Atrophy is an American

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

band formed in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. As a result of their fast-playing style and lyrical themes (often covering death, politics and social issues), the band has been compared to their thrash metal contemporaries Testament,

Vio-lence Vio-lence is an American thrash metal band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Throughout its existence, they released demo tapes, one EP and three studio albums. Vio-lence is best-known for their association with the 1980s Bay Area ...

, Forbidden,

Sacred Reich Sacred Reich is an American thrash metal band based in Phoenix, Arizona, that was formed in 1985. The band split in 2000, but reunited in 2006. Sacred Reich has been credited, along with Testament, Destruction, Death Angel and Dark Angel, for ...

and Nuclear Assault.

Career

Atrophy, originally named Heresy, was formed in 1986 by Chris Lykins, James Gulotta, and Brian Zimmerman. Tim Kelly and Rick Skowron later joined the band. In 1987, the band produced two cassette demos and were subsequently picked up by heavy metal label,

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. History The label was launched in 1980 in t ...

, which released two albums: '' Socialized Hate'' in 1988 and '' Violent by Nature'' in 1990. These albums saw Atrophy tour the U.S. and Europe, or play selected shows, with the likes of

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

, Suicidal Tendencies, Testament,

, Dark Angel,

Forced Entry Forcible entry is "the unlawful taking of possession of real property by force or threats of force or unlawful entry into or onto another's property, especially when accompanied by force". The term is also sometimes used for entry by military, pol ...

Coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

, D.R.I.,

Flotsam and Jetsam In maritime law, flotsam'','' jetsam'','' lagan'','' and derelict are specific kinds of shipwreck. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A shipwreck is defined as the r ...

Death Angel Death Angel is an American thrash metal band from Daly City, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released nine studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and three live albums. The band has gone ...

and

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

. Following their 1990 European tour with Sacred Reich and Venom, Lykins left the band to pursue a medical school course, and as a consequence, Atrophy was dropped from Roadrunner. Attempts were made in the early 1990s to continue without Lykins and record a third album; by 1993, however, the band had broken up. Atrophy reformed in 2015 with a new lineup, including three original members (Zimmerman, Gulotta and Kelly) and two different guitarists as the replacements of Lykins and Skowron (Casper Garret and Rich Olsen, who was later replaced by Bobby Stein). The band's lineup has since changed (with Scott Heller replacing Gulotta on bass), and they are currently working on their third album which will be released on Massacre Records.

Members

Current members

* Brian Zimmerman –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Mark Coglan –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

s * Nathan Montalvo – guitars * Josh Gibbs –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Sage Johnson –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Former members

* Rick Skowron – guitars * Chris Lykins – guitars * Jesse Callin – guitars * Rich Olsen – guitars * James Gulotta – bass * Tim Kelly - drums

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Socialized Hate'' (1988) * '' Violent by Nature'' (1990)

Demos

* ''Chemical Dependency'' demo (1987) * "Advanced Promo" demo (1987) * ''Chemical Dependency'' demo (2020)

Compilations

* ''Demolition – Scream Your Brains Out!'' (1988) – '' Metal Forces'' compilation with the songs "Chemical Dependency" and "Preacher, Preacher" * ''Stars on Thrash'' (1988) – ''

'' compilation with the song "Chemical Dependency"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atrophy Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups disestablished in 1993 Heavy metal musical groups from Arizona American thrash metal musical groups Musical quintets Musical groups from Tucson, Arizona 1986 establishments in Arizona