Oppressor

In 1991 Chicago death metal outfit Oppressor originated when bassist/vocalist Tim King and guitarist Adam Zadel joined forces and promptly enlisted guitarist Jim Stopper and drummer Tom Schofield. An initial demo, World Abomination, surfaced quickly, yet only the subsequent recording As Blood Flows attracted Red Light Records, which signed the band in 1993. Their first proper studio album, Solstice of Oppression, appeared the following year and triggered an extensive touring campaign. When Red Light collapsed, Oppressor mined concert tapes and early demo material to assemble the archival release European Oppression Live + As Blood Flows; Megalithic issued the set and sustained the group’s profile. Olympic later stepped in and put out the 1996 sophomore album Agony, whose tighter arrangements and stronger production helped it become the band’s breakthrough, broadening their reach and securing an opening slot on Cannibal Corpse’s American tour. Elements of Corrosion arrived in 1998. By then Zadel, King, and Schofield had begun performing in the alternative metal side project Soil alongside vocalist Ryan McCombs and guitarist Shaun Glass of fellow Chicago death metal band Broken Hope. Soil’s evolution into a full-time success by 1999 marked the conclusion of Oppressor’s run.