Cipher (7)

Cipher is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1996 in Long Beach, New York. Cipher's original line-up consisted of Moe Mitchell (vocals), Danny Bobis (drums), Chris Fry (guitar) and Krys Maniecki (bass). The band's earliest demo releases came out when the group were all High School Juniors. These releases were marked by a noticeably more metallic and progressive musical bent than their contemporaries in the Long Island Hardcore scene. Another distinct element of Cipher's sound was Moe Mitchell's vocals which were expressed as rhythmic, staccato yells rather than screams which drew some comparisons to hip-hop. Cipher's music addressed socio-political activism, hardcore scene politics and identity. Later releases became progressively pointed in their political critiques and complex in their musical structure. The release of the EP "Protoculture" marks a distinct change in artistic direction for Cipher. The four song recording was the first time Cipher put together a compilation of work written for the express purpose of being released as a unit. The outcome was a treatment on race, the trans-atlantic slave trade, spiritual indecision, and the role of the individual in changing her/his reality. Cipher has released three demos ("Serial", "99 Cent Demo" and "2") , one EP ("Protoculture"), one 6 inch EP ("Burnt Halos"), and one music video (for "Reaching Higher States" off the "Antidote" album). The band has become highly regarded in the Hardcore underground as a consistent voice of radical political dissent and musical experimentation. In 2003 the band was featured in James Spooner's cult classic documentary 'Afropunk'. In 2005 Cipher released their first non-DIY, nationally distributed release, "Children of God's Fire". "Children of God's Fire" has gone on to become an emblematic record in the band's history and an influential record, seen as a needed departure from the apolitical recordings popular in mainstream heavy music. From 2005 the band has seen several line-up changes. In 2010, the band released their second major release, "The Joyous Collapse". The record is Cipher's attempt at chronicling the internal contradictions and struggles of daily life, our many overlapping identities, and the many forms of oppression we encounter in society. The band is currently on tour supporting the follow-up to "Children of God's Fire", "The Joyous Collapse" with the 48-date DIY Summer tour from the east coast to the west coast of North America. On July 24, 2011, drummer Danny Bobbis went missing after a surf accident in South Sumatra. His body was found about twenty miles from where he had last been seen on July 28, 2011.