Heathen

Heathen were formed in 1984 by guitarist Lee Altus and drummer Carl Sacco. Even without a bassist, this lineup played a single gig, on April 21st, 1985. Then, Jim Sanguinetti left to form Mordred and was replaced by Doug Pierce on guitars. Sam Kress, who was a better songwriter than vocalist, was kicked out in late 1985 and David Godfrey of Blind Illusion was asked to join. Bassist Eric Wong was added in early 1986, and the "new" Heathen's first gig was on February 6th.

They recorded the "Pray for Death" demo in April, 1986, and then Eric Wong was replaced by Mike "Yaz" Jastremski from Griffin in mid-1986. This lineup recorded the first album. Carl Sacco was replaced by Darren Minter on drums before the beginning of the US tour in 1988, sometime in January.

After the US tour, all Hell let loose, and David Godfrey left, to be replaced by none other than Paul Baloff (Exodus). They recorded a demo in October, 1988, and then Yaz left and the band broke up, before being reformed with Manny Bravo on bass and none other than David Wayne (Metal Church) on vocals. Wayne was in for only a few days before David Godfrey (now known as David White) returned. A demo was recorded in March 1989, and an album, "Fear of the Unknown", was planned for 1990 release. It was partly recorded, but then scrapped due to monetary problems. Most of the songs made it onto the 1991 Victims of Deception album, with the notable exception of "Nothing You Can See".

That album was recorded in 1991, with Blind Illusion bassist Marc Biedermann helping out but not being officially a member of the band. Randy Laire joined for the following tour. Randy was killed in a car accident in June, 1991, and Ira Black was quickly summoned to replace him for a planned tribute EP of cover songs, which was never released, as Doug Piercy left and Ira Black. After a brief interval with Jason Vie Brooks on bass and Thaen Rasmussen on guitar, Heathen broke up in 1992. (According to Dave White, this era of the band was "forgettable".)

Doug Piercy, Lee Altus and Darren Minter all moved to Germany. Doug began a career racing cars, while the other two joined the band Die Krupps.

Heathen reformed for one show, Thrash of the Titans, on August 11th, 2001, with the lineup of David White (no longer Godfrey), Lee Altus, Ira Black, Mike "Yaz" Jastremski, and Darren Minter. The reunion stuck, and the tribute EP was re-recorded and released as a full-length with several demos from the Victims of Deception sessions. The band has since decided to continue working on and releasing new material, as well as tour.

The David White/Godfrey story: David was born a White after his biological father, but used his stepfather's surname, Godfrey, in school for issues of convenience. Upon reaching adulthood, he began using the White name, but his bandmates convinced him to use Godfrey on the Breaking the Silence album so nobody thought Heathen had switched singers. On Victims of Deception he was listed as David Godfrey-White, and has since officially become David White in professional and personal life.

Terry Lauderdale filled in the vacancy left by Ira Black for Heathen as a favor on tour from 2005 to 2007.

GAMA BOMB

GAMA BOMB are "stellar fret bothering solo' s" "super fast and supper tight rhythm sections " and "LEMMY meets ROB HALFORD vocals" all rolled into one for a full on assault of Speed Metal madness. With influences from ANTHRAX, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, S. O.D . to the likes of MOTÖRHEAD, SODOM and JUDAS PRIEST, GAMA BOMB quickly made a name for themselves in their home town for their old school mix of Thrash and Speed Metal and have since then built up a solid fan base around Northern Ireland and played with such legends as THE UNDEAD and GBH. In September 2002 GAMA BOMB entered a small studio outside their home town of Newry, Northern Ireland to record their debut release entitled "The Survival Option" featuring two tracks of full on Speed Metal, "Hell Trucker" and "Zombie Kommand2 ", which received great reviews across the Metal & Punk community in Ireland and was said to "have captured that uncannily vintage tone common to SODOM, of course NUCLEAR ASSAULT, and a whole host of others." "If you enjoy the movies of George A Romero and the music of the DEVIL, then GAMA BOMB are for you!"

RAVEN

 Raven is a heavy metal band associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, that formed in 1975. They also opened for punk bands The Stranglers and The Motors. They had a hit with the single “On and On”, and refer to their music as “Athletic Rock.”

Formed in Newcastle, England by brothers John and Mark Gallagher, Raven quickly set the pace for the burgeoning metal renaissance in the UK at the time. Raven began creating a sound which was rooted in British hard rock with progressive tendencies and a willingness to take musical chances . The band’s highly energized live show and interaction between members developed an image and style of play the band described as “athletic”. They began wearing guards, helmets and plates from various sports (hockey, baseball,etc…) and incorporating them into the playing of their instruments (for instance, elbow pads were used to strike cymbals for a unique performance angle). Eventually, the band signed with Neat Records, the legendary, low-budget metal label of the Northlands, releasing Wiped Out and Rock Until You Drop within a year’s time and making an impressive showing on the UK charts a the time. Sufficient noise was made for the American market to take notice and New Jersey’s Megaforce Records signed them, issuing their next recording in the States as All for One. The band came stateside in 1983 and toured extensively with Megaforce bands Metallica and Anthrax, both of whom would gain a place of prominence in the growing thrash metal movement. Manager/Megaforce founder Johnny Zazula believed that Raven were major label material and kept them touring constantly until the big labels noticed. The infamous Live at the Inferno recording was a product of one of those tours. Atlantic Records signed Raven to a worldwide contract after a minor bidding war (major label contracts would follow for Metallica and Anthrax in the following year). The band moved its permanent base from Newcastle to New York.

Stay Hard was released in 1984 and proved a minor hit on the strength of single/video On and On. The Atlantic years proved to be less-than-stellar for the band. A drastic shift in a more “commercial” direction came at the label’s behest, with many diehard fans being alienated by the slick, lightweight production of The Pack Is Back (effectively marketing the band with their weird musical forays and confusing image was likely very difficult). However, the band recorded 2 LPs and the Mad EP before being let go by Atlantic. After touring behind the Life’s a Bitch album, Wacko left the band to spend more time with his new wife and family. He would later pursue a career in audio production and engineering, eventually working with jazz greats Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick, Jr. Virginian Joe Hasselvander (ex-Pentagram) took over the drum set and the band dropped the outlandish image for a more conventional “denim and leather” look for their 1988 release Nothing Exceeds Like Excess. After the advent of grunge and the dissolution of their record label (Combat Records) led the band to concentrate on continental Europe and Japan, where they retained more of a following. The band recorded and toured until 2001, when a wall collapsed on Mark, crushing his legs. Raven went on hiatus for nearly 5 years while the guitarist rehabilitated. As of 2006, Raven is touring with a new release in the works.

LaZarus A.D.

Lazarus A.D. formed in the frozen tundra of southeastern Wisconsin in the spring of 2005. Dan Gapen (guitars/vocals), Jeff Paulick (bass/lead vocals), Alex Lackner (guitars), and Ryan Shutler (drums), redefine the phrase “alcoholism and aggression” in music. They subject metal heads to furious nights of head banging while drinking venues dry. Have no doubts that Lazarus A.D. is a thrash band, but merely in attitude as their sound is no simple throwback to the 80s bay area sound. They breathe a breath of fresh air into modern thrash with intelligent, memorable riffs, mid-tempo grooves, and high-flying solos.

In a few short years, Lazarus A.D. has accomplished more than they ever expected. In the small city of Kenosha, WI, the fire began to spread quickly. Fueled only by a free three song demo, the guys played as much as possible and landed a big break in the summer of 2006 when they had the honor of being direct support for the legendary Anthrax in Milwaukee. They continued to tour the midwest throughout the summer and fall and finally began work on their first full length album in January of 2007. Recorded and engineered by Chris Djuricic (Soil, November’s Doom, Michael Angelo Batio) at Studio One, and mastered by James Murphy (ex Death, Testament), The Onslaught was a force to be reckoned with. The band hit the road again and stretched out as far as Denver, CO. The buzz about their live performances continued to grow. It wasn’t long before Lazarus A.D. was approached by Earache Records for an upcoming metal compilation. Last Breath was one of the 16 songs chosen to appear on Thrashing Like A Maniac, and they were the only unsigned band on the entire compilation!

In the spring of 2008, Lazarus A.D. received a call from Metal Blade Records, and a short time later, their deal had been inked. The Onslaught was remixed by James Murphy and is set to finally see a worldwide release through Metal Blade Records. The future has never been brighter for Lazarus A.D. and plans for vigorous touring are already in the works, as well as the opening slot for Testament in Milwaukee on August 1st, 2008! Expect to hear the name Lazarus A.D. a lot more in the coming months, and as always, be sure to THRASH OR DIE!