Forced Entry (band)

Forced Entry was an American thrash metal band, formed in 1984 in Seattle, Washington under the name Critical Condition.[1] The band released two studio albums, one EP and three demos before breaking up in 1995, and briefly reunited in 2002. Forced Entry never achieved mainstream success, but they are often regarded as pioneers of the Seattle thrash metal scene,[2][3] along with Metal Church, Panic, Bitter End, Coven, R.I.P. and Sanctuary (whom guitarist Brad Hull would join when they reunited in 2010).[4]

Forced Entry
Also known asCritical Condition (1984–1986)
OriginSeattle, Washington
GenresThrash metal
Years active
  • 1984–1995
  • 2002
Labels
Associated actsSanctuary
Past membersBrad Hull
Tony Benjamins
Colin Mattson
Doug Ramm

Biography

The band was formed in 1984 by vocalist/bassist Tony Benjamins, guitarist Brad Hull and drummer Colin Mattson under the name Critical Condition. It was a cover band that played songs from Kiss, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and AC/DC.[1] Critical Condition changed their name to Forced Entry in 1986, and the following year released two demos, All Fucked Up and Thrashing Helpless Down. The latter won them the 1987 Northwest Music Award for "Best Metal Band".[1]

The band released a third demo, Hate Fills Your Eyes, in 1988, which led to the band's first record label contract.[4] They were signed to Combat Records (a subsidiary of Relativity), and in January 1989 recorded their debut album, Uncertain Future, which was released that June. The album was well-received by music critics.[5] In support of the release, Forced Entry embarked on two major tours; along with Atrophy, they were the opening act for Coroner on their No More Color tour,[6] and supported Sacred Reich and Obituary on the American Way tour.[7][8]

They began recording their second and final album, As Above, So Below, in December 1990 at Normandy Sound in Warren, Rhode Island. The album was released in June 1991. Although the album achieved neither the underground success nor the critical acclaim of Uncertain Future, it received some positive reviews,[9][10] and the videos for "Macrocosm, Microcosm" and "Never a Know, But the No" were in heavy rotation on MTV's Headbangers Ball; the latter features cameos by the members of Alice in Chains.[11] Forced Entry was soon dropped from Relativity, and as a result, the band did not tour in support of As Above, So Below.[1]

The band continued to play shows and attempted, unsuccessfully, to sign with another label. In 1995 they released a four song EP, The Shore, and played a final show in Seattle in August.[1] They reunited for one performance at the Abrasive Rock Festival in 2002.[12]

Hull continued to be active in the music industry, joining local bands such as L.S. Diablo, Sac Lunch and Thug, and joined the reunited Sanctuary in 2011,[13] appearing on their third album The Year the Sun Died (2014). He formed L.S. Diablo with guitarists Riley Hull and Aaron Goff and drummer Paul Marshall in 2009, playing bass on their self-produced six-song album.[14] Benjamins and Mattson jammed in local band called DUMT, but are currently both retired from the music industry.[1][4] In 1993 Hull and Benjamins appeared in an episode of "The Lame List", a recurring segment of the local Seattle television comedy Almost Live!.[15][16]

Century Media reissued Uncertain Future in 1999 with The Shore as bonus tracks.[17] Lost and Found Records reissued As Above, So Below in 2009.[18]

Discography

Studio albums
Year Title
1989 Uncertain Future
  • Record label: Combat Records
  • Released: June 30, 1989
  • Formats: CD, 12" vinyl, cassette
1991 As Above, So Below

EPs
Year Title
1995 The Shore
  • Record label: Morning Wood
  • Released: 1995
  • Format: CD

Demos
Year Title
1987 All Fucked Up
  • Released: 1987
  • Format: Cassette
1987 Thrashing Helpless Down
  • Released: 1987
  • Format: Cassette
1988 Hate Fills Your Eyes
  • Released: 1988
  • Format: Cassette
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References
  1. "Forced Entry". xtreemmusic.org. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  2. Book, John. "Forced Entry - Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 17 January 2015. During their inception in the mid '80s, there was no active thrash-metal scene in the Seattle area. The band decided to change that situation with their musically diverse songs and intelligent lyrics. They are currently considered a major factor in the Seattle metal community.
  3. Hodgson, Peter (15 March 2011). "The Top 10 Thrash Bands Who Didn't Make the Big Four". Gibson Guitar Corporation. Retrieved 15 January 2015. This Seattle-area thrash band’s sound was so ahead of its time that only now are bands like Cynic catching up.
  4. "Forced Entry Reflects Back on 25 Years of Uncertain Future". northwestmusicscene.com. 15 June 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  5. Book, John. "Uncertain Future - Forced Entry". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 January 2015. They changed the world of thrash with their debut album in 1989, featuring eerie power chords, awesome vocals, and a tremendous bass guitar sound.
  6. "Coroner Tour Dates". metallipromo.com. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  7. Mudrian, Albert (2009). Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press. p. 105. ISBN 9780306818066. Forced Entry.
  8. "Sacred Reich Tour Dates". metallipromo.com. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  9. Anderson, Jason. "As Above So Below - Forced Entry". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 January 2015. Musically similar to their earlier efforts, this 1991 Combat/Relativity records release boasts a punchier sound and slightly more technical material than prior efforts by the band. Brad Hull's guitar work is especially impressive
  10. Bergman, Keith. "CD Reviews - As Above, So Below (Reissue)". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 15 January 2015. Forced Entry [was] a technical thrash power trio from the Pacific Northwest whose second album, "As Above So Below", remains one of the all-time unfairly ignored albums of the entire thrash era.
  11. "Episode Database". headbangersballunofficialtributesite.com. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  12. "FORCED ENTRY To Reunite For ABRASIVE ROCK Appearance". Blabbermouth.net. 17 April 2002. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  13. "SANCTUARY Recruits Former FORCED ENTRY Guitarist For Upcoming Shows". Blabbermouth.net. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  14. "Former FORCED ENTRY Guitarist Launches L.S. DIABLO". Blabbermouth.net. 22 June 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  15. "News: Live From Seattle, Its..." Spin. SPIN Media LLC. 9 (1): 30. April 1993. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  16. The Lame List [compilation]. Almost Live!. 1993. KING. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  17. Uncertain Future/The Shore at Discogs
  18. "FORCED ENTRY: 'As Above, So Below' Reissue Available". Blabbermouth.net. 12 April 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
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