Joe Hasselvander
| Joe Hasselvander | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | 30 December 1956 |
| Origin | Washington D.C., United States |
| Genres | Heavy metal, doom metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Drums, guitar, bass, vocals, violin |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Associated acts | Raven, Pentagram, Jack Starr, Jack Starr's Guardians of the Flame, Blue Cheer, Cathedral, Kim Simmonds, Mountain, White Lion, Mind Assassin, Overlord, Black Manta, Devil Childe, Phantom Lord, Reactor, Forgotten Realm, Armageddon USA, The Boyz, Ra Notra Sextet, The Hounds of Hasselvander |
| Website | Joe Hasselvander on Myspace |
Joe Hasselvander (born December 30, 1956) is an American musician who has been playing professionally since nine years old in 1966. He was self-taught, playing the violin and later the drums. He has been the drummer of the NWOBHM Raven since 1987, and was a member of the influential doom metal band Pentagram.
Hasselvander regularly played the military club circuit in and around the Washington, D.C. area until 1973, when he was asked to join The Platters after playing a show with them in Waldorf, Maryland. Hasselvander declined, saying he had to finish high school. He later joined a jazz fusion ensemble called the Ra Notra Sextet that was writing and performing music similar to Chick Corea or The Mahavishnu Orchestra.
In 1973, Hasselvander returned to the hard rock genre playing with the Washington D.C. band The Boyz in the Washington/Baltimore area. In 1976, Hasselvander was asked to play in Mountain with Leslie West in a small club in Alexandria, Virginia. In 1977, Hasselvander joined forces with Bobby Liebling and started a new and serious working version of heavy metal doom band, Pentagram. Hasselvander's first single, "Living in a Ram's Head" b/w "When the Screams Come", was recorded with Hasselvander sharing the producing duties with Liebling. In 1979 Pentagram opened for Judas Priest on the Hell Bent for Leather tour and later that year Hasselvander formed Overlord with members of Pentagram and Link Wray's The Pack.
In 1981, Hasselvander once again joined forces with The Boyz to release the album Bustin’ Out, followed by a Falls Church, Virginia show with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. Hasselvander formed Death Row with axeman Victor Griffin in 1982 and once again recruited Bobby Liebling and bassist Martin Swaney to write and record Pentagram's first LP on New York label Dutch East Records.
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