Uniform is an American
industrial metal and
noise rock band, formed in 2013 in New York City by vocalist Michael Berdan and guitarist Ben Greenberg. The current lineup of the band also features Mike Sharp and Michael Blume on drums, and Brad Truax on bass.
History
Greenberg previously played with
The Men and Pygmy Shrews whereas Berdan sang for Drunkdriver and York Factory Complaint.[1] The band came together after Greenberg and Berdan, who played in bands 3 years prior, started living on the same street.[2] The duo recorded their eponymous 12" single, which was released in 2014. Their debut studio album, 2015's Perfect World, was issued on Alter Records. For the release of 2016's Ghosthouse EP, the band signed to
Sacred Bones Records.[1]
2017 saw the release of the band's second album, Wake in Fright. Following the tour with
experimental metal band
The Body, Berdan contributed to their 2018 album I Have Fought Against It, But I Can't Any Longer., and the bands released a collaborative record Mental Wounds Not Healing.[1] The band also enlisted
Liturgy and
Zs drummer Greg Fox for its third studio album, 2018's The Long Walk.[3] A second collaborative album with The Body, titled Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back, was issued in 2019.[4] In January 2020, the band released the track "Awakening" as a part of the
Adult Swim single series.[5] In June 2020, the band announced their fourth album, Shame, and released its lead single "Delco".[6] The second single from the album, "Dispatches From the Gutter," was released in July 2020 with an accompanying music video.[7] Released on September 11, 2020, the record was mixed by
Randall Dunn and features Mike Sharp on drums.[8] In the same year, the band contributed the track "Catholic Town" to
Jesse Draxler's compilation, Reigning Cement.[9]
In June 2024, the band announced the release of their fifth studio album, American Standard, which will feature the extended line-up with the addition of touring drummer Michael Blume and bassist Brad Truax. The announcement was accompanied by the release of the lead single, "This Is Not a Prayer". The record will be supported by a North American summer tour.[10]
Musical style
Uniform's style has been described as
industrial metal,[6][11][12]noise rock,[1][13][14]industrial rock[6][13] and industrial punk.[15] The band incorporates elements from
industrial music,
thrash metal and
power electronics;[1] according to Luca Cimarusti of Chicago Reader, the band "continually streamlined their sound, toying with
Wax Trax! industrial, straightforward
punk, and electronic synth swaths—sometimes all at once."[14] Their second record,Wake in Fright, has brought together elements from
EBM,
hardcore and
noise,[15] while "leaning more heavily towards their hardcore and metal heritage" than their debut album, Perfect.[11]AllMusic's Paul Simpson compared the record to "an overdriven version of
Ministry's most thrash-influenced material, while likening Berdan's vocals to those of
David Yow and "a severely electroshocked
David Thomas."[13]Pitchfork's Andy O'Connor has compared the "mangled, mid-paced guitar riffs" on The Long Walk to "
Celtic Frost recorded through a series of budget amps and distortion pedals, then played at deafening volume."[16]
The band's live setup features heavy use of
drum machines,
bass synthesizers and multiple
guitar amplifiers;[1] Berdan additionally works on
electronic instruments such as synthesizers and
sequencers while Greenberg handles
drum programming, synthesizer parts and
production.[2]Perfect World was recorded with a single bass synthesizer and a drum machine; for its follow-up Wake in Fright, the band sought to "get a bigger sound" by the use of
sampling and sequencing on
Pro Tools.[2][17] Samples of
gunshots and
explosions were also used to produce
rhythm tracks.[18] Introduction of on Greg Fox's live drums on The Long Walk necessitated pre-production and modifications on Greenberg's guitar rig; his modified rig enabled him to trigger the bass synthesizer while playing the guitar.[2][19] Live drums on the follow-up record, Shame, were performed by Mike Sharp; the record featured "various shades of heavy, electronically charged rock,"[20] while incorporating elements from
doom metal,
black metal and thrash metal.[20][21]
Members
Current members
Michael Berdan – vocals, electronics (2013—present)
Ben Greenberg – guitar, bass, programming, electronics (2013—present)