Morning Again

Morning Again

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	December 1995
Headquarters	Cooper City, Florida (initially), later Coral Springs, Florida , United States
Products	Music albums, EPs, singles

Morning Again is a metalcore group originating from Florida, recognized for their heavy sound combined with straight edge, vegan, anti-religious, and anti-government principles. The band maintained a strong connection with Culture, often sharing members between the two. Several musicians from Morning Again later became part of other acts such as As Friends Rust and Dead Blue Sky. Initially based in Cooper City, Florida, the band moved to Coral Springs in 1998 before dissolving that same year. Following several reunion performances, they released a new EP in 2018.

History

After departing from Culture earlier in 1995, John Wylie aimed to form a band that expressed more intense and personal ideologies. Thus, in December 1995, Morning Again was established with former Culture members Damien Moyal on vocals and Louie Long on drums. Michael Wolz joined as the second guitarist while Eric Ervin handled bass duties. Their debut EP The Cleanest War was recorded and released through Conquer the World Records. Subsequently, Intention Records approached them for a new 7-inch release. After signing with Belgium’s Good Life Recordings—their first American signing—the label compiled their tracks for distribution across Europe.

Conflicts between Moyal and Wylie reemerged. At one of Moyal's last performances with Morning Again, they shared the stage with Ohio’s Outcast. Kevin Byers was then invited to take over vocal duties and moved to Cooper City to join the band. The bass position saw multiple changes: Ervin was succeeded by Christopher "Floyd" Beckham, then by Peter Bartsocas, who had ties to Wylie's label. They recorded new material for a split release with Shoulder on Moo Cow Records. Following the quick departures of Wolz and Bartsocas, Jerry Villarroel stepped in as bassist. This lineup released My Statement of Life in a Dying World through Immigrant Sun Records as a quartet. After their second release on Good Life titled Martyr, Joseph Simmons joined as an additional guitarist while Matt Thomas replaced Long on drums.

Their rising prominence led to a deal with Revelation Records, who issued As Tradition Dies Slowly in 1998. They also participated in a split release with 25 Ta Life under Good Life and embarked on a European tour. The group dissolved late in 1998 partly due to Wylie's increasing dedication to Eulogy Recordings. Their last release was To Die a Bitter Death on Immigrant Sun Records. In the year 2000, Wylie’s label compiled both Immigrant Sun singles into The Fallen... The Few That Remain.

Reunions

The group has reunited for several performances over the years. Their initial reunion occurred in 1999 under the name Cleanest War, featuring original members Damien Moyal (vocals), John Wylie, and Eric Ervin. In 2002, they regrouped as Hand of Hope and offered exclusive merchandise for their concert in Orlando, Florida. The following year, Eulogy Recordings issued a compilation combining Hand of Hope and Martyr under the title Hand of the Martyr. This formation included Moyal on vocals, Wylie on guitar, Ervin handling bass duties, and Wes Keely on drums. On April 22, 2011, the band performed at Belgium’s Groezrock festival with Kevin Byers fronting the vocals and featured special merchandise for the event. In 2014, they took the stage at Ieperfest in Belgium with Moyal singing, Ervin playing bass, and Josh Williams on drums. Later that same year, with Byers as vocalist, they toured Japan performing at the Bloodaxe festival along with shows in Tokyo and Nagoya. The band also appeared at Philadelphia’s This is Hardcore festival in 2015.

In July 2018, the band announced a reunion focused on recording new tracks for an EP released through Revelation Records. The resulting Survival Instinct EP was launched on November 9, 2018. They also revealed plans for a week-long European tour in 2022. That year saw the release of another EP titled Borrowed Time, again through Revelation Records.

Members

Current lineup

• John Wylie – guitar (1995–1998, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2010–2012, 2015—present)
• Eric Ervin – bass guitar (1995–1996, 1999, 2002, 2014, 2019—present)
• Kevin Byers – lead vocals (1996–1999, 1999–2000, 2005, 2010—present)
• Stephen Looker – guitar, backing vocals (1996, 1998, 2010—present)
• Joshua Williams – drums (2014—present)

Former members and touring musicians

• Louie Long – drums (1995–1997)
• César Morales – lead vocals (1995)
• Damien Moyal – vocals (1995–1996, 1999, 2002, 2014)
• Michael Wolz – guitar (1995–1996)
• Christopher "Floyd" Beckham – bass guitar (1996)
• Peter Bartsocas – bass guitar (1996), guitar (1996, 2014)
• Eric McCarthy – bass guitar (1996)
• Joseph Simmons – bass guitar (1996), guitar (1997–1998, 1999)
• Chad Gilbert – bass guitar (1996)
• Gerardo Villaroel – bass guitar (1996–1998, 2010–2011, 2015–2018)
• Ryan Stafford – guitar (1997)
• Matthew Thomas – drums (1997–1998, 1999–2000, 2005, 2010–2011)
• Chris Common – bass guitar (1999–2000)
• Aaron Hiser – guitar (1999–2000)
• Nathan Stambro – guitar (1999–2000)
• Jason Dooley – drums (1999)
• Wes Keely – drums (2002)
• Justin Gianoutsos – drums (2012)
• Richard Walbert – bass guitar (2012), guitar (2014)

Timeline

• ^{Release dates for studio albums and EPs are indicated by bars; lineup changes frequently occurred between recording sessions and official releases.}

Discography

Full-length albums

• As Tradition Dies Slowly CD/LP (Revelation, 1998)

EPs and singles

• Morning Again demo cassette (independently released, 1996)
• The Cleanest War 12-inch vinyl/CD (Conquer the World/Stick to the Core, 1996)
• Morning Again 7-inch vinyl (Intention Records, 1996)
• Morning Again / Shoulder split 7-inch vinyl (Moo Cow Records, 1996)
• My Statement of Life in a Dying World 7-inch vinyl (Immigrant Sun Records, 1997)
• Martyr 12-inch vinyl/CD (Good Life, 1997)
• Morning Again / 25 ta Life split 7-inch vinyl/CD (Good Life, 1998)
• To Die a Bitter Death 7-inch vinyl (Immigrant Sun, 1998)
• Survival Instinct CD (Revelation, 2018)
• Borrowed Time (Revelation, 2022)

Compilation albums

• Hand of Hope (Good Life, 1997)
• The Fallen... The Few That Remain (Eulogy, 2000)
• Hand of the Martyr (Alveran/Eulogy, 2002)
• I (Demons Run Amok Entertainment, 2015)
• II (Demons Run Amok Entertainment, 2015)

Appearances on compilations

• "Martyr" – featured on You, Who Are Innocent, What Have You Done Worthy of Death? (1997)
• "Stones" – included in West Coast Hardcore vs. East Coast Hardcore (1998)
• "To Die a Bitter Death" – part of Sweet Deal! (2000)
• "Turning Over" – appeared on both Transcend (2002) and The Anti-Pop Sampler (2003)