California, 1980s: Obvious signs that something revolutionary is unfolding are when musical advancements register far ahead of the available technology. One of the most significant developments in the musical genre which came to be known as thrash metal were the unmistakable, adrenaline inducing sounds of impossibly fast guitars and prominent jaw-dropping double-bass drums. In the mid-‘80s, the genre was developing at such an explosive rate that the means to transcribe the music did not yet exist. Extraordinary albums such as Slayer's Reign In Blood, Metallica's Master Of Puppets, Exodus' Bonded By Blood, and Testament's The Legacy are considered by many to be thrash masterpieces and mandatory staples for any musical collection. Spawned in the throes of Los Angeles' fertile metal scene, DARK ANGEL’s Darkness Descends solidified the song writing reputation & guitar playing talents of Jim Durkin within the underground in 1986. The blast radius of this monumental album registered as far as England, Germany, and Sweden. Fans-turned-musicians would proudly wear the scars of their imbedded shrapnel as the mark of a newly awakened musical consciousness.
Los Angeles, 2000: What awaited all fans of thrash - both new & old - was the highly anticipated music by Jim Durkin's first band since 1989, DREAMS OF DAMNATION. Hungry for another musical endeavor and eager to find co-conspirators capable of transcribing his trademarked insatiable violence, Jim recruited long-time friend, bassist, and ex-Malignant vocalist Charlie Silva and drummer Al Mendez in 1999. They released the Let The Violence Begin EP one year later on Necropolis Records. Ill Literature Magazine called it "an aggression that has one foot in ‘80s thrash and the other in today's more extreme underground."
The band’s debut live performance in October at Los Angeles' Hell Fest that same year was significant for several reasons, as DREAMS OF DAMNATION’s future convened unexpectedly under one roof in one night. Also on the Hell Fest bill were the reunited L.A. speed metallers ABATTOIR, whose lead singer/bassist Steve Gaines would eventually become D.O.D.’s rhythm guitarist and front man for Durkin’s side project, PAGAN WAR MACHINE. In the audience asking both Jim Durkin & Steve Gaines for autographs was a fan who unexpectedly became the band’s new vocalist: Loana dP Valencia. To complete Jim Durkin’s vision of an uncompromising 5-piece band, he recruited Dave Chedrick (ex-GRAPHIC VIOLENCE) from L.A. Megadeth tribute band Hangar 18 in 2003 to replace Mendez. Chedrick’s high octane-fueled drumming quickly found a second home. Armed with this new line-up, the band went on to play for enthusiastic crowds at the Seattle Metal Fest, the Borderlands Metal Fest in El Paso, Texas, and the Las Vegas Metal Fest.
Los Angeles, 2004: Dangerously old-school yet relevant to today's scene, DREAMS OF DAMNATION is a meticulous articulation of collective anger which NEVER seeks reconciliation. Jim Durkin's guitar riffs still maintain the legacy of defying transcription; Charlie Silva's bass lines are unapologetic & ominous as his presence; Steve Gaines commands attention with his infectious showmanship; Dave Chedrick's impressive stamina is only rivaled by his drum work; and Loana dP Valencia's feral anti-stereotype female vocals bring an unanticipated twist to the predominantly male metal scene. With the support of Black Cherry Music, the band entered Shiva Industries in Santa Ana, California in January to record another EP and emerged with a monstrous declaration of war entitled Vengeance: Chapter One.
To witness D.O.D. in a live setting is to guiltlessly indulge yourself in the timeless, multi-faceted art of revenge. Demonstrating no intentions of straying from their chosen path of destruction, DREAMS OF DAMNATION genuinely uphold the tradition of the advances in thrash metal. From the headquarters of urban decay in Los Angeles, they’ve charted a trajectory aimed at becoming a band North America will be insistently proud to call their own. Welcome to the War Party.
