Vio-lence
Encyclopedia
Vio-lence was a thrash metal
band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. They released demo
tapes, one EP
and 3 LPs
between 1985 and 1993. Their most stable line-up was Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn on guitars, Deen Dell on bass, Perry Strickland on drums and Sean Killian on vocals.
guitarist) joined the band. With this line-up, they signed a recording contract with Mechanic Records to release a demo tape in 1986 and a following album.
Soon after releasing their demo tape they entered the studio to record their debut album, called Eternal Nightmare
, a seven track album released in 1988. It was well received in thrash metal circles.
Finally in 1990, their second album, Oppressing The Masses
was launched on Megaforce Records
with better distribution and marketing than their debut, Eternal Nightmare
. A video for the song "World in a World" was also filmed.
In 1991 they released an EP Torture Tactics
, which included three studio songs (old songs from the demo era which were recorded during the Oppressing The Masses
sessions) and one live track from the Oppressing The Masses
tour.
Internal conflicts in 1992 resulted in the departure of Robb Flynn who would move on on to form groove metal band Machine Head
. Vio-lence recorded their third and final studio album titled Nothing to Gain
, which was released in 1993. It was followed by Perry Strickland's departure and the resulting dissolution of the band.
Robb Flynn remains active as the guitarist and singer of Machine Head
. Phil Demmel joined Machine Head
in 2003. First as a session guitarist and later becoming a full-time member of the band.
as a 2 disc set including rare tracks and a live concert.
Initially planning only a few shows as part of the tribute to Testament's
Chuck Billy
during the Thrash of the Titans
benefit on 2001, the band decided to reunite with early guitarist Ray Vegas replacing Robb Flynn.
In addition to their 2005 re-release of Eternal Nightmare
, the band released a 7 inch vinyl record containing two demo
tracks from their original 1986 demo tape as well as one previously unreleased track. Only 1000 copies were produced and pressed by BoneCrusher Records. The 7 inch collectible was well marketed and advertised, but due to disagreements between the band and the BoneCrusher record producers, only Vio-lence was allowed to distribute and sell the 500 given to them by the producers. A deal was made to distribute a small quantity (about 100) through a Seattle
record store, the only known store to stock the item for sale to the public.
A DVD
entitled Blood And Dirt was produced by Jerry Allen - (Tales From The Pit video magazine) Metallian Productions and released on August 8, 2006 through Megaforce Records
.
Former
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. They released demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
tapes, one EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and 3 LPs
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
between 1985 and 1993. Their most stable line-up was Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn on guitars, Deen Dell on bass, Perry Strickland on drums and Sean Killian on vocals.
1985 - 1993
After many line-up changes Robb Flynn (former ForbiddenForbidden (band)
Forbidden is a thrash metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area. Formed in 1985 as Forbidden Evil, the group was founded by Russ Anderson and Craig Locicero, who are both permanent members. Since their formation, Forbidden have broken up and reformed twice with numerous line-up changes...
guitarist) joined the band. With this line-up, they signed a recording contract with Mechanic Records to release a demo tape in 1986 and a following album.
Soon after releasing their demo tape they entered the studio to record their debut album, called Eternal Nightmare
Eternal Nightmare
Eternal Nightmare is the debut album by the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Vio-lence. It was released originally in 1988 on MCA Records' Mechanix sublabel...
, a seven track album released in 1988. It was well received in thrash metal circles.
Finally in 1990, their second album, Oppressing The Masses
Oppressing the Masses
-Credits:*Sean Killian - Vocals*Phil Demmel - Guitar*Robb Flynn - Guitar*Dean Dell - Bass*Perry Strickland - Drums...
was launched on Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records is an American independent record label which was founded in 1982 by Jon and Marsha Zazula to publish the first works of Metallica. It has offices in New York and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony Music Entertainment/RED Distribution...
with better distribution and marketing than their debut, Eternal Nightmare
Eternal Nightmare
Eternal Nightmare is the debut album by the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Vio-lence. It was released originally in 1988 on MCA Records' Mechanix sublabel...
. A video for the song "World in a World" was also filmed.
In 1991 they released an EP Torture Tactics
Torture Tactics
Torture Tactics is the EP recorded by the San Francisco Bay Area thrash band Vio-lence in 1991. It was released originally on Megaforce Records and the studio tracks are old songs from the demo times of Vio-lence....
, which included three studio songs (old songs from the demo era which were recorded during the Oppressing The Masses
Oppressing the Masses
-Credits:*Sean Killian - Vocals*Phil Demmel - Guitar*Robb Flynn - Guitar*Dean Dell - Bass*Perry Strickland - Drums...
sessions) and one live track from the Oppressing The Masses
Oppressing the Masses
-Credits:*Sean Killian - Vocals*Phil Demmel - Guitar*Robb Flynn - Guitar*Dean Dell - Bass*Perry Strickland - Drums...
tour.
Internal conflicts in 1992 resulted in the departure of Robb Flynn who would move on on to form groove metal band Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...
. Vio-lence recorded their third and final studio album titled Nothing to Gain
Nothing to Gain
Nothing To Gain is the third full-length album recorded by the San Francisco Bay Area thrash band Vio-lence. The album was recorded in August 1990, but it wasn't released until 1993. By then Robb had already left the band and been replaced by Ray Vegas...
, which was released in 1993. It was followed by Perry Strickland's departure and the resulting dissolution of the band.
Breakup
Phil Demmel, Deen Dell, Ray Vega and Mark Hernandez formed a groove/thrash metal band called Torque which disbanded after releasing a studio album and playing several live shows. Demmel then went to form Technocracy.Robb Flynn remains active as the guitarist and singer of Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...
. Phil Demmel joined Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...
in 2003. First as a session guitarist and later becoming a full-time member of the band.
Reunion
Vio-lence has re-released its debut album Eternal NightmareEternal Nightmare
Eternal Nightmare is the debut album by the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Vio-lence. It was released originally in 1988 on MCA Records' Mechanix sublabel...
as a 2 disc set including rare tracks and a live concert.
Initially planning only a few shows as part of the tribute to Testament's
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
Chuck Billy
Chuck Billy (vocalist)
Chuck Billy is an American vocalist, who is best known as the vocalist for the thrash metal band Testament.-Testament:Chuck Billy replaced Steve "Zetro" Souza, future Exodus vocalist, in the mid-1980s when the band was still called Legacy. Following his arrival, Testament released their first...
during the Thrash of the Titans
Thrash of the Titans
Thrash of the Titans was a benefit concert held on August 11, 2001 at the Maritime Hall in San Francisco, CA. The concert was a co-benefit for Testament vocalist Chuck Billy, who was diagnosed with germ cell seminoma ; and Chuck Schuldiner, leader of the death metal band Death, who was also...
benefit on 2001, the band decided to reunite with early guitarist Ray Vegas replacing Robb Flynn.
In addition to their 2005 re-release of Eternal Nightmare
Eternal Nightmare
Eternal Nightmare is the debut album by the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Vio-lence. It was released originally in 1988 on MCA Records' Mechanix sublabel...
, the band released a 7 inch vinyl record containing two demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
tracks from their original 1986 demo tape as well as one previously unreleased track. Only 1000 copies were produced and pressed by BoneCrusher Records. The 7 inch collectible was well marketed and advertised, but due to disagreements between the band and the BoneCrusher record producers, only Vio-lence was allowed to distribute and sell the 500 given to them by the producers. A deal was made to distribute a small quantity (about 100) through a Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
record store, the only known store to stock the item for sale to the public.
A DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
entitled Blood And Dirt was produced by Jerry Allen - (Tales From The Pit video magazine) Metallian Productions and released on August 8, 2006 through Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records is an American independent record label which was founded in 1982 by Jon and Marsha Zazula to publish the first works of Metallica. It has offices in New York and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony Music Entertainment/RED Distribution...
.
Members
Final- Sean Killian – Vocals
- Deen Dell – Bass
- Troy Fua – Guitar
- Phil Demmel – Guitar
- Perry Strickland – Drums
Former
- Jerry Birr – Vocals
- Eddie Billy – Bass (brother of TestamentTestament (band)Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
vocalist, Chuck BillyChuck Billy (vocalist)Chuck Billy is an American vocalist, who is best known as the vocalist for the thrash metal band Testament.-Testament:Chuck Billy replaced Steve "Zetro" Souza, future Exodus vocalist, in the mid-1980s when the band was still called Legacy. Following his arrival, Testament released their first...
) - Robb Flynn – Guitar (previously in Forbidden EvilForbidden (band)Forbidden is a thrash metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area. Formed in 1985 as Forbidden Evil, the group was founded by Russ Anderson and Craig Locicero, who are both permanent members. Since their formation, Forbidden have broken up and reformed twice with numerous line-up changes...
) - Ray Vegas – Guitar (Attitude AdjustmentAttitude Adjustment (band)Attitude Adjustment was a crossover thrash band formed in the early 1980s in the San Francisco Bay Area.-Formation:The band was formed by Chris Kontos, Eric Smith and Rick Strahl in early 1985, briefly with Nick Koljian on vocals. The lineup was changed by the addition of Kevin Reed on vocals...
) - Mark Hernandez – Drums
LP
- Eternal NightmareEternal NightmareEternal Nightmare is the debut album by the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Vio-lence. It was released originally in 1988 on MCA Records' Mechanix sublabel...
(1988) U.S. #154 - Oppressing the MassesOppressing the Masses-Credits:*Sean Killian - Vocals*Phil Demmel - Guitar*Robb Flynn - Guitar*Dean Dell - Bass*Perry Strickland - Drums...
(1990) - Nothing to GainNothing to GainNothing To Gain is the third full-length album recorded by the San Francisco Bay Area thrash band Vio-lence. The album was recorded in August 1990, but it wasn't released until 1993. By then Robb had already left the band and been replaced by Ray Vegas...
(1993)