Vio-lence

About Vio-lence

Vio-lence came out of the Bay Area thrash scene in the mid-80s, when everyone in the region was trying to play faster and heavier than the next band. They formed in 1985 and quickly became part of that second wave of thrash that included Testament, Forbidden, and Death Angel. The name came with a hyphen so they could trademark it, which tells you something about how they thought even back then.

The core lineup featured Sean Killian on vocals, Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn on guitars, Deen Dell on bass, and Perry Strickland on drums. Flynn would later leave to form Machine Head, and Demmel eventually joined him there decades later, but in Vio-lence they helped define a particular brand of technically proficient, aggressively paced thrash that didn't quite get the mainstream attention of the big four but earned serious respect from people who cared about the details.

Their debut album "Eternal Nightmare" dropped in 1988 on MCA's Mechanic Records. It's the one people remember. Songs like "Eternal Nightmare" and "Calling in the Coroner" had that characteristic Bay Area tightness mixed with an almost punk-level intensity. Killian's vocals were rawer and more unhinged than a lot of his peers, less polished than Chuck Billy, more chaotic than Tom Araya. The production was decent enough to hear what was happening but rough enough to keep the edge on.

They followed up with "Oppressing the Masses" in 1990, which showed them getting more technical without losing the aggression. But by then thrash was already starting to fade commercially. Grunge was coming, metal was fracturing into subgenres, and bands like Vio-lence were caught in an awkward spot. They released "Nothing to Gain" in 1993, but momentum had stalled. They broke up shortly after.

For years they were one of those bands that people traded bootlegs of and cited as influences, more legend than active concern. They reunited for some shows in the 2000s, but it was sporadic. Flynn was busy with Machine Head. Demmel was doing his thing. It felt like nostalgia bookings more than a real run.

Then in 2019, they announced an actual reunion with Killian, Demmel, and most of the classic lineup. They started playing festivals, doing proper tours. Demmel had just left Machine Head after a messy split, so the timing made sense for him. They've been working on new material, though nothing's been released yet as of the usual delays and complications that come with getting middle-aged thrash musicians in the same room.

They remain a cult band. Never had the breakthrough, never got the big label push or the MTV rotation. But ask anyone deep into Bay Area thrash and they know the name.

Vio-lence shows are controlled chaos. The crowd moves with purpose, not mosh pit aimlessness. Fans appreciate the technical precision being executed in real time. Energy is sustained and focused rather than frenzied.

Known for Eternal Nightmare, Mechanical Guillotine, Nothing to Believe, Dispose the Body, World in Pain

See Vio-lence Live