Helvis

Distinct from the similarly named American group formed four years earlier in Youngstown, Ohio, the Nottingham, England-based outfit Helvis emerged in 1999 as a punishing alternative metal unit steeped in punk aggression. The British ensemble spells its name with a single l, unlike the two-l version used by its Midwestern counterpart, though both are pronounced identically. From the start Helvis cultivated a reputation in U.K. underground circles for its brutal, unyielding heaviness, a reputation grounded in an eclectic yet ferocious blend of influences that encompass Black Sabbath, Motörhead, Venom, Slayer, Napalm Death, Sepultura, and the Los Angeles punk band Black Flag. Early lineups proved unstable; lead vocalist Daz Rivett, his successor Dorian Walters, guitarist Matt Grundy, and drummer Chris Billam all departed by 2000. By the time the band tracked Reverence the Sacrifice in 2001, the roster had stabilized around Bloody Kev on lead vocals, Steve Watson on guitar, Chris Marygold on guitar and backing vocals, Kevin Stapleton on bass, and Kevan Frost on drums. Prior to joining Helvis, Bloody Kev had performed with Hard to Swallow, Dead Inside, and 666 Dead; Watson had previously played in Iron Monkey, Consumed, and Cerebral Fix; Frost’s résumé included Cerebral Fix, the Varukers, and Hard to Swallow; and Stapleton had been a member of Lysis. Watson exited in 2003 to establish Goat Throne. Helvis issued the Weird label EP Genocider, the self-released 2000 demo Six Minutes of Shame, and the 2001 demo Helvis for Her Pleasure; the full-length Reverence the Sacrifice appeared on Loudspeaker Records in the United Kingdom in 2002 and reached the United States the following year via Philadelphia’s Abstract Sounds imprint.