Brutality emerged as one of the leading outfits from Florida’s growing death metal community in the United States, although the band had first assembled in 1988. Scott Reigel supplied vocals, Don Gates and Jay Fernandez handled guitar, Jeff Acres covered bass along with backing vocals, and Jim Coker sat behind the drums in that initial formation.
During their earliest period the musicians sustained themselves by circulating demos, much like others in the genre, while also releasing the singles ‘Hell On Earth’ and ‘Sadistic’ on the European label Nuclear Blast. These tracks established Brutality’s characteristic blend of aggressive rhythms beneath Reigel’s singular vocal style.
The full force of that approach appeared across the 1993 debut album Screams Of Anguish and carried through When The Sky Turns Black the following year. Bryan Hipp, born in the USA and deceased on 21 October 2006, joined as guitarist on the second record.
Further lineup adjustments preceded the 1996 release In Mourning, which added Dana Walsh and Pete Sykes on guitar alongside Reigel, Acres, and Coker.
The group dissolved in the late 1990s, yet has regrouped multiple times since the start of the new millennium, always retaining Reigel, Acres, and Coker while cycling through additional guitarists.
