Editing Nothing Records (section)

=== Trust Obey ===
By 1995, [[Trust Obey]] completed their first album for Nothing Records, ''Hands Of Ash'', though it would never see release though the label.  Trust Obey is [[John Bergin]], an illustrator, designer, writer, filmmaker and musician. Originally a Pennsylvania native, Bergin had been "drawing and painting for as long as I can remember."<ref name="sonic-boom.com">{{cite web| url = http://www.sonic-boom.com/interview/john.bergin.interview.html| title = John Bergin of Trust Obey & C17H19NO3| author = unknown| work = Sonic Boom| date = October 16, 1996| access-date = September 3, 2016}}</ref> By 1984, while attending the University of the Arts in Philadelphia (from 1984 - 1988), Bergin began experimenting in music, citing such acts as [[Swans (band)|Swans]] and future Nothing Records act [[Einstürzende Neubauten]] as influences. Trust Obey was founded in 1988 in [[Kansas City, Missouri]], beginning as a one-man project with a series of self-released cassettes; ''Fucking The Wound'' (1989), ''Rip Saw'' (1989), ''Locust'' (1990), ''The Veil'' (1990), ''Room 101'' (1991) and ''Exit Wound'' (1991). In 1993, Bergin added guitarist Brett Smith as a permanent member of the band, in order to accommodate live performances.

By 1994, Bergin had become heavily immersed in the graphic design and comic book worlds and Trust Obey was commissioned to compose music to accompany [[James O'Barr]]'s graphic novel, [[The Crow]]. Timed to coincide with the release of the [[Alex Proyas]] directed [[The Crow (1994 film)|motion picture]] starring [[Brandon Lee]], the graphic novel was released in a special hardcover edition on [[Kitchen Sink Press]] and Graphitti Design and included Trust Obey's companion CD album, ''Fear And Bullets''. At this time, [[James O'Barr|O'Barr]] even claimed to have joined on as a member of Trust Obey,<ref name="Gooze, Rob M">{{cite web| url = http://wc.arizona.edu/papers/old-wildcats/spring94/MAY4,1994/14_1_m.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160915191218/http://wc.arizona.edu/papers/old-wildcats/spring94/MAY4,1994/14_1_m.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = September 15, 2016| title = James O'Barr Interview| author = Gooze, Rob M.| work = Arizona Daily Wildcat| date = May 4, 1994| access-date = September 3, 2016}}</ref> however, his only credited appearance on any Trust Obey release would be contributing some lyrics to the song "The Crow" on the ''Fear And Bullets'' album.

Trent Reznor would also have involvement with The Crow franchise, on the motion picture side of things, delivering a [[Nine Inch Nails]] cover of [[Joy Division]]'s "Dead Souls" for the [[The Crow (soundtrack)|hit soundtrack]]. Reznor would hear the ''Fear And Bullets'' album and offer Trust Obey a five-album contract with Nothing Records, making them one of the earliest acts signed to the label.<ref name="Gooze, Rob M"/> In an interview on the bootleg Nine Inch Nails disc, ''Disturbed'', Reznor discussed singing Trust Obey, noting that the band was "not a great commercial potential."

Working on the [[The Crow (score)|film score]] to The Crow were composer [[Graeme Revell]] and [[Lustmord|Brian "Lustmord" Williams]] (as a "musical sound designer"), both of whom went on to become friends with John Bergin through their mutual association with the franchise (Bergin went on to design art for releases with both Revell and Lustmord). Nothing Records expressed interest in signing composer Graeme Revell to release his [[The Crow (score)|score]] to The Crow film, which would be paired with a reissue of Trust Obey's ''Fear And Bullets'' graphic novel compositions and released together as a double album. However, Brian Lustmord expressed reservations about such a partnership. Bergin explained:

<blockquote>"Nothing Records was interested in releasing my Trust Obey Crow soundtrack and Graeme (Revell)'s Crow film score as a double CD. At the time Graeme didn't have a label for this work, so he was into the idea. Back then Brian (Lustmord) had first said to me "oh ... Nothing records ... Nine Inch Nails ... I'll say no more." He wasn't too excited about the notion of associating with Trent's label. He was right. The whole idea of the double CD fell apart."<ref name="sonic-boom.com"/></blockquote>

With plans for the Graeme Revell/Trust Obey joint release scrapped, Revell's score was ultimately released instead on the [[Varèse Sarabande]] soundtrack label, while Trust Obey entered the studio in the spring of 1995 to begin recording an album of new material for Nothing Records. The resulting album, ''Hands Of Ash'', was delivered to the label, where it was met with apprehension. The album remained shelved for an extended period, before Bergin became frustrated with the situation and the parties agreed to part ways in February 1996, with Bergin retaining the rights to the ''Hands Of Ash'' album.

In the wake of Trust Obey's departure from Nothing Records, Brian McNelis of [[Lakeshore Entertainment]] would put Bergin in touch with Jared Louche of the industrial rock band [[Chemlab]]. Bergin met with Louche in Chicago, while he was recording Chemlab's ''[[East Side Militia]]'' album. Louche at the time was serving as general manager for [[Fifth Colvmn Records]] and requested Bergin send him some material for release consideration.

[[Fifth Colvmn Records]] would opt to pick up Hands Of Ash, as well as another project of Bergin's, {{Proper name|C17H19NO3}} (the source of name being the chemical formula for [[morphine]]), for the ''Terra Damnata'' album.  ''Hands Of Ash'' was released on August 2, 1996 on Fifth Colvmn Records, bearing a sticker on the CD jewel case, featuring Reznor's "Not a great commercial potential" quotation on the cover. The album's liner notes also included mention of Reznor and Nothing Records in the credits, stating, "Thanks to Trent and Nothing for something."

Bergin would go on to form numerous other music projects, such as Orifice, Blackmouth, Tertium Non Data, Lolo and Camouflaged Abominations. He also performed as a member of Paved In Skin and had a short stint as a member of the industrial rock supergroup [[Pigface]]. Pigface was led by musician [[Martin Atkins]], who also ran [[Invisible Records]]. On October 28, 1999, Invisible Records reissued Trust Obey's ''Fear And Bullets'' album, with reworked versions of the original graphic novel tracks, as well as one song being added ("A Murder Of Crows") and one song removed ("Don't Look"). In 2001, Invisible also released {{Proper name|C17H19NO3}}'s ''Terra Null'' double album (the second disc of which was a reissue of the ''Terra Damnata'' album).

Bergin is currently the art director at [[Lakeshore Records]], where he has been involved in creating the artwork for hundreds of releases. He has also created numerous comic book series, including ''Ashes'', ''Golgothika'' and ''Wednesday''. For his graphic novel work, Bergin was nominated for the [[Harvey Award]] for Best New Talent in 1991.<ref>[http://users.rcn.com/aardy/comics/awards/harvey91.shtml] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060506135616/http://users.rcn.com/aardy/comics/awards/harvey91.shtml|date=May 6, 2006}}</ref> Through the 1990s, Bergin created short comics and illustrated titles for Heavy Metal Magazine, Marvel, DC and Dark Horse Comics. In the mid-90s, Bergin collaborated with [[James O'Barr]], working as creative talent for [[Tundra Publishing|Tundra]], where in addition to ''The Crow'', they produced ''Bone Saw'', ''IO'' and ''From Inside''.  In 2008, Bergin directed an animated feature-length film adaptation of ''From Inside'', which won numerous awards and screened at over 50 international film festivals, including SITGES (Best Animated Feature), Fantasia Film Festival (Jury Prize), Utopiales (Grand Prix) and Future Film Festival of Italy. ''From Inside'' was released on home video in October 2014.

In 2015, Trust Obey reissued ''Hands Of Ash'' digitally, via Bergin's own Stompbox13 label. Missing from the release was the final track, "Larvatus," though it was included as a bonus track on Stompbox13's [[Bandcamp]] edition, as well as the previously unreleased song "Malice Buried," which serves as part two of the song "Hands Of Malice." Bergin continues to use Stompbox13 as the primary outlet for his musical output.