Grief (band)

Lore & Background

Grief was founded in 1991 by Disrupt guitarist Terry Savastano and Unleashed Anger drummer Pete Donovan. Randy Odierno and Jeff Hayward joined shortly thereafter. The band initially disbanded in 2001 mainly due to drummer problems, which were an ongoing issue from the start. They reunited briefly in July 2005 to play a cluster of reunion shows, including the first annual New England Grind And Doom Fest on July 17, 2005 at The Middle East Cafe in Cambridge, MA. The response was so positive that they began booking other shows and toured intermittently throughout 2005 and 2006.

In 2005, the band played at venues including The Ace of Clubs and The Knitting Factory in New York, The Khyber in Philadelphia, O'Brien's in Allston/Brighton, MA, The Living Room in Providence, RI, and Cherry St. Station in CT. Southern Lord Records released a full-length live album called 'Alive' in 2006, featuring their performance at the Middle East in November 2005. Grief played at Emissions from the Monolith 8, a sludge/doom festival in Ohio, in May 2006. The band re-formed in 2008 and toured the United States and Europe, but disbanded permanently in March 2009.

In 2012, Savastano formed the idea of reuniting Grief as Come to Grief, after the seminal 1994 album. Their name was changed in 2014 and followed by a headlining appearance in Oakland, California's Deadfest 2015. Members of the band have gone on to play in many other bands including Consume, Deathraid, Disrupt, State of Fear, Unleashed Anger, Goff, Demonic Death Preachers, Effects of Alcohol, Noosebomb, Abhorred, Z28, and Chicken Chest and the Bird Boys, Dread, and Oxblood Forge.

Reader's Guide

Grief's significance lies in their role as one of a handful of seminal New England bands that initiated the merger between hardcore and metal, as noted by The Hartford Advocate. Their sound, characterized by Jeff Hayward's throat-shredding vocals and a distinctly New England flavor of depression and isolation, remained relevant and entertaining even after nearly 15 years. The band's legacy is also marked by their persistent drummer problems, which contributed to their initial disbandment in 2001 and were a recurring theme throughout their career. Their compilation album 'Turbulent Times' (2002) and live album 'Alive' (2006) document their work, and the band's influence continued through the formation of Come to Grief in 2012, which performed at Deadfest 2015. The extensive list of subsequent bands featuring former members underscores Grief's impact on the sludge and doom metal scenes.

Did You Know?

• Grief was founded in 1991 by Disrupt guitarist Terry Savastano and Unleashed Anger drummer Pete Donovan.
• The band initially disbanded in 2001 mainly due to drummer problems, which were an ongoing issue from the start.
• They reunited briefly in July 2005 after a show at the first annual New England Grind And Doom Fest.
• In 2012, Savastano formed the idea of reuniting Grief as Come to Grief, named after their 1994 album.