Torque was an American groove/thrash metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area, that was formed in 1994. The band consisted of Phil Demmel (Machine Head, Vio-lence) on lead guitar and lead vocals, Ray Vegas on rhythm guitar, bassist Deen Dell and drummer Mark Hernandez. [1] [ unreliable source ]
Torque released three demos between 1994 and 1997; the self-titled debut album, released on Mascot Records in 1996, stands as their sole studio release. [2]
Three songs from the original release were written whilst the band was still recording as Vio-lence, which means that three of the songs have lyrics written by Sean Killian before he left the band in 1993: "Breed", "Again", and "Shooter". Upon making the decision to form Torque, Demmel entered the studio to re-record the vocals and on the strength of those demos, Mascot signed the band, who then went to 'O' Street Studios in Antioch, California to record the full album with Rob Beaton.
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Robb Flynn, who remains the only original member of the band. Machine Head's aggressive musicianship made it one of the pioneering bands in the new wave of American heavy metal. Its current lineup comprises Flynn, bassist Jared MacEachern and drummer Matt Alston. Bassist Adam Duce, lead guitarists Logan Mader, Ahrue Luster and Phil Demmel, and drummers Tony Costanza, Chris Kontos and Dave McClain are former members of the band; Mader and Kontos toured with the band in 2019 and 2020 as part of the 25th anniversary tour for its first album, Burn My Eyes (1994).
Forbidden is an American thrash metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area, California. They formed in 1985 as Forbidden Evil, but would change their name in 1987. Since their formation, Forbidden have broken up and reformed twice with numerous line-up changes. After breaking up for the first time in 1997, Forbidden reunited once again in 2007, went into an indefinite hiatus in 2012, but reformed in 2023. The current line-up of the band is Norman Skinner (vocals), Craig Locicero (guitar), Matt Camacho (bass), Steve Smyth (guitar) and Chris Kontos (drums).
Hellalive is the first live album by American heavy metal band Machine Head.
Through the Ashes of Empires is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Machine Head. On this album, the band returned to their groove/thrash metal sound that was featured on their debut album Burn My Eyes and their second album The More Things Change... after experimenting with the nu metal genre featured on their previous two albums. It was released in the UK, Europe and Australia on the Roadrunner Records International label on October 31, 2003. At this stage, Machine Head still did not have an American record deal, having parted ways with Roadrunner Records US after the Supercharger album was released. Through The Ashes of Empires was such a success that Roadrunner Records US, in an unprecedented move, quickly offered Machine Head a new contract and the album finally reached North America on April 20, 2004. This album was also the first album to feature guitarist Phil Demmel, who would stay with the band until his departure in 2018.
Vio-lence is an American thrash metal band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Throughout its career, they have released demo tapes, three EPs and three studio albums. Vio-lence is best-known for their association with the 1980s Bay Area thrash metal 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, Death Angel, Lȧȧz Rockit and Forbidden.
Robert ConradFlynn is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for heavy metal band Machine Head. Flynn formed the band along with Adam Duce, Logan Mader and Tony Costanza after leaving Bay Area thrash band Vio-lence.
Christian Francis Olde Wolbers is a Belgian musician, songwriter and producer. He is the bassist and backing vocalist of the rap metal/nu metal band Powerflo, and the bass player of the thrash metal band Vio-lence. He is also a former bassist, guitarist and backing vocalist of the industrial metal band Fear Factory, and the hardcore punk/crossover thrash band Beowülf.
Eternal Nightmare is the debut album by the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Vio-lence. It was released on June 27, 1988 through MCA Records' Mechanic sublabel. A limited 10" promo single was released, with two tracks "Eternal Nightmare" and "Phobophobia"; the release was quite unique, as it came in a "vomit pack", a sealed plastic cover containing fake vomit. Shortly after, thrash metal innovators Slayer released a single in a similar format but with fake blood, and rock band The Revolting Cocks released a single with fake semen.
Xentrix are an English thrash metal band from Preston, Lancashire. The band were formed in 1984 under the name Sweet Vengeance. They changed their name to Xentrix in 1988, and released four albums – Shattered Existence (1989), For Whose Advantage? (1990), Kin (1992) and Scourge (1996) – before splitting up in 1997. After briefly reuniting in 2005–2006, Xentrix reunited once again in 2013, and they have since released two more albums: Bury the Pain (2019) and Seven Words (2022). As part of the underground metal scene of the late 1980s and early-to-mid 1990s, Xentrix have been referred to as one of the "big four" of English thrash metal, along with Acid Reign, Onslaught and Sabbat.
Epidemic was an American death/thrash metal band which was part of the Bay Area thrash scene.
Attitude Adjustment is an American crossover thrash band from the San Francisco Bay Area. Their debut album, American Paranoia, is considered to be an early "crossover" between hardcore punk and thrash metal.
Oppressing the Masses is the second album by San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Vio-lence. It was originally released in July 13, 1990 via Megaforce Records. The original print (20,000) contained the song "Torture Tactics" but all copies were destroyed because of Atlantic Records' objection to the lyrical content. However, that song can be found on the Japanese version of the album. The re-release version contains the tracks from Torture Tactics EP. As of 2023, this is one of the two Vio-lence studio albums to have never been made available on digital services worldwide.
Torture Tactics is an EP recorded by the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal 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.
Nothing to Gain is the third and most recent full-length studio album by San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band Vio-lence. The album was recorded in August 1990 but was not released until 1993, and is the last to feature guitarist Robb Flynn and bassist Deen Dell. This was also their last work as a band to contain new material for over 28 years, until the release of Let the World Burn in March 2022. Nothing to Gain was re-released in 1997 with a different cover. As of 2023, this is one of the two Vio-lence studio albums to have never been made available on digital services worldwide.
Defiance is an American thrash metal band from Oakland, California. They played a technical style of thrash originally evoking bands like Testament, though they would later move on to playing in their own unique, more progressive thrash style. After dissolving in 1995, they reformed in 2005 and released their fourth studio album The Prophecy in late 2009. They broke up once again in 2012, but announced yet another reunion in September 2019.
Attaxe was an American thrash metal band from California. The band played extensively in Southern California and the Bay Area through the early nineties headlining smaller clubs and as opening act for such notable thrash/metal bands as Anthrax, Testament, Metal Church, Danzig, King Diamond, Sacred Reich, Meliah Rage and Vio-Lence. Attaxe was invited by Vio-lence to be an opening act on the infamous Oppressing The Masses album release show in June 1990 at the Omni in Oakland, CA.
Phil Demmel is an American musician who played lead guitar in the heavy metal band Machine Head between 2002 and 2018, making him their longest running member in that position. He has also performed with other artists such as Vio-lence, Torque, Metal Allegiance, BPMD, Kerry King and Category 7, and briefly played with Slayer, Nonpoint, Overkill, Lamb of God and Testament as a fill-in guitarist.
Robert Wayne Gustafson is an American musician, best known as the former guitarist of the New Jersey-based thrash metal band Overkill from 1982 until his split with the band in 1990. He was also the rhythm guitarist for thrash metal band Vio-lence from 2020 until 2022.
Ira Black is an American heavy metal musician. He has played in over 60 bands since the early 1980s and is best known for his work with I Am Morbid, Westfield Massacre, Metal Church, Vicious Rumors, Heathen, Lizzy Borden and Dokken. Black currently plays lead guitar with Bulletboys and Vio-lence.
Let the World Burn is an EP by the American thrash metal band Vio-Lence, released on March 4, 2022, by Metal Blade Records. It is the band's first material of any kind since their initial disbandment in 1994, and their first EP since Torture Tactics (1991). The EP is also Vio-lence's first studio recording to feature a different lineup, with bassist Christian Olde Wolbers and rhythm guitarist Bobby Gustafson replacing Deen Dell and Robb Flynn respectively, and three-fifths of the Eternal Nightmare lineup – lead guitarist Phil Demmel, vocalist Sean Killian and drummer Perry Strickland – remaining. This is also the only recording to feature Gustafson, whom the band parted ways with in 2022, and their final recording to feature Strickland and Demmel before their departures from the band in January 2023 and February 2024, respectively.