The Divided carry all the markings of a rock-hard street punk band. Their guitar riffs are thick and crunchy, the drums are precise and pounding, and they come up with loads of powerful group vocals. The end result is often a sound which reminds of classic “oi” groups. However, the debut record they put out, which released last month, also carries healthy amounts of bluesy rock as well as melodic hardcore. Taken en bloc, the album manages to create the characteristically heavy OC punk feel of the ‘90s, which is a huge creative step forward where the band is concerned.
There’s plenty of experience to go around among the band members – Brian Celi and Pat Hall (guitars), Noah Lysek (drums), and Raybo (vocals) – thanks to their years with Bonecrusher, which itself is a prolific punk outfit. The Divided describe themselves as a “working-class band” and lean towards blistering street-punk sounds as well as class-conscious lyrics, and together these two things have made them a staple in orchestral music ever since they first formed in 1992. In the ensuing time, they’ve come out with 10 full-length albums as well as multiple singles and EPs.
Bonecrusher has had several lineup changes in the past decade, one of which had to do with Raybo moving to Hawaii. According to the vocalist, “I was living on the island. I moved there for a couple of years and started surfing. And [then] I came home, and I wanted to rock. I was looking for guys to play with, so I went back to [the Bonecrusher] guys. But music just wasn’t coming out the way I wanted it, and I kind of lost contact with them. Then Brian called me up and said, ‘Let’s form a band.’” And that’s how the Divided came to be.
Comparing the two bands in terms of sound shows that the Divided is more diverse in its releases. It now has Chris Lohaman on the bass guitar, and blends varied influences while still retaining the punk urgency that listeners love. Raybo changes his voice between a gruff, soulful croon and an intimidating growl. The melodic guitar lines remind of early ‘00s groups such as Anti-Flag and Unseen, and this lends another layer to the music. The band also uses plenty of group vocals in the choruses, with even simple “oh”s showing the same spirit of bands such as the Dropkick Murphys and the Angelic Upstarts. Raybo opines, “Noah does these primal screams, and it sounded so good that we all started doing it. So we really hit the backing vocals in the studio, and it worked well.”
The Divided were quick about hopping into the studio right after forming, which according to Raybo is what’s responsible for their album’s energy. Speaking of the exigency, he explains, “It’s urgent. We had to get in as soon as we could, before we split up or something else happens.”
The most major change for the band is probably the one to their lyrical content. Bonecrusher has been a political band foremost, as seen from their “Working for Nothing” and “Problems In the Nation” releases in 1998 and 1999 respectively. The Divided, on the other hand, are into writing much more personal tracks. Raybo says, “I’m so fed up with politics and bullshit like that. I just sing about family and having good times. I try to uplift people with music, instead of just going up there and playing a set and not giving a shit. I write songs about the world around me and what I see.”
Going this route apparently has had an effect Raybo never imagined experiencing, which is singing love songs in the punk-rock genre. When he had to deal with his fiancée Wendy’s cancer diagnosis, he felt a range of emotions including frustration and stress, and music was the way he dealt with all that. “Music hits when you’re in ruin or when something’s happening in your life, and you’ve just got to write about it,” he explains. Luckily for Wendy and Raybo, the cancer has finally begun to recede.
While some of the tracks on “World You’re Living In” clearly depart from the output that came to be expected out of Bonecrusher, there is still a timeless anguish to be felt throughout the album. “Working Man” clearly demonstrates that the band is still in touch with their class-conscious roots. As a matter of fact, putting out this album via Hostage Records is a way for the Divided to celebrate a small part of their past – the Bonecrushers EP “Animal”, which had most members of the Divided playing on it, was the first release by the label, while “World You’re Living In” happens to be its 75th.
Prior to setting out on a Europe tour next fall, the band are working on releasing another full-length. According to Raybo, it’ll all be “songs that make you move. It’s a certain beat that drives, and when it hits you, it gets up in your neck. You can feel it in your backbone when it’s turned up loud—especially loud.”