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Vio-lence is an American
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...
band formed in 1985 in the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
. Throughout its career, they have released demo tapes, three EPs and three
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
s. Vio-lence is best-known for their association with the 1980s
Bay Area thrash metal Bay Area thrash metal (also known as Bay Area thrash) referred to a steady following of heavy metal bands in the 1980s who formed and gained international status in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Along with Central Florida, the scene ...
scene, and often credited as one of the leading lights of the second wave of the genre. They are also considered to be a member of the "Big Six of Bay Area Thrash Metal," alongside Exodus,
Testament A testament is a document that the author has sworn to be true. In law it usually means last will and testament. Testament or The Testament can also refer to: Books * ''Testament'' (comic book), a 2005 comic book * ''Testament'', a thriller no ...
,
Death Angel Death Angel is an American thrash metal band from Daly City, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. They have released nine studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and three live albums. The band has gone thr ...
, Lȧȧz Rockit and Forbidden. Vio-lence's most stable lineup was
Phil Demmel Phil Demmel (born April 2, 1967) is an American musician who played lead guitar in the Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Machine Head (band), Machine Head between 2002 and 2018, making him their longest running member in that position. He has a ...
and Robb Flynn on guitars, Deen Dell on bass, Perry Strickland on drums and Sean Killian on vocals; this lineup recorded all three of their studio albums–'' Eternal Nightmare'' (1988), '' Oppressing the Masses'' (1990) and '' Nothing to Gain'' (1993). After breaking up in 1994 and reforming for occasional live performances from 2001 to 2003, the band reunited once again in January 2019, and released the EP '' Let the World Burn'', their first collection of new material in nearly three decades, in March 2022. The current lineup of Vio-lence includes Killian along with live members Mario Salcedo, Nick Souza and Max Mayhem.


History


Initial career

Vio-lence, then-called Death Penalty, was formed in 1985 with the lineup of lead guitarist Phil Demmel, drummer Perry Strickland, rhythm guitarist Troy Fua, lead vocalist Jerry Birr and bassist Eddie Billy (brother of musicians Andy and Chuck Billy). Not long after playing their first gig, which reportedly took place at a
house party A house party is a type of party held at the home of the party's host. Organization A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, word of mouth, pos ...
, Death Penalty changed their name to Violence and eventually then to Vio-lence, as the former was taken by another band. After recording two demos in 1986, they parted ways with Birr, Fua and Billy, who were replaced by Sean Killian, Robb Flynn (formerly of Forbidden Evil) and Deen Dell respectively. Their live success at local clubs in Northern California – opening for bands like D.R.I., Voivod,
Kreator Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. Their current line-up consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mille Petrozza, Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jürgen Reil, Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli- ...
, Dark Angel,
Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, California, by vocalist Mike Muir. The band has undergone various lineup changes, with Muir as the only remaining original member. Their current lineup includes ...
and the Mentors, as well as their
Bay Area thrash metal Bay Area thrash metal (also known as Bay Area thrash) referred to a steady following of heavy metal bands in the 1980s who formed and gained international status in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Along with Central Florida, the scene ...
peers Testament, Exodus,
Death Angel Death Angel is an American thrash metal band from Daly City, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. They have released nine studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and three live albums. The band has gone thr ...
, Lȧȧz Rockit and Heathen – allowed Vio-lence to record another demo, this time for major labels, including
MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...
' sister label Mechanic, who offered them a recording contract. From February to April 1988, Vio-lence recorded their debut album, '' Eternal Nightmare'', at two studios: The Music Grinder in Los Angeles and Alpha & Omega in San Francisco. The album received mostly positive reviews upon its release in the summer of 1988, and peaked at number 154 on the ''Billboard'' 200, becoming the band's only album to enter that chart; this can be attributed to the album selling over 30,000 copies. Vio-lence toured throughout 1988 and 1989 in support of ''Eternal Nightmare'', with bands such as Testament, Voivod,
Death Angel Death Angel is an American thrash metal band from Daly City, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. They have released nine studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and three live albums. The band has gone thr ...
,
Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...
,
Nuclear Assault Nuclear Assault was an American thrash metal band formed in New York City in 1984. Part of the mid-to-late 1980s thrash metal movement, they were one of the main bands of the genre to emerge from the East Coast along with Overkill, Whiplash, ...
, D.R.I., M.O.D. and the
Cro-Mags The Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has garnered a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they ...
. The underground success of the album also caught the attention of several labels, including
Megaforce Records Megaforce Records is an American independent record label founded in 1982 by Jon Zazula and his wife Marsha Zazula to release the first works of Metallica, and devoted primarily to hard rock and heavy metal. It has offices in New York City (whe ...
(then-home to bands such as Testament, M.O.D.,
Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis'' or ''Bacillus cereus'' biovar ''anthracis''. Infection typically occurs by contact with the skin, inhalation, or intestinal absorption. Symptom onset occurs between one ...
, and Overkill), who eventually signed the band. In December 1989, Vio-lence entered the studio to record what would be their second album and only release on Megaforce (distributed by
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
) '' Oppressing the Masses''; however, the album faced multiple delays until its release in the summer of 1990. Although the album's success did not match that of ''Eternal Nightmare'', it received some positive reviews and a video for the song "World in a World" was released. ''Oppressing the Masses'' also generated some controversy, when the original album (which reportedly sold only 20,000 copies) was destroyed because of Atlantic's objection to the lyrical content of "Torture Tactics"; as a result, the album was reprinted without this track. Vio-lence toured in support of the album for about a year, with bands such as Overkill, Exodus, Forbidden, Flotsam and Jetsam, Prong, Defiance and
Rigor Mortis Rigor mortis (), or postmortem rigidity, is the fourth stage of death. It is one of the recognizable signs of death, characterized by stiffening of the limbs of the corpse caused by chemical changes in the muscles postmortem (mainly calcium ...
. In 1991, after being dropped from Atlantic/Megaforce, Vio-lence released an EP '' Torture Tactics'', which included three studio songs (recorded in 1989 during the sessions of ''Oppressing the Masses'') and one "live" track from 1988. Internal conflicts in 1992 resulted in the departure of Robb Flynn who would move on to form
groove metal Groove metal, sometimes also called neo-thrash or post-thrash, is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. The genre is primarily derived from thrash metal, but played in slower tempos, and making use of rhythmic guitar pa ...
band
Machine Head A machine head (also referred to as a tuning machine, tuner, or gear head) is a geared apparatus for tuning stringed musical instruments by adjusting string tension. Machine heads are used on mandolins, guitars, double basses, and others, and ...
. A year later, Vio-lence released their third and final album, '' Nothing to Gain'', which was actually recorded in 1990. They never toured in support of that album, and Strickland left the band after its release.


Breakup

After an attempt to make a fourth album, and performing what would be their final show for eight years on December 18, 1993, with a new lineup in San Francisco, Vio-lence split up. Phil Demmel, Deen Dell, Ray Vegas and Mark Hernandez formed a groove/thrash metal band called
Torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...
which disbanded after releasing a studio album and playing several live shows. Demmel then went to form Technocracy. Robb Flynn has been the guitarist and singer of Machine Head since its inception in 1991. Demmel joined Machine Head in 2003, first as a session guitarist and later becoming a full-time member of the band; he would stay in Machine Head until his departure in 2018.


Reunion

Initially planning only a few shows as part of the tribute to Testament frontman Chuck Billy during the '' Thrash of the Titans'' benefit in 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 A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, ...
containing two demo tracks from their original 1986
demo tape A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed for ...
as well as one previously unreleased track. Only 1000 copies were produced and pressed by Bone Crusher Records. The 7 inch collectible was well marketed and advertised, but due to disagreements between the band and the Bone Crusher 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 ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
record store, the only known store to stock the item for sale to the public. A
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
entitled ''Blood and Dirt'' was produced by Jerry Allen (Tales From The Pit video magazine) and released on August 8, 2006, through Megaforce. On November 6, 2017, it was announced that the members of Vio-Lence would reunite for a performance at "Killian on Command: An Evening of Vio-Lence", a benefit for the band's singer Sean Killian, who was diagnosed with stage four liver cirrhosis earlier that summer. The benefit took place at The Midway in San Francisco, California on January 20, 2018, and included performances by the members of Vio-Lence and their
Bay Area thrash metal Bay Area thrash metal (also known as Bay Area thrash) referred to a steady following of heavy metal bands in the 1980s who formed and gained international status in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Along with Central Florida, the scene ...
peers Testament, Exodus, Death Angel, Forbidden and
Mordred Mordred or Modred ( or ; Welsh: ''Medraut'' or ''Medrawt'') is a major figure in the legend of King Arthur. The earliest known mention of a possibly historical Medraut is in the Welsh chronicle ''Annales Cambriae'', wherein he and Arthur are a ...
. The show concluded with a performance of "World in a World" featuring four-fifths of the ''Eternal Nightmare'' and ''Oppressing the Masses'' lineup; vocals were provided by Flynn instead of Killian, who did not perform due to his health condition. On November 11, 2018, Killian's wife Dana posted a photo on her personal Facebook page, cryptically confirming that her husband has recovered from his illness. The possibility of a Vio-lence reunion was renewed in September 2018 when Flynn announced that guitarist Phil Demmel was leaving Machine Head after a farewell tour with then-current lineup of Flynn, Demmel, Jared MacEachern and Dave McClain; at first it was speculated that Machine Head was actually breaking up, but Flynn announced shortly thereafter that he was going to continue the band with a new lineup. Musical outlets reported in November 2018 that, following Demmel's departure from Machine Head, there were rumors Vio-lence would reform "in the not-too-distant future" for shows and possibly new music. On January 8, 2019, it was announced that Vio-lence would reunite for a performance on April 13 at the Metro in Oakland to perform their debut album, '' Eternal Nightmare'', in its entirety. The show intended as a one-off sold out shortly after its announcement, resulting in a matinee appearance at the Metro, which took place on the following day. On February 16, 2019, it was announced that Vio-lence would play their first European show at the Alcatraz Metal Fest in
Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...
, Belgium that August. In addition to their first live appearance in Los Angeles in over a decade on May 31, 2019, at The Regent with
Sacred Reich Sacred Reich is an American thrash metal band from Phoenix, Arizona, formed in 1985. Since 2019, the band's lineup has consisted of vocalist-bassist Phil Rind, lead guitarist Wiley Arnett, rhythm guitarist Joey Radziwill, and drummer Dave McClai ...
, Excel and
Sworn Enemy Sworn Enemy is an American metalcore band from New York City, formed in 1997. History The band formed as "Downfall" and later on as "Mindset", a product of the extremely expansive and influential New York hardcore scene. At its original incep ...
, they played their first shows in New York in nearly 30 years at the Brooklyn Bazaar on November 8–9. The band also will reportedly play shows with their Bay Area thrash metal peers Testament and
Death Angel Death Angel is an American thrash metal band from Daly City, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. They have released nine studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and three live albums. The band has gone thr ...
, and has continued their reunion with more shows into 2020. On August 9, 2019,
Bloodstock Open Air Bloodstock Open Air is a British heavy metal festival held annually at Catton Hall in Walton-on-Trent, Derbyshire, since 2005. Originally held indoors for one day with two stages, the festival started in 2001 at the Derby Assembly Rooms and ...
announced that Vio-lence would be playing their first ever and only UK show at the festival in 2020. The members of Vio-lence have expressed their desire to write the follow-up to 1993's '' Nothing to Gain''. In an August 2019 interview with Australia's ''Heavy'' magazine, Demmel said, "Sean's itching to write some new music. I'm not itching as hard. I've got a lot on my plate. Vio-lence is definitely a priority, but that's just a step I haven't... It's hard, because you have this comeback, and then you play the songs, and you want to be good. I don't want to put out something that isn't as good as ''Eternal Nightmare'' or some of the songs from '' Oppressing''. I want to have something that's quality." In an interview with Exodus frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza on his "Toxic Vault" video channel, Killian stated, "Phil and I have talked a couple of times. It's kind of up to him because he is very busy doing a soundtrack for a video game and I guess a Netflix series, and he's doing
Allegiance An allegiance is a duty of fidelity said to be owed, or freely committed, by the people, subjects or citizens to their state or sovereign. Etymology The word ''allegiance'' comes from Middle English ' (see Medieval Latin ', "a liegance"). The ...
and these other things he's doing." Killian also said that the other members of Vio-lence are interested in writing a new album; however, he concluded that "it's Phil and I that need to connect." In January 2020, Ray Vegas announced that he had left Vio-lence and was replaced by former Overkill guitarist Bobby Gustafson. Longtime bassist Deen Dell left the band shortly thereafter and was replaced by former
Fear Factory Fear Factory is an American industrial metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial met ...
bassist
Christian Olde Wolbers Christian Francis Olde Wolbers (born 5 August 1972) is a Belgian musician, record producer, and songwriter. He is the current bassist and backing vocalist of the rap metal/nu metal band Powerflo. He is also a former bassist of the thrash metal ...
. In March 2020, it was announced that Vio-lence had signed to
Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records (often shortened to Metal Blade) is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982 based in the U.S. state of California. The label primarily focuses on heavy metal. History Metal Blade Records was ...
and the band was going to record a new EP in the coming months. On August 20, 2020, Vio-lence released their first song in over 25 years, which was a cover of
Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...
' "
California über alles California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
". On June 16, 2021, Vio-lence announced '' Let the World Burn'' as the title of their new EP, which was planned for release in early 2022. Prior to its release, the band was scheduled to be headlining the 2021 installment of the Headbangers Ball Tour in Europe, with support from Voivod, Exciter and
Artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
, but it was postponed to the next year due to circumstances related to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. On January 10, 2022, a lyric video for "Flesh from Bone" was released, and on the same day, the band announced that ''Let the World Burn'' would be released on March 4. About a week prior to the release of ''Let the World Burn'', Demmel revealed that Vio-lence had begun writing new material for their next EP, which he had hoped would be recorded in the fall of 2022 for a tentative 2023 release. On October 20, 2022, the band announced that they have parted ways with Gustafson. In February 2023, it was announced Strickland had quit the band "a month prior". The band later clarified that Strickland did not quit the band, implying that he was fired. On February 5, 2024, Phil Demmel announced that he was leaving the band and that his final show with Vio-lence would be performed on February 11, leaving vocalist Sean Killian as the only constant member. Said Demmel, "given the latest state of the band and where I feel I belong with it, or feel tied to it, I just think my time is at an end." On February 24, 2025, Olde Wolbers departed the band to focus on his solo band and production career.


Members


Current members

* Sean Killian – vocals (1986–1994, 2001–2003, 2019–present)


Current touring musicians

* Ira Black – lead guitar (2022–2024, 2025–present) * Nick Souza – drums (2024–present) * Jeff Salgado – bass (2025–present) * Claudeous Creamer – rhythm guitar (2025–present)


Former members

*
Phil Demmel Phil Demmel (born April 2, 1967) is an American musician who played lead guitar in the Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Machine Head (band), Machine Head between 2002 and 2018, making him their longest running member in that position. He has a ...
– lead guitar (1985–1994, 2001–2003, 2019–2024) * Perry Strickland – drums (1985–1993, 2001–2003, 2019–2023) * Troy Fua – rhythm guitar (1985–1987, 2001–2003) * Jerry Birr – vocals (1985–1986) * Eddie Billy – bass (1985) * Deen Dell – bass (1985–1994, 2001–2003, 2019–2020) * Robb Flynn – rhythm guitar (1987–1992) * Ray Vegas – rhythm guitar (1992–1994, 2001, 2019–2020) * Mark Hernandez – drums (1993–1994) * Steve Schmidt – rhythm guitar (2001; died 2021) * Bobby Gustafson – rhythm guitar (2020–2022) *
Christian Olde Wolbers Christian Francis Olde Wolbers (born 5 August 1972) is a Belgian musician, record producer, and songwriter. He is the current bassist and backing vocalist of the rap metal/nu metal band Powerflo. He is also a former bassist of the thrash metal ...
– bass (2020–2025)


Former touring musicians

* Mario Salcedo – rhythm guitar (2023–2025) * Adrian Aguilar – drums (2023–2024) * Miles Dimitri Baker – lead guitar (2024) * Max Mayhem – lead guitar (2024–2025) * Max Georgiev – rhythm guitar (2025)


Timeline


Discography

Studio albums *'' Eternal Nightmare'' (1988) *'' Oppressing the Masses'' (1990) *'' Nothing to Gain'' (1993) EPs *'' Torture Tactics'' (1991) *''Demos... They Just Keep Killing'' (2003) *'' Let the World Burn'' (2022) Demos *''First demo'' (1986) *''Second 1986 demo'' (1986) *''Rough demo'' (1988) *''Torque'' (1993) Reissue * ''Oppressing the Masses''/''Torture Tactics'' (2005) DVDs *''Blood and Dirt'' (2006)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vio-Lence 1985 establishments in California Musical groups from the San Francisco Bay Area Musical groups established in 1985 Musical groups disestablished in 1994 Musical groups reestablished in 2001 Musical groups disestablished in 2003 Musical groups reestablished in 2018 Musical groups disestablished in 2018 Musical groups reestablished in 2019 Musical quintets from California Thrash metal musical groups from California