CanadianWasteland Archives: Reversal Of Man

Reversal Of Man was a hardcore band from Tampa, Florida who were active from the mid to late 1990s. The band shared members with Combatwoundedveteran and Assück. During their five active years, the band released an impressed amount of work and played many shows. Their discography includes two 12"s, three split 12"s with Los Crudos, Puritan and Holocron, a 10" two 7"s, two split 7"s with Cease and Enemy Soil, a Cdr EP, a demo tape, a discography CD and later a 3x LP discography. They also appeared on countless compilations.

Reversal Of Man was one of the bands at the forefront of the DIY hardcore scene of the 1990s and for good reason. I don't think I've ever heard a band do it quite like Reversal Of Man. The most chaotic, intense instrumentals, incredibly fast drums and shrill, violently shrieked vocals make for a sound like no other that sends chills down your spine. I wish I knew how Matt Coplon even pulls off such insane vocals without absolutely destroying his voice. Reversal Of Man mixes the heaviest of hardcore, with the chaos and speed of grindcore and the politics and vocals of emoviolence and the result is deafening and yet leaves you filled with energy and wanting more.

I can't imagine how insane their shows must have been, I've heard some stories and wish more than anything I could have been there to experience that. Reversal Of Man has so much anger in their music and it's evident in every last note. They also have some of the best hardcore lyrics I've ever read, politically driven and rooted in true feelings of anger and frustration with the toxicity of the hardcore music scene. Their lyrics not only reflect the truth of the scene back in the 90s, but unfortunately ring true to the scene today as well. Reversal Of Man wanted to go against the grain, fight the "tough guy" stereotypes of hardcore and combat the rampant prejudice against minorities and women in the scene. They certainly left a lasting mark, but sadly these issues are still too real today.

Needless to say, Reversal Of Man influenced countless other bands and has inspired many, myself included. They are really just a staple of hardcore and yet are still relatively unknown in the mainstream world. They played so many shows with stacked lineups I almost guarantee they played a show with one of your favourite bands. If you haven't listened to Reversal Of Man yet, please do yourself a favour and get on it!

Note: Some of the recordings on the Discography (Nothing More, Nothing Less) are vinyl rips so we may update the post with better rips if possible, in the future.

Nothing More, Nothing Less 1995-2000

Interview w/ Band

We will update this post with scans of the Revolution Summer zine on the future... it's essential!

Puritan / Reversal Of Man split 12" 1996 (King Of The Monsters)