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NYC D-Beat History! Streaming: HELLBENT- NYC D-Beat Punk Pioneers

Whatโ€™s known as the New York style of Hardcore gets all the attention (and glory) these days, but there were other influences percolating in the Big Apple during the early 1980s; a prominent one being the raw, politically-charged Discharge sound and look that influenced many a young punker. Case in point beingย Hellbent. They are an under the radar outfit that barely get a mention in the history books due to never have officially put anything out until now: an LP compiling demos from 1983-1984 has just been released, so I spoke to bassist Jonathan Wiley about those days, and you can stream a couple of tracks from said LP for good measure. Order the full-length here.

 

Lp cover, photo by Drew Carolan

 

On the bandโ€™s duration & influences:

โ€œHellbentย was around from middle of 1983 to middle of 1984. We were influenced by Venom, Discharge, The Misfits, The Stooges, The Damned,ย  Alice Cooper amongst others.โ€

Line up:

โ€œVic Venom on guitar, Matt Zombie was the frontman, Brian โ€œDamageโ€ Keats on drums and Jon โ€œFuryโ€ Wiley on bass.โ€

Opening up for Discharge on New Yearโ€™s Eve 1984:

โ€œIt was a thrill of course, opening for one of our influences only a few months after forming as a band and also being the first band to open the Rock Hotel as a new music venue that was to cater to the new emerging hardcore bands and scene.โ€

 

Jon Fury & Viktor Venom outside CBGBโ€™s

Opening up for Discharge NYE 1984. Matt Zombie on vocals, Jon Fury on bass, Raybeez stage left.

Jonathan โ€œFuryโ€Wiley. Photo by Drew Carolan

Memorable stories:

โ€œPlaying a gig at one of Johnny Stiffโ€™s underground pop up clubs on 6th street and avenue A and the gig got raided by the police as we were doing an encore with the Sweet cover โ€˜Ballroom Blitz.โ€™ We had to grab our gear and run in the middle of the song. A lot of rowdy drunkenness with friends and audience, wild mosh pits, crazy gigs in a once dangerous NY.โ€

On the bandโ€™s demise:

โ€œDrug abuse took its toll on our frontman Matt, and it caused much internal combustion within the bandโ€

What became of the band members?:

โ€œVic Venom later played with Reagan Youth, KGB, Sacrilege NY, Nausea, Chaos UK, and is now in an amazing band Coffin Daggers currently. Brian “Damage” Keats was a phenomenal drummer who went on to short stints with Genocide and even a gig with the Misfits and later played with some well known Los Angeles bands and musicians but sadly since passed away before this record was even proposed. Jonathan โ€œFuryโ€ Wiley was in Rapid Deployment Force as the frontman, Direct Action, The Loveless, and even The Undead for a Boston gig as the bassist, and much later as the Guitarist for Post-Punk band Daylight Mourner.”

Legacy:

โ€œHappy to be remembered after such a long time, kind of surprised to be approached by two labels to put this stuff out and that both labels were willing to work together to put it out as a joint release with alternative packaging.โ€

 

 

 

Written By

โ€œCHEPANG
โ€œBMM"
Sentient 51625

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