Biography

The leaders of Holland's death metal scene, Gorefest built a substantial underground following over the course of the '90s with a powerful, groove-based sound that often paralleled similar innovations by bands like Entombed and Sepultura. Founded by vocalist/bassist Jan-Chris De Koeyer and guitarist Frank Harthoorn in 1989, Gorefest issued their debut album Mindloss in 1991, with a drummer and second guitarist known only as Mark and Alex, respectively. Dissatisfied with the band's level of musicianship, De Koeyer and Harthoorn jettisoned the two and hired on drummer Ed Warby and guitarist Boudewijn Bonebakker. The move paid immediate dividends; signing to Nuclear Blast in 1992, the band issued False, not only a more consistent and technically accomplished record, but also a much more original one. While False slipped through the cracks in some death metal quarters, enough underground aficionados heaped praise on the record to build Gorefest's cult following. Next up was the live album The Eindhoven Insanity, recorded at the Dynamo metal festival in Holland; the proper follow-up, Erase, was released in 1994 and found the band moving subtly toward more traditional forms of metal, partly through its sure sense of groove. That approach crystallized on 1996's Soul Survivor, which combined death metal with the elegant power and accessibility of '70s British metal. With that, Gorefest's association with Nuclear Blast ended, and the band wound up on the German imprint Steamhammer/SPV. Chapter 13 was issued in Europe in 1998, and it continued Gorefest's interest in classic rock; however, just before the end of the year, the band announced its breakup. Chapter 13 was finally released in the U.S. in 2000. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi