Bloodgood

Bloodgood emerged in the 1980s as a Christian, or “white,” metal outfit based in Seattle, Washington. The lineup took shape in the early part of the decade when vocalist Les Carlsen, who had appeared in a Broadway staging of Hair, joined guitarist David Zaffiro, bassist Mike Bloodgood, and drummer J.T. Taylor. Like the more prominent Stryper and Barren Cross, the quartet set out to reach listeners through heavy music. They maintained an active touring schedule across the rest of the decade while issuing the cassette-only demo EP Metal Missionaries in 1985. Studio albums followed on an annual basis: the self-titled debut in 1986, Detonation in 1987 (which introduced drummer Mark Welling), Rock in a Hard Place in 1988, and Out of the Darkness in 1989, the latter adding guitarist Paul Jackson and drummer Kevin Whistler. Two live sets appeared in 1990, Live, Vol. 1: Alive in America and Live, Vol. 2: Shakin’ the World. Seeking a broader palette that incorporated additional hard-rock elements, the band recruited keyboardist David McKay for the 1991 release All Stand Together, which also featured drumming by former Giant member David Huff. Even so, the group’s following had narrowed sharply, a reality that persisted despite the Christian-metal context. That same year they compiled The Collection, and a further concert document, To Germany With Love!, arrived in 1993. At that point the members chose to disband.