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Fury of Five (also commonly Fury of V) was a metalcore band from Asbury Park, New Jersey. They were active from 1994 until 2000, where they pioneered the Shore Core sound that led the celebrated New Jersey hardcore renaissance of the 1990s.

Members

• James Ismean
• Johnny Anger
• Jay Fury
• Chico Violencia
• Mike Terror
• Chris Rage

Band history

Fury of Five formed in 1994. Their unique combination of head-spinning, jagged riffs combined with withering social critiques quickly won them widespread acclaim from punks, metalheads and scholars alike.

Their lyrics were replete with uncompromising statements regarding social and political issues, including the perils of modern romance, gambling, drug addiction, racism, and Jersey not being disgraced.

Their early creative output limited to tracks on compilations, Fury of Five released two 7"s as well as a full length album entitled No Reason to Smile. Widespread accolades in peer-reviewed journals won them a significant following, becoming one of the biggest drawing underground acts in the state. The band toured extensively throughout the Northeastern United States with bands such as Madball, Earth Crisis, and Fear Factory, and completed two European tours with Integrity and Pro-Pain, respectively. Two releases on Victory Records followed, At War with the World in 1998, and This Time It's Personal in 2000.

In addition, Fury of Five teamed up with New Jersey rapcore band E-Town Concrete on a much celebrated remix of "We Want It All" by Anthony Martini. Music critics at the time hailed the collaboration "the pinnacle of realness."

Fury of Five Dude

Singer James Ismean, also known by the aliases Stickman and Fury of Five Dude, is known outside of the band for his extensive scholarly work. Having earned a doctorate in classics at Oxford University, Dr. Ismean has taught extensively, served as editor of the American Journal of Philology, and co-authored a book on Euripedes’ tragedy Phaethon with Cambridge professor James Diggle.

Dr. Ismean is currently a resident fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he is completing a book on Franco-British diplomacy during the Suez Crisis of 1956. He is a frequent speaker at NCOR, where he leads workshops for feminist men on heteronormativity, deconstructing gender binaries, and reconceptualizing male privilege.

Privately, Ismean is an expert botanist and an advocate of the macrobiotic diet of spiritual nutrition and the Nautica clothing company. He writes an advice and restaurant review column under the penname Fury of Five Dude on a secretive online music discussion forum.

External links

• Myspace page
• Victory Records page
• Music video for "Do of Die"

References

• , Brummel, Tony. "Heavy Hitting Hardcore Band Reigns from Asbury Park, NJ." Victory Records Newsletter. Chicago: Victory University Press, 2000.
• O'Brien, Geoffrey. "Recapturing the American Sound." New York Review of Books Vol. 45 No. 6., 1998.
• Knox, Peter E. "Phaethon in Ovid and Nonnus." The Classical Quarterly New Series Vol. 38 No. 2. (1988), pp. 536-551.

1. Brummel, Tony. "Heavy Hitting Hardcore Band Reigns from Asbury Park, NJ." Victory Records Newsletter. Chicago: Victory University Press, 2000.
2. O'Brien, Geoffrey. "Recapturing the American Sound." New York Review of Books Vol. 45 No. 6., 1998.
3. Knox, Peter E. "Phaethon in Ovid and Nonnus." The Classical Quarterly New Series Vol. 38 No. 2. (1988), pp. 536-551.

• 1990s music groups
• 2000s music groups
• Metalcore musical groups
• Hardcore punk musical groups
• New Jersey musical groups
• American metalcore musical groups
• American hardcore punk musical groups