The Obsessed
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1979 in Potomac, Maryland, United States |
| Founder | Scott "Wino" Weinrich |
| Headquarters | Potomac , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Doom metal music, albums, EPs, singles |
The Obsessed is a doom metal group originating from Potomac, Maryland, fronted by Scott "Wino" Weinrich. Established in 1979, the band produced demo recordings and performed live until their initial breakup in 1986, when Weinrich became the lead singer for Saint Vitus. Approximately two years prior to his departure from Saint Vitus, Weinrich revived The Obsessed in 1989. This reunion led to the release of three studio albums: The Obsessed (1990), Lunar Womb (1991), and The Church Within (1994), before disbanding once more in 1995. After sporadic live appearances between 2011 and 2013, the band declared a permanent comeback in 2016, subsequently issuing two albums: Sacred (2017) and Gilded Sorrow (2024).
Formation and early years (1976–1985)
Initially formed under the name "Warhorse" in 1976 in Potomac, Maryland, with Wino at the helm, the group evolved into the Leather Nunz by the late 1970s. This lineup featured Billy Beam on vocals, Jeff Urban on drums, Robert Krug on rhythm guitar, and Mark Laue handling bass duties, delivering original punk material.
After relocating to a communal residence in Rockville, Maryland, the band adopted the name The Obsessed and created some of their most innovative works. Prior to this transition, guitarist John Reese and drummer Davey Williams departed. The band operated as a trio until 1982 when Vance Bockis and Norman Lawson joined. Their output included the Sodden Jackal EP released in 1983, along with the track "Concrete Cancer" appearing on Metal Blade's compilation Metal Massacre VI. Although they recorded a debut album for Metal Blade Records in 1985, it was never officially released.
Disbandment, first reunion, and subsequent developments (1986–2010)
Following their late-1980s split, Wino relocated to California to join Saint Vitus, contributing to three albums, an EP, and a live record with them. Around 1989, The Obsessed reassembled and signed with Hellhound Records, which issued their previously unreleased debut album in 1990. Wino departed Saint Vitus to dedicate himself fully to The Obsessed’s revival alongside new members Scott Reeder on bass and Greg Rogers on drums.
When Reeder exited to join Kyuss, Guy Pinhas took over bass responsibilities. The band later inked a deal with Columbia Records, releasing their third album The Church Within, which received positive critical feedback. In early 1994, they toured as openers for Entombed and Unsane. Despite Columbia’s significant promotional efforts—including a 25-minute documentary—the album did not achieve commercial success. After disbanding again, Wino initiated projects such as Shine (which evolved into Spirit Caravan) and rejoined Saint Vitus for reunions in 2003 and 2008. Members from The Obsessed’s rhythm section also played a role in forming Goatsnake.
Reunions and recent activity (2011–present)
In September 2011, Roadburn Festival announced a reunion featuring the lineup from The Church Within era—Wino, Greg Rogers, and Guy Pinhas—for an April 2012 performance. The group also appeared at Hellfest Open Air in 2012 and Maryland Deathfest XI in May 2013, with Reid Raley substituting for Pinhas.
TKO Records reissued their self-titled 7" single in November 2012.
March 2016 marked Wino’s announcement of The Obsessed’s full-time return alongside signing with Relapse Records to produce a follow-up to The Church Within. Initially joined by Spirit Caravan bassist Dave Sherman and longtime collaborator Brian Costantino on drums, the lineup expanded by October 2016 to include Bruce Falkinburg on bass and Seraphim on guitar—forming their first four-piece ensemble in over three decades.
April 2017 saw the release of Sacred, their first studio album after a 23-year hiatus. Their subsequent album, Gilded Sorrow, was released on February 16, 2024.
In July 2025, drummer Brian Constantino left the band and was succeeded by Bob Pantella of Monster Magnet and The Atomic Bitchwax.
Members
Current lineup
- Scott "Wino" Weinrich – lead guitar and lead vocals (1980–present)
- Chris Angleberger – bass guitar (since 2022)
- Jason Taylor – rhythm guitar (since 2022)
- Bob Pantella – drums (from 2025 onward)
Past members
- Vance Bockis – vocals (1979–1983)
- John Reese – rhythm guitar (1979–1982)
- Mark Laue – bass (1979–1986)
- Scott Reeder – bass guitar (1990–1992)
- Guy Pinhas – bass (1992–1995)
- Reid Raley – bass (2013–2015, 2017–2019)
- Dave Sherman – bass and backing vocals (2016); deceased 2022
- Bruce Falkinburg – bass and backing vocals (2016); deceased 2022
- Brian "Wendy" White – bass (2019–2022)
- Dave Williams – drums (1979–1983)
- Ed Gulli – drums (1984–1986)
- Greg Rogers – drums (1990–1995)
- Brian Costantino – drums and backing vocals (2016–2025)
Timeline
<timeline> ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:0 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1979 till:11/11/2026 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Colors =
id:Vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals,_lead_guitar id:BVocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:Rhythm value:green legend:Rhythm_guitar id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Demo value:gray(0.75) legend:Demo id:Studio value:black legend:Studio album
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
ScaleMajor = increment:5 start:1979 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1980
LineData =
at:10/01/1980 color:Demo layer:back at:05/01/1982 color:Demo layer:back at:03/01/1985 color:Demo layer:back at:05/01/1990 color:Studio layer:back at:04/01/1991 color:Studio layer:back at:03/01/1994 color:Studio layer:back at:04/07/2017 color:Studio layer:back at:02/16/2024 color:Studio layer:back
BarData =
bar:Weinrich text:"Scott Weinrich" bar:Taylor text:"Jason Taylor" bar:Mark text:"Mark Laue" bar:Scott text:"Scott Reeder" bar:Guy text:"Guy Pinhas" bar:Reid text:"Reid Raley" bar:Dave text:"Dave Sherman" bar:white text:"Brian White" bar:Cris text:"Chris Angleberger" bar:Edd text:"Ed Gulli" bar:Greg text:"Greg Rogers" bar:Brian text:"Brian Costantino" bar:Bob text:"Bob Pantella"
PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:red align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Weinrich from:01/01/1979 till:end color:Vocals bar:Taylor from:01/01/2022 till:end color:Rhythm bar:Mark from:01/01/1979 till:02/01/1986 color:Bass bar:Scott from:08/01/1990 till:06/01/1992 color:Bass bar:Guy from:06/01/1992 till:03/01/1995 color:Bass bar:Dave from:01/01/2016 till:08/15/2016 color:Bass bar:Dave from:01/01/2016 till:08/15/2016 color:BVocals width:3 bar:Reid from:(09/01)/2013 till:(12/31)/2015 color:Bass bar:Reid from:(01/01)/2017 till:(01/01)/2019 color:Bass bar:white from:(01/01)/2019 till:(01/01)/2022 color:Bass bar:Cris from:(01/01)/2022 till:end color:Bass bar:Edd from:(01/01)/1984 till:(02/01)/1986 color::Drums </timeline>
Demos
- Demo 1980
- Demo 1982
- Promo Demo 1985
Albums
- The Obsessed (Hellhound Records, 1990)
- Lunar Womb (Hellhound Records, 1991)
- The Church Within (Hellhound Records/Columbia Records, 1994)
- Sacred (Relapse Records, 2017)
- Gilded Sorrow (Ripple Music, 2024)
EPs and singles
- Sodden Jackal 7" (Invictus Records, 1983)
- "Streetside" 7"/CD (Columbia Records, 1994)
- "To Protect and to Serve" 7"/CD (Columbia Records, 1994)
- Altamont Nation 7" (Bong Load Records, 1995)
- Instrumental 7" (Doom Records, 1996)
- Sodden Jackal 7" (alternative mixes) (Doom Records, 1996)
- Split 7" with Mystick Krewe of Clearlight (Southern Lord Records, 2001)
- Sodden Jackal 7" (TKO Records, 2012)
Compilation and live albums
- History of The Obsessed (Doom Records, 1997)
- Live at the Wax Museum (Doom Records, 1997)
- Incarnate (Southern Lord Records, 1999)
- Reissue of The Obsessed with live '84 CD (Tolotta Records, 2000)
- History of The Obsessed Volume II (Doom Records, 2002)