DEFIANCE Announces New Lineup

Reunited Oakland, California thrashers DEFIANCE have issued the following update:

"With our first show since 1994 just a couple of days away, we wanted to take this opportunity to let you all know about some pretty major changes in the lineup of the band.

"With our new album, 'The Prophecy', completed and released on Candlelight Records, both Mark [Hernandez, drums] and Steev [Esquivel, vocals] have moved on to concentrate on their primary bands, FORBIDDEN and SKINLAB, respectively. We want to publicly thank them both for putting in all the hard work and time to help us finish the album we dedicated together in the memory of our dear friend and guitarist Doug Harrington. We wish both of them continued success in whatever lies ahead for them.

"We are very excited to announce the new lineup of DEFIANCE for 2010 and beyond. Taking on Doug and Glen's parts on guitar, we welcome Shawn Bozarth on guitar! Taking over the singing duties, we are stoked to announce the addition of Keven Albert (formerly with KAOS). Now manning the drum throne to play all of Mark and Matt's insane parts, we are very stoked to have Andrew Byrne joining the band!

"We will be playing this Saturday night at Blake's on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley CA. Come on out and check us out if you are in the area."

"The Prophecy" was released on October 19 via Candlelight Records. The first collection of new music from DEFIANCE in over 15 years was recorded at Trident Studios and Greendot Studios in East Bay, California.

An e-card for "The Prophecy" can be accessed at this location.

The cover artwork by Travis Smith (OPETH, NEVERMORE) of Seempieces can be viewed below.

Part of the so-called "second wave" of Bay Area thrash (which also included the likes of FORBIDDEN, VIO-LENCE, DEATH ANGEL, and TESTAMENT),DEFIANCE officially disbanded in 1993 after the departure of vocalist Steev Esquivel (who would go on to form SKINLAB, and later RE:IGNITION),while the remaining members, with the addition of vocalist Dave Godfrey White (HEATHEN),formed INNER THRESHOLD, which would also eventually disband.

In 2005, rumors of a reformed DEFIANCE sent waves of interest through the burgeoning thrash metal community until it was finally confirmed that the band had in fact reunited and were at work on their first new material in over a decade.

New DEFIANCE lineup from left to right: Shawn Bozarth, Mike Kaufmann, Jim Adams, Andrew Byrne, Keven Albert (photo taken by Mike Miller)