Thrashology 101: The Joy of Thrash

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Torture Squad

Country of origin: Brazil
Location: São Paulo, São Paulo
Formed: 1990
Years active: 1990-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash/Death Metal

Torture Squad took their name from the song "Death Squad" by Sacred Reich. They won the 'Metal Battle' on Wacken Open Air 2007.

In the beginning of April (2012), Vitor Rodrigues, the long-time vocalist of the band left Torture Squad to pursue new musical experiences. The band now acts as a powertrio.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Torture Squad is a Brazilian death/thrash metal band, founded in 1990 which has released six studio albums and one live album. The band released their newest album, Esquadrão de Tortura, in 2013.

Three years after being founded in 1990, the band entered a more professional phase, in a line-up with founder Cristiano Fusco on guitar, Wagner "Castor" on bass, Amilcar Christofaro on drums, and Vitor Rodrigues as frontman and singer. They started touring in and around São Paulo and soon recorded a demo, released in 1993, A Soul in Hell. Their first CD was Shivering (1995); their break-through came with Asylum of Shadows (1999).

Their 2001 album, The Unholy Spell, came right after the band's first tour in Germany. In 2002, Cristiano Fusco left the band, and the band hired Mauricio Nogueira (a seasoned studio musician who played for Krisiun as well as other local bands like In Hell and Zoltar), and went on their first Brazilian tour.

Pandemonium produced by Marcello Pompeu and Heros Trench (Korzus) was released in 2003. The CD was supported by a TV video clip for "Pandemonium" and "Horror and Torture." Again, the band played all over Brazil. Then, in 2006 Torture Squad embarked on a European tour, headlining in 16 towns in Germany and 4 in Austria. Afterward they played in more cities in Brazil until they participated in the Brazilian pre-selection for the famed Wacken Open Air festival. They eventually won the final in São Paulo, and they represented Brazil at Wacken Battle of the Bands 2007, which they won. This victory won them a contract with Armageddon Records (Germany); Mauricio Nogueira also won the "best guitar player" award, which earned him a brand new Dean guitar and a Marshall pre-amp.

Hellbound, was released in May 2008 by Armageddon, not long after Mauricio Nogueira left the band for personal reasons and Augusto Lopes (Eternal Malediction) was announced as the new guitarist. In 2008, Torture Squad embarked on a 60-date European tour, which will include a show at Wacken Open Air.

The year of 2009 started pretty well for Torture Squad. After the release of Hellbound and its excellent repercussion in Brazil, Europe and the United States, it was followed by a European tour with two of the world's major thrash metal bands, Overkill and Exodus. The tour began in mid February in London, where the Brazilian group performed for the first time, and included 12 more shows in countries like Spain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Their studio album “AEquilibrium” was released in Europe on August 2010 by Wacken Records / H'art / Zebralution / SAOL. They recorded a new version for the title track of their third album “The Unholy Spell” which is included as bonus track with the title of “The Unholy Spell 2010”. The album was recorded in São Paulo/Brazil, at Norcal Studios with producers Brendan Duffey and Adriano Daga.

In January 2011, guitarist Augusto Lopes left the band and André Evaristo replaced him. In April 2012 Vitor Rodrigues left the band and Evaristo took over the vocals.

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Annihilator

Country of origin: Canada
Location: Ottawa, Ontario (early) / Vancouver, British Columbia (later)
Formed: 1984
Years active: 1984-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Technical Speed/Thrash Metal (early), Groove/Thrash Metal (later)

Founded by Jeff Waters, who is also the sole constant member.

Since "Set the World on Fire," Annihilator albums have been mostly recorded with Waters playing all guitars and bass plus backing vocals (and lead vocals between 1994 and 1996), with live members joining up for tours. Former vocalist Dave Padden also played rhythm guitar onstage until his departure in 2015.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Annihilator is a Canadian heavy metal band founded in 1984 by vocalist, guitarist, bassist, songwriter, engineer, producer, mixer, mastering engineer Jeff Waters and vocalist John Bates. They are the highest-selling heavy metal group from Canada in Canadian history, having sold more than 3 million albums worldwide, although most of their sales have been generated outside of the band's home country. Their first 2 studio albums, Alice in Hell and Never, Neverland, are considered to be influential Canadian heavy metal records.

Since its inception, Annihilator has released fifteen studio albums and has undergone many line-up changes. Waters is the only remaining original member of the band, and sometimes assembles touring musicians to perform with him. Their latest studio album, Suicide Society, was released in September of 2015.

Side Note: Annihilator has seen many lineup changes throughout their history, making for one of the more convoluted lineup charts in the metal scene . . .

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Possessed

Country of origin: United States
Location: San Francisco, California
Formed: 1983
Years active: 1984-1987, 1990-1993, 2007-present

Side Note: apparently we cant have nice things due to copyright claims on Youtube, so I cant find links to the albums Seven Churches and Beyond the Gates. Here's a live performance of Seven Churches though :( . . .

EDIT - and the first video was removed. Yay. Man, these folks are determined.
Edit - and the other video was removed. There will always be another! :D

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Death/Thrash Metal

Possessed are hailed as the godfathers of the death metal genre; they are considered by some to be the first death metal band, and the name of the genre comes from their first demo, entitled "Death Metal."

Possessed was formed by guitarist Mike Torrao (19 years old) and drummer Mike Sus (age 14 at this time). Jeff Becerra (15 years old) from Blizzard came into the band, and soon was joined by second guitarist Brian Montana. This lineup recorded the 1984 demo Death Metal, and also an appearance on Metal Massacre VI with the song "Swing of the Axe".

At this time, Brian Montana was let go due to his subpar guitar playing, and also because he did not fit in well with the band's image. Larry Lalonde, previously in Blizzard with Jeff, was brought in, and after some gigs with Exodus and other bands, the band was signed by Combat, and the legendary "Seven Churches" was recorded. After some US touring with Slayer, Venom, and others, a second album was released, Beyond the Gates. This album led to a European tour with Voivod and Deathrow, and a US tour with Dark Angel, the legendary Gates of Darkness tour, as Dark Angel was touring in support of "Darkness Descends".

Tensions were rising within the band, and a final EP, The Eyes of Horror, was released. There were two gigs with Megadeth, and then Possessed broke up, with Mike Torrao putting the band on hold. Larry went to Blind Illusion, where he found Les Claypool and founded Primus, of all bands! In 1991, Torrao recruited Bob Yost on bass, Walter Ryan on drums, and Mark Strausberg on guitar, and recorded a demo tape and played three gigs. Then, Yost left, and was replaced by Paul Perry, and a second demo was recorded in 1993, and that was just about the end. Jeff Becerra was shot in a robbery, and paralyzed from the chest down, but has had a successful career since. Mike Torrao works as a landscaper and has some musical projects happening too, while Mike Sus got a degree in psychology, and is a counselor in a drug treatment clinic. Possessed is now reformed with Jeff's long-time friends from Sadistic Intent filling in on all instruments, while Jeff now only handles vocals due to his disability.

Fun fact: After the album Beyond the Gates was released, Larry LaLonde started to have guitar lessons with Joe Satriani, who ended up producing the EP The Eyes of Horror.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Possessed are often cited as the first death metal band, largely because of the early use of grunted vocals, ultra-fast drumming and guitar tremolo picking as previously noted. In the 2004 book, "Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore", Jeff Becerra staked claim to creating the "death metal" nomenclature in 1983. The band's efforts on Seven Churches have been called an influence by groups like Death, Pestilence, Sepultura, Deicide, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Sinister, Vader, God Dethroned and Amon Amarth, the latter five bands having appeared on a 2004 Possessed tribute album. Possessed's "The Exorcist" had been covered earlier by Cannibal Corpse on the 1993 Hammer Smashed Face EP.

Even while the band had played only a handful of gigs in the Bay Area, they earned a huge capital of popularity in Europe's metal scene. Members of Napalm Death were influenced by Possessed and credit the band for their musical shift from grindcore to a more death metal direction after Scum. In addition to their impression on overseas death metal, the group would also inspire black metal acts like Germany's Falkenbach, Greece's Rotting Christ, Switzerland's Samael and Norway's Dimmu Borgir.

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Exumer

Country of origin: Germany
Location: Frankfurt am Main, Hesse
Formed: 1985
Years active: 1984-1985 (as Tartaros), 1985-1991, 2001, 2008-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Exumer is a German thrash metal band formed in Wiesbaden in 1985 by singer/bassist Mem V. Stein and guitarist Ray Mensh. The band broke up in 1991 after two demos and two albums. Exumer appeared for a one-off show at Wacken Open Air in 2001 and were re-activated by V. Stein and Mensh in 2008.

The first album, Possessed by Fire, moves on the same line of Into the Dark Past of the then label mates of Angel Dust, the second album Rising from the Sea is rather more obvious the influence of Slayer thanks to the voice of Paul Arakaki, similar to that of Tom Araya. Soon after this album the band broke up only to reform in the 2001 during the exhibition at Wacken Open Air. In 2009 Exumer released a one track demo called Waking The Fire. Exumer have released their third album Fire & Damnation in April 2012.

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Paradox

Country of origin: Germany
Location: Würzburg, Bavaria
Formed: 1986
Years active: 1986-1991, 1998-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Power/Thrash/Speed Metal

Notable compilation appearances:
"March of the Saint" (Armored Saint cover) on "Harder than Steel, the official Keep It True festival tribute album" (Skol Records, 2014)

Pre-Paradox (1981-1985):
Volker Hartmann (co-founder, bass, 1981-1983)
Detlef Kernwein (guitar, 1981)
Earl Carter (guitar, 1982)
Rainer Langgut (bass, 1983, R.I.P.)
Brian Sorensen (bass, 1983)
Michael "Micky" Wehner (guitar, 1983)
Peter "Mounty" Motschiedler (vocals, 1983)
Martin Stark (Bass, 1983)
Andreas "Wuschi" Meyer (guitar, 1984-1985)
Klaus "Marshall" Albert (bass, 1984-1985)

Wikipedia Excerpts:

The group was formed in Würzburg in 1986 by two young musicians, Charly Steinhauer and Axel Blaha. Both of them were founding members of German cover bands of Overkill, Venom and Warhead since 1981. In February 1986 Markus Spyth joined on guitar and Roland Stahl on bass.

In July 1986 the band recorded a demo, drawing the attention of Roadrunner Records who went on to produce their first two albums. In 1987, their second demo "Mystery" was a success for the band, the German press calling it the best demo of the year. In the same year the band started recording their first album Product of Imagination, which contained 10 songs and lasted 40 minutes. It was a success in Germany, with the music magazine Metal Hammer recognizing it as the best German debut after Walls of Jericho by Helloween.

A year before releasing their second album, Roland Stahl left the band to be replaced by Matthias 'Kater' Schmitt. Shortly afterwards Spyth Markus also decided to leave the band and was replaced by Dieter Roth.

In November 1989, Paradox released their second album Heresy. The international acclaim received by the album helped to bring a worldwide fanbase to Paradox. In 1990, Markus Spyth was replaced by Kai Pasemann. From this year on, the band remained on hold for personal reasons of the members, and continuing line-up changes did not help their activity.

The band was inactive for almost ten years. In 1998 Charly Steinhauer had plans to reform Paradox. The new line-up featured Kai Pasemann on guitar and brothers Oliver and Alex Holzwarth on bass and drums respectively.

In May 2000 Paradox signed with AFM Records and released their third album Collision Course. Once again the album received very positive reviews. After this album the band again went on hiatus, this time because Charly Steinhauer contracted a serious intestinal disease.

In September 2005 Charly Steinhauer again reassembled the band with Roland Jahoda on drums and Olly Keller on bass. In January 2008 Paradox released their fourth album, Electrify, which became a success especially in Japan.

In October 2009 the band released its fifth album, Riot Squad, the album's main themes concerning the problems and violence present in civilization. The artwork was designed by Italian artist / Chile Claudio Bergamin who had also created the artwork for Electrify.

On December 14th 2012 they released "Tales of the Weird." Paradox is currently working on a new album, which is due for release in 2015, and is a concept album and a sequel to the band's 1989 album Heresy. However, the band stated on their Facebook page that their new album will not be called Heresy II.

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Wrath

Country of origin: United States
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Formed: 1982
Years active: 1982-present

Side Note: unfortunately, Wrath content is very hard to find on Youtube, so only 2 of their 8 albums/demos were found.

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Not to be confused with:
- Wrath from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- Wräth from San Francisco, California.

BNR Metal Pages Excerpts:

Wrath is a Chicago based thrash band of the late eighties, releasing three albums (one, interestingly, produced by none other than Ronnie Montrose of Montrose fame - who also produced Heathen's Breaking the Silence album) between 1986 and 1990, achieving some local success but not a lot of worldwide popularity. They broke up soon after their third album, and then reformed in the fall of 2005, with new releases in 2008 and 2014.

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Shah

Country of origin: Russia
Location: Moscow
Formed: 1985
Years active: 1985-1996

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Antonio Garcia and Miguel Garcia are stage names. All band members are Russian. Valeriy Gaina was producer of the band.

One of the first thrash bands in the USSR, and definitely the first to sing all in English.

BNR Metal Pages Excerpts:

Shah was one of the better Russian bands of the 80's, a time where not a lot of Russian bands got much publicity. Unlike many of their compatriots, Shah opted to sing entirely in English, a clear move toward Western acceptance.

They formed in 1985 and put out a rare debut in 1987, but the departure of Mikhail Zhemchuzhny for a career in the prestigious Gypsy Theatre put the band on hold. Eventually a new lineup stabilized and they signed to the Atom H label for 1989's Beware, arguably their best-known album. Zhemchuzhny's replacement, Anatoly Krupnov (leader of another Russian band, Black Obelisk), also departed, and again the band essentially olded.

Leader Antonio Garcia resurrected their earlier recordings and, with some new songs added, got them released as Terror Collection in 1991. By 1993 a new lineup was back in action and P.S.I.H.O. was released, but they folded for good shortly thereafter, with Garcia forming a short-lived solo project called Descent a few years later.

The style of Shah was squarely in the thrash arena, decidedly European (perhaps German) in sound, choppy, frenetic, quite well-played, particularly the two official studio releases (Terror Collection, featuring the early material, is quite a bit less developed). Though their style is slightly dated compared with the metal of today, Shah was a fine thrash band in its day, and Beware and P.S.I.H.O. are worth tracking down.

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Sacrifice

Country of origin: Canada
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Formed: 1983
Years active: 1983-1993, 2006-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Sacrifice is a Canadian thrash metal band from Toronto, Ontario. The band was formed by guitarists Rob Urbinati and Joe Rico in 1983. Sacrifice played a prominent role in the 1980s underground metal scene in Toronto, and grew to release four studio albums before parting ways in 1993. After coming back together to play a reunion concert in 2006, they released their fifth studio album The Ones I Condemn on Brazilian label Marquee Records in 2009. Although the band faced numerous lineup changes, especially in their early days, founding guitarists Urbinati, Rico and bassist Scott Watts recorded every studio album and demo and drummer Gus Pynn on everything but the Apocalypse Inside demo and CD.

Friends and guitarists Rob Urbinati and Joe Rico decided to form a metal band in 1983, playing covers of some of their favourite songs. They recruited Rico's friend Scott Watts to play bass, and Andrew Banks on drums, who was replaced by Craig Boyle. Singer John Baldy, a friend of Boyle's, also joined the band. Together they recorded a pair of rehearsal tapes — featuring their first original song "Turn in Your Grave", along with a variety of covers of songs by bands such as Black Sabbath, Metallica, and Judas Priest.

By early 1985, the majority of the band had decided to move towards a heavier and faster direction with Urbinati on vocals, ousting Baldy and Boyle, and were therefore in need of a new drummer. Ernst Flach filled the position for only a few live shows before leaving, as his drumming style did not fit the fast pace the band wanted to play. It was not until Gus Pynn had contacted the band for an audition that they finally found a permanent drummer. Now that they had a complete lineup, local record store employee Brian Taylor approached Sacrifice and local friends Slaughter to finance the recording of demos for these two bands in exchange for the profits made by selling the tapes at his shop. Both bands agreed, and Sacrifice released The Exorcism demo featuring new original songs. Later that year, Sacrifice opened a show in Toronto for Exodus, who were on their first North American tour. Sacrifice credits the growth of their band and the Toronto underground metal scene in general to their appearance at this show. As a result, the band signed a contract with Diabolic Force. In the fall of 1985, the band entered the Future Sound studio, to record the debut album Torment in Fire. The album was released in the same year in Canada on Diabolic Force, and in 1986 on Metal Blade Records in the United States and on Roadrunner Records in Europe. Until the album was released, the band worked on new material and finished it at the end of 1985. In July 1986, the band recorded another demo in the Open Sound Studio. This was followed by an appearance in Kitchener, Ontario, with Megadeth as the opening act for King Diamond. In September they played in Quebec City and the No Speed Limit Festival at the Spectrum in Montreal together with Possessed, Voivod, D.R.I. and Agnostic Front. In November 1986 Sacrifice opened up for Slayer on their Reign in Blood tour at the Concert Hall in Toronto.

In January 1987, the first appearances outside Canada followed with concerts in Detroit and Chicago. There followed further appearances in Canada until April 1987. The Band then entered Grant Avenue Studio in Hamilton, to record the album Forward to Termination. It was released again on Diabolic Force, Metal Blade and Roadrunner Records for the US and Europe. A music video for the song "Re-Animation" was also filmed. These were followed by the Milwaukee Metal Festival in July 1987 along with bands such as Death Angel, Trouble and King Diamond. In November 1987, they played with Nuclear Assault. Appearances in Ottawa, Quebec City and Montreal followed in December.

In December 1988 the band went into the Studio to record a new demo; Bassist Scott Watts played the electric guitar on a couple of out-take songs. A few days later Sacrifice performed as opening act along with the Goo Goo Dolls for Motörhead in Buffalo and Rochester. In 1989 the band recorded another demo. A few months later the band entered Phase One Studios in Toronto to record another album. It was produced by Joe Primeau and Brian Taylor. Again released on Diabolic Force, the album was titled Soldiers of Misfortune. The album was released in March 5, 1991. They also released a video for the song "S.O.M.". Towards the end of the year a tour followed with Razor. Drummer Gus Pynn left the band and was replaced by Mike Rosenthal, formerly of Dark Legion. In 1991 the band toured the U.S with British band Bolt Thrower and American thrash band Believer.

In 1993 Sacrifice went back to Phase One Studios to record the album Apocalypse Inside which was released on Metal Blade records. It was co-produced by Dave Carlo (guitarist with Razor). During that summer bassist Scott Watts parted ways with the band and was replaced by Kevin Wimberley. After a tour of the United States in the same year in which the band supported Death, Sacrifice called it quits.

Urbinati went on to form Interzone (with Wimberley), Tenet (in 2002), and War Amp (in 2005). In 2004 Brazilian record label Marquee reissued the Bands first 3 Albums on CD. Although the band faced numerous lineup changes, especially in their early days, founding guitarists Urbinati and Rico and bassist Scott Watts recorded every studio album and demo and drummer Gus Pynn played on everything but the Apocalypse Inside demo and CD.

In 2006, the band reunited and performed in Toronto at the 'Day of the Equinox II' festival, their reunion show of which a DVD, Live Reanimation, was planned but not released yet. Also in August 2006, they released a compilation named 198666 and it has the three demo's and live track's from early years.

In 2008, they entered Rouge Valley Studio in Toronto to record the album The Ones I Condemn, released in 2009 by Marquee Records from Brazil.

In late 2010 Sacrifice teamed up with punk rock band Propagandhi to release a 7-inch single where both bands perform cover tunes. Propagandi covered Corrosion of Conformity's hardcore/metal crossover "Technocracy" and Sacrifice covered Rush's "Anthem". The cover of "Anthem" was included as a bonus track on the Canadian issue of The Ones I Condemn.

On April 29, 2011 Sacrifice finally made it across the Atlantic to play their first show on European soil in Germany at the Keep It True Festival.

In February 2012 Sacrifice crossed the Pacific to play in Osaka, Japan, headlining the two day True Thrash Festival.

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Hexenhaus

Country of origin: Sweden
Location: Stockholm
Formed: 1987
Years active: 1987-1992, 1992-1997 (as Memento Mori), 1997, 2012-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Technical Thrash/Speed Metal

Hexenhaus did not exactly split up after Awakening, they morphed into Memento Mori, and then back into Hexenhaus. Most of the songs on Memento Mori's debut were written for a then new Hexenhaus record.

According to a dedication on the back of A Tribute to Insanity, the band's name, German for "Witch's Cottage", is a reference to the Malefizhaus (aka Drudenhaus, Hexenhaus, Hexengefängnis) in Bamberg, Germany, where hundreds of suspected witches were tortured and executed during the early 17th century.

Wikipedia.de Excerpts (translated):

Hexenhaus in 1987 by Mike Wead (ex- Candlemass ) in Stockholm founded. The first occupation recruited Wead from the members of the band just resolved Maninnya Blade . After 1988, the debut album A Tribute to Insanity in Black Mark Productions was released, exchanged Wead 1989 complete occupation and took over the sole songwriting . The 1991 albumThe Edge of Eternity offered more progressive influences and pushed both fans and critics a mixed response. The 1991 released album Awakening is, however, called a classic of Swedish thrash metal.

1992 decided mainman Mike Wead, together with Messiah Marcolin (ex-Candlemass) Memento Mori to form, after witch house came to a standstill. Some of the musicians switched to Memento Mori, others formed the prog-metal band Fifth Reason. Although published Hexenhaus 1997 comeback album Dejavoodoo , but was unable to repeat his earlier successes and dissipated shortly thereafter definitively on.

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Pariah

Country of origin: United Kingdom
Location: Newcastle, England
Formed: 1988
Years active: 1988-1989, 1997-1998

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Power/Thrash Metal

Pariah are one of the side ways of Satan who briefly changed their name to Blind Fury in 1984 and later Pariah in 1988. Pariah released two albums before splitting up. After the departure of the band, Steve Ramsey and Greame English formed Skyclad.

Pariah reunited in 1997 and released another album a year later.

BNR Metal Pages Excerpts:

Pariah's roots date back to the early 80's, when they were known mainly as Satan and also, for a brief time, as Blind Fury. After releasing several fine albums (notably Suspended Sentence (as Satan) and Blaze Of Obscurity), the abrupt departure of then-vocalist Michael Jackson (and Steve Ramsey and Graeme English's subsequent joining of Skyclad) led to the band's eventual breakup. The core of Ramsey/English/Tippins reunited in 1997, recruiting two new members, and released the fine Unity album. Despite the length of time between recordings, Unity doesn't miss a beat, as it melds perfectly with the previous albums without sounding dated. At this time it appears the reunion was a one-off, and the band is once again dormant.

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Coven (a.k.a Coven 6669)

Country of origin: United States
Location: Seattle, Washington
Formed: 1985
Years active: 1985-? (as Coven), 2010-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Power/Thrash Metal

Coven reformed after a longer hiatus and subsequently added "6669" (also the title of one of their songs) to their name due to a legal dispute and to avoid confusion with the psychedelic rock band from Chicago.

BNR Metal Pages Excerpts:

A long-lost (until recently) second-division thrash band, Coven formed in the mid-eighties, and enjoyed some success throughout their three-album career. Blessed Is The Black, their debut reviewed here, had a simplistic but heavy early thrash style and some pretty over-the-top lyrics. By the mid-nineties they were done, but the duo of brothers Dean and Neal Babbitt have put together a new edition of the band in 2012 (now technically called Coven 6669) and may record in the future. Note: no relation to the Detroit band who also went under the name Coven and now is officially Coven 13, nor the 70's act Coven.

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Num Skull

Country of origin: United States
Location: Winthrop Harbor, Illinois
Formed: 1985
Years active: 1985-1991, 1994-1996, 2000-?

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Death/Thrash Metal (early), Death Metal (later)

The band was broken up from 1991 to 1994 and again from 1996 to the early 2000s.

Also appeared on the compilation "History Of Things To Come", released in 1994 by "Growing Deaf Entertainment", with the songs "Future: Our Terror?" and "Spill Your Guts".

BNR Metal Pages Excerpts:

Midwestern death metallers Num Skull formed in 1985 and existed in various incarnations for a decade or so, with several demos and splits recorded as well as two full-length albums. Their last recording, 1996's, When Suffering Comes, is a rumbling, thrashy death metal effort, nothing really out of the ordinary for the style but a good listen anyway. In addition to the two albums listed below, there was an album entitled Future - Our Terror, recorded in 1991 but never officially released, though tape copies exist.

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Violator

Country of origin: Brazil
Location: Brasília, Distrito Federal
Formed: 2002
Years active: 2002-2014, 2015-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Not to be confused with Violator from Bauru, Sao Paulo.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Violator is a thrash metal band from Brazil, formed in 2002 by Pedro Arcanjo, Pedro Agusto, and David Araya. After 6 years of playing in the metal underground, the band signed with Brazilian label "Kill Again Records" and released their debut album, "Chemical Assault". Then they went on tour through Brazil and later in France, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Japan, Belgium, Mexico and Italy. In August 2012, during an interview, Violator confirmed a new upcoming studio album for late 2012, and started playing live a new song called "Echoes of silence".

The band was formed in 2002 by four guys who had the common goal of making music that sounded like Exodus, Vio-lence and Whiplash.

After a live rehearsal demo (Killer Instinct - 2002), a compilation album (Fast Food Thrash Metal) and plenty of gigs through Distrito Federal (Brazil) and surrounding areas, Violator got the opportunity to travel to Asuncion and play in Paraguay. After that, the band was invited to play as the opening act for German Thrash Metal pioneers, Destruction and American deathers, Malevolent Creation.

In the first months of 2004, the band signed with Kill Again Records label and released an EP called Violent Mosh. The release resulted in over 40 concerts in the next two years. Violator traveled through 10 Brazilian states in the Moshing With Violence Tour. One of these concerts was recorded as a DVD for the first edition of Da Tribo Rock Magazine. Violent Mosh was also the first release by the band to be released outside Brazil. The EP was released on cassette in Bolivia by Grim Art Prods. The cassette was limited to 666 copies. In late 2005, the guitarist Juan Leda, had to leave the band to continue his studies in Argentina, his homeland. The farewell show was with Finnish thrashcore band Força Macabra.

As of early 2006 Violator was functioning as a power trio. After six months of recording and editing at Orbis studio in Brasília, the band came out with the first full-length album, Chemical Assault. The album release was also the return of the two guitar line-up, after Márcio Cambito joined the band. The band continued playing concerts in Brazil and in South America. In 2009 they had the opportunity to play at the True Thrash Fest at Osaka, Japan with Hirax, Fastkill, Abigail, Rose Rose, Riverge, Kings of Evil, Code Red, and Impaler. In 2010, Violator released their album, Annihilation Process, continuing on the typical Old School Thrash Metal style that the group has played since it was formed. That EP was the debut in studio of Marcio Cambito. The group toured Europe in the Plunging Into Annihilation Euro Tour 2010 with the American thrashers, Fueled By Fire. The band also released several splits in 2010, Thrashing The Tyrants with Bandanos, Raging Thrash with Hirax, and True Thrash Fest, a DVD that was recorded during their presentation at the True Thrash Fest 2009, and that also includes songs of the other groups that performed on that year's fest edition.

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Forced Entry

Country of origin: United States
Location: Seattle, Washington
Formed: 1986
Years active: 1983-1986 (as Critical Condition), 1986-1995, 2002

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal (early), Groove Metal (later)

Forced Entry perhaps got its earliest start as early as 1983, when Tony Benjamins and Brad Hull formed a local band called Critical Condition. The band was drumless until 1984, when they hired Colin Mattson. Critical Condition suddenly changed their name to Forced Entry in 1986.

The band officially split up around 1995 without any official releases since the early 90's. That same year saw the release of a posthumous 4-song EP "The Shore", which was recorded in 1990-1991 during "As Above, So Below" sessions. They briefly reunited in 2002.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Forced Entry was an American thrash metal band, formed in 1984 in Seattle, Washington under the name Critical Condition. The band released two studio albums, one EP and three demos before breaking up in 1995, and briefly reunited in 2002. Forced Entry never achieved mainstream success, but they are often regarded as pioneers of the Seattle thrash metal scene, along with Metal Church, Panic, Bitter End, Coven and Sanctuary (whom guitarist Brad Hull would join when they reunited in 2010).

The band was formed in 1984 by vocalist/bassist Tony Benjamins, guitarist Brad Hull and drummer Colin Mattson under the name Critical Condition. It was a cover band that played songs from Kiss, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and AC/DC. Critical Condition changed their name to Forced Entry in 1986, and the following year released two demos, All Fucked Up and Thrashing Helpless Down. The latter won them the 1987 Northwest Music Award for "Best Metal Band".

The band released a third demo, Hate Fills Your Eyes, in 1988, which led to the band's first record label contract. They were signed to Combat Records (a subsidiary of Relativity), and in January 1989 recorded their debut album, Uncertain Future, which was released that June. The album was well-received by music critics. In support of the release, Forced Entry embarked on two major tours; along with Atrophy, they were the opening act for Coroner on their No More Color tour, and supported Sacred Reich and Obituary on the American Way tour.

They began recording their second and final album, As Above, So Below, in December 1990 at Normandy Sound in Warren, Rhode Island. The album was released in June 1991. It received some positive reviews, but achieved neither the underground success nor the critical acclaim of Uncertain Future, and Forced Entry was later dropped from Relativity. Without a label, the band decided not to tour in support of As Above, So Below.

The band continued to play shows and attempted, unsuccessfully, to sign with another label. In 1995 they released a four song EP, The Shore, and played a final show in Seattle in August. They reunited for one performance at the Abrasive Rock Festival in 2002.

Hull continued to be active in the music industry, joining local bands such as L.S. Diablo, Sac Lunch and Thug, and joined the reunited Sanctuary in 2011, appearing on their third album The Year the Sun Died (2014). He formed L.S. Diablo with guitarists Riley Hull and Aaron Goff and drummer Paul Marshall in 2009, playing bass on their self-produced six-song album. Benjamins and Mattson jammed in local band called DUMT, but are currently both retired from the music industry. In 1993 Hull and Benjamins appeared in an episode of "The Lame List", a recurring segment of the local Seattle television comedy Almost Live!.

Century Media reissued Uncertain Future in 1999 with The Storm as bonus tracks. Lost and Found Records reissued As Above, So Below in 2009.

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Vio-lence

Country of origin: United States
Location: San Francisco, California
Formed: 1985
Years active: 1985 (as Death Penalty), 1985 (as Violence), 1985-1993, 2001-2003

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Vio-lence was formed under the name Death Penalty in 1985. They quickly changed their name to Violence, and then the two-tiered logo with hyphen forced the name change to its permanent form. The original lineup was Jerry Birr on vocals, Phil Demmel and Troy Fua on guitars, Eddie Billy (brother of Testament's Chuck Billy) on bass, and Perry Strickland on drums. This lineup appeared on the Eastern Front (Live at Ruthies) 2LP compilation in 1985 with the song "Gutterslut". Eddie Billy left soon and was replaced by Dean Dell, and this lineup recorded a rehearsal tape that was released as a demo.

Jerry Birr (later to appear in Enemy Mind) was replaced by Sean Killian on vocals, and the band recorded their first official demo, before Troy Fua left and was replaced by Forbidden Evil founding member Robb Flynn in early 1987.

The band re-recorded all the songs on their first demo for a second one, in 1988, with minor lyrical changes, and new song titles, for their \"Mechanic Records demo\" in 1988. This label released their debut, Eternal Nightmare, later that year. A tour with Testament and Sanctuary followed, and then another tour with Voi Vod, followed by a second album, Oppressing the Masses, in 1990.

One track, Torture Tactics, was deleted off the album due to its offensive lyrical content, but then was released as the title track of a 1991 EP. Another tour, this time with Defiance, followed. The third album, Nothing to Gain, was recorded in 1991 but constant record label problems delayed its release.

At this point, Robb Flynn left to form Machine Head, and was replaced by Ray Vegas on guitar, and Perry Strickland was replaced by Mark Hernandez on drums. A final demo was recorded in 1993, before the band broke up.

Vio-lence reunited for Thrash of the Titans, a benefit for Chuck Billy and Chuck Schuldiner, in August 2001. The lineup of Killian, Demmel, Vegas, Dell, and Strickland played a 64 minute gig, which led to further shows in the Bay Area. Ray Vegas was replaced by a returning Troy Fua, and for one gig, Phil Demmel, who was unable to attend, was replaced by Steve Schmidt. Phil also helped out Machine Head as a second guitarist for a few gigs, with Machine Head bassist Adam Duce returning the favour for a gig at Dean Dell's wedding in 2002!

The band has officially split up, with Phil Demmel concentrating exclusively on Machine Head.

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The mighty Legacy deserves a separate entry as my 500th post!

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Legacy

Country of origin: United States
Location: Oakland, California
Formed: 1983
Years active: 1983-1986, 1986-present (as Testament)

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

There was precisely one show played as Legacy with Chuck Billy on vocals, in July of 1986.

Complete Lineup:
Greg Christian - Bass (1983-1986)
Louie Clemente - Drums (1983-1985, 1986)
Alex Skolnick - Guitars lead
Eric Peterson - Guitars rhythm
Steve "Zetro" Souza - Vocals (1983-1986)
Derrick Ramirez - Guitars (1983)
Mike Ronchette - Drums (1985-1986)
Chuck Billy - Vocals (1986)

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Kat

Country of origin: Poland
Location: Katowice
Formed: 1979
Years active: 1979-1988, 1990-1999, 2002-2005, 2005-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Heavy/Speed/Black Metal (early), Thrash Metal (later)

Kat (Polish for “executioner”) was formed in late 1979 by drummer Ireneusz Loth and guitarist Piotr Luczyk – bassist Tomasz Jaguś and guitarist Ryszard Pisarski later joined the band. They played instrumental music until mid-1982 when Roman Kostrzewski took vocal duties. Their sound was clearly reminiscent of 70’s hard rock and the NWOBHM, later embracing a thrash-oriented sound.

In 1984, Wojciech Mrowiec replaced Pisarski and the group qualified for the band contest of the Jarocin festival. Their increasing success made possible the recording of their debut single Ostatni Tabor/Noce Szatana the same year, with the collaboration of Tomasz Dziubiński. In May 1985 they toured with Hanoi Rocks and headlined the Jarocin festival. They signed shortly afterwards with the Belgian record label Mausoleum Records, which released the English debut Metal And Hell, which came out in March 1986 The Polish version 666 was released by Klub Płytowy Razem in 1987. Despite the bad production and sound quality, the album became a cult-item among fans. The band gained popularity and sparked controversy with their satanic lyrics and celebrations of black masses on cemeteries.

Bassist Krzysztof Stasiak was introduced and Mrowiec presented his resignation in 1987. That year Kat toured with Metallica in their home country and gigged alongside Overkill, Helloween and Running Wild in the Metalmania festival, releasing the live album 38 minutes Of Life in December. By late 1987 they also recorded Oddech Wymarłych Światów, finally released 1 year after. The band parted ways with Dziubiński, marking the beginning of a period of crisis, forced to dissolve in 1988 due to Kostrzewski’s departure.

It wasn’t until 1990 when Kat was reactivated, adding new bassist Sword and guitarist Jacek Regulski, going on tour with TSA and Acid Drinkers, later appearing in the Jarocin festival. This new formation recorded Bastard in 1992 and Ballady in 1993. In 1995, Kostrzewski’s debut solo album Biblia Satanistyczna was released and labeled as Roman Kostrzewski & Kat but it’s not considered part of Kat’s discography.

Next record ...Róże Miłości Najchętniej Przyjmują Się Na Grobach released in 1996 and Szydercze Zwierciadło in 1997 marked a change in the group’s sound from thrash metal to less harsh groove metal. Kat suspended activities after the tragic death of Regulski in a motorcycle accident.

The band was reactivated by late-2002, going on tour and playing in most major cities in Poland. In 2004 Kostrzewski and Loth left Kat and formed Kat & Roman Kostrzewski due to musical differences, playing songs of the band live which led to legal battles with Piotr Luczyk.

Drummer Rogol, second-guitarist Jarek Gronowski and singer Henry Beck completed the new line-up, which recorded Mind Cannibals entirely in English, which saw the light of day in October 2005 through Mystic Production. European dates with Six Feet Under and a couple on concerts in their home country sharing stage with Helloween followed. In 2007, they signed a distribution deal with Karthago Records, and a license deal with Nuclear War Now! Productions, which will release their albums Mind Cannibals, 666 and Metal and Hell on limited edition vinyls.

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Morbid Saint

Country of origin: United States
Location: Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Formed: 1986
Years active: 1982-1994, 2010-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

Morbid Saint was a favorite opener for Death during those days, culminating in the infamous Metalfest (which took place sometime in December, 1989) featuring Death, Acrophet and Morbid Saint.

Eric Greif, the producer who worked on the band's Spectrum of Death album, was also the manager of Chuck Schuldiner and Death from 1988 to 1992.

The band broke up by the mid-90s but reunited in early 2010. 2 new songs have been recorded for a reissue of Spectrum of Death by Relapse Records.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Morbid Saint is an American thrash metal band from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, active from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. The band opened up numerous concerts for Florida's Death, one of the progenitors of death metal, as they shared a manager. The band has recently reformed and are planning to record two new songs for the reissue of "Spectrum Of Death".

Morbid Saint was formed in 1982 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The band debuted in 1988 with a demo, Lock up your Children. It was re-issued in 1989 as an album by the Mexican Avanzada Metálica label and later in 1990 by Grind Core International with the title Spectrum Of Death. In 1992, the band released the Destruction System demo only for the fans. It is not an official LP, but its duration is 33 minutes.

The last line-up of the band recorded the demo Destruction System but it was not released until 2005 as part of a limited edition, Chilean double release with Spectrum of Death.

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Gammacide

Country of origin: United States
Location: Arlington, Texas
Formed: 1986
Years active: 1986-1992, 2004-present

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Thrash Metal

BNR Metal Pages Excerpts:

Gammacide were part of the massive wave of thrash bands that appeared near the end of the 80's and into the early nineties. Their approach was particularly frenzied and aggressive, though not really radically different from many of their peers, with their lyrics based in social/environmental issues of the day. Guitarist Rick Perry later decided to move in a different direction, forming the industrial metal band Puncture, while vocalist Varnam Ponville and guitarist Scott Shelby moved to Louisiana and eventually formed a band called Cauldron, releasing a 1997 album entitled For The Love Of Pain. The group did get together in 2004 to record two new tracks, that are now part of the CD re-release of their sole album, Victims Of Science.

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Realm

Country of origin: United States
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Formed: 1985
Years active: 1985-1992

Encyclopedia Metallum notes:

Genre: Technical Thrash/Power Metal

Not to be confused with Realm from New York City, New York.

After Realm split up, the three instrumentalists formed White Fear Chain with a new singer, namely Buddo of Last Crack.

Wikipedia Excerpts:

Realm is an American thrash/progressive metal band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin that formed in 1985.

Realm formed in 1985 in Milwaukee. They released two underground demo tapes at first; Perceptive Incentive in 1985 and the landmark Final Solution in 1986. In 1988, the band signed to the up-and-coming Roadrunner Records label and released their debut album, Endless War, later that year. The album featured a classic cover version of The Beatles' song "Eleanor Rigby" that they converted into speed metal form.

In 1990, Realm released their much anticipated second album, Suiciety. It contained a more unique progressive sound than the band's earlier releases.

After fulfilling their 2-album deal with Roadrunner, the band searched for a new label. They recorded another album's worth of material, but it remains unreleased to this day. In 1992, Realm disbanded.

Endless War and Suiciety were digitally remastered and re-released worldwide under the Metal Mind Productions label in 2006 and in 2007 in the United States.