Bay Area power thrashers, HEXX, announce the addition of new vocalist Eddy Vega, and second guitarist Bob Wright (from Brocas Helm). The new lineup, which includes bassist Mike Horn and original members Dan Watson and John Shafer, recently joined forces with the Gabriel Management team, and have been hard at work on new material.
The band is also preparing to re-release all the albums from their classic back catalog: their ’91 album release Morbid Reality will be reissued on CD via Dark Symphonies / The Crypt Records in January of 2016, and Vic Records from Holland announced reissue of Quest For Sanity and Watery Graves. The band’s two early power metal classics – Under The Spell and No Escape, which earlier this year were reissued as limited edition vinyl albums on Metal Blade Records, will get a 2CD/DVD Box set treatment as well.
Hexx was formed in 1983, and released its debut album, No Escape, on Mike Varney’s Shrapnel Records label in 1984. Since then the group has been through several lineup changes and musical style variations. The first lineup for the No Escape album was: Dennis Manzo (vocals), Dan Watson (guitars), Bill Peterson (bass) and Dave Schmidt (drums). The group’s second effort, Under The Spell, was released in 1986 once again on the Shrapnel label, and with European distribution support from Roadrunner Records. For this album Dennis Manzo was replaced by Dan Bryant on vocals, and Clint Bower was added on rhythm guitar. The musical style for this album was still very much power metal, but with a hint of the speed and thrash influence that would define the band’s subsequent musical style and direction.
By 1988 Hexx recorded the Help Your Self demo demonstrating a shift away from traditional power metal to the speed/thrash style that was taking over the Bay Area musical landscape at the time. Clint Bower took over on vocals, and Dave Schmidt was replaced by drummer John Shafer. England’s Music For Nations label signed the band and released the Quest For Sanity EP in Europe. This album was released in the United States the following year by Wild Rags Records. In 1990 Hexx released a single on the Wild Rags label called “Watery Graves” which included two speed/thrash bonus track versions of “Under The Spell” and “Edge Of Death” from their 1986 Under The Spel” album. In 1992 Hexx signed with Century Media Records and released their most technical and speed driven album to date, Morbid Reality. A year or so after this release the group disbanded and lay dormant until spring of 2013.
Source: BW&BK
https://www.facebook.com/HEXX-Bay-Area-Metal
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