Hassan I Sabbah - "untitled" LP

Hassan I Sabbah was a short lived, yet legendary, Emo-Violence band that originated during a chance meeting of its core members in 1999 in Boston, MA who shared a love for bands like Heroin and Mohinder. Featuring members of Puritan, Prevail, and Forcefedglass, to name a few, the band started when Fall of Leningrad bassist Ryan Daniels met Tommy Davis. The lineup was rounded out by drummer Mike Justain and then sixteen year-old Forcefedglass guitarist Zac Davis, eventually coming to rest with Chad Pfeiffer of Puritan on vocals.

Existing for less than a year, Hassan I Sabbah canceled, or vanished, from more shows than they actually played and ended without ever releasing a full album - yet the ink they left in the ledger of New England Hardcore persists. They found their way to many basements and VFW halls coming up alongside and playing with genre defining bands such as Orchid, Jeromes Dream, American Nightmare, Saetia, and PG.99. There were more stories and tales of the band’s shows than there were recorded songs. Their influence and live performances were chaotic, powerful and the stuff of messageboard lore. After disappearing at the end of 2000, some members would go on to play in bands such as Unearth, The Red Chord and Madball.

‘Untitled’ serves as the defining document of Hassan I Sabbah, archiving all of the known recordings, photographs, and show posters, which took years to find and collect. This complete discography includes their self-titled EP produced by Kurt Ballou (Converge) at God City Studio, the split with Usurp Synapse, their track from Ghost in the Gears (Iodine Compilation), and a demo recording of “Not So In Tune With Shells”. The first four tracks were also remixed and remastered by Jack Shirley at The Atomic Garden (Deafheaven, Loma Prieta). The release is complete with a 12-page retrospective zine with thoughts and reflections from the band on their short history and is accompanied by photographs and poster art.

Although they were only active from October 1999 through August of 2000, the legacy of Hassan I Sabbah is a lasting one.