A now split-up thrash metal band from the USA. Their first album, "Eternal Nightmare", was released in 1988. It was later followed by two more studio albums, "Oppressing the Masses" (1990) and "Nothing To Gain" (1993).

I don't they are featured yet here on Metalstorm, but they do have a profile on Metal Archives: http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=373

Anyone familiar with them?

"Eternal nightmare" is for sure one of my favourite thrash metal albums with songs like "Phobophobia", "Serial killer" and "Bodies on bodies". Damn, such a shame they aren't really active anymore. Sean Killian has an outstanding voice. All their stuff is awesome but "Eternal nightmare" is a classical album that should be in your collection... Other songs that should convince you are "Officer nice", "Profit"....

Sean's vocal lines are so unique.... It's love it ore hate it but I just love it.

Other favourite bands from that period were Agent Steel and Forbidden...

It is good to see a thread for Vio-Lence,I should've started one a long time ago.Anyway I have a burnt copy of "Eternal Nightmare" and think it is an exceptional album.I haven't heard any of their other material,is it good or bad?

Written by Hellish Star on 09.07.2006 at 00:04

Sean's vocal lines are so unique.... It's love it ore hate it but I just love it.

Other favourite bands from that period were Agent Steel and Forbidden...

I did start a thread about forbidden awhile back,they are another underatted thrash band from the bay area,that needs more recognition.

Vio-lence are an amazing band. Sean Killian may not have the technique, but he sings like a machine-gun, so fast and vio-lent , he has a truly agressive voice, which I think fits perfectly in Vio-lence's music. Eternal Nightmare is obviously my favorite album by them. Favorite track: Serial Killer.

I still have a free demo cassette that you could send off for before the release of eternal nightmare. Parapalegic is on it. I LOVE this band. This is classic thrash metal at its best. I thought after the release of oppressing the masses that vio-lence would take off but it never quite happened. Damn shame IMO!! Great Band no doubt!!!

yeah, i remember them......fuck did they kick ass! i thought sean killian held them back greatly, but i overlooked his shitty singing......the musicianship was so undeniably tight and lethal! other bay area's worth mentioning were death angel, forbidden, testament, exodus, and heathen to name a few.

Their music is great, but I could never get into them, because of those vocals. They annoy the fuck out of me, it sounds like some redneck singing :/

Written by [user id=2416] on 14.08.2006 at 14:55

Their music is great, but I could never get into them, because of those vocals. They annoy the fuck out of me, it sounds like some redneck singing :/

Written by Hellish Star on 08.07.2006 at 23:51

"Eternal nightmare" is for sure one of my favourite thrash metal albums with songs like "Phobophobia", "Serial killer" and "Bodies on bodies". Damn, such a shame they aren't really active anymore. Sean Killian has an outstanding voice. All their stuff is awesome but "Eternal nightmare" is a classical album that should be in your collection... Other songs that should convince you are "Officer nice", "Profit"....

Not hard to second that!

Downloaded some shit from them. Damn, that's good!

Wish I heard them before.

I agree whit Nervel i had listen them album some time ago and i know thay are one of old school bay area thrash bands and band are great and intresting, but i dont like that name it remaind sme Bulldozer, venom style band names not thrash

You can listen them here
http://www.vibrationsofdoom.com/test/Violence.html

Vio-Lence is an excellent thrash band. Robb Flynn, and Phil Demmel put out some wicked ass solos. It's sad that Machine Head can't be as hard as Vio-Lence.

Great underated Thrash band, musically I loved them from the first time I heard them, the vocals however I didn't like at first, but after a week or so I liked the vocals too .

Neat and killer band IMO.

Vio-Lence is one of my all-time fav. thrash metal bands, and I've gotta damit, at first I had huge problems with the vocals, but after 2-3 listens it didn't bother me anymore. Riffs, riffs, riffs! Ordered an eternal nightmare backpatch yesterday and can't wait for it's arrival

Ooh, didn't notice this topic before.

Vio-Lence are a great band, Eternal Nightmare especially is a killer album, and Oppressing the Masses isn't damn bad either, you've just got to love those uber riffs and gang vocals and general franticness, it's what the core of thrash is all about.

The vocals are of course slightly different, but really, they aren't that much of a big deal or as hard to get into as people seem to think... Personally I can't really imagine Vio-Lence without those vocals, it seems to fit in with their frantic thrash style perfectly.

Vio-lence one of the BEST thrash bands of all time!!!yes indeed!!!!

One of the best thrash metal bands ever! From ¨Eternal Nightmare¨ to ¨Torture Tactics¨ they are just INCREDIBLE!

Ive always heard they were killer, havent got a chance to hear them yet though. Cant go wrong with old-school thrash though.

Their live recording in 2001 for the Chuck Billy benefit concert that comes with the re-issue of Eternal Nightmare is my favorite Vio-Lence album. It's energetic as fuck and the sound quality is great.

A Vio-Lence Thread! My god, that's killer! ^^

Written by Dangerboner on 12.05.2009 at 04:31

Their live recording in 2001 for the Chuck Billy benefit concert that comes with the re-issue of Eternal Nightmare is my favorite Vio-Lence album. It's energetic as fuck and the sound quality is great.

when I read your post, I knew I had to have this, I just found it on amazon! Thanks!


I love Eternal Nightmare, for me it is the Thrash Metal with the most aggressive vocals, you just want to scream along lol
IMHO also Oppressing the Masses is a good album.
Man I just love all these real Bay Area Veterans!

Written by Saitenhexerin on 17.05.2009 at 22:38


I love Eternal Nightmare, for me it is the Thrash Metal with the most aggressive vocals, you just want to scream along lol
IMHO also Oppressing the Masses is a good album.
Man I just love all these real Bay Area Veterans!

You're not the only one

Yeah, I've listened to Vio-lence for ages.
They have some great shit

One of my all-time favorites, though Sean's vocals are not for everyone. I saw them in '91 on the OTM tour, which was renamed the World in a World tour and unofficially dubbed the "Torture Tactics BANNED Tour" - one of the best shows I've ever been to.

If you haven't heard them, check them out, but stay away from Nothing to Gain - there's a reason it's never been reissued and the band didn't play any of those songs live when they reunited a few years ago: it's a horrible album from top to bottom.

It's really hard to describe the briliance of the vocals. Sure, Sean probably doesn't have much talent when it comes to vibrato, falsetto, or just pure singing talent, but his vocal lines are absolutely brilliant. Take Phobophobia, Calling in the Coroner, T.D.S., and Liquid Courage for example. The way he shouts the lyrics with the vocal patterns makes the songs not only memorable, but gives them personality. Out of all ~1200 CD's I own (and probably two or three times as much burned and downloaded), the re-release of Eternal Nightmare and Live at Slim's is my favorite album I've ever bought, and I've had that opinion for a while now.

It's just a shame that Oppressing the Masses has such bad production because the songs are amazing. But, most of them are on the live album, thankfully, with much improved quality.

Written by Søren on 29.05.2009 at 17:46

One of my all-time favorites, though Sean's vocals are not for everyone. I saw them in '91 on the OTM tour, which was renamed the World in a World tour and unofficially dubbed the "Torture Tactics BANNED Tour" - one of the best shows I've ever been to.

If you haven't heard them, check them out, but stay away from Nothing to Gain - there's a reason it's never been reissued and the band didn't play any of those songs live when they reunited a few years ago: it's a horrible album from top to bottom.

They actually did with Ageless Eyes and it sounds great. But yeah, that was the only song they played from that album and I've been a little skeptical with that release, so I've never bothered with it and probably never will.

Personally, i really dig Sean Killian's vocal cadence. "Eternal Nightmare" is probably one of my top 5 favorite thrash albums.

I just got their DVD, which has a 90 minute documentary about them and the Bay Area thrash scene on one disc and three concerts on the other.

Some amusing things were the old bassist being interviewed from what appeared to be his prison cell and the bits about their manager who, at the time, was a 55 year old woman. Now, she must be 70-something but she was interviewed and I had to laugh a little when she talked about bands like Fordidden and Vio-Lence Hell yeah metal grandma hell yeah

I bought it from Amazon, used, for about $2 before shipping. There's still a few copies left for that price.

This band is killer. their eternal nightmare album is excellent and sean killian's voice is too good..doesn't take away from the music, they fit perfectly together.
real shitty how they split up, though their follow up albums to eternal nightmare weren't all that AMAZING, they still own in the thrash genre.