Heathen is an American thrash metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area, formed in 1984. The band was active from 1984 to 1993 before reuniting in 2001. Heathen has released four studio albums: "Breaking the Silence" (1987), "Victims of Deception" (1991), "The Evolution of Chaos" (2009) and "Empire of the Blind" (2020). The band has also released the live album "Bleed the World: Live" (2025). Following guitarist Lee Altus' departure in 2026, no original members remained in the lineup. Altus and vocalist David White, who joined in 1985, had appeared on all four of the band's studio albums.
Heathen was formed in 1984 by guitarist Lee Altus and drummer Carl Sacco, formerly of Metal Church. They subsequently recruited vocalist Sam Kress and guitarist Jim Sanguinetti, who later formed Mordred. Following the band's first gig in 1985, Kress and Sanguinetti left and were replaced by vocalist David White, formerly of Blind Illusion, and guitarist Doug Piercy, formerly of Anvil Chorus and Control. Bassist Eric Wong also joined the band. This lineup became active in the Bay Area in 1986. Heathen's early musical style combined thrash metal with elements associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, including melodic vocals and guitar solos, as well as acoustic passages.
Heathen released the "Pray for Death" demo, which led to a contract with Combat Records in 1987. Wong subsequently left to join Piranha and was replaced by former Griffin guitarist Mike "Yaz" Jastremski.
Heathen's debut studio album, "Breaking the Silence", was released in 1987. The album included a cover of Sweet's "Set Me Free", which received radio airplay and exposure on MTV's "Headbangers Ball". Heathen toured in support of the album, including performances with Megadeth, King Diamond, Testament, Exodus, Savatage, Zoetrope, Dark Angel and Lizzy Borden.
In 1988, Sacco left the band because of musical differences and was replaced by Darren Minter. Jastremski subsequently departed, and the band underwent several changes in its bass and vocal positions between 1988 and 1991. White left in 1989 because of personal and musical differences, and former Exodus vocalist Paul Baloff briefly served as Heathen's vocalist. The band also toured for a short period with former Metal Church vocalist David Wayne. In late 1988, Rick Weaver joined the band after performing as a member of The Dispossessed on the Midwest leg of Heathen's tour. Weaver left in 1989 because of creative differences, after which White returned to the band.
For the recording of "Victims of Deception", Heathen recruited Blind Illusion bassist Marc Biedermann to perform on the album. Released by Roadrunner Records in 1991, the album featured more complex riffs, irregular time signatures, changes in tempo and key, and longer compositions than "Breaking the Silence". It has been described as progressive thrash metal and contained fewer of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal influences present on the band's debut. The album included a cover of Rainbow's "Kill the King" and the original ballad "Prisoners of Fate", both of which were released as singles and received some rock radio airplay. Heathen toured in support of the album, including European dates with Sepultura and Sacred Reich.
Randy Laire subsequently became the band's permanent bassist. Laire and his girlfriend died in a car accident, after which Jason VieBrooks joined the band as bassist. Piercy left in 1992 and was replaced by Ira Black. Heathen planned to record a covers EP dedicated to Laire and his girlfriend, as well as White's deceased brother Jeffery, but the band went on hiatus in 1993.
Heathen reunited in 2001 with White, Altus, Black, Jastremski and Minter. The reunited lineup performed at the "Thrash of the Titans" benefit concert, which raised funds for medical treatment for Chuck Billy and Chuck Schuldiner. Jastremski left the band again in 2004 and was replaced by Ulysses Siren bassist Jon Torres. A compilation album, "Recovered", was released by Relentless Metal Records and included demos from the "Victims of Deception" era and newly recorded cover versions. Heathen released a new demo containing three songs in August 2005.
In 2005, Heathen recruited Terry Lauderdale as a second guitarist and toured Europe. That year, Altus also joined Exodus while remaining a member of Heathen. In November 2007, Kragen Lum of Prototype and Mark Hernandez joined the band, replacing Lauderdale and Minter respectively. Minter returned to the band in 2008.
Heathen released "The Evolution of Chaos", its first studio album in nearly two decades, in Japan through King Records on December 23, 2009, in Europe through Mascot Records on January 25, 2010, and in the United States through Mascot Records in February 2010. The band performed at the Rock Hard Festival in Germany in 2009 and later appeared at the Thrash Domination festival in Kawasaki, Japan, alongside Testament, Exodus and Kreator. Heathen toured in support of "The Evolution of Chaos" in April and May 2010 after cancelling planned dates in March.
In 2011, Heathen participated in the European Thrashfest Classics tour alongside Sepultura, Exodus, Destruction and Mortal Sin. The tour concluded in Vienna on December 18. In 2012, Heathen announced that it had signed a contract with Nuclear Blast Records for future albums. Minter left the band in 2013 and was replaced for a subsequent European tour by Jon Dette, formerly of Evildead, Slayer and Testament.
In January 2019, Heathen announced that it had begun work on a fourth studio album. In February 2020, the band revealed the title and artwork for "Empire of the Blind". The album's lead single, "The Blight", was released on June 26, 2020, and "Empire of the Blind" was released on September 18. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented the band from touring in support of the album for an extended period. Heathen subsequently toured Europe with Toxik and later appeared with Exodus and Death Angel in support of Testament's "Titans of Creation" tour. The band toured Europe with Overkill and Exhorder in April 2023 and subsequently toured the United States with the same bands in July. Heathen was scheduled to support Metal Church on the Canadian leg of its "Congregation of Annihilation" tour in March 2024, but the tour was cancelled because of a back problem suffered by Metal Church guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof.
In May 2024, Heathen announced plans for a fifth studio album, initially stating that it was expected to be released in 2025. The band entered the studio in June 2025 to begin recording, with production handled by Zeuss, who had also worked on "Empire of the Blind". Drum tracks were recorded by Jason Bittner, formerly of Shadows Fall and Overkill.
Heathen's first live album, "Bleed the World: Live", was recorded during the band's 2023 United States tour and released on March 14, 2025. On February 3, 2026, the band announced that it had signed with Napalm Records and released "Never a God", a cover of a song by Laughing Dead, David White's band from the early 1990s. The same announcement introduced a new lineup featuring drummer Blake Anderson and guitarist Kyle Edissi, who replaced Altus. Altus' departure left Heathen without any members of its original 1984 lineup.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathen_(band)
Studio albums
Breaking the Silence (1987)
Victims of Deception (1991)
The Evolution of Chaos (2009)
Empire of the Blind (2020)
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…shrink me down again