Grade

 

Grade are a five-piece hardcore/emo band from Burlington, Ontario that began in 1994 and initially broke up in 2002, before reuniting for shows in 2006, and ha,ve been fully reformed since 2009, though less active than in their formative years. They technically began in 1992 under the name Incision, but after a few line-up changes they finalized as Grade in 1994, with their debut LP coming out a year later. After three more albums, other assorted releases, and some relentless touring, they disbanded in 2002. They reunited in 2009 to record new material, as well as sporadically tour and play shows. 

Sonically, this band is often praised as being pioneers of the hardcore/emo blend that would become more widely popular in the 2000's. They developed a strong following, but never got any widespread recognition, thus why words like "underrated" and "influential" are often thrown their way. Rightly so, I might add. The band had the unique ability to blend metallic riffs of hardcore heavies like Chokehold with the more melodic, cathartic octave-chord crescendos of early emo bands like Evergreen or Sunny Day Real Estate. They were also one of the earliest bands to incorporate both screamed and cleanly sung vocals, a sound that again wouldn't become widespread until the next decade. If you're looking for a place to start with this band, Under The Radar is probably their most popular album, though I've always been partial to the rawer sound of And Such Is Progress. In regards to their discography, everything is below is near-complete, though there are a few minor things missing. Most notably some compilation tracks, as well as the early Afterthought single and Incision split, though all tracks from those two releases do appear elsewhere here. Enjoy!

Grade/Believe (1994)

1. Grade - Cripple

2. Grade - Choda

3. Grade - Impulse

4. Grade - Hairdie

5. Grade - Digga Digga Song

6. Grade - Classified

7. Grade - Melodic Song

8. Grade - Entangled

9. Believe - Pot O' Gold

10. Believe - Drowning

11. Believe - Last Chances

12. Believe - Second Coming

13. Believe - Joel's Song

14. Believe - Escape

15. Believe - Regret

And Such Is Progress (1995)

1. Weave

2. Miracle Ear

3. CFNY

4. Bedhead

5. Tearjerk

6. Hive

7. Pocket Rocket

8. And Such Is Progress

Grade (1996)

1. Chancre

2. Not Heroic

3. Abandon The Need

Separate The Magnets (1997)

1. Conceptualizing Theories In Motion

2. Symptoms Of Simplifying The Simplistic

3. The Adaption Of Means

4. Life Gets In The Way Of Living

5. To Illustrate And Design New Parameters

6. The Joy Of Stupidity

7. The Tie That Binds

Triumph & Tragedy (1999)

1. Triumph & Tragedy

2. Stolen Bikes Ride Faster

3. Panama (Van Halen cover)

Under The Radar (1999)

1. The Inefficiency Of Emotion

2. For The Memory Of Love

3. Seamless

4. The Tension Between Stillness And Motion

5. Victims Of Mathematics

6. A Year In The Past, Forever In The Future

7. The Worst Lies Are Told In Silence

8. Second Chance At First Place

9. Stolen Bikes Ride Faster

10. When Something Goes To Your Head

11. Triumph and Tragedy

The Embarrassing Beginning (2000)

1. Cripple

2. Punk Rock Song

3. Impulse

4. Hairdie

5. Digga Digga Song

6. Classified

7. Instrumental Song

8. Entangled

9. Afterthought (Demo)

10. The Tension Between Stillness & Motion (Demo)

11. Triumph & Tragedy (Acoustic)

12. Stolen Bikes Ride Faster

13. Panama (Van Halen cover)

14. A Year In The Past (Radio Version)

15. Seamless (Acoustic Version)

Note: Compilation including songs from the Grade/Believe split, Triumph & Tragedy

Headfirst Straight To Hell (2001)

1. Termites Hollow

2. Becoming Not Being

3. In The Wake Of Poseidon

4. Bleeding Warm & Newly Dead

5. Overthrowing Creation Itself

6. Little Satisfactions

7. Vertical Transmission

8. Will Bending

9. In Ashes We Lie

10. Sixth Chamber

11. The Empress

12. Twenty Moons

13. Winds Of Hell / The Glorious Dead

At Both Ends (2009)

1. Bane - Non-Negotiable

2. Bane - Struck Down By Me

3. Grade - These Eyes Are On The Exit

4. Grade - Optical Portions

5. Unrestrained - Immaculate Deception 

6. Unrestained - Anak Krakatau

7. Between Earth And Sky - Skin And Stone 

8. Between Earth And Sky - Flow

Collapsed Lungs (2014)

1. Collapsed Lungs

2. Unstoppable Force vs. Immovable Object

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