Blood Feast (band)

Lore & Background

The band was formed in 1985 by drummer Kevin Kuzma, bassist Louis Starita, vocalist Gary Markovitch, and guitarist Adam Tranquilli under the name Bloodlust. In February 1986, the band recorded their first demo, The Suicidal Missions. In the same month, Michael Basden joined as second guitarist. Shortly after, the band changed its name to Blood Feast. In June 1986, the band signed to a contract. The recordings for the first album were financed by the band itself. In February 1987, the band released their debut album Kill for Pleasure, and followed the release with some live performances, finishing each concert with a cover version of "Into Crypts of Rays" by Celtic Frost. In December 1987, the band recorded an EP (Face Fate). In June 1988 the band recorded a ten-song demo. Guitarist Adam Tranquili was no longer active by this time. Although initially titled The Last Remains, it was released as an album in 1989 under the name Chopping Block Blues. The band broke up in 1991.

In 1999, the band reformed for a single appearance at the March Metal Meltdown in Asbury Park, New Jersey. In 2002, Kevin Kuzma founded his own label, Militia Records, and released the compilation, Remnants: The Last Remains. In 2007, the band rejoined. This line-up featured founding members Kevin Kuzma and Adam Tranquili, along with guitarist John Blicharz, bassist Karl Odenwalder, and singer Tony Stanziano; all of whom were from Kevin Kuzma's death metal band, Annunaki. Current bass player Tom Lorenzo (who replaced Odenwalder) and vocalist Chris Natalini (who replaced Stanziano) were added in 2010, just a few months ahead of the band's performance at the Headbangers Open Air Festival in Germany. Blood Feast returned for a 2nd appearance at H.O.A. in 2013. This incarnation of the band remained intact until March 2014, at which point Kuzma and Blicharz were replaced by Joe Moore (formerly of DTA and Nemesis) and CJ Scioscia (of Insaniac and Skullshifter), respectively.

A pre-production demo of the first new Blood Feast song in nearly 25 years, entitled "Off With Their Heads", was made available for streaming via YouTube in August 2014. The new line-up then had its debut performance at Empire in West Springfield, VA on September 13, 2014, and has been active ever since. Two performances at the True Thrash Fest in Osaka, Japan occurred on February 21–22, 2015. On September 25, 2015, Blood Feast announced that they had signed with Hells Headbangers Records, and by the next year, they had been recording their first studio album since 1989 at LCBW Recording in Watchung, New Jersey. The album, titled, The Future State of Wicked, was released on April 14, 2017. In June 2022, Blood Feast revealed Infinite Evolution as the title of their fourth album, which was not released until July 12, 2024.

Reader's Guide

Blood Feast is a thrash metal band from Bayonne, New Jersey, formed in 1985. Their early career included a name change from Bloodlust, a self-financed debut album Kill for Pleasure in 1987, and a second album Chopping Block Blues in 1989. The band disbanded in 1991 but reunited for a single concert in 1999 and permanently reformed in 2007. After several lineup changes, they released their first studio album in 28 years, The Future State of Wicked, in 2017, followed by Infinite Evolution in 2024. Their discography also includes compilation albums, EPs, and a demo. The band has performed at festivals such as Headbangers Open Air in Germany and True Thrash Fest in Japan. Their significance lies in their persistence across decades, returning from a long hiatus to release new material and maintain a presence in the thrash metal scene.

Did You Know?

• The band originally formed under the name Bloodlust in 1985.
• Their debut album Kill for Pleasure was self-financed and released in February 1987.
• Blood Feast performed at the March Metal Meltdown in Asbury Park, New Jersey in 1999 after a long hiatus.
• Their fourth studio album Infinite Evolution was released on July 12, 2024.

Origins and the First Chapter (1985–1991)

In the mid-1980s thrash scene of Bayonne, New Jersey, four musicians—drummer Kevin Kuzma, bassist Louis Starita, vocalist Gary Markovitch, and guitarist Adam Tranquilli—banded together under the name Bloodlust. By February 1986, the group had already cut their first demo, The Suicidal Missions, and welcomed Michael Basden as a second guitarist. Shortly thereafter, they rebranded as Blood Feast and, in June of that year, signed a recording contract. Notably, the band self-financed the production of their debut album, Kill for Pleasure, which arrived in February 1987. The group supported the release with live shows, each set closing with a cover of Celtic Frost's "Into Crypts of Rays." That same year saw the Face Fate EP, and by 1988 the band had recorded a ten-song demo—though Tranquilli had already departed. That material, originally titled The Last Remains, eventually surfaced in 1989 as the album Chopping Block Blues. The original lineup's run ended with the band's breakup in 1991.

Reunions and Shifting Lineups (1999–2014)

After an eight-year silence, Blood Feast briefly reassembled in 1999 for a single show at the March Metal Meltdown in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The next significant chapter came in 2002, when Kuzma launched his own imprint, Militia Records, and put out the compilation Remnants: The Last Remains, gathering demo takes, live recordings, and previously unheard tracks. A full reunion finally materialized in 2007, pairing founding members Kuzma and Tranquilli with guitarist John Blicharz, bassist Karl Odenwalder, and singer Tony Stanziano—all drawn from Kuzma's death metal project Annunaki. By 2010, Odenwalder and Stanziano had been succeeded by Tom Lorenzo and Chris Natalini respectively, just in time for the band's appearance at Germany's Headbangers Open Air Festival. Blood Feast returned to that same German festival in 2013. However, in March 2014, Kuzma and Blicharz stepped aside, replaced by Joe Moore (known from DTA and Nemesis) on drums and CJ Scioscia (of Insaniac and Skullshifter) on guitar, setting the stage for a new creative direction.

A New Creative Era (2014–Present)

The 2014 lineup marked a genuine creative rebirth. In August of that year, the band shared a pre-production demo of "Off With Their Heads" on YouTube—their first new composition in nearly a quarter century. Their debut show with the new members took place on September 13, 2014, at the Empire venue in West Springfield, Virginia, and the group has remained active ever since. International exposure followed quickly: Blood Feast performed two nights at True Thrash Fest in Osaka, Japan, on February 21 and 22, 2015. In September 2015, the band announced a signing with Hells Headbangers Records, and by 2016 they were tracking material at LCBW Recording in Watchung, New Jersey. The result, The Future State of Wicked, dropped on April 14, 2017, ending a twenty-eight-year gap between studio albums. In June 2022, the group revealed the title of their fourth full-length, Infinite Evolution, which ultimately arrived on July 12, 2024, confirming that Blood Feast's creative engine, while long dormant, had not simply stopped.

Catalogue and Discographic Footprint

Across nearly four decades, Blood Feast has assembled a modest but varied catalogue. Their four studio albums—Kill for Pleasure (1987), Chopping Block Blues (1989), The Future State of Wicked (2017), and Infinite Evolution (2024)—bookend a remarkable twenty-eight-year gap between the second and third entries. Beyond those, the band's output includes four compilation albums: Thrash Metal Attack (1986), Speed Metal Hell, Vol. 3 (1987), Remnants: The Last Remains (2002), and Last Offering Before the Chopping Block (2013). A 1989 split release paired Kill for Pleasure material with Annihilation, while two EPs—Face Fate (1987) and Chopped, Sliced and Diced (2018)—offer shorter-form snapshots of the band's sound. The 1986 demo The Suicidal Missions remains the earliest known recording. Together, these releases document a group that moved from self-financed Bayonne thrash to international festival stages, with compilations and splits filling the long stretches between full-length efforts.