User:PrimeEvilChick/Prime Evil NY, Band

Back when the underground was still fresh and starting to grow, intense thrash metal ruled. There were bands like Slayer and Dark Angel whose music was the epitome of brutality. They spawned countless younger bands that were aspiring to carry on the genre. No band fit that bill better than Prime Evil.

Formed in January of 1986 by the three founding members, guitarists Mike Usifer and Gary Day along with vocalist Andy Eichhorn, Prime Evil was born. For the first year they would refine their sound by working on originals and playing live. In January of 1987, the line-up was completed by bassist Mary Ciullo and drummer Tad Leger. That same year in May they recorded and released their first demo. This four song tape became an immediate hit in the underground, appearing in countless fanzines worldwide and receiving extensive radio airplay. The band's mixture of brutal death metal and raging speed with intricate riffing appealed to a vast audience. During this time, their drummer Tad left to pursue other musical interests and was replaced by Todd Gukelberger.

Prime Evil continued their assault on the underground. In October of 1988 they released their second four song demo, "The Manifestation". For this 24-track recording, they pulled out all the stops. It was a relentless aural assault that showed the world how brutal Prime Evil could be. Over the next few years they played with a wide array of brutal metal and hardcore bands all around the Northeast. Being completely overlooked by the record companies, they recorded four new songs in the fall of 1990 to submit to labels only. The sound was more progressive yet still thoroughly intense, but they were once again passed up by the bigger labels. However, several underground offers came in, and in March of 1992 a 7" was released on Rage Records. On it were two songs from the industry demo and was pressed on red vinyl, making it a huge hit in the underground. I know because I released it, and I'm still asked for copies today.

This would prove to be Prime Evil's last release. Shortly before the 7" came out, Todd left to further his academic career. They had written several new songs with Todd and continued to play a handful of shows with new drummer Matt Mayfield. Unfortunately, by the summer of 1992, between the pressures of life and the music industry never giving them a chance, Prime Evil disbanded. They played their last show at the Marquee in New York City on July 8th, 1992. Ed Farshtey, April 1992