The Obsessed is a rock band. A FUKKING HARD rock band. Since their formation in 1978, they have become known around the world for their influential contribution to the origins and continued legacy of the doom metal and underground hard rock genres. The distinctive vocals and guitar wizardry of founder and driving force Scott “Wino” Weinrich has left a mark on the world of heavy music that continues to inspire.

The Obsessed gained momentum in the Baltimore/DC area of the USA in the early to mid 1980’s during the height of the hardcore punk movement. Often cited as the band that bridged heavy metal and punk together, the band gained the respect of punk heavy weight contemporaries Black Flag, The Bad Brains, and Minor Threat, to name a few. The attitude and spirit of The Obsessed has led many to regard them as “America’s Motorhead”.

Wino went on to join the doom metal giants Saint Vitus as lead singer on seminal albums including 1986’s ‘Born Too Late’‘. In 1990, The Obsessed came back with their eponymous debut album, “The Obsessed”. This album was quickly followed by 1991’s “Lunar Womb” and 1994’s “The Church Within”. All three of these albums shaped and paved the way for future heavy rock bands and the doom scene as it’s known today. Wino’s gift for prose and his never-ending search for truth and meaning allows his words to hit as heavy as the riffs he plays.

Although The Obsessed went on a hiatus after The Church Within’s release on Columbia records, Wino’s sheer passion and prolific nature led him to pursue many other critically acclaimed projects such as Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand, Shrinebuilder and various acoustic releases. Long time fan Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters) specifically asked Wino to perform on Dave’s all-star Probot album, released in 2004. In 2012 Wino rejoined Saint Vitus until the world wide cry for The Obsessed could be denied no longer and in 2016, Wino reunited The Obsessed, once and for all, and has been kicking ass and taking names ever since.

Drummer Brian “Dawg” Costantino joined the band at this time. The band signed to Relapse Records and recorded 2017’s “Sacred”, an album showing The Obsessed back with pure vengeance. Sacred brought the band to venues and festival stages around the world.

In 2022 the band became a four piece with the addition of Chris Angleberger on bass and Jason Taylor on guitar. The band has been touring heavily since and have been seen on USA and European festival stages such as HellFest, Freak Valley Festival, Snowblind Festival and Desert Fest.

The band’s forthcoming album, Gilded Sorrow, set to be released early 2024 on Ripple Music, marks a new chapter in their legacy. The album promises to capture the essence of the band’s classic sound while adding a fresh new atmosphere with a dual guitar attack.

The Obsessed are here to stay.

IF IT AIN’T HEAVY … IT AIN’T SHIT !!!

With one album and four EPs under their belt, RESTLESS SPIRIT has been carving a path of their own in the underground US metal scene. While the band claims influences as wide as Black Sabbath, Type O Negative and The Sword, there is no shortage of ferocious riffs and indelible hooks to be found in their music. Though they fit right in with the doom and stoner rock scene, the band trades a strict diet of fuzz for a more varied, melodic approach.

On the follow-up to ‘Lord of the New Depression’ (2019), the trio finds themselves experimenting and adding a cohesive narrative throughout a towering 39-minute of pummeling heavy, written over the course of a month in a rehearsal space in their hometown of Long Island, New York. Featuring brooding artwork from famed painter Frank Frazetta, ‘Blood of the Old Gods’ weaves grandiose sonic landscape and haunting atmospheres to be remembered.

– Claire Bernadet