DEFIANCE: Former VIO-LENCE Drummer MARK HERNADEZ Is 'A Perfect Fit'

March 20, 2006

Reunited Oakland, California thrashers DEFIANCE, best known for their seminal late '80s/early '90s Roadrunner releases "Void Terra Firma" and "Beyond Recognition", have posted the following message on their official blog:

"Yesterday [Saturday, March 18] we had our first rehearsal with our new drummer Mark Hernadez. Mark is veteran of the Bay Area metal scene. He has played with the likes of VIO-LENCE and TORQUE, among others. Mark totally hit it the ball out of the park! His style and his personality are a perfect fit for DEFIANCE. We are looking forward to recording a kick-ass album with him behind the drum kit. We also wanted to take this opportunity to thank James 'Flatline' Raymond for the time and work he invested into DEFIANCE. James is an awesome drummer and a really nice guy. He did a great job working with us over the last eight months. His departure had nothing to do with is playing or his attitude, it was simply an issue of conflicting schedules between DEFIANCE and his main band VENGINCE. We wish James and VENGINCE the best of luck! Maybe we will do a show together down the road?"

As previously reported, DEFIANCE recently inked a deal with Los Angeles-based Corporate Punishment Records. The group will enter Trident Studios in Concord, CA with producer Juan Urteaga (EXODUS, SKINLAB, VILE) this summer to begin work on their fourth album, tentatively due before the end of the year. Upon completion of the LP, the band is looking forward to playing selected shows and festivals. In addition to the new LP, Corporate Punishment Records will also release the band's first long-form DVD, "Decade(s) of Defiance", compiling hours of live performance, interview and archival footage chronicling their nearly 20 years of existence

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.

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