title: Gorilla Biscuits created: 2026-04-07 updated: 2026-04-07 type: band tags: [band, hardcore, straight-edge, youth-crew, era-1990s] sources: [raw/articles/nyhc-history.md]

Gorilla Biscuits

New York City. Formed 1986 by Civ (Anthony Civarelli, vocals), Walter Schreifels (guitar), Arthur Smilios (bass), Luke Abbey (drums), and Alex Brown (guitar). Straight edge, youth crew hardcore. One of the most important NYHC bands and a defining force in the youth crew movement.

Key Releases

• Gorilla Biscuits (1988, Revelation Records) — Self-titled 7“. Raw, fast, melodic. “Breaking Free,” “Hold Your Ground.”
• Start Today (1989, Revelation Records) — The classic. “Start Today,” “Degradation,” “New Direction.” Melodic youth crew hardcore at its absolute peak. One of the best hardcore albums ever recorded. The album’s positive message and memorable hooks made it a crossover hit within the broader punk community.

The Youth Crew Connection

Gorilla Biscuits were central to the late-80s “youth crew” moment — a subset of NYHC that emphasized positivity, straight edge, and community over the violence and nihilism of earlier hardcore. Walter Schreifels had previously played bass in Youth of Today (the band that named the movement). Civ’s lyrics were earnest, optimistic, and community-focused.

After Gorilla Biscuits

• Walter Schreifels — formed Quicksand (post-hardcore, Slip 1993), Rival Schools (2001), solo work. One of the most important figures in NYHC-to-post-hardcore evolution.
• Civ — formed CIV (1994-2000), a pop-punk/hardcore band. Set Your Goals (1995) on Atlantic.
• Luke Abbey — Warzone drummer at various points.

The band has reunited multiple times for festivals and tours (2006, 2018+).

Related

• nyhc — the scene they emerged from
• straight-edge — the movement they embodied
• post-hardcore — Schreifels’ later work
• refused — parallel post-hardcore evolution from hardcore roots