Demiricous

Demiricous built their sound around relentless speed and thrash, channeling an intensely hyperactive and combative persona that appeared in website home videos filled with Jackass-style pranks such as igniting pubic hair, riding bicycles down staircases, striking bandmates, and episodes of vomiting. Disappointed by the scarcity of fresh American acts following in the paths of Pantera and Slayer, vocalist and bassist Nate Olp, guitarist Scott Wilson, and drummer Chris Cruz established the group’s core on Halloween 2001. Six months afterward, ex-Upheaval guitarist Ben Parrish came aboard, contributing precise solos that aligned the band more closely with those influences. Metal Blade Records offered a contract in 2005 after hearing the band’s independently issued EP, leading to the June release of the debut full-length One (Hellbound). Once they refined their stage presence—highlighted by Olp’s whirling mass of hair—the group opened for Exodus, King Diamond, and Malevolent Creation and secured a main-stage slot at The New England Hardcore and Metal Fest. Shortly thereafter they reentered the studio, resulting in the October 2007 arrival of their sophomore album Two (Poverty).