DK draws its sound from a time before punk had to be ironic. In the pre-Internet age when MTV was just a child and you heard the new Metallica album by dubbing cassette tapes from your friends at school, the artistic vacuum of eighties mainstream allowed local talent to flourish, paving the way for institutions like Sub Pop and Dischord Records.

To Red, IDK’s founder and voice, The Ramones, The Misfits, New York Hardcore staples like SOIA and Leeway, and progressive punks like P.I.L. were as much a part of a balanced musical diet as the more iconic Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath. In 1990, barely out of high school and with pockets full of teenage enthusiasm, IDK was formed and ready to make noise. Unapologetically combining catchy hooks with hardcore urgency and blasting their music in packed local halls, they were part of a culture more relevant to the kids than anything the media was offering up for mass-consumption.

Through the first half of the nineties IDK allied themselves with the New York/New Jersey Hardcore scene while putting out a series of demos and a self titled seven inch record in 1994. They were one of the first acts signed to Bush League Records with their “To Kill for the Good of the Fight for the Right to be Right” EP in 1996. Despite being too “hardcore” for commercial radio and too “pop” for the metal purists, IDK was able to break into college radio rotation and catch the attention of UK metal heavy weight, Earache Records, which subsequently released their “Taking on the Monster” EP in 1997. IDK supported the release with a US tour.

The following year saw the release of “Till Death Do Us Part,” IDK’s epic, full-length album released by The Music Cartel. After a successful east coast tour in support of the record, IDK abruptly disbanded.

A decade later, with the line between underground and mainstream art conveniently blurred by the evolution of electronic media, I.D.K. returns. Reunited in January 2008, the new line-up features songwriter and vocalist Red, long time bassist Tom Conti, drummer Fabio Amato, and guitarist Mike Nappi.

“To Do What Must Be Done,” the band’s self-released comeback EP is four new tracks worth of signature IDK. Clean, almost machine-like production and tight rhythms laced with heavy guitars and catchy, melodic vocals will appeal to fans of the original line-up and earlier releases as well as listeners only now discovering this piece of punk rock history. witten by Sebough and Ole

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