Hatchet

Hatchet arose from San Francisco as a determined thrash metal unit during an era when the established Bay Area style faced overshadowing from technical death metal and post-hardcore sounds. Drawing from Megadeth, Slayer, and Overkill, the musicians crafted an aggressive approach that combined abrasive guitar work and driving percussion with the independent punk principles of their inspirations, which secured a contract from Metal Blade. Their first album, Awaiting Evil, arrived in 2008, after which the group delivered further well-regarded releases including Dawn of the End in 2013 and Dying to Exist in 2018, establishing them as central figures within the New Wave of Bay Area Thrash scene.

The band coalesced in the mid-2000s with Eric Lundgren handling vocals alongside guitarists Julz Ramos and Sterling Bailey, bassist Ryan King, and drummer Alex Perez. Early visibility came through prominent live appearances in 2006 and 2007. Inclusion on the Thrash Metal Warriors compilation opened doors to an opening spot with Possessed and a Metal Blade agreement in 2008, which was followed soon by the release of Awaiting Evil. For their second album, Dawn of the End, issued in 2013 on The End, they incorporated elements reminiscent of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Fear Beyond Lunacy appeared in 2015, also through The End, and introduced an updated roster consisting of Julz Ramos on guitar and vocals, guitarist Clayton Cagle, drummer Ben Smith, and bassist Devin Reiche. In 2018 the ensemble joined Combat Records, a revived label under David Ellefson's EMP Label Group, to issue their fourth studio album, Dying to Exist.