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Forced Entry (band)

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Forced Entry
Also known asCritical Condition (1983–1986)
OriginSeattle, Washington, U.S.
Genres
Years active
  • 1983–1995
  • 2002
Labels
MembersTony Benjamins
Colin Mattson
Past membersBrad Hull
Doug Ramm

Forced Entry was an American thrash metal band, formed in 1983 in Seattle, Washington under the name Critical Condition.[2][3] The band released two studio albums, one EP and three demos before breaking up in 1995, and briefly reunited in 2002. Although Forced Entry never achieved mainstream success, they are often regarded as pioneers of the Seattle thrash metal scene,[4][5] along with Metal Church, Panic, Bitter End, Coven, R.I.P. and Sanctuary (whom guitarist Brad Hull would join when they reunited in 2010, but left in 2015 after recording one album).[6]

History

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The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist and bassist Tony Benjamins, guitarist Brad Hull and drummer Colin Mattson under the name Critical Condition. It was a cover band that played songs by Kiss, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and AC/DC.[2] Critical Condition changed their name to Forced Entry in 1986, and the following year released two demos, All Fucked Up and Thrashing Helpless Down. The latter won them the 1987 Northwest Music Award for "Best Metal Band".[2]

The band released a third demo, Hate Fills Your Eyes, in 1988, which led to the band's first record label contract.[6] After turning down offers from major record companies, including CBS and MCA,[7] they were signed to Combat Records (a subsidiary of Relativity), and in January 1989 recorded their debut album, Uncertain Future, which was released that June. The album received some favorable reviews,[8] particularly from Guitar World magazine.[9][10] Forced Entry embarked on two major tours in support of Uncertain Future; along with Atrophy, they opened for Coroner on their No More Color tour,[11] and were one of the supporting acts (along with Obituary) to Sacred Reich's The American Way tour.[12][13]

They began recording their second and final album, As Above, So Below, in December 1990 at Normandy Sound in Warren, Rhode Island. The album was released in June 1991. Although the album achieved neither the underground success nor the critical acclaim of Uncertain Future, it received some positive reviews,[14][15] and the music videos for "Macrocosm, Microcosm" and "Never a Know, But the No" were in heavy rotation on MTV's Headbangers Ball; the latter features cameos by the members of Alice in Chains.[16] Forced Entry was soon dropped from Relativity, and as a result, the band never toured in support of As Above, So Below.[2]

The band continued to play shows and tried, unsuccessfully, to sign with another label. In 1995, they released a four-song EP, The Shore, and played a final show in Seattle in August.[2] They reunited for a one-off performance at the Abrasive Rock Festival in 2002.[17]

Hull continued to be active in the music industry, joining local bands such as L.S. Diablo, Sac Lunch and Thug, and joined the reunited Sanctuary in 2011,[18] appearing on their third album The Year the Sun Died (2014), but left in 2015. He also formed L.S. Diablo with guitarists Riley Hull and Aaron Goff and drummer Paul Marshall in 2009, playing bass on their self-produced six-song album.[19] Benjamins and Mattson jammed in local band called DUMT, but both later retired from the music industry.[2][6] In 1993, Hull and Benjamins appeared in an episode of "The Lame List", a recurring segment of the local Seattle television comedy Almost Live!.[20][21]

Century Media reissued Uncertain Future in 1999 with The Shore as bonus tracks,[22] while Lost and Found Records reissued As Above, So Below in 2009.[23]

On November 27, 2020, Metal Storm reported that a reunion of Forced Entry was in the works.[3] This coincided with the band's music became available for the first time on all streaming outlets. On February 15, 2021, Benjamins and Mattson confirmed in an interview with Misery Point Radio that they were in talks of reforming Forced Entry for shows and possibly new material, with Jeff Loomis, Russ Stefanovich of Bitter End, or Dean Babbitt of Coven drafted as potential fill-ins for Hull, who was reportedly unavailable.[24][25] As of February 2024, there have been no updates on the progress of the reunion.

Discography

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Studio albums

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Year Title
1989 Uncertain Future
  • Record label: Combat Records
  • Released: June 30, 1989
  • Formats: CD, 12" vinyl, cassette
1991 As Above, So Below

EPs

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Year Title
1995 The Shore
  • Record label: Morning Wood
  • Released: 1995
  • Format: CD

Demos

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Year Title
1987 All Fucked Up
  • Released: 1987
  • Format: Cassette
1987 Thrashing Helpless Down
  • Released: 1987
  • Format: Cassette
1988 Hate Fills Your Eyes
  • Released: 1988
  • Format: Cassette

References

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  1. ^ "20 of the Greatest Technical Thrash Albums of the 1980's!". March 29, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Forced Entry". xtreemmusic.org. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Forced Entry – Reunion In The Works". Metal Storm. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Book, John. "Forced Entry – Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved January 17, 2015. During their inception in the mid '80s, there was no active thrash-metal scene in the Seattle area. The band decided to change that situation with their musically diverse songs and intelligent lyrics. They are currently considered a major factor in the Seattle metal community.
  5. ^ Hodgson, Peter (March 15, 2011). "The Top 10 Thrash Bands Who Didn't Make the Big Four". Gibson Guitar Corporation. Retrieved January 15, 2015. This Seattle-area thrash band's sound was so ahead of its time that only now are bands like Cynic catching up.
  6. ^ a b c "Forced Entry Reflects Back on 25 Years of Uncertain Future". northwestmusicscene.com. June 15, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  7. ^ "METALLIAN – Forced Entry". metallian.com. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  8. ^ Book, John. "Uncertain Future – Forced Entry". AllMusic. Retrieved January 17, 2015. They changed the world of thrash with their debut album in 1989, featuring eerie power chords, awesome vocals, and a tremendous bass guitar sound.
  9. ^ Grant Alden and Jeff Gilbert (May 1990). "Hard Rain". Guitar World. p. 34.
  10. ^ Gilbert, Jeff (February 1990). "Reviews". Guitar World. p. 116.
  11. ^ "Coroner Tour Dates". metallipromo.com. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  12. ^ Mudrian, Albert (2009). Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-306-81806-6. Forced Entry.
  13. ^ "Sacred Reich Tour Dates". metallipromo.com. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
  14. ^ Anderson, Jason. "As Above So Below – Forced Entry". AllMusic. Retrieved January 17, 2015. Musically similar to their earlier efforts, this 1991 Combat/Relativity records release boasts a punchier sound and slightly more technical material than prior efforts by the band. Brad Hull's guitar work is especially impressive
  15. ^ Bergman, Keith (December 28, 2009). "CD Reviews – As Above, So Below (Reissue)". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved January 15, 2015. Forced Entry [was] a technical thrash power trio from the Pacific Northwest whose second album, "As Above So Below", remains one of the all-time unfairly ignored albums of the entire thrash era.
  16. ^ "Episode Database". headbangersballunofficialtributesite.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  17. ^ "FORCED ENTRY To Reunite For ABRASIVE ROCK Appearance". Blabbermouth.net. April 17, 2002. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  18. ^ "SANCTUARY Recruits Former FORCED ENTRY Guitarist For Upcoming Shows". Blabbermouth.net. September 1, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  19. ^ "Former FORCED ENTRY Guitarist Launches L.S. DIABLO". Blabbermouth.net. June 22, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  20. ^ "News: Live From Seattle, Its..." Spin. 9 (1). SPIN Media LLC: 30. April 1993. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  21. ^ The Lame List [compilation]. Almost Live!. 1993. KING. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  22. ^ Uncertain Future/The Shore at Discogs
  23. ^ "FORCED ENTRY: 'As Above, So Below' Reissue Available". Blabbermouth.net. April 12, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  24. ^ "Forced Entry – Officially Reuniting, Seeking New Guitarist". Metal Storm. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  25. ^ "Colin Mattson and Tony Benjamins – Forced Entry". Misery Point Radio. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
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