Von (band)
| Von | |
|---|---|
Von live at Tuska Open Air 2013
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| Background information | |
| Origin | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Genres | Black metal |
| Years active | 1987–1992, 2010–present |
| Labels | Von Records |
| Associated acts | Abscess, Eatmyfuk, Sixx |
| Members | Venien Lord Giblete Xaphan Dirty FvKn! Pistols |
| Past members | Goat Snake Kill Blood Charlie Fell |
Von is an American black metal band from San Francisco, California. They are thought to be the first American black metal band, and have strongly influenced the second wave of black metal.
Von was allegedly formed in 1987 by Goat, Snake, and Venien (who left the band in 1990, before VON was chosen as the band name). The role and involvement of member "Venien" in the early days of Von have always been very unclear, as no proof that this member was active in the band during that period exists. In late 1990 or early 1991, Kill joined the band as bassist and the trio recorded their Satanic Blood demo. During 1991, Von played a couple of live gigs and recorded another demo, Blood Angel, which was never released on its own. The band disbanded in 1992, shortly after the release of Satanic Blood. The band's members also recorded a gothic rock demo under the name Sixx.
The early days of Von are largely undocumented, and Venien's membership during 1987–1990 has been a matter of contention among fans. It is also unclear if the band even existed before 1990, as no proof exists. Many people believe the band was formed in late 1990 or early 1991 with the line-up of Goat (guitars, vocals), Kill (bass) and Snake (drums). Many people consider this line-up to be the only true line-up of Von and disregard the band's post-2010 material. Venien has been accused of trying to cover up facts of Von's past on various archiving and encyclopedic websites, in an attempt to further solidifying his professed involvement in Von's original formation.
In 2003, Nuclear War Now! Productions released Satanic Blood Angel, a double CD/triple LP compilation featuring the band's demos on one CD and a recording of a live show on another. Besides the original Satanic Blood demo, this was the only other official Von release prior to 2010. In 2009, Nuclear War Now! Productions released the Sixx recording on an LP entitled Sister Devil.
The band reformed with a new line-up for a one-off show on June 6, 2010, at the Armageddon Fest in London, England. Watain and The Devil's Blood opened for the band, marking the first time Von had played live in 20 years. Snake, the drummer, was replaced by Blood as a session drummer, and bassist Kill was replaced by Venien; this was the first time Venien had actively played with the band. The band was also joined by a second guitarist: J. Giblet G. Goat was the only member left in the band from the original line-up of Goat, Kill, and Snake.
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