Biography
Bl'ast! fused hardcore punk with speed metal in a punishing style, committing themselves to pushing the extremes of aggression and volume. Santa Cruz, California, served as the base for the group, which arose within the same West Coast underground rock environment that spawned Black Flag. The latter stood among their chief influences and eventually took on a mentoring role. Jagged, unyielding punk guitar lines formed the core of their approach, layered with downtuned mass and heightened force, while the driving rhythm section and raw vocals intensified the fury running through their material. Their original period yielded its clearest statement on the 1987 album It's in My Blood, the first release they recorded for Black Flag's SST label. During the 2010s, reworked tracks from that era appeared on Blood!, mixed by longtime supporter Dave Grohl.
The band took shape after members of the Santa Cruz punk outfit M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction) redirected their sound. M.A.D. had placed the track "Holocaust" on the 1982 Maximum Rock N Roll compilation Not So Quiet on the Western Front. Clifford Dinsmore handled lead vocals, Steve Stevenson played guitar, Dave Cooper handled bass, and Bill Torgerson sat behind the drums. A second guitarist, Mike Neider, joined in 1983, prompting both a heavier direction and the name change to Bl'ast!. Regular performances around their hometown built a local audience drawn to the music's ferocity. Work on a debut album began in 1985; after discarding the initial sessions, the band re-recorded the songs for The Power of Expression, issued in 1986 on Wishingwell Records. That album and the live shows that followed drew notice from SST Records, the label Greg Ginn had founded with Black Flag. Already shaped by Black Flag's example, Bl'ast! signed with SST for the follow-up, It's in My Blood, tracked as a quartet after Steve Stevenson departed. SST also reissued The Power of Expression for broader exposure, and Black Flag brought Bl'ast! along as an opening act on tour.
Take the Manic Ride arrived in 1989 as a faster yet equally forceful third album. Once touring wrapped, bassist Dave Cooper exited, and vocalist Clifford Dinsmore soon followed. Mike Neider and Bill Torgerson later revived the Bl'ast! name as Blackout after adding bassist Dave Dinsmore; that lineup released a single in 1994. Brant Bjork joined on guitar, and the group became LAB, which put out its first single in 1997. After Bjork's departure, LAB issued a limited-edition CD single in 1998 and disbanded shortly afterward. Bl'ast! reconvened in 2001 for a West Coast tour and then stepped back once more.
Neider reached out to Southern Lord Records in 2012 after locating old Bl'ast! master tapes in a disused storage locker. The reels contained an unreleased mid-'80s session that captured guitarist William DuVall during his brief time with the band; DuVall would later perform with Neon Christ and sing for the 2010s version of Alice in Chains. Superfan Dave Grohl mixed the rediscovered recordings, which Southern Lord released in 2013 as Blood, the group's first album in many years. Buoyed by the response, Clifford Dinsmore and Mike Neider formed a new Bl'ast! lineup featuring Nick Oliveri on bass and Hoss Wright on drums. They played two shows with Neurosis in 2013 and toured the United States and Europe in 2014 with Joey Castillo replacing Wright on drums. Another reissue appeared in 2014 when The Expression of Power collected tracks from The Power of Expression alongside previously unheard alternate takes. The revamped band issued its first new single in 2015, "For Those Who Graced the Fire" b/w "The Pulse." Because other obligations kept both Oliveri and Castillo from the sessions, Dave Grohl played drums and former Black Flag member Chuck Dukowski played bass. Oliveri and Castillo did participate in the next recording, the track "Cut Your Teeth," which surfaced on a split single with Eyehategod. After that release, Bl'ast! began preparing material for a full-length album.
The band took shape after members of the Santa Cruz punk outfit M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction) redirected their sound. M.A.D. had placed the track "Holocaust" on the 1982 Maximum Rock N Roll compilation Not So Quiet on the Western Front. Clifford Dinsmore handled lead vocals, Steve Stevenson played guitar, Dave Cooper handled bass, and Bill Torgerson sat behind the drums. A second guitarist, Mike Neider, joined in 1983, prompting both a heavier direction and the name change to Bl'ast!. Regular performances around their hometown built a local audience drawn to the music's ferocity. Work on a debut album began in 1985; after discarding the initial sessions, the band re-recorded the songs for The Power of Expression, issued in 1986 on Wishingwell Records. That album and the live shows that followed drew notice from SST Records, the label Greg Ginn had founded with Black Flag. Already shaped by Black Flag's example, Bl'ast! signed with SST for the follow-up, It's in My Blood, tracked as a quartet after Steve Stevenson departed. SST also reissued The Power of Expression for broader exposure, and Black Flag brought Bl'ast! along as an opening act on tour.
Take the Manic Ride arrived in 1989 as a faster yet equally forceful third album. Once touring wrapped, bassist Dave Cooper exited, and vocalist Clifford Dinsmore soon followed. Mike Neider and Bill Torgerson later revived the Bl'ast! name as Blackout after adding bassist Dave Dinsmore; that lineup released a single in 1994. Brant Bjork joined on guitar, and the group became LAB, which put out its first single in 1997. After Bjork's departure, LAB issued a limited-edition CD single in 1998 and disbanded shortly afterward. Bl'ast! reconvened in 2001 for a West Coast tour and then stepped back once more.
Neider reached out to Southern Lord Records in 2012 after locating old Bl'ast! master tapes in a disused storage locker. The reels contained an unreleased mid-'80s session that captured guitarist William DuVall during his brief time with the band; DuVall would later perform with Neon Christ and sing for the 2010s version of Alice in Chains. Superfan Dave Grohl mixed the rediscovered recordings, which Southern Lord released in 2013 as Blood, the group's first album in many years. Buoyed by the response, Clifford Dinsmore and Mike Neider formed a new Bl'ast! lineup featuring Nick Oliveri on bass and Hoss Wright on drums. They played two shows with Neurosis in 2013 and toured the United States and Europe in 2014 with Joey Castillo replacing Wright on drums. Another reissue appeared in 2014 when The Expression of Power collected tracks from The Power of Expression alongside previously unheard alternate takes. The revamped band issued its first new single in 2015, "For Those Who Graced the Fire" b/w "The Pulse." Because other obligations kept both Oliveri and Castillo from the sessions, Dave Grohl played drums and former Black Flag member Chuck Dukowski played bass. Oliveri and Castillo did participate in the next recording, the track "Cut Your Teeth," which surfaced on a split single with Eyehategod. After that release, Bl'ast! began preparing material for a full-length album.
Albums
Singles
