Epidemic (band)
Encyclopedia
- Not to be confused with the band Epidemic from Brazil or Israel which played a similar style of music, or the mainstream act Epidemic with lead singer Boris Bouma who released an album on Elektra records in 2002 and have since disbanded, or the punk band from Boston called The Epidemic.
Epidemic was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Death
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
/Thrash
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band,part of the Bay Area thrash scene.
History
Epidemic was formed in 1986 in Palo Alto by bassist Mark Bodine, guitarist Guy Higbey, guitarist Erik Moggridge, and their friend Ted Kamp on drums to play the senior night talent show at their high school. After playing a set of two songs (a cover of MetallicaMetallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
's Creeping Death
Creeping Death
-Covers:* New Jersey Hardcore band Shattered Realm includes a cover of "Creeping Death" on the reissue of their 2002 album "Broken Ties Spoken Lies"* Plays Metallica by Four Cellos by Apocalyptica.* During Ozzfest 2002 by Drowning Pool....
and an original song penned by Moggridge called "No Man's Land") and enjoying the experience, the guys decided to continue and pursue the band full time taking the Epidemic name from the Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
song.
After recruiting drummer Geoff Bruce and vocalist Carl Fulli to complete the lineup, the band entered a Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bands
Battle of Bands is a contest in which two or more bands compete for the title of "best band". The winner is determined by a panel of judges, the general response of the audience, or a combination. The winning band usually receives a prize in addition to bragging rights. Traditionally, battles of...
contest held at the Mountain View Theater in September 1987. Having only recruited Fulli a couple of weeks prior, and having no previous experience, the band had no real expectations of winning the contest. After the first night of competition the band had reached the finals and subsequently won the competition the next night. They won an opening slot for Death Angel
Death Angel
Death Angel is a Filipino-American thrash metal band from Concord, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released six studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums....
the following month.
The band recorded their first demo, "Immortal Minority", in December 1987. Achieving minor success in the Bay Area and playing almost every thrash show at the Mountain View Theater, with the likes of Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
, Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, Death Angel
Death Angel
Death Angel is a Filipino-American thrash metal band from Concord, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released six studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and two live albums....
, D.R.I.
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles is a thrash metal/crossover thrash band from the United States that formed in Houston, in 1982. The band currently comprises founding members, vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy, as well as drummer Rob Rampy and bassist Harald Oimoen.D.R.I...
, etc. the band started to branch out further, playing shows at the Stone in San Francisco and the Omni Oakland.
In the fall of 1988, Epidemic came to the conclusion that they needed a drummer with further advanced double kick skills and Bruce agreed to leave the band. They recruited Bobby Cochran
Bobby Cochran
Bobby Cochran is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has worked with many bands, including Steppenwolf, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Leon Russell, and Bobby and the Midnites.-External links:*, official website of Bobby Cochran...
, a longtime friend and former Punisher drummer, to take over duties. With this line-up, Epidemic went into Telluride Studios in Palo Alto to record their now classic demo "Demo '89". The band initially gave out 300 free demos after a Vio-lence
Vio-lence
Vio-lence was a thrash metal band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. They released demo tapes, one EP and 3 LPs between 1985 and 1993. Their most stable line-up was Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn on guitars, Deen Dell on bass, Perry Strickland on drums and Sean Killian on vocals.- 1985 -...
show at the Omni and their popularity grew tremendously. The band sent out the demo to many magazines, radio stations and labels and created a name for themselves globally. The band estimates that they sold roughly 5,000-7,000 demos on their own over the next two years. During this time the band was able to headline venues on their own. Epidemic's first headline show at the Stone was filled at 90% capacity. They also reached agreement with Marco Barbieri, the head of the label Century Media Records
Century Media Records
Century Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.- Background :...
, to become their manager. In addition, a deal was reached with Metalcore Records in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for the release of "Demo '89" on CD and vinyl. It would be the first official CD released by the band under the title The Truth of What Will Be
The Truth of What Will Be
The Truth of What Will Be is the debut album of the Thrash Metal band Epidemic. It was released in 1990 by Metalcore Records. This album contains early versions of "Live Your Death" and "Three Witches", which would later appear on their next album, Decameron.-Track listing:#AMX – 3:03#Live Your...
..., though it was only released in Europe.
In January 1991, the band recorded another demo, titled "Extremities '91", which led to their signing of a record contract with Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is a record label which was founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The U.S. corporate office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Arizona, Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony BMG Music...
. The band recorded their United States debut album, Decameron
Decameron (album)
Decameron is the second studio album by San Francisco Bay thrash metal band Epidemic. It was released in 1992 and is considered by many fans as Epidemic's best work.-Track listing:#Circle of Fools - 5:46#Insanity Plea - 2:39#Vision Divine - 3:58...
, at HOS studios in Palo Alto. The album was released in the summer of 1992. The band went on a two week East Coast tour with Malevolent Creation
Malevolent Creation
Malevolent Creation is a death metal band originally hailing from Buffalo, New York. Moving to Florida in 1987, they became a part of the emergent local death metal scene, landing a deal with Roadrunner Records...
and Suffocation
Suffocation (band)
Suffocation is an American death metal band that was formed in 1989 in Long Island, New York. The band comprises vocalist Frank Mullen, guitarists Terrance Hobbs and Guy Marchais, drummer Mike Smith and bassist Derek Boyer. Suffocation rose to prominence of death metal and created a blueprint for...
in December 1992 to support it, and eight weeks later headed out on a nationwide tour with Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...
and Unleashed
Unleashed (band)
Unleashed is a Swedish death metal band that was formed in 1989 by Johnny Hedlund. Viking culture, recollection of a pre-Christian world, and Norse folklore are common themes found in the band's songs. A number of their recent songs also contain references to J. R. R. Tolkien.-Biography:Unleashed...
in early 1993. Epidemic gained considerable exposure as well as experience, as this was what they thought was the beginning of their touring years.
After coming home from the tours the band focused on writing new material but asked Higbey to leave the band. This was a difficult decision for the band but they moved forward as a four piece and continued to write and prepare for their next album. Entering Razor's Edge studios in San Francisco in the fall of 1993, the band recorded what they feel was their best album, Exit Paradise
Exit Paradise
Exit Paradise is the fourth and final studio release by the San Francisco Bay area thrash metal band Epidemic. This was also the only recording where the band played as a four-piece group, after the departure of guitarist Guy Higbey....
, which was released in October 1994. Unfortunately the band decided to break up a couple months after the release of this album due to differences in the band and the label's lack of support.
Last line-up
- Carl Fulli - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1987–1994) - Erik Moggridge - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(1987–1994) - Mark Bodine - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1987–1994) - Bobby CochranBobby CochranBobby Cochran is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has worked with many bands, including Steppenwolf, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Leon Russell, and Bobby and the Midnites.-External links:*, official website of Bobby Cochran...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1988–1994)
Former members
- Guy Higbey - Guitar (1987–1993)
- Ted Kamp - Drums (1987)
- Geoff Bruce - Drums (1987–1988)
Studio albums
- The Truth of What Will BeThe Truth of What Will BeThe Truth of What Will Be is the debut album of the Thrash Metal band Epidemic. It was released in 1990 by Metalcore Records. This album contains early versions of "Live Your Death" and "Three Witches", which would later appear on their next album, Decameron.-Track listing:#AMX – 3:03#Live Your...
(1990) Metalcore Records - DecameronDecameron (album)Decameron is the second studio album by San Francisco Bay thrash metal band Epidemic. It was released in 1992 and is considered by many fans as Epidemic's best work.-Track listing:#Circle of Fools - 5:46#Insanity Plea - 2:39#Vision Divine - 3:58...
(1992) Metal Blade Records - Lament (1994) (7-inch) Metal Blade Records
- Exit ParadiseExit ParadiseExit Paradise is the fourth and final studio release by the San Francisco Bay area thrash metal band Epidemic. This was also the only recording where the band played as a four-piece group, after the departure of guitarist Guy Higbey....
(1994) Metal Blade Records
Demos
- Immortal Minority (1988)
- Demo '89 (1989)
- Extremities '91 (1991)