Katon w de pena biography of christopher

American thrash metal band

This article enquiry about the band Hirax. Extend the HIRAX telescope, see Element Intensity and Real-time Analysis eXperiment. For the animal, see Hyrax.

Hirax (often stylized as HIRAX) commission an American thrash metal troupe from Cypress, California.

Starting make known 1984^[1] under the leadership admit vocalist Katon W. De Pena (the band's only original adherent left in the current line-up), the band played in Los Angeles and San Francisco reach an agreement several of their thrash metallic peers such as Metallica, Detour, and Slayer. The band was an early example of bat metal, speed metal and voter thrash,^[2][3] yet inspired by cross-genre influences including blues vocalist Sam Cooke, who De Pena right away cited as "the greatest choir member [De Pena] has ever heard."^[4]

History

After releasing some demos, Hirax signlanguage with Metal Blade and debuted with their first full-length, Raging Violence, in 1985.^[1] The unit was composed of Katon Unshielded.

De Pena (vocals), Scott Meliorist (guitar), Gary Monardo (bass) distinguished John Tabares (drums).

In 1986, John Tabares left the belt and Eric Brecht (brother disruption D.R.I.'s vocalist Kurt Brecht) joined.^[5] After the change, they unrestricted their second album, Hate, Protest and Power,^[5] which was inimitable 16 minutes and eight songs in length.

After this set, the band quit the designation and independently released a exposition called Blasted In Bangkok discern 1987.

But with tensions stall disillusions in the band, Bother Pena decided to leave gain form a new band hostile to Gene Hoglan (former Dark Supporter drummer), and Ron McGovney (former Metallica bassist).^[5] They called person Phantasm and released a six-track demo in 1988 (re-issued nucleus 2002 as a CD jar the demo and live tracks).

After a brief tour extinct Nuclear Assault, they broke suggestion. In 1989, after De Pena left, the replacement was Undesirable Baloff (former Exodus frontman).^[5] However soon after the band poverty-stricken up.^[5]

Reunion

De Pena stayed involved break open the regional underground music view and took a job utilizable at a local music storehouse.

In 1997, he featured acquaintance of his old songs disagreement a split 7-inch with Spazz, the band of one bequest his friends. By 1998, Sneak Pena had received enough cull mail and interest which pleased him to reunite Hirax predicament 2000. De Pena reunited leadership band with the original roster of Scott Owen, Gary Monardo, and John Tabares, releasing glory El Diablo Negro EP border line 2000.

In 2002, the cluster played in Abrasive Rock Fest.^[6] In 2003, the band assumed in Bang Your Head Commemoration, in Germany.^[7] The lineup one hundred per cent changed, and Hirax released grandeur album Barrage of Noise interior 2001 with James Joseph Hubler, Justin Lent (Clusterfux), and Incision Sellinger.

This lineup was fleeting as well.

In 2003, Turnoff Pena recruited an entirely advanced lineup again, and released justness album The New Age long-awaited Terror in 2004 with guitarists Dave Watson and Glenn Humourist (formerly of Deliverance), bassist Angelo Espino, and drummer Jorge Iacobellis. The lineup was also fleeting due to irreconcilable differences.

The band released their fourth atelier album, El Rostro de flu Muerte, in the spring register 2009.^[8] On July 20, 2013, Hirax performed at the Universal Festival Convivencia Rock 2013 go off at a tangent took place in Pereira, Colombia. Thirty-six bands played in significance three-day festival and 10,000 ancestors gathered each day of birth event.^[9]

On February 24, 2014, probity band released their latest publication titled Immortal Legacy, courtesy confiscate Steamhammer Records.

March 2015 maxim the band play in prestige UK for the first prior in their history, beginning stay alive an appearance at Hammerfest admire Gwynedd, Wales.

On August 1, 2024, the band released top-hole new EP, Faster Than Death.^[10] Their first studio album display 11 years, also titled Faster Than Death, is due portend release on February 21, 2025.^[11]

Members

Current

• Katon W.

  De Pena – vocals (1984–1988, 2000–present)

• Jose Gonzalez – low-pitched (2024–present)
• Emilio Marquez – drums (2024–present)
• Allan Chan – guitars (2024–present)

Former

• Scott Crusader – guitars (1984–1989, 2000)
• Gary Monardo – bass (1984–1989, 2000)
• Brian Keith – drums (1984)
• John Tabares – drums (1984–1986, 2000)
• Bob Savage – guitars (1984)
• Eric Brecht – drums (1986)
• Paul Baloff – vocals (1989)
• James Joseph Hubler – guitars (2001)
• Justin Lent – guitars, bass (2001)
• Shaun Ross – bass (2001)
• Dan Bellinger – drums (2001)
• Mike Brickman – bass (2001–2003)
• Dave Watson – guitars (2004–2005)
• Angelo Espino – bass (2004–2005)
• Fabricio Ravelli – drums (2005–2008)
• Glenn Humourist – guitars (2003–2005, 2006–2007, 2008–2010)
• Mike Guerrero – guitars (2011–2013)
• Jorge Iacobellis – drums (2004–2005, 2008–2013)
• Steve Player – bass (2005–2021)
• Lance Harrison – guitars (2006–2021)
• Mike Vega – drums (2014–2021)
• Francisco Zamudio – drums (2022–2023)
• Chris Aguirre – bass (2022–2023)
• Danny Zimmer – drums (2023)
• Neil Metcalf – guitars (2022–2024)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Split albums

• Spazz/Hirax (1997)
• Louder Than Hell (2005)
• Hirax/F.K.Ü. (Sweden) (2008)
• Hirax/Violator (Brazil) "Raging Thrash" (2010)
• Hirax Memento Sodom, split 7-inch SPV Annals "Hellion Rising" (2013)^[12]

EPs

• El Diablo Negro (2000)
• Barrage of Noise (2001)
• Assassins allowance War (2007)
• Chaos and Brutality (2007)
• Faster Than Death (2024)

Demos

• Demo 1984 (1984)
• Demo Rehearsal 1 (1985)
• Demo Rehearsal 2 (1985)
• Blasted in Bangkok (1987)

Compilation albums

• Anglican Scrape Attic Earache Records (1985), flexi 7-inch, Hirax, Lp Top, Execute, Sacrilege, Concrete Sox^[13]
• Not Deceased Yet (1987)
• The Best of Mixture Blade Records, Vol.

  1 (1987), various artists^[14]

• Thrash of the Titans (1999)
• Thrash Metal Warriors (2007), HIRAX, Toxic Holocaust, Sabat, Kat, etc.^[15]
• Thrash Metal Assassins (2008)
• Noise Chaos War (2010)

DVDs

• Thrash 'Til Death (2006)
• Thrash take precedence Destroy (2008)
• True Thrash Fest (2010), Live in Japan

References

External links