Hirax

Buena Park, California, gave birth to Hirax in 1984. The band registered only modest impact amid the initial surge of 1980s thrash, yet its devoted audience expanded dramatically in subsequent decades, elevating the group to frequent recognition as one of the style’s pivotal and distinctive pioneers. Charismatic vocalist Katon W. DePena fronted a roster completed by guitarist Scott Owen, bassist Gary Monardo, and drummer John Tabares; Metal Blade signed the quartet and released its first full-length effort, Raging Violence, in 1985. The record stood out for its frenzied fusion of speed and thrash, DePena’s piercing yet clear vocal approach, and its terse compositions that betrayed a clear hardcore edge, marking it as an early specimen of speedcore or crossover territory linking metal with punk. Those assertions gained further weight when ex-D.R.I. drummer Eric Brecht joined prior to the 1986 Hate, Fear and Power mini-album, though momentum stalled when DePena departed the next year to collaborate briefly with original Metallica bassist Ron McGovney in Phantasm. The remaining members tried to continue, practicing with ex-Exodus frontman Paul Baloff, before ultimately dissolving. Metal Blade combined both early releases into a single 1987 disc titled Not Dead Yet, but aside from one short-lived reunion attempt the band stayed inactive until DePena revived the Hirax moniker in 2000. A tentative return came with the 2001 Barrage of Noise EP, followed by the 2004 full-length comeback The New Age of Terror, which introduced guitarists Glenn Rogers (formerly of Deliverance) and Dave Watson, bassist Angelo Espino (ex-Reverend), and drummer Jorge Iacobelles. The album found an enthusiastic reception among surviving pockets of the crossover and speed-metal audience, leading to several touring offers—yet DePena’s abrupt withdrawal from scheduled Japanese shows once more left the band’s prospects uncertain.