Death Valley High

From the identical recording facilities that yielded Orgy, the Faint, and Marilyn Manson emerged the Californian quartet Death Valley High, channeling hard rock energy through their dance-friendly goth-industrial approach. Self-described as "death disco," the project drew primary sonic inspiration from the late-'90s aesthetic of those same makeup-centric acts while incorporating additional layers from post-punk sources such as Joy Division and Bauhaus, industrial acts including Nine Inch Nails and Pigface, and punk outfits like Black Flag and Samhain. Sacramento served as the formation site, where ex-Tinfed frontman Reyka Osburn joined drummer Adam Bannister, bassist Huffy Hafera, and founding guitarist Chris Sanders; the band name arose from a blend of Sweet Valley High and Tales from the Dark Side. Their 2007 debut, The Similarities of the Loveless and the Undead, foregrounded horror themes and eerie occult imagery, with the sound tilting toward the post-hardcore side of intensity. The 2011 successor, Doom, In Full Bloom, incorporated the breadth and force associated with fellow Sacramento outfit Deftones—the same group for whom Osburn had co-written "Lucky You" back in 2003. Following the 2012 Survival Program EP came Positive Euth, an album that preserved pop-oriented melodies and grooves yet sharpened emphasis on punk riffs. A complete adoption of the signature Orgy groove-goth style arrived with 2016's CVLT [As FVK] on Minus Head. Joined by new guitarist Daniel Ka$$hu, the refreshed lineup captured the industrial dance drive of their Wax Trax forebears across singles "Warm Bodies" and "Ick Switch," then spent that same year on the road alongside idols Killing Joke, Orgy, and Powerman 5000.