Angelwitch

[Terry]

My friends Jon Torres and Lee Altus (Heathen) just got back from Europe touring with Angelwitch.Jon sent me this photo: [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0SAAsAy8V**c3cZJfPBrYv8IVwkZdxtqjqgBMLy*fNDWkrarjG JCAiqMIW5V03szDqQrbq2sOrXsJntK0SqO!HYZKe*5AW94wE7R omKkOnkUvAAAAkXJRAg/BYH2003Angelwitch2.jpg[/img]

Terry [img]images/smilies/icon_thumb.gif[/img]

[EddieMan2003]

lol the guitarist needs to get a haircut.

[ericgtr]

That's Terry for you.. All hair [img]images/smilies/afro.gif[/img]

[Terry]

The guy on the right is actually Lee Altus from the band "Heathen".I've known these guys for years.
Lee lives a few miles from me.Heathen is actually getting back together for a European tour.

Terry [img]images/smilies/icon_thumb.gif[/img]

Heathen Bio:

The San Francisco Bay Area has produced what is undoubtedly the greatest lineage of Heavy Metal in the 30 odd years of the genre’s existence. During the period from 1982 to 1992 many bands have come and gone with few having survived till today. However recent times have called for the reformation of some of the Bay Area’s finest Thrash bands looking to rise up once more and reclaim the throne of heavy music. Such is Heathen’s story.


One of the most unique bands to rise from the second wave of the Bay Area Thrash explosion, Heathen’s style was characterized by high-speed precision riffage and harmony sections coupled with melodic singing. Inspired by 70’s rock acts such as Rainbow, the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) and the first wave of Thrash Metal (Metallica and Exodus), Heathen was formed in late 1984 by Russian-born Lee Altus (guitars) and Seattle native Carl Sacco (drums). Vocalist Sam Kress and guitarist Jim Sanguinetti joined the duo and this primordial version of Heathen played one gig in April 1985. Within the year Kress and Sanguinetti (who moved on to Mordred) were replaced with Dave White of Blind Illusion and Doug Piercy of Anvil Chorus/Control respectively; and Eric Wong (Specter) was enlisted as Heathen’s first bass player. This revamped line-up of Heathen debuted at the Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco on February 9th, 1986.


In April of the same year the classic demo Pray For Death was recorded and produced by Heathen’s own Doug Piercy (who had made a name for himself producing demos for peers Mordred, Legacy, Attitude Adjustment, among others). This demo paved the way for the band’s contract with Combat Records, who released Heathen’s debut record Breaking The Silence in 1987. By the time of recording the band had replaced Eric Wong with Mike "Yaz" Jastremski of Griffin. The record was produced by Ronnie Montrose which in itself was rather unusual for a Thrash band at the time. A cover of Sweet’s Set Me Free was released as a single and was well received by radio and MTV, in fact allowing for a much wider audience than most of their peers.


Breaking The Silence went on to sell close to 100,000 copies in America and the band seemed to be on the verge of greater things were it not for the lack of support from the label and internal strife. Carl Sacco was replaced by Darren Minter from Dissident Aggressor and a headlining tour across America followed. During this time relations with Combat Records were severed and Breaking The Silence lost momentum. In late 1988 Dave White was briefly replaced with Exodus’s Paul Baloff and Mike Jastremski left the band soon after to form the band Pigs. The following year White returned to the band and Heathen gigged with a rotating bass slot. The lack of tour support and marketing outside North America had seriously halted the band’s progress.


In 1991 Heathen’s sophomore record Victims Of Deception was issued on Roadracer Records. With four years between albums, the band had crafted some of the best material to come out of the Bay Area. The musical progress was evident in the complex double harmony sections backed with frantic solos and complex rhythms; Darren Minter’s drumming was a fast paced Thrash assault compared to his predecessor’s more calculated style and Dave White’s vocal performance was top notch: the trappings of an epic album. Marc Biedermann from Blind Illusion played bass on the record as a guest (since a permanent replacement for Jastremski was not found till the time of recording) and Piercy’s old bandmate Thaen Rasmussen showed his guitar skills on a few tracks. Unfortunately, this was to be Heathen’s last record.


In the wake of the album’s release, Heathen played extensively in California with various dates around the country. In the summer of 1991 Heathen embarked on their first and only tour in support of Victims Of Deception, with new bassist Randy Laire in their ranks, opening for Sepultura and Sacred Reich in Europe. The band had finally broken out of America and was well received abroad, especially in Germany, despite most audiences’ unfamiliarity with Heathen. Upon returning to home shores, Piercy was dismissed and youngster Ira Black was chosen as his replacement. And despite the success of the European tour and solid sales in America, Heathen was dropped by Roadracer Records in the era of changing musical tastes and market trends. Victims of deception indeed.


In early 1992 Randy Laire’s untimely death in a car accident put yet another obstacle in Heathen’s path. Ohio native Jason Viebrooks was recruited to replace Laire and the band recorded an EP of NWOBHM covers and an original tune as a tribute to their departed band mate. By the end of the year, with Thrash Metal slowly phasing out, coupled with lack of support and interest from their second misguided label and the press, the band breathed their last. The EP never saw the light of day and Heathen became another long lost, but fond, memory. As one fan put it: "…yet another victim of Seattle-itis and eMpTyV".


During the years that followed Lee Altus made a name for himself cutting a few records with German industrial monsters Die Krupps. Dave White briefly fronted Bay Area locals Inner Threshold; Ira Black more recently joined Vicious Rumours and Jason Viebrooks went on to Dave Lombardo’s Grip Inc. Darren Minter played on one Die Krupps record and later on with Soul Motor and Sideswipe (who recently signed to Columbia Records). Heathen seemed a distant memory till, ironically, unfortunate circumstances heralded their return.


In the summer of 2001, Heathen regrouped with most of the 1992 line-up (with Mike Jastremski back in Jason Viebrooks’ place) and took part in Chuck Billy’s Thrash of the Titans to raise funds for the Testament frontman’s cancer treatment. Amidst the huge resurgence of interest in Bay Area Thrash Metal that followed, the band has reformed in order to slay live once more and to put the Bay Area back at the forefront of cutting-edge Metal. With festival gigs scheduled for Heathen in Europe in 2002, the future looks exciting.

[wahwah]

Angelwitch! Yeah...NWOBHM rools! I have to say that as I was lead guitarist in NWOBHM band Black Rose from 1981-86 and we played Europe a few times where it was a bigger draw than our own country...figure that one out! The bass player from Angelwitch now sings for the Tygers of Pan Tang...work THAT one out!!! Any NWOBHM trivia, I'm your (sad) man! [img]images/smilies/icon_jam.gif[/img]