Biohazard

Biohazard is a Brooklyn hardcore punk and heavy metal group that forms in 1987 and remains active. It becomes known as one of the earliest bands to combine hardcore, metal and hip-hop elements, and it is also associated with alternative metal, rap metal and rapcore.

Formation and early lineup

The earliest lineup features bassist and vocalist Evan Seinfeld, guitarist Bobby Hambel and drummer Anthony Meo. Guitarist and vocalist Billy Graziadei joins soon after, turning the group into a four-piece. Danny Schuler replaces Meo on drums after the first demo period. Biohazard shares stages with New York hardcore acts including the Cro-Mags and Agnostic Front, as well as New Jersey band Mucky Pup.

Records and growth

The band releases its self-titled debut album in 1990 on Magnetic Air Records. Its lyrics focus on Brooklyn, gang wars, drugs and violence, and the record later sells 23,000 copies in the US by 1994 and about 40,000 by 2001. In 1992, Biohazard signs to Roadrunner Records and issues Urban Discipline, which brings national and international attention in both the metal and hardcore scenes.

The group then signs to Warner Bros. Records and releases State of the World Address, produced by Ed Stasium in Los Angeles. The album includes “How It Is”, with guest vocals from Sen Dog of Cypress Hill, and sells over one million copies. Biohazard appears on the second stage at Monsters of Rock at Castle Donington during the 1994 tour. Bobby Hambel leaves after this period.

Line-up changes and collaborations

Biohazard records Mata Leão as a three-piece in 1996 with producer Dave Jerden, then tours with former Helmet guitarist Rob Echeverria. The band plays the Ozzfest mainstage alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Danzig, Fear Factory and Sepultura, and records its Hamburg performance for the live album No Holds Barred (Live in Europe), released in 1997. In 1998, Seinfeld begins acting in HBO’s series Oz as Jaz Hoyt.

In 1999, Biohazard releases New World Disorder on Mercury Records, again produced by Ed Stasium. The band later issues the compilation Tales from the B-Side, made up of B-sides and remixes, and Rob Echeverria leaves; Leo Curley joins from Outline and All Means Necessary. The group signs new deals with SPV/Steamhammer in Europe and Sanctuary Records elsewhere.

Studio work and side projects

Graziadei and Schuler turn the band’s Brooklyn rehearsal space into Rat Piss Studios, later renamed Underground Sound Studios, and use it to record and produce local acts and new Biohazard material. During this period Graziadei also forms the trip hop project Blu with Jenifer Bair, begins work on the book Tales From the Hardside, and later becomes involved with Endrah and the gabber-and-metal project Ampt. Schuler plays with Among Thieves. Seinfeld forms or joins several other projects, including The Spyderz and Tattooed Millionaires.

Later albums and temporary break-up

Biohazard’s sixth studio album, Uncivilization, appears in 2001 and includes guest appearances from musicians connected to Agnostic Front, Hatebreed, Pantera, Slipknot, Sepultura, Cypress Hill, Skarhead and Type O Negative. Leo Curley departs and Carmine Vincent replaces him. The band records Kill or Be Killed in 2003, and later completes Means to an End, which is re-recorded after a studio accident and released in 2005. In 2004, Graziadei says the album will be the group’s last, and the band subsequently goes through a period of inactivity.

During this break, Graziadei forms Suicide City, while Seinfeld works on other projects and appears in the VH-1 series Supergroup. Schuler announces his resignation in 2006 and forms Bloodclot with Jon Joseph, Scott Roberts and Craig Setari. Seinfeld also joins Attika 7 in 2011 after leaving Biohazard.

Reunions and recent activity

In 2008, the classic lineup of Seinfeld, Graziadei, Hambel and Schuler reunites for a summer tour marking the band’s twentieth anniversary. The group tours Australia, New Zealand and Europe, plays Persistence Tour 2009, and later works on a new record with producer Toby Wright. Seinfeld leaves in 2011, and Scott Roberts becomes his replacement before being confirmed as a permanent member in 2012. Biohazard releases Reborn in Defiance through Nuclear Blast, outside North America.

In 2016, the band’s line-up consists of Graziadei, Hambel and Schuler. In 2022, Seinfeld returns and the classic lineup reunites again. Biohazard announces shows at Bloodstock Open Air and Dynamo Metalfest, and is named as headliner for the first day of Milwaukee Metal Fest in 2023. The group later says that a new album and a documentary directed by Drew Stone are in progress.

Style and influence

Biohazard’s music combines tough-guy hardcore with hip-hop rhythms and heavy metal. Seinfeld says the vocal approach develops partly from shyness about singing, leading the band towards a rhythmic delivery. The group cites Carnivore, Agnostic Front, the Cro-Mags, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest among its influences. It is also cited as an influence on Pantera, Machine Head, Trapped Under Ice, Candiria, Sworn Enemy, Korn and 25 ta Life, and is regarded as one of the best-selling hardcore acts.