Vio-lence
Formed: 1985
From:
San Francisco,
CA,
United States
Last Known Status: Regrouped
Latest Vio-lence News
Below is our complete Vio-lence news coverage, including columns and articles pertaining to the band. Some articles listed may be indirectly related, such as side projects of the band members, etc.
Note: We began associating news directly with bands in late 2003. Therefore, earlier band news may not be listed on this page.
Displaying records 1 - 20 of 46 1 2 3 Last
Vio-lence Tearing It Up Live On 70k Tons Of Metal
It doesn't matter who's playing in Bay Area thrash legends Vio-lence, they always bring it. We have video proof of it taken during one of their sets on 70k Tons of Metal playing "Eternal Nightmare." Check it out! More...
Brutal Assault Add Dozens Of Bands To 2026 Lineup
Brutal Assault added over 30 bands to next year's line-up. From djent masters Fit For An Autopsy and deathcore crushers Periphery or Katatonia through dark electronic invasion led by Perturbator KMFDM and Cradle of Filth to absolute legends Thy Art Is Murder and Od.
Brutal Assault will take place in the Czech Republic at the Josefov Fortress during August 6-9, 2025.
Festival passes are available HERE! More...
Misfire Premiere New Single & Music Video
Misfire have premiered a new music video for their song “All Over The Place,” filmed with director Alex Zarek and streaming via YouTube for you now below.
The video captures the raw energy of the Illinois thrash metal trio’s live performances and offers a fitting lead-in to their next chapter — a fall U.S. tour alongside Death Angel (celebrating 35 years of Act III), Vio-lence, and Lions At The Gate on the following dates: More...
Death Angel Premiere New Music Video
Thrash mainstays Death Angel have rolled out a fresh music video for their latest single, “Wrath (Bring Fire)”, pulling together live footage captured throughout their summer tour. The band are now gearing up for a fall U.S. run honoring their 1990 classic “Act III.”
Originally slated to feature Toxic Holocaust as direct support, the lineup has shifted due to an injury in that camp, with Vio-lence now stepping in. Lions At The Gate and Misfire will be opening the shows: More...
Headline News
70,000Tons Of Metal Announces Destination Change
70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, has announced a change in the destination for its 2026 voyage. The upcoming edition of the festival at sea, taking place from January 29 to February 2, 2026, will now sail from Miami, Florida to Nassau, the Bahamas aboard Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas.
Originally planned to return to Labadee, Haiti, the decision to reroute the journey was made out of an abundance of caution and with the well-being of all Sailors, artists, and crew as the top priority.
"While Labadee has been a great port of call on past sailings, we are closely monitoring the evolving situation in Haiti and its surrounding regions," said Andy Piller, Skipper of 70000TONS OF METAL. "Ensuring the safety and comfort of our Survivors is non-negotiable. With that in mind, we’ve made the proactive decision to change course for 2026. Nassau provides a welcoming alternative that allows us to maintain the world-class experience our Sailors expect — both on board and ashore." More...
Dark Angel Announces Tour
West Coast thrash metal legends Dark Angel will embark on "The Extinction Level Event" North American Tour this fall, their first domestic trek in over three decades.
Dark Angel’s first North American tour since the early 1990s celebrates their forthcoming comeback album, Extinction Level Event (Reversed Records), their first new album since 1991.
Formed in 1981 – the same year as Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Mercyful Fate, and Sodom – Dark Angel earned a devoted cult following as pioneers and architects of the burgeoning thrash metal sound. The genre-defining We Have Arrived (1985), Darkness Descends (1986), Leave Scars (1989), and Time Does Not Heal (1991) helped shape a musical movement alongside their peers.
Renowned for their ferocity and precision, the band’s signature blend of speed, technicality, and intensity made them beloved by headbangers around the world, as evidenced by the t-shirts and patches brandished by fans in the years since the band’s original run. The blistering “Circular Firing Squad” gave the thrash faithful another taste of the new album when it dropped last month. It followed April’s release of the title track, written by late co-founding guitarist Jim Durkin.
“Musically, lyrically, and vocally, I’m so stoked about this album,” says Gene Hoglan, the iconic drummer and “Atomic Clock” who powered classic albums and tours by Death, Testament, Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory, Dethklok, and the all-star Death tribute, Death To All.
Dark Angel’s modern line-up features classic era members Hoglan and guitarist Eric Meyer; bassist Mike Gonzalez, vocalist Ron Rinehart, and the latest addition, Laura Christine, who first performed with them in 2022. “I’m really excited about Dark Angel right now,” Hoglan says. “And everyone who’s heard the new album is losing their minds.”
Support acts for The Extinction Level Event North American Tour vary by date, boasting a diverse blend of metal styles: Sacred Reich, Hirax, Vio-Lence, Midnight, Void, and Interceptor. More...
Report
Vio-Lence Leads A Thrash Metal Charge In London
Even the legends still have first times for everything. When thrash metal exploded onto the scene in the 1980s to take on the wretched plague of glam, many of the American names were able to cross the pond and perform in Europe, including Britain, who themselves wanted either an evolution of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, or an alternative to the synthpop that dominated the airwaves. Of course, the Bay Area was one of the two main homes for American thrash, along with the East Coast, and it gave the world such groups as Metallica, Megadeth and of course, Vio-Lence, whose debut album, "Eternal Nightmare" is still considered a classic of the genre to this day. In 1990, they would release their sophomore full length, "Oppressing The Masses" and now, thirty five years later, Sean Killian and co. marked the occasion with their first headlining tour of the UK and Ireland, along with other European dates, and they had some very impressive company joining them.
All too often, unknown openers are dismissed, especially when it comes to a weekday show and people are debating whether to stop home on their way from work or whatever, but those who got to the show on time today were able to witness history. Tonight's curtain jerkers were Kuazar, who were not only performing their first show in London too, but became the first metal band from Paraguay to perform in the UK. While it's always cool to be a part of history, the big question is, are they actually any good? Well, yes, demonstrably so. Kuazar are clearly very proud of their homeland, and the South American nation couldn't have picked better ambassadors for their metal scene.
The trio boasts a very impressive catalogue, with material from their most recent album, "Hybrid Power," proving particularly impressive. "Obscure & Violent" sounded fantastic, while the other tracks had more of a story behind them, such as the call for mental health support and anti-suicide anthem, "Silence," as well as the rousing "Machete Che Pope (Acosta Ñu,)" a song about the horrific slaughter of children in their homeland. Musically, they're very much at home on a thrash bill, but there's a bit more to them than that, offering some heavy grooves and pummeling rhythms, along with an intense stage presence that invites everyone around them to come closer, which they did very quickly. This was one of the most impressive openers I've seen for a while and I hope they're able to return to Europe soon. More...
Category 7 Premiere New Single & Music Video
Thrash metal supergroup Category 7 has premiered a music video for their track "Land I Used To Love." Directed by Tom Flynn (known for his work with As I Lay Dying and 10 Years), this latest video showcases the band’s powerhouse lineup of veteran metal musicians, which includes:
Vocals: John Bush (Armored Saint, ex-Anthrax)
Guitars: Mike Orlando (ex-Adrenaline Mob)
Guitars: Phil Demmel (Kerry King, ex-Machine Head/Vio-lence)
Bass: Jack Gibson (Exodus)
Drums: Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall/Overkill)
The group’s first headlining tour in support of their self-titled debut album will kick off this spring, with dates as follows: More...
Kerry King Premiere New Music Video
Slayer guitarist Kerry King is gearing up for his first headlining North American tour with his new band, set to kick off on January 15th, 2025, in San Francisco, CA. Supporting acts for the tour include crossover thrash veterans Municipal Waste and Maori groove metal outfit Alien Weaponry. Pre-sale tickets go live today, October 2nd, at 10:00 AM local time (password: ‘RISE’), with general sales starting this Friday, October 4th, at 10:00 AM local.
In other news, King has released a new music video for his track "Where I Reign," directed by Jim Louvau and filmed during his summer tour. Earlier this year, King dropped his solo debut album From Hell I Rise, which was released in May. His band features an impressive lineup: Mark Osegueda (Death Angel) on vocals, Phil Demmel (Vio-lence, ex-Machine Head) on guitar, Kyle Sanders (HELLYEAH, ex-bloodsimple.) on bass, and Paul Bostaph (ex-Slayer) on drums
Report
Mystic Festival's Warm Up Day Stayed High And Dry
Mystic Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary during this year’s edition of the Poland based, summer metal festival. This was my third year in a row attending this under the radar metal fest. Just like the beloved Polish dish of pierogi, each one has been slightly different and even better than the previous year’s.
The festival added some bigger names to this year’s warm up day and even though mother nature was threatening to make it a soggy occasion, it didn’t stop it from being the busiest warm up day I’ve been to during the past three years. Mystic Festival is definitely more equipped to handle a rainy day. There is plenty of seating inside the food court area and there are some large, tented merch areas where you can also keep your battle vests dry.
The first band of the day and Mystic Festival was Poland based thrashers, Hellfuck. Hellfuck is fronted by Azarath’s Marcin Sienkiel and I subconsciously expected them to sound like a thrash version of that band. I was pleasantly mistaken. They have their own unique sound with some homage to 1980’s era thrash. There was a nice size crowd there for them I noticed several Hellfuck shirts speckled throughout their audience. It was nice seeing the hometown crowd supporting one of their own.
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Marcin Sienkiel of Hellfuck
Next up was one of the bands I was most looking forward to all of the festival, Fear Factory. I hadn’t seen them since their “Soul of a New Machine” tour in the early 1990’s, so it’s been a minute. This was obviously my first-time seeing Milo Silvestro as the vocalist and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. His vocals had a lot of effects on them, but in my opinion, he has a vocal range very similar to Burton C. Bell. I only got to watch a few songs, but during “Edgecrusher,” I saw an unlucky fan get soaked by their own beer once the chorus kicked in. Pro tip: If you have a full beer, never stand that close to the pit! It’s a good thing that beers are inexpensive at Mystic Festival.
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Milo Silvestro of Fear Factory More...
Category 7 (Armored Saint, Etc.) Premiere New Song
Category 7, the supergroup featuring current and former members of Armored Saint, Machine Head, Exodus, Shadows Fall, and more, are back with another single, “Exhausted.” This track is from the band’s forthcoming self-titled debut album, set to be released on July 26th via Metal Blade Records.
Frontman John Bush commented: More...
Column
What's So Great About Mystic Festival? Read This.
1. Certain bands that hardly come stateside but are easier to see if you’re in Europe. The bands I’m specifically referring to for this article are Gutalax, Asphyx, Furia, Satyricon and Blasphemy. Gutalax are actually going to be playing a couple of dates in the U.S. come September, but I didn’t want to wait that long to see them live for the first time. Asphyx, well…it was 2017 when they were stateside and Furia, I bet never. Satyricon has played some scattered dates here and there but are definitely more active in Europe. Mystic Festival has all of them this summer!
2. The cooler temperatures! This is my third Mystic Festival in a row and because it kicks off the metal festival season in early June, you can still comfortably wear a jacket at night. In fact, in 2022, the temperatures at the end of the first night of the festival were in the 40’s Fahrenheit. The Polish attendees are used to these types of temperatures but for someone that splits their time between Phoenix, Arizona and Athens, Greece, that’s called winter! The days, however, are beautiful. No complaints there.
3. The festival foods. It’s Poland, but this festival offers more than just pierogi and kielbasa. In fact, they are both more difficult to find at Mystic Festival than everything else available. There’s really good pizzas, hamburgers, some Mexican, Portuguese (!!!), lángos (think frybread with sour cream) and plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. The prices are fair for festival food but the lines can be long at times. There’s an actual indoor food court with plenty of seating if you need to get away for a bit. More...
Headline News
See: Kerry King Perform Together For The 1st Time
Besides the highly anticipated return of Slayer this year, renowned thrash metal guitarist Kerry King has been unveiling his own solo venture. Below, you can immerse yourself in the song "Residue" from his inaugural album, "From Hell I Rise." This release is scheduled for May 17th under Reigning Phoenix Music.
Jim Louvau and Tony Aguilera (known for their work with Jerry Cantrell and Greg Puciato) co-helmed the dynamic visuals accompanying this track.
King offered his thoughts: More...
Mystic Festival Adds Four More Bands To Line-up
Vio-Lence leads the pack of the latest bands added to Mystic Festival's 2024 line-up. Furia, Chelsea Wolfe and Ghostkid round out the rest of this round's additions.
Mystic Festival will take place in Gdansk, Poland at the Gdansk Shipyard on June 5th through 8th, 2024.
Tickets are available now on the Mystic Festival homepage here.
Sacred Reich And Vio-Lence To Tour Australia
Hardline Media has announced that after 29 years, Arizona thrash masters Sacred Reich will head back to Australia for a March 2023 tour with reactivated thrashers Vio-lence. This will be Vio-lence’s first time on Aussie shores.
The tour dates are as follows:
March 7 – Canberra – The Basement
March 8 – Sydney – Manning
March 9 – Adelaide – Enigma
March 10 – Brisbane – The Zoo
March 11 – Melbourne – Max Watts
Exciter Joins Vio-Lence/Coroner Tour
Canadian thrash/speed metal veterans Exciter has announced that they will be joining fellow thrashers Vio-Lence, Coroner and Lich King on their upcoming tour of the United States, performing in New York, Boston and Philadelphia. A message from the band reads as follows:
"We are pleased to announce that Exciter will be joining Vio-Lence and Coroner for 3 very exclusive dates in Boston, Philly, & NYC in May. Our friends in Lich King will be opening up this stacked bill as well, don't sleep on them! These shows mark Exciter's FIRST TIME EVER playing Boston, first time playing Philadelphia since 1984 w/ Motörhead & Mercyful Fate, & first time playing New York City since 2015. These will be monumental shows...get your tickets before you can't."
5/24 Boston, MA @ The Middle East
5/25 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
5/26 New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
Vio-Lence To Headline "Headbanger's Ball" Tour
Finally, after 29 years, thrash ensemble Vio-Lence have delivered a collection of new, teeth-kicking anthems ready to set the world ablaze with "Let The World Burn," their first since 1993‘s "Nothing To Gain."
Following several US dates this spring, the band will be headlining the European Headbangers Ball Tour 2022, as founding guitarist Phil Demmel reflects on the current state of Vio-Lence, "We want to constantly be releasing music, and constantly doing shows. At this stage we‘re excited for everybody who‘s still excited for this band. To them I say thank you for still listening to and supporting us, we‘re excited to come play, so spread the Vio-Lence!"
This November, the Bay-area thrasher invade Europe as they headline the MTV Headbangers Ball 2022 Tour (with Whiplash and Artillery, with more to be announced) starting November 23rd. Tickets on sale now.
The tour dates are as follows: More...
Vio-Lence Posts New Music Video Online
Bay-area ragers Vio-Lence kick your teeth in with "Let The World Burn," the first official music video from their eponymous 5-song EP, due on Metal Blade Records on March 4, 2022. "Let The World Burn" marks the third video in the bands catalog, following "World In A World" (off 1990's "Oppressing The Masses") and the 2020 single "California Uber Alles." The video was directed by Robert Graves/Defiant Digital Productions. You can check it out below.
Frontman Sean Killian states, "The memory of you will be forever forgotten when the extinction event arrives and fire becomes God. When the world burns and all is destroyed, all you know, all you believe will be forgotten forever. Let the world burn!"
Phil Demmel, founding guitarist, adds "I hadn‘t written a lot of thrash in the past 17 years or so but being the main songwriter for the band over the years I wanted that sound, I wanted that mid-80s raw thing, but I also wanted to capture our signature notes and structures and stuff like that."
Vio-Lence will bring their head-stomping brutal live show to select cities with fellow thrashers CORONER before both legends impede upon the Maryland Deathfest on May 27th. Tickets on sale now.
Vio-Lence Tour Dates 2022
5/21 Chicago, IL @ Reggies
5/24 Boston, MA @ The Middle East
5/25 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
5/26 New York, NY @ Le poisson Rouge
5/27 Baltimore, MD @ Maryland Deathfest More...
Vio-lence Premiere New Single "Let The World Burn"
Bay Area thrash metal band Vio-lence will their new EP “Let The World Burn“ via Metal Blade on March 04th, 2022. Today the band premiere the title track as the second single from the album, streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you below:
Headline News
Vio-lence Premiere First New Material in 29 Years
Vio-lence‘s comeback EP “Let The World Burn” has officially been scheduled for a March 04th release date by Metal Blade. The single and lyric video titled “Flesh From Bone” has recently premiered from it and marks the trash metal veterans' first new music in 29 years.
Explains guitarist Phil Demmel (ex-Machine Head): More...