Attacker

Originating from New Jersey in 1983 under the preliminary name Warloc, speed metal band Attacker rapidly entered a thriving local circuit that likewise produced technical thrashers Hades. Their opening demo secured placement on Metal Blade’s Metal Massacre, Vol. 5, after which Bob Mitchell on vocals, Pat Marinelli and Jim Mooney on guitars, Lou Ciarlo on bass, and Mike Sabatini committed to tape the 1985 debut Battle at Helms Deep, an album steeped in J.R.R. Tolkien imagery. While the record never registered on pop charts, it earned favorable notices and later attained minor cult status among devoted metal listeners; nevertheless the musicians declined Metal Blade’s invitation for another project, holding out instead for a major-label contract. That strategy backfired when The Second Coming finally appeared in 1988 on the little-regarded Mercenary Records, by which point momentum had evaporated and the lineup had become virtually unrecognizable, retaining only Marinelli and Sabatini alongside vocalist John Leone, guitarist Tom D’Amico, and bassist Lou Ciarlo. Activity ended by 1989, prompting several members to form the short-lived Jersey Dogs. Leone died in 1994 and Mooney in 2000, yet two distinct editions of Attacker independently materialized in 2001, gigging at regional clubs. These factions eventually merged into a single official unit comprising Mitchell, Marinelli, Benetados, and Sabatini plus newcomer Felix Torres on bass, which issued the 2004 return album Soul Taker.