MELIAH RAGE is a band driven by extreme passion for an artform – appreciated by many, but misunderstood by the masses. The artform is comprised of driving melodic riffage, searing vocals, and hypnotic, almost tribal rhythms – the art of Metal! The band’s latest release, Unfinished Business, is a declaration to their unyielding will to survive and progress – transforming obscurity into legend, all-the-while cultivating the origins of a future rock star.
The brainchild of guitarist Anthony Nichols, MELIAH RAGE was formed in 1985 as his vision to marriage aspects of the thriving San Francisco ‘Bay Area’ thrash movement with his love of classic, melodic metal. Anthony elaborates on the ‘uniqueness’ of his quest, "I was really into AC/DC, Judas Priest, Riot…all those really early 80s bands. I went to see Raven and this new band called Metallica in a small club in Boston in 83, which was a big inspiration. When we did our first record, Metallica had already been around for five years, the speed metal thing had already been done. At the time there was nothing [going on] in Boston. I think we were the first major signed band in Boston to play metal, and there really hasn’t been anything since, besides Godsmack. Boston is a big college town, so alternative is big in town. There was also a big hardcore scene, but no metal."
Although determined in his mission of metal, Anthony did spend a brief tenure with an influential hardcore band of the era. He continues, "In 1987, MELIAH RAGE shared a rehearsal space with Gang Green. They needed a guitarist to go on tour and asked me if I would do it. I ended up playing on their record, and they wanted me to do it fulltime, but I just wasn’t into it. One of the reason they wanted me was because they were crossing over from hardcore to metal, like DRI & Suicidal Tendencies. I was more into precise metal."
The association with the band would eventually pay off however, as it led to MELIAH RAGE’s official launch. "The manager for Gang Green took us in, and had 2 major labels look at us within a month. Epic signed us right away and were somewhat grooming us as the next Metallica. They treated us very well…never complained. I remember at the time, people would ask me if I thought it was wise to start out on a major label rather than an indie, and my reaction was ‘If someone offers you a Mercedes or a Nissan, you take the Mercedes!’ You only live once. If Epic’s offering us a deal, we’re not gonna go for Metal Blade!"
Epic Records signed MELIAH RAGE in 1988, and the group recorded their first full album, entitled Kill to Survive. The original lineup included Anthony and Jim Koury on guitars, vocalist Mike Munro, Jessie Johnson on bass and drummer Stu Dowie. The album culminated the band’s various influences, thus was quite different from anything released at the time. Anthony explains, "All our influences showed up, thus our music was a bit more mid-tempo than the typical thrash band. I don’t think we actually tried to write a certain style of metal, it’s just how our influences manifested." MELIAH RAGE toured the US in 1989 with Metal Church, and a video for the track "Beginning of the End" aired on MTV worldwide. The tour of the United States included stops in over 50 cities, and the band entertained audiences in over 40 venues overseas. It was along this tour that MELIAH RAGE prepared their second release. " We were playing Harpo’s in Detroit, and the Westwood One mobile unit was doing a live broadcast of Metal Church. They used us as a warm-up, so it was recorded on a 24-track. Epic liked the tape and negotiated a price to release it." In late 1989, the live EP Live Kill was released, and Meliah Rage headed to Europe, playing shows with Gang Green.
In 1990, MELIAH RAGE recorded their second studio record for Epic, called Solitary Solitude, and the label supported their effort with an additional video for the track, "The Witching". Rather than relying on the 2-dimensional lightning (and oft times unintelligible) riffery, the band injected lyrical material that revolved around films, storytelling, hypocrisy, and anti-drug sentiment. Having performed shows the world over with the likes of Slayer, Megadeth, Testament, Manowar, Morbid Angel, and Nuclear Assault, the band’s internal diversity helped them "creep into legendary status".
Unfortunately, the musical tide was changing, metal no longer became a priority for the majors, and in 1992, MELIAH RAGE was dropped from Epic. Nichols was not deterred. "After we got dropped, we changed our rhythm section & got Sully Erna on drums and this guy from St. Louis, Keith Vogele on bass."
Recalling his experience with the future charismatic frontman of Godsmack, Anthony says, "Sully actually came to us, and wanted to be in our band. At the time, we still had a bit of a popular name, and he was very excited to play with us. He was originally in a band called The Fighting Cocks, which was a Guns N Roses-type of band. He was a big metal fan, and wasn’t happy playing that GNR style rock. He definitely had dedication and was the first person to really challenge me. He likes to be aggressive and be involved. He was with us for about a year and a half."
"We did demos to get a new deal. We realized we weren’t going to get a major again, so we started looking for an indie deal. But it got to be a six-month search, and by that time, we looked around at the scene and realized that if we did a record now, nobody would buy it, because everyone was buying grunge. Unless you were Metallica, everyone was getting killed at that point. MELIAH RAGE just kind of evolved into a bunch of side bands. For the next 2 years, Mike started a side band with Sully, and Jim and I started one called Cactus Land (and actually got a deal. We even went as far as doing video for the label – it was never released, however). Next thing we know, its 3 years down the line, and we decided to kick MELIAH RAGE back into gear, because none of the side bands were really panning out."
In 1995, MEILAH RAGE reunited with Nichols, Koury, and Munro returning from the original cast. Drummer Dave Barcos and former Wargasm bassist Bob Mayo recorded the band's finest and most powerful album. Released in 1996 through Backstreet Records, Death Valley Dream was received very well, and had decent distribution. Anthony claims the album as a personal movement, "we didn’t tour – only played a few select shows. We did that record for ourselves more than anything; I wanted to do a tight, rhythmic record."
Fast forwarding to the present day, MELIAH RAGE is now working under contract with Screaming Ferret Wreckords, planning the long-awaited release of the 8-song demo recorded in 1992 under the title, Unfinished Business. The disc consists of emotionally charged aggression with a touch of class – MELIAH RAGE’s signature. Anthony looks back fondly upon the legacy created by the band, "I would never want to be one of those bands that puts a record out every year, and it becomes difficult to keep track of it all. I’m glad that we put out the albums we did. I’ll never complain about the legacy. We had 3 major label records, 2 MTV videos toured Europe & the States. How many guys can say that? Do you know how many bands there are that have NEVER done that? I’ll always be happy with what we accomplished."
A brand new Meliah Rage record is also in the works, expected to be ready for release in late 2003. The band’s lineup will be same as Death Valley Dream. Anthony provides a sneak preview, "the new record is already written, but will not sound like Death Valley Dream…it will be quite different. We’re a lot craftier now."
