Officer Negative/The Death Campaign Project - “Pile of Broken Tools”
The Death Campaign was the name given to a reformed Officer Negative when the new band was more of a metal band than a punk outfit. Vocalist Chad Wiggins was the only surviving member from Officer Negative to make the transition over to The Death Campaign. The reformed band would feature members of Death Metal band Akeldama. In 2002, the band would release Control Is an Illusion under the Officer Negative brand despite being more metal driven. This would be the final release under the Officer Negative branding and officially usher in The Death Campaign. The band would garner the attention of Solid State Records and secure a record deal with them. The band would record their debut album in January of 2003 and go on to tour As I Lay Dying in the summer of the same year. During their summer tour, Chad Wiggins allegedly stole the band’s equipment and was fired from the band as a result of his actions. The band attempted to carry on without him, but due to financial burdens, the band called it quits prior to the September 30, 2003 scheduled release of their album Completion Conceived. The album would be released months later on March 23, 2004 as Officer Negative Presents: The Death Campaign Project.
This song is off of the EP Control is an Illusion. Three of the four songs were recorded with a new vocalist for the Solid State full length.
I find it strange that the band would decide to continue using the name Officer Negative, when the new music was a completely different genre. They had to know that the old fans were probably going to hate the new material. So why not just commit to the Death Campaign name. It just sounds like you are trying to cheat your old fans into buying new music, when they would have probably bought it anyway if you’d advertised it as “former members of Officer Negative.”
For people who don’t give a shit about any of this stuff, just listen to the song. This was some of the best Metalcore to come out at the time, and it never got the recognition that it deserved.
