fiction and Non-Fiction. The released was originally scheduled for May 15, 2000, but was delayed to June 22, 2000. The Doghouse Records reissue added the songs "The First Song on the Tape You Make Her" and "Operation", which had both previously been exclusive to Good Life Recordings and the European market. With the Doghouse Records re-release, it was announced that all previous As Friends Rust releases on Good Life Recordings would be going out-of-print, though the Belgian record label later repressed The Fists of Time on a pictured 10" vinyl in 2001. As Friends Rust immediately embarked on a four-week tour to promote the release, playing shows across the entire United States with Virginia hardcore band Strike Anywhere from May 29 to June 30, 2000. The tour included several cross-over shows with Glasseater, Mid Carson July and The Agency (the three of which were on tour together), as well as stops to play such festivals as Mixed Messages in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Pheer Festival, in College Park, Maryland and Hellfest 2K in Auburn, New York (which As Friends Rust did not play due to a last-minute change in venue). took up lead vocals while Damien Moyal was sick. From left to right: Stewart, Joseph Simmons, Peter Bartsocas and Timothy Kirkpatrick. In July 2000, Good Life Recordings invited As Friends Rust back to Europe for a week's worth of shows in Belgium and the Netherlands, including a performance at Dour Festival in Dour, Belgium and another at Metropolis Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In mid-August 2000, the band returned to Europe for a full five-week tour, which included a handful of cross-over shows with Canadian melodic hardcore band Grade, New Jersey melodic hardcore band Ensign and Massachusetts post-hardcore band Garrison. This European tour also included stops at Ieper Hardcore Festival in Ypres, Belgium, TurboPunk Festival, in Poznań, Poland, Transmitter Festival in Hohenems, Austria and Complete MADness Festival in Potsdam, Germany. Prior to leaving on its second 2000 European tour, Glayat and Kirkpatrick had announced their desire to leave the band upon returning home. However, tensions during the tour ultimately caused a much bigger change in membership. With Glayat wearing a split, the band continued on to half a week's worth of shows in the United Kingdom, Three weeks later, Moyal suffered from laryngitis and lost his voice, leading Stewart to switch from bass guitar to lead vocals, and Bartsocas temporarily filling in as bass guitarist. Moyal and Stewart were initially to stay over in Europe following As Friends Rust's tour, for a second tour with their other band Bridgeburne R, but Moyal was forced to find a new bass guitarist for both bands. == Critical reception ==

The Fists of Time received overall positive critical acclaim upon release and during its reissue, though Doghouse Records' 2000 re-release was often criticized for repackaging solely previously available material and not including unreleased cuts. As Friends Rust's style was described by critics as emotional hardcore, and Brutal Juice, as well as to the band members' previous bands Culture and Morning Again. Reviewers often praised Moyal's lyrics and vocal delivery, noting them as clever, emotional, honest, introspective, intelligent, intense, heavy, dark, angst-ridden, and melodramatic. == Track listing ==

Credits are adapted from the EP's liner notes. == Personnel ==

Credits are adapted from the EP's liner notes. ;As Friends Rust • Damien Moyal – lead vocals (all songs) • Henry Olmino – guitar ("Encante", "Ruffian", "When People Resort to Name Calling" and "Broken Brain") • Joseph Simmons – guitar and backing vocals ("Home Is Where the Heart Aches", "The First Song on the Tape You Make Her" and "Operation") • Gordon Tarpley – guitar and backing vocals ("Home Is Where the Heart Aches") • James Glayat – guitar ("The First Song on the Tape You Make Her" and "Operation") • Jeronimo Gomez – bass guitar ("Encante", "Ruffian", "When People Resort to Name Calling" and "Broken Brain") • Kaleb Stewart – bass guitar and backing vocals ("Home Is Where the Heart Aches", "The First Song on the Tape You Make Her" and "Operation") • Matthew Crum – drums ("Encante", "Ruffian", "When People Resort to Name Calling" and "Broken Brain") • Timothy Kirkpatrick – drums and backing vocals ("Home Is Where the Heart Aches", "The First Song on the Tape You Make Her" and "Operation") ;Guest musicians • Chuck Ragan – backing vocals on "Home Is Where the Heart Aches" • George Rebelo – backing vocals on "Home Is Where the Heart Aches" • Chris Wollard – backing vocals on "Home Is Where the Heart Aches" • Keith Welsh – backing vocals on "The First Song on the Tape You Make Her" • Rob McGregor – backing vocals on "Home Is Where the Heart Aches" and "The First Song on the Tape You Make Her" ;Production • James Paul Wisner – recording engineer, mixer and producer at Wisner Productions ("Encante", "Ruffian", "When People Resort to Name Calling" and "Broken Brain") • Rob McGregor – recording engineer, mixer and producer at Goldentone Studios ("Home Is Where the Heart Aches", "The First Song on the Tape You Make Her" and "Operation") • Damien Moyal – artwork and design (Good Life Recordings version) • Mike Taylor – artwork (Good Life Recordings version) • Mark Murrmann – photography (Good Life Recordings version) • Jason Page – photography and design (Doghouse Records version) == Release history ==