Necrophagia
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1983 in Wellsville, Ohio, United States |
| Founder | Frank "Killjoy" Pucci |
| Defunct | 2018 |
| Headquarters | Wellsville, Ohio , United States |
| Products | Death metal music |
Necrophagia () was a pioneering American death metal group established in Wellsville, Ohio in 1983. The band is acknowledged as one of the earliest influencers in the death metal movement, alongside contemporaries such as Possessed and Death.
Formation and initial phase (1983–1997)
The inception of Necrophagia traces back to 1983 when Frank "Killjoy" Pucci founded the band. Its name is derived from Greek terms meaning "corpse" and "to consume." The group garnered attention within the underground extreme metal tape trading community. Their first full-length album, Season of the Dead, debuted in 1987 prior to the band's dissolution. In 1990, Ready for Death, an album recorded in 1986, surfaced as a bootleg before receiving an official limited release through New Renaissance Records. This work was later featured in the 2000 compilation titled A Legacy of Horror, Gore and Sickness.
Phil Anselmo period (1997–2001)
Following the band's initial breakup, Killjoy collaborated with Pantera's lead singer Phil Anselmo, who contributed material that sparked Necrophagia's reformation in 1997. Anselmo adopted the alias Anton Crowley while playing guitar. The revived ensemble included Wayne Fabra on drums and Dustin Havnen handling bass duties. This lineup produced the album Holocausto de la Morte along with the EP Black Blood Vomitorium. In 2001, Jared Faulk replaced Havnen on bass, and guitarist Frediablo (Gorelord) plus keyboardist Opal Enthroned joined the ranks. That year saw the release of the Cannibal Holocaust EP and their inaugural DVD, Through Eyes of the Dead. Soon after these outputs, Anselmo, Opal Enthroned, and Fabra exited the band. The Housecore/Baphomet Records label, co-founded by Killjoy and Anselmo, was subsequently discontinued due to conflicting schedules and other obligations.
Frediablo era (2002–2006)
Continuing forward, Killjoy and Frediablo expanded Necrophagia's lineup by adding Fug (Frediablo’s brother) on guitar, Iscariah (formerly of Immortal) on bass, Titta Tanni (associated with Daemonia/New Goblin) on drums, and Mirai Kawashima from Japanese avant-garde black metal act Sigh on keyboards in 2002. This configuration was responsible for creating The Divine Art of Torture, Harvest Ritual Vol. 1, and the EP Goblins Be Thine. They also issued their first live recording entitled Slit Wrists And Casket Rot, captured during their "Harvesting the Dead" tour.
In early 2006, Frediablo left to concentrate on his project Gorelord, with Undead Torment stepping in as his replacement.
Later developments
In May 2011, Necrophagia unveiled Death Trip 69, featuring guest appearances from artists such as Casey Chaos (Amen) and Maniac, former vocalist of Mayhem. This was followed by the release of WhiteWorm Cathedral in October 2014. Mid-2015 saw the band touring North America alongside 1349 during their "Chaos Raids North America" tour.
Tragically, founding vocalist Killjoy passed away on March 18, 2018, at age 51.
Their concluding studio effort, Moribundis Grim, was issued on May 10, 2024. Comprising eight tracks, it includes Killjoy’s final vocal performances alongside contributions from past members such as John McEntee (Incantation), Titta Tani (ex-Goblin), and Mirai Kawashima (Sigh).
Final lineup
- Frank "Killjoy" Pucci — vocals, guitar
- Shawn Slusarek — drums
- Serge Streltsov — guitar
- Jake Arnette — bass
Timeline
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id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:studio value:black legend:Studio_albums id:other value:gray(0.5) legend:Demos/EPs id:bars value:gray(0.95)
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bar:Frank text:"Frank Pucci" bar:Larry text:"Larry Madison" bar:Phil text:"Anton Crowley (Philip Anselmo)" bar:Fug text:"Fug" bar:Boris text:"Boris Randall" bar:Sscrimm text:"Scrimm" bar:Frediablo text:"Frediablo" bar:Undead text:"Undead Torment" bar:Abby text:"Abigail Iee Nero" bar:Steve text:"Steve Lehocky" bar:Serge text:"Serge Streltsov" bar:Opal text:"Opal Enthroned" bar:Mirai text:"Mirai Kawashima" bar:Bill text:"Bill Bork" bar:Dustin text:"Dustin Havnen" bar:Jared text:"Jared Faulk" bar:Iscariah text:"Iscariah" bar:Damien text:"Damien Matthews" bar:Jake text:"Jake Arnette" barJoe text:"Joe Blazer" barWayne text:"Wayne Fabra" bar:Titta text:"Titta Tani" barShawn text:"Shawn Slusarek"
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width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) barFrank from:start till:end color:vocals from:start till 10/01/1987 from 01/01/1998 till 03/18/2018 barLarry from:start till 10/01/1987 color:guitar barPhil from 01/01/1998 till 11/20/2001 color:guitar barFrediablo from 01/01/2002 till 12/01/2005 color:guitar barFug from 01/01/2002 till 06/01/2010 color:guitar barBoris from 06/01/2010 till 12/01/2011 color:guitar barSscrimm from 01/2012 till 12/2015 color:guitar barSerge from 2016 till:end color:guitar barAbby from 06/2011 till 12/2014 color:guitar barSteve from 2015 till 2016 color:guitar barBill from start till 1987 color:bass barDustin from 1998 till 2001 color:bass barJared from mid-2001 till end of 2001 color:bass barIscariah from 2002 to mid-2010 color:bass barDamien from mid-2010 to end of 2015 color:bass barJake from start of 2016 to present color:bass barOpal intermittently between 2001 and early-2011 color:keyboards barMirai intermittently between 2002 and end-2014 color:keyboards barJoe from start to late-1987 color=drums barWayne from reunion start to mid-2002 color=drums barTitta from mid-2002 to mid-2010 color=drums barShawn from mid-2010 to present color=drums
</timeline>
Studio albums
- Season of the Dead (1987)
- Ready for Death (1990)
- Holocausto de la Morte (1998)
- The Divine Art of Torture (2003)
- Harvest Ritual Volume I (2005)
- Deathtrip 69 (2011)
- WhiteWorm Cathedral (2014)
- Moribundis Grim (2024)
Other releases
- Death Is Fun (compilation) (1995)
- Black Blood Vomitorium (EP) (2000)
- A Legacy of Horror, Gore and Sickness (compilation) (2000)
- Cannibal Holocaust (EP) (2001)
- Reverse Voices of the Dead (split EP alongside Antaeus) (2001)
- Goblins Be Thine (EP) (2004)
- Slit Wrists and Casket Rot (live recording) (2006)
- Here Lies Necrophagia: 35 Years of Death Metal (compilation) (2019)