Choking Victim is/was:
Ezra - Vocals, Guitar
Choking Victim rose up out of New York City some 6 or 7 years ago. Their sound was best-described (by them) as "Satano-political ska/punk". They played some sort of blend of ska, punk, oi, and metal, and their lyrics dealt with government (ANTI, that is), drugs, suicide, and of course, Satanism.
After playing around the NYC area for a while, the boys cooked up their Crack Rock Steady demo tape, which ended up in the hands of Non Commercial Records. They signed the band and Choking Victim put out their 4 song "Crack Rock Steady" EP in 1994. I, like everyone else, have no idea what happened over the next year, besides some touring. Still, in 1996, CV put out their "Squatta’s Paradise" 7" on WMU Records (?). This, like their first EP, had 4 songs on it.
Doing club dates and such gained Choking Victim popularity, mostly with the oi-skank crowd. In 1997, they signed with Hellcat Records, who released the 2 song "Victim Comes Alive" 7" that year. The EP featured "Fucked Reality" and "Hate Yer State", which both ended up on Choking Victim’s first, and only, full-length, "No Gods/No Managers". Released in 1999, "No Gods" put Choking Victim on the ska-punk map. Well… sort of. There was a small sect of kids that hooked on to the "Crack Rock Steady Beat", as Choking Victim describes their sound. Touring, as well as spots on compilations like "Ska Sucks" and "Give Em The Boot", boosted CV’s popularity.
Only months after the release of "No Gods/No Managers", Choking Victim broke up. The sadness of CV fans was short-lived, however, as the members went on to form Leftover Crack and INDK. Both bands follow in the Choking Victim tradition of pissed off and politically charged ska-punk drug songs.
While Choking Victim may go unnoticed for the rest of eternity by most, the lucky ones who were able to experience their unique sound will never forget. They were able to produce hardcore ska music, and if that sounds weird it’s because they were pretty much the only ones to do so. If you listen to a ska-punk band such as Less Than Jake, for example, they don’t compare in sound to the crack rock steady beat of Choking Victim.
Scott - Guitar, Vocals
Shayne - Bass, Vocals
Skwert - Drums
1994 - Crack Rock Steady Demo
--- Choking Victim’s first recording, it features early versions of "Money", "500 Channels", and "Hate Yer State".
1994 -Crack Rock Steady
--- CV recorded this EP for Non Commercial records. It featured "Choking Victim", "Money", "You Oughta Die", and "Apple Pie/Police State".
1999 - No Gods/No Managers
--- While Choking Victim was just a trashy little garage band out of New York, this 13 song album may just be one of the best recordings of the decade. Songs like "500 Channels", "Crack Rock Steady", and "War Story", all classics themselves, make this album a masterpiece.
2001 - Mediocre Generica (Leftover Crack)
--- Rising from the ashes of CV is Leftover Crack, with 13 tracks of hard hitting death metal punk rock. Includes CV's "Born To Die".
In 1996, CV put out their "Squatta’s Paradise" 7", which includes "Infested", an amazing song, as well as "Suicide", "Death Song", and "Born To Die".
Choking Victim’s first recording on Hellcat Records, the "Victim Comes Alive" 7", includes the songs "Fucked Reality" and "Hate Yer State", which wound up on "No Gods/No Managers".