Forced Entry (band)
Seattle thrash metal pioneers with two studio albums.
Forced Entry were an American thrash metal band from Seattle, Washington. They started out in 1983 as a cover band called Critical Condition, playing songs by Kiss, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and AC/DC. The group changed their name to Forced Entry in 1986. Over the next few years, they released three demos—*All Fucked Up*, *Thrashing Helpless Down*, and *Hate Fills Your Eyes*—with the second demo winning them a 1987 Northwest Music Award for Best Metal Band.
Their first album, *Uncertain Future*, came out in June 1989 on Combat Records, a subsidiary of Relativity. The band had turned down offers from major labels like CBS and MCA to sign there. The album got some good reviews, including from *Guitar World*, and Forced Entry toured twice to support it: opening for Coroner on the No More Color tour (alongside Atrophy) and supporting Sacred Reich on The American Way tour (alongside Obituary). Their second and final album, *As Above, So Below*, was recorded in late 1990 and released in June 1991. It didn’t match the underground success or critical reception of the first album, but it did get some positive notices. Music videos for “Macrocosm, Microcosm” and “Never a Know, But the No” got heavy play on MTV’s *Headbangers Ball*; the latter video featured cameos from members of Alice in Chains. Relativity soon dropped the band, so they never toured for that album.
Forced Entry kept playing shows and tried to find a new label, but couldn’t. In 1995, they put out a four-song EP called *The Shore* and played a final Seattle show in August. They reunited once for a one-off performance at the Abrasive Rock Festival in 2002, and were scheduled to play the Seattle Metal Fest in August 2003 but pulled out for personal reasons, splitting up again afterward.
Guitarist Brad Hull stayed active in music, playing in local bands like L.S. Diablo, Sac Lunch, and Thug. He also formed L.S. Diablo in 2009 with his son Riley and Aaron Goff on guitars and Paul Marshall on drums, playing bass and vocals on a self-produced six-song album. Vocalist/bassist Tony Benjamins and drummer Colin Mattson jammed in a local band called DUMT but later retired from music.
Quick Facts
- Alias
- Critical Condition (1983–1986)
- Genre
- Thrash metal / technical thrash metal
- Origin
- Seattle, Washington, U.S.
- Years Active
- 1983–1995 / 2002–2003 / 2026–present
- Label
- Combat / Relativity
- Current Members
- Tony Benjamins / Colin Mattson / Steve Campbell
- Past Members
- Brad Hull
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The band began as a cover band named Critical Condition, playing songs by Kiss, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and AC/DC. They changed their name to Forced Entry in 1986 and released two demos in 1987, with Thrashing Helpless Down winning the Northwest Music Award for Best Metal Band. Their third demo, Hate Fills Your Eyes, led to a contract with Combat Records, and their debut album Uncertain Future was released in June 1989, earning favorable reviews from Guitar World. They toured with Coroner and Sacred Reich, but their second album As Above, So Below (1991) failed to match the success of the first, and the band was dropped by Relativity. They released an EP, The Shore, in 1995 and played a final show that August. After a one-off reunion in 2002 and a canceled appearance at Seattle Metal Fest in 2003, the band disbanded permanently.
Reader's Guide
Forced Entry's significance lies in their role as early architects of the Seattle thrash metal scene, a distinction they share with bands like Metal Church and Sanctuary. Though they never achieved mainstream success, their debut album Uncertain Future received critical attention, and their music videos for 'Macrocosm, Microcosm' and 'Never a Know, But the No' aired on MTV's Headbangers Ball. The band's legacy is preserved through reissues of their albums by Century Media and Lost and Found Records, and their reunion in 2026—after a 25-year hiatus—demonstrates enduring interest. Their compilation album of early demos, set for release in 2027, will further cement their place in thrash metal history. The band's story also highlights the interconnectedness of the Seattle metal scene, with guitarist Brad Hull later joining Sanctuary and other local acts.
Did You Know?
- Forced Entry won the 1987 Northwest Music Award for 'Best Metal Band' for their demo Thrashing Helpless Down.
- The music video for 'Never a Know, But the No' featured cameos by members of Alice in Chains.
- Guitarist Brad Hull joined the reunited Sanctuary in 2011 and appeared on their 2014 album The Year the Sun Died.
- The band's 2026 reunion show at the Blades of Steel Metal Festival featured new guitarist Steve Campbell, replacing Hull who was serving a sentence for drug possession.
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