Deceased (band)

Deceased
Deceased (2005)
Background information
Origin	Arlington, Virginia, USA
Genres	Death metal Thrash metal
Years active	1984–present
Labels	PATAC Records, Thrash Corner Records, Hell's Headbangers
Members	King Fowley Les Snyder Mike Smith Shane Fuegal Dave Castillo

Deceased (often stylized as Deceased...) is a extreme metal band from Virginia that have attained a cult following throughout a lengthy career. In 1990 they were the first band to sign with Relapse Records, and released four albums and a number of EPs before parting ways with the label in 2003. Their sound centers around themes of horror, with lyrics barked and sometimes narrated by vocalist and founder King Fowley.

History

King Fowley and guitarist Doug Souther started the band in 1984 in Arlington, VA with a goal to “out-thrash Slayer.”^[1] They experimented with a number of band names, formations and styles before settling on the Deceased name and first real lineup in 1986 consisting of Fowley on drums and vocals, Mark Adams joining Souther on guitar, and bassist Rob Sterzel. Tragedy struck the group on March 3, 1988 when Sterzel and several friends, including the brother of guitarist Doug Souther, were killed in a hit-and-run accident.^[2] Les Snyder became the bassist later that year. Souther quit and was replaced by Mike Smith in 1991. The lineup of King Fowley, Mike Smith, Mark Adams, and Les Snyder lasted over a decade and recorded some of the group's most celebrated works. Changes began to reshape the band in 2003, when Dave "Scarface" Castillo stepped in as drummer, enabling Fowley to be frontman and vocalist. Mark Adams left in 2007 and was replaced by Shane Fuegal. Mike Smith retired from live performances in 2006, but remains a key songwriter and studio guitarist. Les Snyder relocated to Texas in 2009 and usually performs live for shows close to home.

Since leaving Relapse, Deceased have continuously released new material, including full-length LP "As the Weird Travel On" (Thrash Corner Records) in 2005, an independent vinyl-only live album entitled "Blood Orgy in College Park - Stalking the Airwaves" in 2010, and the most recent LP "Surreal Overdose" in 2011 on their own Shrieks From the Hearse label in conjunction with PATAC Records. The November 2012 issue of Decibel contained a flexi-disc of an exclusive new track "The Luck of the Corpse".^[3] A split 12" with the band Conceived By Hate, titled "The Figure of Uneasiness", was released in the fall of 2014 on El Salvador's Morbid Skull label, featuring four live-in-the-studio recordings with the current live lineup. A new album entitled "Ghostly White" is in the planning stages for release on Hell's Headbangers Records.

Timeline

Current members

• Kingsley Fowley – Vocals (1984–present), Drums (1986–2002, 2008–2012), Bass (1984–1986)
• Mike Smith – Guitar (1990–present)
• Shane Fuegel – Guitar (2007–present)
• Les Snyder – Bass (1988–present)
• Dave Castillo – Drums (2003–2008, 2012–present)

Former members

• Mark Adams – Guitar (1984–2007)
• Doug Souther – Guitar (1984–1990)
• Rob Sterzel – Bass (1986–1988; died 1988)
• Marcel DeSantos – Drums (1984–1986)

Timeline

Discography

Demos

The Evil Side of Religion (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

Line-up

• Mark Adams - guitar
• Doug Souther - guitar
• Rob Sterzel - bass
• King Fowley - drums, vocals

Other credits

• Recorded in September 1986 by Brian Anderson for $20 and a case of beer

Birth by Radiation (1988)

Birth by Radiation
Demo album by Deceased
Recorded	October 20, 1988
Studio	=Inner Ear Studios, Arlington, VA
Genre	Death metal
Length	29:10
Producer	Don Zientara

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 - guitar
• Doug Souther - guitar
• Lesley Snyder - bass

Other credits

• Mixed October 28, 1988 by Don Zientara

Nuclear Exorcist (1989)

Nuclear Exorcist
Demo album by Deceased
Recorded	October 26–27, 1989
Studio	Inner Ear Studios, Arlington, VA
Genre	Death metal
Length	26:38
Producer	Joey P

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)

One Night in the Cemetery
Demo album by Deceased
Recorded	May 16, 1989 Live at The Electric Banana, Pittsburgh, PA
Genre	Death metal

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"

Line-up

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

Other credits

• Recorded May 21, 1989 at the Electric Banana in Pittsburgh, PA

The Day of Death Live (1990)

The Day of Death Live
Demo album by Deceased
Recorded	October 20, 1990 Live at The Skyroom, Buffalo, NY
Genre	Death metal

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

Line-up

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

Other credits

• Recorded October 20, 1990 at the Skyroom in Buffalo, NY

References

External links

• Official homepage
• Deceased Interview at Diabolical Conquest Webzine
• Deceased at Allmusic