Stampin' Ground

At the forefront of the burgeoning UK hardcore scene of the late 90s, Stampin’ Ground owe as much to traditional bands like Slayer and Integrity as they do to hardcore acts such as Napalm Death. Formed in early 1995 with the intention of making the ‘slowest metallic hardcore possible’, initial demos were recorded and although several labels showed an interest the band opted to test themselves in the live environment first. After some personnel changes, the band settled on its first stable line-up, comprising Heath Powell (vocals), Anthony Mowbray (guitar), Scott Atkins (guitar), Ian Glasper (bass), and Adrian Stokes (drums). They then recorded further demos (for a 7-inch single ‘Dawn Of Night’ on the Days Of Fury label) and toured with Southend, Essex-based hardcore crew Above All and the emocore band Bob Tilton. With their fearsome live reputation growing, support slots with Sick Of It All, Slapshot and Ignite preceded another single, ‘Starved’, on the Too Damn Hype imprint. A European tour followed before UK shows with Peter And The Test Tube Babies and the Exploited. Stampin’ Ground then signed to German label, We Bite, who re-released the previous singles as an EP.