Sam Black Church

ByLets Go Punk
Sam Black Church (SBC) is an American rock band

Sam Black Church (SBC) is an American rock band, named after the West Virginia community of Sam Black Church.

History

Formation and Musical Style

Known for a monstrous sound, distinctive vocals, and high-energy live performances, Sam Black Church played a frenetic blend of hardcore, metal, and thrash. They shared stages with diverse acts such as Bad Brains, Clutch, Motörhead, Cro-Mags, Nothingface, Stuck Mojo, and Helmet. In the mid-1990s, they stood out as one of the most popular hardcore bands in the northeast United States.

Record Labels and Breakup

After releasing their first three EPs on Taang! Records, Sam Black Church self-released a CD and later signed with Wonderdrug Records. They continued with Wonderdrug Records until the band’s dissolution in 2000.

Reunions

The band had several reunions, starting with a sold-out show on September 22, 2007, at The Roxy in Boston. They participated in the Hometown Throwdown 16 at the House of Blues in Boston on December 29, 2013. Another reunion occurred in 2016, featuring three sold-out shows in Boston, coinciding with the release of Duncan Wilder Johnson’s documentary on the band, Leave Behind a Groove in the Earth. In early October 2021, they reunited once again at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, MA, for back-to-back nights during the “Boston Rocks For Julie Duffy” fundraiser event.

Documentary

The band is the subject of the documentary film Leave Behind a Groove in the Earth: The Story of Sam Black Church. The documentary features commentary on the band’s influence from notable figures such as Bad Brains’ Dr. Know, Page Hamilton of Helmet, Lamb Of God’s D. Randall Blythe, and Neil Fallon of Clutch.

Discography

  • Unincorporated (1989)
  • Sam Black Church (1993)
  • Let in Life (1993)
  • Superchrist (1995)
  • That Which Does Not Kill Us…. Makes Us Stronger (1997)
  • The Black Comedy (1998)
  • For We Are Many – The Best of Sam Black Church (2001)

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