Deceased (band)

Deceased is a death/thrash metal band from Virginia, that has attained a dedicated, though cult following throughout a lengthy recording and live career. Founded in 1984, by drummer and vocalist King Fowley, the first band to sign Relapse Records, they released four full albums through the label, along with a number of EPs, demos and re-releases of early demos. Leaving Relapse Records in 2003 to sign to Thrash Corner, the band continues to release material to this day. Though their style has changed through the years, turning into a cross between thrash and heavy metal, with slightly harsh vocals, compared to the early and rawer death metal sound of their original works. Their sound centres around the powerhouse drumming and horror lyrics barked, sometimes narrated vocals of Fowley, telling tales of zombies and classic works of horror from The Twilight Zone to the works of Edgar Allan Poe ("Dark Chilling Heartbeat" retells "The Tell-Tale Heart" on their Supernatural Addiction album), while the twin guitars often move quickly from riff to riff - the band's songs typically work through several time signature and tempo changes. From their fairly primitive origins, while their core sound has always retained an almost punk/hardcore edge to its rawness, Deceased became more and more ambitious in terms of their use of melody in their progressive, lengthy thrash guitar workouts. This transition in their career was marked by the release of a full zombie concept LP, "Fearless Undead Machines", with cover art by painter Wes Benscoter and spoken samples from George A. Romero's "..of the Dead" films, as well as the band's own attempts to stage classic horror monologue and storytelling.Fowley currently lives in Philadelphia with his wife (and long time friend) Kimberly Hannum and her parents. The two apparently tied the knot after Hannum was legally divorced from her (at the time) husband for adultery with Fowley.

Band members

• King Fowley - vocals
• Mike Smith - guitar (no longer plays live)
• Les Snyder - bass
• Dave "scarface" Castillo - drums
• Shane Fuegel - guitar

Live members

• Matt Alteri - guitar

Former members

• Marcel DeSantos - drums
• Doug Souther - guitar
• Rob Sterzel - bass
• Mark "Chainsaw" Adams - guitar

Discography

Demos

The Evil Side Of Religion (October 1986)

1. "After The Bloodshed" - 2:03
2. "Eaten By Disease" - 2:02
3. "March Of The Cadavers" - 2:08
4. "Gutwrench" - 2:53
5. "Raw Explosives" - 3:22
6. "Sick Thrash" - 2:29
7. "Mentally Ill" - 4:09
8. "The Cemetery's Full" - 4:03
9. "Funeral Of Gore" - 3:40

Birth by Radiation (1988)

1. "Birth by Radiation" - 4:02
2. "Vomiting Blood" - 3:06
3. "Virus" - 2:44
4. "Hallucinating Mutants" - 2:27
5. "Worship the Coffin" - 3:55
6. "Immune to Burial" - 3:32
7. "Decrepit Coma" - 3:42
8. "Deformed Tomorrows" - 5:42

Line-up

• King Fowley - drums, vocals
• Mark Adams - lead guitar
• Doug Souther - lead guitar
• Lesley Snyder - bass

Other credits

• Mixed October 28, 1988 by Don Zientara

Nuclear Exorcist (1989)

1. "Nuclear Exorcist" - 4:49
2. "Shrieks from the Hearse" - 3:35
3. "A Trip to the Morgue" - 2:35
4. "Below the Tombstone" - 4:04
5. "Planet Graveyard" - 4:50
6. "Futuristic Doom" - 3:26
7. "Haunted Cerebellum" - 3:19

Line-up

• King Fowley - drums, vocals
• Mark Adams - guitar
• Doug Souther - guitar
• Lesley Snyder - bass

Other credits

• Mixed October 30-31, 1989
• Engineered by Joey P
• Artwork by Tom Harrison

One Night In The Cemetery (1989)

1. "Sick Thrash"
2. "Gutwrench"
3. "Decrepit Coma"
4. "Birth By Radiation"
5. "The Cemetery's Full"
6. "Below The Tombstone"
7. "Futuristic Doom"
8. "After The Bloodshed"
9. "Vomiting Blood"
10. "Eaten By Disease"
11. "Nuclear Exorcist"
12. "Planet Graveyard"
13. "Immune To Burial"
14. "Deformed Tomorrows"

The Day of Death Live (1990)

1. "Fading Survival"
2. "Decrepit Coma"
3. "The Cemetery's Full"
4. "Birth By Radiation"
5. "Psychedelic Warriors"
6. "Futuristic Doom"
7. "Haunted Cerebellum"

Live with the Legions (1992)

1. "A Reproduction of Tragedy" (Live December 5 1992, Maryland)
2. "The 13 Frightened Souls/Robotic Village" (Live September 19, 1992, Washington, DC)
3. "Psychedelic Warriors" (Live February 10, 1992, Washington, DC)
4. "Birth By Radiation/Shrieks From The Hearse" (Live July 6 1991, Maryland)
5. "Island Of The Unknown" (Live April 22, 1992, Washington, DC)
6. "Futuristic Doom" (Live March 20, 1992, Florida)
7. "Haunted Cerebellum" (Live August 28, 1991, Virginia)
8. "Planet Graveyard" (Live May 4, 1991, Illinois)
9. "Feasting On Skulls" (Live June 20, 1992, Ohio)
10. "Morbid Shape In Black" (Live November 27, 1992, Washington, DC)

Demo I 1995 (1995)

1. "Die By The Sword" (Slayer cover)
2. "Beyond Science"
3. "The Silent Creature"

Demo II 1995 (1995)

1. "Mysterious Research"
2. "From the Ground They Came"
3. "Night of the Deceased"

EPs

• Gut Wrench (1991)
• 13 Frightened Souls (1993)
• The Premonition (2000)
• Behind the Mourner's Veil (2001)
• Inject the Ugliness (2007)

Studio albums

• Luck of the Corpse (1992)
• The Blueprints for Madness (1995)
• Fearless Undead Machines (1997)
• Supernatural Addiction (2000)
• As The Weird Travel On (2005)
• Surreal Overdose (Forthcoming, 2008)

Live albums

• Up The Tombstones!!! Live 2000 (2002)

Compilations

• Death Metal From The Grave (1996)

Featuring demo and live tracks

• The Radiation Year (2002)

Featuring demo tracks

• Zombie Hymns (2002)

A metal covers album

• Corpses, Souls & Other Strangeness (2003)

Featuring Luck of the Corpse, 13 Frightened Souls and bonus tracks

• Return to the Evil Side (2004)

Featuring demo and live tracks

• Rotten To The Core (2004)

A punk covers album

• Legions of Arrggghhhh

Demo and live tracks

Compilation appearances

External links

• Official homepage
• Deceased at AllMusicGuide