by Charles SpanoFormed in Oslo, Norway, in 1998, JR Ewing unleashes a full attack of angular guitars and relentless riffs reminiscent of Drive Like Jehu, the Hot Snakes, At the Drive-In, and Refused. A few months after forming, JR Ewing went into X-Ray Studios and recorded six songs that resulted in the band's self-released Integritas.Consonantia.Claritas 7", which was later re-released by Lilac Sky. After touring Scandinavia and Europe, the band released two split 7"s with Break and SYC. Calling in Dead, JR Ewing's debut full-length, recorded in six days, improved the band's sound with tighter songwriting. The record was released on Coalition Records in 2000. The Singles Collected followed on German imprint Scorched Earth Policy, and then in February of 2001 the group recorded The Perfect Drama EP, which embraced a trashier lo-fi sound. When drummer Morten Billeskans became sick and couldn't complete a tour, the band solidified the lineup of vocalist Andreas Tylden, guitarists Erlend Mokkelbost and Håkon Mella, and bassist Petter Snekkestad, with Kenneth Lamond on drums. They then recorded a split record with This Machine Kills. Ride Paranoia, JR Ewing's most accomplished album and their first for Gold Standard Laboratories, was recorded in nine days in May 2002 and released in February 2003. With tightly wound dual guitars and a thrashy intensity, the album served to sweep the dust out and revitalize the stale hardcore genre. What would be their final album, Maelstrom appeared in the United States in May 2005, as the band almost concurrently announced their dissolution. After playing final shows around Europe that fall, JR Ewing called it a day.