User:Andyvgaleon

Andrew Victor Galeon (born March 21, 1972 in the City and County of San Francisco) is an American drummer, best known for his role as the drummer of Death Angel from 1982-1990 and 2001-2008, and currently the drummer for Fos Rock and End The Suffering.

Andy V Galeon started his drumming career when Death Angel was formed in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, in 1982 with cousins Rob Cavestany (lead guitar), Dennis Pepa (vocals, bass), and Gus Pepa (rhythm guitar). In 1983, the band released their first demo, Heavy Metal Insanity, with Matt Wallace as Producer. During these beginning stages the band was heavily influenced by Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Scorpions and Rush. DA began gigging throughout California and started to progress into a heavier type of Metal playing shows with Slayer, Hirax, Exodus, Possessed, Mercyful Fate, and Metallica.

In 1984, DA added Mark Osegueda on vocals/screams. In 1985, the band recorded the Kill As One demo with Metallica's Kirk Hammett as Producer after meeting him at a meet and greet at the Record Exchange in Walnut Creek. The success of Kill As One led to a record deal with Enigma Records, who released Death Angel's debut album, The Ultra-Violence, in 1987. The band recorded the album in 1986 when all the band members were under 20 and AVG was only 14. A video was filmed at the infamous Stone night club for "Voracious Souls," a song about a cannibals, but was immediately banned from MTV because of graphic lyrics. Tours of Europe and North America took up the whole Summer of 1987.

DA released the follow-up album Frolic Through The Park in 1988, which spawned the single "Bored" (which was also used in the 1989 movie Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III), the video for which did receive regular airplay on MTV's Headbanger's Ball. Frolic featured more diverse material than the straightforward thrash of the first album; the album included a cover of Kiss' "Cold Gin." Tours of Europe and North America went from Summer into the Fall of 1988.

Geffen Records released their third album, Act III, in 1990. Produced by Max Norman (who had previously worked with Ozzy Osbourne), the album showcased the band's use of backing vocals, while fusing elements of funk, thrash, and heavy metal with the use of acoustic guitars, while staying true to the group's heavy roots. The album featured the singles "Seemingly Endless Time" and "A Room with a View" and both songs also received airplay on Headbanger's Ball.

Also in 1990, Enigma Records illegally released and distributed Fall from Grace, an unauthorized bootleg live album featuring songs from their first two releases recorded at the Paradiso in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The album was released without any input from the band.

Death Angel embarked on a worldwide tour in support of Act III in 1990, selling out shows at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco, The Ritz in New York, and England's Hammersmith Odeon. DA traveled to Japan for the first time and was greeted with great anticipation and fan fare. But in late 1990, while driving in Arizona en route to Las Vegas, Nevada, the group crashed, and drummer Andy V Galeon was critically injured. The band was slated to be the opening act for the "Clash of the Titans" tour featuring Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax later in the year (but were ultimately replaced by Alice in Chains).

In the summer of 1991, with Galeon fully recovered, Death Angel's members, minus Osegueda, formed a band under the name of The Organization, with Cavestany and Galeon on vocals. The band focused more on funk,rock/metal than traditional metal. The Organization's first demo was recorded and produced at City College of San Francisco's multitrack studios by Eric Kauschen and Dana Galloway. The Organization toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe, including two appearances at the Netherlands's Dynamo Open Air Festival, a support slot on Rob Halford's "Fight" tour and as the main support act for Motörhead in Europe. The O released two albums, 1993's The Organization and 1995's Savor the Flavor (including a cover of Steely Dan's "Do It Again") both distributed by, Metal Blade Records.

In 1996, Dennis Pepa (now on rhythm guitar and vocals), started his Punk Rock band Big Shrimp with AVG (drums), Larry Santiago (bass) and Mike P. (rhythm guitar). BS played shows all over the Bay Area and recorded one full length cd on Kranked Up Records entitled Loneliness. It was different then the normal Metal/Thrash of DA and the Funk/Metal of The O, but it was very good melodic and uptempo based Punk that even received minor airplay on Live105 the alternative radio station in the Bay Area.

In 1998, Cavestany and Galeon reunited with Osegueda, along with bassist Michael Isaiah, and formed Swarm. Swarm released a four-track self-titled EP in 1999 Produced by Larry Santiago, along with the five-song Devour EP Produced by Kent Matcke recorded at The Plant in Sausalito in 2001. Swarm toured with Jerry Cantrell's solo band in 2000, and released the compilation album Beyond the End on Mausoleum Records, which combined the contents of the two EPs.

Death Angel reunited in August 2001 for Thrash of the Titans, a cancer benefit show for Testament frontman Chuck Billy, with many other Bay Area bands getting on stage together for the first time in many years, including Sadus, Forbidden, Heathen, Vio-lence, and many more. The band received such a positive response that they played a string of gigs around the San Francisco area, and a pair of European tours. They also participated in Wacken Open Air 2004.

In 2004, 14 years after their last album, the band released The Art of Dying on Nuclear Blast records and toured here and abroad. Also that year, AVG recorded with Crust Core band called Depressor and released 6 songs on a double 7" release called "The Book of the Dead" Produced by Joe Sering.

Archives and Artifacts, a box set with remastered versions of the long out-of-print The Ultra-Violence and Frolic Through The Park, along with a bonus Rarities CD and DVD, followed in 2005.

In 2007, AVG recorded on Rob Cavestany's Lines on the Road, an acoustic CD performed by Cavestany (vocals, bass, guitar), Gus Pepa (guitar), and Produced by Kent Matcke.

Later in 2007, Killing Season, was recorded at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Northridge, California, Produced by Nick Raskulinecz.That same year, AVG recorded with Larry Santiago's new band Psychomatic on their CD, End the Suffering Produced by Adam Bove, to be released in 2011.

In 2009, AVG entered Bove Studios to record with Hadi (a Santana-esque guitarist) on his Solo CD which will include John Rashard (bass), and Thomas Pridgen ex-Mars Volta current The Memorials drummer on some featured tracks.

Galeon joined the band Fos Rock in 2011 with Fos (vocals), Khambeats (keys, producer), and T-roy (guitar) and have melded the two genres of Hip Hop and Rock together. Fos Rock released their Video, Hip Hop Rock directed by Derek Jones in the Fall of 2011, and their full length CD of the same name will be unleashed in 2012.

AVG is constantly progressing while keeping true to his Metal roots, playing heavy beats with a grooving dedication to the art of percussion.