Detente

Detente, a veteran thrash outfit, originated in 1984 when vocalist Dawn Crosby joined forces with drummer Dennis Butler. The group eventually settled into a five-piece configuration after guitarists Caleb Quinn and Ross Robinson plus bassist Steve Hochheiser came aboard. Robinson would later establish himself as a noted producer, particularly through his contributions to Korn, Sepultura, and Limp Bizkit. After cutting demos and playing Los Angeles clubs, the band drew interest from Roadrunner, which signed them and put out their debut album, Recognize No Authority. Issued in 1986, the record found favor in European territories, most notably Germany and the Netherlands, before Metal Blade licensed it for the United States. Crosby’s erratic conduct, rooted largely in a severe substance abuse issue, caused Roadrunner to drop the band. Robinson, Quinn, and Hochheiser exited soon after the album appeared, and guitarists Greg Cekalovich and Mike Carlino along with bassist George Robb took their places. Cekalovich and Robb departed not long afterward, leading to the recruitment of Blair Darby on bass. Ongoing membership turnover accompanied a name change forced by legal complications. Fear of God arose from the resulting upheaval, a band whose music endured even while the participants’ personal conflicts reached their most intense levels. Carlino and Crosby separated in 1991 once Within the Veil had been released. A Crosby-fronted Fear of God without Carlino followed with Toxic Voodoo in 1994. Crosby’s deepening depression and substance problems ended with her death from acute liver failure in December 1996, marking one of metal’s more unsettled and sorrowful stories. Detente regrouped in 2008 around the core of Caleb Quinn, Dennis Butler, and Steve Hochheiser, bringing in Hellion’s Ann Boleyn to sing Crosby’s parts for a series of concerts. In 2010 the band issued a new studio album, Decline, featuring vocalist Tiina Teal, and headed out on a European tour.